Last Rites by William J. Craig Read Free Book Online

cruise up and down this street all day long snapping pictures of the different factions and their crews. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, anyone wanting to open a cab stand in Revere had to have permission from the Angiulo family to do so.
    The deputy chief of the Revere Police, Phillip Gallo, was the main protector of the mob in Revere. He had been on the pad since the days of Lou Fox, and after Fox died, Gallo was paid by Patriarca loyalist Maxie Baer. Gallo had a plan to take over the entire city of Revere. He set up a meeting with Henry Tameleo. The two of them met in a parking lot in Revere that was monitored by the FBI. Gallo informed Tameleo that he was planning to leave the police department and he could guarantee a wide-open town for the mob. What he needed was the backing of the mob and more money. Tameleo told him that his job was to protect the gambling, loan sharking and nightclub operations. He went on to say that the only way he was going to quit his job was if he died or was too old to work.

    This cab stand was owned by Tony Defeo. It was from this location that they handled illegal gambling and bookmaking operations with the Angiulo brothers, until the cabs started making more money than the illegal activities. The stand is located on Broadway, Revere, between the central fire station and Walgreen’s parking lot.

    Deputy Police Chief Phillip Gallo, who was on the mob payroll for most of his career. Courtesy of Mickey Casoli .
    Off Broadway, there were at least a half dozen made members of organized crime who lived within a mile radius of one another. There was also a social club on Squire Road aptly named the Revere Businessman’s Association, which was owned by Billy Baliro. During the heyday of Revere Beach, there was a supper club, which later became a strip club, named the Surf. This popular club was owned by the DiCarlo family and was used as a front for bookmaking and loan sharking activities. This club was also the site of a botched hit on Joe DiCarlo’s son, which was foiled by off-duty Revere Police detective Mickey Casoli. Directly on the beach near Revere Street was the Ebb Tide, a gathering place for all the local rogues. About two blocks up from the Ebb Tide was the Mickey Mouse, a local bar that was the scene of a horrific double murder that took place right before closing. At the end of the beach is a stately home with a carriage house in the rear. The house was once home to Tommy Cerracola and his family before he was brutally murdered in the kitchen for withholding tribute on a drug deal.
    Another mob hangout in Revere was Arthur’s Farm, a dilapidated roadside stand that was owned by Arthur Ventola, who was a convicted fence, and his brother, Nicholas “Junior” Ventola. The roadside stand was a dumping ground for stolen merchandise; even Life magazine did an article about how New England Patriots players like Gino Cappelletti would shop there. It also mentioned Bob Cousy, who was the top star of the Boston Celtics. Life magazine made a big deal about how Cousy was friends with alleged mobster Francesco Scibelli, aka Frankie Skiball, a member of the Vito Genovese family. Life magazine was trying to imply that Cousy and Cappelletti were giving the mob insider information concerning professional games to make money. Nothing has ever been substantiated, and the mob has denied that any information was ever given to them. The stand was also an inconspicuous place to hold mob conferences. The stand was occasionally raided by the Massachusetts State Police but almost never bothered by the Revere Police.

    Revere Police headquarters.
    The worst scandal in Revere Police history became known as the “Exam Scam.” In 1987, several members of the Revere Police force paid to get the answers to the sergeant’s exam. These corrupt officers took the test and memorized the answers. The test should take a minimum of four hours. The cheating officers all had an