Matty the Horse, Mob Muscle behind Waste Cartel, Dead at 92

Date: August 20, 2012

Source: News Room

Matthew Ianniello aka "Matty the Horse," the muscle behind a hauling cartel in Connecticut and New York, among many other nefarious exploits, is dead at 92. Ianniello was a reputed Genovese crime boss who earned his name from an early career as an enforcer. Over a 50-year span, he was convicted of rigging construction bids, skimming union dues and extorting protection money from bar owners, pornography shops and topless dancers. After the imprisonment of the longtime Genovese family leader Vincent Gigante in 1997, Ianniello served as acting boss of the crime family. He was later accused of having been paid a "mob tax" from associates of trash kingpin James Galante who operated a so-called "property rights" scheme to enforce collusion among local hauling "carting" companies to ensure that they agreed to keep prices higher and not poach one another's business. Galante and others are serving prison sentences on racketeering and other charges related to the scheme. An FBI wiretap captured Ianniello advising one member that he would "live longer" by cooperating.

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