Notorious Greek-American Mafia Boss Spyros Velentzas Dies in Prison

New York constabulary officers. Credit: faungg’s photos / Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Spyros Velentzas, the Greek-American mob fig agelong known successful Astoria, Queens of New York successful the US arsenic “Sakaflias,” died a fewer days agone successful an American national prison, according to worldly provided by sources acquainted with his case.

His decease was reported quietly, with nary authoritative origin cited. Accounts disagree connected timing and property astatine death: 1 relationship describes him arsenic 90, portion different places his decease connected May 4, 2024, astatine the property of 88. What is wide is that helium died successful custody aft decades down bars, contempt the conflicting accusation astir the nonstop circumstances of his passing.

O grupo de 30 membros dos Velentzas controlava uma rede de jogos ilegais em Astoria, Queens e Brooklyn.

Em 1992, Spyro foi considerado culpado e condenado a 20 anos de prisão, além de prisão perpétua por assassinato, evasão fiscal e jogo ilegal. pic.twitter.com/Ebl9vAfKcr

— Submundo Criminal (@submundodocrime) May 7, 2024

Who was the Greek Mafia fable ”Sakaflias”.

Velentzas roseate from the Greek-American assemblage of Astoria to pb a unit that, from the mid-1950s done the aboriginal 1990s, controlled amerciable gambling, loan-sharking and extortion rackets crossed parts of Queens and Brooklyn successful New York. Though aligned with the Lucchese transgression family, helium maintained cordial ties with figures successful rival mafia organisations. In the precocious 1970s, helium was affable with aboriginal Gambino brag John Gotti; accounts from the clip callback Gotti telling him, “I ne'er prevarication due to the fact that I fearfulness nary one.”

Peter Gotti, 1 of the members of the imfamous Gambino transgression family. Credit: FBI, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

Born successful Greece and arriving successful Boston astatine 14 earlier moving with his household to New York successful 1950, Velentzas built his basal successful Astoria, opening a café nether the helping of Peter Kourakos, the earlier Greek “don”, wherever dice and paper games flourished.

He paid a regular levy to get protection, reported astatine astir $10,000 a month, to the Lucchese household for protection, expanded into question services, a edifice and a bakery, and fed a lifelong passionateness for the racetrack, adjacent arsenic helium developed loan-sharking and gambling rackets.

He survived an attempted deed adjacent his location successful the aboriginal 1980s and, arsenic his unit grew, had to woody with periodic tensions with the Gambinos implicit gaming clubs. These were transgression disputes aboriginal reflected successful FBI-intercepted calls, portion adhering to omertà and, successful a uncommon 1994 situation interview, styling himself “the king… among the Greeks.”

When was helium arrested?

Arrested astir 1990 and going to proceedings 2 years aboriginal successful 1992, Velentzas was convicted connected charges including murder, loan-sharking and amerciable gambling and received a beingness sentence.

Prosecutors tied him to the 1988 shooting of Sarecho “Sammy the Arab” Nalo.
Nalo was attacked portion connected the telephone with Velentzas. A connection that was attributed to Nalo saying “Spyros did it” was ne'er allowed to beryllium admitted astatine trial. Years later, cooperating Lucchese capo Peter “Fat Pete” Chiodo implicated Velentzas successful the killing. Velentzas denied engagement until his death, claiming that Nalo’s disputes were with others not Nalo. However, helium had been convicted anyway.

Tensions with the Gambino household flared erstwhile Velentzas, acting nether Lucchese direction, opened a dice nine adjacent a Gotti-controlled spot successful Queens. FBI wiretaps captured Gotti’s anger, and an intermediary aboriginal made the Greeks to apologise, averting escalation and a full-on mob war.

Throughout his life, Velentzas adhered to omertà. He repeatedly refused to cooperate with the FBI oregon police, adjacent erstwhile doing truthful mightiness person shortened his sentence. In a uncommon 1994 situation interview, seasoned organised-crime newsman Jerry Capeci quoted him arsenic saying, “I was the king successful my ain mode among the Greeks,” a boast that showed intelligibly his lasting successful Astoria astatine the tallness of his influence.

Velentzas spent clip astatine high-security facilities, including USP Terre Haute successful Indiana, earlier being held astatine Allenwood successful Pennsylvania. He remained incarcerated into aged age, having adjacent sought compassionate merchandise precocious successful life. His decease closes the section connected a unit that erstwhile made the Greek Mafia a important unit successful New York’s underworld.