Daniel "Danny the Lion" Leo (born January 16, 1941 Rockleigh, New Jersey) is the currently imprisoned boss of the Genovese crime family, the biggest of New York's Five Families.
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Early life and career
Leo was once a member of the notorious East Harlem Purple Gang sometime during the 1970s. Also known as "Daniel Leonetti" and "Daniel Leonardo", he was born to first generation immigrants from San Leo in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche. He is the husband of Teresa. Leo is known to have one unidentified brother who is not a recognized criminal and is the uncle of Joseph Leo born c. 1963. Joseph Leo is also a capo in the Genovese crime family and doubled as his uncle's bodyguard and chauffeur.
Rise in the Genovese family
Before his imprisonment, Leo lived in a luxurious mansion in Palisades, New Jersey and was a suspected drug trafficker during his earlier years as a lower soldier in the Genovese crime family. He was once the president at a company called Elite Ready Mix. Allegedly promoted to captain under the regime of Vincent "Chin" Gigante in the late 1980s or early 1990s, establishing a high position in the family with Gigante's top associates Dominick "Quiet Dom" Cirillo, James "Little Jimmy" Ida and Louis "Bobby" Manna. After living a very low-profile life as a faction-leader in New Jersey, he stepped up as the new acting boss of the Genovese family in or around 2005 or 2006, possibly after Dominick Cirillo's imprisonment and Mario Gigante's retirement. Up until 2008 he had only been convicted of contempt of court when he refused to testify in a grand jury probe investigating four murders.
Indictment and prison
In early 2007, Leo was one of many Genovese crime family members indicted on federal loansharking and extortion charges. In early 2008, Leo pleaded guilty to racketeering and loansharking. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison. As of November 2008, Leo is residing in the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City. His projected release date is October 7, 2011. Whether or not he still maintains the position of boss/acting boss while in prison remains unknown, as there are other candidates whom are out of prison, such as former street boss, Gigante loyalist and Manhattan faction leader Liborio Bellomo, or Tino "the Greek" Fiumara, a rival captain in the New Jersey faction of the family.
External links
- The New York Post: Leading without his Chin by Jeane MacIntosh and Kati Cornell
- The New York Sun: Meet the Genovese Crime Family's New Boss by Jerry Capeci
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| Preceded by Vincent Gigante |
Genovese crime family Boss 2005–present |
Incumbent |
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