Venero Mangano

Venero Frank "Benny Eggs" Mangano (September 7, 1921 – August 18, 2017) was an American criminal. He was the underboss of the Genovese crime family. Since boss Daniel "Danny the Lion" Leo was imprisoned in 2007, Mangano was the family's senior leader outside prison. The nickname "Benny Eggs" came from his mother running an egg farm. He was released from prison on November 2, 2006, after serving a 15-year sentence for extortion.

Venero Frank Mangano
Venero Mangano in 1990.
Born	(1921-09-07)September 7, 1921 Lower Manhattan, New York City
Died	August 18, 2017(2017-08-18) (aged 95) Greenwich Village, New York City
Cause of death	Congestive heart failure
Nationality	Italian American
Other names	"Benny", "Benny Eggs"
Criminal status	Released
Spouse	Louise
Children	Rosanna, Joseph, Flemme Gasque
Conviction(s)	Extortion, conspiracy
Criminal penalty	15 years

Windows case

From 1978 to 1990, four of the five crime families of New York formed a cartel of window replacement companies. The cartel eventually controlled over $150 million in contracts from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

Convictions

As a member of the Genovese crime family, Mangano had a notable criminal record;

• October 7, 1946 - Bookmaking - $50 fine
• May 15, 1947 - Bookmaking - $200 fine
• October 8, 1950 - Bookmaking - $200 fine and 60 days imprisonment
• February 21, 1961 - Bookmaking - $250 fine and 90 days imprisonment
• August 6, 1981 - Civil contempt for refusing to testify once granted immunity - incarcerated from August 18, 1981 to April 22, 1982.

After jail

In 1997, while still in prison, Mangano was called to testify against boss Gigante. He refused to testify, saying, "What do you want to do, shoot me?" and "Shoot me, but I'm not going to answer any questions". He later took the witness stand, but refused to answer any questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights.

Death

Mangano died of congestive heart failure in New York City on August 18, 2017 at the age of 95.

More readings

• Jacobs, James B., Coleen Friel and Robert Radick. Gotham Unbound: How New York City Was Liberated from the Grip of Organized Crime. New York: NYU Press, 2001.
• Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2005.

American Mafia
Preceded by Saverio "Sammy" Santora	Genovese crime family Underboss 1987–2017	TBD