Anthony Scotto
Anthony M. Scotto (born 1934) was a New York mobster and labor union racketeer succeeding Anthony "Tough Tony" Anastasio as head of the New York waterfront.
Scotto took control of New York's longshoremen union affairs of Brooklyn's Local Union 1814 following the death of its president Anthony Anastasio in 1963 (Scotto was the son-in-law of Anthony Anastasio, the nephew of Anthony "Tough Tony" Anastasio). Called a "new breed labor leader" by the press, Scotto quickly rose into high level business and political circles eventually becoming the general organizer of the AFL-CIO International Longshoremen’s Association, one of the three highest positions in the labor union representing over 100,000 members from Maine to Texas.
In 1979, Scotto was arrested with father-in-law Anthony Anasasio following a federal investigation revealing a large scale cash payoff operation. Despite a number of character witnesses from politicians such as New York governor Hugh L. Carey and former New York Mayors John V. Linsey and Robert Wagner, Scotto was convicted of extorting $200,000 from waterfront businesses. Scotto denied the charges claiming, with the exception of accepting $75,000 in political contributions, he had "never taken a cent" instead contributing to then New York lieutenant governor Mario M. Cuomo's unsuccessful 1977 campaign for Mayor of New York and Carey's successful 1978 reelection campaign.
Although Scotto and Anastasio were convicted, U.S. District Judge Charles E. Stewart, Jr. was "extremely impressed" by letters from politicians, businessmen and labor leaders requesting leniency and bypassed the maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and instead sentenced Scotto to 5 years with a $75,000 fine.
References
- Nash, Jay Robert. Encyclopedia of World Crime (S-Z) Vol. IV, CrimeBooks Inc., Wilmette, 1990. ISBN 0-923582-00-2
- Nash, Jay Robert. World Encyclopedia of Organized Crime, Da Capo Press: New York, 1992. ISBN 0-306-80535-9