Prostitution in Miami had become too risky, he decided, but overseas sex tourism was soaring. But the man's paws were soon on her crotch again. Locked Up Abroad 151M subscribers Miami mobster Tony Galeota is a strip-club supremo. There was a spate of murders, several police raids, and a federal drug-trafficking trial. In January 1997, after he dropped his daughter off at school, Tarzan was arrested and hit with a 30-count federal indictment. While he, Tarzan and Juan were dealing with the Colombians and while Tony and Tarzan even got onto a Russian military naval base to tour a possible submarine for the deal the entire time the Cuban was planning to rip off the Colombians. Galeota's imprisonment abroad marks the end of one of Miami's most outrageous eras, when Russian and Colombian cartels stocked strip clubs with cheap prostitutes and cheaper cocaine. But not until she discovered he'd been dating a former Porky's stripper for more than two years did she threaten to divorce him in 2009. The submarine request, which came from Yester on behalf of the cartel, was not as outrageous as it now sounds. This time, I'm innocent.". If I were to make this story up and pitch it as a writer, producers would be like, Thats the worst pitch Ive ever heard. None of them ever appeared in the newspapers, but Hialeah police records confirm there were at least ten shootings at Porky's during Galeota's tenure. Galeota's enemies say that a life of sin has finally caught up with the flesh-peddler. Galeota and his "girls" in the Doll House, before the bust. Find your friends on Facebook. Galeota has seen several murders. Although he knows he could receive the death penalty, the money is too tempting to resist. While Galeota avoided testifying, Fainberg faced 30 counts including racketeering and conspiracy to traffic cocaine and heroin. independent local journalism in Miami. While Kristy was still in the States, he lived with five of his Colombian prostitutes. So I was literally stepping over dead bodies of the people who had been shanked and stuff over the course of the night.. He paid for her to secretly get an abortion. Here, Galeota is just one of 500 prisoners crammed into a filthy cell block designed to hold 200 people. "There was no transportation, no cops, no nothing," he says. ", http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-10-04/news/tony-galeota-from-running-porky-s-miami-s-most-notorious-strip-joint-to-rotting-in-a-panamanian-jail/full/. The smugglers boat was destroyed because it was a hazard to navigation. In describing Tarzan, Almeida says in the film, He struck me as an oddball. Tarzan classifies Almeida as a guy who had two drinks and thought he was Tony Montana. As for movie-star handsome, hooker-loving Yesters first impression of Tarzan: I said, This f- -king guy is trouble. Thirty minutes later, I loved the trouble., Abetted by the tumultuous state of the former Soviet Union the ruble was completely devalued and state-owned resources went to whomever had the most firepower gaining access to the submarine was surprisingly easy. Now the locals want to get rid of guys like Galeota too, as his case has drawn national attention to corruption and human rights abuses. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, From Porky's to Panamanian Prison: Web Extra. "It's not an easy choice," she says. So we met with a realtor, got high, and Tony got stupid with money. They had girls in every city. "My wife could have left me. The gig introduced him to a lifelong vice. Locked up in one of the world's worst prisons, Tony has to prove his innocence and attempt an audacious escape. "There was probably a lot more fun going on at Porky's than we even knew of," says one Hialeah police officer who asked not to be identified. "It was puppy love," he says. Galeota yelled. The 43-year-old is shaped like a mini refrigerator: short and squat, with a shaved head and wide-set emerald eyes. Galeota is one of several Americans locked up here. Sixteen months later, the two men have yet to appear in court. Next time, I will steal it back from him., Tarzan (left) at the site of the submarine. We've received your submission. Tony Kaleta. Guards with machine guns man rusty metal towers. As for his career, his only oath is that he won't let his sons follow his example. Theyre nice guys [the cartel members], and I didnt ask what they needed the submarine for., If they woke up and were hungry, they would fly a private jet to Cancun for lunch, says Tiller Russell, director of Operation Odessa. Then theyd roll to Venezuela to check out a new casino. S10 E10 Miami Mobster Take Down. Join the New Times community and help support independent I have to tell you, all my enemies are dead, and Im happy, he says in the documentary. In January 2017, Almeida got federally charged by the Drug Enforcement Administration with conspiracy to possess narcotics with intent to distribute. The drugs will be turned over to the DEA. "A family type thing, like an ale house with wings and beer," he says. ", McDonald has succeeded, however, in chipping away at the case, persuading a judge three weeks ago to drop the trafficking charge on a technicality. They finally fled the country this past July, leaving Tony alone. But Tarzan a seasoned wheeler-dealer, strip club owner and former mob enforcer took it in his stride and went back to his partners with the response. "We treated the women well.". I'm kind of stuck with it. His attorney has warned him that prosecutors will likely appeal, so he plans to stay in Panama until his case is resolved. He was talking to Fainberg about a murder he'd witnessed in Porky's parking lot. One scammer stole from another scammer; of course I accept it, he says. See Photos. And she launched drunken tirades at Tony after baseball games, no matter how well the all-star shortstop performed. If anything, Galeota's life got even more out of control after Fainberg's arrest. Galeota is not exactly repentant. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. All the services here are free. Banks seized all seven of his apartments. ), Right about the time my last film was coming out, he emailed me and said, I did a jailbreak from Panama, traveled to Costa Rica, on to Cuba and then got repatriated to Moscow Im ready to do the movie, Russell says. Can he prove his innocence and escape? Tony Galeota: From Running Porky's, Miami's Most Notorious Strip Joint, to Rotting More than 500 inmates crowd into a cell block designed for 200. Years later, Tarzan again found himself behind bars, this time in Panama; in fact, he was serving time in 2011 when Russell first approached him for the documentary. While another new prisoner was beaten and robbed, Galeota was untouched. Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. Making the documentary, he says: I found the story so compelling and so riveting that I was just relentlessly magnetized to it. Log In or Sign Up Tonia Galeota See Photos Antonio Galeota See Photos Tony Galeota See Photos Toni Galea See Photos Toni Colletto See Photos Toni Torres Galea Galeota is one of several Americans locked up here. A tattoo of an Italian Mafioso emerges from an extra-large sleeveless T-shirt. Like a concert pianist, Tony Galeota has spent his life honing a single skill since he was a teenager. He was 31. "They murdered a guy in here a couple of days ago," Tony Galeota says. But killings are common in Panama's worst prison, where the smell of raw sewage wafts over the yard, metal shackles hang from moldy staircases, and overcrowded cells house nearly 3,500 of the Western Hemisphere's vilest murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers. Again, the charges were dropped. Then she'd charge my friends $50 each," he says. , updated "There were beautiful girls, just walking the streets, giving blowjobs for $10 or $15.". "The first month, we had $15,000 in gross sales. He called his cartel contacts and arranged to meet them in the pickup area of the Madrid train station. A judge eventually dropped the human trafficking charge, but Galeota still rotted in his sordid cell alongside insects the size of small dogs. It was apparent they had what appeared to be narcotics and after we did the test they had bales on board of pure cocaine, said Boatswains Mate Omar Castro with the U.S. Coast Guard. Anthony Galeota was born October 17, 1968, on Long Island. If Galeota is freed, it will be a major blow for Panama's prostitution crackdown. The club was very successful. The 43-year-old is shaped like a mini refrigerator: short and squat, with a shaved head and wide-set emerald eyes. I said, Thank you, Cali cartel. He ogled the women standing on corners in their underwear and high heels. His father, Arnold, was a strait-laced sales manager but a distant and disapproving dad. Galeota may not be a good man, but he is brutally honest. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles. The Dolls House, Via Espaia Road, Panama City, Panam, "They murdered a guy in here a couple of days ago" Tony Galeota, Tony Galeota: From Running Porky's, Miami's Most Notorious Strip Joint, to Rotting in a Panamanian Jail. La Joya is flush with contraband, from cell phones and cigarettes to marijuana and handguns all of it brought in with the complicity of corrupt guards. His attorney has warned him that prosecutors will likely appeal, so he plans to stay in Panama until his case is resolved. Prostitutes were everywhere at the weddings, and when Tony asked another employee where they came from, the older kid took him to Manhattan's infamous West End. See Photos. By the mid-'90s, Galeota had turned Porky's into a one-stop shop for strippers, sex, and serious drugs. Then once he sent me this crazy email like, Holy s***! This story has been shared 121,048 times. She's forgiven me, for the most part. Within weeks of its April 2011 opening, the club was raking in $6,000 on good nights. And last year, Yester was finally arrested in Rome on charges unrelated to the submarine while en route to a wedding. Like a real-life godfather, Galeota weathered it all. While out of sight, he phoned his guy and lied about being in a particular taxi cab. I got a piece of the action of every blowjob that my friends got," Galeota says. Panama became Galeota's personal paradise. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida Prostitution is legal in Panama," he complains. "I just watched Luis blow a guy away," Galeota heard himself say on tape. Galeota was crammed into a sweltering holding cell with 150 others. "Thank God I'm out," he tells New Times in his first interview since his release. "Their connections were bigger than ours," he says. "Bill was one of the most influential people in Miami," Galeota says. A kilo of cocaine in Panama costs much less - about $5,000 per. His father, Arnold, was a strait-laced sales manager but a distant and disapproving dad. And so with like five days prep I jumped on a plane, went to Miami, started courting the cops and the feds and the US attorneys and all the good guys, the law enforcement side of it their participation was instrumental in it, because theyre the ones that have all the evidentiary record and all the surveillance video and the photos and the wiretaps and all that stuff, most of which is the sort of visual skeleton to the film. While on routine patrol, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection plane spotted a suspicious speed boat. Inside, the bar is still littered with half-empty bottles of Chivas Regal. "I want to go legit when I get out, but if the economy is bad, I might go back to the industry," he says. But the deal never happened. As chronicled in the new Showtime documentary Operation Odessa, the trio of cutthroat outlaws collaborated in 1996 to procure the ultimate weapon for Colombias money-minting Cali cocaine cartel: a military submarine. The year before, his father helped him land a job as a wedding DJ. This time, the feds took over the strip club before selling it to new owners, with one requirement: Neither Galeota nor anyone else from the old club could ever work there again. "Miami is a place where I would love to live," he pronounced, "and where I would love to die." For two decades, Galeota managed Porky's, a Hialeah dive notorious for drugs, prostitution, and violence, where he was part pimp, part bouncer, and completely untouchable.