Leone "Leo" Galante (1887-) was the consigliere of the Vinci crime family from 1908 to 1951. One of the most respected gangsters in New York City, Galante was forced to flee after the Moretti crime family put a contract on him, though he later returned to serve as a messenger for the Commission.
Biography[]
Galante was born in 1887 in Palermo, Sicily. In 1908, he and Frank Vinci immigrated to the United States, settling in New York City and establishing a foothold in the Italian immigrant community, with Vinci founding his own crime family which he would lead for the next four decades with Galante at his side as consigliere. During Prohibition, Galante and Vinci greatly benefited from bootlegging through their control of the Port of New York, supervising all illegal alcohol that came through the city. During the Vinci-Moretti War in the 1930s between Frank Vinci and mob boss Tomaso Moretti, Galante planned with one of Moretti's lieutenants, Carlo Falcone, to murder Moretti in 1933, which they did with a bomb placed in his car. Galante then helped arrange a truce between the families, agreeing to make Falcone the new boss of his family.
In 1943, Galante was convicted of bookmaking and fight fixing and sentenced to five years in prison. Due to his status and prestige, Galante received special privileges, and met up-and-comer Vito Scaletta, who had previously worked for crime boss Alberto Clemente. After being released in 1948, Galante tempted the parole board to release Scaletta four years before the end of his sentence, and subsequently proposed him to become a made man in the Moretti crime family along with his close friend Joe Barbaro.
In 1951, the Vinci family became aware of Falcone's involvement in drug trafficking, so they planned to have Falcone killed. Falcone got wind of the hit on him and sent hitman Henry Tomasino to murder Galante at his mansion. Scaletta warned Galante of the murder contract and drove him out of town, with Galante planning to retire to the South. He would again intervene in mob affairs months later after Scaletta and Barbaro unwittingly started a war between the New York Triads and the New York Mafia families. Galante agreed on a truce with Triad boss Chu where Scaletta would kill Carlo Falcone in exchange for ending hostilities.
Scaletta shot Falcone to death in the city observatory, and he and Barbaro were ready to return to business as usual, but Galante made Scaletta believe Barbaro had been killed by having him driven off in a separate car, exiling Scaletta to New Orleans to work under Mafia boss Sal Marcano. Galante later served as a Commission messenger, and gave Lincoln Clay his blessing in 1968 to run criminal activities in New Orleans after he killed Marcano and took over, reminding him to kick up a monthly tribute to the Commission.