http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_IannielloIn 1960, Ianniello became partners with Edward L. DeCurtis, a longtime associate, in running private afterhours drinking clubs for gay men.Ianniello would eventually own a string of clubs and nightclubs for both gay and straight men, including the Gilded Grape and the Hay Market.
At the beginning of the 1970s Ianniello was promoted to caporegime. By now, Ianniello controlled over 80 restaurants and sex-oriented clubs in New York, including most of those located in the Times Square area of Manhattan.[6] Officially he still had a respectable job with the union.
n 1986, Judge Weinfeld sentenced Matthew Ianniello to six years in prison on a racketeering charge that involved skimming over $2 million from bars and restaurants (including Umberto's Clam House, the Peppermint Lounge, and a topless bar called the Mardi Gras, all in Manhattan), secretly owned by Matthew; his business partner Benjamin Cohen of North Hills, L.I.; and seven associates.
