Anthony Russo on Gambino Mob, "The Mafia Takedown," Cooperating with Feds (Full Interview)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- In this VladTV exclusive, Anthony "Hootie" Russo sat down to detail his time as a crew member of the Gambino crime family. After describing his upbringing as a first-generation immigrant growing up in the largest mafia area in the world, Russo admitted that he wanted to be a "street guy" at five-years-old and started selling drugs before his teen years.
As a teenage drug dealer, Russo became affiliated with the mafia and explained why he chose the Gambinos over the Bonnano family. Russo also described a failed attempt at expanding his cocaine operation and explained why he was never a made man. He went on to detail his prescription pill operation and his time behind bars before describing the aftermath of the "The Mafia Takedown," which was the biggest one-day bust in United States history.
This guy sounds like Jackie Jr from The Sopranos.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 outta respect for my fawther
wasn't in mafia hes a lowlife junkie
@@sddelgado you are absolutely right on that one
He does
He says he doesn't do drugs but the raspy, relaxed voice and pinpoint pupils really make me think he's son an opioid. I could be wrong
This is a good interview. Very likable guest with entertaining memories of an interesting past.
“I actually gave Antkee that nickname of “hootie” can you believe that”- Gianni Russo
u gave him nickname hootie lmao🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣why hootie???
Love this dude. Such a likeable personality and very genuine and upfront too. Also nice to see an ending where the person makes it out (of the life/being in prison) on top of sticking true to his principles and doing the right thing. Usually it's one or the other really. (Not going to sit here and pretend that most people wouldn't do the same if they were facing life) but its still always nice to see someone who owns their shit and doesn't take anyone down with them.
How do you know he did not take anyone down with him? That’s what he says!! So you believe a drug dealing thug!
Vlad stinks! The guest will say something profound and this vlad will say “ok” and just plow through like nothing
good interview , can tell the guy is straight up , just tells his story and thats it , no glorifying or inflating storys ! wish him well
How do you know he isn’t embellishing??
@@jackjackthompson5771 I think what he’s saying is the interviewee isn’t making himself out to be the star of his own version of Goodfellas. I’ve seen some serious jerkoffs on this channel overemphasizing their accents and claiming to have killed 300 people. Russo seems a bit more down to earth; all things considered, his version of history is actually believable.
@@thedaily30 lol john alite is the king of that. Dude was a complete nobody. Just a guy they used to clean up their messes yet he claims he was good friends with gotti and shit
@@christiangraff5236 I don’t know bro, Anthony Raimondi might have him beat. You gotta check that interview out, I laughed my ass off the whole time 😂
Dead ass accurate , I grew up in the Rockaways in the 80’s a bridge across from Howard Beach. Neighborhoods protect themselves from strangers, unheard of now.
Yeah nowadays if you try to protect your neighborhood Youlle get cancelled
i find it amazing to read the comments of these criminals' interviews and see how many people respect these guys and wish them the best......wow.
Agreed. Nothing good about a drug dealer that leaves a trail of destruction behind him.
People watch too many movies that glamorize these bums who never worked an honest day in their life.
Try going to work day after day and raising your kids up right.... that's a real man.
@@marcclement7396providing a service that many people willingly search out.
This is One of the best interviews I've seen as far as guys who've lived that kind of life and have a story to tell in a while.. this really was a good one! Vlad you damn Fed🕴️😂😂 LMAO 😆😂 pulled another one off!! Respect A. Russo
really! listen very carefully nobody I mean nobody absolutely nobody sells ounces on the corner I can total fabrication
Anthony ty for sharing!! Your very well spoken!! I can't wait to read your book 🇮🇹🖐
From Boston 👍
Out of all the interviews this is a guy i believe. He's not boastful, or talking himself up. He's just telling it like it is.
I like this dude. Reminds me so much of guys I grew up with in New York.
Great interviewers don't read questions. They watch and listen to their subjects, they explore the stuff the subject wants to reveal in order to lean into the questions the interviewer wants to ask and the areas he wants to explore...and because you've shown yourself as a listener, the subject is more likely to reveal things he did not plan to share.
Awesome interview! Especially love the end conversation about helping to change the direction of lives. Well done Vlad!
This guy is honorable!
Very good! Respect!!
I like Hootie. His story is super badass
I’ll bet the football player he was talking about was Mark Sanchez.
Vlad:"So a guy turned up dead on your door step?"
Tone:"na na ah.. i didnt do nuttin"
I love this guy. Seems very genuine
Damn, “one day a kid could walk up, put one in the back of my head, get straightened out, do a flat 20 and come home a hero.” That’s a heavy reality to live with and either lose your mind, hide or make peace with it.
All end of the streets, I’d feel guilty if I was rich. Great interview
Having some fine biches, a bad azz car,
Some hits of dope here n there…
That guilt disappears.
Vinny testaverde had to be the Jets player to throw that game... Lmaoooo
Nah, it was somebody with "alligator arms."
Good interview. Funny how the snitches explain the snitching laws so beautifully. "I don't talk about people" just after saying Michael Franzese is adopted LMAO
Michael Franzcese looks just like sonny now that hes a bit older. Clearly his blood son.
Can’t believe what he is saying. I would never. Crazy what he’s saying.KED
But this guy is cooler than most, talks well, stay safe hooti
"Sicilians and Napolitanos don't like each other. One thinks one's a peasant, the other one thinks the other is a garbage pail." 😂😂
I clicked on a click bait snippet. Dang his story is GOOD! Glad I found the full hour.
My family was the same way. We were given anglo first names, and it was all about being American, college, showing that you made it, etc. The only thing was the last name that contained more vowels than anyone could count.
Who cares
Not my family. The first few generations despised this country
As always Vlad Awesome interview
Once he took off the glasses, he became a man that will be respected. Scary looking dude
this man has been humbled..
Once he took off his glasses he looked lit af!! Homeboy sniffing that shit or smoking that glass
Opiates…
I’m mexican frm Chicago. And iv met some of those Mexicans frm over there where u can just feel they been a killer without even them saying anything, just frm them being around a cousins friend or something, u can feel their energy. It feels like as cold and empty as it does creepy
Ozone Park kid here. Born and raised in NY. Miss that place. The 4th of July on 101st Ave was insane! Me, my friends, and the neighborhood kids would go the next day to 101st ave to grab up all of the unexploded fireworks and make genies out of them or light them off and blow'em up! The good ol days of life much simpler. :(
ahhh this is where he got inspiration to direct the Avengers... his whole life has been a movie.
Vlad didn’t catch the goodfellas reference
This dude looks completely different in other videos.
Why you always calling these dudes mass murderers and serial killers...? Killing guys in the mob is different than killing some innocent people. And the queen of the day thing....Like stop arguing with dudes who literally lived this life.
Thats the worst feels like they will never let you out
Wow this guy is bringing me back to my childhood he said Fulton and nichols. Damn i remember the record store in the middle and the health food store on the corner the record store had the long wide nickel bags and the health food had dimes of chocolate tai. If he brings up the dome im gonna take a shit 😂
That's that mid to late 90's ENY back in the day weed spots .. Bradford and Hegamen ,Jah B's , new lots & new jersey (if u know u know) 😂
@@meekmillions6545 mother gaston how about bushwick and Cornelia
@@Yourmomcrib haha I'm crying real tears ! I remember most all them joints that was out there, word. Sutter & blake, Fulton & Miller
@@Yourmomcrib Pitkin and Cresent. There was one mid block on Hendricks
Sutter, black magic. Pitkin and Crescent. The record store was the shit. I remember those long bags.
It’s crazy how these mob guys can recall every detail of there life I can’t remember what I did last week
maybe because you do regular thing no beating people etc
High stress, traumatic events with high stakes stick out a little more than running to the store to get a gallon of milk
It’s like childhood ptsd if you survive these life’s you do remember a lot of situations you grew up in cause you were always in survival mode wether it was getting something to eat a place to live money it’s a constant then you have no parents like Hootie you might say I’m going to do the right thing get a job take a class but if your alone at 17 it’s hard to get started then you go the neighborhood and haven’t got a dime in your pocket no parent worried about where you are or if you ate let me go make some fast money so I can eat a steak dinner buy a nice jacket have a good day out of the reality of your poverty and no family to fall back on when your 17 with no good role model you don’t think of where you going to be in 30 years your just trying to survive on a daily basis
There is also the prison time to consider. Just rotting away in a cage, you get to thinking about things. Like "oh hey when did I meet that guy ? oh that was the summer of 95 and we did that thing, so I musta gone down to Florida after that"...
The got flashbulbs for days b/c they were wilin’
Vlad: "And then the Romans nailed you to a cross."
Jesus Christ: "Yes. After that, I rose from the dead and promised the world I would one day return to create a paradise on Earth."
Vlad: "Ok."
Tk Kirkland: “ you see Vlad I was there that day ”
I see for you 🦉
@@jc2x_ ME
@@777-n3j Gianni Russo: I brought Jesus to Jerusalem with me
“Ok” hahaha spot on
“So how violent were you?”
“Not violent at all. I mean fights. Baseball bats. I had my teeth knocked out. You know, regular stuff.”
Whatever happen there
Right “not violent at all “
Ha ha i guess to them violence is only murder!
I read that shit in my head with an Italian accent lmao ☠️☠️
🤣🤣
Vlad the kind of guy to give a mob guy a lecture about something mob related citing a Wikipedia article
This guys not a mob guy and been exposed as a heroin junkie. He obv didn’t know what he was talking about if Vlad corrected him
@@Boody617 any sources?
@@novusimperium3808 just watch his Instagram stories and videos. He’s always posting videos nodding out and speaking gibberish.
Even towards the end of this video you can tell he’s high as a kite
@@Boody617 Okay but that's not proof that he is a fraud though. A lot of MOB guys became strung out on drugs.
@@Boody617 And no he doesn't look high on heroine in this video, but he could be a pill popper forsure.
Stop saying ok to everything it is very annoying !!!
He should make t shirts n shit , plain black with a big white “ok” on them. He wouldn’t be able to make them fast enough.
I can listen to these mob guys talk all day long.. vlad more mob guys please!!
They tend to be surprisingly well spoken, articulate.
Watch Michael franzese
uuii oo
@@MrLanternland said
@@MrLanternland said said that he
Vlad thought he was gonna impress Russo by name dropping Michael Franzese. He wasn't ready..
Good eye , good eye. 🎯
Michael doesn't care about his previous life he move on
Amazing how many people can comment on behalf someone they've never met,@@danschuster5187
“I was selling ounces on the corner”.. said no real drug dealer ever. Between that and “I snuck into Mexico”, I can’t help but to think this dudes full of shit
I throughly enjoyed this interview. Thank you Russo and Vlad!!
88 pk was no joke ... I lived on 89th st. Hootie very accurate about everything that came out of his mouth. From the street borders to the street guys to the wise guys. He is in the Know!
The hood changed a lot. Are there any Italians left ? I doubt it.
Not at all like it was. I grew up there in the 70’s and 80’s. I continued back there after we moved out. Hootie dropped heavy names. The guys he mentioned are legendary in our neighborhood. The stories are on the money. I grew up in the neighborhood at the peak time of wise guy recruiting.
All Guyanese now... and Spanish, blk. Now Howard beach still has a beautiful neighborhood but it’s the Blvd that is changing! Cross Bay and 3 businesses that are bringing down HB... cold stone, T-Mobile , and limitless fitness (goldsgym). These young kids are just not how we were growing up. Pretty sad.. good show!
Ok okay...
@@johnsiedlitzki8381 What does an ice cream place, a phone store & a gym have to do with bringing down Howard Beach? I’m confused, can you please explain?
This guy is a likeable dude. He doesn't brag about himself like other interviews I've seen. God Bless Anthony Russo
Satan is a likeable guy, likeability means nothing
@@klausmkl people are social animals, likeability will get you a long way in life
He is. Even tho he cooperated, he only told about his own crimes and wanted to make sure he wasn't labeled as a murderer. Basically he was willing to do the time for the crimes he actually committed and didn't tell on other people, I don't see anything wrong with that
RAT
Vlad saying Ok is the most awkward shit. If I had a beer for each time he said it I’d have alcohol poisoning. Jesus Christ.
Vlad literally just refuses to even try for 99% of these interviews. He'll literally skim through a person's wikipedia page, then interview them. I'm not even kidding...
@@UnityAgainstJewishEvil
So you could do it better then...let’s see your interviews.
@@Passport-Bro Simply go to my channel friend! I've just uploaded a rather powerful sit-down I had with George Washington Carver. We delve into the kind of psychological pressure that creating peanut butter can have on an individual. Enjoy, and please remember to hit that "like" button and subscribe!
Oooookay lol
@@Passport-Bro he proved yo ass wrong lmfao
He really broke it down at the end for these wack ass rappers
Yeah..all the mafia guys break down how they snitch too..great work!
@A Garcia why u responding if u don't give af?
lol goofys
All this guy ate was a lot of "Gabagool"
Yes
I’m currently binge watching all the ex mob interviews. They are so addictive. Each one of them has their own personality and ability to tell a story. Some a bit more gruesome than others. I’m so glad Anthony is young enough to have a good life and is helping others. He’s paid for his crimes and now he’s paying it forward.
I love your channel! ❤️
I found these 2 days ago and I'm hooked bad I love them
@@steveparker951 so good 😊
@@jojowynne233 isn’t funny that their biggest thing is NOT to snitch, but in the end most of them do
@@rh5521 I know right 😂
0ĺllllĺ😅
Almost all Mobsters gave into the FEDS, says something about how “honorable” they thought they were. Smfh, all gangsters give into the FEDS, Shit is nuts 😂😂😂😂
Love how he explained the difference between mafia an cartels
He explained the 90-2000s mafia. The older mafia was a lot worse.
a as pa
Give me the time stamp
@@Solaceinsolitudee 25:00 ish
👌
Let me explain the real reason why Naples and Sicily do not get along, and why being “made” in Cosa Nostra is an illusion. Italy was named after a Greek, Italus. Italians originally comprise of Etruscans as well as a mixture of Etruscan and Greek. Sicily had Greek blood, as well as French, Jewish and Moor blood. Naples has Etruscan blood. North Italy believes themselves to be more “pure” Etruscan. Sicilians are not one hundred percent Etruscan (being Italian is a nationality not a race), so being “100% Sicilian” is an oxymoron. This is why the language of Sicilian is nothing like Italian/Etruscan, which is more Latin based. Sicilian has Greek mixed with it, which is similar to the Arab language from the Moors. This is a fact. And the real reason why they don’t get along. Sicilian Mafia is called Cosa Nostra, Italian Mafia is called Camorra.
Now tell us why Southern Mexicans hate Northern Mexicans? 😂😂😂
Etruscans and moors were black?
@@razheer100 yes
Get a book called "Golden Age of the Moor" and they were black as tar
@@dancgreen2 Moors yes, but Etruscans were not black.
I love your interviews but you have a real gangster and you’re citing Wikipedia? 🙄
Vlad can you find ANY other words other than I GUESS
He took the glasses off you know it’s real damn son
The was the cue to explain the difference between him cooperating with the feds and how some actually snitched to the feds.
I come to these comments on these videos to laugh at the fake wanna be wise guys that act like they know so much about “the life”
Pal, if you knew so much about the life you would either be the guy in the interview, or the guy who keeps his mouth shut… not some random talking 💩 in the comments…lol
this is great. He looked at the camera and said "pff michael wouldn't know he hasn't been on the street in 30 years" This stuff is the best entertainment, can some of these guys do some movies please.
I'd like to see him back on here. Great interview 👍👍✌
Head like a fucking orange
Great interview! There is, however, something that I do not understand. Michael Franzese's own mother said for the record that Michael was conceived and born after having a sexual affair with John 'Sonny' Franzese. That's, an on the record statement and that statement is, good enough for me. No one has the right to challenge Michael Franzese's mother's account of what she said. It's all just gossip in my humble opinion and anyone who says otherwise is being disrespectful to Michael's mother, his father, and to Michael.
How is Vlad trying to explain what "Queen for a Day" to Russo? Crazy 😆.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 people might not get this.. but I do so props to you
No, he is doing it for us, the public
Why he sound like Jackie Jr. from the Sopranos had he made it.
This dude lies through his teeth on a podcast claiming he refused to be put on the record so he could continue to sell drugs but in other podcast he claims he was actually put on record with the family.. he has never been on record anywhere with anyone. He was not put on the record or claimed by anyone because he was an active addict.. I'm surprised they let him come around with that albatross around his neck
My cousin. It’s actually crazy we’re related. Love you goo
For having so many rules, all these “gangsters” sure talk a lot! Vlad has all of them doing interviews and they all squawk.
I was thinking all interview his voice is full of dope sounds like he kept some of those vicadin lmao
Love this guy's story & demeanor
this is definitely a really good interview. Anthony was a fantastic guest and will be looking into other things he comes out with.
Seems like a cool dude, but wow does he look perked out of his mind
Ya for sure his voice sounds bassed af, he at least snorted a couple 15s before the show
You should see his last video he's pilled out with scratches on his forearm... bleeding
Russo is 20 years younger with the glasses on... I like that he acted shocked about being charged with " career criminal" When he started selling BB guns at 5 lol
it's about the charge not the truth. He hadn't been caught with any of the things that would make him a career criminal
You see I was playing for the Astros at 10 but sellin Meth to the Coaches so I could get an At Bat or they would get the Bat!
LOL, this guys a half a ding dong
Yeah no new charges cause I helped them convict them on the charges they presently had
Vlad you can't be this bad at math buddy. 10 kilos 17 grand a piece. How in the world did you get 500 thousands.
I like this guy's dad. He said, "You move to a country you respect that country's rules and customs. That seems to be lost today here in America
Alright Donald Trump settle down.
What's poor ? Escarole and beans ! Pasta fagioli ! Pepper and eggs ! My Mother could feed 7 boys with a stick of pepperoni, some eggs, and home made Italian bread. The cabinets could be bare but us Italians are eating one way or another. 👍
These conversations are worth their weight in gold. It’s awesome how they are using their influence for good now. To help kids stay away from all factions of “ the life”. Thank you for sharing.
All these mob interviews are fascinating. These guys have led scary lives. I would never want to cross any of them. He remembers the names of everything, so much details. Fascinating
nobody is ever sold ounces on the corner
@@georgecostanza4233 probably not now 😂 but back then shit was moving a lot way faster than shit does now
@@anonymousrd8882 you have no idea what you're talking about I'm one of the old school guys from back then I can guarantee you no one was doing that that was way too risky and I'm 60 years old I have never seen that trust me I've been around
@@georgecostanza4233 so nobody ever sold ounces on a corner? 😂
@@georgecostanza4233 was you ever about that life? Was you in a mob?
Great interview the way this guy tells his story I could listen to it for days ❗
yes great interview one of the best I've seen I believe just about if not all this guy says and talks about really like this guy a lot
Not trying to uphimself about what he did.
More honest then most
I never knew Ken Shamrock was a drug dealer.
Underated
I remember the doctor's that were put away, the doctor's that were stripped of their license!!!! The guy who was my grandma's nurse was family!!! He use to call my grandma his mom!! And my grandfather his dad and when we found her was apart of that drug operation was shocking to say the least!!!!
Of all the NFL teams ofcourse the Jets would find their way into this story🤣
Now that's funny LOL
It really just comes down to jets or giants he’s talking NY mob guys
Vlad, this was a great interview. I wish Anthony Russo the best. I do remember him form City Line. I was a fixture at Tito's after hours, 945 and other bars back in the day. Governor Pataki screwed a lot of friends of mine when he was elected . He ended up caught in a prostitution sting, and was forced to resign.... I'm not sure, if he had to do time. I hope he did, especially after being a big part as some anti -Cosa Nostra crusader.
The mafia preys on innocent people so I'm not sure what you mean by 'especially after he was anti-Cosa Nostra' or 'crusader'. Guiliani helped take down a lot of the mafia through RICO, for example, but I wouldn't call that being a 'crusader' I would call that being heroic.
That wasn't Pataki it was Elliot Spitizer who was involved with prostitution sting. Pataki was a great Governor.
@Damien Holland I think he means the guy was a hypocrite. Here he is anti-mob and he's running a mob like prostitution ring... organized crime. Deserves jail time.
@@damienholland9432the good thing is there will always be the weak
Out of all the interviews you've done Vlad, this was definitely one of the best. He's up front, and clear about his life, which makes him likeable. I hope the best for him and his family
And he is a proven lier to
@@Herkulez1981 Ive never heard of him. What did he lie about? What’s his story?
@@kgmv4798 he was never a associate to the Mafia and never had sitdowns with Bosses and everything else he says
What again makes him likeable? A drug dealer that helped ruin families?
yes my father cuz no one is ever sold ounces on the corner
YOU BETTER HAVE THANKED THAT MEXICAN DRIVER WHO SAVED YOU FROM BEING SOLD FOR BODY PARTS NEPHEW 💯
The Line "Why take a chance" was from the movie Casino.
Anyone could say this without having seen casino
@@mikehawk4455 lmao right
I was thinking the same thing. Alway’s Goodfellas.
I really like this guy, he has a slight resemblance to Sammy Gravano when he was younger, who is also 100% Sicilian with parents from the old country. It’s interesting because a lot of people think Sicilians look more like Al Pacino for example, but a lot of guys like this and Sam Gravano have really light features and light eyes.
People from Germanic Europe and Scandinavia have been migrating into southern Europe and the Balkans since ancient times. Alexander the Great had blonde hair and blue eyes for example.
Not every invader of Sicily/South Italy came from Africa,the Mideast,and Asia. Several European invaders came like the French,Normans,Spanish,Germans,Greeks,Italics,etc and all of these had their own genetic admixtures.
Don't make me pull out the True Romance argument....
@@chrisbarrett8377 what were they spawned by again?
I've been to Sicily several times and its a myth that all Sicilians look Middle Eastern or North African. The majority of Sicilians are light skinned and look very European.
Russo seems to present the facts without all the swagger.
I found this interview quite interesting.
Fact
I agree, it was a very interesting interview even though the interviewer is one of the worst I have ever heard. Vlad has a very mundane way of speaking, no enthusiasm at all. Someone could tell this guy how he murdered Jimmy Hoffa and all Vlad would say is; OK, lets get back to the day you met Joe Philbeeps !
@@yuri1634 It's not a fact.
Check his YT out
Takes balls to go to Mexico by himself
This guy is both criminal and master of the legal system 😂😂👏🏻
The practice of "Mafia" and all organized crime of the likes originated on the silk road with Genhis Khan. The concept returned to the Italian states (originally 13 different and independent regions that unified to create what we know as Italy)with Marco Polo. So we have good old Marco to thank for meeting Kublai Khan and bringing home these traditions to the Italians making them famous for spaghetti, Mafia and fireworks all of which he brought back from his journeys to the orient.
When this man speaks you can tell he is telling the truth. He ain't exaggerating his story he knows he lived a crazy life and has 0 reason to lie a bit to prove himself. Very cool!
The last thing he said about dudes on the street trying our women. That shits real af. Man. All my friends never had to fight I was always in front. I would have appreciated a real dude on my 6
This dude gives me a lot of Jackie Jr. vibes from sopranos
Do it out of respect for my Fawtha.
Absolutely. Going around on the internet telling folks he's on record with a family when he never has been.. a lot of these younger guys try to emulate with a grown up around but they fail miserably at it because they're junkies or shine wannabes
Awesome interview with Anthony Russo enjoyed your comments and story .
Crime does not work.
"they'll sell you for body parts" brilliant!
This guy thought he was made.. but he wasn’t so he doesn’t know the half of it. There’s a lot of shit this guy thought he knew and nobody told him shit