Dec 26 2007
Mafia fighter had his own ties
Rudy Giuliani spent much of his career as U.S. attorney fighting the Mafia. But Giuliani’s own family ties to organized crime were revealed in 2000, when he was ending his second term as mayor.
Giuliani’s father, Harold Giuliani, was convicted of armed robbery for holding up a milk deliveryman in 1934.
He was sentenced to 2 to 5 years in prison and served 18 months in Sing Sing before Giuliani was born, according Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani written by Village Voice senior editor Wayne Barrett. Later, Harold Giuliani worked as an enforcer for a Mafia-linked loan-sharking operation, Barrett said.
Giuliani’s cousin also had mob ties. Lewis D’Avanzo Jr. was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in an armed hijacking of a truck containing $240,000 worth of mercury, according to Barrett. While he was incarcerated, he was indicted on charges of forging documents to cover up a stolen luxury car ring. He was also suspected in several gangland style murders, according to Rudy!
In 1977, D’Avanzo was shot and killed by FBI agents after he tried to run over one of them, according to Barrett’s book. The agents had had pulled him over on outstanding warrants for transportation of stolen cars.
According to Barrett’s account, Harold Giuliani made sure that his son didn’t spend much time with D’Avanzo.
Harold Giuliani, who owned a bar in Brooklyn, died of prostate cancer in 1981, soon after Giuliani was appointed to serve as associate attorney general in the Department of Justice during President Reagan’s first term.
Giuliani has said he didn’t know about the Mafia ties in his family until he read Barrett’s book.
Mafia fighter had his own ties - By JOELLE FARRELL - Monitor staff - Article published Dec 26, 2007 - http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20071226&Category=FRONTPAGE&ArtNo=712260313&SectionCat=NEWS03&Template=printart
