[2] In June 2008, Galante admitted to charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and defrauding the Internal Revenue Service, and faced between five and seven years in prison under Federal Sentencing Guidelines, and was also forced to forfeit his controlling interest in 25 different garbage-related businesses, estimated to be worth over $100 million. However, the minor league team, the Danbury Trashers, made a name for itself as the players were called the leagues bad boys. So, lets find out what AJ has been up to since then, shall we? I cant speak for my father, but I dont think he watched it before that, either. Jimmy Galante made a rather successful living off of his trash collection empire that he set up in Danbury, Connecticut. It quickly nearly doubled the initial goal of $25,000. I heard some things, allegedly. We may or may not have planned some of these things, but no, I mean everything from the stupidest pranks. From Al Capone to Carmine Galante, mobsters and members of the underworld cared more than you think about their sticks. It was my second game of my senior year, and it was just a fluke thing. That knack, even as a teenager, connected with the people of Danbury immediately. His father, Jim, remembers every moment. In 2008, he was sentenced to five to seven years in prison for charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and defrauding the IRS. Chief among them, Joseph Bonanno, the leader of the Mafia family Galante had become a member of and would one day come to lead himself. You could hit him with everything, and hed sit and hed smile. And I know what youre getting at with it. James Galante (born January 5, 1953) is an American convicted felon and associate of the Genovese crime family,[1] owner of the defunct Danbury Trashers minor-league hockey team and a defunct racecar team fielding cars for Ted Christopher, and ex-CEO of Automated Waste Disposal (AWD), a company that holds waste disposal contracts for most of western Connecticut and Westchester and Putnam counties in New York. His Broadway debut was in the 1992 revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" with Jessica Lange and Alec . The film claims that James Galante was the inspiration for the character Tony Soprano, although it is disputed and many have said it is loosely based on New Jersey mobster Vincent Palermo. Upon completing their second season as a full-fledged hockey crew, it all abruptly ended. Any player, other than a goaltender, who catches a puck must immediately knock or place it back down to the ice. And the enforcers are the best guys off the ice. What I learned is that for most of the enforcers, it was their job. Jimmy said of the incident, He was a defenseman and hit a kid. So yes, he was the one who. Edie Falco played Carmela on "The Sopranos." HBO; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic. And its weird, because this part of Connecticut, its like New York will never claim us, because were in Connecticut, but Connecticut doesnt claim us, because were so close to New York. He ended up serving an eight-year sentence. Galante built a local business empire in the garbage removal industry in Danbury, owning 25 different companies that controlled more than half of waste removal in three local counties. AJ said, It happened at dinner. He was a high school kid who had absolutely no idea what he was doing. [3] In June 2006, Galante was issued a 98-count indictment describing Galante as a man who ran an illegal enterprise by carving up the garbage business in western Connecticut and Putnam County and using mob muscle to strong-arm any competitors who might get in his way. While a senior at New Fairfield High, he was an alternate captain on the schools hockey team but couldnt play for long because of a serious injury. He was dining with Leonard Coppola, a Bonanno capo and staunch Galante loyalist, and restaurant owner/cousin Giuseppe Turano, a Bonanno soldier. Angela has fond memories of these trips. My father said, out of nowhere, If I ever buy a hockey team, youre going to run it. I was like, Yeah, sure. Then, two days later, he said, Okay, I bought the team., Between 2004 and 2006, the Danbury Trashers gained a reputation for their fights and toughness on the rink. But in a weird way, it was like playing video games. And I was like, Oh, thats great. What was the injury that actually ended your hockey career? Used to drive Lilo around. // Unsolved Missing Persons Illinois, Publix Vice President, Articles J