The Fello Brothers: Newspaper Hoods

In the mid-1940s, Barney Fello and Bobby Haney gave a beating to a rival right in the open on Northern Blvd. in Corona. They were not arrested by police because the victim (although suffering multiple head gashes and other serious wounds) refused to sign a complaint against them.

The Fello Brothers - Rocco (Barney), Joseph, and William (Willy) - were born and raised at 32-29 101st Street in Corona, Queens. They were “associates” of the Lucchese Family and, specifically, close to crew “captains” Anthony (Tony Ducks) Corallo and neighborhood friend Joseph (Joe Brown) Lucchese.

They were familiar with and associates of many of the Queens mobsters of the era, including Lucchese, Corallo, and Joseph Laratro.

Rocco (Barney) Fello

They owned the popular Fello’s Lounge at 84-14 Astoria Blvd. in the Jackson Heights-Corona area for many years.

Their activities included newspaper industry-labor rackets, extortion and selling labor “peace,” and bookmaking.

Barney and Willy Fello also became invested in and came to control several major newspaper and magazine wholesale distribution companies in Westbury Long Island that supplied to the five boroughs up to 75% of all the major periodicals of the era.

Remember, there was no other source of news in those days. This was before the computer era.

William (Willy) Fello

These periodicals included Newsday, The New York Times, and The New York Daily News.

Side Note: John Walsh, an original investor in Bi-County with Fello, testified that after investing, he later learned that Willy Fello had underworld connections. After meeting Barney Fello, he witnessed Barney meeting with mob boss “Tony Ducks” Corallo on several occasions.

Walsh was eventually “pushed out” of the business. He received his original $20,000 back and sold out, getting away from the hoodlum element.

The Fello Brothers became the focus of a major federal labor racket investigation aimed at racketeer influence in the newspaper industry. This became an industry-wide scandal from late 1959 into 1960.

They and notorious Jewish hoodlum Irving (Itsy Bitsy) Bitz (an ex-convict and labor racketeer), and Sam Feldman, president of the union, among others (11 total defendants) would go on to be indicted by the Southern District in a major industry-wide extortion ring aimed at Suburban Wholesalers Assn., a trade group of 19 distributors of magazines and newspapers in the New York City and greater metropolitan areas.

Before the indictments fell, Bitz had been questioned by the Senate Rackets Committee where he invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege regarding questions about payoffs to him and the Fellos to ensure the safe delivery of periodicals.

Side Note: At the time, Bitz was the largest distributor of magazines in the nation. He operated the Bronx County News Corp. and was partners in the Bi-County News and several other firms.

They were charged with various counts of conspiracy, coercion, restraint of trade, extortion, and Sherman anti-trust law violations. The Fello brothers would see Bitz convicted and get a 5-year prison term, but their criminal counts were later dismissed for lack of evidence.

Later, additional federal income tax evasion counts were brought against Rocco Fello for his ownership interest in Bi-County. He was convicted and received a one-year jail term for evading $2,200 in taxes on $10,000 he extorted from a New Jersey newspaper distribution firm from 1956 to 1958.

In the mid-1940s, Barney Fello and Bobby Haney gave a beating to a rival right in the open on Northern Blvd. in Corona. They were not arrested by police because the victim (although suffering multiple head gashes and other serious wounds) refused to sign a complaint against them.

In 1960, federal authorities brought perjury indictments against Willy Fello - president of Bi-County News Co., of Westbury and John Lawrence - “business agent” of the Newspaper & Mail Deliverers Union (Independent.)

They were accused of lying during the tax evasion trial of Willy’s brother Rocco in federal court.

In 1963, Charlie and Joey Fello were among 32 mob figures listed by the Daily News and publicly identified by the Queens D.A,.as being among the top Lucchese hoodlums residing in the county.

After these major indictments, subsequent trials, and public exposure they brought, the Fello brothers, already in their mid-60s, tried to maintain a lower profile, semi-retiring from the newspaper distribution business.

No more was publicly heard from any of them. No dod available.

Until next time..."The Other Guy"

The Fello Brothers: Newspaper Hoods

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The Fello Brothers: Newspaper Hoods

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