Genovese Soldier & Waterfront Rackets Boss: Philip "Philly Katz" Albanese

Philip "Philly Katz" Albanese was an iconic Genovese Family soldier who started his "career" at the tender age of 14. Authorities once described him as the waterfront "kingpin" of the old Fourth Ward piers in Lower Manhattan. He was also involved in various other racket activities with his brother, Sally Katz, and brother-in-law and fellow Genovese soldier Joe Curly Agone. He was also a close associate of Lucky Luciano, who once asked Philly Katz for a favor after being deported.

But this "Family" man was also a Family man, as we'll soon find out as we take a deep dive into the life and times of Philly Katz, featuring more than a dozen never-before-seen photos.

Philip Joseph (Philly Katz) Albanese was born in Lower Manhattan on November 8, 1907. He was one of five children blessed to Philip and Beatrice Albanese. He was the oldest of three brothers who included Anthony, better known as “Tony Katz,” and Rosario, who everyone called “Sally Katz.” His other brother, Dominick, was a printer who died young from ink poisoning. Philly Katz also had a sister named Nancy.

Philip (Philly Katz) Albanese

When Philly Katz was around thirty-eight years old, he met and quickly fell in love with a beautiful local girl named Rose. It wasn’t long before the happy couple soon went to city hall to take their wedding vows before a civil court judge.

Six years into their marriage, Philly and Rose decided to take their wedding vows once again. But this time around, it was formally before the eyes of God. On June 16, 1951, they stood before a Roman Catholic priest on the altar of St. John’s R.C. Church and had a more traditional wedding ceremony witnessed by their family and friends.

After they were married, the newlyweds first rented an apartment on Greenwich Street in Lower Manhattan’s “Fourth Ward” neighborhood, where Albanese had grown up. Some years later, they relocated to an apartment up in The Bronx, at 225 West 232nd Street.

A youthful photo of Philly and Rose while they were courting.

Around 1954, Philly and Rose bought a home of their own out on Long Island for their growing family. It was a pretty, split-level home at 1108 Phillip Court in Valley Stream, on Nassau County’s South Shore.

This home is where the Albaneses would reside and raise their children for the next several decades. Philly's sister Nancy and her husband Ignazio (Joe Curly) Agone, a fellow hoodlum, followed them out to the Island. The Agones bought a summer residence in adjoining Suffolk County at 178 Ohls Street on Canaan Lake.

Side Note: Philly and his siblings lost their mother, Beatrice, on April 6, 1953. Their father, Philip, died at the age of 78.

Philly's brothers, Sal and Tony.

NYPD #B-282814, FBI #4042881, FBN #SE-204, NYSNB #5128, SS #107-18-1299

A Serious Police Record

Philly Katz Albanese started his criminal record in 1921 when the 14-year-old aspiring hoodlum was picked up by New York City patrolmen twice for truancy in one year while stealing from vending stands. He was put on six-month criminal probation both times but successfully avoided being sent away to juvenile hall.

Over the years, Albanese would continue to add to his anti-social register with at least ten more arrests for such offenses as suspicion (1921), second-degree armed robbery (1926), draft-dodging during WWII (1944), sale of narcotics (1944), conspiracy to sell heroin (1945), forgery of a driver license (1950), income tax violation (1952), income tax evasion (1953), consorting with known criminals (1960), and disorderly conduct (1963).

Albanese was convicted on three separate occasions for robbery (fifteen years upstate at Elmira State Prison,) sale of heroin (nine months at Danbury Federal Penitentiary, Connecticut,) and income-tax evasion (five years and $5,000 fine) which he served variously at Atlanta Federal Penitentiary (Georgia), Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary (Pennsylvania), and Allenwood Federal Prison Camp (Pennsylvania).

Side Note: Albanese was drafted into the U.S. Army in May 1942, during WWII. Records show he was registered as an inductee to the barracks at Fort Jay, N.Y. on May 4. But subsequent records show that on September 1, 1944, his “Selective Service” induction was interrupted. That very next day, September 2, 1944, he was charged with the sale of heroin by agents from the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Three days later, he was released on bail.

As another side note: At one prison where Philly was incarcerated, he learned bookbinding. He created a compilation of poems and sayings of the time, many of which were from prominent people from his era and the past. He took great care when making his book, using parchment paper and binding it together beautifully. Years later when he returned home, he re-coated the hardcover of the book with sturdy wallpaper so that it could be enjoyed by his family for years to come.

Waterfront Kingpin

By the late 1940s, local and federal law enforcement sources said Albanese had become the Italian underworld boss of Manhattan’s old Fourth Ward and the East River piers.

He was recognized as “boss loader” of what was referred to as the Pennsylvania Railroad piers. Law enforcement authorities said Philly Katz also served as the Mafia’s “boss” and waterfront “kingpin” with absolute control over all dock rackets at Piers 27 and 28 along the North River.

Aside from the various labor racketeering schemes he conducted along the waterfront, Albanese apparently ran lucrative dice games for the longshoremen who worked the piers and operated as a shylock providing high-interest loans to pier workers and various others. Over the years, Philly also had a reputation as a Genovese Family strong-arm man and enforcer.

Philly Katz

Philly Katz listed among his closest intimate associates such notorious Cosa Nostra figures and waterfront racketeers as Family boss Salvatore (Lucky) Luciano, succeeding boss Vito Genovese, underboss Antonio (Tony Bender) Strollo, and capos Rocco (The Old Man) Pellegrino, Joseph (Joe Socks) Lanza, Pietro (Petey) DeFeo, and Michele (Black Mike) Clemente to name but a few.

Other top waterfront hoodlums he knew intimately included Irish “Arsenal Mob” bosses John (Cockeyed) Dunn and his partner Edward (Eddie) McGrath, as well as other waterfront racketeers like Willie Cox and Albert (Acky) Ackalitis.

Albanese was assigned as a “soldier” in a Downtown Manhattan regime that numbered among its members such important hoodlums as Albanese’s brother-in-law Ignazio (Joe Curly) Agone, Ottilio (Frankie the Bug) Caruso, Joseph (Joe Beck) Lapi, George (Georgie Argento) Filippone, Benedetto (Benny Red) Cinquegrana, George (Georgie Hooks) Nobile, Joseph Mogavero, and Rosario (Saro) Mogavero.

After Socks Lanza’s death, Saro Mogavero was elevated as the crew’s new “caporegime.” Years later, after Mogavero died, Joe Lapi was assigned the capo position.

According to authorities, Albanese was also known to be a pal of mob figures Frank (Frankie Iodine) Donato, Vito Tozzi, and Eugene Uricola of New York, as well as Vincent (Balloon Juice) Gagine of East Boston, Massachusetts, as well as other New England mob figures.

Moving the Babania

Aside from his other activities, since at least the early 1940s Albanese had been identified as a suspected narcotics trafficker. Specifically, agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics had tied him into the heroin trade, accusing him of selling and transporting wholesale quantities of “junk” to both local and interstate dealers. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) had Albanese ranked #3 on their national list of narcotics violators. The FBN stated that Albanese was "a member of the Mulberry Street (Manhattan) criminal group which sells narcotics to out-of-town and local dealers." They added that he was also a "strong-arm man."

In March 1945, he was finally arrested for his involvement in the heroin business during a massive roundup of major narcotics traffickers. The then 37-year-old Albanese was one of seventeen top underworld figures nabbed by Federal Agents during a broad sweep conducted on the east and west coasts of the United States.

The indictment charged some of the most important Mafia figures in the entire United States. It also implicated deported Mafia boss Salvatore (Charley Lucky) Luciano and other mafiosi back in Italy as unindicted coconspirators. Besides Albanese, others arrested included other Genovese soldiers such as John (Buster) Ardito, Joseph (Joe Bari) Dentico, Joseph Muraco, Alfred (Good-Looking Al) Criscuolo, Charles (Charlie Bullets) Albero, and Joseph Marone, who was characterized by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton D. Hollinger as the syndicate’s “head chemist.”

Philly Katz

Also named in the conspiracy were Lucchese Family soldiers Eugenio (Gene) Giannini and Joseph Tocco. Four additional suspects who disappeared before they could be picked up were named as fugitives from justice. They were identified as John Manetta of East Boston, MA.; Frank (The Chink) Roe; Genovese soldier Innocenzio (Johnny the Bug) Stopelli; and Genovese associate Enrico (Blackie) Tantillo.

Several soldiers of San Francisco, California’s James (Jimmy the Hat) Lanza’s Family were also charged, including Samuel Maugeri, Anthony Campagna, and Frank Scappatura.

All the suspects were held on $4,000 bail by the judge, except for Muraco, who was paroled into the custody of his counsel because he worked in a war plant.

Authorities say the narcotics conspiracy operated for a number of years, smuggling pure opium into the country from Mexico and grossed over $4,000,000 during the four years it operated. They stated that the conspiracy involved multiple Cosa Nostra families, but that members of the Lanza Family of San Francisco and the Genovese and Lucchese Families of New York were most prominent. The syndicate allegedly enforced its discipline through the use of murder.

The breakdown of defendants included eleven suspects named in New York, three in California, two in Massachusetts, and one in Miami.

According to United States Assistant Attorney John F.X. McGohey, who obtained the indictments on March 5, the gang operated in most of the principal cities in the country and had uptown and downtown “mobs” in New York. The opium was shipped from Mexico mostly by plane, and then, after processing, was distributed through organized channels from coast to coast. Each drug handler would further dilute the stuff with milk sugar, and the final product, containing less than 1% of the actual drug, was then sold for $30 an ounce to addicts.

Authorities said the main organizer of the business and its head for the first three years was Charles La Gaipa, of Santa Cruz, California. He became one of two mysteriously missing mobsters,presumed murdered, committed by rival mobsters connected to the drug ring. La Gaipa was described by prosecutors as a member of the Mafia and a former associate of Lucky Luciano.

After a highly publicized criminal trial in federal court, most of the defendants were convicted. Jail sentences ranged from months to many years behind bars. Compared to many, Albanese got lucky. The court sentenced him to only nine months in prison. He was paroled after serving just about half of that.

Philly Katz was home and back on the streets less than six months later!

Side note: After Philly’s arrest for narcotics, Rose went through the house disposing of anything she felt could incriminate her husband. One item she got rid of was a letter Lucky Luciano had sent to Philly shortly after U.S. authorities deported Luciano back to Sicily. It was an innocuous letter requesting that Albanese ship Luciano several small kitchen appliances available stateside that weren’t available in Italy.

So, What's a Little Tax Evasion?

On March 28, 1952, Albanese was indicted for income-tax evasion relating to his control of various waterfront rackets. He was arraigned the next day in Manhattan Federal Court, where he pleaded innocent to the charges. Bail was then set at $2,000 pending a trial date of April 21.

The Internal Revenue Service, with help from the FBI, specifically accused Albanese of having failed to file income tax returns for the year 1948, although he was asserted to have had a gross income of more than $30,000 that year.’ United States Attorney Myles J. Lane had recently named Albanese among four men who were known to have engaged at different times in “illegal occupations.” He further stated that “Albanese operates a loading business on a North River pier.”

After the IRS conducted a further investigation into his company’s books and records, on March 2, 1954, Albanese was subsequently charged in a superseding indictment with several more counts of tax evasion related to his waterfront activities on Piers 27 and 28 on the North River, where he controlled a fruit loading-unloading stevedoring firm.

Federal Prosecutors charged him with evading taxes due to the IRS for the years 1947, 1948, 1949, and 1950. This deeper investigation also ended up implicating Philly’s brother, Rosario (Sally Katz) Albanese, in the tax-fraud conspiracy as well.

A new indictment was filed, naming both men once again with additional counts of criminal conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion. The new complaint charged them with conspiracy to file false statements with the government, including tax returns and other documents. Prosecutors charged Rosario with having aided and abetted his brother in the conspiracy.

Also named a coconspirator, but not a defendant, in the new indictment was Albanese’s brother-in-law, Rocco Guarino, who was also mentioned in earlier charges. The court then increased Philly’s bail bond from $2,000 to $5,000 pending trial. Sally was released on a $2,500 bond.

Their defense lawyers dragged the case out the best they could while attempting to settle the charges in Philly and Sally’s favor to no avail. Philly Albanese was a notorious fellow, and the government wanted their pound of flesh. So, after a two-year delay, the case finally came to trial.

1970s - Philly and a few of his men.

Their criminal case in federal court lasted fifteen days. During the government’s presentation to the jury, prosecutors made the statement that Albanese was “typical of the rats which infest our waterfront.” Through trial testimony, it was revealed that part of the conspiracy consisted of filing numerous false and phony documents with the government.

On September 28, 1954, the jury brought back a verdict of guilty for Philly on three of four counts lodged against him, but couldn’t agree on similar charges lodged against his brother, Sally, who had been named in two counts. The jury deliberated for seven hours. They convicted Philly of having hidden his true company ownership and the resulting income from the IRS, and the subsequent taxes owed them, for the years 1947, 1948, and 1950. He was acquitted of tax evasion for the year 1949.

Rosario Albanese, of 179 Madison Street, Manhattan, was continued on bail by Judge Alexander O. Bicks while the government decided whether or not to try him again, or free him. Philly was also continued on bail while he awaited sentencing.

One week later, on October 5, Philly stood before the court to hear his sentence. The judge sent him away for the maximum five years in Federal Prison. The forty-seven-year-old Albanese was also fined $5,000 for having conspired to evade $6,700 in federal income taxes due from 1947 to 1950.

Philly’s lawyer immediately filed an appeal of his conviction with the 11th Circuit Court.

But a year later, on June 2, 1955, the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals unanimously upheld Albanese’s tax evasion conviction. The high court, in an opinion written by Justice Jerome N. Frank, found that Albanese had operated his “profitable” truck loading business on the New York waterfront “behind a paper wall of false and fictitious records to disguise his own financial interests.”

Albanese reported to the penitentiary, where he served out his term. Upon making parole, Philly returned home to Valley Stream to his wife and kids. He also returned to his underworld haunts in Downtown New York. “Philly Katz” was back in action!

A Very Loving Father

Despite what various law enforcement agencies may have said about him, and what his police record reflected, by all accounts, Philly Albanese was a devoted husband to his wife and a very loving and caring father to his children. During his lifetime, he might have played fast and loose with the penal laws of this country, but when it came to his children, he was very protective. Some might even say a bit overly protective, as Italian fathers tend to be.

Don’t get me wrong. Philly Katz was a devout hoodlum through and through, and he made no bones about it either! He was a proud mafioso in good standing. But when it came to his personal family, that was another matter altogether.

1970 - Philly and his son in the backyard.

He knew what the life he had chosen was all about. Philly had no grand illusions about that. That's probably one of the main reasons why he and Rose moved away from Manhattan out to the suburbs in the first place, while the kids were still small. He didn’t want them growing up in the same inner-city environment that he and his wife had. He didn’t wanna expose them to the same gritty streets and unsavory elements, especially his namesake son, Phil Jr.

He didn’t want his son to be drawn into “the life” by its razzle-dazzle and the allure it has on young guys, as he and so many other youngsters had. Philly tried to protect and shield his kids the best he could from knowing too much about his mob associates or what it was that he really did for a living.

1960s - Philly with his brother Sal at home in his den.

But eventually, they pretty much figured out who their father was anyway, due to all the adverse publicity following his arrests and various newspaper exposes over the years describing the Mafia and their father’s involvement with it.

Yet, through it all, to them, he was still just “dad.” In fact, by all accounts, Philly was a fabulous father and family man who was very loved by his wife and children.

That man they talked about in the newspapers. The one the police called a hoodlum and racketeer. That was not the person they knew. That was not their dad. That was a stranger.

When he was home at night and on weekends, Philly enjoyed lounging around in his backyard. He enjoyed tending to his manicured lawn and garden, and enjoyed the green open spaces. He enjoyed the comfortable home Rose had so beautifully furnished for them. But mostly he enjoyed his family.

It’s said that Philly got a big kick out of the Honeymooners television series, starring Jackie Gleason and Art Carney. Every time Philly watched that show, he’d laugh so hard he’d almost fall out of his chair.

A family get-together in the yard. Philly is standing on the left, Joe Agone is seated at far right.

Big Italian-style dinners every Sunday at home with the family. Hosting backyard barbecues with family and friends. Lounging around on the patio while enjoying cool, refreshing drinks and good conversation. Shooting the shit with his brother-in-law Joe Curly and the guys. And Long Island’s balmy summer nights and starry skies.

In fact, because he was something of an astronomy buff, Philly loved the Island’s bright star-filled skies. At night out on Long Island, the sky was pitch-black, as opposed to the constant bright lights of the city, which allowed Albanese to enjoy stargazing.

Every Fourth of July, he would throw a big BBQ and shoot off lots of fireworks in the backyard that he obtained each year from a mob associate named Silky down in Chinatown. Needless to say, the neighbors weren’t too happy about all the pyrotechnics and hoopla. But nobody was about to ring the front doorbell of the Albanese home to openly complain to Philly about it either….and besides, Philly and his family enjoyed fireworks.

If Philly and Rose weren’t busy entertaining, then Aunt Nancy and Uncle Joe were. The Agones house was just about a half-hour’s drive further east to Patchogue.

To Philly, his Valley Stream home was a welcome reprieve from the day-to-day grind of city life and the dangers he faced every day as a member of New York’s underworld. Not to mention the near constant FBI surveillance on him and the harassment, and the possible arrest he faced daily from a variety of law enforcement agencies who kept a constant vigilance on New York City’s rackets and racketeers.

1970s -A candid photo of Philly and Rose at home.

When he was home, Philly really enjoyed tooling around in one of three T-Birds he owned over the years. They were his pride and joy. Over the years, he also owned a Chevy Impala and a big Oldsmobile.

Occasionally, he would take the kids with him into Manhattan when he had to make a few quick stops for business. This usually consisted of dropping in at a Genovese Family social club on Mulberry Street, his crew’s private “members only” social club on Madison Street, or another one on Monroe Street by the docks.

When the kids came along, he usually made it his business to bring them to the famed Ferrara’s Bakery on Grand Street for cannoli and other Italian pastries.

A 16-year-old Philly Katz. His favorite picture of himself.

And without fail, each year around late-August Philly will bring his son and daughter to the renowned San Gennaro Feast on Mulberry Street in Little Italy to enjoy themselves.

So he might have been a good “Family” man, but Philly was also one helluva good family man!

"The Boys" Are Bashful

On December 11, 1960, Albanese made the headlines once again after he was caught with five other notorious hoodlums in the wee hours of the morning, sipping espresso and having a mob “pow-wow” inside a Mulberry Street restaurant. The underworld quintet was questioned by police as part of an NYPD harassment campaign then underway against known underworld figures.

Philly’s companions that night included Genovese Family underboss Anthony (Tony Bender) Strollo and crew soldiers Ottilio (Frankie the Bug) Caruso, Joseph (Joe Curly) Agone, George Filippone, and a young rebel Profaci soldier by the name of Joseph (Joey the Blond) Gallo.

Law enforcement later theorized that Joey Gallo was courting Strollo and the Genovese Family for their support during the Gallo Gang’s bid to overthrow Brooklyn Family boss Giuseppe (The Old Man) Profaci.

The hoods were all charged with “consorting with known criminals,” one another, and brought into Manhattan Night Court for arraignment. But the criminal charges against them were dismissed.

Below is a now-famous snapshot taken by a police photographer on the scene that evening during their arrests. It shows the six mafiosi standing before the booking desk inside the Elizabeth Street Police Stationhouse.

Philly Katz and friends arrested in 1960.

A Quiet Ending to a Long Career

During the last years of his life, Philly Katz continued to operate within New York’s underworld as he always had. He was a very respected mafioso for decades already. He was an original - a hoodlum who dated back to the early days of Lucky Luciano and when a fledgling Cosa Nostra first gained a foothold in America.

However, he primarily confined his criminal activities and associations to New York City, with a focus on Lower Manhattan. Although he lived and enjoyed the open spaces on Long Island, at the end of the day, he was still a city guy.

1950s - Philly Katz in his prime.

Philip Joseph Albanese Sr. passed away suddenly on February 3, 1979. He was 71 years old. He was waked at the Lawrence J. Latona & Sons Funeral Home at 236 Mulberry Street in New York’s Little Italy. As the reader can probably imagine, Philly’s wake and funeral were well attended.

Later, as is the Italian custom, the entire funeral party was invited to a nearby Italian restaurant to enjoy dinner together and reminisce about the deceased.

Philly Katz left behind his wife, Rose, his loving bride of nearly 35 years, his son Philip, a daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. In the coming years, the Albanese bloodline continued with five additional, lovely grandchildren.

Finito La musica…Philly passes on.

Postscript: Human beings are very complex creatures. Each of us is both good and bad, saints and sinners, in our own special way. Depending upon the cards we’re dealt in life, we have the capacity to be all of those things…and more.

If a boy is born to a wealthy family, with a silver spoon in his mouth, and stays on the straight and narrow path, does that necessarily make him a “good” person? By the same token, if a boy is born into a poverty reserved for few, with even fewer options in life, and later becomes a thief, does that necessarily make him a “bad” person?

Some people are born with fancy patent leather shoes and get to walk along Park Avenue. While others are born with holes in their shoes or have no shoes at all and have to walk along the Bowery. Life is not fair…So tell me, as mere mortals, who are we to judge anyone?

Until next time…”The Other Guy”

Philly Katz Photo Gallery

Genovese Soldier & Waterfront Rackets Boss: Philip “Philly Katz” Albanese

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