What happens when a pizzeria in Staten Island steals a recipe for pizza from a mob-connected pizzeria in Brooklyn? No gun shots were fired. No knees were broken. Rather, the mobsters came together and broke bread at Panera, and reached an amicable settlement. Though, read this Daily News article for some, lets call it, pretrial-diversions!
Lombardo, whose sons worked at L&B, had opened “The Square” in Staten Island and started serving slices that looked and tasted suspiciously like those at L&B.
“Frankie (Guerra) told me they caught Geno down in the basement looking at the supplies, the flour,” Russo said. “He was angry, he wanted to hurt Gene.”
Russo recalled how he, Guerra and Colombo goon Frank (Frankie Notch) Iannaci took a ride to Staten Island, where they confronted the rival pizza maker.
Iannaci started banging on the window where a sign brazenly advertised “L&B-style” pizza.
“Gene came out and (Guerra) started yelling at him. He told him he’s a ‘piece of s—, a s—bag, robbed my family, I’ll break your head!’ ” Russo said.
Iannaci upped the stakes by slapping Lombardo during the confrontation.
Later, Russo was summoned to a sitdown by Bonanno soldier Anthony Calabrese, meeting him at a Panera Bread in Staten Island. The Colombos demanded a slice of Lombardo’s pizza parlor or a onetime payment of $75,000.
But Calabrese was Solomon-like in his wisdom.
“He (Calabrese) said, ‘Are we gonna go after every pizzeria that puts sauce on their slice?’ ” Russo said. “I said, ‘You got a point there.’ ”
Lombardo agreed to pay $4,000 to settle the dispute.
“I told Frank to take the offer. It was ridiculous to go any further with it, just accept the money and move on,” he said.
Calabrese took a $1,500 cut, gave $500 to the crime family’s consigliere and Guerra kept the rest, according to Russo.
Asked why he took a piece of Guerra’s family sauce money, Russo replied: “We’re partners in everything.”
I mean, this has all the traits of effective bargaining, and resolution of IP disputes. This is how they roll in Staten Island.
If only Apple and Samsung could get together at Panera and just hug it out, bro.
H/T Peter Redpath