1. James "Jimmy Brown" Failla was an American mobster who was a high ranking caporegime with the Gambino crime family and a major power in the garbage-hauling industry in New York City.
24 Facts About James Failla
1. 2.
James Failla was raised in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, a neighborhood dominated by New York's La Cosa Nostra families.
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James Failla eventually relocated to a modest home on Staten Island.
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In 1951, James Failla was convicted of bookmaking and illegal gambling charges and paid a $25 fine.
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In 1966, James Failla was again fined for bookmaking and illegal gambling.
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In 1970, James Failla was charged with contempt of court for refusing to testify before a grand jury, but the charge was later dropped.
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James Failla was one of the most respected and feared racketeers in New York, and one of the all-time top earners.
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Law enforcement agents characterized James Failla as being extremely cautious and constantly wary of electronic surveillance.
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James Failla had a reputation as being one of the most discreet mobsters.
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James Failla did hang a poster on the wall showing a cockroach wearing a headset with the caption "Our bugs have ears".
11.
James Failla directed a large crew that was involved in loansharking, illegal gambling, and extortion.
12.
James Failla avoided incarceration for many years due to his unique manner of conducting himself and his business.
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James Failla is acknowledged and distinguished as one of the all-time top earners for the Gambino family.
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Nevertheless, after many years of unsuccessful efforts by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to indict James Failla, he was eventually incarcerated and then soon after passed while serving a sentence in prison for conspiracy to commit murder, a conviction the District Attorney's Office obtained with much help from mobster-turned-informant Sammy "The Bull" Gravano.
15.
For 30 years, James Failla controlled the Trade Waste Association of Greater New York, an association of trash haulers in the New York area.
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In 1976, Gambino died and James Failla became the acting boss of the Gambino family.
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James Failla built a strong relationship with Castellano, meeting him weekly at Castellano's Todt Hill mansion on Staten Island.
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On December 16,1985, James Failla was waiting for Castellano at the Sparks Steak House in Midtown Manhattan to discuss family matters.
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Over time, James Failla built a close partnership with the Genovese crime family.
20.
In 1986, as a result of the tapings at Castellano's house in 1983, James Failla was indicted on racketeering charges.
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However, in June 1987, James Failla was acquitted on federal racketeering charges.
22.
In 1989, James Failla participated in the murder of Gambino mobster Thomas Spinelli.
23.
In December 1990, when Gotti went to jail awaiting trial, he appointed James Failla as acting boss of the family.
24.
In 1994, in a plea bargain deal, James Failla pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit murder.