Anthony Ruggiano Jr. grew up in Ozone Park, Queens, the son of Anthony "Fat Andy" Ruggiano, a Gambino crime family capo who was made under Albert Anastasia in 1953.
In Part One of this What I Survived story, Anthony takes us inside his father's world. How did Fat Andy become a mobster, and how did he work his way up to captain, running one of the most powerful crews in New York? What was it like to be a kid whose life revolved around social clubs, card games and men who lived by their own rules?
His father never wanted this life for his son. But Anthony was drawn to it anyway: the money, the respect, the nights out under the wing of John Gotti. And once he was in, there was no easy way out.
Settle in, get comfortable, and let Anthony Ruggiano Jr. tell you how he was raised in the Mafia.
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