The Triangle Social Club

This is the former Triangle Social Club.

It is located at 208 Sullivan Street in Manhattan, New York.

Officially named the Triangle Civic Improvement Association, it was the main hangout for the Greenwich Village Crew, which was part of the Genovese crime family.

Formed by Mafia boss Vito Genovese, the crew took its name from the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, where it mostly operated.

Vincent Gigante

The club served as the headquarters for Vincent "The Chin" Gigante.

Gigante was appointed caporegime of the Greenwich Village crew during the 1960s.

In 1981, longtime Genovese boss Philip Lombardo decided to retire because of health issues. Before stepping down, he named Gigante as his successor.

When Gigante took over as boss, he continued using the Triangle Social Club as his main base of operations. On most days, "The Chin" and his men would sit at the cafe and play cards together.

Gigante discussed mob matters at the club only with a small number of trusted lieutenants. When he had to speak with other organized crime figures, he met them outside on the street.

To insulate himself from law enforcement, he appointed Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno as the "front boss" of the family. The authorities did not learn Gigante was the real boss until 1986.

By the end of the 1980s, the club looked old and weathered. The front windows had been crudely painted white to conceal the interior. On the outside, there were mismatched chairs and rickety tables.

Most passersby had no idea it was a front for a criminal organization that grossed $100 million per year.

Gigante had a house in Old Tappan, New Jersey, but he preferred the area around Sullivan Street and spent most nights in his mother's apartment near the club.

His sister also owned a pet supply store on the street. The items on display sat unchanged for years, which led many locals to believe the store's sole purpose was to keep watch for law enforcement.

A column in the Daily Telegraph recounted how an "outsider" attempted to extort money from businesses in the area. When the elderly men at the Triangle Social Club took him aside and advised him to leave the neighborhood, he refused.

They warned him a second time, but he ignored them. He was later found dead.

The Oddfather

Gigante was nicknamed "The Oddfather" because of his habit of faking mental illnesses, a strategy that helped him avoid prison. In 1990, federal racketeering charges against him were indefinitely paused after a judge ruled that he should undergo psychiatric examinations.

In the 1980s and 1990s, he would aimlessly wander through the neighborhood in his pajamas and bathrobe with a dazed look on his face. During these walks, he often stared off into the distance and muttered to himself.

On one occasion during the 1980s, Gigante noticed an FBI surveillance unit following him near the corner of Sullivan Street and West Houston Street. After spotting the agents, he dropped to his knees in front of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua and began praying.

His bodyguard was never far behind, a sign that these episodes were not genuine. "The Chin" put on this performance because he knew the neighborhood was under surveillance. If the authorities captured footage of him acting normally, they could use it against him in court.

Gigante's charade worked to a degree, as it caused a seven-year delay in a federal racketeering case against him.

Conviction

In 2003, he was forced to admit it had all been an act. At the time, he was facing racketeering and obstruction of justice charges. Although he initially intended to fight the case, he decided to plead guilty after he learned the FBI had video evidence of him behaving lucidly.

He received a three-year sentence for obstruction of justice.

Two years later, Gigante died at MCFP Springfield, a federal prison, at the age of 77.