Ronald Joseph Trucchio (born 1951), also known as "Ronnie One Arm", is an American

mobster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level ...

who rose to the position of ''

caporegime A ''caporegime'' or ''capodecina'', usually shortened to ''capo'' or informally referred to as "captain", "skipper" or "lieutenant", is a leadership position in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia). A ''capo'' is a "made m ...

'' in the

Gambino crime family The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia. ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Criminal Career

Trucchio was born in

Ocean Hill, Brooklyn Ocean Hill is a subsection of Bedford–Stuyvesant in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 16 and was founded in 1890. The ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11233. Ocean Hill's boundaries ...

and raised in

Ozone Park, Queens Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City boroughs of New York City, borough of Queens, New York (state), New York, United States. It is next to the Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone ...

. As a child, Trucchio was hit by an automobile and sustained severe damage to the scapula, ulna and humerus in the arm. These fractures left his arm partially paralyzed. The injury led to his nickname of "Ronnie One Arm"."Queens Father and Son Accused In Illegal Gambling Operation"
By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM New York Times December 10, 2002 Trucchio is the father of reputed

'' Alphonse Trucchio. He lived in South

Richmond Hill, Queens Richmond Hill is a commercial and residential neighborhood located in the southeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens. The area borders Kew Gardens and Forest Park to the north, Jamaica and South Jamaica to the east, South Ozo ...

as an adult. In 1992, Trucchio, a protegee of Anthony "Tony Lee" Guerrieri and Anthony “Fat Andy” Ruggiano, was inducted into the Gambino family.

The Young Guns

In the mid-1990s, Trucchio was promoted to ''caporegime'' and given control over the Ozone Park Boys, a Gambino crew in Queens. Trucchio reportedly drove around Ozone Park looking for recruits for his crew. He drove a silver

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

, wore $5,000 suits, and displayed thick rolls of bills. One police investigator compared Trucchio to

Fagin Fagin () is the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. In the preface to the novel, he is described as a " receiver of stolen goods". He is the leader of a group of children (the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates ...

, the 19th century London gang leader in the

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

novel ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

''."Reputed Mob Recruiter Faces Trial For Scions' Sins"
by Ann W. O'Neill Sun-Sentinel January 10, 2005 The Ozone Park Boys specialized in gambling, loansharking, bookmaking, fraud and wire fraud. Trucchio and Alphonse ran an illegal gambling operation that grossed approximately $30 million a year, with bettors who placed wagers as large as $15,000 on

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

games. Trucchio also owned a restaurant in Ozone Park that allegedly earned him $6.5 million but was forfeited by the Queens District Attorney due to charges of

tax evasion Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to red ...

and tax

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

. Also involved in criminal activities in

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

, Trucchio's crew was frequently called "The Young Guns" and the "Liberty Posse".USA v. Ronald Trucchio, (11th Cir. 2007) Federal Circuits
V Lex In October 1995, Trucchio was allegedly involved in the shooting murders of three people in Florida. Gambino associate Mark Rizzuto was found dead in

Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...

. Gambino associate and

strip club A strip club (also known as a strip joint, striptease bar, peeler bar, gentlemen's club, among others) is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease and other erotic dances including lap dances. St ...

bouncer Vincent D'Angola, along with D'Angola's dancer girlfriend Jami Schneider, were discovered dead in D'Angola's

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

apartment. The Gambino family suspected the two men of skimming family profits and sent other Florida crew members to murder them. Schneider may have been an innocent bystander. By 1997, Trucchio was reportedly concerned about the number of violent acts being committed by crew members in Florida and directed Gambino

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

Michael Ciaccio to watch them. Years later, Ciaccio would testify against Trucchio in Trucchio's 2003 racketeering trial.

Convictions and prison

On December 9, 2002, Trucchio was indicted in New York state court on enterprise corruption, conspiracy, promoting gambling and possession of gambling records. The indictment stated that Trucchio conspired to engage in

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercion, coercive, fraud, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. ...

, murder, robbery, arson,

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded ...

kidnapping Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestion, ...

, tampering with witnesses, retaliating against witnesses, credit card fraud, intrastate travel in aid of racketeering activity, interference with commerce by threats and violence, interstate transportation of stolen property, and thefts from interstate shipments. On April 14, 2003, Trucchio pleaded guilty to lesser charges. On October 29, 2003, Trucchio was sentenced to one to three years in state prison. On December 4, 2003, Trucchio and other family members were indicted in federal court in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

for the 1995 Florida murders, two armed robberies in New York, and the 2003 Bosshart murder in New York. On January 9, 2004, Trucchio pleaded not guilty in court to all the charges. In August 2005, Trucchio was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on racketeering conspiracy charges. In October 2006, Trucchio and other Florida crew members went on trial in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

on new federal racketeering and extortion charges. Truccchio was accused of using intimidation to gain control of

valet parking Valet parking is a parking service offered by some restaurants, stores, and other businesses. In contrast to "self-parking", where customers find a parking space on their own, customers' vehicles are parked for them by a person called a '' va ...

services for hospitals, restaurants, and

adult entertainment The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related se ...

clubs in the

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

area. In December 2006, Trucchio was convicted and in March 2007 was sentenced to life in prison. As of December 2011, Ronald Trucchio is serving a life sentence at the

United States Penitentiary The Federal Bureau of Prisons classifies prisons into seven categories: * United States penitentiaries * Federal correctional institutions * Private correctional institutions * Federal prison camps * Administrative facilities * Federal correcti ...

(USP) in

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Lewisburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States, south by southeast of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Williamsport and north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. The population was 5,158 as of the United States Census 202 ...

. Trucchio was placed in a prison hospital in 2023. In November 2024, Tampa Judge Charlene Honeywell granted Trucchio compassionate release from prison due to his "deteriorating" medical condition.Judge Plans To Release Old & Ailing John Gotti Pal Serving A Life Sentence

Jerry Capeci Gerald Capeci () is an American journalist and author who specializes in coverage of the Five Mafia crime families of New York City. Capeci has been described by news organizations, such as CNN and BBC, as an expert on the American Mafia. ...

, ''Gang Land News'' (November 21, 2024)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trucchio, Ronnie 1951 births Living people 20th-century American criminals 21st-century American criminals American gangsters of Italian descent American male criminals American people convicted of tax crimes American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Criminals from Queens, New York Gambino crime family Gangsters from New York City Gangsters sentenced to life imprisonment People convicted of racketeering People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn People from Ozone Park, Queens People from Richmond Hill, Queens People paroled from life sentence Prisoners and detainees of New York (state) Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the United States federal government