Rudy Santobello, Mobster showcased in "Serpico" Dead. Rudy Represented "Our" Long tradition of being "Owned" by Organized Crime

Rudy Santobello, Wiseguy Who Wised Up Serpico To Mob-NYPD Ties, Dead At 84

Rudolph (Rudy) Santobello, the cop killing gangster whose friendly, kid-glove treatment by station house detectives outraged a young NYPD cop named Frank Serpico has died. Santobello, a Genovese capo whose last prison stretch ended in 2000, was 84. Details of his demise could not be obtained, but sources confirm the cause did not stem from his Gang Land activities. In recent years, Santobello had moved up in the powerful Genovese family. A secret 2006 FBI report lists him as a "member of the hierarchy." Law enforcement sources say he maintained a low profile while overseeing lucrative loansharking and bookmaking rackets from Bronx locations. Sources say that six years earlier, when he got out of prison, he abandoned his social club on Arthur Avenue in the Belmont section – the Club Arthur – that was a focal point of his federal racketeering conviction in 1994.