Galante was the owner of 25 different trash disposal businesses based out of
Danbury, Connecticut and estimated to be worth over $100 million. Since 1993, they have been accused of muscling out local competition through no-bid-contracts and payments of up to $120,000 per year to
Genovese crime family boss
Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello. As a result, municipalities, businesses and residents paid artificially inflated carting prices for years. In 1999, Galante was sentenced to 12 months and a day in federal prison after pleading guilty to
tax evasion.
Investigation and indictment In 2006, federal authorities infiltrated Automated Waste Disposal with an undercover agent and taped hours of phone conversations, precipitating a raid on AWD offices in Danbury and Galante's home in
New Fairfield, Connecticut, acquiring trailers full of documents. Among those also indicted as a result of the investigation were former
Waterbury Mayor Joseph Santopietro, former Division Manager for Diversified Waste and Genovese Crime Family enforcer Robert Taggett, federal Drug Enforcement Agent Louis Angioletti, several of Galante's underlings and former Danbury Trashers hockey coach H. Todd Stirling. Galante was charged in 93 counts of the indictment, with various alleged violations of federal law, including racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, Hobbs Act extortion, mail and wire fraud, witness tampering, tax fraud and conspiracy charges. Galante was indicted in 2006 on charges of paying a 'mob tax' to Ianniello. Galante acknowledged that he defrauded the IRS, including writing double paychecks for some employees and having them return one of them to him in cash, claiming items he purchased for his girlfriend's horse farm including hay and a wide-screen television as business expenses, and skimming cash from the register at the Danbury garbage transfer station. Galante also agreed to forfeit his stake in 25 trash hauling and recycling companies to the federal government, and promised to never work in the business again, stating to the judge that he agreed to "withdraw" from involvement "with any segment of the trash industry in the United States." The 25 trash-disposal companies owned by Galante, all based in Danbury and estimated by him to be worth $100 million, were "condemned and forfeited to the United States of America." The businesses were sold, with the money going to the
United States Department of the Treasury, under laws allowing the forfeiture of property obtained through criminal activities. Galante was initially paid only $7.6 million. After claims that the government violated the plea agreement, Galante was given the remaining $3.1 million. Galante also agreed to forfeit a horse farm he bought for a former girlfriend, six racing cars, a racing trailer, and $448,000 in cash that federal agents seized in 2006, and to pay at least $1.6 million in back taxes to the IRS. He did not admit to other acts of which federal authorities accused him, including extortion, attempted arson, and kidnapping. ==Danbury Trashers==