Mondello was born in
Brooklyn, New York, on February 13, 1938, to a
Puerto Rican mother and a father of
Sicilian descent, Joseph Mondello. Upon graduating high school, Mondello entered the
Air National Guard as an
airman from 1955 to 1956, and transferred to the
United States Army as
Corporal in the
infantry from 1956 to 1958. After being honorably discharged, Mondello attended
Hofstra University, and earned his
Bachelor of Arts in 1962. After graduating, Mondello worked as a teacher in the
East Meadow school system and later became a
probation officer in Nassau County. Chairman Mondello would later return to his alma mater to teach as an adjunct professor of government. His activities as a probation officer spurred him to return to the study of law, and in 1966, Mondello entered the
New England School of Law. Mondello distinguished himself during his tenure in law school; he was named to law review after his first semester, an honor rarely accorded a freshman law student. He graduated in 1969, and after passing the
bar examination joined the
Levittown based law firm of Flaum, Imbarrato and Mondello. Mondello then served in a host of legal positions, including counsel to the
New York State Legislature, and an
Assistant District Attorney in the Complaint, Felony, and Trial Bureaus. He would later serve as a
Special Agent in the U.S.
Office of Naval Intelligence. In 1975 he ran and was elected to the proposed
Nassau County Legislature but because the electorate failed to approve a referendum setting up a legislative form of government in the County, never served in that capacity. ==Political career==