The Motion Lounge

The Motion Lounge was a Williamsburg, Brooklyn nightclub owned by Bonanno crime family capo Dominick Napolitano which doubled as the capo's apartment away from his home. The lounge was across the street from the Wither's Italian-American War Veterans Club.

The lounge

The Motion Lounge was located at 420 Graham Avenue. It was a three-story private hangout for Dominick Napolitano's crew. There was no sign on the front door. The exterior wall of the club was covered with fake fieldstone siding. The upper floor of the building was sheathed in brown shingles. The front room of the lounge had a bar, a large screen projection television, earning the club it's name, a pinball machine and several tables. Behind the bar counter was a large tank of exotic tropical fish. In the back room was a small stage, a pool table, a jukebox and a few card tables, a kitchen was located off from the back room. Dominick and his crew lounged around inside and out front during the summer. Their Cadillacs would be parked and double parked around the block. When Napolitano struck up a friendship with Joseph Pistone Dominick gave Pistone his own key and allowed him to use The Motion Lounge to stay when travelling to and from Hallandale, Florida to New York City. Pistone's apartment maintained by Benjamin Ruggiero at Knickerbocker Village was eventually given up for Napolitano's apartment.

Dominick's bachelor apartment

Dominick's apartment was located on the third floor of the three-story walk up. It was a modest, utilitarian one-bedroom apartment where Dominick took his long-time mistress Judith. The private apartment opened up to a hallway with a small kitchen off to the left, a dining room down the hall, and a living room with a pull out sofa bed to the right which was located off from Sonny's bedroom. The apartment had no doors for privacy and a ladderlike set of stairs that led up to the roof where Dominick kept his messenger pigeons. The building did not have central air conditioning because of the building's age so Dominick always kept the windows open which looked out onto the adjoining building's roof. In his bedroom he had a full set of barbells and dumbbells including a bench press.

Sonny Black confronts Al Walker

In 1979 Philip Rastelli became the boss of the Bonanno family, causing a major split in the membership. Phillip Giaccone, Dominick Trinchera and Alphonse Indelicato opposed Rastelli and began plotting his downfall. However, Rastelli heard about the plot and instead arranged an ambush for the three conspirators. On May 5th, 1981, the day of the ambush, Rastelli loyalist Dominick Napolitano called rival Bonanno crime family capo Albert Embarrato (uncle of fellow rival Anthony Mirra) and told him to come down to The Motion Lounge for a "sit down". At the meeting, Napolitano had two of his sidewalk soldiers flank Embarrato. The mobsters then waited until until Napolitano received confirmation that Giaccone, Trichera, and Indelicator were dead. Later describing the meeting to Joseph Pistone, posing as mobster Donnie Brasco, Napolitano said, "When [he] Albert heard that, he turned ash white. He thought we were going to hit [execute] him too. But I just reamed at him about Tony [Mirra], told him Tony was no good; and that he [Albert] better recognize that and act right himself." Albert agreed.

Clientele

The regular clientele at The Motion Lounge was Nicholas Santora, Louis Attanasio, John Cersani, John Zancocchio, Benjamin Ruggiero, Bobby Badheart, Bobby Smash and his previous capo Michael Sabella, Salvatore Farrugia, Antonio Tomasulo, Anthony Rabito, Frank DiStefano, Salvatore D'Ottavio, James Episcopa and Joseph D. Pistone.

Meeting for the Lufthansa heist

When Louis Werner came up with the robbery plan for the Lufthansa heist, Peter Gruenwald was given the task of frequenting the airport bars like the TWA Flight Center's Union News Restaurant and Coffee Shop at JFK Airport, The Bamboo Lounge, The Airline Diner (now The Jackson Hole Diner) at 69-35 Astoria Boulevard in Astoria, Queens, the bar at the Holiday Inn located at 144-02 15th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, The Motion Lounge at 420 Graham Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club or 101 Club on at 101st Street in South Ozone Park, Queens, or the lounge at the Kew Motor Inn in Kew Garden Hills, canvassing for a team that could pull off the robbery. Louis became angry at his friend Gruenwald's incompetence and took matters into his own hands, giving the plans to his numbers-runner Frank Menna who then introduced the plan to Werner's regular bookmaker Martin Krugman who he became in debt with again in 1978. Dominick would later turn down the opportunity, the robbery later being carried out by members of the Vario Crew.

References

• Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley