Mob Wives: Lana Graziano Zancocchio

Renee and Jenn Graziano have an older sister, Lana, who does not seem interested in participating in the new VH1 Mob Wives series. Maybe it’s out of consideration for their father, and all she has been taught to believe, that she refuses to be on a televised show that exploits the crime family lifestyle. As he sits in prison (until January 2012), Anthony Graziano, consigliere of the Bonanno crime family, is very unhappy with his younger daughters for going through with this production against his wishes. It may be a case of “while the cat’s away, the mice will play.” But, Lana isn’t playing. She seems to be showing her father the respect and loyalty that he deserves. It’s always nice when at least one of your children turn out the way you hoped, don‘t you think?

Lana explains that she is a lot like her father as far as being aggressive and controlling. She has always looked up to him and looked for his approval. In interviews, she has described how her father gave her everything a princess could want and, in exchange, he expected to be able to dictate what she could and could not do. Eventually, she married John “Porky” Zancocchio, who was a promising soldier of her father’s crew. Marrying the boss’s daughter didn’t hurt John’s career with the mob. Together the couple raised three children in a “Soprano-like” mansion in New Jersey, with all the luxuries and amenities.

Unfortunately, there was trouble in Mafia paradise. Lana was argumentative and would often chastise her husband. They had many brutal fights, some escalating to violence. She is reported to have yelled to Zancocchio to take out the garbage, as he was being hauled off in handcuffs by law enforcement. John eventually left her for another woman who was a waitress at a topless bar.

Zancocchio built his reputation on a very successful bookmaking operation that reportedly made 280 million dollars of income in its best year. In fact, this is the very gambling operation in which Pete Rose was betting on baseball games. That huge scandal tarnished Rose’s name and career, and cost him entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Like a good son, Zancocchio opened a pizzeria called “Mama Rosa’s” for his mother. However, his illegal financial involvement with the restaurant led to charges of income tax evasion for both John and his mother. In 2002 new tax evasion charges on John and Lana led to him receiving a 71 month prison term and a $300,000 fine. He was let out in August, 2008. Lana received a 16 month sentence for her crimes, but her lawyer was able to change it to house arrest so that she could care for her three children. Lana reportedly said in an interview, that she believes John married her just to get in good with her father and the mob and that he never really loved her. But, maybe John could never measure up to Lana’s expectations because of her adoration of her father. It appears that Lana is always going to be “daddy’s little girl.”

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