Released on April 17, 2011, Mob Wives is an American reality show that focused on the lives of women in Staten Island, whose family members and husbands, whether current or former, have been imprisoned for crimes related to the American mafia. When the show was first released, many thought that it was going to be a lot like The Real Housewives. However, it was far from that. Whether it was fights or verbal arguments, the Mob Wives definitely knew how to keep their viewers entertained.
Despite VH1 announcing that the show’s sixth season would be the last, the creator Jennifer Graziano, the creator and sister to cast member Renee Graziano, has expressed her interest in rebooting the show. Renee also claimed that there was a likelihood of a reboot set to air on Paramount’s streaming service. Whether the show is rebooted or not, here is a look into the criminal history of the Mob Wives cast.
Updated September 2024: This article has been updated to reflect the most recent information regarding the criminal history of the “Mob Wives” cast.
8 Mob Wives: Drita D’Avanzo
Drita D’Avanzo married into the mafia as husband, Lee D’Avanzo was associated with the Colombo and Bonnano crime families
Unlike some cast members, Drita did not grow up in the mafia but instead married into it. Her husband Lee D’Avanzo was an associate of the Colombo and Bonanno crime family.
When they first got married, Drita claims that she didn’t know her husband was a bank robber, but instead thought that he was just any ordinary businessman. She, however, knew that he had a past criminal life, but that Lee had changed his life around. The first time Lee was arrested, his friend ratted him out, but the second time was a bank robbery gone wrong.
Most recently, Drita and Lee were arrested during an NYPD raid in their home where police allegedly found loaded firearms and a huge amount of drugs. Drita’s charges were later dropped, but Lee pleaded guilty to federal gun charges and was sentenced to five years in prison.
7 Mob Wives: Karen Gravano
Karen Gravano’s was arrested for being a part of her father, Sammy ‘The Bull’ Gravano’s drug ring
Karen Gravano, daughter of the Gambino crime family soldier Sammy ‘The Bull’ Gravano, has had her fair share of run-ins with the law. In 2000, Karen was arrested as a result of her part in ‘Sammy the Bull’s drug ring’.
Karen’s father ran an ecstasy drug ring in the late ’90s, that transported the drug from Arizona to New York. In February 2000, Karen and some 40 other drug ring members were arrested, including Karen’s brother, Gerard.
Karen pleaded guilty to the use of wire communications and other drug-related transactions and was sentenced to three years of probation.
6 Mob Wives: Angela Raiola
Angela Raiola was convicted for drug distribution in 2001
Angela Raiola, now deceased after succumbing to her illness in 2016, was the niece of Salvatore “Sally Dogs” Lombardi, a capo regime and drug dealer in the Genovese crime family. Angela, otherwise known as “mob moll,” dated gangsters and lived an opulent lifestyle.
In 2001, Angela, among fourteen other defendants, were convicted for distribution of powdered cocaine, marijuana and crack cocaine in Brooklyn and Manhattan. During her arrest, her purse was found with fourteen plastic bags containing cocaine.
In 2003, Angela was again found in the wrong and pleaded guilty to the indictment’s top count. She was then sentenced to probation of three years and also ordered to spend four months under home confinement.
In 2004, a federal judge modified her probation conditions and ordered her to enroll in “an outpatient and/or inpatient drug treatment or detoxification program.”
5 Mob Wives: Ramona Rizzo
Ramona Rizzo’s grandfather was in the mob and Ramona was allegedly involved in a kidnapping plot
Ramona’s grandfather, Benjamin Ruggiero, was a well-known mobster. This affected Ramona’s childhood as her family was associated with the mafia, and she always had problems with the law.
Ramona was allegedly involved in a kidnap where she ordered armed thugs to abduct a man off a Chelsea Street, so she could rob him of cash and jewelry. This happened due to a failed moneymaking plot made between Ramona and the abducted man.
Ramona went on to post on her Twitter account, ‘When U Steal or Rob From Any1…. Make sure Ur About That Life…..If Not Get Real Job!!!”
4 Mob Wives: Love Majewski
Love Majewski admitted to stabbing, shooting, and poisoning a man
Despite Love Majewski appearing more tame than the rest of the cast members, past with acts of violence from Love gone wrong, proves otherwise.
Love, unlike her name suggests, admitted to stabbing, shooting, and poisoning men for doing unacceptable things like cheating or hitting. Despite her acts of violence, Love says that her victims would take her back in a second.
3 Mob Wives: Alicia DiMichele
Alicia DiMichele’s husband was guilty of a murder conspiracy and Alicia was charged with embezzling money
Alicia DiMichele, previously married to Eddie Garofalo who was given seven years in prison for murder conspiracy, also found herself in trouble with the law when she allegedly embezzled money using her role in a tracking company she and her ex-husband ran.
Alicia was given probation for four years and had to pay $40,000 in restitution.
2 Mob Wives: Brittany Fogarty
Brittany Fogarty’s father was arrested for drug distribution and murder
Brittany Fogarty’s father, John Fogarty, also known as “Big John,” was arrested back when Brittany was a child for conspiring to distribute marijuana and cocaine in the Brooklyn and Staten Island area. This was an organized crime between Brittany’s parents, but in order to save the mother, John Fogarty pleaded guilty to a number of crimes including an undisclosed number of murders.
Brittany is still affected by all that happened in her childhood, and she realizes that nothing about it was normal.
1 Mob Wives: Renee Graziano
Renee Graziano married a mobster who ratted out her father to the DEA before committing murder
Renee, born into the mafia, also got married to mobster Hector Pagan. Hector later became a DEA informant and ratted out Renee’s father to the police by giving them evidence.
Hector, now Renee’s ex-husband, was then imprisoned for eleven years for committing murder.
Renee was arrested for driving while high on Adderall after allegedly crashing her car into a parked SUV. She, however, willingly entered rehab for the sake of her son and her well-being.
