Anthony “Tony” Scotto (1934–2021) was one of the most influential labor leaders on the New York waterfront during the mid-twentieth century. Rising through the ranks of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), he became president of Brooklyn-based Local 1814 and emerged as a major political and labor figure in New York. Known for his ability to negotiate contracts and wield political influence, Scotto was widely regarded as one of the most powerful union officials in the nation during the 1960s and 1970s.
Scotto’s name, however, frequently surfaced in investigations of organized crime. Law-enforcement agencies and government commissions repeatedly examined his associations with figures connected to the Gambino and Genovese crime families. Newspaper investigations of the era described him as a close associate of influential waterfront and labor figures who were alleged to have ties to organized crime. In 1979, Scotto was convicted on federal racketeering and bribery charges related to waterfront corruption, though he continued to maintain that the payments involved were political contributions rather than bribes.
One of Scotto’s most significant ties to Bergen County involved the Englewood Golf Club (also known as the Englewood Golf and Country Club). During the 1960s, Scotto, his wife Marion Anastasio Scotto, and relatives of the Lacqua family became involved in financing and controlling the club through a corporation known as Newbrook Enterprises. Waterfront Commission investigations examined loans used to acquire and develop the club, including a substantial unsecured loan arranged through a Brooklyn bank. Hearings and newspaper reports alleged that the club had become a gathering place for labor leaders, businessmen, and reputed organized-crime figures, including individuals connected to the Genovese crime family. Investigators scrutinized Scotto’s role in the club because labor laws prohibited union officials from maintaining business interests that could create conflicts with their union responsibilities.
The Englewood Golf Club became a recurring subject in organized-crime investigations throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. Contemporary reports identified the club as a social venue frequented by underworld figures such as Thomas Eboli, Gerardo “Jerry” Catena, Angelo “Gyp” DeCarlo, and others who were well known to law-enforcement agencies. While Scotto denied wrongdoing and disputed many of the allegations, his association with the club contributed to the public perception that organized crime figures were using suburban country clubs in Bergen County as meeting places away from the scrutiny of New York City authorities.
Today, Scotto remains a complex historical figure. Supporters remember him as an effective labor leader who expanded opportunities for dockworkers and increased the political influence of organized labor. Critics point to the criminal convictions and longstanding allegations of organized-crime associations that shadowed his career. His connection to the Englewood Golf Club illustrates how labor politics, organized crime, and suburban social institutions intersected in northern New Jersey during the postwar era.
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