Chris Rosenberg
| Chris Rosenberg | |
|---|---|
Mugshot
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| Born |
October 6, 1950 Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Died | May 11, 1979 (aged 28) Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Cause of death | Gunshot |
| Other names | Chris DeMeo |
| Occupation | Car thief, drug dealer |
Harvey "Chris" Rosenberg (also known as Chris DeMeo) (October 6, 1950 – May 11, 1979) was a Jewish-American member of the DeMeo crew run by Gambino crime family soldier Roy DeMeo. The gang is suspected of between 75–200 murders in the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. Following a failed narcotics deal with a Cuban drug cartel that Rosenberg stole from, DeMeo killed Rosenberg as restitution.
Chris Rosenberg grew up in Canarsie on a block dominated by Italian-Americans. Despite the Mafia rules that only full Italians could be made, or officially inducted into the organization, Rosenberg reportedly believed that his earning abilities and willingness to murder might eventually lead to his becoming a member of Cosa Nostra. He reportedly did not like his Jewish last name and preferred people call him "Chris DeMeo" instead.
Rosenberg's criminal career began at the age of 13, when he began dealing marijuana. His first arrest was in 1970 for car theft, which started out as a felony case but was reduced to a misdemeanor. He was given probation rather than jail time. He was arrested again in 1971 for possession of the drug hashish, then again in 1972 for the attempted stealing of a snow plow. Both cases were dismissed.
Rosenberg was dealing in small amounts of marijuana and hashish when he first met Roy DeMeo at a Canarsie gas station in 1966. DeMeo recruited Chris to steal cars, which would then be sold off through connections DeMeo had within Canarsie junkyards. Rosenberg was also the first crew member to interact with DeMeo socially at family barbecues and get-togethers at DeMeo's house.
Between his adept car abilities as well as his fledgling drug business, Rosenberg became successful and opened his own car shop named Car Phobia Repairs, which soon became a hotspot for stolen vehicles. By 1972, Rosenberg had his friends stealing cars for him. Two of these friends were the Gemini twins, Joseph Testa and Anthony Senter, who Rosenberg would introduce to DeMeo and become two core members of the DeMeo crew. Testa and Senter, who were both full-blooded Italians, had known Rosenberg since their teenage years.
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