He Broke the Rules at Rao’s Restaurant — The Mob Broke Him

In December 2003, a song request at New York's most exclusive mob hangout turned deadly. Albert Circelli didn't know the unwritten rules at Rao's Restaurant — a place where tables are inherited, respect is currency, and breaking tradition has consequences. When he interrupted the legendary Monday night sing-along, Lucchese associate Louis "Louie Lump Lump" Barone enforced the code the only way he knew how: with a .38-caliber revolver. This is the true story of the night the music stopped at Rao's, the murder trial that exposed mob culture in modern New York, and the ten-year sentence that closed the book on one of the last old-school hits in American Mafia history.

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DISCLAIMER:
This documentary script is based on publicly available information, including court records, police reports, newspaper archives, and established historical accounts. All events, names, dates, and details presented are drawn from documented sources. No facts have been fictionalized or embellished for dramatic effect.

This content is intended for educational and historical purposes only. It does not glorify violence, criminal activity, or organized crime. The depiction of individuals, locations, and events is factual and does not constitute defamation or endorsement.

Sources:
New York Post — "Shot Dead at Rao's: Mob Hit Over Song Request" (December 23, 2003)
The New York Times — "Man Shot to Death at Rao's Restaurant in East Harlem" (December 23, 2003)
Daily News (New York) — "Killing at Rao's: Lucchese Associate Charged in Murder" (December 24, 2003)
Court Records: People v. Louis Barone — New York State Supreme Court, New York County (2004)
The Wall Street Journal — "Inside Rao's: Where Mobsters, Judges, and Celebrities Share Tables" (January 2005)
Vanity Fair — "The Last Mob Restaurant: Rao's and the Night the Music Stopped" (March 2005)
Sentencing Transcript: People v. Barone — Hon. Rena Uviller, New York State Supreme Court (January 13, 2005)
New York Police Department Case Files — NYPD 25th Precinct Homicide Investigation Report (December 22, 2003)
Rao's Cookbook: Over 100 Years of Italian Home Cooking — Frank Pellegrino Sr. (St. Martin's Press, 2008)
Medical Examiner's Report: Albert Circelli — Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, City of New York (December 23, 2003)