Reputed Genovese capo Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello was a force in the gay bar industry for decades in New York City, and among those who may have had ties to him was Jennie Tobin who owned many gay bars and/or the buildings out of which they operated in New York City from the mid-1960s to the late 1980s during the decadent age of gay nightlife when the mob -- predominantly the Gambino and Genovese crime families -- had a heavy hand in the racket. Times were rough back in the day. Jennie's husband William Tobin was shot to death in their Queens home in 1978.
Ed "the Skull" Murphy, a long-time doorman and bouncer at Mafia-owned gay bars since the 1950s who was at the door the night of the infamous 1969 raid on the Stonewall Inn referred to Jennie and William Tobin in an interview with Arthur Bell for an article ("Skull Murphy: Double Agent") which appeared in the May 8, 1978 issue of the Village Voice:
Methodically, Skull rattles off the names of owners of at least a dozen gay bars. Some, he claims, are mob-connected. Some aren't. Most of the bars he laces into are run by a husband-and-wife team who have been around the gay-bar scene since Peter Minuit bought Manhattan from the Indians. * * * [A]ccording to him, the couple own more property than the Catholic Church and have old East Side Yorkville Mafia ties. Whatever those ties are, he doesn't say. * * * Among the spots they own or have owned are the Pub, La Fiesta, Boot Hill, the Wildwood, the Roundhill Lounge, Dirty Edna's, the Barrow Inn, the Mailbox, and Gracie Manor in Brooklyn.
There are indications that Jennie Tobin may have been connected to reputed Genovese capo Ianniello and/or his associates. For example, from 1977 to 1982, the owner of the 232 West 48th Street property was 2232 W. 48th St. Corp. of which Jennie Tobin was the president, and on the deed by which the corporation obtained title to the property its address is identified as "c/o Carl Moskowitz, Esq., 135 West 50th Street." Similarly, from 1978 to 1988, the owner of 224 West 79th Street was 79th St. Real Estate Corp. of which Jennie Tobin was the president, and on the deed by which the corporation obtained title to the property its address is identified as "c/o Carl Moskowitz, Esq., 135 West 50th Street." Moskowitz, a former investigator for the State Liquor Authority, was convicted in 1985 with his boss Matty Ianniello and others in a skimming scheme involving some of their gay bars including the notorious Haymarket in Times Square where younger men hustled their services to older admirers.
Some of the people in Jennie Tobin's world met violent ends not the least of whom was her husband William, and she reportedly witnessed him getting whacked at their Queens home in 1978. A December 5, 1978 article from the New York Times states:
William Tobin, a 54-year-old businessman dealing in vending machines, bars and motels, was shot to death in his home by an unidentified man early morning yesterday, according to the police. Mr. Tobin lived at 21-21 Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens. The police, who last night could offer no motive for the killing, said Mr. Tobin's wife had witnessed the shooting.
It appears as if Jennie Tobin no longer has interests in gay bars or the buildings out of which they operate; however, some of those with whom she or other family members had business dealings of one sort or another continue to have a role in the gay bar industry. But that's a story for another day.
