Leone Galante

"Kid, I had more girls in my life than you got teeth, heh."

- Leone to Vito

Leone "Lion" Galante is the Lawyer of the Vinci Family, a close friend of Don Franko Vinci, and a mentor teacher to Vito Corleone. He resides in a large mansion in Highbrook, New York.

Info
Leone is an astute man with white/grey hair but should not be underestimated, despite his age. He is Italian-born, and has earned the nickname "Lion". He previously spent some years behind bars in Italy for murder and perjury, among other things. Leo arrived in NY in 1949, and built the Vinci syndicate alongside Frank Vinci by controlling the Southport docks in the 1960s, facilitating Prohibition alcohol smuggling. Leone currently resides in a palatial mansion in the hills of Highbrook. Galante's known Vinci spies include Pepe Costa and Paul Barrel. As lawyer, he was important in mediating the negotiated peace that ended the Vinci-Falcone War.

Imprisonment
At his introduction in 1955, he was serving a five-year sentence in prison for fixing fights, although despite this, he still continues to live the life of luxury due to his friendship with the prison Captain Stoner Tutchenko. In prison, Leone was impressed with Vito's raw fighting ability against a recently imprisoned Brian O'Neil, he accepted Vito into his circle as a sparring partner for his now bodyguard, Pepe. Vito soon proved to be the more capable earner and was put to work as an enforcer, killing Brian O'Neil helping settle Leo's affairs before his 1975 release. Once Leo was released from prison, he influenced the parole board to release Vito Corleone one year ahead of sentence.

Back to Mafia
Shortly after his release, Leone continue to serve as lawyer and later convinced the Falcone Family to "make" Vito into their family along with Joe Clemenza, he wanted to make Vito into the Vinci's but he didn't want to split Vito from Joe who had been working for the Falcone's for a while. Soon after Vito is made, Carlo Falcone decides to cover some illicit business by attempting to eliminate the Vinci's. Identifying Galante as the brains of the Vinci operation, Falcone's first order in the vendetta is a hit on Lion. Eddie Scarpa tasks Henry Tomasino for the job when Vito declines. Viewing Leo as a father figure, Vito warns him of the incoming hitman and attempts to sneak him out of his estate. Depending on the player's actions, Leone is either caught by Henry and makes an undisclosed life-sparing deal with him, or escapes undetected via a bedsheet rope to the lawn. In either case, Vito Corleone then drives Leone to the train station in his pajamas, and Leo disappears from New York.

Return to NY
Leone returned from his exile in hopes of stopping the bloodshed between the New York Triads and the mafia families caused by Vito and Joe as revenge for the Triads killing Henry. It was decided that Don Falcone was to be eliminated because he poses as great a threat to them all, he then offered Vito a chance at redemption, by killing Falcone for starting the bloodshed in the first place. After Vito and Joe succeeded in killing Falcone, Lion awaited outside the Space Thing, along with Pepe and several Vinci and Triad soldiers. He then called for a celebration at the Cathouse. Leo and Pepe ride in the same car as Vito while Joe rides another car that would most likely take him to be killed at the graveyard. Leo apologizes to Vito and claimed that Joe wasn't part of the deal.

Mission Appearances

 * Time Well Spent
 * Bacon n' Beans
 * A Friend of Ours
 * Per Aspera Ad Astra (???)

Trivia

 * His favourite color he says is brown.
 * His favourite video game is WWE 2K14.
 * On their way to the train station, Lion says he is going to Lost Heaven to settle his "affairs". Lol.
 * Frankie Potts's file on Galante claimed that he was unmarried.
 * Some of Galante's fighters inside the prison state that he was once a bare-knuckles fighter before becoming a famous prize-fighter.
 * Even when he was in prison, he received special treatment from the guards and was well respected, such as getting a "suite" for a cell as Vito called it, being able to cook his own food, playing chess, and telling the guards to give Vito a day off.
 * Leone is an extremely influential figure and holds a very esteemed position in the Mafia.
 * His favorite number is 88.
 * He runs illegal betting shops. You find out when two prisoners talk about him being put in jail for being the biggest bookie in the city.
 * He died of old age in 1990.