Drita D’Avanzo’s husband Lee Avanzo is in jail for bank robbery; has mob connection
Drita D’Avanzo is a firecracker of a girl who brags about being able to put people in the hospital, may be the most likable lady on VH1’s Mob Wives (although they’re all pretty fascinating.) Drita comes from a straight (no crime) Albanian family, but married Lee D’Avanzo, who is considered by the feds to be the leader of a Bonanno and Colombo family farm team.
A 2001 New York Daily News article gives a few details on Lee D’Avanzo’s first arrest for “carrying out a string of drug deals and bank robberies dating to the 1980s” on Staten Island and “up and down the East Coast.” Lee’s dad, Lewis D’Avanzo, is Mayor Guiliani’s cousin, and was killed by the FBI in 1977.
Drita gave birth to their 9-nine-year-old daughter Aleeya while Lee served a sentence for the 2001 arrest. When he got out, they had a second child, Gizelle, who is now 3-years-old. At first Drita told Aleeya that her father was “working,” but she eventually took her to jail to see her dad. He went back to jail for “similar” crimes, and isn’t expected to be out for another few years.
Castmate Renee Graziano’s dad, who is also in jail, is believed to the be the #3 in the Bonnano crime family.