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Drita D’Avanzo is a strong and beautiful woman on the VH1 reality show Mob Wives. She is married to Lee D’Avanzo, who was released from prison last season on the show. We never see Lee, but we’ve heard him on the phone many times in nasty fights with wife Drita. The two are very passionate fighters in addition to having a fiery love for each other. Over the past seasons of the show, Drita found out that Lee had been unfaithful and had separated from Lee, contemplating divorce. The two have since rekindled their love and are the parents of two young daughters together.
So, where did Lee’s criminal past begin? It seems to have all begun with his grandfather Leo and father Lewis. In addition to that, there’s apparently a connection to former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani as well. Leo and Giuliani’s father worked together. According to the Mob Wives Blogspot, the two teamed up when Leo allegedly headed a loan sharking and gambling operation in Brooklyn. In 1962, the two were involved in a mafia shootout and Leo shot a mob member, which resulted in the rest of the “family” being upset with Leo. In turn, Leo left town. As for Lewis, Lee’s father, was allegedly involved with grand larceny and then a huge car theft operation. Lewis was reportedly known as “Steve The Blond.”
As for Lee, he was reportedly the head of the mafia farm team the “New Springfield Boys.” In 2001, he was indicted for bank robberies and alleged drug deals. He then served an eight-year sentence. After he was released, Lee’s wife Drita said his return to prison for a few years was because of similar crimes.
Lee Davanzo released from prison! http://t.co/cjRphtYM http://t.co/Yo5aLssg
When Mob Wives first started, there was tension between cast members Drita and Karen Gravano because Karen dated Drita’s husband Lee before they were together. Drita revealed to Hollywood Life:
When I was 19, I was friends with her for like a year or two. I really did like Karen a lot. [But] Karen just moved on with her life. We stopped being friends. She met someone and that was it. I just never really saw her anymore. She moved and I didn’t see her or really speak to her ever again. I’ve had a friend — my best friend — sleep with my boyfriend when I was younger. That’s painful — that’s not funny,” continues Drita. “If I stole Lee, if I was sleeping with him while he was with her — these things mean something.
As far as what Gravano had to say, she stated:
Lee was a big part of my life. We were together for seven years of my adult life from the time I was 19 till 27. We lived together for four years in Arizona and Staten Island. I thought coming back — it’s definitely behind me. To me, he is my ex boyfriend,” confesses Karen. “But Drita and I never really resolved the issue — and Drita didn’t tell me.
Fortunately, Drita and Karen were able to squash the issue and move on together.
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Lee D’Avanzo, Drita D’Avanzo’s Husband – ‘Mob Wives’ Season 5