When Alo first met Lansky, Alo was involved in a setting up a casino in the town of Hallendale, Florida. Immediately realizing that Alo would be a perfect partner for this venture, invited him to join. When Lansky and Alo arrived, they immediately started making contributions to local fraternal organizations and secret payments to politicians and law enforcement. When they opened their first casino, there was no opposition.

In 1929, Alo was introduced to Lansky by Luciano, one of Masseria's lieutenants. An old friend of Luciano's, Lansky was a valuable money-maker for Masseria's organization and Luciano wanted Alo to guard him. However, Luciano may have wanted Alo to also monitor Lansky. Both Lansky and Alo were introverted, bookish men who wanted to become legitimate businessmen. The two mobsters quickly became friends.

Born in Manhattan, either in Harlem or the Lower East Side), Alo started working on Wall Street at age 14. As a young man, Alo was convicted of armed robbery and sent to state prison (either at Sing Sing or Dannemora state prisons). In 1926, Alo became a made man, or full member, of Joseph "Joe the Boss" Masseria's powerful New York gang. Named a caporegime of the old Joe Adonis crew, Alo oversaw prostitution, narcotics trafficking, and illegal gambling in Brooklyn.