L&B Spumoni Garden Murder

Michael Persico has once again managed to delay his sentencing until 2017.  He was supposed to be sentenced on November 1 for a case that has been going on since 2012.  Michael was facing a case that included two murders. He was able to negotiate a great deal that would give him a maximum of five years, but the guidelines call for 36-48 months in Federal custody.  

Michael has lived a charmed life, but he should hope that he does not end up like his father Carmine “The Snake” Persico. Carmine had ongoing trials for Federal hijacking starting in 1960 but he did not get sentenced until 1971.  

In other mafia news: Georgia Gigliotti and his son Angelo, who ran a large drug smuggling empire out of their Queens Cucina Modi Mod restaurant, were convicted this past July for transporting more than 50 kilos of cocaine from Costa Rica and possessing seven guns. They face 15-20 years each.  They worked with guys in the New York Families, they were part of the Ndrangheta which is the Calabrian organized crime group.

The wife Elena was not able to participate in the trial because the judge ordered her into a psychiatric hospital because of a mental condition.  Just this week she was ruled sane, so now she also faces trial.

L&B Spumoni Gardens Pizzeria is a world famous place that serves a Sicilian square upside down pizza.  I went there a number of times with friends even though I do not eat pizza.  

It made the news a couple of years ago because Colombo family associate Big Frank Guerra along with Frankie “Notch” Iannaci went to the Square Pizza on Staten Island and slapped around the owner Eugen Lombardo.  They claimed Eugene stole the recipe for the pizza from L&B Spumoni Garden.  It turned into a family beef when Eugene ran to Bonanno family soldier Anthony Calabrese for help.  

Colombo Capo Anthony Russo was called in for a sit down and it was agreed that Eugene would make a payment of 4,000 dollars and the beef would be over.  

This whole incident came to light after Anthony Russo flipped and testified during Big Frank's trial.

L&B was again in the news this year on June 30 when Louis Babarti, one of the owners, was gunned down outside his Brooklyn home.  He was carry a loaf of bread and $15,000 in cash when he was shot.  Law enforcement were unsure if it was a hit or robbery because the cash was not touched.

Big Frank is away for many years so why did the FBI take up this murder case when there are so many murders everyday?  Murder is not a federal crime.

This week the FBI arrested a man named Andres Fernandez, also known as Andy.  He does not seem to have any Mafia connections and he is a known drug addict.  

The affidavit and complaint for his arrest warrant was written by an FBI Special Agent Chance Adams who handles Mafia investigations. It claims that Andy was at L&B Spumoni Gardens early and then was waiting in the Brooklyn neighborhood for Babarti to come home.  They were able to trace him via his cell phone usage.  They also have him on video hiding behind a tree with a glove on and a pistol in his hand. They have him walking towards Babarti and then immediately after the shooting running to a white Acura and driving away.  They brought him in and he asked for a lawyer right away.

I am sure there is more to this story.  If he was going to rob him, then why just blast him and take nothing?

Colombo Follies

The Colombo family never fails to deliver when it comes to material for the blog, and this week is no exception.

Carmine Persico, who received a 100 year sentence in the Commission case back in 1987, filed a motion to have his sentence set aside.

Persico claims that new FBI files prove that he was not boss of the family when Carmine Galante was murdered.  

The Galante murder was ordered by the Commission and it was carried out in Bushwick Brooklyn at Joe and Mary's Italian restaurant. The photograph of his corpse splayed out with a cigar in his mouth is iconic.  

Persico claims that if he was not boss in 1979 then he was not on the Commission and could not have ordered the murder.  

Judge Kevin Duffy does not agree.  He found that Persico’s new material was not case changing and the outcome at the trial would have been the same.   

The good news is that Persico will remain behind bars until he gets parole, or he is maxed out in 2050 when he will be 115 years old.

Speaking of oldtimers, how about the oldest federal prison inmate Sonny Franzese who filed papers last year for compassionate release consideration from his 96 month sentence.

Franzese was convicted of racketeering in a case that featured his son John testifying against him.  He was convicted of extortion of the Penthouse and Hustler stripclubs in Manahatten.

Franzese was also caught on tape speaking about murdering so many people he could not remember how many he committed.

So far he has been denied early release and he is now appealing the decision.

Franzese is scheduled to be released in june of 2017 when he will be 100 years old.  

Franzese has spent over 40 years of his life behind bars, a feat that Teddy Persico seems determined to match.

This week Louis Barbati the co-owner of L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn was shot multiple times in his backyard by a hoodie-wearing gunman. Barbati was returning from the pizzeria carrying a bag of bread and 10k in cash.  He went around to the rear entrance when he was confronted by a 30 year old white male wearing a hoodie.  The man fired five times, striking at least twice in the back.  He then took off and escaped in a white car leaving behind the cash and a dead man.

The police are saying it was a robbery, but usually with robbery the object is to take cash, not murder.

L&B Spumoni Garden was the center of a mafia sitdown a few years ago.  Frank Guerra aka BF is a long time Colombo associate who was married to one of the owners.  A former employee stole the sauce recipe from L&B when he worked at L&B.  He opened a pizzeria on Staten Island called The Square.

BF Confronted him with another Colombo soldier and later received 4k in a family sit down.

The Colombo family delivers again.

The Two Franks

This is another Mafia tale but this is not one of honor or loyalty. This is a story of greed.

The two Franks.

Frank Smith was a Colombo Associate who was very close to Teddy Persico Jr.  Frank was so close to Teddy that he used go to the Persico Family Fun Farm in upstate New York. He went many times in his teen years.  When Frank was 16 and Teddy was 17 they were at the farm with two young girls who they asked to ride on ATVs with them.  They raced around the farm until they came to a long paved road bordered by trees.  They began to race and pop wheelies until Frank lost control and veered off down a grassy hill where he smashed into a tree causing the girl to be ejected into the tree with the ATV on top of her, massively injuring her.  The Persico's were sued and lost.  They appealed.

When Teddy went into the family business Frank was right there with him. Frank who is Irish wanted to be a feared Irish gangster like Jimmy "The Gent" Burke, the famous Irish mobster who engineered the Lufthansa Heist.  Frank had met Jimmy when he did some time.  

"BF" Frank Guerra

In 1987 Frank received a huge assignment from the Joe "Waverly" Cacace. The Colombo Boss Carmine "Gimpy" Persico had just been sentenced in the Commission case to life imprisonment.  He reached out to Joe Waverly because he wanted the prosecutors Rudy Guliani and William Aronwald killed.  This is a huge break in Mafia protocol and it is against the rules. The rules have never applied to any Persicos so this should come as no surprise.  Joe Waverly gave the hit to The Brothers (Enrico and Vincent Carini) and Frank Smith. He handed them a slip of paper with the name Aronwald on it.  They went out and killed Aronwald but there was a big problem.  They had killed the wrong man!  They had tracked down and killed the 78 year old father of William Aronald who was an Administrative Judge who handled parking tickets. Enrico and Vincent were found inside cars by Sheepshead bay but Frank Smith was spared.  Teddy Persico and Allie Boy Persico went to bat for him.  He was soon arrested in a take down of Teddy Persico's drug crew and charged with selling cocaine.

BF & BA (Big Anthony) Facing the Music

Francis Guerra also known as BF or Big Frank has been in the news lately because he was found not guilty of participating in two murders.  One of the murders was a man who was dating the ex wife of Allie Boy Persico who was murdered in 1992 in Staten Island. The other was the murder of Joe Scopo one of the leaders of the rebel faction of the Colombo Family in 1993.  Francis was given the order at Teddy Persico's grandmother’s wake when Teddy was leaning over her body while shackled because he was on leave from Prison.  He was convicted on charges of selling his own Oxycontin pills over a year period.  He had a prescription for an old injury but he made the mistake of selling them.  The Judge in the case cited his life of crime and the likelihood that he was guilty of being involved in the murders. So she gave him a 14 year sentence which might seem long, but as you will see what goes around comes around.

Big Frank and Big Anthony in Better Times

BF was close to a guy who lived near him named Anthony Russo Aka Big Anthony.  They did a lot of dirt together.  Big Anthony was a big man when he had these guys behind him and things went his way. Anthony even was upped to Capo.  Then he got taken down on Mafia take down day and he rolled over fast!  Big Anthony was the guy who was very vocal about Rats and flipping prior to following suite.  I know and talk about why I became a rat, this life is and always will be a waste and its all an illusion there is no honor.  Big Anthony gave detailed accounts to the FBI about the Joe Scopo hit and Frank’s involvement.  Big Anthony had at one point prior to flipping told a guy who was wearing a wire that his hat was shot off when the shooting of Joe Scopo started and missing shots sprayed everywhere, and BF could not stop laughing! The FBI always knew Frank was involved but now they had proof.

John Pappa

Frank Smith had served a dozen years for a drug deal that Frank Guerra actually did, not him.  BF had his head up Allie boy’s ass so Frank Smith just sat inside.  A Lucchese Family member was dating Frank Smith’s sister, so he tried to help.  He had a sittdown with Allie Boy trying to get them to do the right thing.  Allie came back with "We don't do that over here" he was okay with Frank Smith sitting in the can.  Frank Guerra even told Frank Smith’s mother at her husband’s funeral that he wanted to do the right thing, yet he did nothing.  It all came down to the fact that Frank Guerra was giving Teddy 500 a week from his drug dealing so Frank Smith had to suffer.

Frank Smith finally had enough, so he flipped.  Frank Smith is a man and very tough. Too bad these guys didn't return his loyalty.  They never even helped him or his family even after it was clear he was doing the time.  So what goes around comes around, have a good 14 years Frank Guerra!

To give you an idea of how petty and low BF is, his family owns L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn.  A former employee allegedly stole the “Secret Sauce” recipe and opened his own pizza place in Staten Island, so BF went over there with some Colombo Family muscle and allegedly beat and threatened the man before allegedly settling the dispute for $4000.00.