Colombo Family: Inside Secrets Revealed

The “administration” or “panel” that rules the Colombo Family is ever changing depending on who is locked up and who gets taken down.  The one constant is the boss, Carmine “The Snake” Pesico, who now lives in Butner FCI in North Carolina with 737 other inmates including Bernie Madoff.  Carmine is now 81 years old and it is doubtful he will make his release date in 2050 but he keeps the family in check with a never ending supply of acting bosses.  Many of these are relatives both by blood and by marriage. I have already written about Tommy Geoli and Joe Waverly running the family on a day-to-day basis.  

Andrew Russo was the acting boss in 2011, and he was another Persico relative. Benjamin “The Claw” Castellazzo was the underboss during that time who dealt with a lot of the capos around Brooklyn. Richard Fusco was the Consigliere and with him were senior capos Joseph Carna, Dennis Delucia, Ren Maragni and Anthony Russo.

They were quick to beef up the ranks of the family and replace those that were lost to death or incarceration.  They held a secret initiation ceremony in January of 2009 where they made 5 new soldiers.  They were preparing to have another ceremony on December 7, 2010 at Emanuele Favuzza’s home.  Andrew Russo and Benji Castellazzo would run the ceremony and Anthony Russo was bringing the pistol and the knife to the location, but they found out the FBI was watching so they cancelled it. They had planned on making 4 more soldiers at this ceremony.

They never seem to miss a step when it comes to crime.  They were once again inside the Union LIUNA Local 6a and this time they were extorting the “Coffee Boy”.  The Coffee Boy is where any Union Member on any job site must buy their food and beverages from.  The Coffee Boy was required to kick back at least $250.00 a week.  This adds up quick considering how many job sites there are around the city.  They still held high positions in the Union and could hand out jobs to their relatives.  

The Colombo family is not above being in the drug business unlike what movies try to portray.

They contacted some well known mafia-connected drug traffickers in Canada and arranged for a 250 pound load of marijuana to be delivered in Massachusetts.  The FBI was waiting for them when they were picking up the load.

They were all heavily involved in the mafia staples of shylocking and gambling.  They continued to loan out and collect large sums of cash.  They had bookies all over New York and Florida that brought in more than 2k a day each.  

Ren Maragni was not only a senior capo he was Cooperating Individual (CI) for the FBI and he wore a wire.  He was able to capture 90 conversations during his time wearing the wire.

When Thomas Farese was upped to the Consigliere position, he recorded him speaking about his promotion.   He told the FBI about a January 20, 2011 induction ceremony that Benji Castellazzo presided over where they again inducted soldiers.

One of the guys he gave up to the FBI is my old pal Teddy Persico Jr. He let the FBI know about his position as capo in the family.  He also told the FBI about Teddy’s participation in the murder of Joe Scopo while he was on a prison furlough.  

He gave up a lot of information on the role of Michael Persico, the unmade son of Carmine who for years was the clean Persico.  Michael was able to see his father and bring back messages to the rest of the family because of his lack of record.  

He also brought to light the pizza sauce beef, one of the funniest Mafia stories.  Big Frank Guerra, or BF, has been very close to the Persicos since his motorcycle accident many years ago.  He married into the family who owns the L&B Pizza place, where they make world famous pizza.  A former worker had left L&B and opened his own place on Staten Island which he called the Square.  BF was livid and there was a series of Mafia sit downs over the stealing of the sauce recipe.  Ren Maragni wore his trusty wire and captured for all time this laughable episode inside the Colombo Family.  BF ended up getting 4k from the Square and a lot of time in prison.

Ren Maragni gave up his whole life in the Colombo family from his start when he was with Jerry Langella to his meeting Allie Boy Persico when they were young. Their cousins had a beef and Allie fixed it.  Years later while he was still an associate Allie Boy had him keep tabs on the South Florida Colombo crew.  He would meet Allie once a month and pass messages.

Ren also told the FBI about his own induction ceremony in the Bronx at a social club in the basement.  Benji Castellazzo as the underboss was in charge that night and he along with Richard Fusco recited the words while Ren had his hand on the pistol as the saint burned in his hand.

Ren double crossed the FBI when he was wearing a wire by using a secret cell phone to call people.  He also collected his shylock debts and diverted money from secret businesses he owned.  The FBI still went to bat for him when he was sentenced!

The FBI keeps taking the Colombos down, but the next day others replace them. This is why the Cosa Nostra is still alive, the structure assures that it will continue.  Other crime groups are usually ruled by one guy and when he goes down that is it.

Joey Caves (Joseph Compitello) Colombo Takedown

Joe Waverly aka Joel Cacace is a wretched little man who will most likely die locked up.

He was a storied Colombo Gangster.  He owned a Sheesphead Bay Florist shop, and one time some thugs attempted to rob him and he wound up shot in the chest.  He fought off the robbers, taking one of their pistols and killing one of them.  He then drove to the local police station with the robber’s dead body. On the one hand he was tough, but he was also often a coward who hid behind his crime family connections.

Carmine “Gimpy” Persico, the Colombo Family Boss, was sent away for life in 1987.  He decided to have the Federal Prosecutor George Aronwald murdered.  So he sent word to Joe Waverly that he wanted it done.  Killing anyone in law enforcement is forbidden by the rules of Cosa Nostra.  But that didn’t stop the honorless Gimpy Persico or Joe Waverly.  Joe Waverly then has the two Carini Brothers kill Aronwald, only they made a mistake and they kill his father who shared the same name.  He then had the  brothers killed for their troubles and marries one of their widows.   If that was not enough, he then had the men who killed the Carini’s killed also.   He then ordered the killing of Police Officer Ralph Dols, because he married Waverly’s ex wife the same one he married after he had her husband killed.  Yet another blatant violation of Cosa Nostra rules.

Joe Waverly was targeted for murder a number of times including by some Gambino Mobsters that wanted him dead.

This is where Joseph Compitello aka Joey Caves comes into the picture. Joey Caves was a Colombo soldier who killed for Joe Waverly.

Joey would sit at the witness stand and describe how they would refer to Joe Waverly by motioning his hand across the side of his head.  That way they could avoid electronic surveillance, He talked about his life in the Colombo Family and about how he killed for him.

He would detail his hangouts along Bay Parkway in Brooklyn and then the candy store on 75th street and 20th Avenue Brooklyn.  He then detailed his rise in the 1980’s as a Colombo associate to a Made guy until he flipped in 2008.    He spoke about his time during the Colombo war in the 1990’s when he sat on or clocked Joe Baudanza for murder.  

He then described the house of horrors on 76th and 20th in Brooklyn where Dino Saracino lived.  They killed a man named Richard Greeves there and then the Colombo underboss Wild Bill Cutolo.  They lured Wild Bill into the basement and Dino Saracino shot him as he descended the steps.

Joey then described in detail the murder of Ralph Dols, where he parked his car and how they used walkie talkies.    

After all the murders he helped out with he was rewarded by the Colombo’s by being proposed for induction.  Joey Caves name was placed on a list that was given to other families in New York.  No family had any objections so he was made.  The day he was made they had him wait at Roll N Roaster in Brooklyn.   One of the guys to show up was my old buddy Little Craig Marino along with Dino Saracino and his brother Sebby. They were then driven by another Colombo named Jimmy Gooch to a house on West 6th and Ave U.  The house was Jimmy Gooch’s sister and they were told to wait in the front room. Joey Caves was called in second and there sat Joe Baudanza,  Tommy Geoli, Upstate Vinny, Dino Calabro and Funzi. There was a table with a bowl, a pistol, knife and picture of a Saint.  They picked his finger they had him touch the pistol trigger, the knife and the saint.  They then burned it in his hand.  They then all came together in the room and were introduced around and put with Capo’s. Little Craig Marino was put with Joe Baudanza as a member of his crew.  

Joey Caves was once a bad man, he killed  and then he had a change of heart.  Joey went with Team USA and that is a good thing because he solved a lot of murders and gave some families some closure by revealing where there loved ones were buried.  Joey comes up for sentencing this month and I hope they go easy on him.  

Joel Cacace aka Joe Waverly

Never kill a prosecutor or anyone in law enforcement. That is a pretty clear rule that mafia families have followed. Not because they care, but in self interest.  They know that all law enforcement, and even the public, will turn on them.   In New York there is one family that did not follow that rule, and that is the Colombo Family.

There have been a few other unintentional cases where law enforcement lost lives, but none of the other families directly targeted Law Enforcement.  Rudolph "Rudy" Santobello and his buddy where in the middle of a kidnapping when an off duty NYPD officer Alfred Loreto stumbled onto the scene and was murdered. Rudy initially received life, but he beat the case on appeal and went on to have a long run with the Genovese Family. 

Then you had Costabile "Gus" Farace who was the first man to murder a DEA Agent in New York.  Gus had a set up a deal with a DEA Agent named Everrett Hatcher who was undercover.  They arranged a meeting in a remote location on Staten Island but the surveillance team lost Everrett.  Gus drove by Everrett's car on the side of the road and opened fire from a van killing him. Law Enforcement turned up the pressure on the Mafia and they ended Gus's run in Bensonhurst.

Joel Cacace aka Joe Waverly

That brings us to Joel "Joe Waverly" Cacace, a real upstanding human who at 72 is locked up until at least 2020 and is now facing more time than he will ever be able to serve.

The Colombo Family has been led by Carmine "The Snake" Persico and the Persicos never follow the rules. Carmine had a brother named Alphonse or Allie Boy, who has since passed on to the big nothing.  Allie had been on the lam for 7 years until 1987 when he was caught and sentenced to 25 years in Federal Prison.  This is where the story gets murky, because William Aronwald was the head of the Southern District Organized Crime Strike Force, but he did not do much with Carmine.  He did help put Allie Boy away, but for some reason after Carmine was locked away forever in the commission case, he sent word to Joe Waverly that he wanted William Aronwald murdered because he disrespected the Colombo Family.  It is kind of strange if you look at Mr. Aronwald’s cases, he actually prosecuted Neil Dellacroce twice.  So it would seem that the Gambino's would be the ones with greater reason for the beef.

Joe Waverly is no ordinary mobster, back in the 1970's he had a florist shop in Sheepshead Bay and one day he was waylaid by 3 men trying to rob his shop.  He was shot in the chest but he wrestled the pistol away, killed the robber who shot him and shot at the others who ran away.  Joe then drove the dead robber to the local police precinct where he was quickly taken to the hospital for his wound.   

Joe survived that escapade and his legend continued to grow.  So when Carmine sent word that he wanted William Aronwald murdered, Joe took action.  He enlisted three Colombo Associates Vincent Carini, Eddie Carini and Frank Smith.  These guys were the real deal, shooters and good at hits.  He gave them a slip of paper with the name Aronwald and the address of the Brooklyn law firm he shared with his father George Aronwald.  They followed Aronwald from his Brooklyn Office and shot him in a laundromat near his home.  The only problem?  It was the elder George Aronwald, not the younger William Aronwald who was the former head of the Organized Strikeforce.  

The other four Mafia Families in New York were enraged that they killed the wrong man, and even more enraged that they had killed a judge.  They wanted those that took part in the murder gone.  So Joe had another set of killers grab the Carini brothers.  It was a brutal slaying because both brothers were found in cars but both had major defensive wounds on their hands and arms showing that they put up a fight.

I wonder why the Mafia Commission did not do more.  Why didn’t they make Carmine Persico step down?  Why did they do nothing to Joe Waverly who organized the hit?  Maybe there is more to this killing.  The Gambinos had more cause to act, but why bother?  Joe Waverly felt so bad for the Carini brothers that he married Eddie Carini's widow.  Joe also had the brothers killer’s killed in Brooklyn not long after the murder.

Joe's reputation soared after this and his crew was loyal to him.  He was close to Vic Arena and when Vic and Bill Cutolo revolted against the Persico rule, Joe joined them.  He saw Persico loyalist Capo Greg Scarpa driving down the street and he fired shots at him but missed.  Greg would catch up with Joe again in Brooklyn and they exchanged shots, this time with only Joe getting hit.  Joe drove himself to the hospital and was patched up.  Joe, being the good guy he is, later shifted sides back to the Persico side.  Joe would be upped to the Consigliare position in the family after the war.  

Joe's wife divorced him and soon she married a Police Officer named Ralph Dols, and they lived in Sheepshead Brooklyn.  Joe was insanely jealous. so he sent word that he wanted Ralph Dols dead.  The tale told by one of the shooters, Big Dino Calabro, is that Colombo Underboss Tommy "Shots" Gioli gave him the order, the address and slip of paper with Ralph Dols licence plate number on it.  They could not find Ralph Dols, so Joe called Dino in for a talk.  Dino then stepped up his efforts to get Ralph Dols.  They found out where he parked his car on the street, they had someone shoot out the street light with a BB Gun so it would be dark.  Ralph Dols came home from work, parked his car, got out of his car and was getting ready to shut his door when Big Dino Calabro, carrying a 44 Magnum, and his cousin, Little Dino Saracino, armed with a 45 Auto, walked toward him.  Ralph Dols asked what was up and they opened fire on him.  He fell on the hood of his car and they shot him a couple more times.  They took off, but Ralph Dols managed to get to his house before collapsing in his doorway.  

The hit squad had no idea Ralph Dols was NYPD and they had no idea it was a jealous lovers revenge, they thought it was dealing with Colombo Family business.  Today Joe Waverly aka Joel Cacace is on trial for the murder of Ralph Dols. Tommy Shots and Little Dino were found not guilty of the murder, but were found guilty of racketeering.  Maybe this time it will be the end of Joel Cacace aka Joe Waverly.

This is what the Mafia has become: honorless slayers of law enforcement, they are just like all other low level street gangs.