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.  

Recent Mafia Headlines

There was a lot of Mafia news in New York this week. A couple of the stories were funny and one of the best headlines was, “Canoli King sexually harassed waitress: Suit.”

That is correct, Reputed Gambino “Baby John” Delutro, owner of Cafe Palermo in Little Italy (where one can get the best Canoli in the US) has been sued by a former waitress.

Baby John is the son of Tony West Delutro, a respected Gambino Family man.  Baby John was busted back in 1984 for dealing drugs, and he was still on paper when he met with an informant who was wearing a wire.  Baby John was trying to negotiate the purchase of 50 Kilos of Cocaine and 50 Kilos of Heroin.  There were drug sales in Little Italy and other tapes were made, like when he spoke to the informant, telling him "I can only take 3 Kilos right now, my friends are fat from the feast".  He was talking about a big buy he and his gangster buddies bought during the Feast of San Gennero.   Baby John, what a guy!

In other headlines, Alicia Garofalo, who quit the reality show “Mob Wives” after finding out the judge does not find her reality stardom funny.    They keep talking about her crimes in the show like it is no big deal.  She stole money from hard working Union Members, their health and pension.  I was around Eddie Garofalo a lot and trust me he was no genius. In fact, the guy wrote like a 3rd grader.  She has claimed that she had no idea what was going on.  Really? The FBI has tapes of her.  In fact, she pleaded guilty to the charges before she took back her plea.

I can tell you this: her brother (who is in pictures with her going to court) knew what Eddie was about.  He was around a number of functions when I was around.  She goes on “Mob Wives” talking about how she had no idea about the criminal activity, and then talking about Eddie's dad being killed.  I did some work with a Tele Communication's company on Maiden Lane.  Eddie got about 500k from the guy who ran it and he started his trucking business.  The business had guys like Wild Bill Cutolo, George Tropiano, John Baudanza and Manny Garofalo involved.  Big R trucking was run out of Eddie's cousin’s porno business in Brooklyn with the trucks run out of the Bonafide Fuel truck lot in downtown Brooklyn.  Big R is named after Eddie and Alicia's son, and it moved to a Staten Island truck lot owned by his cousin Eddie G, a Gambino man who is locked away for life.

Big R was also a lot of other companies and he had a heavy equipment company called T and E as in Teddy and Eddie. That is right Teddy Persico was a part of the business and he was there a lot!  Yes Alicia is just a woman who has been duped into thinking her man was just a truck driving schlub who works hard.  Nevermind their home in Cherry Hill, the elaborate vacations or Eddie’s huge gambling problem.  He has pictures of himself with all these huge checks from casinos all over.  The problem?  Those pictures are of the times he won, and anyone who knows gamblers knows they lose more often than they win.

.  

Eddie had also been arrested before by the FBI for Pump and Dump stuff he did with others.  He went on the lam running to Las Vegas and as far as La Jolla, California, until he felt he would not go away for long.  Then there is his Uncle Manny, his father’s brother.  That man has been arrested with the “Who's Who” of the Mafia and yet now, miraculously, he gets no time?

Alicia took back her plea just this last week because the judge wanted her to pay for restitution because the Union is claiming a much larger loss.  The judge and prosecutors did not like that she lived it up on “Mob Wives” glamorizing the Mafia life.  She wanted Eddie to testify for her at her sentencing, yet she cheated on him?  She has stated that she is getting a divorce?  If she was not gaining from being around the Mafia why is she on TV, getting paid 8k an episode!

There was also Colombo news this week because a judge hit Dino "Little Dino" Saracino with a 50 year sentence for his part in the racketeering case that took out many Colombos.   Little Dino was part of Capo Tommy Gioli's crew, and he killed for him.  He walked on the biggest charges like killing NYPD Cop Ralph Dols or Wild Bill Cutolo, but he was convicted of enough.  It didn't help that he bragged to a wired up informant that he could do 17 years of a 20 year sentence and come out with a smile.

The judge gave him 50 years and this time, he wasn't smiling.  He killed real people.  He is no hero, and he could ease the pain of his victim’s relatives.  He is done.  Why not tell the family of victim Carmine Gargano where his body is hidden?