The Persico Life

I heard from a friend this week that Daniel “Danny” Persico passed away.  I've called Danny a few names over the years, but he was not a bad guy.  I remember the last time I saw Danny I was in Aero in Brooklyn. Danny was at the bar and he asked me if I wanted to go to the Blue Zoo.  I went, and that was the last time I would be on that street.  

Danny is the son of Colombo Capo Theodore Persico Sr., who is the brother of the boss Carmine “The Snake” Persico. Danny’s brothers were Carmine, Sean and Teddy Jr.

Danny was the one who helped set up the limo ride for his brother Teddy when he was released from Greenhaven after 17 years.  

Danny was also the person Teddy called on the phone when we were on the way to his mother's home to get his gear.  

Danny was indicted in a pump and dump stock case in 2000. He was involved with White Rock Partners and State Street Capital Markets, two firms which pumped up the value of penny stocks.  Investors lost 40 million dollars in the scams.

Danny used to work hard as a kid.  He always had a job.  He was good at sports and he loved them.  It was only after his brother Teddy went away that he started frequenting the bars.

A lot of people think life in the mafia is glamorous.  It is not.  Danny never really had a chance to make the most of his life.

Theodore Persico Sr., his father, went away for 22 years and was only recently released.  Danny’s brother Teddy just took a deal for 12 years in prison.  His brother Carmine has been in the system for years.  Allie Boy Persico is away for life for ordering the murder of Wild Bill Cutolo and other crimes.

Carmine “The Snake” Persico, at 82 years old, the only defendant left from the Commission Case, is still incarcerated.

He filed a motion for a sentence reduction based on some newly received information from the FBI.  Carmine has been away 31 years but he still is the boss of the family, so let's see how the FBI and the Judge react to his motion.

He kept control through the war in the 1990’s when Vic Orena and Wild Bill Cutolo tried to break away and take over the family.  Allie Boy took over and since he went away the family has been run by panels of capos and street bosses that ultimately answer to Carmine.

Carmine’s son Michael Persico, who for a long time portrayed himself as a legitimate businessman, is facing some time away.  Michael keeps trying to put off his sentencing and take back his plea.  He better be careful, this is ground his father covered and he ended up with a long sentence.

Carmine may live and get out. What is left?  The streets have changed.  Teddy Jr., who I liked, will get out - but will he change?

“What are you going to do, put me in jail? I don't own nothing. I got no wife, I got no kids. I can act like a fool. ” Teddy Persico Jr

RIP Danny Persico

The Edcia Saga

Edcia was a company formed by “Mob Wives” Alicia Garofalo and Debra Specchio and operated under the name Big R Trucking.  It was listed the office at the same address as a porn company and later had its trucks at the Bonafide yard in Brooklyn. On February 11, 2005, Edcia filed an application for an exemption from licensing and a trade waste registration with the City of New York Business Integrity Commission.

If you look at the name you can see where they came up with Edcia.  Eddie and Alicia.

Debra Specchio is the wife of Steve Marcus who would later wear a wire against Eddie and the Persicos.  Steve was caught on tape by me and the FBI was able to go up on their phones.  Steve was confronted by the FBI and they made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Steve joined Team USA.  

On August 18, 2006, the Commission issued a 15-page recommendation that the application be denied.

Eddie and Steve Marcus were already doing business all over New York and parts of New Jersey.  

One of the reasons the Commission denied the company and exemption was Eddie’s friendship with Teddy Persico Jr.  Teddy was released from prison on April 28, 2004 after 16 years for dealing cocaine.  Eddie knew full well what Teddy was going to do when he got out.  Eddie arranged Teddy’s limo ride home. Eddie knew Teddy was going to eat at a restaurant in the city with other Colombos.  Eddie was supposed to keep Teddy out of trouble while he got acclimated to being free.  Eddie knew Teddy most of his life and after Eddie’s father was killed Teddy stepped up for him so he could make a living.  Eddie knew without a doubt that Teddy was in the Colombo family.  

Eddie was recorded by the Commission telling them he knew Teddy all his life and they were friends and that he did believe he was what they claimed.  The Commission used the tape I made in Eddie’s truck with Teddy yelling about Craig Marino and his brother Carmine having dirty bullets in his gun.

Eddie also claimed to the Commission that he was helping out Teddy because he had no family and his father was in prison.  Really?  Danny, Sean, Carmine and all the cousins?  

May 27, 2004 a month after Persico’s release and during the same time period Persico possessed the gun charged in the indictment, Persico incorporated T&E Leasing Corp. (“T&E”) which is for Teddy and Eddie.  Eddie had him buy some trucks and then lease them to him so he had something to show money coming in monthly.

Eddie told the Commission that he did not know Teddy was a member of Organized Crime until he got Teddy’s indictment from his brother and he read about Teddy.  

Even after Teddy took the plea deal Eddie still would not believe he was a Colombo.

The biggest farce is that Michael Persico loaned Eddie the money to start Edcia on a handshake and promise. Don’t most people get 100k on just a handshake from the boss of the Colombo family's son?  He had to go back and ask Michael for an extra 50k.

Eddie worked for Edcia for free and did not take a salary.  I wonder how he paid for his gambling and vacations?  He told the Commission that he was his wife’s “fire man,” “If there is a fire, I go put it out.”

Eddie is now free and back with his family.  Teddy is locked up and Michael is still awaiting sentencing.   He and his wife sure got off easy.

No Show Jobs

In a time when many newspapers have gone out of business or are struggling severely to remain in business, somehow the Colombo family still managed to work its magic and create “no-show” jobs in the newspaper industry.  The Mafia job world is much like the rest of the working world in the sense that the good jobs are given to those who have never worked, have no relevant education or experience, yet have connections. The Colombo family conspired with highly placed newspaper and mail deliverers’ Union to supply Benjamin Castellazzo Jr. with a Union card.  This is a slap in the face of the approximately 1600 hard working union members.  These members work long and hard to get into the Union and then a guy like Benji Jr gets in through the back door.

Benji Jr is the 48 year old son of Benjamin Castellazzo Sr, a long time Colombo crime family capo and acting underboss. Senior was known on the streets as “The Claw” for his fondness of taking money from those beneath him.  Senior was given 63 months in Federal Prison after being taken down on “Mafia Take Down Day.”  Senior moved into a trailer park in NJ and his wife was on food stamps, but the judge didn't care and still gave the 75 year old Benji the time.

A long-time Colombo associate Rocco Miraglia, another son of a member, conspired to get

Benji Jr. Union membership and a plum job with NMDU.  Rocco was the foreman at the New York Daily News and he contacted Anthony Turzio who worked at El Dario to help make up a fake work history in the newspaper industry.

Rocco made a call to the Vice President of the NMDU and told him he was putting together a fake resume for Benji Jr.  They claimed he worked at the NYDN and El Dario when in fact he never worked at either.  This would entitle Benji Jr. to get a Union Priority number which others who don't have a daddy highly placed in the Colombo family had to toil for years to obtain.

On August 21st, 2009 Benji Jr. was given his union number and on September 8 he was sworn into the union.  They then asked the business at Hudson News to place Benji in a job with the company.  They had Benji Jr. fill out an application with the false work history and bullshit references for the Hudson News. A week later a highly place union official spoke to Benji Jr. who was having some problems getting into the Hudson News and told him that he would get him transferred to the NYDN.

What these guys did not know was that the FBI was on to them and they had wiretapped on their phones.  The FBI watched as they sent the application for the Hudson News via overnight mail to Benji Jr. in New Jersey.  They listened when they called the Union and created a web of lies.

This is typical mob stuff, guys who work get guys who don't hired for plum jobs.  Lucky for the hard working union members, the FBI was on to the scheme.  Now we shall see how much time they all get.

Uncle Manny

I thought I would write this week’s blog about Emmanuel "Manny" Garofalo or “Uncle Manny” as he is known to close friends.

Manny has been in the news a lot in the past year. I especially loved last week’s article in the New York Papers where Manny claimed  he was selling his house because of the notoriety of his Nephew’s wife Alicia Garofalo on the reality show Mob Wives.  Manny said he was putting his Seagate Brooklyn Palace on the market to move someplace where people had no idea he was connected with the Organized Crime likes of Alicia.

I will make a couple of observations about this joke of an excuse that Manny is making up. I have found written stories about Manny as far back as 1979 when he ran a Carting/Dumping/Demolition Company and here is a quote from the New York Times, "Commissioner Steisel identified two companies as ‘probably the worst’ offenders. He said they were both owned by Emanuel Garofalo."  He was written up again as an illegal dumper in the New York Times, February 1983.  Did it bother Manny? Apparently not, because in 1985, once more the New York Times reports Kevin Smyley, inspector general of New York City's Sanitation Department, refers to three brothers named Garofalo who operate waste hauling companies in Brooklyn as ''the James brothers of garbage.''  

In September, 1994, Manny again made the papers as a  known “Organized Crime Figure” who was around some of the legends of the underworld.  This time it was the Los Angeles Times his name was printed in.  A man named Harold Glantz was arrested for a massive scam where he bilked investors out of 30 million dollars in a "Prime Bank Note and Roll Program Scam."  I gave Harold the nickname "Scissors Man" after he got into an argument with Manny in Manhattan and Manny stabbed him in the leg with a pair of cheap scissors he bought at a near by store.  Manny told me that Harold owed him a Million dollars.  It really bothered Manny because he told me to go see Harold’s son who lived just off Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles.  The good part is, I was wired up and when I went back to Los Angeles, the FBI was there to watch.  I just told the kid to have his father get in touch with Manny.  That is a Federal Crime, because Manny had me cross state lines to deliver a threat.  

Manny was next arrested by the FBI with a real upstanding crowd of people. John Gammarano; Salvatore Lombardi; Dominick Truscello; Barry Nichilo; Gaetano Vastola; Steven Long and Steven Crea.

I will start with John Gammarano aka Johnny G.  He was a member of Danny Marino's crew but he would be appointed to the Gambino Family Construction Panel which would include Cousin Eddie Garafolo, Delmonico, Frankie Fappiano,, Richie Gotti, Thomas Carbonaro, and Mikey Scars.  All the Crime Families in the area put together these panels to oversee their construction and Union Rackets in order to avoid problems.

The next upstanding citizen is Salvatore Lombardi , aka “Sally Dogs” a one time Genovese Capo who was heavily into drugs such as Quaalude and Heroin.  He is a also the Uncle of Big Ange on Mob Wives.  

Barry Nichilo was a Gambino associate who Sammy Gravano put away.  Steven Crea aka “Wonder Boy” would first be appointed to the Luchese Family Construction Panel and later became and is still the Boss of the family.  Dominick Truscello aka “Crazy Dom” was also on the Construction Panel for the Luchese Family and later he would become a Capo in charge of the Prince Street Crew.  

The last notable Felon in his close circle is Gaetano Vastola aka “Corky” Vastola, the Underboss of the DeCavalcante Family in New Jersey. He was a very big player in the record business and later in construction racketeering. He spent time locked up with John Gotti who was convinced he would flip, so he asked the Boss of the Family to kill him.  That blew up and they were charged with attempted murder.  Corky was locked up for a long stretch after that.

So all of these “friends” of his cannot be worse than being associated with Alicia Garofalo on Mob Wives.  Manny has even been in the papers five times since his last arrest, where he was crying about Sandy and his losses.

I used to meet him early and run around all day with him.  He is a user and a criminal, and the FBI has it all on tape, so why would the Judge release him with time served?  Community service?  This guy threatened my life, the lives of my family, stole money from me, but he is now free?  Maybe one day he will have his own TV show and run around Las Vegas and Hollywood.