Goodbye Teddy Persico Sr.

The death of Theodore Persico Sr leaves one brother, Carmine, the boss of the Colombo family.  Brothers Alphonse “Allie Boy” Persico, Carmine “Snake” Persico and Theodore “Teddy” Persico were all three made Colombo family members.  Carmine took over as boss and appointed his brother as underboss, while Teddy was a capo and on the ruling panel that ran the family.

Teddy Sr had a long career in the Colombo family rackets.  He was indicted in the 1980’s for a number of crimes, including loan sharking, gambling and extortion.  When his brother Carmine went away, he was one of those that passed messages to the family.

He was a vital part of Persico faction during the war in the 1990’s and he would end up serving 22 years because of it. The informants claimed that he helped direct the war against the other faction of the family lead by Vic Orena.  

He was not convicted of murder, but many informants placed him at the meetings where they were planned.  He appealed his charges because it was revealed that Greg Scarpa Sr was an FBI informant during the war.  It is funny because the Persicos leaned on Greg’s crew to do most of the killing.  He would also claim there was no war just Greg Scarpa settling scores.

If anyone would like to read more on Greg Scarpa, I suggest the Mafia Hitman's Daughter by Linda Scarpa.  It is a well written book by somebody who was actually there, not one of these phoney writers or talking head TV commentators who do not know anything real about the life.

Teddy Sr was the father of Teddy Jr who ordered a hit while on furlough from prison because the guys tried to kill his father.

Teddy Sr had done the last 6 years of his prison time locked in a medical facility because of his failing health.  

Many people thought he would get out and try to get the Colombos back on track.

Teddy Sr wanted no part of the life when he got out.  I know a guy who was locked up with him in MCC Manhattan.  He didn't want to be bothered by anyone.  He had a corrections officer on the take who would bring him stuff from outside.  The officer would go meet someone at the restaurant Embers in Bay Ridge.

Once Carmine goes, the Colombo family will probably be better off.  Teddy Jr still has some years to serve, and then he will be on parole.  

He would do better to get a job when he gets out than return to being a criminal.

John Gotti, the grandson of the late Gambino Boss John Gotti, was sentenced this week to 8 years in prison for his role in a pill distribution ring.

He flooded the streets with prescription opioid pills over the years.  

He had to forfeit the cash, almost $260,000, seized during his arrests, and he will have 5 years parole when he gets released.

He joins the ranks of many of his male relatives in going to prison.  

How can anyone think that being in organized crime is a good idea?

Teddy Persico Jr: you can still change your life. It is never too late.

A Mafia Prince and a Cop-turned-Mafia Pimp

On November 1st, if all works smoothly, mafia prince Michael Persico will be sentenced for several of his crimes. He will be the last of those that were taken down with my wire.

Michael Persico is a great take down for the FBI because he has long been the “clean” Persico who handled the cash for the rest of the Persico family.  He is the son of Carmine ”the Snake” Persico, the long imprisoned boss of the Colombo family.  Michael was never inducted into the crime family, but was a powerful associate because he could visit his father in prison to pass along messages and because his brother Alphonse was acting boss before he too went away for life.  

Michael passed along orders and actually gave orders himself.  He benefitted from all the perks of being in the family.  

It’s a shame that he was able to get a good deal and will only get up to five years for all his crimes.  Michael Persico even had his eighty year old mother write a plea to the judge in his favor.  He is believed to have been a part of a conspiracy to murder several men, one of them being Capo Joe Scopo.   Michael has long loaned out money and used the crime family to enforce his loans.  

He loaned cousin Teddy Jr. money, and after Teddy was sent away for 20 years he wanted the cash back.  Teddy is away now because of this same case.

Let's hope the judge takes into account the life Michael has lived and gives him an appropriate sentence.

Next up is Michael Rizzi, who I have written about before.  He is a real credit to society because he is an ex-NYPD officer who is collecting a tax-free disability pension for a back related injury that happened while on duty.  

I guess his back didn't hurt enough to stop him from running escort sites from Staten Island.  

He pleaded guilty on Wednesday to money laundering charges.  

Rizzi married into the Gambino crime family because his wife is the daughter of Gambino soldier Richard Giuliano Jr., and niece of capo Sonny Giuliano.  

He had to forfeit 120k in cash and a condo in Boca Raton Florida that he bought with the cash he made from the escorts.

He made  good deal because he will get at the most 51 months in Federal custody.  He will still have to face state charges for possession of a firearm, but that is a state charge and it will probably run concurrent to his Federal case.

Two men who profited by being around crime families and using the mystic that goes along with it.

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.

A Semi-Victory for the Bonanno Family

People probably wonder why state and federal law enforcement agencies spend so much time and resources to put away a few men.  There are, after all, cartels, sex traffickers, Russians, Albanians, Chinese and the big one: Islamic terrorists on the streets of New York.

The Cosa Nostra is like no other group.  The Bonanno family is the cockroach of the underworld.  Law enforcement thinks they got rid of them, yet they come out of the woodwork again and again.

They lost their namesake boss Joe Bonanno when he went power hungry and caused a war. Then he wrote a book.  They had a rough time when the family broke into factions and part of the Sicilian crew did their own thing.  Then came Donnie Brasco, a jewel thief who became part of their crew.  They even drew in the legendary boss of Tampa, Santo Trafficante, and the boss of Milwaukee, Frank Balistrieri.

One of the guys who had interactions with Donnie Brasco was Nicky Santoro. Nicky Santoro has been an associate, a soldier, a capo and even an acting underboss.  Nicky has lived in that world his whole life.

On May 10, 2016 Nicky Santoro won a small victory in a Manhattan courtroom.  Nicky, Vito Badamo, Ernst Aiello and Anthony Santoro had been on trial for the last two months.  They faced charges including Enterprise Corruption which is the state's version of RICO.  

They took part in bookmaking, loan sharking, and get this: selling Viagra.  They infiltrated Teamsters Local 917.  

The jurors heard over 450 intercepted phone calls and heard from cooperating informants. The problem?  Not much action.  No murders, just talk.  The Bonannos just won another trial when the Feds took on Vincent Asaro.  They charged Vincent with the Lufthansa Heist at JFK that was immortalized in the film Goodfellas and a murder with Jimmy Burke.   The problem is they were decades old cases.

Nicky and his crew had a Costa Rican internet based sports book that brought in millions. Nicky was heard on tape telling Vito Badamo that he had to know everything he was doing in the street.  That no card games could happen without him.  

The state may try again or maybe they will settle for a plea if they will take one.

When I was in Brooklyn we met Nicky Santoro at BaMonte’s in Brooklyn.  He was selling knock off NFL Jerseys and he gave me one. I did record that day.  I saw a guy close with Craig Marino (Colombo soldier) and John Baudanza (Lucchese soldier) in the place meeting with some guys.  Jerry Degerolamo is there and he asked me not to say anything.  Jerry would later go down with Craig and John in a stock fraud case.  I hear both of those guys are out in a halfway house.

The people who were handling me at this time toyed with the idea of trying to sell Nicky and the Bonannos a warehouse full of knockoff software. They decided to go with Teddy Persico instead because he was a loose cannon.  

Nicky's boss was Joe Massino, who had changed the Bonanno family name to the Massino family after Joe Bonanno’s book disgraced the name.  Joe would later go with Team America and become the first boss to flip.  Nicky is still living the life. I wonder if he is happy?

The Richest Colombo?

When you first look at John Staluppi’s picture, you think of Robert De Niro eating everything he saw for one of his roles.  John Staluppi is not playing a role: he is what you see.  He is a super wealthy successful businessman who enjoys eating.

He has a museum in Florida called Cars of Dreams with over 100 classic cars.  It's only open 4 times a year for special charity events.  He owns car dealerships that sell over $2 billion a year in inventory.  He was a mechanic when he convinced his father to take a $5k loan out on the family home.  He was soon running a successful SunCo location.  

He then got in with Honda, who made motorcycles at the time but was not well known in the US. He soon grew that into 20 Honda car dealerships.  John knew how to bring in the cash.  

John Staluppi may have a dark secret in his past.  The FBI, the Suffolk County (N.Y.) District Attorney’s Office and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement claim he is a made member of the Colombo family.

During the 1980’s the police were able to get an undercover officer a job as his chauffeur.  The chaffeur saw him meet with Carmine Persico and other high level Colombos.

The NJ Division of Gambling Enforcement got ahold of his phone and appointment book.  They found numbers for Little Vic Orena, Theodore Persico Sr., and Pasquale Amato.

He was also invited to Capo Donnie Shacks daughter's wedding. She was a close friend of Teddy Persico Jr.  When I was around Teddy, he called Donnie’s daughter to pass things along to Donnie (who now lives in Los Angeles).

When the Colombo War broke out on the streets of Brooklyn in the early 1990’s John sided with Little Vic Orena.  He contributed $50k to the war effort, according to one Colombo turncoat.  He also provided Little Vic Orena another $50k for his defense when he was busted during the war. John then quickly switched sides back to the Persico faction.

Staluppi has a few other connections to the crime family.  In 2012 he bought “Club Diamonds” from a company managed by Thomas Farese, who has been described by the FBI as the consigliere of the Colombo crime family.  Thomas Farese was busted in 1998 for laundering money through his stripclubs.  

Rockland County Legislator Frank (Frankie Jr.) Sparaco is the son of Colombo family killer Frankie Blue eyes.  Frankie Blue eyes has now gone into witness protection and his son claims to have no contact with him.  Frankie Jr. did have contact with John Staluppi, who donated to his campaign.  John Staluppi was not the only one to donate to his campaign.  Michael Persico donated through Romantique Limousines.  Frankie Jr. also runs a vending machine company, Pops Vending, that has its machines placed in John Staluppi’s car dealerships.  

Frankie Jr. plead guilty to violating campaign laws and was sentenced to a jail term.

John Staluppi is now, among other things, a builder of super yachts that are known as the fastest in the world.  He is a huge property own in Florida and is said to be worth $400 million dollars.

He has not done bad for a guy who dropped out of the 10th grade in Bensonhurst, Brookly and was arrested for stealing cars and altering the VIN numbers in 1971.   He plead guilty to that crime and received 5 years probation, but bounced back and made his millions.

When you see smoke, there is usually fire. The truth will come out in the end.  

In a similar story, Dominic Longo was a made guy in the Los Angeles Family.  Longo Toyota is one of the largest Toyota dealerships in the country today but Dominic is no longer living.

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.

Reality vs. Fiction: Mob City's Mickey Cohen vs. Today's Colombo Family

Hollywood never tires of making movies about the Mafia.  The problem is they don’t know the way it works.  So they claim they are telling true stories, yet they make up the facts.  Every person from the writer to the studios has to put their spin on it, throw in their ideas of how it may have happened, yet not one of them knows a thing about the life or bothers to talk to anyone who actually does.  They do research by reading books written by people who also don’t know anything.  They “learn” by watching other poorly done movies.  Or, they might even speak to a copper, who knows very little about the whole story.  Once in awhile, they might find some old guy who was somehow “part of the life” in a farfetched stretch of reality, for example their “insider” was maybe a bartender at a watering hole a few mobsters frequented.

Reality Vs Fiction: MOBCITY

This is what they say about the show. “Mob City is a television series created by Frank Darabont for TNT. It is based on real-life accounts of the L.A.P.D. and gangsters in 1940s Los Angeles as chronicled in the book L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City by John Buntin.”  

I see billboards all over the city calling Mickey Cohen the “Godfather of LA”.  That is an incredible feat for a one-time “Never Contender” Boxer who was not part of any organization but his own.  They will continue to credit him with murders that real Gangsters from the Dragna Family, The Outfit and other families back East committed.  The Cosa Nostra Family, that at Mickey Cohen’s time was headed by Jack Dragna, was already 50 years old by the time of Cohen’s run as LA's “Newspaper Gangster.”

Mickey Cohen (the little guy) and his "bodyguard" who was also conveniently a California Highway Patrol Officer

Yes, Mickey was a tough guy and he did shoot a guy in his wire room off La Brea.  But, he never killed one guy in the Dragna Family.  During the time of his so-called reign as the Godfather of LA, the Dragna Family had over 60 inducted members.  Mickey Cohen was a Bookmaker.  The Dragna Family had huge shylock loans all over the city, they also had their own wire rooms.  Dragna himself had his office downtown in the produce area, where he imported bananas and other fruit.  He had at least two freighters that came up from South America.  Now who here thinks all they brought from South America was fruit?  

Mickey Cohen in a hospital bed after being shot by Dragna's men.  LA's first Reality TV mobster seen here talking to reporters and police.

Many others in La Cosa Nostra were also in the importing business.  They ran the garment district because Tommy Lucchese, a relative of Dragna, was huge in the Garment Unions.  The Chicago Outfit was big in LA because they ran the Unions that extorted the Studios.  

The control of Unions in Hollywood still was going on in the 1980's.  I knew a guy who was the head of the Projectionist Union and they were important because no movie could be shown at a theatre unless a Union guy was in the booth.  This all changed with Digital because there is no need to change film reels.

I love how they get cops to tell us how Mobsters act.  They only know what they hear by rumor.  They were never in a crew, never inside.  It is like those talking heads on those TV show “documentaries” on gangsters that say things like Carmine Persico was a ruthless guy who only wanted power.  Yet they never met Carmine, or any made guy for that matter.  They read about it in books written by others who did not know, from their safe office.

Los Angeles was never an "Open" city for the Cosa Nostra.  It always had a family, since before 1900.  The rules of Cosa Nostra as set forth by the formation of the Commission in 1931 are that every family is equal.  That means no family can come into another family’s area and just set up shop.  When New York came to Los Angeles, they made arrangements with Jack Dragna.  When the Chicago Outfit came and did their extortion of the Movie Studios, they gave the LA Family a piece.  They let them in on their Wire service when they brought it to Los Angeles. People have to understand how the Cosa Nostra works. Lets say guys from The Patriarca Family came to Los Angeles to open up a porn studio.  They would clear it with LA and give them a small piece.  LA would not expect a large share unless they used their people as enforcers or workers.

In 1957 Mickey Cohen was on TV being interview by Mike Wallace.  Now what kind of Gangster would do that?  All Mickey was doing is living off his past exploits. In 1957 The Commission met in up State New York at the home of mobster Joseph Barbara in Apalachin, New York on November 14, 1957.  Over 58 Made Guys were arrested but not one from the so-called Jewish Mafia. Los Angeles was represented by the REAL BOSS Frank DeSimone and his Underboss Sam Scozzari.  Why were there no other guys from other ethnic groups?  Only Italians were inducted into families and many are related.  

Mickey Cohen died broke in a little one bedroom apartment.  The families of the LA Family owned huge garment center businesses, trucking firms, wineries, vast tracts of land in what is now Ontario California, Apartment buildings etc.

Reality TV meets real life.  Mob Wives has a new cast member Alicia DiMichele Garofalo and her claim to fame?  She is the wife of Edward Garafalo Jr aka Eddie, whose father was murdered by Sammy Gravano (because Sammy was greedy).  Eddie Garofalo Jr ran his Big R Trucking and Equipment (T&E), and another trucking business, from a truck yard in Staten Island that used to be owned by his cousin Eddie Garafola, a Made Gambino guy and a relative of Sammy Gravano.  He ran it before out of a yard in Downtown Brooklyn.  I started wearing a wire and taping Eddie when he was still at the fuel oil lot in Brooklyn.  I even drew the FBI a layout where they would talk about important things.  Eddie is a big guy.  Mostly, a fat guy.  And yes, just like all big guys he likes to push around guys who are smaller.  He would fight guys who were smaller with no skill. 

Fat Eddie and Alicia.  Eddie introduced me to people as his cousin, and you can see here why people may have believed him.

 Yesterday, Eddie was sentenced by a Federal Judge for his crimes, which included ripping off the Union for employee benefits, things like health insurance and retirement.  Alicia used to help him, so she was also charged and has plead guilty. Big R trucking was named after their child.  

Eddie also plead out to a murder conspiracy.  I was there with the wire running. Eddie egged the whole thing on and he is the one who brought it up in front of Teddy Persico Jr.  Yet when we got to Teddy’s mothers house to pick up "the gear" aka guns, Eddie had to run inside to use the bathroom. After they handed out their really crappy "gear," and all I had was a knife, Eddie told me to duck if they started shooting.  Once we were at the spot, the Cops and paramedics were also there. Then Eddie Uncle Manny drove by and stopped. Strange.  Today the headlines in the New York Daily News read:

“Mafioso husband of 'Mob Wives' star sent to prison for 7 years in extortion case.”  They called him “Reputed Colombo enforcer Edward (Tall Guy) Garofalo, Jr.”  Now that is a strech, according to a number of my friends who knew them when they were all young.  And I quote " If the Colombos needed an enforcer, Eddie Garofolo is the last guy they would call."  End Quote.  

People around him felt sorry for him because his father was killed by Sammy the Bull for no reason, and he didn’t do anything in retaliation.  Not that he could do anything.  

Now Eddie is going to be calling in on the reality show from prison.  I wonder what Teddy Persico, his Capo, thinks about that?  Just like the real mafia guys in LA would never have been on TV like Mickey Cohen, every mob guy knows mob guys don’t go on TV.  It’s a secret society.

To top it all off, according to the New York Post, Eddie’s Wife Alicia has been carrying on a 3 year affair with a married restaurateur. That is how she thanks her husband, after he plead out so that she would get no time.

Do we see a rule 35 hearing coming up in the future?

For more details on the affair, click here.

That is the real Mafia, full of honor.  

Eddie's Uncle Manny, today a free man.  He received zero jail time from the judge, even though he plead guilty and had plenty of clear evidence stacked against him.  Makes you wonder why they let him off...???

Colombo Family - Mafia Take Down Day (Part I)

Teddy Persico Jr aka "Skinny"

I had taken the trip to Spencer Street many times to see Eddie Garafolo at the Big R truck yard, but this particular day when I pulled into the lot I never reached the trailer that doubled as the office. Standing near a truck cab covered in grease was Teddy Persico Jr, who at the time was street boss of the Colombo Family.  Teddy quickly walked over to my truck and we started talking.  Teddy wanted to know what was going on, what I had going with a Manhattan company that sold phone time.  Teddy was trying to get a handle on how much money his other associates were making from the business.  Teddy Persico Jr had just gotten out of State Prison after 17 years on a drug charge.  Prior to prison, Teddy was a mover and shaker, a soldier who ran his own crew.  His crew specialized in drug dealing and robbing drug dealers. As we talked, he had no idea I was wearing a wire that was going to send him back behind bars.  Unlike most of the mafia associates I dealt with in New York, I liked Teddy.  He was a straight shooter, he didn’t bullshit, he did what he said he would do, and he was tough as hell.  I enjoyed being around him.   But I always kept in the back of my mind that he was a Persico.  

Eddie "the tall guy" Garafolo

Teddy was not one of my original targets, He was lucky (or unlucky) enough to get his sentence reduced after they changed the drug laws in New York State. My main target was Eddie Garafolo and his Uncle Manny.  Eddie was the son of the Edward Garafolo Sr who Sammy the Bull Had killed so he could take over his business. Teddy fell into the investigation because he was a partner in Eddies Big R trucking. Teddy Persico Jr was the Nephew to the long time Colombo boss Carmine "Gimpy" Persico Aka The Snake.  Teddy was cousin to the Acting boss “Allie Boy” Persico and son of Capo Theodore Persico Sr.  Teddy’s father, Capo Theodore Persico Sr was on the panel that ran the Colombo family.

That kind of pedigree doomed Teddy from birth and made the FBI very interested in what he was up to within the family.  Teddy was living on borrowed time the minute his trip home from prison was planned because Eddie and Teddy's brother Danny "The Town Drunk" Persico put me in charge of the entertainment for his four hour trip home from upstate New York.  The FBI knew that he was going to a meeting as soon as he arrived in Manhattan. Teddy's first stop was at the Bruno Magli store where he was upset that they no longer carried pointed toe dress shoes.

Edward "The Tall Guy" Garafolo was an active associate of the Colombo Family who had done a lot of things for them. He had done some Pump and Dumps on Wall St for the Family and when the indictments came down he was in the wind.  He spent a lot of time in Las Vegas because he loves to gamble.  While there, he hung out at the Crazy Horse Too with Johnny “Greens” Faraci’s son.  Eddie even made it to La Jolla California where he hid out in a luxury beach community.  He came home and was given some house arrest and parole, so he went to work for one of his relatives in the porn business in Brooklyn.  He would also become involved with the same phone business as I would later work with in the city.  Eddie took a large sum out of the business and started Big R trucking, which was named after his son Rocco.  He ran it out of Bonafide Fuel Oil’s truck lot in Downtown Brooklyn.

Eddie once told me that he was living in Florida when he had the worst day of his life.  He got word his father had been gunned down in Brooklyn. Eddie liked to talk and I was there with my wire to get it all on tape.  I used to head out to Big R trucking in Staten Island a couple of times a week to see Eddie after he moved the company there. I would have my devices running and I would capture all those who joined in our conversation. One of the men I would capture was Steve Marcus who was a partner in the trucking business with Eddie, and also a Gambino family associate on record.. Steve Marcus had been friends with Eddie’s father, and had known Eddie for over 30 years.  Because of these conversations with Eddie and Steve, the FBI was also able to tap their phones and do other surveillance on them.  I left Brooklyn in 2005 after I had gotten plenty of tapes on Teddy, Eddie, Steve and Uncle Manny but the FBI did not take down Eddie or Uncle Manny at that time.  They did choose to take down Teddy, his brother and his cousin.  Teddy was becoming increasingly violent and erratic.  Strangely enough, Eddie skated on charges when we were in his truck headed to take care of Craig Marino.  I wondered about how he was able to get away from all I recorded because he was with us when we were in Teddy's mothers house discussing Craig and George who was Craigs lackey. He helped plan the limo ride home for Teddy and he helped his Uncle Manny with stuff in the phone company in the city. The FBI takes its time and they make great cases after they give you enough rope to hang yourself.

You would think that Eddie would have been smart enough to stop for awhile after I left Brooklyn but greed and arrogance has that effect and he kept it up.  When I was in Canada and no longer going back to Brooklyn, Eddie called me and wanted to know where I was staying. Eddie actually told me that he was thinking about taking a ride up there to see me.  How stupid did he think I was?  Eddie was going to drive to Toronto from Brooklyn to see me.  

Next week more on Teddy & Eddie’s demise.

Teddy "Skinny" Persico

What is my former friend up to? Teddy loves being locked up. This way he can be king and not deal with everyday life.
I am still here and not a thing has happened to me. What Colombo Family? What Persico?

The Mafia is a joke. Look at Teddy!

Sources say the sentencing guidelines for the six other defendants range from a low of 18-to-24 months to a high of about seven years. Russo’s tentative plea agreement is said to be in the three-to-four year range.But not so fast. All bets may now be off thanks to an announcement last week by capo Theodore (Skinny Teddy) Persico, who is charged with extortion. He is considering representing himself in the case and going to trial. Persico made the threat at a status conference before Judge Kiyo Matsumoto. Persico’s own attorney Jonathan Marks, was sick that day and couldn’t make it to court. Asked by Gang Land about his client’s startling assertion, Marks said he is planning to confer with him as soon as possible.No matter what Skinny Teddy decides to do, however, Gang Land expects the global plea deal to be worked out and agreed to by all the other parties. Persico is slated for trial for racketeering and murder in June, and if need be, his extortion charges could easily be folded into that case.


This guy is bright just like his Uncle Carmine Gimpy Arm Persico.

Kenji OC

The Life in Breakshot

The Life.

That is what I write about in Breakshot. Anyone who reads it will see it is about the life and all that it is and was. The life looks glamorous and fun. The reality of the life is that it’s a grind. I wanted it and I gave up everything for it. It was not worth it.
Joseph Avila was murdered in what should have been the prime of his life. He would never see his kids grow up. Mike Rizzi the Capo who everyone ranked as a tough stand up Guy., died in diapers after years locked away. Mike did many years; he did a lot of work, in the end all that was for nothing. I have pictures of his funeral, just family and a few friends. No big Mafia send off for Mike.

I write about Mama Coca aka Griselda Blanco, she was the female Scarface. She made millions, so many millions, yet she lived in a state of war. She had to move, hide out. Her young son had to live with others to be safe. She did 24 years straight and then was deported. She lost two of her three sons to the life.
Osvaldo, the next Pablo Escobar made it to 1992 and Uber made it till 2000.

Bill Cutolo Sr lived the life; he made it to the upper levels. Yet when he was called to make peace he did. He helped put the Illegal Colombo Family back together. Then when greed got the better of those in power he was called in and that was that. 8 years his family waited and then finally they had closure.
The killers of Bill Cutolo did not fair well. Allie Boi Persico got life and so did Jokey Deross. Tommy Man Boobs Geoli is done. Big Dino is done and may have flipped. Joey Caves got on that boat first so he will live a life..

I used to think the Mafia was this sophisticated organization, then my eyes opened and I saw it for what it was in real life. A ragtag bunch of loser criminals.
Look at those idiots who shot Joey Camp. They followed him around in one of their wives blue mini vans. They had to yell out his name before they blasted him. Chickie you should have worked on your aim. Goodbye for the rest of your life.

That is what the life is about. It is a dead end. That is the point of Breakshot.