Another Bonanno Capo Gets Locked Up

Peter Lovaglio, aka “Pug,” a Bonanno capo, has done two stints in federal prison and now he will be doing some state time for an assault.

In 2013 he was caught meeting with Gerald Chili, a capo from Florida who was picked up at the airport by Anthony Rabito, aka “Fat Tony.”  The FBI was watching them the whole time.  They have so many confidential human sources there are no secrets anymore.  Gerald Chili was on probation so he was later arrested.

Pug ended up pleading guilty to cover three probation violations.  

In 2013 a company known as G&S Carting Inc. wanted to obtain an exemption for the company from the New York City Business integrity commission so they could operate a trade waste business to haul away building waste from demolition and construction.

Chung Industries Inc. also applied for an exemption in 2013 to haul away trade waste.

The problem was, both of these companies were run by a man known as Carl Puma.

Christine Puma claimed to be the 100% principal operator of Chung Industries, Chung is her maiden name.  

You see, Carl Puma wanted access to jobs that were set aside for MWBE (Minority and Women owned Business Enterprises).  His wife, being both a woman and a minority, would have access if she was sole owner of a company.  So he opened a second company out of the same office and ran it under her name.  He was overheard telling someone that he informed his wife if they were designated a MWBE they could have access to a 10 million dollar contract job.

The commission did some more digging and they found out Carl Puma was friends with Peter Lovaglio, a known member of organized crime.  Carl Puma claimed he did not know him well.  Then the commission found that they exchanged 17 cell phone calls in a short period of time.  Peter Lovaglio had a company called LLN LOVA Inc.  The commission found a check SWF Trucking made out to G&S Carting Inc that had written in the memo line “for Balance due LLN Lova.”

The commission denied both companies their requested exemptions.

In November of 2015 Peter Lovaglio got into an altercation at an upscale Sushi restaurant on Staten Island.  He struck the owner in the face with a broken glass, nearly causing him to lose his eye.

He got away that night but the police had a photograph of Peter Lovaglio that the NYPD Organized Crime Investigations unit later identified. He was arrested and just last week he plead guilty.  He was promised an eight year cap on first degree assault with a five year term of post release supervision.

Peter Lovaglio also still has a case of aggravated driving without a license and possession of a deadly weapon hanging over his head.  He was supposedly drunk and had a knife.

You have to wonder sometimes about these guys.  There was no profit to be had.  They seem instead like the types of crimes committed by men with drinking problems and a temper.

The Genovese Family and “Operation Fistful”

It is a crime group that people claim is “dead,” yet law enforcement keeps taking down different crews that still pull down cash. The latest bust went down in New Jersey, called “Operation Fistful.”  It was a joint investigation by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, conducted with assistance from the New York and Queens County District Attorneys’ Offices and other law enforcement agencies.

The operation targeted a group of associates that were part of a New Jersey crew operating under the supervision and control of two alleged “made” members of the Genovese crime family: Charles “Chuckie” Tuzzo, 82, of Bayside, N.Y., (“capo”), and Vito Alberti, 57, of Morristown NJ, a Genovese “soldier.”

The investigation centered on the check cashing businesses of Genovese associate Domenick Pucillo. He ran both legal and illegal check cashing business that he used to launder and shylock money through. The shylock operation was a simple but profitable enterprise.  Pucillo would make loans to those close to him for 1 point or 1% a week which comes to 52% a year.  The other shylocks would add a half point or much more, and then put it to work by loaning it out.  The business took in 4.7 million dollars in interest alone while the investigation had them under surveillance.

The operation was mainly based out of Tri-State Check Cashing, Inc., with headquarters at 17 Avenue A in Newark, NJ which was owned by Pucillo.  Vito Alberti got a piece of the whole shylock business and loans that he handled he took 2 points off the top.  They would have people who got the loans give them checks which they would cash weekly at the check cashing business so it looked like a legitimate transaction.

Vincent Coppola, the son of Genovese Capo Michael Coppola, ran a sports betting operation that took in 1.7 million and generated 400k in profits that he shared with Alberti and Capo Chuckie Tuzzo at the same time.

They also had a very lucrative side business which they named Viriato Corp. Viriato was used for their illegal check cashing business that was run out of a neighborhood bar.  They cashed over 400 million in checks and took in 9 million in tax free fees, which they all split.  People would write them large checks to cover under the table payroll or whatever they wanted to get cash for that was not traceable.  They did not have to file a CTR aka Currency Transaction Report like you do at a bank for anything over or totaling 10k.  

Viriato Corp got the cash from Tri-State Check Cashing and cashed checks, which they deposited and then wrote big checks to Tri-State which they filed CTRs on.

They then gained control of GTS Auto Carriers which transported cars from the docks to other locations.  They looted the company and used it to launder more checks through while the task force was watching.

The whole operation was a cash machine.  They took in almost 700k in cash from a drug dealer who paid them a fee to launder it, and then they used that cash to cash checks.  

It's a circle of undeclared cash kept in play by mixing it up with their legitimate businesses.  So much for a dying crime industry. The mafia is alive and well in New York and New Jersey.  This was just one small part of a crew that involved one made guy in the family and his capo. Imagine what the rest of the family has going on.

Joe Denti Jr. Follows in His Father's Footsteps

Joe Denti Sr. was a Bronx shylock who became a capo.  He had a payphone business that did really well.  The rumor is that he also had some friends that helped him stay out of trouble.

Joe Denti died in Beverly Hills from a heart attack in 1996.  He was in the movie business living in Charo’s Beverly Hills home.  He produced the movie Opposite Corners, which was a bomb.

He was friendly with Joe Pesci and a few other actors.

He was still doing business in Los Angeles from Nicky Blair's on Sunset Blvd.  In the mid 1990’s some LA Family guy's got $100k from a real wannabe.  They used it to bankroll some card games.  The guy then told them the $100k was Joe Dente Sr.’s.  This sent Jimmy Caci through the roof.  He called his buddy Rudy Santobello about Joe.  Rudy and Jimmy had spent a few years in Attica together.  Jimmy had never been introduced to Joe so he went to Nicky Blair's.  It was on Sunset that a pistol Jimmy had in his waistband slid down and smashed his foot.  Jimmy would complain for years that it gave him “the Gout.” The wannabe was on the hook for the cash.  The LA guys made a pile of cash and gave it back to Joe Denti.

It would seem the apple didnt fall far from the tree because on March 16th Joe Denti Jr. was picked up by the New Jersey detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice.  They claim Heidi Francavilla, Joseph Giardina, Ralph Perricelli Jr. and Joe Denti Jr. all took part in a scam business.

Heidi Francavilla seems to be a mover.  She was charged in another bogus investment scheme in September 2015, in which she is charged with stealing 3 million dollars from investors.

This time the NJ Detectives snared a bigger fish in Joe Denti Jr., a Genovese Capo.

Joe Denti Jr. is charged with convincing a Doctor to advance $250k for a surgical center and then using the money for his own use. He also scammed a married couple into giving him $100k for a blood testing center.

Ralph Perricelli and Joe Denti Jr. laundered the money through a blood testing company that he used to own.  

Heidi Francavilla used a number of shell companies to launder other money.

They got away with it for a long time because they stole the doctor’s money back in 2011, but they held him off by making him promise after promise.

They claimed that they would each put up $250k for the surgical center and that they would have a union send all of its members to the center.  The doctor would be repaid first and then they would split the money that came into the business.

They are facing 5 to 10 years in prison, but we all know they will not get that much actual time. Unless somebody else flips and gives up other crimes.

Most likely they will all take plea deals and spend maybe four years inside.

Bartolomeo "Bobby Glasses" Vernace : The Gambino Capo

Bartolomeo “Bobby Glasses” Vernace struck out recently with his appeal.  The US Court of Appeals upheld his conviction for the murder in the Shamrock Bar during Western Night in 1981.

Bobby’s lawyers argued that the killings were over a personal dispute and not part of the Gambino Crime Family business.

Bobby Glasses had beat a state case for murder in the killings.  The Feds took another bite at the apple by charging him with racketeering.  It's really a catch all because they just have to prove that he is guilty of the predicated acts listed in the indictment and then he gets a big sentence.

The murders went down like this.  April 10, 1981, Gambino associate Frank Riccardi was in the Shamrock  when someone spilled a drink on the girlfriend of a friend.  He started arguing with the guy.  Bar owners  John D'Agnese and Richard Godkin approached Frank and tried to calm him down.  They exchanged words and Frank grabbed a bottle of vodka from the bar and slammed it down and said, “No, I run this place.”   Frank left and went to a Gambino social club where he asked Bobby and Ronald Barlin to help him.  They returned to the Shamrock and shot D’Agnese and Godkin.  They both died the next day.  The bar was full of people that night, but everyone was afraid.  Bobby went on the lam until years later.  He was acquitted in state court for the murders and then inducted into the Gambino family.  

The government claimed that it was part of the Gambino crime family crimes that he was charged with in the indictment.  They claim the two murders were to enhance the Gambino crime family.  They played a tape in court when one of his associates referenced the two murders to scare a loan shark debtor into paying what he owed.

Bobby had done well since the murders.  He had gone from associate to capo on the ruling panel of the family.  He ran lucrative Baccarat games at cafes and coffee shops.  He had a lot of money on the street in shylock loans.  He also ran a lot of “joker poker” machines in cafes that brought in more than 2,000 dollars a day.

They used some old convictions for heroin trafficking to show that he was committing crimes on behalf of the Gambino family.  Robbery also became another predicated act.

To pile on counts they also charged him with possession of a firearm when he went into the Shamrock bar.  The jury found him guilty of nine predicated acts of racketeering.

Another highlight of his trial was Linda Gotti, the daughter of Peter Gotti, former boss of the Gambinos and brother of John Gotti.  She testified that her father and uncle talked her into recanting her identification of Bobby, Ronald and Frank that night in the Shamrock.  Her boyfriend was John D’Agnese and she was present that night.  

It took the FBI 33 years but they served up some justice.

Battista “Benny” Geritano

Battista “Benny” Geritano is a long time Gambino Family Associate and a real tough guy who comes from a long line of wiseguys.  He once had a problem with a young made guy from the Lucchese Family.  The guy came to see him and the guy started telling him he had better watch the way he spoke.  Benny looked at him and said, “Why? Who are you? You got guns?  I got guns. Get lost.” This is how Benny felt towards guys who for one reason or another got inducted into a family and then thought they could throw their weight around.  He would respect you if you were a tough guy and laugh in your face if you were not, regardless of your status.

Alphonse "Allie Shades" Malangone was a Capo for the Genovese Family and a huge money maker.  He ran the Fulton Fish market and controlled a lot of the private carting industry. He also had restaurants and nightclubs in Brooklyn. His status as a money maker never stopped Benny from messing with Allie Shades’ girlfriend, Margo. He was told to stop and he kept it up.  Allie Shades banned him from the Brooklyn night spots Pastels and Turquoise. Benny didn't care and he would show up at the clubs anyway with the rest of his friends until the guys running the clubs would beg his friends to leave so they wouldn’t have trouble.  Margo and Benny eventually had a falling out and she ran to Allie Shades, who went to the Gambinos for a sit down over it.  Nothing happened to Benny though.

Benny’s stepfather Anthony "Shorty" Mascuzzio was once one of John Gotti’s inner circle.  That is, until he went to shakedown Bedrox  (a Mid-town disco) where he began pistol whipping the owner who then took his gun away from him and shot him dead. Benny’s stepbrother, Anthony Mascuzzio Junior is a Gambino who went away until this year for being part of a marijuana trafficking group. He also used a baseball bat on some black thugs that tried to steal his Rolex once.  

Preston J. Geritano was Benny’s uncle and a Genovese associate.  He was stabbed to death by his brother-in-law, Genovese mobster Andy Gargiulo, aka Andy Wilson, in front of Amici’s in Brooklyn.

Preston J. Geritano Junior was arrested for money laundering.  

Benny was part of what would be called the Night Drop Crew by the Feds.  The crew robbed banks by prying open the night deposit boxes and taking the deposits.  They developed remote controlled drills and used fishing gaffs to retrieve the cash.  

They all had walkie talkies and police scanners.  They got away with it from 1993 to 2003.

Benny ended up with a 71 month sentence for his part in the 10 year crime spree.

He went away and did his time.  He was busted for smoking weed when his urine test came back dirty.

An FBI Agent testified at his parole hearing that he was a suspect in four separate murders.  

Then Benny got into a fight in April of 2011 on Court Street in Brooklyn with Mark Iacono, owner of Lucali pizzeria. He was soon stabbing him on the sidewalk until both men were bloody.  Benny took off from the scene and was later found at a hospital with stab wounds including some in his back.  Benny and Mark both declined to press charges or testify in front of a grand jury.  Benny however did tell the court during his parole hearing some strange stuff.  He told the court he had been a Gambino associate and that members of a crime family wanted him dead.  He then told the court that he was trying to go straight.

The same FBI agent who claimed he was the suspect in four murders told the court that Benny was also a suspect in a bank burglary in Bensonhurst Brooklyn that took place over a holiday weekend.

The FBI had him under surveillance but failed to keep track of him.

Benny managed to get away with that stabbing but he was soon in trouble again.  This time on the night of December 23, 2012 he went to Nouveau bar in Brooklyn. He must have been in a foul mood because when a guy named Nunzio Fusco bumped into him Benny went crazy. Nunzio apologized to him and went to the bar for some drinks.  Benny followed him and Nunzio told him again he was sorry and did not want any trouble.  Benny shoved Nunzio’s girlfriend and Nunzio jumped to her defense.  Benny and Nunzio were soon trading punches until bouncers broke it up.  Benny took off and Nunzio noticed he was bleeding.   He had been stabbed three times.  Twice in the gut and once in the shoulder.  Detectives went to the bar owner who turned over a video of the incident.  The video showed Benny with the knife.  A few days after turning over the video to the police the bar owner was shot on Staten Island. He lived but he claims to not have seen the shooter.

Benny went to trial on the stabbing charges and was found guilty.  The judge gave him 12 years in prison.  He will be be 50 when he gets out and he will still be plenty tough.

The Colombo Family Grind

The Colombo Family is still out there grinding away.  Cosa Nostra is not like any other criminal group that operates in the US.  Every few years there is a crime group that dominates the headlines.  Jamaican Posse, Colombian Cartel and today it is the Mexican Cartel.  Once law enforcement takes down their leadership they will wither away and die.   Most of them are one trick ponies, dealing only with drugs.  They lack the diverse portfolio of crime that the Cosa Nostra utilizes.

By the time the public reads about a Cosa Nostra guy in the paper being taken down, his replacement has already started working.  The FBI has cut down the Cosa Nostra Squads in New York and combined them.  That means there are less agents in the field.  The NYPD has also cut way back on Cosa Nostra units.  Everyone is worried about Islamic Terrorism.  

The Cosa Nostra has gone back to their roots, into the shadows and with different leadership.  A couple families around the country are run by Sicilians who are from the old country.  

The Colombos are still run by the Carmine Persico. There are still Persicos left on the street and when they go away there are some others that will be coming home.  The only question is: when Carmine dies, will the Colombo Family still want to listen to all of his brain dead relatives?

It should come as no surprise that last week the Appeals Court ruled on Tommy Geoli’s appeal.  Sorry to report that he will have to do the whole 18 years that he was sentenced to by the judge.  This is a guy who killed a nun during a hit, took part in the killing of at least one police officer and a few others.  When he was acting boss of the family and pulling down cash, he was Mr. Big, and now he sits and cries on his blog about how unfair life is and how he’s been mistreated, set up, and hasn’t received any justice.

The FBI took down acting Capo Luca DiMatteo and two others last week.  He and his nephew, Lukey DiMatteo, shook down a Brooklyn business for the last 10 years for an average of $400 a month.  So about $48k tax free over the time period. I am sure the business owner asked for a favor or owed it from a shylock loan.  When it became too much he ran to the FBI and let them know what was happening.  

Luca was still partaking in the staple of the mafia’s business model by operating gambling spots around Brooklyn.  These bring in a lot of cash with a low risk.  The only time guys get any big time is when the Feds roll it into a RICO charge.  Otherwise gambling is not something they get a lot of time for, unlike drug charges which carry harsher punishments.

Luca, who lived on Long Island is suffering from bladder cancer in prison, along with the other regular mafia ailments: busted heart disease and The Sugar aka diabetes.

Luca, before he was arrested, had been undergoing chemotherapy for his cancer. On the days he did not have chemo treatments he would go pick up the extortion money and on those that he had treatment, he sent Lukey to pick it up.

Luca’s lawyer tried to tell the judge that his client was too sick to be incarcerated while awaiting trial.  The judge pointed out that he was well enough to direct others or participate in crimes while he was free.  I guess he won't be free on the $1.5 million bail package his lawyer offered up.

So the Colombo Family continues to grind away. The problem is now with the FBI busy on other fronts, they will grow just like the Bonannos did. I expect a lot of the families to grow stronger in the shadows.

Check out this new web series! The Good Life WATCH THE GOOD LIFE

Lucchese Family and Sports Betting

Last week 6 Lucchese crime family members pleaded guilty to running a massive sports betting operation.  The size and scope of the operation and the amount of time the men will do demonstrates why the Mafia wants to stay in the gambling business.

They took in $2.2 billion in bets in 15 months on sporting events.  Here’s a little gambling math for you:  they got the Vig right off the top.  That is 10 dollars for every 100 dollars wagered.  That means IF that were all they made, they took $200 million off the top in 15 months time.  Then add in all the cash from parlays and teasers, and it's a much bigger profit.

They did this all using Costa Rican wire rooms and password protected websites that were based on servers in Costa Rica.  Gambling is all legal in Costa Rica.   In the US it is only okay in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, because there the huge corporations handle it.

There would be few large sporting events without gaming and all the shows and news that go with them.

The Lucchese guys had the wire rooms aka phone banks based in Costa Rica.  They give a customer a code name and an 800 number to call in their action.  They use local books to recruit customers, collect and pay off.  The money never actually makes it to Costa Rica because it is all done in cash in person in local bars.  Customers have a password for the website and a username.  They will have credit and collect from the bookie during the week.

One of the principals in the operation was Matthew Madonna, a name that many Mafia readers will know.  Matty was part of the Pleasant Avenue Connection of heroin selling fame.  Matty used to have cars full  of heroin dropped off to black heroin kingpin Leroy Nicky Barnes.  Nicky would get the keys to the car and later he would drop it back off filled with cash.  It was a sweet operation for them, that was later derailed because of Nicky's flashy ways.  

Matty went away and was given 30 years for selling heroin. He was summoned before a grand jury but never said a word and was given another year and a half for not cooperating.

Once he was released, he was inducted into the Lucchese family and quickly rose to Capo and soon he was on the ruling panel that ran the family.

Ralph V. Perna was the Capo who ran the New Jersey faction of the Lucchese family which included two of his sons Joseph and John.  He follows a long line of guys who ran the family in new Jersey.   For awhile Nicky Scarfo’s son was said to be running the faction, but he is down for a long time now.  Tumac was the longtime boss until the crazy crack smoker Gaspipe went on his murderous rampage.  

Joseph DiNapoli is another Lucchese Capo who went down for the sports betting operation.  DiNapoli was also on the ruling panel with Matty.  He made big money from labor racketeering and stock fraud. He has two brothers who are made in the Genovese family.

Back to the gambling bust.  Marty Taccetta, who is already serving life in prison, will get an extra 8 years tagged on his sentence.  All in all it is not that bad.  Ralph Perna will get 8 years while his sons will get 10 years.  Matty will get 5 years while rest will get 8 years.  The time is not a lot for the amount of cash they pulled down.  Did the Feds stop sports betting?  Not a chance.  That is why the lines are posted all over for every event.

Genovese War Heroes

I thought I would write about legendary Genovese Capo Matty “The Horse” Ianniello, because it’s Memorial Day.  Matty, like many of those his age, stepped up when America needed them and served in World War Two.  He enlisted and quickly made corporal in the Sixth Army, where he was an artillery gunner in the Philippines fighting the Japanese between 1943 and December 1945.

He was in an artillery position when it came under machine gun fire. The problem was that it was another American unit doing the firing.  Matty crawled under the fire to alert the machine gunners of their mistake.  He earned a Bronze Star for that incident.  Matty’s artillery unit was charged by some grenade-wielding Japanese who were determined to stop the big guns from firing.  His unit used their small arms to kill the Japanese but not before several grenades were thrown.  Matty was wounded by the shrapnel and he was awarded a Purple Heart.  

Once home, he moved to Long Island and worked in Manhattan.  He was in the restaurant business, but he was not listed as the owner.  He came up frontman to deal with the State Liquor Authority. He was still known as Matty “The Horse,” a childhood nickname he was given after an altercation where onlookers said, “That kid is stronger than a horse.”  He was an imposing figure, but he also had a quick mind.  He started running with the Genovese Family and he was soon inducted into the family with the help of Funzi Tieri.

He then gained control of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters of Bus Drivers local 1181.  This gave him a lot of power to dictate which companies could bid on which jobs.  At one point Matty controlled over 80 bars and restaurants in New York.  He was made a Capo in the 1970’s.  Times Square was full of sex clubs and Matty controlled them.  As a side note, the Mafia also ran gay bars, which were illegal at the time.

The night that Joe Gallo was killed in Little Italy at Umberto’s Clam House, Matty was reportedly working in the kitchen.  Joe was said to say hello to him.  Joe would end up dying that night in the street right in front of the restaurant.

Matty, along with partner Benjamin Cohen, used straw owners very successfully to control bars, nightclubs and restaurants until their 1982 indictment.

They controlled the Mardi Gras in which they skimmed over two million dollars.  Some of the others were the the Peppermint Lounge, the Haymarket and the Grapevine.  In Little Italy he controlled Umberto’s Clam House. The FBI had wires up and were able to catch them but it only slowed Matty down for a few years.  

In 1995 Matty was free once again and he stepped up to take over for the imprisoned Chin Gigante as acting boss.

He moved even deeper into labour racketeering, working with carting companies hauling garbage and even gravel.  

He earned millions until the FBI took him down in 2005.  He pleaded guilty in 2006 and was sentenced to two years in Federal Prison.  He was released in 2009 and lived under the radar until his death in 2012.  Matty was not the only Genovese war hero.  Venero Frank "Benny Eggs" Mangano, who is now acting boss at 93, is also a hero.  He was a tail gunner on a B-29 and flew 33 missions racking up a number of prestigious medals.  If any of you have ever been in a B-29, you know this is impressive, because being in the small gunners turret in the rear is crazy!  There are only a few B-29s left in the world, and they tour around the country visiting small airports.  I highly recommend checking them out when they are in your area, and you can experience Benny Eggs (and so many other war heroes) seat of bravery for yourself.

Vincent "Marbles" Dragonetti

The Gambino Family is always a fun topic.  This week is a story about Vincent “Marbles” Dragonetti, Little Nicky Corozzo’s son in law.  

Vincent became known as Marbles when he was in his teens because of his bad skin.  He had big pimples and boils so the name stuck.  Marbles was not like most crime famimly guys, because he also had a regular job working in landscaping.  He worked with his father and brother in the business until his father passed away.  He then partnered up with his brother and they ran it together.

He was a regular guy in the crew who used to move cocaine with Mario, another crew member. Selling drugs is supposed to be forbidden, but this was before he was really close to Nicky.  The Sicilians who now run the family come from a deep heroin selling background, but I guess that does not count either.   

Gambino Capo Little Nicky Corozzo had a daughter. Little Nicky’s daughter Bernadette had been dating a man who was killed at Wheelers Bar in Sheepshead Bay.  She met Marbles and they started to get serious so Nicky brought him closer to him. Nicky started grooming him.  He still did a lot of credit card fraud and his first real pinch was credit card fraud on Long Island.  

Nicky set him with a lot of landscaping accounts in Howard Beach, John Gotti’s old neighborhood.  Then he helped Marbles open a nursery on Utica in Brooklyn.  Marbles moved up the ranks pretty quick without getting his hands real dirty.  Marbles used to sell slugs for parking meters and now he was taking care of a shylock customers of Little Nickys. One of the guys Little Nicky gave to him was a guy who had a 60k loan out.

Other guys in the crew started to stay away from Marbles because he would report everything about them to Little Nicky.  Marbles had stopped being one of the guys and became the ears and eyes of the boss.

It would not be long until Marbles was inducted into the Gambino Family.  It pays to marry the boss's daughter because it takes most guys many years of work to get inside.  Marbles was soon heavily involved in the labor racketeering, which is still a huge money maker for the Gambino Family.

One of the crimes the FBI went after him for took place in Brooklyn.  Here is how it went down.  Sitt Asset Management had a condominium complex on Ave P in Brooklyn. Marbles and some others had ACE, a Gambino controlled subcontractor, file a lien against another Gambino Controlled contractor named DURAMAX for work that they had never really done.  This was to force Sitt to pay so they could get bank financing without a problem.

Sitt, without knowing that it had been scammed, paid ACE $120,000 to remove the lien.  This is an old Mob trick called “Create and Alleviate.”  One Mob guy or company creates a problem and another steps in to fix the problem.  The problem is that it costs money and after paying once it never stops.   Marbles was able to get ACE to give him $40k of the $120k, not bad for doing nothing.  He used threats which were caught on tape that went like this.  “I dont know anyone who gets hurt unless they have to get hurt.”

The FBI caught Marbles walking out of his house in February 2008, and as soon as Bernadette saw this go down she was on the phone to Little Nicky. Little Nicky fled so fast that he left his wallet in the house. Little Nicky ended up turning himself in to the Feds.  Little Nicky would end up taking a 13 year plea deal.  Marbles lucked out with the judge and he ended up with 200 hours of community service because of Hurricane Sandy.  

A lot of people think the Mob is dead but they are still doing business as usual.

Sonny Franzese: Still Going Strong

Sometimes you can read transcripts and get a feel for what is going on in a courtroom, and sometimes you can tell from what is going on that somebody is cooperating.  Sonny Franzese was on another level.   At one time, he was seated in the courtroom a wheelchair and and needed a fresh battery for his hearing aid.  An FBI Agent from the C-38 Colombo Squad was about to testify.

The FBI Agent started to speak about John Franzese Jr who is a proactive source for the FBI.  He agreed to wear a wire for the FBI against his father.  Sonny found out that his son John was working for the FBI in October 2006.  The FBI found out from another proactive source, Gaetano Fatato, who was wearing a wire when Sonny found out.  Gaetano wore a wire from 2005-2007 and made 242 recordings over 1000 hours for the FBI.

Sonny was very upset and worried that John might say something about Tommy Gioeli, who was the street boss of the Colombo Family.  He feared that it would make it look like he condoned what his son had done.  Sonny was so upset that he went to Gaetano’s home to speak to him right after he visited his parole officer. Sonny had thought that he would be picked up but now he felt the FBI was leaving him on the street to make it look like he was also cooperating.

Sonny told Gaetano that there may be a time when he would have to call in his son in and then they would... (Sonny then made a pistol with his finger) Gaetano agreed that he would help.

Sonny had asked him a year before if he would be willing to kill if asked and he agreed.

Sonny spent a lot of time with Gaetano and one time he started talking about the old days and he told him he had taken part in possibly 60 murders.  At the time, Sonny was the 92 year old acting Underboss of the Colombo Family.  He had never had real job in his life.  John Franzese Jr. would live to testify against his father and other Colombo figures, and told of flying around in a lear jet with tons of cash when his dad was younger.

In some ways I feel bad for Sonny because his own son John testified against him.  I knew John when he was in California and lived at a drug rehab place.  The guy was always a loser and was always supported by his family.  Sonny’s other son Michael had been a Capo in the Colombo Family, but had successfully walked away from the life.  Michael would later become a Christian speaker.

In other ways, I do not feel bad for Sonny because he lived his whole life dedicated to the Mafia.  He lost two daughters, really his whole family because of the Mafia.  He made a life out of shaking people down.  The saying on the street was “His pockets are sewn shut,” meaning he would never go into his pocket for anyone or anything.  He always used his connections or someone around him to pay for things, every meal, every tank of gas, every little thing.  

The Government blamed him for glamorizing the Mafia in the media because he was spoken about in at least 15 books as a Legendary Mobster.  The glamorization comes from those in Hollywood who have never held a pistol, never struck a person, yet feel the need to make up Hollywood versions of the truth.  The truth is, he’s an old man who has lost his family, who committed many violent crimes against others in the same small crime world, spent over 50 years in prison, retains the respect of some, but the love of few.  I once asked a former Colombo capo friend of mine, “Do you know of any happy endings in the mafia?”  He thought about it for a minute, looked at me, and said, “None.”  You can can glamorize Sonny all you want, but its not a happy ending or a happy life.

Sonny is 98 years old today and has a release date of 2017 when he will be 100 and still owe 3 years of parole.

RIP Pasquale Amato

This past week, on March 19th, a man forgotten by his crime family passed away at the Coleman Federal Penitentiary outside of Orlando, Florida.  The man was Pasquale “Patty” Amato; a former Capo in the Colombo Family.  Patty had become a Capo in 1988 and his crew pulled down a lot of cash from their Shylocking business.  Patty would capitalize his guys with cash and they would kick up a percentage to him every week.  Thomas Ocera was a made guy in Patty’s crew, and besides shylocking he also owned a restaurant in Long Island called the Manor Merrick.

In October of 1989 the police raided his restaurant and seized his shylock pay/owe book.

Ocera started drinking heavily and told others that he was going to be killed soon.  You have to wonder what else was in that book, but he knew he was living on borrowed time.  Vic Orena ordered his murder in November because he was skimming money from the shylock business.   

Patty, along with a crew member named Jack Leale, used to have early morning meetings at the Manor with Ocera.  After the police seized the shylock book, the meeting stopped.  Jack Leale convinced Ocera to meet at Patty’s house and when he walked inside Jack and Patty used a garrott to kill him.  They placed Ocera’s body in the trunk of a car Leale borrowed from his brother-in-law and he drove away with other crew members.   Leale and his brother-in-law Bonfiglio assisted by others buried Ocera in Forest Park Queens.  The next day Leale took over two underground gambling clubs that Ocera had owned as a reward for the murder.

The FBI was led to Ocera’s final resting place by another crew member on October 3, 1991.  They quickly issued a warrant for Jack Leale’s arrest. It proved too late because Leale would be found 4 weeks later shot to death in a Long Island parking lot.  In January of 1992 the FBI raided Patty’s home where they found a Davis Industries 380 caliber pistol that was from the same lot as others that had been found on Colombo family members.  

The Colombos were in the middle of their civil war and Patty had gone with Vic Orena against the Persico Faction.  He was acting Underboss for a time while Orena was locked up and then he was back to being a Capo.  The FBI had enough evidence by April 1992 to take down Patty and Orena hoping to put a stop to the war.  They had nothing on Patty for the war but they had enough to charge both with RICO crimes that covered the war and the crimes committed for the Orena faction.

Patty was able to get his case severed from Orena and the rest of the guys, but he was convicted of racketeering in January of 1993.  

The Colombo war had a huge impact on the family and its ability to make money.  Most of the normal business that both sides were doing before the war began stopped.  My friends in Wild Bill’s crew went from pulling down big money to getting $200 a week. Shylocking stopped and the customers went away.  

Patty had loaned his crew members cash to put on the street at 1 percent a week interest and they in turn loaned it out for more.  The war stopped all of that and destroyed their bookmaking and gambling clubs.

Patty had lost his appeals and settled into life in Federal Prison when Greg Scarpa Jr.  (who was also incarcerated) came forward with a story.  The story was that his father, Greg Scarpa Sr., also known as the Grim Reaper, had worked with a rogue FBI Agent and set up Vic Orena and Patty Amato.  

Greg Scarpa did work as an informant and how far the FBI Agent went was never proven.  Patty’s appeal was denied and he died last week; all but forgotten by the crime family he pledged undying loyalty to when he was inducted.

Mafia Headlines Today - Lufthansa Heist

The Lufthansa Heist!  These headlines graced many newspapers this week.  When you dig deeper into the story, you see that only one man is charged with involvement in the legendary heist. The Feds had 4 informants, one of which is Joey Massino, one his Capo and Boss, and the other is his cousin!  

Vincent Asaro was inducted into the Bonnano Family in 1968.  One of Vincent’s crew mates was Anthony Mirra, who would be killed after the Donnie Brasco undercover investigation of the Bonnano Family.  Vincent was placed in his Uncle Mickey Zaffarano's crew.   Mickey at one time had been with his Brother-in-Law Joseph Asaro.  Let me explain who Mickey was in the Mafia.  Mickey was the man who ran the porn business in the 1970's by controlling the Pussy Cat theatres and other movie houses before video cassette.  I know he backed a few porn guys in California working out of the valley.  Mickey was also a mentor to Robert Dibernardo or “DeBee” who ran the porn business for the Gambino Family until John Gotti had him killed.

The way the new RICO case reads is this: on or about and between January 1, 1968 and June 30, 2013 both dates being approximate and inclusive. These are the words that enable the Government to charge three Made men in the Bonnano Crime family with Racketeering crimes even though the statute of limitations has run out.  The crimes include the staple of the Mafia, Shylocking or Loaning money. They also include the murder of Paul Katz in 1969 (he was buried and moved to a Queens backyard) and the December 11, 1978 theft of 5 million dollars in cash and over a million dollars in gold and jewels. Vincent Asaro and company were also charged with burning down a club known then as “Afters on Rockaway Blvd” because it catered to blacks and the Italian restaurant across the street thought it would be bad for business.

Vincent and his son Jerome (also known as Jerry) robbed a Fed Ex driver of 1.2 Million in gold salts.

The Lufthansa robbery was huge and it has been detailed in at least 3 films. In Goodfellas, Robert De Niro plays Jimmy Burke, the mastermind who they renamed Jimmy Conway.  Henry Hill, who was not part of the robbery crew, was played by Ray Liota, which is a huge improvement over the real-life drunken, drug-addicted Henry Hill.  Jimmy Burke had to include members of three crime families in the robbery because they controlled various parts of the airport.  Paulie Vario, a Luchese Family Capo, controlled the Union at the airport.  Another, who in the past has been misidentified as the Gambino guy in control of the airport, was Vincent Asaro who was really the Bonnano Family man at the airport.  Paulo LiCastri was the Gambino Family man who went on the heist.

Vincent Asaro is being charged as one of the men who kept watch outside, while others carried out the robbery.  Jimmy Burke went crazy with greed and paranoia after he realized how much he really stole.  He participated in and had over 10 people connected with the robbery murdered.  When the time came for the split of the cash, those who were still alive were never given their share of the robbery.  Pauli Variosent’s son Peter was to collect his end, which he did eventually get.  

Vincent Asaro eventually was able to collect 240,000 dollars, half of which he stole from one of the informants on his case.  Vincent also brought Joey Massino a box of gold and jewels as his end of the robbery.  That turned out to be a bad move, because Joey Massino is one of the informants that helped put together the RICO Case.

The FBI taped Vincent Asaro complaining about the Robbery to an informant. "We never got our right money,what we were supposed to get. We got fucked all around, Got Fucked all around, that fucking Jimmy Burke kept everything."  I guess he was pissed but he was still close to Jimmy Burke because even many years later he had his guys move the body of Paul Katz who he murdered with Jimmy Burke in 1969.

Vincent Asaro is now 78 years old and a Capo on the ruling panel that runs the family with Boss Tommy Di Fiore.  Vincent's father was a made man and so is his son Jerome who is indicted along with the rest of them.  Vincent has a bad gambling habit and he was even demoted from his Capo position and placed under his son when he took too much cash from his crew.  The FBI has some great tapes of him bad mouthing the Boss Tommy Di Fiore over cash and even former Boss Joey Massino.

It is never boring when you live in the Mafia, but this one instance goes to show that the FBI will get you no matter how many years have passed.

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.