Ed Scarpo's Blog, page 35
April 13, 2015
A Warning for the Bonanno Crime Family...
We didn't know how to proceed in the face of the reaction to our previous story. Our source cannot be identified and we were getting a lot of flack about him.
We shouldn't throw a guy to the wolves -- based on info from a source who may have held a longtime grudge against "The Mole," etc. and so forth.
We're not even referring to comments below the story. The phone calls, emails and texts drove us to shut off our cell phone and consider terminating this blog.
Gerry ChiliThen another source, this one a longtime source (like our new source, this one also is a made guy in the Bonanno crime family -- we know he's made because we have a 302 that identifies him as such) called us this morning.He was pretty certain he knew who the mole was. We confirmed it for him and his response was not "Who the fuck is your source?"
Rather, it was: "I fucking knew it...."
We're working on the story now.
We also wish to tell interested parties the following, which came directly from our conversation this morning:
Gerry Chili didn't trust the guy who two sources believe is a "high-level mole" in the Bonanno family -- active and on the street.
Bonanno family, you've been warned...
April 12, 2015
Bonannos Have "High-level Mole" in Their Midst
I understand there is frustration out there, as expressed in the comments -- but this is very sensitive material. One source is easily identifiable --- I need to disguise him better to throw you off his trail. (He also advised me I should have used "Mole" instead of "Rat" in the headline.)
I planned to pop this up yesterday -- the story was almost completed when I posted the headline. But the source had concerns and I need to discuss some things further with him.
All good things to those who wait... Those who know me know I'd never post a tidbit like this without following through...
You've all heard his name, folks, though you won't find it here...
He believes the Bonannos have a "high-level mole" among them on the street, and his reasons are pretty convincing.
"Well, someone won't shut the fuck up," he said.
Chill out. We wrote the story, click here....
Bonannos Have a Rat in the Family
We spoke with a new source. An inducted member of the Bonanno crime family who flipped, his roots in organized crime go back to the days of Luciano.
You've all heard his name, folks, though you won't find it here...
He believes the Bonannos have a rat among them on the street, and his reasons are pretty convincing.
You'll read them here very soon. (No, I won't identify the supposed rat by name.....)
April 8, 2015
New Ebook Reveals Secrets of Lufthansa Heist
Ebook is now available on Amazon.Where is the $6 million that was stolen during the infamous Lufthansa Airlines heist? Make sure you sign up for our CosaNostraNewsletter; I'm sending an exclusive excerpt from The Mystery of the Lufthansa Heist today!!
See sign-in form at the end of this story...
For 37 years, the FBI has been unable to find the cash and jewels taken from the Lufthansa cargo vault at JFK airport. Now, for the first time, a Mafia insider reveals what happened to the loot.
In this short-format e-book, Dominick Cicale, a former high-ranking member of the Bonanno crime family, discloses never-before-told details about the Lufthansa robbery, which was immortalized in the movie "Goodfellas." The Mystery of the Lufthansa Airlines Heist:: A Wiseguy Reveals the Untold Story is available now for $3.99.
The book includes portions of an unpublished interview with mob associate Henry Hill, whose story inspired "Goodfellas."
Cicale, who turned his back on the mob in 2006, also offers candid insights about the Lufthansa heist's mastermind Jimmy Burke and mob figures John Gotti, "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano, "Bruno" Indelicato and John Gotti Jr. The 13,000-word book is co-authored by Cicale and award-winning journalist Robert Sberna."
RECEIVE THE COSANOSTRANEWSLETTER
Join our mailing list to receive an exclusive excerpt from this book....
I'm sending it out today...
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Story of Carlo Gambino, "Boss of Bosses," Part 1
Amazon.com Widgets
Carlo Gambino, around the time of his coup into power.
The FBI designated him "boss of bosses" of "LCN,"
which still incorrectly referred to "La Causa Nostra."
PART ONE, EXPANDED, REVISED:
As noted, while researching a planned preface to an upcoming story about Albert Anastasia's last day (some intriguing things happened), we ended up first writing this, based on Carlo Gambino's FBI files.
Gambino got his hands dirty and was somewhat more daring than we previously had believed, at least according to the FBI, which following the Apalachin Meeting, shined a bright spotlight into the Cosa Nostra boss's past, as well as all other Mafiosi and associates who attended the meeting. This certainly didn't enhance the reputation of Stefano Maggadino, who'd chosen the location (although all who were charged were acquitted).
Evidenced in the files is the FBI's herculean effort to build a comprehensive profile of Gambino. In addition to expanding an investigation of the man, the Feds also began researching Gambino's criminal record, which was quite lengthy by the time of the hastily put-together Mafia "summit" at mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara's home on November 14, 1957.
Gambino was considered a top narcotics dealer and had overseen a drug ring that stretched from Palermo, Sicily, to America, supposedly in partnership with Charlie "Lucky" Luciano, though the Federal Bureau of Narcotics' Harry J. Anslinger tended to over-hype Luciano's influence for reasons known only to himself.
There was an ongoing effort to deport Gambino from the U.S., though Italy didn't go out of its way to voice much support. From the 1950s until his death, Gambino was always in critical condition, or so he told law enforcement through his doctors and attorneys. He had "convenient" health problems that helped get him out of a number of jams. Also assisting him: The INS actually feared that he'd die while in their custody. At least this was the reason cited in FBI filings regarding why Gambino was never deported. (It's also believed he bribed two U.S. Senators.)
Gambino did have true medical problems, though, as evidenced by scars on his body. He had a scar on his chest as well as two on his back, one over each kidney, the result of medical operations. His facial scars, one on his lower lip and another on the side of his famous "hawk" nose, obviously didn't stem from a surgeon's scalpel.
The Apalachin meeting, which was said to focus on drug dealing, also had on its agenda a more immediate concern.
As part of Vito Genovese's plot to remove a key enemy and solidify his power in the mob, Anastasia was hit in 1957 in the barbershop of the Park Sheraton hotel in midtown Manhattan. (We offer here one painfully autobiographical piece that we still intend to return to: "The Combination" Was Dubbed "Murder Incorporated" By the Press). Genovese had taken Gambino into his confidence to thwart his rivals on the Mafia Commission, and the meeting upstate was to introduce both men as new bosses.
We interviewed a well-regarded Mafia author about Anastasia's last day -- and that is the subject of an upcoming story -- and we have not forgotten about that Mafia Cowboys story, referenced in: What Does Today’s Mob Look Like?
A young Carlo GambinoGenovese was the collective Mafia Commission's obvious major concern at the time. He'd ordered the hit on Frank Costello, who survived and was definitely known to have backed the hit on another boss, Anastasia. Nevertheless, not long after his formal "coming out" he was arrested and imprisoned. He remained a powerful mob boss whose very word sent men on the street to their deaths, Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo among them. Another order that Genovese passed on too late (depending on who you ask) concerned a soldier known as "Joe Cago."
The mobsters at Apalachin probably didn't appreciate (or have cause to) news of Gambino's rise to power, though he quickly fashioned himself into a force to to be reckoned with inside America's Cosa Nostra.
While the Feds indeed put Gambino under the glass in 1957, it wasn't until five years later that they realized Gambino was a much, much bigger fish than even they'd first thought. According to a memo from May 1962, the quiet, 5'7" Sicilian with the nose of a hawk suddenly transformed into a priority for J. Edgar Hoover's G-men.
Gambino served for two decades as the absolute ruler of his family (and had a strong influence on other families, including the Genovese family). Low key and secretive, he set the standard followed by countless other mobsters of his day (and probably these days.) Still, while he lived relatively modestly he was indeed of legendary wealth, stashing cash, jewels and other valuables in safety deposit boxes in banks spread across New York City. He also was renowned for his ability to put together up to $10 million in cash at a moment's notice.
The FBI referred to him as "Boss of Bosses" of "LCN" and "the most powerful racketeer in the country."
They certainly knew enough about him to designate him as such.
-------
Gambino's career in the Mafia extended back to the 1920s, when he arrived in America having been a stowaway. He disembarked in Norfolk, Virginia, in December of 1921 (we incorrectly reported the year as 1931), from the S.S. Vincenzo Florio.
The first mention of him by law enforcement was in the form of a memo by the U.S. Treasury Department's Alcohol Tax Unit in November of 1934, included in the FBI's 1957 filings. It read in part:
Gambino, in 1935, appeared at the U.S. embassy in Montreal, Canada to formally request a visa, but was denied. Nevertheless, he crossed back into America. He never left (except for that trip he made to Sicily in 1948 to meet his brother, who'd fled U.S. law enforcement, and Charlie Lucky, according to the FBI files. Oh, you didn't hear about that one? Neither did we.)
According to the FBI files:
Gambino was married on December 5, 1926 by Pastor A.R. Cioffi in Brooklyn, where Gambino hung his hat for most of his life (he took up residence in the Bronx once).
Gambino walked out of Lewisburg having served around
four days of a 22-month sentence.
He was arrested in 1930 in Boston for "a handkerchief game and a pill game," which was later noted as simply a "handkerchief pill game." In researching this, we could find no definition of what the hell this was. It was larceny, though, and it did saddle Gambino with a prison sentence.
Sort of...
So he served four days, walked out, and TWO YEARS LATER a letter arrived ordering a new trial.
We learn in later documents that those four days were likely the only time Gambino spent behind bars.
Gambino also was arrested for bootlegging and tax evasion in 1937 and 1938, for example, but always paid his way out of prison via a fine (and whatever was handed under to the table to whomever). Also in his favor, wiretapping was then illegal. Therefore, attorneys were able to quash indictments based on evidence from wiretaps. This legal gambit plunged Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante aka "Sam the Plumber" deeply into hot water in the 1960s, as noted in New York's Four Crime Families?
FBI files also noted that Francesco "Frank" Scalice (also spelled Scalise), Anastasia's underboss, shot dead by two gunmen in a fruit store in the Bronx months before Anastasia's death, had Gambino's name on a piece of paper found on him. (Two hitmen... shot in a fruit store -- well, among fruit.... Sound familiar?)
Would this have added impetus to Gambino's decision to order the hit on the Mad Hatter? We can only wonder...
This information, again, was compiled in 1957, after Apalachin.
That same year, on December 9, Gambino thwarted immigration's efforts to deport him by entering a hospital for surgery. (In a somewhat comical episode, the FBI noted that agents tried to arrest Gambino, only they couldn't find him. They called his house and whoever answered the phone said, "He's not here." The Feds, without a warrant, couldn't search Gambino's residence, though they were certain he was either holed up inside or on the lam. Turned out, he was in the hospital.)
Gambino was off limits to law enforcement because he was going under the scalpel of Dr. Samuel A. Thompson at the Flower Hospital on Fifth Avenue and 106th Street, presently known as the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center.
Hoover himself, in a memo, pegged Gambino's chances of living as "not good." Wishful thinking on Hoover's part, or was he merely relaying what the good doctor had told him? Hoover, as is known, had problems recognizing the Mafia publicly because he wanted not one iota of attention to be diverted from what he considered the true menace to America: Communism.
That is, until he realized, following Apalachin, the extent of the mob's ability to corrupt politicians. This helped to sway his thinking that the Mafia was indeed a menace capable of subverting the U.S. government's rule of law. Back then, anyways.
Certainly that is not the case today.
There is a lot of pages to read, folks, I am sorry to do this, but I'll conclude in Part Two.....
Carlo Gambino, around the time of his coup into power.The FBI designated him "boss of bosses" of "LCN,"
which still incorrectly referred to "La Causa Nostra."
PART ONE, EXPANDED, REVISED:
As noted, while researching a planned preface to an upcoming story about Albert Anastasia's last day (some intriguing things happened), we ended up first writing this, based on Carlo Gambino's FBI files.
Gambino got his hands dirty and was somewhat more daring than we previously had believed, at least according to the FBI, which following the Apalachin Meeting, shined a bright spotlight into the Cosa Nostra boss's past, as well as all other Mafiosi and associates who attended the meeting. This certainly didn't enhance the reputation of Stefano Maggadino, who'd chosen the location (although all who were charged were acquitted).
Evidenced in the files is the FBI's herculean effort to build a comprehensive profile of Gambino. In addition to expanding an investigation of the man, the Feds also began researching Gambino's criminal record, which was quite lengthy by the time of the hastily put-together Mafia "summit" at mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara's home on November 14, 1957.
Gambino was considered a top narcotics dealer and had overseen a drug ring that stretched from Palermo, Sicily, to America, supposedly in partnership with Charlie "Lucky" Luciano, though the Federal Bureau of Narcotics' Harry J. Anslinger tended to over-hype Luciano's influence for reasons known only to himself.
There was an ongoing effort to deport Gambino from the U.S., though Italy didn't go out of its way to voice much support. From the 1950s until his death, Gambino was always in critical condition, or so he told law enforcement through his doctors and attorneys. He had "convenient" health problems that helped get him out of a number of jams. Also assisting him: The INS actually feared that he'd die while in their custody. At least this was the reason cited in FBI filings regarding why Gambino was never deported. (It's also believed he bribed two U.S. Senators.)
Gambino did have true medical problems, though, as evidenced by scars on his body. He had a scar on his chest as well as two on his back, one over each kidney, the result of medical operations. His facial scars, one on his lower lip and another on the side of his famous "hawk" nose, obviously didn't stem from a surgeon's scalpel.
The Apalachin meeting, which was said to focus on drug dealing, also had on its agenda a more immediate concern.
As part of Vito Genovese's plot to remove a key enemy and solidify his power in the mob, Anastasia was hit in 1957 in the barbershop of the Park Sheraton hotel in midtown Manhattan. (We offer here one painfully autobiographical piece that we still intend to return to: "The Combination" Was Dubbed "Murder Incorporated" By the Press). Genovese had taken Gambino into his confidence to thwart his rivals on the Mafia Commission, and the meeting upstate was to introduce both men as new bosses.
We interviewed a well-regarded Mafia author about Anastasia's last day -- and that is the subject of an upcoming story -- and we have not forgotten about that Mafia Cowboys story, referenced in: What Does Today’s Mob Look Like?
A young Carlo GambinoGenovese was the collective Mafia Commission's obvious major concern at the time. He'd ordered the hit on Frank Costello, who survived and was definitely known to have backed the hit on another boss, Anastasia. Nevertheless, not long after his formal "coming out" he was arrested and imprisoned. He remained a powerful mob boss whose very word sent men on the street to their deaths, Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo among them. Another order that Genovese passed on too late (depending on who you ask) concerned a soldier known as "Joe Cago."The mobsters at Apalachin probably didn't appreciate (or have cause to) news of Gambino's rise to power, though he quickly fashioned himself into a force to to be reckoned with inside America's Cosa Nostra.
While the Feds indeed put Gambino under the glass in 1957, it wasn't until five years later that they realized Gambino was a much, much bigger fish than even they'd first thought. According to a memo from May 1962, the quiet, 5'7" Sicilian with the nose of a hawk suddenly transformed into a priority for J. Edgar Hoover's G-men.
It is imperative that every effort be made to establish highly confidential coverage of Gambino in view of his position as a "Commission" member and his obvious importance as a top leader in the criminal organization controlled by the "Commission." Considerable information has been developed recently indicating that Gambino is of key importance at the top level in the organized crime underworld in this country as an arbitrator and consultant....
Because of Gambino's key position on the "Commission" it is of utmost importance that we obtain the desired coverage of his activities, enabling us to stay currently informed on his contacts with some of the most important racket figures in this country.
Gambino served for two decades as the absolute ruler of his family (and had a strong influence on other families, including the Genovese family). Low key and secretive, he set the standard followed by countless other mobsters of his day (and probably these days.) Still, while he lived relatively modestly he was indeed of legendary wealth, stashing cash, jewels and other valuables in safety deposit boxes in banks spread across New York City. He also was renowned for his ability to put together up to $10 million in cash at a moment's notice.
The FBI referred to him as "Boss of Bosses" of "LCN" and "the most powerful racketeer in the country."
They certainly knew enough about him to designate him as such.
-------
Gambino's career in the Mafia extended back to the 1920s, when he arrived in America having been a stowaway. He disembarked in Norfolk, Virginia, in December of 1921 (we incorrectly reported the year as 1931), from the S.S. Vincenzo Florio.
The first mention of him by law enforcement was in the form of a memo by the U.S. Treasury Department's Alcohol Tax Unit in November of 1934, included in the FBI's 1957 filings. It read in part:
Since the coming of Prohibition, there has been in the City of New York and vicinity and extending into the State of New Jersey a notorious, daring group of bootleggers known as the GAMBINO outfit. The principal members of this outfit are: CARLO GAMBINO; his brother PAUL GAMBINO; and their cousin ANTHONY GAMBINO.
Gambino, in 1935, appeared at the U.S. embassy in Montreal, Canada to formally request a visa, but was denied. Nevertheless, he crossed back into America. He never left (except for that trip he made to Sicily in 1948 to meet his brother, who'd fled U.S. law enforcement, and Charlie Lucky, according to the FBI files. Oh, you didn't hear about that one? Neither did we.)
According to the FBI files:
"During the spring of 1948, reliable information obtained from a Bureau of Narcotics source indicated that CARLO GAMBINO travelled clandestinely to Palermo, Sicily, where he joined his brother, PAUL GAMBINO, who had fled to Italy to avoid prosecution in a Federal alcohol tax case. The GAMBINOS were reported to exercise control over the narcotic smuggling activities between the Mafia element in Palermo and the United States on behalf of SALVATORE LUCANIA and during 1948, both GAMBINO brothers met with LUCANIA at the home of their relatives in Palermo, Sicily.
"Investigation conducted by the Bureau of Narcotics after 30 some odd Sicilians had been smuggled into the United States aboard the SS Panormus at the Port of Philadelphia during May 1948, disclosed that CARLO GAMBINO was involved in the smuggling of these aliens and that some of these aliens in turn had smuggled substantial quantities of heroin into the United States as payment for being brought into the country.
"Investigation further developed the information that among those interested in the smuggling of these aliens was a representative of the Santo - Serge Trading Company, 196 First Avenue, New York city. This company is operated by SANTO SORGE, an intimate associate of SALVATORE LUCANIA, and it will be recalled that immediately prior to his apprehension at the Apalachin meeting JOSEPH BONANNO was observed at Palermo Sicily, in the company of SANTO SORGE."
Gambino was married on December 5, 1926 by Pastor A.R. Cioffi in Brooklyn, where Gambino hung his hat for most of his life (he took up residence in the Bronx once).
Gambino walked out of Lewisburg having served aroundfour days of a 22-month sentence.
He was arrested in 1930 in Boston for "a handkerchief game and a pill game," which was later noted as simply a "handkerchief pill game." In researching this, we could find no definition of what the hell this was. It was larceny, though, and it did saddle Gambino with a prison sentence.
Sort of...
GAMBINO was sentenced to serve 22 months on May 19, 1939, at the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by US District Judge GEORGE WELSH (Indictment #7609) plus pay a fine of $2,500 for conspiracy to violate the Internal Revenue Liquor laws. He was committed to the US Penitentiary, Lewisburg, on May 23, 1939, and released on bail on May 27, 1939, pending appeal. By letter dated January 21, 1941, the Penitentiary was advised the Clerk of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, that Judgment was reversed and a new trial ordered.
So he served four days, walked out, and TWO YEARS LATER a letter arrived ordering a new trial.
We learn in later documents that those four days were likely the only time Gambino spent behind bars.
The results of the new trial were not reflected in the files at Lewisburg.
Gambino also was arrested for bootlegging and tax evasion in 1937 and 1938, for example, but always paid his way out of prison via a fine (and whatever was handed under to the table to whomever). Also in his favor, wiretapping was then illegal. Therefore, attorneys were able to quash indictments based on evidence from wiretaps. This legal gambit plunged Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante aka "Sam the Plumber" deeply into hot water in the 1960s, as noted in New York's Four Crime Families?
FBI files also noted that Francesco "Frank" Scalice (also spelled Scalise), Anastasia's underboss, shot dead by two gunmen in a fruit store in the Bronx months before Anastasia's death, had Gambino's name on a piece of paper found on him. (Two hitmen... shot in a fruit store -- well, among fruit.... Sound familiar?)
Would this have added impetus to Gambino's decision to order the hit on the Mad Hatter? We can only wonder...
This information, again, was compiled in 1957, after Apalachin.
That same year, on December 9, Gambino thwarted immigration's efforts to deport him by entering a hospital for surgery. (In a somewhat comical episode, the FBI noted that agents tried to arrest Gambino, only they couldn't find him. They called his house and whoever answered the phone said, "He's not here." The Feds, without a warrant, couldn't search Gambino's residence, though they were certain he was either holed up inside or on the lam. Turned out, he was in the hospital.)
Gambino was off limits to law enforcement because he was going under the scalpel of Dr. Samuel A. Thompson at the Flower Hospital on Fifth Avenue and 106th Street, presently known as the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center.
Hoover himself, in a memo, pegged Gambino's chances of living as "not good." Wishful thinking on Hoover's part, or was he merely relaying what the good doctor had told him? Hoover, as is known, had problems recognizing the Mafia publicly because he wanted not one iota of attention to be diverted from what he considered the true menace to America: Communism.
That is, until he realized, following Apalachin, the extent of the mob's ability to corrupt politicians. This helped to sway his thinking that the Mafia was indeed a menace capable of subverting the U.S. government's rule of law. Back then, anyways.
Certainly that is not the case today.
There is a lot of pages to read, folks, I am sorry to do this, but I'll conclude in Part Two.....
April 7, 2015
VH1's Mob Wives Sale "In Progress"
Mob Wives will have a new owner -- and it's the company that produced the recent Mafia with Trevor McDonald two-part series.
What this means for the show and its viewers is open to debate, however, as The Weinstein Company will continue to manage its television division though it is "in the process of selling [it] to ITV, the British broadcaster that has been on a buying spree of late," as The Hollywood Reporter revealed today.
The deal's value could be worth $950 million. It involves an up-front payment of around $400 million with "an escalating package of compensation and bonuses that would nearly triple the initial purchase price," sources told THR.
The Weinstein Company, which hired several TV executives to grow the operation, would continue to manage to television group.
The Weinstein Co. did not respond for comment; an ITV spokesperson said only that: "We do not comment on speculation."
Weinstein co-chairman Harvey Weinstein, renowned for a stream of Oscar-winning films, including this year's The Imitation Game, has prioritized its portfolio of television programs in recent years.
April 6, 2015
Alite Stars on Reality Mob, Where "Bad turns Good"
Lisa hosts Reality Mob*She is young and looks it -- but she certainly sounds like she can handle herself.
Lisa -- that's right, just "Lisa" -- kicked off her Reality Mob podcast last week, and tonight (April 14) at 9pm she's holding her second, with John Alite, -- hit this link.
Yeah, yeah. I know, I know -- you wanna know about the high-level mole in the Bonanno crime family. I'm working on it. It's out of my hands to an extent -- and it's completely out of Lisa's hands, so giver her a chance here....
We listened to her show last week and liked the way she handled herself. So when we heard Alite was talking, we decided to give her this shout out.
"I WILL NOT ALLOW GUESTS TO BE ABUSED." --Lisa on her podcast page.
And she means it. Just listen to her tonight... The call-in number for the show: (845) 277-9186
"My next guest's name is John Alite," she told us. "I had the liberty of pre-interviewing him and getting to know him. We both want to educate children around the world about bullying and keep them from going onto the streets." She also talks about addiction, gangs, street stuff kids are better off avoiding....
A young mother, Lisa is hesitant to provide too many personal details because she herself has faced bullies -- for her it's not a problem. But one creep dragged her son into things. She's not very happy about that.
She grew up in New York, where her father and mother, may they both rest in peace, raised her and her brothers.
Her father was associated with a crime family and knew a few prominent figures (of one boss he once told her: "He doesn't really want it."). She asked us not to provide any details about him or even post his picture and we respect her right to privacy.
Reality Mob host Lisa*Her show is not about gangsters. It's about stopping kids from becoming them.
We talked to her today. "I'm ready whenever," she said. "I sound like I smoke 50 packs of cigarettes because of the tonsillitis."
She didn't sound like she smoked one cigarette.
For a woman who talks for a living, she likes silence.
"I need peace and quiet and I do not get it because I have to be around my son 24|7 and he does not nap. He resists everything I ask of him. But then again he is only 2 years old."
She has experience working on other podcasts -- one devoted to the VH1 reality show Mob Wives.
One anecdote she related to us, we'll share.
She messaged us a story about what happened one night she went out drinking....
It wasn't even a bar it was a club my cousin used to date the DJ. I guess my cousin was arguing with her ex and I was tipsy and I saw him push her. And idk why BUT I didn't wanna leave....
So I pushed the DJ and got in the middle...And I held onto the bar and said "No, you're not taking me out." I still to this day don't know why I even wanted to stay there. I just don't like guys hitting girls. And I saw him push her so I pushed him into his turntable.
These guys that we'd went in with later told me "it took like four guards to get you to let go." I was mad and wanted to prove my point that a man can't win a fight with me.
I remember saying, "Yeah, it takes four bitches on one girl!"
*Thanks to Jatnna Nunez Photography
What You Didn't Know About the "Boss of Bosses"
Amazon.com Widgets
Carlo Gambino was only once arrested and charged, though the case
never resulted in anything. Gambino had been truly untouchable.
To set the stage for an upcoming story, we planned to post here the New York Times report on Albert Anastasia's assassination in 1957.
While researching a planned preface to the Times story, however, we learned some interesting things about Carlo Gambino.
As these tidbits accumulated, we realized our preface had grown into a story all its own.
As part of Vito Genovese's plot to remove a key enemy and solidify his power in the mob, Albert Anastasia was hit in 1957 in the barbershop of the Park Sheraton hotel in midtown Manhattan. He'd taken Carlo Gambino into his confidence to thwart his rivals on the Mafia Commission.
We interviewed a well-regarded Mafia author about Anastasia's last day -- and that is what this upcoming story concerns.
Genovese, not long after his formal "coming out" at the doomed affair that was Appalachin, found himself living out his days in prison, though he was still powerful and his word was enough to send men on the street to their deaths. (Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo was among them.) Another order that Genovese passed on too late (depending on who you ask) concerned a soldier known as "Joe Cago." Genovese's kiss of death (Il bacio della morte) served ultimately to piss off Joe Valachi. Whether it actually happened, however, is another question, though the kiss is mentioned in Peter Maas's The Valachi Papers as well as The Valachi Papers film, which starred Charles Bronson but was still a middling effort. We admit here we didn't screen Valachi's spoken testimony out of expediency but even if Valachi said it, there's still reason for doubt.
Appalachin was important in Gambino's case, also, in that it heralded his rise to power within America's Cosa Nostra. The Feds didn't realize this until five years later, however. According to a memo from May 1962, the quiet, not tall Sicilian with the nose of a hawk suddenly transformed into a priority for J. Edgar Hoover's G-men.
Gambino served for two decades as the absolute ruler of his family (and had a strong influence on other families, including the Genovese family). Low key and secretive, Gambino set the standard followed by countless other mobsters of his day (and probably these days.) Still, while he lived relatively modestly he was indeed of legendary wealth, stashing cash, jewels and other valuables in safety deposit boxes in banks spread across New York City. He also was renowned for his ability to put together up to $10 million in cash at a moment's notice.
The FBI referred to him as "Boss of Bosses" of "LCN" and "the most powerful racketeer in the country."
When he was arrested in 1970, he refused to sign a form that noted he'd been advised of his rights. His only remark to the agents was that he had only a few months left to live, so he had nothing to say.
We'd thought he'd never been caught on wiretap even though the Feds had supposedly bugged his Brooklyn home.
Turns out, Gambino was caught on a wiretap.
A young Gambino, Mangano crime family member.
Based on Gambino's FBI files, agents installed a bug in a hotel room he shared with his wife (and alleged first cousin) Catherine née Castellano (yes, sister to Gambino's chosen successor). It was during a March 1962 vacation in Miami at the Golden Gate that the Feds heard conversations between the two.
While very personal and not very incriminating, the dialogue humanizes the man versus the myth. Gambino, based on his words, enjoyed gambling on horses -- and was not above threatening his wife with violence, though he was likely using hyperbole.
As the Friends of Ours blogger (to whom we owe a special thanks) noted, Gambino gloated about his "days at the track" while....
"Shrew," a woman of violent temper and speech, is an interesting term for Gambino to have used. He seems to have had a quite extensive command of English, not his first language.
Gambino's marriage to a first cousin prompted remarks from both the FBI and Gambino's criminal cohorts, one of whom, a front boss for the Genovese family, was murdered
As the Friends of Ours Blogger noted, "the historic incident of some blood marriages in Carlo Gambino's lineage prompted Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy during a November 4, 1963 visit to the New York field office to "express[] an interest" on the subject.
Gambino is considered to be behind Eboli's murder. As noted in a previous story, Gambino found a better cohort in Frank "Funzi" Tieri than Tommy Eboli, who placed himself in the doghouse by failing to accept the burden of repaying a $4 million loan he owed Gambino and the other bosses, all of whom had pooled their money to fund a large drug deal Eboli had put together. However, when the deal went south, Eboli wouldn't repay them or even acknowledge the debt.
Gambino supposedly had him whacked in 1972. The shooters purposely waited until Eboli was leaving his mistress's house before opening fire on him. Tommy Ryan was a boss, so why not let him go with a smile on his face? Now we wonder if Gambino had gotten wind of Ryan's characterization of the family that to this day carries the Gambino name. Perhaps there was greater impetus to the Eboli hit than previously known...
Gambino also arranged for Funzi Tieri to take over the Genovese family, supposedly to establish a base of supporters for his designated heir, Paul Castellano. Tieri proved himself to be an effective Cosa Nostra boss in how own right, however, known to be capable of applying violence only when necessary. Also, he was a big moneymaker. One FBI agent called Tieri a "real money maker, one of the classiest gangsters in the New York City area."
Gambino arrested in 1970; nothing came of it. (Bettmann/Corbis)
(Yes, we know that Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo (October 6, 1908 – April 1987) is considered to have been the real boss of the Genovese crime family from the late 1960s until the early 1980s. However, he seemed to have stayed under the radar while Gambino had one of his front bosses killed and appointed the next. (There is grounds for debate here, and we're sure we'll get some below.)
Gambino's career in the Mafia extended back to the 1930s (he arrived in the U.S., specifically in Norfolk, Virginia, in December of 1931, having traveled as a stowaway aboard the S.S. Vincenzo Florio).
The first mention of him by law enforcement was in the form of a memo by the U.S. Treasury Department's Alcohol Tax Unit in November of 1934. It read:
Despite all the years the FBI investigated Gambino, the Feds only were able to make one serious effort to nail him -- and it failed. The aging Don was put in handcuffs on March 23, 1970 for allegedly masterminding a conspiracy to hijack a $6 million armored car. When arrested he was in possession of around $350 in cash and hundreds more in savings bonds.
Almost every FBI memo pertaining to Gambino from then on labeled him "Armed and Dangerous."
Gambino and three others, names redacted, faced a one-count indictment. A trial date was set for December. The judge initially limited the pending trial to the afternoon hours, between 2pm and 5pm, allowing for periodic breaks owing to Gambino's heart condition, so it likely was not a major shock when Manhattan federal judge Marvin Frankel severed Gambino from the trial due to his ill health. Gambino supposedly was to face trial as soon as his health improved, a scenario never realized.
Details of the case were redacted but the FBI was careful to share information with its field offices in Boston and Newark, based on their respective "interests" in the proceedings.
The feds even investigated charges that Gambino was behind a string of bank and armored car robberies though he was only ever charged with the one-count indictment.
Among Gambino's few indulgences was the purchase of a waterfront property in Massapequa, Long Island for weekend and summer use. Gambino bought the place from Ettore Zappi, one of his trusted capos who ran a porn empire for the crime family and lived next door. The mob boss was said to have owned a 1964 20-foot Glasspas and a 1958 55-foot Wheeler cabin cruiser. Also, according to the Feds it was "reported that GAMBINO uses a converted Coast Guard cutter" though this was not confirmed.
Gambino died at this Long Island estate at the age of 74 (in a "state of grace," according to a priest who provided him with the Last Rites of the Catholic Church) on October 15, 1976.
Four days later a memo from the New York Field Office to the FBI Director provided the final details on Gambino's death:
While the extent of his power is open to debate, it can be said of Gambino with certainty that, in him, American law enforcement faced a true Mafia powerhouse and mastermind, a man who'd been literally untouchable.
Carlo Gambino was only once arrested and charged, though the casenever resulted in anything. Gambino had been truly untouchable.
To set the stage for an upcoming story, we planned to post here the New York Times report on Albert Anastasia's assassination in 1957.
While researching a planned preface to the Times story, however, we learned some interesting things about Carlo Gambino.
As these tidbits accumulated, we realized our preface had grown into a story all its own.
As part of Vito Genovese's plot to remove a key enemy and solidify his power in the mob, Albert Anastasia was hit in 1957 in the barbershop of the Park Sheraton hotel in midtown Manhattan. He'd taken Carlo Gambino into his confidence to thwart his rivals on the Mafia Commission.
We interviewed a well-regarded Mafia author about Anastasia's last day -- and that is what this upcoming story concerns.
Genovese, not long after his formal "coming out" at the doomed affair that was Appalachin, found himself living out his days in prison, though he was still powerful and his word was enough to send men on the street to their deaths. (Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo was among them.) Another order that Genovese passed on too late (depending on who you ask) concerned a soldier known as "Joe Cago." Genovese's kiss of death (Il bacio della morte) served ultimately to piss off Joe Valachi. Whether it actually happened, however, is another question, though the kiss is mentioned in Peter Maas's The Valachi Papers as well as The Valachi Papers film, which starred Charles Bronson but was still a middling effort. We admit here we didn't screen Valachi's spoken testimony out of expediency but even if Valachi said it, there's still reason for doubt.
Appalachin was important in Gambino's case, also, in that it heralded his rise to power within America's Cosa Nostra. The Feds didn't realize this until five years later, however. According to a memo from May 1962, the quiet, not tall Sicilian with the nose of a hawk suddenly transformed into a priority for J. Edgar Hoover's G-men.
It is imperative that every effort be made to establish highly confidential coverage of Gambino in view of his position as a "Commission" member and his obvious importance as a top leader in the criminal organization controlled by the "Commission." Considerable information has been developed recently indicating that Gambino is of key importance at the top level in the organized crime underworld in this country as an arbitrator and consultant....
Because of Gambino's key position on the "Commission" it is of utmost importance that we obtain the desired coverage of his activities, enabling us to stay currently informed on his contacts with some of the most important racket figures in this country.
Gambino served for two decades as the absolute ruler of his family (and had a strong influence on other families, including the Genovese family). Low key and secretive, Gambino set the standard followed by countless other mobsters of his day (and probably these days.) Still, while he lived relatively modestly he was indeed of legendary wealth, stashing cash, jewels and other valuables in safety deposit boxes in banks spread across New York City. He also was renowned for his ability to put together up to $10 million in cash at a moment's notice.
The FBI referred to him as "Boss of Bosses" of "LCN" and "the most powerful racketeer in the country."
When he was arrested in 1970, he refused to sign a form that noted he'd been advised of his rights. His only remark to the agents was that he had only a few months left to live, so he had nothing to say.
We'd thought he'd never been caught on wiretap even though the Feds had supposedly bugged his Brooklyn home.
Turns out, Gambino was caught on a wiretap.
A young Gambino, Mangano crime family member.Based on Gambino's FBI files, agents installed a bug in a hotel room he shared with his wife (and alleged first cousin) Catherine née Castellano (yes, sister to Gambino's chosen successor). It was during a March 1962 vacation in Miami at the Golden Gate that the Feds heard conversations between the two.
While very personal and not very incriminating, the dialogue humanizes the man versus the myth. Gambino, based on his words, enjoyed gambling on horses -- and was not above threatening his wife with violence, though he was likely using hyperbole.
As the Friends of Ours blogger (to whom we owe a special thanks) noted, Gambino gloated about his "days at the track" while....
... Catherine complained about the Jews. Apparently Mrs. Gambino had an anti-Semitic streak: "She also stated that there were too many Jews there and she says she feels these Jews drink too much. She stated that she feels she is better than they are."...
The marriage sounded thoroughly loveless with endless bickering based on the FBI eavesdropping of the Gambino hotel room. Carlo on one occasion called Catherine a "shrew" with "a sharp tongue," and on another occasion cursed at her and "then told his wife that she talked too much and if she did not shut up, he would cut her tongue off."
"Shrew," a woman of violent temper and speech, is an interesting term for Gambino to have used. He seems to have had a quite extensive command of English, not his first language.
Gambino's marriage to a first cousin prompted remarks from both the FBI and Gambino's criminal cohorts, one of whom, a front boss for the Genovese family, was murdered
As the Friends of Ours Blogger noted, "the historic incident of some blood marriages in Carlo Gambino's lineage prompted Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy during a November 4, 1963 visit to the New York field office to "express[] an interest" on the subject.
The FBI compiled a family tree on Carlo Gambino in an FBI November 13, 1963 report, and the Bureau notes "that hoodlums in referring to the Gambino family ('Cosa Nostra' family) sometimes call them 'degenerates' and it is believed that this terminology may have come about through this close intermarriage within various members of the family." (The FBI files on Thomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli indicate that the Genovese acting boss never could stand Gambino, and an informant told the FBI in the early 1960s that Eboli characterized the Gambino crime family as "full of degenerates" after learning one of its soldiers was whacked for having an affair with his mother-in-law.)
Gambino is considered to be behind Eboli's murder. As noted in a previous story, Gambino found a better cohort in Frank "Funzi" Tieri than Tommy Eboli, who placed himself in the doghouse by failing to accept the burden of repaying a $4 million loan he owed Gambino and the other bosses, all of whom had pooled their money to fund a large drug deal Eboli had put together. However, when the deal went south, Eboli wouldn't repay them or even acknowledge the debt.
Gambino supposedly had him whacked in 1972. The shooters purposely waited until Eboli was leaving his mistress's house before opening fire on him. Tommy Ryan was a boss, so why not let him go with a smile on his face? Now we wonder if Gambino had gotten wind of Ryan's characterization of the family that to this day carries the Gambino name. Perhaps there was greater impetus to the Eboli hit than previously known...
Gambino also arranged for Funzi Tieri to take over the Genovese family, supposedly to establish a base of supporters for his designated heir, Paul Castellano. Tieri proved himself to be an effective Cosa Nostra boss in how own right, however, known to be capable of applying violence only when necessary. Also, he was a big moneymaker. One FBI agent called Tieri a "real money maker, one of the classiest gangsters in the New York City area."
Gambino arrested in 1970; nothing came of it. (Bettmann/Corbis)(Yes, we know that Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo (October 6, 1908 – April 1987) is considered to have been the real boss of the Genovese crime family from the late 1960s until the early 1980s. However, he seemed to have stayed under the radar while Gambino had one of his front bosses killed and appointed the next. (There is grounds for debate here, and we're sure we'll get some below.)
Gambino's career in the Mafia extended back to the 1930s (he arrived in the U.S., specifically in Norfolk, Virginia, in December of 1931, having traveled as a stowaway aboard the S.S. Vincenzo Florio).
The first mention of him by law enforcement was in the form of a memo by the U.S. Treasury Department's Alcohol Tax Unit in November of 1934. It read:
Since the coming of Prohibition, there has been in the City of New York and vicinity and extending into the State of New Jersey a notorious, daring group of bootleggers known as the GAMBINO outfit. The principal members of this outfit are: CARLO GAMBINO; his brother PAUL GAMBINO; and their cousin ANTHONY GAMBINO.
Despite all the years the FBI investigated Gambino, the Feds only were able to make one serious effort to nail him -- and it failed. The aging Don was put in handcuffs on March 23, 1970 for allegedly masterminding a conspiracy to hijack a $6 million armored car. When arrested he was in possession of around $350 in cash and hundreds more in savings bonds.
Almost every FBI memo pertaining to Gambino from then on labeled him "Armed and Dangerous."
Gambino and three others, names redacted, faced a one-count indictment. A trial date was set for December. The judge initially limited the pending trial to the afternoon hours, between 2pm and 5pm, allowing for periodic breaks owing to Gambino's heart condition, so it likely was not a major shock when Manhattan federal judge Marvin Frankel severed Gambino from the trial due to his ill health. Gambino supposedly was to face trial as soon as his health improved, a scenario never realized.
Details of the case were redacted but the FBI was careful to share information with its field offices in Boston and Newark, based on their respective "interests" in the proceedings.
The feds even investigated charges that Gambino was behind a string of bank and armored car robberies though he was only ever charged with the one-count indictment.
Among Gambino's few indulgences was the purchase of a waterfront property in Massapequa, Long Island for weekend and summer use. Gambino bought the place from Ettore Zappi, one of his trusted capos who ran a porn empire for the crime family and lived next door. The mob boss was said to have owned a 1964 20-foot Glasspas and a 1958 55-foot Wheeler cabin cruiser. Also, according to the Feds it was "reported that GAMBINO uses a converted Coast Guard cutter" though this was not confirmed.
Gambino died at this Long Island estate at the age of 74 (in a "state of grace," according to a priest who provided him with the Last Rites of the Catholic Church) on October 15, 1976.
Four days later a memo from the New York Field Office to the FBI Director provided the final details on Gambino's death:
CARLO GAMBINO died of heart disease 10/15/76 at 34 Club Drive, Massapequa, LI, NY (not verified by death certificate). GAMBINO waked at Cusimano and Russo Funeral Home, 10/16-17/76. Funeral services held 10 AM 10/18/76 at Our Lady of Grace Church, Ave. W and E. 4th St., Brooklyn, NY. Burial services followed at the Cloisters, St. John's Cemetery, Queens, NY.
While the extent of his power is open to debate, it can be said of Gambino with certainty that, in him, American law enforcement faced a true Mafia powerhouse and mastermind, a man who'd been literally untouchable.
Bonventre Declined Promotion. So What, Feds Say....
Bonventre declined a promotion, accordingto Asaro, caught secretly on tape.
In a Daily News Exclusive: Bonanno acting capo Jack Bonventre, arrested last January in what was then considered a major bust related to the storied 1970s Lufthansa heist, turned down an offer to move up in the crime family, according to his lawyer.
But the feds aren't impressed, saying the mere offer of the promotion evidenced Bonventre's power and stature within the crime family.
Evidence that the promotion was offered apparently was caught on a wiretap. Bonanno capo Vincent Asaro, who was recorded extensively insulting street boss Thomas DiFiore, among other things, told an associate on March 8, 2013: “[Bonventre] turned it down, he didn’t want it... Jack didn’t want no part of this no more.”
Asaro was arrested with Bonventre, as were street boss Thomas “Tommy D” DiFiore of Commack, who'd been the highest-ranking Bonanno family member not behind bars; soldier John “Bazoo” Ragano and Asaro's son, Jerome. (See original indictment here.)
Bonventre is facing 21 to 27 months in prison when he’s sentenced this month for collecting a loanshark debt. His lawyer, Gordon Mehler, advocates in filings that mention of the promotion shouldn't be held against his client and that the feds and trying to spotlight the relevance of the offer.
The News quoted some of Mehler's argument to Brooklyn Federal Judge Allyne Ross:
“Assuming that this is even true, traditional organized crime families in New York are now weaker than 20 or 30 years ago and the Bonanno family in particular has been largely decimated by arrests and defections. Being considered for consigliere does not have the same meaning as it once did."
Anthony "Fat Anthony" Rabito allegedly holds the consiglieri position. Still, the family's mere floating of the offer proclaims Bonventre holds a powerful position in the crime family, according to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Argentieri and Alicyn Cooley.
According to his lawyer in sentencing papers, Bonventre, 46, is a hardworking owner of an auto body shop in upstate Orange County. His good deeds, including the donation of fuel to St. Helen, his former parish in Howard Beach, Queens, were noted in submitted letters from two Catholic priests.
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Rabito was recently observed by NYPD detectives meeting "suspiciously" with the family’s Bronx street boss John Palazzolo in the parking lot of a Queens diner. (One of our sources swears "JP" is a Queens guy, however.)
Supposedly a panel is running the Bonanno crime family -- the composition of which has been in flux due to arrests. The panel is viewed as a temporary measure until official boss Michael "Mikey Nose" Mancuso finishes his 15-year sentence.
Most stories about the gangsters arrested in this indictment no longer mention the Lufthansa heist, deemed the biggest score in American history when it occurred. James “Jimmy the Gent” Burke (July 5, 1931 – April 13, 1996), an Irish-American gangster with ties to the Luchese family through his association with Luchese capo Paul Vario, is considered the mastermind of the caper, which took place on December 11, 1978, and netted about $5 million in cash and another million in jewels.
Burke murdered or orchestrated the murders of nearly all those directly involved in heist, beginning the purge less than a week after the crime was committed. Amazon.com Widgets
April 5, 2015
Rise of New York Mafia from 1905 to 1960
The rise of Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegeland other notorious gangsters.
As noted in January, AMC announced today that “The Making of The Mob: New York” will premiere on Monday, June 15th at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, and be narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Ray Liotta.
Kicking off “Mob Mondays,” the eight-part series begins in 1905 and spans over 50 years to trace the rise of Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and other notorious gangsters from their beginnings as a neighborhood gang of teenagers to murderous entrepreneurs and bootleggers who organized the criminal underworld, turning the Mafia into an American institution.
The premiere will air following a 25th Anniversary feature presentation of 1990s Oscar-winning film Goodfellas (Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci) at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT. “The Making of The Mob: New York” is executive produced by Emmy Award-winning Stephen David Entertainment (“The World Wars,” “The Men Who Built America”).
“Narrating ‘The Making of The Mob: New York’ is a thrill for me because I’m fascinated, like many, by the rich, untold history of these men and their strong ties to each other,” said Liotta. “Stephen David is a skilled storyteller and I’m happy to lend my voice to this series.”
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Utilizing an immersive blend of dramatic scenes, archival footage and groundbreaking VFX, “The Making of The Mob: New York” is AMC’s first ever docu-drama featuring exclusive interviews with notable names including former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Meyer Lansky II, Chazz Palminteri, Drea de Matteo, Joe Mantegna, Frankie Valli, Mob attorney and former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman and noted author and historian David Pietrusza, among many others.
As part of AMC’s “Mob Mondays,” AMC will extend the Mafia theme by partnering each episode of “The Making of The Mob: New York” with a lead-in from their extensive library of iconic mobster films. Long the cornerstones of the popular annual “Mob Week” programming event on AMC, lead-in titles will include The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, American Gangster, Donnie Brasco, Scarface, Casino and Carlito’s Way.
