Joe Bruno on the Mob – Mob Wives – March 4th Show

March 7, 2012

In a starling turn of developments, on Monday, March 5, I had an amazing 1104 hits (in one day) on my blog Joe Bruno on the Mob. And more than half of them came on previous articles I had written on the show “Mob Wives,” or on the characters in the show (and I do mean characters): Renee Graziano, her ex-husband-turned-government-informant Hector “Junior” Perez,” or on Karen Gravano, the daughter of mob turncoat Sammy “The Bull” Gravano. So in the interest of giving the public what it wants, your humble news correspondent (No, I don’t mean Bill O’Reilly) has voluntarily taken on the task of giving the public periodic updates on the going’s on of the show “Mob Wives, “ so infantile and annoying, it makes my nose hairs hurt.

I know; it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Besides, let’s face it, I need the readership.

Because I’m a lucky guy, on Monday, March 5th, I was able to see a rerun of the last “Mob Wives” show, which aired on Sunday night, March 4th. The basic premise of the show was that two mob wives, who have severe animosities towards each other, have decided to throw separate Halloween parties on the same night, basically to annoy each other to death. Putting that aside, because it’s hardly newsworthy (if anything on the show is), I’ll get to the meat of the show, which is the interaction between Renee Graziano and her ex-husband Pagan, who when this show was shot last October, were inexplicably trying to get back together. Or at least Renee thought so, since Pagan was already a couple of months into being a mob informant, and was secretly taping every mob associate in sight, including Renee’s father Anthony Graziano, and reputed Bonanno capo Anthony “TV” Badalamenti.

As I’ve stated before, both the producer of the show and VH1 are being disingenuous by not giving the viewing audience a clue as to the present situation with Pagan now being a government informant (unknown then, but very known now). It’s obvious now that Renee was basically wasting her time in these episodes, trying to make a relationship work with a man who had no intention of ever getting back together with her. Unless of course, Pagan expected Renee, and their son A.J., to join him in the Witness Protection Program; which could never happen. But I’ve harped on this before, and still, there has been no attempt from the producer of the show, Jennifer Graziano (Renee’s sister) or VH1 to set the record straight. They proceed as if Pagan has never been arrested, and has never worn a wire, and is not presently in the Witness Protection Program.

Be that as it may, I continue…….

In the previous show, Renee and Pagan had been seeing a marriage counselor to see if they could make a second go-around on a marriage that didn’t work out so good the first time around. (Again, Pagan was just going through the motions because he was already in bed with Team America.) The March 4th show starts with Renee speaking to the camera and saying, “After seeing the marriage counselor, things are not getting better (between her and Pagan) they are getting worse!”

Then the cameras cut to a tender living room scene where Renee is sitting opposite Pagan, who looks like he rather be sitting in solitary confinement in Alcatraz Prison than in the same room with Renee.

Renee to Pagan – “You in a bad mood?”

Pagan to Renee – “You know I am.”

Renee- “OK. What can I do to make it better?”

Pagan – “Time.”

Now here is where it gets a little confusing. Does Pagan mean he wishes he was doing his time in prison already? Or does he mean he wishes Renee was doing time in prison instead? Or is he just uttering the generic term “time?”

Like it makes a difference.

So we continue……

Renee to the camera – “We go to the marriage counselor to talk about things from the past, and now he’s mad at me?”

Back to the living room with the two love birds.

Renee to Pagan – “If you are mad at me for what I said to the marriage counselor, you must be crazy!”

Pagan to Renee – “I’m crazy?”

Renee – “I said what I said on purpose to get you mad.”

Pagan (starting to stand) – “You want me to leave; I’ll go pack my bags and leave.”

Renee (in tears) – “I don’t want you to leave. (more tears) I apologize for what I said.”

Pagan (defiant) – An apology doesn’t change the way I feel.”

Cut to Renee back in the studio. She says to the camera, “He’s lucky I didn’t hit him in the head with a frying pan!”

By this time, I’d like to hit myself in the hand with a frying pan for watching this nonsense. But as your humble news correspondent, I force myself to continue viewing something that reminds me of the Titanic bashing into that darn iceberg.

Back to Renee and Pagan in the living room.

Renee to Pagan – “You’re making me crazy!”

Pagan puts his hands to his ears to drown out Renee’s shrill screams. Then, without saying a word, he gets up and exits the room, climbing the stairs to the upper floor.

Renee yells at his back – “You’re running from the truth again! You’re real good at that!”

The show is not half over, but I decide to tape the rest, so that I can take a few valium to calm my nerves from all the melodrama (I don’t have valium, so I guess a bottle of Scotch will have to do). There’s only so much your humble news correspondent can take in one sitting.

End of Part 1.

Stay tuned for part 2.

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Big-time Rat Receives “Get Out of Jail” Card By the Feds

 

In one of the most outrageously bizarre decisions by a federal judge in a long time, Judge Nicholas Garaufis sentenced admitted three-time killer, and big-time rat Dominick Cicale to an insignificant 10 years in prison. Since Cicale has already served seven years in jail, and is expected to get 18 months off for “good behavior,” Cicale could hit the streets sometime next year, and then go right into the Witness Protection Program. Cicale was a key witness in the two trials of his alleged former Bonanno boss Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano, and also in the trial of John A. (Junior) Gotti. Based on Cicale’s testimony, Basciano is presently serving life in prison.

To show what a murderous dog he was, Cicale, previous to his sentencing, pleaded guilty to the murders of Frank Santoro and Randolph Pizzolo. He also committed a previous murder on which he was sentenced to eleven years in prison in Florida. Cicale said he was ordered to commit the murders of Santoro and Pizzolo by Basciano (Who knows if that’s the truth, nor does it make a difference). Still, the prosecutors recommended a extremely lenient sentence for Cicale.

“While he (Cicale) has engaged in a multitude of crimes, including three murders, he has nonetheless provided information and testimony that has put dangerous criminals behind bars,” the prosecutors told the judge.

“We need cooperating witnesses to prevail,” said Asst. Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Greg Andres.

To prevail against what?

Why make a deal with the devil to put someone in jail for life who is no worse than the person who is giving testimony against them? It’s not right that the government gets to pick and choose who goes to jail and who gets a sweetheart deal because of their willingness to inform.

If you can let a guy off almost clean who has admitted to three murders (three that we know of), where does the insanity stop?

The answer why the Feds are willing to make deals with vermin like Cicale is simple. Basciano was a big-name mob boss. Cicale was a nobody. And federal prosecutors, as well as federal law enforcement, get their promotions and pay raises based on the notoriety of the big fish they put in prison.

So letting a three-time murderer like Cicale off easy was an no-brainer for the Feds, looking to further their careers, but not so palatable for the families of Santoro and Pizzolo.

Shame on the Feds.

Shame on Judge Garaufis.

You can read the article below at:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/31/us-crime-mafia-newyork-idUSTRE80U01J20120131

and

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/bonanno-rat-dominick-cicale-break-a-lifetime-helping-nail-vinny-gorgeous-basciano-article-1.1014458

Bonanno rat Dominick Cicale gets break of a lifetime for helping nail Vinny Gorgeous Basciano

Goon gets 10 years in murders, but with time served and good behavior he could be sprung into witness protection program in 2013

Comments (2)

By John Marzulli / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 1:11 AM

THE RAT got his reward.

A murderous Bonanno mobster who helped put crime boss Vinny Gorgeous away for life hit the turncoat jackpot Monday: a reduced sentence that will have him back on the street next year.

Dominick Cicale was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but he’s already served seven behind bars and is expected to get an extra 18 months shaved off for good behavior.

He faced two life terms for a pair of killings he committed with Gorgeous, aka Vincent Basciano, but prosecutors urged Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis to consider how his testimony has helped them decimate the Bonanno leadership.

“We need cooperating witnesses to prevail,” said Asst. Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Greg Andres.

Cicale was affiliated with the Bonannos from 1999 to 2005; in that span, he was promoted to captain and crew leader at the direction of Basciano, who proudly called Cicale his “hoodlum.”

Before joining the mob, Cicale had served 11 years in prison for killing a man in Florida over a drug dispute.

He pleaded guilty to killing Frank Santoro, a Bronx junkie who had threatened to kidnap Basciano’s son, and mob associate Randolph Pizzolo.

Cicale, 44, said he was “ashamed” and “remorseful,” insisting that he was a different man than the vicious thug charged in a 2005 racketeering indictment.

“There is not a single day that passes that I don’t pray for the souls of my victims,” he said.

“I will have to live with the torment of my actions for the rest of my life.”

Santoro’s elderly mother, Grace, sighed loudly in the courtroom as he begged for mercy.

Cicale testified at three trials against Basciano, resulting in convictions and consecutive life sentences for the former crime boss.

He also took the stand against John A. (Junior) Gotti in Manhattan Federal Court.

Garaufis acknowledged that it is unfortunate but necessary that the government is forced to make deals with killers who are motivated to save their own necks.

When Cicale is sprung, he’ll enter the feds’ witness protection program with a new identity.

The judge expressed concern about his ability to get a job and avoid falling back into his old ways.

“All right, Mr. Cicale, this is your chance,” Garaufis said. “On behalf of everyone here, I hope you meant everything you said.”

Former New York mobster who turned on mafia gets less prison

By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK | Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:31pm EST

(Reuters) – A former New York mobster who turned against the mafia and helped convict Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano, then acting boss of the Bonanno crime family, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday despite being involved in multiple murders.

Prosecutors said Dominick Cicale, 44, was convicted of racketeering and involvement in two murders and assaults in aid of racketeering. He avoided a maximum life sentence by agreeing to turn against his former crime-world associates, according to a motion filed in court on Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York.

He was sentenced to 10 years prison and was given credit for about seven years already served.

Prosecutors said that Cicale, who grew up in the Bronx in New York City, ascended the ranks of the Bonanno family from 1999 until his arrest in January 2005, during which time he took part in two “brutal” murders and other violence on the crime family’s behalf.

He began cooperating with the government in January, 2006, the prosecution’s motion said, giving information and testimony that helped convict Basciano and a dozen other reputed Bonanno family members.

Basciano, known by his nickname Vinny Gorgeous, was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2011.

The prosecution’s motion argued for a lenient sentence for Cicale based on his help to the government.

In February, 2001, during his tenure with the Bonanno family, Cicale took part in the fatal shooting of Frank Santoro, who was out walking his dog near his home in the Bronx, the motion said. Basciano, the acting boss, had ordered the killing on suspicion that Santoro was planning to kidnap his son, prosecutors said.

In December, 2004, Cicale orchestrated the murder of Randolph Pizzolo, an associate of the mob family that Basciano had ordered killed as a “wake-up call”, the motion said.

The prosecution’s motion said Cicale had since proved an “important and effective” government witness.

“While he has engaged in a multitude of crimes, including three murders, he has nonetheless provided information and testimony that has put dangerous criminals behind bars,” the prosecutor’s motion said.

Russell Neufeld, Cicale’s lawyer, declined to comment on Monday.

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Mob Rat Gets Out-of-Jail Card and Golden Parachute From the Feds

 

It seems becoming a “mob informant” for the FBI can not only get you a get-out-of-jail-free card, but also put some bigtime money in your pockets.

Former Gambino Crime Family member Michael “Mikey Scars” DiLeonardo joined Team America in 2002. But now, after admitting a life of crime that included three murders, and “extorting everybody I could,” DiLeonardo is a free man. DiLeonardo served only three years in prison, under the Witness Protection Program, which means DiLeonardo didn’t do any hard time, but was mostly housed in a country club environment, while waiting to be the FBI’s dancing monkey numerous times on the witness stand.

On September 11, 2011, in Manhattan Federal Court, U.S. District Judge John Koeltl awarded DiLeonardo a sentence of “time served,” and praised DiLeonardo for his help in 14 organized crime trials, which resulted in the conviction of over 20 organized crime figures.

At DeLeonardo’s sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Honig told Judge Koeltl that DiLeonardo’s cooperation with the government was “nothing short of historic.”

Historic – my Italian/American butt!

I can think of a lot of words to describe what DiLeonardo did, but none of them is “historic.”

And to add insult to injury, according to Jerry Capeci’s “Gangland” website, DiLeonardo is also being allowed to keep over $600,000, after he openly admitted, “Every dime of the money came from ‘criminal endeavors’ and could have been confiscated by the FBI.”

DiLionardo even bragged, “As a concession to him, the feds held onto the money while he awaited sentencing.”

What is going on here?

A guy becomes an informer against his closest friends. He is just as bad a criminal as they are, maybe even worse. And still, after the FBI uses his testimony (which may or not have been accurate) in 14 trials, they return to him his blood money, that he squeezed out of innocent people.

I can see the “time served” sentence. I don’t like it, but I understand why it happened. This is how the FBI gets people to turn state’s evidence. They promise bad people a light sentence, when they should be getting a life sentence, just so that they can imprison the “prize” mob figures they really want; in order to advance their law enforcement careers, of course.

But I don’t understand how a crook, murderer, extortion artist, and all around bad guy gets to waltz out of prison with $600,000 in his grimy pockets, which the FBI held safely for him while he was awaiting sentence. But I guess that was part of the dirty deal the FBI made with DiLeonardo.

Every minute, I’m losing more and more confidence in the integrity of our government.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

The article below appears at:

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/09/12/curtis-sliwa-reacts-to-freeing-of-mob-rat-mikey-scars-dileonardo/

Curtis Sliwa Reacts To Freeing Of Mob Rat ‘Mikey Scars’ DiLeonardo
September 12, 2011 11:00 AM

NEW YORK (AP / WCBS 880) – A former close friend of John Gotti Jr. who confessed to conspiring to kill three people was freed from jail after earning praise at his sentencing Friday for helping law enforcement jail 80 members of organized crime.

Authorities described the cooperation of 56-year-old Michael “Mikey Scars” DiLeonardo as revolutionary in the annals of mob history, saying it led to convictions that included 20 high-level, dangerous mobsters. He testified at 14 trials, including Gotti’s, and investigators praised his encyclopedic knowledge of mob life. Gotti remains free after the government dropped its charges when juries repeatedly deadlocked at trials over several years.

U.S. District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan cited the praise as he sentenced DiLeonardo to time served, freeing him after three years in custody, though he is likely to remain in the federal witness protection program for now.

Prior to the announcement of the sentence, DiLeonardo addressed the court, calling La Cosa Nostra a “living, breathing beast.”

“I was born into an ideology. … I was not a victim of it. I created victims for it,” he said. DiLeonardo also apologized to society for himself and his forefathers, saying his family’s life in organized crime goes back hundreds of years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Honig told Koeltl that DiLeonardo’s cooperation was “nothing short of historic.”

He said it was instrumental in bringing to justice “dangerous mobsters who had spent decades dodging the bullet of imprisonment.”

He said those mobsters included many of organized crime’s most influential leaders, forcing the Gambino family to scramble to refill its ranks.

Afterward, DiLeonardo shook hands and hugged law enforcement personnel throughout the courtroom. But he got a cold reception from Curtis Sliwa, the radio personality and Guardian Angels founder who was shot in a mob hit in 1992. The assailant was a masked gunman crouched in the front seat of a cab that was rigged to keep Sliwa from escaping.

“He could see I was cold as ice,” Sliwa said of DiLeonardo’s effort to include Sliwa in his celebration. “This guy had no problem planning a hit on me. … He murdered three people. … I will never forgive. I will never forget.”

But Sliwa did give DiLeonardo some grudging credit when he spoke to WCBS 880 reporter Irene Cornell.

“Without ‘Mikey Scars,’ that would never have happened. The gunman would never be doing twenty years for shooting me on Gotti’s orders,” he told Cornell.

Authorities charged that Gotti ordered Sliwa’s kidnapping to silence his daily on-air verbal assaults on Gotti’s late father, Gambino boss John Gotti.

During one of the younger Gotti’s trials, DiLeonardo testified that the elder Gotti had a child with a mistress, causing Gotti’s widow to blame the testimony about the man known as the “Dapper Don” on “dirty government politics as usual.”

He compared his relationship with the younger Gotti to that of the most notorious Gambino cooperator, Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, who had been Gotti’s father’s confidant and his enforcer before he became a government witness.

The grandson of a gangster, DiLeonardo testified at trial that he committed three murders and “extorted everybody I could.”

Gotti was in prison on a 1999 racketeering conviction when DiLeonardo was arrested and jailed in 2002. He testified that he was shocked to learn the Gambinos cut off his income and stripped him of his rank as captain.

After agreeing to cooperate and entering the witness protection program, he testified that he became so distraught by the thought of betraying his “brother John” that he tried to kill himself by overdosing on sleeping pills.

“John and I had a special bond in this life, and I always said I’d have undying loyalty to that man,” he said. “I love that guy.”

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Sammy “The Bull’s” Daughter to Tell All in a Book.

Yeah, right. If you believe Karen Gravano, a star in the VH1 reality show “Mob Wives,” is going to tell the complete truth about her life as the daughter of Sammy “The Bull/Rat” Gravano, I have a condo I’d like to sell you in Libya.

First of all, I’ve never seen the program “Mafia Wives” and I never will see it. I grew up in New York’s Little Italy and programs like “Mafia Wives” and “The Jersey Shore” do nothing but besmirch the reputations of hard-working Italian/Americans, who are the overwhelmingly vast majority of Italian/Americans in America. So any shows which flaunts the escapades of the “Guidos” or “Guidettes,” I want nothing to do with.

As for Karen Gravano’s book – who cares?

I made the mistake of reading of reading her father’s biography “Underboss” written by Peter Maas in 1997. And as we found out later, the book turned out to be a pack of lies and half truths. How can you believe anything a man like Sammy “The Bull/Rat” says anyway. Or even care.

As for his daughter Karen’s life story, I rather read the Encyclopedia Britannica, from cover to cover. I might not enjoy the actual act of reading the huge tome, but at least I’ll learn something of value.
The story below appeared in the New York Post

http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/bull_daughter_mob_tell_all_65t6FhixmQsUYieYKjGmJN

Karen Gravano, daughter of mob turncoat Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, has landed a book deal for a tell-all about her life in the Mafia.

Gravano, 38, who’s also starring in the VH1 reality show “Mob Wives,” just snagged a six-figure deal with St. Martin’s Press to write her tome.

According to St. Martin’s, Gravano will discuss “what it was like to grow up in the Mafia enclave of Staten Island as the daughter of one of the Mob’s most feared executioners, how her life changed radically once he testified for the federal government and entered the witness protection program, and went to prison in order to protect Karen and her brother.”

“The Bull” was the second-highest ranking boss behind John Gotti and served as Gotti’s trusted lieutenant — until both were indicted for racketeering and murder in 1990. They were scheduled to stand trial together until Sammy flipped on Gotti, fearing Gotti would flip first.

Sammy then went into the witness protection program, but left within a year to move to Arizona, living under the alias Jimmy Moran.

But in 2000, the turncoat was busted again for running a multimillion-dollar ecstasy ring near Phoenix. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Karen pleaded guilty to various charges related to her father’s drugs operation, and she and her mother, Debra, were sentenced to probation.

The former Mafia princess is one of four women set to star on the Weinstein Co.-produced “Mob Wives,” which follows four women as they rebuild their lives after their husbands or fathers go to prison. Gravano is seen working as a makeup artist.

The show is currently filming 10 episodes in New York.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/bull_daughter_mob_tell_all_65t6FhixmQsUYieYKjGmJN#ixzz1WLXqvkcP

http://www.josephbrunowriter.com/index.html

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Sammy “Sammy the Bull” Gravano

 

If there has been a more despicable mob informer than Sammy “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, I can’t think of his name.

Sammy the Bull was the underboss to Gambino crime family boss John Gotti. Gotti, known as the “Teflon Don,” had already beaten three cases that went to trial, and it seemed that the government could never convict Gotti of any serious crime.

In 1991, Both Gravano and Gotti were arrested. Who knows what kind of a case the government had this time, and whether they could make their cases against Gotti and Gravano stick. Gravano removed all doubt, when he became a “Rat” against Gotti. Gotti was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. He died of cancer in prison in 2002.

Gravano, after doing a short stint in prison, was put on the Witness Protection Program (even though he admitted participating in 19 murders). Any smart man, after beating odds like that, would stay on the straight-and-narrow. But not Sammy “The Rat.”

Gravano was relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, and posed ostensibly as the owner of a construction company. But in fact, Gravano, along with his son, were selling Ecstasy pills to the youth in the area. Gravano and his son were arrested and convicted, and now Sammy “The Rat” is back in the slammer where he belongs

Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

The article below appeared on Bloggernews.net

http://www.bloggernews.net/127030

Target: Sammy “the Bull” Gravano
Posted on August 23rd, 2011
by Denny Griffin in crime

Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano was a criminal for most of his life. He was a tough guy who used violence and intimidation to impose his will on others. In 1976 he became a member of the Gambino crime family, eventually becoming underboss to John Gotti. In the world of organized crime, Gravano was a very dangerous and powerful man. Although law enforcement and his colleagues and associates knew about him, he was able to ply his trade for many years and remain virtually unknown to the general public.

All that changed in 1991 when Gravano burst on the national scene by doing the unthinkable. He flipped and became a government witness against Gotti. Prior to that, federal prosecutors had suffered a series of courtroom losses at the hands of Gotti’s attorneys, earning the flamboyant boss the nickname “Teflon Don.” But in 1992, Gravano’s testimony was instrumental in Gotti’s racketeering conviction, which resulted in a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Thanks in large part to Sammy Gravano, Gotti’s Teflon had turned to Velcro. As part of his deal with the government Gravano admitted to myriad criminal activities, including taking part in 19 murders. However, his value to prosecutors as a witness against Gotti was such that he received a token sentence of five years in prison and admittance into the federal Witness Protection Program. Gravano’s defection was viewed in different ways by the public.

To those to whom Gotti had become a kind of cult hero over the years, Gravano was the ultimate rat; a traitorous cur to be held in total contempt. Others thought he was as bad as Gotti and that the government had erred in giving the admitted killer the deal of the century. And some considered him a hero for having the guts to help rid society of the likes of John Gotti. Gravano’s organized crime associates also had mixed opinions. Some disliked Gotti because he disregarded Mafia protocol when he orchestrated the 1985 murder of then Gambino boss Paul Castellano, without getting permission from the Commission. Others became disenchanted with Gotti and his apparent infatuation with the media. The Mafia was, after all, a secret society. Being in the public eye was not good for secrecy or for business. They shed no tears upon Gotti’s departure.

However, most felt that overall, the Gravano situation was an embarrassment to organized crime in general and to the Gambinos in particular. In addition to that prevalent feeling on the part of the rank and file, there were other Gottis still in positions of power within the family. Gotti’s son, John Gotti Jr., his brother Peter, and other relatives undoubtedly harbored ill will toward Gravano. It seemed a no-brainer that at some point there would be an attempt at retribution. The question was when it would happen.

Gravano received an early release from prison and went back into the community as a member of the Witness Protection Program, making him a difficult target for his adversaries. But in 1995 he voluntarily left the Program. During a TV interview following his release Gravano made this bold announcement:

“They send a hit team down, I’ll kill them. They better not miss, because even if they get me, there will still be a lot of body bags going back to New York. I’m not afraid. I don’t have it in me. I’m too detached maybe. If it happens, fuck it. A bullet in the head is pretty quick. You go like that! It’s better than cancer. I’m not meeting you in Montana on some fuckin’ farm. I’m not sitting here like some jerk-off with a phony beard. I’ll tell you something else: I’m a fuckin’ pro. If someone comes to my house, I got a few little surprises for them. Even if they win, there might be surprises.”

Gravano’s bravado aside, now that he was on the loose and out from under the government’s veil of protection, if his enemies could locate him he’d be vulnerable. For Sammy Gravano, the clock was ticking.

Getting Started In 1999, the Gambinos were ready to make their move. Peter Gotti had a coded conversation with his incarcerated brother John at the federal prison in Marion, Illinois. That discussion concerned an article in a Phoenix, Arizona newspaper that stated Gravano was living in the Phoenix area and was running a construction company. It was known that Gravano’s wife Debbie, who claimed she had left him, and children were in the Phoenix area. But was Sammy really there too? After the prison meeting, Peter Gotti ordered former Gravano crew member Thomas “Huck” Carbonaro to head a two-man reconnaissance team to Phoenix.

To accompany him, Carbonaro selected Gambino associate, electronics expert and bank robber, Sal “Fat Sal” Mangiavillano, who at times tipped the scales at around 400 pounds. Huck Carbonaro was never much of an earner for the family. He’d taken over Gravano’s loansharking book, estimated to be worth more than $2 million, after Gravano flipped. But after a while most of the customers refused to pay back a “rat’s money” and the cash flow dried up. However, according to federal prosecutors, what Carbonaro was good at was killing. In addition, he’d been part of Gravano’s crew and knew the man and his habits well. And as a bonus, his wife continued to have telephone contact with Gravano’s wife, providing the potential to gather valuable intelligence.

For those reasons Carbonaro was a logical choice for such an important assignment. In what would later prove to be an ironic twist, the feds alleged that while travelling cross-country, Carbonaro confided to Mangiavillano that of the many people he’d killed, the only murder he regretted was that of his good friend Nicholas “Nicky Cowboy” Mormando, who was slain on Gravano’s orders for violating the family’s policy of not dealing drugs. But later on, Gravano changed his position on the issue of distributing drugs and became a drug trafficker himself.

Fat Sal’s reputation was the opposite of Carbonaro’s. He wasn’t known as a killer. His reputation in the criminal underworld was as a highly skilled thief, who led a crew of Mob associates that specialized in bank burglaries, bank robberies, and auto theft. He was a master of electronic gadgetry and a valuable earner for the family.

Sal was also known for his resourcefulness. He’d committed more than 30 bank burglaries from Brooklyn to South Carolina, usually by angling a homemade gaff and three-pronged spears into night deposit boxes to pluck out the loot. During one Queens, New York, heist he rigged a remote controlled drill to cut through concrete and steel. His organized crime pals dubbed his capers “Fat Sallie Productions.”

After an 18-month prison stretch in the mid-1990s for bank burglary, during which his weight dropped to a svelte 225 pounds, Sal was deported to Argentina, where his parents were living when he was born. From Argentina he traveled to his parents’ birthplace in Sicily. After that he went on to visit friends in Montreal, Canada, and then to Toronto. However, he longed to get back into the United States, and slipped into the country by riding a Jet Ski across the Niagara River.

Once again in Brooklyn in late 1999, the 35-year-old Mangiavillano reunited with his wife and three young children. He also put the word out to his criminal associates that he was back and available for work. It was important for guys like Sal to let their presence be known quickly. If they didn’t, upon discovery their friends might think they’d kept silent because they were cooperating with the law or had become weak, making them untrustworthy or unreliable. Such impressions could affect their ability to earn, and even be hazardous to their health.

Huck Carbonaro was among those who heard of Sal’s return. Carbonaro had gone on scores with Sal in the past. His nephew, Tommy Dono, was a member of Sal’s bank burglary crew. And several years earlier when Sal heard that a family associate from another crew was making Carbonaro’s excessive weight the butt of his jokes, Sal and three of his friends went to the bar where the offender hung out. The joint was full of the guy’s friends. Sal and one of his buddies dragged the man outside and beat him mercilessly. One of Sal’s other two friends stationed himself at the bar’s door to block the victim’s pals from intervening. The other sat in their car with gun in hand, prepared to shoot if the bar patrons got out the door and tried to interfere with Sal’s administration of justice. Later, when Carbonaro asked Sal the motive for the beating, he said it was because the victim had been making fun of Carbonaro. Sal’s action placed him in high esteem in Carbonaro’s eyes.

Shortly after Sal announced his return, Carbonaro received his marching orders regarding Gravano. Although Sal had never committed murder for the family before, Carbonaro knew he was willing to commit violence. And he liked the way Sal handled himself, his abilities with electronics and gadgets, and his talent for overcoming obstacles. Equally important, he trusted him. Confident that Sal had what it took to be a valuable partner in the assassination plot, he invited him along. He then explained the potential rewards. If they were successful, Carbonaro would be promoted to captain. Fat Sal would have made his bones and become a made man—a full member of the Gambino family.

To many up and coming mobsters, getting made was a giant step up the career ladder. But not to Sal. Over the years he’d done quite well for himself as an associate. To him, being a made man would subject him to much tighter control by the family. He’d have to live by another standard of Mafia rules. That would change his lifestyle in a way he wasn’t excited about. But Sal felt that once asked, he couldn’t say no. In the Mob, refusing Carbonaro’s request for help might have cost him his own life. So in late December, the pair headed for Phoenix. Their assignment: Locate and assassinate Sammy Gravano, the super-rat.

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