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When John Gotti Pulled The Trigger...

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The mortality rate was decidedly low for two men once linked to Connie Castellano, daughter of Gambino boss Paul Castellano. But while one of the two, her husband, may have invited his horrifying fate, assuming he was guilty of what he had been accused of, the other man, a suitor with a sarcastic sense of humor, most certainly did not. Top, Sal Vitale; bottom from left: Joe Massino, Vinny Basciano, John Gotti Constantino Paul (Big Paul) Castellano was a model of the proverbial white-collar mobster, the kind who could capably run complex business enterprises like a garment-center trucking concern and a wholesale food company. His white-collar faction, which included the labor racketeers, etc., was supplemented and balanced by the blue-collar wiseguys under underboss Neil Dellacroce—the hijackers and head crackers, etc.—who provided the muscle, as some pundits viewed the Gambino family breakdown under Castellano. (We have problems with that dichotomy, though, such as in which column woul

Gene Borrello, Former Mob Associate-Turned-Fledging Podcaster, Sent Back To The Can For Six Months

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Turncoat Bonanno associate/former podcaster Gene Borrello has been sent back to jail again for violating the conditions of his supervised release. Gene Borrello in hot water once again. Borrello, 38, was given a six-month sentence by a judge in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday for participating in podcasts about organized crime and for associating with other criminals while doing so. “You want to know [why] I went out there?” Borrello said of his podcasting antics as per a Daily News repor t. “I’ll be honest with you. Every other cooperator is on there and I’m not allowed to. Sammy Gravano is on there talking about killing people.” “I don’t like being made a fool of,” the judge said. “It bothers you, of course — that’s the essence of trust.” Borrello helped Brooklyn federal prosecutors put away more than 21 mobsters and then spent about five years in prison for committing crimes that otherwise could've earned him a life sentence. A judge sentenced him to time served and probatio

Six Genovese Wiseguys, Associates Plead Guilty To Racketeering; Face 20 Years Apiece

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Four members and two associates of the Genovese crime family have now pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced on Thursday, February 9. Genovese associate Thomas Poli. Genovese Family associate THOMAS POLI pled guilty before United States District Judge John G. Koeltl on September 29, 2022, and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Koeltl on April 13, 2023. Genovese Family Captain NICHOLAS CALISI, Solider JOHN CAMPANELLA, and associate MICHAEL POLI pled guilty before Judge Koeltl on February 8, 2023, and are scheduled to be sentenced by him on June 27, 2023. Genovese Family Captain RALPH BALSAMO and Soldier MICHAEL MESSINA pled guilty before Judge Koeltl on February 9 and are scheduled to be sentenced by him on June 28, 2023. Each faces up to 20 years in prison,  according to a media release  from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. (Curiously, the media release

Former Bonanno Capo Dom Cicale's Debut Podcast To Focus On Plot To Take Out Mikey Nose

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Trailer added below An unassuming Instagram post will lead curious mob watchers to some potential intrigue, assuming they value recent Bonanno crime family history. Dom Cicale's podcast will debut next week. The Instagram post  touts an upcoming podcast by former Bonanno capo Dom Cicale. Cicale briefly mentioned the podcast, Mafia RoundTable, in a recent story we did on some of his legit post-Cosa Nostra doings. Cicale is planning to launch the podcast series with an historical bang: The debut episode, to be posted online next week on Valentine’s Day, will touch on secret codes, schtupping a Luchese soldier’s wife, issues of trust—and plotting against Michael (Mikey Nose) Mancuso (who is the official top Banana on the street today). It is quite the devious, twisted little plot, as Dom tells it—replete, in all its sociopathic splendor, with a manufactured fall guy.  In addition to the podcast, Dom has something else potentially in the works with another podcaster, category killer (

Ins And Outs Of Omertà

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The following guest post is courtesy of The Mob Wife , an online merchant that offers high-quality clothing, home décor, and accessories at affordable prices. For more information, click here . The website offers a vast array of products, and we do mean vast: coffee cups, beach blankets, necklaces, phone cases, t-shirts, slippers, fleece jackets, canvas paintings, clocks, sculptures, shower curtains, rugs, and on and on. The mob figures prominently in the design of many of the items, either as an image of a well-known gangster (or non-Mafia villain) or mob-like quote that maybe wasn't exactly in The Godfather, but hey, it coulda been....The "Carlo Gambino" bomber jack proclaims: " Judges, lawyers, and politicians have a license to steal. We don't need one. "  (Our all-time favorite is the " Carlo Gambino is Calling and I Must Go " waterproof pillow.) The Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian Mafia; the ’Ndrangheta, the Calabrian Mafia; and the Camorra, the Cam

From The Streets Of Woodhaven To The Gilded Halls Of Mar-a-Lago: Update On John Alite

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How did former Gambino associate John Alite make it inside Donald J. Trump’s gilded Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, long enough to be photographed alongside the former president?  Just two guys from Queens chatting. He didn’t need a gun. Rather, one of his close friends—Brazilian businessman Pedro (Peter) Alberto Leite, president of Hichens, Harrison & Co., who is a years-long member of Mar-a-Lago—brought him in as a guest. “He’s a good friend of mine,” the Palm Beach-based investment banker said of Alite. Leite grew up in New York and knew Alite “for a long time.” About five years ago, the two renewed their friendship and have grown closer. “People love John,” he said. “John is the poster boy for turning yourself around. He does charity work, gives speeches, and his knowledge is vast.” “John,” he noted, “has paid for his crimes. Now he is going out of his way to give back.” Alite visited Mar-a-Lago —which since September 2019 has been the primary residence of the former pr

Capone's Sunken Speakeasy?

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By Nick Christophers We have all heard stories about Al Capone—maybe too many. I once was sent to investigate a home in Amityville, Long Island, where he supposedly briefly lived when they were loading booze from Canada, but didn't find any convincing evidence that the house, located in an area called “Rum Row," was his.   Did Capone run a floating speakeasy aboard the Keuka?  Recently, I came across an interesting find by underwater photographer and author Chris Roxburgh, who claims to have found the floating speakeasy Capone had in the late '20s. The wreck was the vessel the Keuka, which sank in 1932 in Traverse City, Michigan. That boat was built in 1889 and was christened the A. Stewart before the name was changed to the Keuka. The ship is 200 feet long and over two stories tall. In 1929 the boat had its grand opening as a "dance hall,” but it was really used to serve alcohol during Prohibition. Capone allegedly supplied the booze for the floating speakeasy. From