Greg Scarpa: Mobster Played Key Role in Historic Civil Rights Case
Grim Reaper/informer Scarpa shows off the fashion of the day. Gregory Scarpa, Sr. (May 8, 1928 – June 4, 1994) was a fiercely loyal capo in the Colombo crime family with cojones the size of coconuts -- something this family is known for producing, probably because of all the inter-family wars following the early '60s insurrection by the Gallo brothers against old man Profaci, original boss of the Colombo family, which actually carried Profaci's name at the time. Known as "The Grim Reaper," for decades, especially from the1970s through early 1990s, Scarpa was Colombo boss Carmine Persico's chief enforcer, doling out the proverbial dirt nap to whoever defied the administration before dying of AIDS, contracted from a crew member during a blood transfusion.