Gambino capo
Toward the 1990s, John Gotti was eventually caught up to by US law enforcement, as his underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano decided to turn state's evidence due to internal rivalry with Gotti at the time, and was put on the stand to testify against Gotti, consigliere Frank "Frankie Loc" LoCascio and dozens of other Gambino mobsters during the early 1990s. In 1992, Gotti and LoCascio were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, conspiracy, extortion, loansharking, money laundering, tax evasion and illegal gambling charges. But as many went down due to the testimony provided by Gravano, others went under the radar, especially former rivals of Gotti like Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo and Leonard "Lenny" DiMaria, who were at some point promoted to run the Gambino crime family unofficially with Pete Gotti. DeCicco, a true Gotti loyalist, also went under the radar of the US law enforcement, as he continued to operate out of the Staten Island and Brooklyn factions of the family, with labor racketeering, extortion, money laundering, loansharking, illegal gambling and fraud activities.
Indictments and trial
On January 30, 2007, more than ten mobsters from two of the Five Families were arrested and indicted on federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act charges, including DeCicco, one of the last untouched capos from the old John Gotti regime in the 1980s. DeCicco was charged with operating a multimillion-dollar-a-year loansharking operation in New York City, as well as extortion, illegal gambling, racketeering and money laundering operations. As it turns out, an associate of DeCicco had turned state's evidence, as a soldier in the DeCicco crew named Joseph Orlando had threatened to kill him over a loansharking debt. Because he thought he would be killed, the associate turned to the federal authorities for help, and provided the loansharking operation to the federal prosecutors. At the same time, much of their illegal business was recorded by hidden wires on the newly made turncoat. [2] Toward December 2007, George DeCicco's lawyer said he would seek house arrest for his client because DeCicco reputedly has heart problems and wears a nitroglycerin patch. On December 19, 2007 DeCicco pleaded guilty to racketeering charges and faced 27 to 33 months in prison. [3] He served his time at the Devens Federal Medical Center in Massachusetts. He was released on December 1, 2009.
Attempted murder of his son
On June 6, 2007, DeCicco's son Robert DeCicco, whom federal authorities identified as a 56-year-old mob associate, was shot four times, once in the torso, once in the head and twice in the arm, as he exited a pharmacy in Bath Beach. According to the Post, the bungled assassination came just a day after another Gambino crime family mobster busted with DeCicco and his dad and in January he was moved into protective custody because of threats against his life. The younger DeCicco, who was indicted in January along with his father, had just gotten into his 1998 gray Cadillac Seville after shopping only moments before the assassination-attempt. DeCicco managed to drag himself out of the car and stagger into a pharmacy to call for help, witnesses said. [4]
John Joseph Gotti Jr. was an American gangster and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. He ordered and helped to orchestrate the murder of Gambino boss Paul Castellano in December 1985 and took over the family shortly thereafter, becoming boss of what was described as America's most powerful crime syndicate.
Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano is an American former mobster who became underboss of the Gambino crime family. As the underboss, Gravano played a major role in prosecuting John Gotti, the crime family's boss, by agreeing to testify as a government witness against him and other mobsters in a deal in which he confessed to involvement in 19 murders.
The Gambino crime family is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia. The group, which went through five bosses between 1910 and 1957, is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963, when the structure of organized crime first gained public attention. The group's operations extend from New York and the eastern seaboard to California. Its illicit activities include labor and construction racketeering, gambling, loansharking, extortion, money laundering, prostitution, fraud, hijacking, and fencing.
The Genovese crime family, also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as part of the American Mafia. They have generally maintained a varying degree of influence over many of the smaller mob families outside New York, including ties with the Philadelphia, Patriarca, and Buffalo crime families.
Frank "Frankie Loc" LoCascio was an American mobster who rose to become Consigliere of the Gambino crime family under the administration of John Gotti.
John "Jackie" D'Amico is a New York City mobster and caporegime who served as street boss of the Gambino crime family from 2005 to 2011. "Street boss" had been the family's number one position ever since official Boss Peter Gotti started serving a life sentence in prison.
Vittorio "Little Vic" Amuso is an American mobster and the boss of the Lucchese crime family. He was described as "The Deadly Don" by Assistant United States Attorney Charles Rose. Amuso's reign is considered one of the bloodiest periods in American Mafia history during the late 1980s and early 1990s, alongside his former underboss and close protégé Anthony Casso, who turned informer against him in 1994. Since the death of Colombo crime family boss Carmine Persico in March 2019, Amuso is currently the longest-serving crime family boss of the Five Families and American Mafia, dating back to 1987. Amuso has been serving a life sentence since 1992 and is currently located at the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner, in North Carolina, on murder and racketeering charges.
Michael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo is a former Italian-American mobster who rose to position of caporegime in the Gambino crime family. In the early 2000s DiLeonardo turned government witness and decided to cooperate with the FBI and managed to convict over 80 mobsters. DiLeonardo testified a record 15 times, more than any other "made" Mafia member to date.
Bartholomew "Bobby" Boriello was an American mobster who belonged to the Gambino crime family and served as boss John Gotti's favorite bodyguard and chauffeur. A prominent hitman during the 1980s, Boriello participated in the 1990 murder of Gambino soldier Louis DiBono.
Frank DeCicco, also known as "Frankie D" and "Frankie Cheech", was an American mobster and eventual underboss for the Gambino crime family in New York City.
Angelo Salvatore Ruggiero Sr., also known as "Quack Quack", was a member of the Gambino crime family and a friend of John Gotti's. Once Gotti became leader of the family he made Ruggiero a caporegime. Although he showed little organizing or money making ability, anyone questioning Ruggiero's suitability for a top position in the hierarchy did so at their peril so the FBI regarded Ruggiero as an unpredictable psychopath not amenable to confrontational tactics. While Gotti was held in pretrial detention for a state case that he eventually beat, Ruggiero served as his contact with the crime family until the impulsive capo got himself thrown in jail beside Gotti by cursing and arguing with the judge during a hearing. This blunder lost Ruggiero any chance he had of becoming Gotti's underboss.
Thomas Francis Gambino was an Italian-American New York City mobster and a longtime caporegime of the Gambino crime family who successfully controlled lucrative trucking rackets in the New York City Garment District. He was the son of Carlo Gambino and nephew of Paul Castellano.
Joseph Armone, also known as "Joe Piney" and "Shorty", was an American mobster in the Gambino crime family of New York City who served as underboss between 1986 and 1990, and consigliere from 1990 until his death in 1992.
James "Jimmy Brown" Failla was an American mobster who was a high ranking caporegime with the Gambino crime family and a major power in the garbage-hauling industry in New York City. Failla's crew was based in Brooklyn, with operations stretching into Staten Island, Manhattan, and New Jersey.
Louis Vallario, also known as "Big Louie" and "Big Lou", is a member of the Gambino crime family who was a top aide to boss John Gotti and Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano in the late 1980s.
The Lucchese crime family is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City in the United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia. Members refer to the organization as the Lucchese borgata; borgata is Mafia slang for criminal gang, which itself was derived from a Sicilian word meaning close-knit community. The members of other crime families sometimes refer to Lucchese family members as "Lukes".
The Genovese crime family's New Jersey faction is a group of Italian-American mobsters within the Genovese crime family who control organized crime activities within the state of New Jersey. The New Jersey faction is divided into multiple crews each led by a different caporegime who oversees illegal criminal activities in labor racketeering, illegal gambling, loansharking and extortion. The Genovese crime family's New Jersey faction has maintained a strong presence in the Northern Jersey area since the early prohibition era. A number of members within the New Jersey faction like Guarino "Willie" Moretti, Gerardo "Jerry" Catena and Louis "Bobby" Manna held positions within the administration of the Genovese family. From the 1990s until his death in 2010, Tino "the Greek" Fiumara was one of the most powerful caporegimes in the New Jersey faction.
