Surviving the Mob (34 page)

“You’ll also be in jeopardy if you become too good at your job. If the boss thinks you’ve become a threat to him, that you have designs on his job and the ability to do it, you’re probably not long for this world.

“And if you fall out of favor with your boss and have to go, one or more of your peers will likely be assigned to eliminate you. The guy you’ve committed crimes and socialized with for years will have dinner with you one night and put a couple in your head the next.

“I’m currently doing organized-crime-related volunteer work. I help law-enforcement agencies by educating their investigators on how the Mob operates. I also counsel at-risk youths who are at a crossroads in their lives. I tell them the same things I’m telling you here.

“There is no honor or glory in being a gangster and the retirement options suck. If you want to dance at your daughter’s wedding or be at the ceremony when your grandson graduates from high school, you’d better choose another line of work.

“I know that many of you I’m trying to reach will think I’m full of shit. You know better, right? The crew you’ll hook up with won’t have any Nicky Corozzos or Mike Yannottis. Even if it does, you’re too smart and tough to be taken advantage of. If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you. The only trouble is I can’t go back there to sign the papers.

“Seriously though, one time when my father visited me while I was in state prison, he said there are only two options for organized-crime guys: prison or death on the street. He asked me why I thought I’d be the exception to the rule. I didn’t answer him, but in my mind I thought I was too smart and tough to end up back behind bars or dead. Yeah, right.

“Jail cells, cemeteries, landfills, and sometimes the trunks of abandoned cars usually end up as the homes of guys who thought they were too smart and tough. I wasn’t,
they weren’t, and you aren’t. The life is like making a deal with the devil. Don’t do it.

“Having said all that, I don’t know how many of you wannabe wiseguys will have second thoughts. But let me be perfectly clear. If even one young man—just one—is willing to accept the truth and change the course he’s on, I will have made a difference.”

129 Mott Street
53

Alvino, Todd
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32
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34
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37
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39
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234

“America’s Most Wanted”
242

Amuso, Vittorio “Vic”
23
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24

Anthony Gerbino
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Aparo, Sammy “Meatballs”
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Arena, Robert
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,
125
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142
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154
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162
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198
,
234
,
237

Aronwald, William
75

Attica
103

Auto Crime Task Force
40

Bamboo Lounge
37

Barrett, Tommy
182

Bilotti, Tommy
42

blackjack
58
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59

Bolino, Mike
120
,
130
,
136
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138
,
140

Bonano family
157

Bracchi, Sal “Sally the Lip”
23

Brooklyn House of Detention
98
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100
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108
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176
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177

Brooklyn, New York
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132

Bullhead City, Arizona
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Burzo, Ralph
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96

Cacace, Joel
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76

Callahan, Michael
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178
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180

Carbonaro, Thomas “Huck”
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213

Carini, Eddie
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Carini, Vincent
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car theft
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8
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14
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17

Casso, Anthony “Gaspipe”
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28
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29
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Castellano, Paul,
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34
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42
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80

Clinton Correctional Facility
103

Colombo family
41
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74
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122
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157
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203

Colombo War
115

Conte, Georgie
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Corozzo, Joseph, Jr. “Jo Jo”
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149
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150

Corozzo, Joseph, Sr.,
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Corozzo, Nicholas “Nicky”,
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x
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120
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122
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143
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154
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180
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245
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aquitted
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arrest and
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171

as Gambino leader
236
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237

attempted shooting of
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27

crew and
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38
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41
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48
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166
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167

crew problem and
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70

gambling and
10

gangster mode and
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illegal gambling and
242

indictments and
39
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230
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240
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243

loyalty and
93
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95
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122
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123
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126
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127
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182
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183

murder and
141
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214
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215

Sammy Karkis and
119

sentencing of
243

shakedown and
238
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239

sit-downs with
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29

Corozzo, Rocco
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26

Coxsackie Correctional Facility
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106

craps
53
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57

credit card fraud
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26
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48
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49

Cullotta
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Cutaia, Domenico “Danny”
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Cutolo, William, Jr. “Billy”
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Cutolo, William “Wild Bill”
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cyber-bookmakers
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D’Amico, John “Jackie the Nose”
115
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236

D’Angelo, Joseph “Little Joey”
231

DeMeo, Roy
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DeMeo, Sal
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DiDonato, Amelia Macchiarole
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DiDonato, Andrew
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arson and
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as a citizen
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as a fugitive
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as cooperating witness
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bank robbing and
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brother-in-law and
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carpet cleaning and
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car stealing
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Corozzo crew and
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counterfeiting and
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court trials and
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credit card fraud and
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divorce and
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drug dealers and
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early crimes
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fake ID and
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fatherhood and
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fencing and
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first shooting
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horse betting and
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in court
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insurance fraud and
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lessons learned and
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loansharking and
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marijuana and
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marriage and
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Marriott and
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Nicky Corozzo, introduction to
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parole and
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149
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222

perjury and
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police and
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pot dealers and
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praying and
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prison and
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Ralph Burzo and
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rebuildable cars and
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reputation and
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Robert Arena’s murder and
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146
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155

shooting and
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28

stealing car parts
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testifying and
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the hole and
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witness intimidation and
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witness protection and
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work release and
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DiDonato, Andrew Dominick, Jr.,
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DiDonato, Dina
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DiDonato, Patrina
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DiDonato, Vincent
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DiLeonardo, Michael “Mikey Scars”
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DiMaria, Leonard “Lenny”
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Disney World
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Dono, Tommy
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Downstate Correctional Facility
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Dragonetti, Vincent
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90
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Edgecombe Correctional Facility
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Elmira Correctional Facility
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Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),
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Fishkill, New York
103

Florida
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Gambino, Carlo,
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Gambino crime family
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