Mob Boss Ordered Son Whacked On Mother's Day

The FBI is again pursuing the 2004 disappearance of Genovese boss Dominick Cirillo's son, Nicholas, after ex-Bonanno boss Joseph Massino testified that Cirillo ordered his drug-addicted son killed...on Mother's Day, of all days! One source said Nicholas was high on crack during a fight just before his disappearance: "There was concern the kid [Nicholas] was out of control and he was going to cause problems for the [Genovese] family."

Nicholas disappeared on Mother's Day 2004, two weeks after getting into an altercation with Bonanno family associates Vincent Jr. Basciano and Dominick Cicale in the Bronx. His body was never found, and now it's believed that "Quiet Dom" ordered him killed after a tape implicating him was played during Joseph Massino's trial. According to the News:

That came from Dom," Bonanno acting boss Vincent (Vinny Gorgeous) Basicano Sr. told Massino in a secretly taped 2005 jailhouse chat.
"Did we have anything to do with that?" asked Massino, waving his hand like it was a gun.

"Absolutely not," Basciano replied.


It's thought that the altercation in the Bronx led to the hit, given that attacking a "made man" carries the penalty of death. Cirillo is on supervised release for a racketeering conviction, and when daughter Ann Marie Caggiano was asked about the possible hit, she replied, "I really don't want to talk about that

The Women of Mafia Families TV series « Hollywood goodfella

Mafia Turncoat Sammy “The Bull” Gravano.

So much for family secrets. Several women related to men serving time for mob-related crimes are now.

“I think we’re brave,” said Karen Gravano, one of the stars of the new VH1 series “Mob Wives.” “I think there’s so much out there about the mob and it’s so glorified. I just thought it was time to bring people behind closed doors and see what the families go through.”

Elderly Mob Associate Charged Again

Nicole Melia, a reputed associate of the Gambino crime family, faces 20 years in prison on a loan-sharking charge

The mob life could land a 78-year-old man in prison for the second time.

Prosecutors in Bridgeport say Nicola Melia, a reputed associate of the Gambino crime family, made high-interest "street loans" in Fairfield County and threatened violence if the debts were not paid.

His arraignment is scheduled for Friday.

In 2005, Melia was sentenced to 33 months in prison for what was considered a minor role in a loan shark operation. He and 18 other mob members and associates were accused of racketeering, extortion and illegal gambling.

Joseph 'Big Joey' Massino recordings reveal delusions of grandeur

The Bonnanos think they’re the Corleone family, but not even Mario Puzo could have made up these clowns. Based on recordings former boss-turned-rat Joseph "Big Joey" Massino made of his successor Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano while wearing a wire, the "Godfather" character he and his crew most resemble is not Vito or Michael. It’s Fredo. "[Anthony] Ace Aiello is like a Luca Brasi," Basciano said, comparing the Bonnano associate to the Corleone’s loyal hitman, on one of the recordings played in Brooklyn Federal court today. He’s your Luca Brasi," Basciano said. After playing the recording, prosecutors asked Massino – the first mob boss to spill his guts on the stand – if he was familiar with "The Godfather" movies. "Yes, I am," he replied. Asked to describe the significance of a Luca Brasi?" Massino exlained, "if they sent him out to kill someone, he’d do it." The Bonnanos do apparently share the Corleone’s flair for the dramatic. "Did your wife get the money, by the way," Basciano asks on the recording. "I sent your wife money." Massino replied that she did in fact receive the $50,000 tribute, which was stuffed inside a bottle of Dom Perignon. "A bottle of Dom Perignon. $50,000. It came from Vinny," Massino explained on the stand. Prosecutors played the recordings Massino made in prison as he and Basciano stood six inches apart in adjacent exercise cages to prove that Basciano was behind the murder of associate Randy Pizzolo, for which he faces the death penalty. "Randy — you OK’d it?" Massino asked Basciano. "I gave the order," Basciano replies. "Randy was a f—-ing jerkoff." Massiano then pushed him further. "Did it warrant the clip?" Basciano explained that Pizzolo went to meet a made man while carrying a pistol – a major Cosa Nostra no-no. "Randy went into Villa Sonoma. He went with a gun, he got drunk and he says he’s the only one capable of killing anybody — in this family He says he was an ex-SEAL," Basciano said. Rather than just shun him from the family, Basciano said he had him whacked to set an example. "He’s a a f——ing dangerous kid, who don’t listen. He’s just an annoying kid," Basciano said. "These guys were out there doing whatever the f—- they want," he added, referring to the behavior of other Bonnano members. "I thought this kid would be a good wake up call for everybody." Massino, who turned informant in 2005 to avoid the death penalty after getting convicted of seven murders and facing charges on an eighth, complained that Basciano didn’t clear the hit with him first, "Why didn’ you ask me?" Massino asked. "It was already in the works, bo," Basciano said. "This kid though...this kid deserved it. This kid was a f—-ing thorn. He didn’t listen to no f——ing body." Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mob_boss_confirms_hit_while_wearing_aCKVAsMuK1eCNxWf8j6YIP#ixzz1JTG5HT6z

Mafia turncoat: Joseph Massino, ex-Bonnano boss, testifies against fellow mobster Vinny Gorgeous

Mafia turncoat: Joseph Massino, ex-Bonnano boss, testifies against fellow mobster Vinny Gorgeous. So much for Omerta. Highest ranking Mafia Rat Fingers “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano for murder. Ex-Bonnano heavyweight Joseph Massino made Mafia history Tuesday, becoming the first crime boss to take the stand as he testified against his successor. As mob legends turned in their graves, Massino fingered Vincent [/Vinny Gorgeous\] Basciano in the killing of a crime family associate. Asked if there was anyone in the room who was a fellow member of his crime family, the turncoat boss pointed directly at Basciano. “That man in the gray suit sitting there,” he said. Massino then described how he secretly taped Basciano in prison talking about killing mob associate Randolph Pizzolo in 2004. “He told me that he had him killed,” Massino explained to the jury. “He said he was a scumbag, a rat, a troublemaker, a bad kid.” Taking the stand in Brooklyn Federal Court, Massino wore a blue, two-toned warm-up jacket, zipped-up halfway to reveal a white undershirt and bowling ball sized gut underneath. The 68-year-old Massino, who has been jailed since 2004 in eight gangland murders, said he had been a member of the Bonnano family for 33 years. When asked what his last title was, Massino replied, “I was the boss – official boss.” “Was anyone above you?” assistant U.S. Attorney Taryn Merkl asked. “Nobody,” Massino replied. Massino described what he did for the crime organization as, “murders, responsible for the family, make captains, break captains.” Massino became the highest-ranking Mafia rat when he agreed to cooperate to avoid the death penalty in the slaying of a Bonnano capo. This is the second trial for Basciano on charges of killing Randolph. In 2007, a mistrial was declared in the murder case because of a hung jury, although Basciano was convicted of racketeering charges. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Out-of-jail mobster 'Vinny Gorgeous' enjoys 'slow go' in court

Out-of-jail mobster 'Vinny Gorgeous' enjoys 'slow go' in court
Jury selection continues at a snail's pace in the capital-murder mob trial of reputed Bonanno boss Vincent Basciano -- and the well-dressed wiseguy known as "Vinny Gorgeous" seems to relish every moment. A month into the painstaking and often tortuous process at Brooklyn federal court, only 59 prospects have been chosen. That's out of a pool of 1,000, nearly twice as many as most high-profile Mafia trials, court experts said. But, animated and smiling, Basciano confers with his legal eagles -- George Goltzer, Richard Jasper and Ying Stafford -- occasionally and discretely whispering in their ears. And why not? Every day the selection process drags on is another day away from his solitary confinement in prison. With all the intensity of a coach sending in plays to the quarterback, he'll often grab a pen, jot messages on Post-it notes and then pass them to various members of his legal team. And all the while, he looks sharper than anyone else at the defense table -- or anywhere else in the courthouse. His suit, shirt and tie match with fashion-conscious precision. And he brings his own expertise, as former owner of the "Hello Gorgeous" beauty salon in The Bronx -- where he earned his mob tag -- to his gelled, combed-back 'do. When the daily proceedings begin, Basciano settles back into the best seat in the house for often gripping entertainment, like the time a bemused Judge Nicholas Garaufis, who often poses hypothetical questions, was interrupted by a prospective juror who proposed a hypothetical of his own. "If I planned to kill my wife . . . ," the man began before the judge cut him off. "Let's leave your wife out of it," Garaufis advised. His trial was scheduled to begin today, but opening arguments now appear to be at least a week away. Before being interviewed by the judge, candidates for the Basciano jury first must complete a 60-plus-page questionnaire that asks about a wide range of issues, including their views on crime, the Mafia and capital punishment. The identities of the jurors are kept secret as a precaution against potential tampering. Eventually, the serious business of justice will begin. Basciano is standing trial on charges that while in prison he ordered the rub-out of mob associate Randolph Pizzolo, who was killed in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in 2004. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/it_all_goodfella_8DypfQLOZyKhPH4fFDg4XL#ixzz1IhSo98vR