Queens DA Richard Brown shows off part of a Bonanno family operation in Queens.
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Mafia Touch Felt All Over The Borough
By Jeff Feinman
Whether it’s watching the wise guys on screen or following court trials of infamous gangsters, America is a country with a Mafia infatuation. Many of us can easily recount a famous line from “The Godfather” or mouth portions of Joe Pesci’s “funny like a clown” monologue from the film, “Goodfellas.” Love it or hate it, there is something very American about the Hollywood fascination with the Italian Mafia.
But when it comes to real-life gangsters and dons, though, some of the most notorious started up their reigns of terror right here in Queens. From the “Five Families” all the way up to the modern day Gottis, the Mafia has eaten up a big slice of Queens history.
In the 1930’s, New York City saw the creation of the “Five Families,” a mob community that saw rises and falls in power through the years, but all left a great mark on the borough.
Bonanno Beginnings
The Bonanno Family’s power has decreased considerably compared to earlier days, but the family certainly has made its imprint on Queens through the years.
In 1981, three Bonanno soldiers were killed by boss Joe Massino’s men when they were lured to a Brooklyn social club on the pretense of a peaceful sit down. The bodies were later found in the Ruby Street lot in Ozone Park, a Mafia burial ground.
It would be difficult to discuss the Bonannos without mentioning the “Donnie Brasco” case. In 1982, FBI agent Joseph Pistone, using the name Donnie Brasco, infiltrated the Mafia family’s ranks and was taken under the wing of Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero. As a result of Pistone’s undercover work, Ruggiero was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Ruggiero was released after 13 years and died of cancer on Thanksgiving Day in 1995.
On June 23rd, 2005, in Brooklyn Federal Court, Joe Massino, a Howard Beach resident, admitted that he was the boss of the Bonanno Family and confessed his involvement in eight mob murders. Massino implicated four goodfellas in the hit, including his brother-in-law, Salvatore Vitale. In addition to a life sentence, Massino was ordered to forfeit $9 million. This payment includes the proceeds from the sale of several properties he owned, among them the CasaBlanca restaurant in Maspeth, Queens.
A Dapper Don
The Gambinos, meanwhile, were a powerful family through the last few decades under the tight rule of ruthless boss John Gotti. It is believed that Gotti came to power when he and his crew devised a plan to kill Gambino boss Paul Castellano.
Joe Massino |
Nicknamed the “Teflon Don” because of his well-known ability to evade the law, Gotti’s reputation grew into nationwide infamy.
As a Queensite, Gotti was somewhat beloved in the community, hosting his annual Fourth of July parties and street fairs. He lived in the community of Howard Beach with his wife and five children. Though he was respected by his neighbors, he also kept them in fear.
One of Gotti’s sons, Frank, was killed in an accident when a Howard Beach neighbor struck him with his car in 1980. The neighbor mysteriously disappeared one day, never to be heard from again.
After Gotti was convicted and sentenced to life without parole in 1992, he continued to run the Gambinos from prison. However, top capos in charge of running daily operations were apprehended by law enforcement one by one, and the family is only a shadow of what it was in the Gotti era. John Gotti Jr., meanwhile, has been in the public eye recently as a mistrial was declared on March 10 in a case involving a plot to kidnap radio talk show host Curtis Sliwa.
Colombo Crew
Though much of the Colombo Family’s origins stretch back to Brooklyn under the rule of the family’s first boss Joe Profaci, Joe Colombo and his crew came to power in the 1960’s and laid down the enforcement on the streets of Queens. Colombo, a highly feared mobster, ran numerous loan sharking rings in the borough, as well as heists of goods from JFK Airport.
Wanting to promote unity among Italian Americans, and in what some would call an act of retaliation against the FBI, Colombo formed the Italian American Civil Rights League. At the league’s second annual rally in Manhattan in 1971, Colombo was shot dead by a black man named Jerome Johnson. Though there was speculation at the time of Colombo’s death that Johnson had been hired by an opposing mob figure, no such connection was ever proven.
Lucchese Lufthansa
John Gotti |
When speaking of the Lucchese Family, Queens residents will certainly remember the 1978 robbery at the Lufthansa Air Cargo Terminal at Kennedy Airport, in which $6 million dollars worth of cash and another $2 million in jewels and gold were stolen. That heist was orchestrated by gangster Jimmy “The Gent” Burke, an associate of the Lucchese Family. At one point, the Luccheses also ran headquarters at Roberts Lounge in Ozone Park.
Where Are They Now?
Though the Genovese Family is frequently referred to as the “west side” family, Queens DA Richard Brown announced in April 2005 that reputed Genovese organized crime family soldier Victor Colletti was indicted in a local gambling ring bust. According to the charges, Colletti and other Mafia leaders were running a gambling ring out of at least three Queens bars in Maspeth, Flushing, and Ridgewood.
Authorities say that the Colombo Family can presently only boast a little over 100 members, making it one of the smaller families in New York City. Similarly, after Lucchese associate Henry Hill went into the witness protection program after becoming a Mafia “turncoat,” the family has weakened. Today, the Luccheses have approximately 120 members.
Over the years, a great number of capos and mob bosses have taken the fall, but law enforcement still keeps a tight watch on gang activity. “We’ve learned from past experiences that it would be rash to say this or that event marks end of a certain family,” said FBI spokesman James Margolin. “Our approach is to keep the pressure on.”
