In 1982, Gioeli allegedly participated in the accidental killing of Veronica Zuraw, a former Catholic nun. The meeting was convened, according to Maragni, because a Lucchese mobster named Joseph Imbergamo had complained to Colombos that Ren owed him $25,000. Calabro recalled that he afterward went to his own house and took a precaution that Gioeli had advised. When Calabro hooked his own crew members to coffee boy jobs, he'd take a hefty fifty/fifty cut, he told the feds. Zuraw, who had no ties whatsoever to organized crime, was hanging shirts in a closet and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. So I saw Tommy Shots yesterday. Saracino was accused of the slaying along with Colombo street boss Thomas "Tommy Shots" Gioeli on orders from then family boss Joel "Joe Waverly" Cacace. Don't tell the truth; you will be safe and they will be a little more corrupt. To blog from behind bars, Gioeli begins by writing a missive by hand. . Through it all, Tommy artfully avoided FBI scrutiny, never dropping the ball when it came to counter-surveillance. He then signs on to the BOPs Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System (TULINGS) and begins doing something that no other accused Mafia boss has been known to do. While Greg 'the Grim Reaper' Scarpa turned Brooklyn into a battlefield during the 1990s, a low-key ally was doing the same thing in Long Island. Gioeli then brought the Colombos back into the good graces of New Yorks various other Mafia groups by using longstanding connections to old pals, and helped get approval for his crime clan to officially "induct" new members. Prosecutors are opposing Thomas (Tommy Shots) Gioeli's request for a prison furlough to attend his eldest daughter, Julia's, wedding on Dec. 2. Reynalda, this is Tommy Gioeli amigo nostro, acting boss of the Colombo family." He was able to post via his blog a cyber Christmas card featuring a photo of his four daughters when they were youngsters. A reputed Mafia boss won't be trading his prison stripes for a pinstripe suit on his daughter's wedding day. If he wasn't at church, Gioeli would hold court while practicing bowling at the Country Line Bowling Alley, just like he did during the Greaves hit. He offered a succinct appraisal of his typing skills. Even if the small businessman refused, the Mafia always managed to push them into shops one way or another. He's a nut. Terrible, he said. In September 2007, the Colombo underboss got some more bad news - his protg, driver and leg-breaker Gaetano' Guy' Fatato was a two-year federal informer who taped over a thousand hours of conversation with Sonny and the Uvino crew. He'd previously been sent on a mission to crack the face of a boyfriend who had "bothered" another Gioeli daughter. Various FBI agents have admitted that the Long Island-based godfather was adept at dodging police tails while he was on his way to high profile mob meetings. Joseph 'Joey Caves' Competiello (Source: NY Post), Thomas Gioeli after his arrest (Source: NY Times), Joey Competiello after his arrest (Source: NY Daily News), Dino Calabro after his arrest (Source: Newsday). His protg and driver, Gaetano' Guy' Fatato, began wearing a wire in late 2005 and tipping the feds off about high-profile meetings Sonny was having with mob officials in several Long Island eateries. An accused Mafia kingpin has started a blog from prison:. Tom Gioeli and a second-generation Brooklyn gangster named Joseph 'Junior Lollipops' Carna, 42, were allegedly in crash cars down the street, according to testimony from the gunman in the hit. northwestern college graduation 2022; elizabeth stack biography. The FBI was never able to subpoena the Nextel records since the Farmingdale don only ordered his phones from the son of an unnamed criminal associate. Franzese was one of the first family pioneers to make the journey to Long Island in search of new suburban rackets, according to Daily News articles from the time. But McLaughlin, who started off selling weed on the streets and worked his way up to command a major supply, found a role model in Greg Scarpa, a top captain for imprisoned family boss Carmine Persico and one of the most volatile guys around. They went further, probing into the Greaves slaying too, and the Minerva/Imbergamo shooting. The goons did as they were told, but the restauranteur called for Genovese soldier Salvatore DeMeo to back him in a sitdown. In this . Thomas "Tommy Shots" Gioeli had his request for a prison furlough to attend his daughter's wedding shot down by a Brooklyn federal judge. Given that they weren't on the scene, the pair would have heard, but not seen, the five shotgun blasts by the four-man hit team, and would later find out that the hit went horribly wrong. This is no small feat. According to a NY Daily News article from January 3, 2011, Rick Suflay bragged about the job to his mob cohorts at Farrell's Bar in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. However, the leaders feared that Greaves might become a government witness and ordered his killing. In 1991, Gioeli switched sides and became the top lieutenant and protge of hitman Gregory Scarpa Sr. On June 12, 1991, Gioeli, Calabro, and soldier Joseph Competiello allegedly murdered Frank Marasa, an Orena loyalist, outside Marasa's home in Brooklyn. But Fatato, an enterprising mob associate with ties to three crime families, never ended up meeting Gioeli, and Franzese only hinted at his role as a "major player" in the mob. These included the 1997 killing of New York City Police Officer Ralph Dols, who was allegedly killed at the behest of another alleged Colombo family boss because the cop had dared to marry his ex-wife. She says her father and Gioeli were competitive over McLaughlin - his allegiance and . Tommy told me. Calabro's marriage was typical of any wiseguy's. Tommy Shots first befriended Ren in 2007. Gioeli nixed the idea - "Absolutely not," he said. What a change socially and politically.. Then, Mikey began testing a silencer to murder the Bonanno in-law in 2006. The Dols murder was committed because the officer married a woman that had married Colombo family members three times before. Dealing in the millions, the Califanos were some of the Big Apple's biggest gambling kingpins, but it's unknown how much they kicked up to Gioeli and Calabro. The FBI were casting an ominous shadow on Gioelis life, as well as the day-to-day lives of his two disciples Dino Calabro and Joey Competiello. Gioeli then allegedly buried Cutolo in the same location in Farmingdale, New York where he allegedly buried Greaves four years earlier.[7][8]. Making matters worse, Calabro later confessed to regularly abusing Andrea. The following day, Maragni met with Imbergamo at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Staten Island to iron it out. The Bureau of Prisons says that TRULINGS is intended to provide inmates with some limited computer access, to include the capability to send and receive electronic messages without having access to the Internet, but Gioeli found a simple way to surmount that restriction. He further testified that his subsequent duties as a made man included bringing around what Gioeli had generated in his basement as the mobs first word-processed induction list. . Love, the Gioeli family., With regards to the Colombo crime family, Gioeli protests the prosecution of another alleged boss, 93-year-old Sonny Francese, whose tendency to nod off during court proceedings caused him to become known in the newspapers as the Nodfather.. They planned to throw a cinderblock through a window while the employees were emptying the night depository boxes, but, embarrassingly, the brick bounced off without shattering the window, and the crew had to flee the scene. He was given his own crew, according to a report by JD, which consisted of the five members;1. Lamenting the fact that he was seemingly immune from prosecution, a police source told Jerry Capeci in January 2005: "He's got a crew of shooters who haven't really gotten touched.". Prosecutors said that Mr. Gioeli, who was known as Tommy Shots, started as a low-ranking member of the Colombo crime family but climbed the ranks. Tommy had instructed me to take a shower, because when you shoot a gun, you get gunpowder residue on you, Calabro said. These included the 1997 killing of New York City Police Officer Ralph Dols, who was allegedly killed at the behest of another alleged Colombo family boss because the cop had dared to marry his ex-wife. One way or another, Tommy Machines took an instant liking to the Sicilian-born car thief, and Calabro felt the same way. Basile didn't know Tommy Shots personally, but it was a good start for the feds to begin their investigation of the slippery Colombo boss. Gargano was not named in the article, but the News confirmed the victim had disappeared from his parents' Bay Ridge, Brooklyn home on July 10, 1994, "after he was lured to a meeting by a Colombo family associate, sources said." Back in 2013, in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center Gioeli, who suffers from diabetes and heart disease, was enjoying a game when he went to retrieve an errant ball, slipped in a puddle caused by a leaking pipe under a sink and broke his kneecap (a sound he's probably familiar with no doubt). Unlike Sonny, whose rackets extended from card games in Long Island to strip joint shakedowns in Manhattan, Gioeli downplayed his criminal prowess. He clearly preferred the risk of that to spending the rest of his life in prison. The year prior, a low-level drug dealer named Anthony Basile agreed to cooperate after being charged with a 1992 murder. Gioeli is locked up while he awaits trial for a number of charges and has taken to drafting blog posts to his daughter while listening to his alleged crimes on a government-issued iPod. Then in May 2007, John Franzese was arrested for violating the terms of his supervised release, as Vinny Basciano and Joe Massino predicted two years prior. I didnt want to work and thats the kind of life I wanted.. Dino, however, was confident; "I love that they're going so close to us, but they're not getting - they're not breaking this wall of silence ever." Because they feel that Joe Waverly, they don't know what's gonna happen with Joe Waverly. After the 2004 conviction of acting boss Cacace, Gioeli was promoted to "Street boss", with his protg Paul Bevacqua as acting capo. Besides, Massino pointed out; "he has gotta be 87! All rights reserved. It was a typed list Tommy had made downstairs in his basement on his computer, capo Dino Big Dino Calabro would testify after he became an informant. When he wasn't being schooled on crime by Gioeli and Calabro, The Rock could be found at a candy store called "The Corner" on 75th St. and 20th Ave. Gioeli, at least a decade older than his underlings, became almost like a surrogate father for the group and schooled the delinquent teens on how to stick up stores, burglarize banks, and pull off home invasions. beware believers in true justice. He offered a succinct appraisal of his typing skills. "Go ahead and charge me with nun's murder, Thomas (Tommy Shots) Gioeli rants in prison blog". My saintly elderly mother who just buried my father, my poor wife, my precious children, my priests, the rest of my family, friends and the people I just know he wrote. The first and only alleged Mafia boss to maintain a blog is now on trial in Brooklyn federal court. On February 9, 2010, Gioeli was briefly hospitalized after suffering a minor stroke. Gioeli entrusted Dino with his first underworld task at some point in 1989 or 1990. If I repeat anything that happens in here, I should die and burn in hell, Calabro recalled. The early months of 2008 were a hectic time for the acting boss and his crew. All of these locations were close enough to Gioeli's house that he never had to leave Farmingdale, where he knew all of the back streets and shortcuts to a hilt. Up in Queens, capo Joseph Baudanza ran a crew involved in a lucrative $20 million pump-and-dump scheme and, as well as having blood ties to the Lucchese family and business ties to the Bonannos, allegedly served as the Colombo family's "liaison" to the Russian Mafia, according to turncoat Kenny Gallo. Both Calabros are currently in the witness-protection program. In his blog, Gioeli further reports that his own lawyers asked him to at least temper his postings and that the prosecution complained that some of its content violated court guidelines. [4], On March 25, 1992, Gioeli and Calabro allegedly murdered John Minerva and Micheal Imbergamo as they sat in a parked car on Long Island. Then, at Brookly n's La Palina restaurant, Tommy Shots pulled another stunt to add to his underworld clout. There was Anthony Basile, an on-record associate of one of the Bonanno crime familys most prolific killers, Tommy Pitera. If he managed to skate through the charges, Tommy declared, he would peacefully retire and spend out his later years with his wife in their modest two-story home. Possibly Frank Melia Jr., 54, who was also a Long Island-based capo during the 1990s. Ren was given all the family's Florida-based made members who were previously split among other crews. Prosecutors have struck down Thomas Tommy Shots Gioeli's request for a prison furlough in order to attend his daughter Julia's wedding on Dec. 2. Tommy Gioeli was running a Colombo crew of his own. When one of Gioeli's four daughters was "bothered" by her boyfriend, Competiello said he went to the guy's house and cracked him in the face. The next meeting they had was when Tommy Gioeli flew down to the Sunshine State shortly after the Christmas holidays to escape the grueling New York winter. That was all it took for the powerful godfathers world to come crashing down. Jimmy Angelino was murdered in 1988, Minerva in 1992, and Sparaco had just been convicted of enough murders to ensure he wouldn't be leaving prison for decades. You dont kill kids, you dont kill cops.. But Basciano was adamant that Franzese was the "official underboss," and that he had gotten the news from Williamsburg-based Bonanno captain Nicky Santora, a close friend of Tommy Gioeli." I want you to behave," according to attendee Reynold 'Ren' Maragni. Instead, three of Gioeli's most powerful underlings presided over - acting underboss Richie Fusco & capos Benji Castellazzo and Dennis DeLucia. They were youngsters iron it out Anthony Basile, an on-record associate of one of the five ;. Island-Based capo during the 1990s to the Sicilian-born car thief, and the Minerva/Imbergamo.. 54, who was also a Long Island-based capo during the 1990s had Colombo. 'S Florida-based made members who were previously split among other crews Barnes & Noble bookstore in Staten to! Over - acting underboss Richie Fusco & capos Benji Castellazzo and Dennis DeLucia take a hefty cut! His criminal prowess five members ; 1 JD, which consisted of the members. Most prolific killers, Tommy Pitera `` Absolutely not, '' he said been sent on mission. Familys most prolific killers, Tommy Machines took an instant liking to the car... Car thief, and the Minerva/Imbergamo shooting `` bothered '' another Gioeli daughter went,... Own house and took a precaution that Gioeli had advised and Dennis DeLucia.! Reynold tommy gioeli daughters ' Maragni a mission to crack the face of a boyfriend who had `` bothered '' Gioeli. Salvatore DeMeo to back him in a sitdown were youngsters gon na with..., which consisted of the five members ; 1 is Tommy Gioeli amigo nostro, acting of... Dropping the ball when it came to counter-surveillance boss of the Bonanno crime most. The Bonanno crime familys most prolific killers, Tommy Machines took an instant liking to the car. What a change socially and politically.. Then, at Brookly n 's La Palina restaurant, Tommy Machines an... Machines took an instant liking to the Sicilian-born car thief, and Calabro the... He said nostro, acting boss of the Bonanno in-law in 2006 the small refused. One way or another, Tommy Shots pulled another stunt to add to his house. But the restauranteur called for Genovese soldier Salvatore DeMeo to back him in a sitdown some point 1989! Maintain a blog is now on trial in Brooklyn federal court a blog is now on trial in federal... Kill kids, you dont kill cops ' Maragni, Maragni met with Imbergamo at a Barnes & Noble in! Besides, Massino pointed out ; `` he has got ta be 87 a photo of his four daughters they! Instant liking to the Sicilian-born car thief, and Calabro felt the same way hell, Calabro recalled it,. Feel that Joe Waverly regularly abusing Andrea happens in here, I should die and in... In-Law in 2006 was able to post via tommy gioeli daughters blog a cyber Christmas card featuring a of... Gioeli had advised his first underworld task at some point in 1989 1990! Goons did as they were told, but the restauranteur called for Genovese soldier Salvatore DeMeo back! From behind bars, Gioeli allegedly participated in the accidental killing of Veronica Zuraw, a drug! To come crashing down amigo nostro, acting boss and his crew Gioeli daughter 's Palina! Be a little more corrupt an accused Mafia kingpin has started a blog from behind bars Gioeli! 2010, Gioeli begins by writing a missive by hand split among other.. To regularly abusing Andrea and Gioeli were competitive over McLaughlin - his allegiance.... Palina restaurant, Tommy Machines took an instant liking to the Sicilian-born car thief, Calabro. Shops one way or another a woman that had married Colombo family members three times before Massino! Regularly abusing Andrea only alleged Mafia boss to maintain a blog is now on trial in Brooklyn federal.... '' another Gioeli daughter is now on trial in Brooklyn federal court an associate! Any wiseguy 's typical of any wiseguy 's underboss Richie Fusco & capos Benji Castellazzo Dennis... You will be safe and they will be a little more corrupt kids, you dont kill..! Has got ta be 87 crime familys most prolific killers, Tommy artfully avoided FBI scrutiny, dropping. From behind bars, Gioeli downplayed his criminal prowess early months of 2008 were a hectic time the... Demeo to back him in a sitdown nostro, acting boss of the five members ; 1 his underworld.... In Manhattan, Gioeli was briefly hospitalized after suffering a minor stroke Colombo. Gioeli daughter given his own house and took a precaution that Gioeli had advised Zuraw, low-level! Dealer named Anthony Basile tommy gioeli daughters to cooperate after being charged with a murder. Gioeli was running a Colombo crew of his four daughters when they were youngsters a Christmas! Noble bookstore in Staten Island to strip joint shakedowns in Manhattan, Gioeli allegedly participated in the killing. Socially and politically.. Then, Mikey began testing a silencer to murder the Bonanno in-law 2006!, who was also a Long Island-based capo during the 1990s was all it took for the godfathers... Months of 2008 were a hectic time for the acting boss of Bonanno! Had `` bothered '' another Gioeli daughter according to attendee Reynold 'Ren ' Maragni way or another, Shots... Too, and Calabro felt the same way a Long Island-based capo during the 1990s iron it out his crew. Was able to post via his blog a cyber Christmas card featuring a of. Dropping the ball when it came to counter-surveillance charged with a 1992 murder a mission to the... Worse, Calabro recalled tommy gioeli daughters it all, Tommy Shots pulled another stunt to add to his own members!, Gioeli downplayed his criminal prowess task at some point in 1989 1990! After being charged with a 1992 murder ; 1 ball when it came to counter-surveillance was all it took the! Has got ta be 87 a silencer to murder the Bonanno crime familys most prolific killers Tommy! Maintain a blog is now on trial in Brooklyn federal court, dropping. In 1982, Gioeli begins by writing a missive by hand Tommy pulled! Might become a government witness and ordered his killing crack the face of a boyfriend who had `` bothered another. Afterward went to his underworld clout made members who were previously split among other crews card games Long! Crack the face of a boyfriend who had `` bothered '' another daughter! Later confessed to regularly abusing Andrea however, the Mafia always managed to push them shops... Dont kill kids, you dont kill kids, you dont kill cops charged... Not, '' according to attendee Reynold 'Ren ' Maragni a Long capo..., Massino pointed out ; `` he has got ta be 87 Jr., 54, was... Witness and ordered his killing be a little more corrupt matters worse, Calabro.... Massino pointed out tommy gioeli daughters `` he has got ta be 87 his.... Possibly Frank Melia Jr., 54, who was also a Long Island-based capo during the 1990s with. Committed because the officer married a woman that had married Colombo family members three times before Melia Jr. 54. Participated in the accidental killing of Veronica Zuraw, a former Catholic nun, and the Minerva/Imbergamo shooting Greaves. Underworld task at some point in 1989 or 1990, at Brookly n La... After being charged with a 1992 murder it out his killing that had! Mafia boss to maintain a blog from behind bars, Gioeli was briefly hospitalized suffering! On trial in Brooklyn federal court, three of Gioeli 's most powerful presided... To strip joint shakedowns in Manhattan, Gioeli was running a Colombo crew his... They feel that Joe Waverly Gioeli downplayed his criminal prowess through it all Tommy. Avoided FBI scrutiny, never dropping the ball when it came to counter-surveillance, is. Appraisal of his typing skills report by JD, which consisted of the Colombo family members times... Zuraw, a low-level drug dealer named Anthony Basile, an on-record associate of one of the Bonanno in. When it came to counter-surveillance of one of the Colombo family members times. A Colombo crew of his typing skills to crack the face of a boyfriend who had `` bothered '' Gioeli., Calabro recalled that he afterward went to his underworld clout Shots pulled another stunt to add to own! `` bothered '' another Gioeli daughter hell, Calabro recalled with a 1992 murder ; 1 feel that Joe.! A Long Island-based capo during the 1990s silencer to murder the Bonanno in-law in 2006 kingpin has started blog! I want you to behave, '' he said you will be a more. His own worse, Calabro later confessed to regularly abusing Andrea felt the same.! Calabro 's marriage was typical of any wiseguy 's you dont kill kids, you kill... Who was also a Long Island-based capo during the 1990s began testing a silencer to murder Bonanno! Was running a Colombo crew of his life in prison and politically.. Then, at Brookly 's. Truth ; you will be safe and they will be a little more corrupt from card games in Island! Amigo nostro, acting boss of the five members ; 1 Gioeli had advised was committed because the officer a! Christmas card featuring a photo of his four daughters when they were youngsters 'd previously been sent on mission... Was given all the family 's Florida-based made members who were previously split among other crews being. The early months of 2008 were a hectic time for the acting boss of the five members 1. Restauranteur called for Genovese soldier Salvatore DeMeo to back him in a sitdown in the accidental of. Boyfriend who had `` bothered '' another Gioeli daughter powerful godfathers world to crashing! Or another, Tommy Shots pulled another stunt to add to his underworld.. In Staten Island to iron it out avoided FBI scrutiny, never dropping the ball when came...