Mafiosi Informants - The Stool Pigeon Count!

Go get your calculators... cause you're gonna need em.

Rats...stool pigeons...rodents...backstabbers...Benedict Arnolds...traitors...cooperators....etc., etc. The list of adjectives used to describe these informants is almost never ending!

And the list of mob informants is even longer!

https://thenewyorkmafia.com/2021/03/04/mafiosi-turned-informant-the-stool-pigeon-count/

Nice list. but under Gambinos you have Richard DiNome...you mean Freddie. Freddie became an informant once they killed Roy and then Richie his brother.

correct. good catch

If anybody has additional associates to add in that you think are significant enough, by all mean list them and I'll include them on my list ok?

And for that matter, if I've missed any NY/NJ "made" informants on my list, please let me know (I think I listed all the made guys, but you never know).

I'll add em, just make me aware of their names.

Good list, I do think a couple of names don't belong. Carmine Lombardozzi was never considered an informer till people starting speculating about it online a few years ago, it has never been proven. Yet a lot of people want to push that idea. Matt Traynor and Dom Lofaro were not really associates, Lofaro knew a few wise guys and Traynor was just man who cut a deal to get out of bank robbery charges by testifying against Gotti, who he hardly knew.(If he even knew him at all) The rest of the list is great.

I think it's a well-known fact by now that organized crime is full of rats. On another note, I heard that in Italy the Mafia has told informants or turncoats to put out wrong information to mislead law enforcement. And as part of Bernardo Provenzano's plan to rejuvenate the Mafia he even ordered that rats and their families not be touched, and even welcomed them back into the fold.

Interesting list.

You could add Steven Sergio, associate of the Gambinos who testified against Greg dePalma in the Scores strip club case.

I also noticed you don't consider Larry Mazza to be a soldier. Is that because he was made by the Persico faction and not the Colombo family as a whole ?
You could also add his pal Jimmy DelMasto.

Ralph DeLeo was an informant before would made in the Colombos.

Was James Tartaglione ever the Bonanno consigliere? My understanding is he was only ever a captain sitting on the committee to help run the family for Massino.

For Philadelphia members who flipped:

Nicholas Caramandi (soldier direct with Scarfo)
Thomas DelGiorno (former captain)
Eugene Milano (soldier)
Lawrence Merlino (former captain)
Philip Leonetti (underboss)
George Fresolone (captain)
Salvatore Grande (soldier)
Biagio Adornetto (soldier)
John Veasey (captain)
Sergio Battaglia (soldier)
Ronald Previte (captain)
Ralph Natale (boss)
Robert Luisi (captain)
Gaetano Scafidi (soldier)
Peter Caprio (captain)
Anthony Persiano (soldier)

Other Philly members who were informants:

Harry Riccobene (soldier)
Rocco Scafidi (soldier)
Pasquale Spirito (soldier)

Chin, I do not believe that Fresolone was ever a captain. He had just gotten straightened out. He was no capo. He turned rat and recorded his own ceremony. He was a newly minted soldier.

And Veasey? I do not believe he was even an inducted soldier. He was a half a nut job who was used, and then they tried killing him. He was not a goodfella IMO.

And Ron Previte, that fat fuck. He was NO soldier. Regardless of what he says. He brought money. They "washed his face" for him because of that. But he was just an associate. I know he says he was "verbally" made, and then elevated. But he's full of shit. Like 95% of everything else that comes out of his mouth. It's a lie to inflate his importance.

As far as Big Lou Tartaglione, I thought I had seen that he was elevated to serve as "acting" consigliere for a short time. But I am not 100% on that. But thats where I'm leaning on him

Fresolone was made a captain the day after he was made.

Veasey got straightened out with Vincent Filipelli in September 1993 and promoted to captain a few weeks later.

Regardless of what outsiders might think of the situation, Previte was carried as made within the organisation and recognised as a captain.

I don't believe Harry Riccobene was a rat, he died in prison. Blasphemy! Mario Riccobene was a rat though, but he got whacked.

You gotta show me Veasey was made. I question that statement

Philadelphia Mafia

(19 made men)

Ralph Natale BOSS
Philip Leonetti UNDERBOSS

Capos:

Peter Caprio
Nicholas Caramandi
Thomas DelGiorno
George Fresolone
Robert Luisi
Lawrence Merlino
Ronald Previte???

Soldiers

Eugene Milano
Salvatore Grande
Biagio Adornetto
Sergio Battaglia
Ronald Previte
Gaetano Scafidi
Anthony Persiano
Harry Riccobene
Rocco Scafidi
Pasquale Spirito

Associates:

John Vaesey


19 rats,not bad for a small family.

If anyone cares for some Canadian perspective...

As a dude from up North I'll just point out that to the best of my knowledge, the Rizzutos have never had an informant and no one has ever flipped to the government. Not that has ever been documented or even suspected.

There was Raffaele Delle Donne in Toronto who flipped on Peter Scarcella who was a Rizzuto associate in Toronto, but Delle Donne was just a low level associate anyway. He did get Scarcella pinched though.

Of all rats out there though, Delle Donne may have been one of the most respectable in my own opinion. He only flipped after they accidentally killed a young mother and he felt he had to do it. All the more strangely, he was offered a huge sum of money by the government for flipping, and he turned it down. Peculiar case.

Its ironic the Bonannos were the last family not to have a member ever testify and now they are the rat family.

Yep, from the top right on down!

Once you see bosses and hierarchy members flipping, you damn well know "The Life" is over. Period!

There have ALWAYS been rats, even in the horse and carriage days, this isn't some new phenomenon. The only thing that's new are celebrity rats. People have forever been saying that life is over, do some digging, I'm sure people said these things in the 1920s and 30s.

- Kitty Caparella, "Shooting Star", Philadelphia Daily News. 13 June 1994.

Caparella had talked to Veasey over the phone while he was in prison after he survived the attempt on his life by Martines and Pagano.


- George Anastasia, The Goodfella Tapes. 1998.


- Ralph Cipriano and John Veasey, The Hit Man. 2012.

Later on in the book, rank comes up when describing how in the hospital Veasey wrote down what had happened to him on a pad for investigators after he had been shot in the head:



The book also contains this excerpt from his testimony where he talks about his heritage:

"I never met my father. … Maybe you could help me out. I’ve been trying to find out. I don’t know what I am. My mother was Sicilian. I don’t know what my father was. I asked the FBI to try to find a picture of him. I’ve never seen him." “OK,” the defense lawyer said. “You consider yourself 100 percent Italian?” “Sure,” Veasey said. “I was raised Italian; raised by my mother’s side. They’re Sicilians. I don’t know what my father was. I heard he was Indian. I heard he was Irish. I heard he was Italian. I don’t have a clue.”

...

There are a couple of other things that are very important to take into account:

First, Veasey was a competent hit man and was a shooter in the murders of Michael Ciancaglini and Frank Baldino, which were the only two successful hits carried out by the Stanfa faction during the war. The Baldino murder especially was important as it came after Joseph Stanfa was shot, so his father just wanted anyone hit.

Secondly, Stanfa was desperate to have bodies around him. Merlino and Ciancaglini had a lot of younger guys around them who were hitters. Stanfa made a lot of people quickly and promoted them even quicker. Joey Chang was made in November 1991 and was promoted to underboss at some point in 1992. Luigi Tripodi was inducted under Stanfa (probably the same ceremony as Joey Chang) and was promoted to captain. Tripodi was in his 50s and hadn't been involved in illegality prior to hooking up with Stanfa. Frank Martines was made in May 1993 and promoted to acting underboss either immediately or soon after (this was after Joey Chang had been shot). Vincent Pagano came back up to Philadelphia from Florida in September 1993 and by December was inducted, was serving as a captain and was caught on tape talking about how if Stanfa was arrested, he (Pagano) would be the number 2 man and would help Martines run the family. Tommy Scafidi was made by Stanfa a matter of weeks after he defected from the Merlino faction, taking a list of shakedown victims with him.

Third, Sergio Battaglia has claimed that Stanfa was always looking to kill Veasey and Philip Colletti (who wasn't made) because he was unhappy with how the Ciancaglini murder had been carried out. Until that point Veasey would be useful to Stanfa as a killer and as somebody who could collect shakedown money. Stanfa did the same thing with Merlino and Mikey Chang when he straightened them out in 1992 to keep them close so they would (theoretically) be easier to kill.

As I've described in my previous post, Veasey was definitely made and it's pretty far from not bad. Philadelphia has had more made guys become cooperating witnesses than any other family in the US. They've had a significant amount of associates who have flipped too. I've never gone through and compiled all the associates who have flipped because there's so many but here's the first few that into my head for associates:

Mario Riccobene
Rosario Bellocchi
Philip Colletti
Philip Casale
Roger Vella
Steven Carnivale
Louis Monacello
Michael Orlando
Harry Brown

He provided info to the feds in the 1960s:

http://mafiahistory.us/rattrap/philadelphiainf.html

Regarding my comment about Fresolone being a captain, I'll provide more context here:

The same day of the ceremony he got a phone call from John Praino to tell him that Martirano had taken a turn for the worst and was in the hospital. At the hospital, Martirano made Fresolone a captain over the other guys he had been straightened out with that day.


- George Fresolone and Robert J Wagman, Blood Oath. 1994.

Excellent info Chin. Thank you for that.

I agree with what you have said about them having more rats in Philly than any other borgata in the country. And its partially because this Stanfa was inducting anybody, and everybody, he could get his hands on, "wholesale' to help him win the conflict.

This Previte was told that even though you haven't gone through an "official" ceremony, consider yourself "made" as well. (at least that what Previte claims, if he can even be believed, cause he's a real bullshitter). But in light of what you've just laid out, it seems that in Philly anything goes!

Each of these fellas were a very sad commentary in and of themselve, to 'represent" made men. But in that era in Philly, it became the norm to put shit into their lineups. They were really scraping the bottom of the barrel with these guys. Unbelievable.

What is really surprising to me is that a native born Zip Sicilian like John Stanfa, would even think in this manner. You'd think, he of all people, being an immigrant from the otter side, would have been most strict in the rules and dictates of Cosa Nostra. And repeated the history and process involved.

I would have thought that he would have reached to Sicily for some imports to help him.

It just goes to show that he was another "incapable" asshole, who did not deserve the top post that he got becoming boss.

Chin Gigante,Vasey shouldn't be made because he is irish from his father side. Doesn’t count if his mother was sicilian and raised him like a sicilian.Its like Joe Bravo in montreal that was killed because said to the sicilians that Vito Rizzuto made him.

Another excellent point Furio. It goes to show just how really fucked up they were in Philly. And also what a halfassed boss this Stanfa was. Sicilian my ass! This Stanfa was Sicilian by 'postcard.' to allow a half-breed, especially one who's "father" was NOT Italian at all, says it all!

Stanfa was not boss material. It also goes to show that the almighty dollar rules everything! For the opportunity to make a few measly $$, he was selling Cosa Nostra down the drain.

Years back, he would have been found in a ditch with his head cut off!

The Philly mob stopped acting like an LCN family after Scarfo went away. Scarfo was a lousy boss, but at least the borgata was still authentic under him.

That is not true at all. There is a huge difference between telling things to cops (which Lucky Luciano did about other dealers to get out of a charge) to testifying in open court. For over 30 years not a single made man ever testified until Valachi...and then certain families like the Bonannos didn't have anyone testify until Frank Coppa in 2002. That is over 70 YEARS the Bonanno family was operating until they had a made man testify in court. There are way more rats today then before.

There have ALWAYS been rats, a rat is a rat, rather inside or outside of court. Sure openly there are more rats, and they're celebrities these days. But there have always at the very least been confidential informants. They just stayed in the closet for the most part back then.

Stool pigeons are inherent to the game. But I do agree that decades back, 99.9% of these hard-ons were "dry snitches" who worked with LE surreptitiously. Nobody was getting on the stand and pointing fingers at guys. They didn't have the balls for that.

Valachi was the first to publicly break his vows and testify in front of a senate committee, and in front of all the world to see.

The floodgates slowly opened, to the point that nowadays these shameless rats actually flaunt their "informant" status like its a badge of honor or something.

The world is getting sicker and sicker by the day!

And you know what? They're getting away with it too! And the asshole public actually "subscribes" to their podcasts, and actually pays their hard earned money to some of these rats to listen to their lies and fantasy. So they give the "suckers" what they know these mob" fans" want, all the while they're making another hustle for themselves.

It's become just another racket for the rats. And the public only have themselves to blame for it! Lol.... what a bad joke this is. But the joke is on John Q. public.

What I have a problem with is when someone keeps their traps shut, it's not broadcasted everywhere. They go to their cells and it's the last you see of them. But when someone flips it makes front pages everywhere. It's like the System is designed that way, to somehow make snitching trendy. You support the State, the red carpet is rolled out for you.

You should watch your tone, Don Alite will send Gene Borello to baseball bat you once he gets out of prison of course.

There are so many rats because the mafia cannot hit em after they do.

I think most real gangsters would argue that you know what’s worse than ratting? Letting rats live openly in mob neighborhoods and doing nothing about it because these so called “gangsters” are afraid to do anything because they’re afraid of losing they’re freedom and money. I’m not sure Borello or Alite would have let someone get away with that if the roles were reversed.. Which tells me that these so called tough guy gangsters are fake every single one of them. No real gangster would let someone rat them out and then move back to the neighborhood. It’s the same thing as letting someone punk you in prison and doing nothing about it...It’s a bitch move...

Well, Colombo mobster Tommy Stacks Leonessa did beat the shit out of Bonanno rat Joey D’Amico after he went back to the neighborhood, and Whitey Bulger was killed in prison supposedly by a Genovese associate. The Animal Barboza was killed by a Patriarca mobster in California, and Mario Riccobene was killed in Philadelphia. I also heard that John Alite had his ass kicked and ran out of a club by some Albanians. Sometimes, just sometimes, street justice is served.

I’m not talking about certain individual mobsters, I’m talking about the bosses who are afraid to order retribution and I’m talking about in the modern day not Barboza in 1976(45 years ago)or Mario Riccoobene in 1993(28 years ago). I’m talking about in the modern times the last 10-20 years ..and Whitey was killed by Genovese associate doing life. Again not the leaders on the street who are afraid to do anything...and I’m talking about Cosa Nostra , the Russians and Albanians are a different animal

In the 1990s the Gambinos send two men to kill Gravano after he went to life openly and not under false name,one of two flipped,that it,the American Mafiavis this mess because they dont kill the rat because was afraid of heat and the wiseguys havent the balls to serve long sentences. In italy every rat would be killed and in some cases would killed his family.

Yes this is what got Peter Gotti sent to die in the can was a hit on Gravano.

Yeah, but Cosa Nostra is still trying to survive in NYC.

The Russian mob, compared to their Brighton Beach golden days in the late 80's and 90's, is basically non-existent in NYC these days.
Albanians are around in NYC, but they're FAR FROM operating on Cosa Nostra's level - as wounded as the Mob is these days - and they never will be, no matter what some sensationalist media blowhard likes to tell the public. Give it another decade or so and nobody will even talk about the "Albanian mafia in NYC" anymore.

Thats not entirely true Furio.

Many decades ago it was true that Sicily had very, very few informers. But for that matter, so did the mafia in the U.S.

In recent decades there have been so many "pentiti" in Sicily, that it's almost impossible to count them all. Just like in the U.S., with the tightening up of laws, preventive detention, witness protection, and long draconian sentences and asset forfeitures, many Sicilian born mafiosi turn into rats as well. I'ts just the way it is.

Do they still have more structure, rules that are followed. And are they much more dedicated to their underworld 'craft'? the answer is yes! You bet your sweet Bippy they are!

But let's not pretend that there are no rats in Italy and Sicily. From Tomasso Buscetta, to Rosario Naimo on down, they've had more than their fair share. The only difference is over there they will chop them up into little pieces if they catch them.

But even that tactic has been nullified in recent years, because the Italian government most often whisks them away into protective custody, just like the U.S. Witness Program that the Italians modeled their program after.
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And as a sidenote; I cannot condone slaughtering woman, children, babies, and other innocents for the misdeeds of their fathers, husbands, and brothers. That is degenerate shit! And makes the Mafia no better than these Colombian drug cartels who wantonly kill entire families.

You saw what happened when that degenerate nut job Gaspipe Casso ordered the killing of Pete Chiodo's sister and uncle right? Thats bad shit in my book (and in the book of a lot of other people as well. The vast majority of mafiosi do not condone such actions).

Toto Reina does that. But he's an animal anyway!
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The bottom line is because there are SO many rats and traitors in the American Cosa Nostra, the bosses have "wisely" have chosen to refrain from killings (in fact, it is a direct "directive" from the Commission that there is a moratorium on murders). except in extreme cases..... Now thats a very sad fact. But it's true! And has weakened Cosa Nostra greatly.

This is being done because they have seen in recent years that nearly everyrtime they order a hit, there is a major investigation, and those involved get pinched because the rats from within, tell law enforcement who did it in 3 seconds. It is a very fucked up scenario.
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As a result of this, and because of the sorry, sorry, state of affairs that Cosa Nostra finds itself in. Many of the smarter members have either formally retired from the life, or have pulled in their wings and almost completely refrain from criminal activities. They have chosen to invest more heavily into legitimate business where there is much more money to be had nowadays anyway!

NOTE: I just had this same conversation with a dear friend of mine several weeks back (he is a goodfella in NY), and he was saying how he doesn't deal with anybody anymore. He'll go to the occasional wake or wedding when he has to, but prefers to just send a floral arrangement or an envelope when he can, so he can stay away from public exposure. He operates several lucrative businesses which bring in decent money. He literally has backed up 95% from his former activities. He still has a piece of a small sports book with a Jewish partner of his who has been around him for years, but thats about it. And he only associates with a very small clique of knock-around guys who we both grew up with. He frequent the same couple of restaurants we have for decades since we were kids. And thats it! He stays away from most everyone unless he's "called in"

End of story. He is semi-retired. Period! (he is not alone in this way of thinking). Only the desperadoes who are broke, or the idiots still bounce in the streets the way they did years back.

NYMafia its true that there are more pentiti in sicilian mafia but they and their family must escape because they always risk to be whacked,the sicilian mafia almost menaged to rebuilt the Cupola,so a rat that go for the Palermo streets its impossibile because the rule is to kill him. In a documentary the Buscetta family in America still live in the fear of the revenge because the mob can wait but when have the change,it will hit.
The US mob instead prefer the money to the revenge,even if the last case was the Lucchese that send a hit team to kill Sean Richards,the Riggi's daughter former husband.

The Mafia in the U.S. is becoming more and more incapable of maintaining their structure and decorum. By the year 2021, the mob is longer recognizable to the one I grew up with. They no longer are a potent entity.

They are like a lion without teeth! Sad, but true. It is to the low point now, that when a customer owes a shylock or bookie money you cannot even threaten him, otherwise he immediately runs to the law to escape paying back what he legitimately owes. Why? Because he knows he can get away with it.

If Cosa Nostra would leave a 1/2 dozen bodies in the street the way they used to do, you'd see how fast these jerkoffs would pay their bookies and shylocks. Lol

But alas, it has become largely a joke. And unfortunately the joke is on Cosa Nostra.

But this cannot stay as the norm. Because if it does, there will be no Cosa Nostra worth a shit within a short period of time.

NY Mafia you should keep a closer eye on what actually goes on in Italy. Rats aren't as effective over there, there was a former rat named Claudio Carbonaro who recently returned to the fold as head of his clan and took charge of a multimillion-dollar toxic waste trafficking operation. And like I said before, informers over there have even been used by the Mafia to mislead law enforcement. Also, 41-bis isn't as ironclad as everyone thinks it is, it can be bought like everything else and bosses have been running companies and controlling millions of dollars in assets even from prison. It's a completely different animal over there.

Of course it is. The main reason for that is that the ethnic makeup and lineage of Italy/Sicily is nearly 100% all Italian born and bred people. The mafia "psyche" is permeated throughout the land.

Not like in the U.S.A. where such a small number of Italians live, and the populous hasn't grown up around Cosa Nostra from birth. It is a completely different ballgame over there.

But let's not "color coat" it, a rat is a rat! No matter how you wanna slice it.

NYMafia,Nicodemo killed DiPietro and get 25 years without flip (he will be in his 70s when will go out),how many Nicodemo do you think the us mafia have? Today the Gambinos and Genoveses are focused on white collar crimes that made milions in the shadow that on the drug trafficking that made milions but attire too heat,the mob families should induct only the people that are ready to risk life for the family and not run to the feds for avoid 20 y in the can.Sad but true,maybe they will decrease in number but making only Cosa Nostra til I die men,they will regain some of their power .

I agree 1000% Furio.

But I have to say, that I personally know many, many fellas (dear friends of mine unfortunately) who have either served, or currently are serving, decades long sentences. They are all stand-up guys in the truest sense of the word.

And there are still lots of stand up guys in NYC and elsewhere.

The major problem is that in Cosa Nostra, even 1 rat is 1 rat too many. Because they know too many secrets once they're inducted.

And as I stated at the top of my post. With over 90 known rats in NYC alone, with many more in the woodwork. Thats a HUGE number. An insurmountable number to overcome. Especially among a membership of only a little more than 1000 inducted men.

So today? What they do, is that even as a goodfella, most of these new guys (and even the older guys) are ONLY told what they need to know.

Its on a "need to know basis" only. This way if/when a guy flips, he can't bring down a hundred guys. Only his immediate crew at best.

But even that is still NOT enough to balance the scales in favor of CN with all these fucking rodents running around today!

The solution but its only a my opinion would be to hire some hackers to violate the FBI database and know the wiseguy that are listed as informants.

You're right that a rat is a rat, however longterm the Mafia's strategy of not going after them and their relatives in Italy has paid off. Otherwise it would have resulted in more public attention, more relentless crackdowns, more public outcry, etc. Bernardo Provenzano's strategy worked better than Toto Riina’s strategy. At the end of the day it's about the perseverance and survival of the organization. Kudos to those guys for putting power and profit first rather than listening to a bunch of rap music influenced internet gangsters yapping about killing off all the rats.

On another note, I think even more than rats and RICO the American Mafia suffers from a dried-up recruitment pool, and their greatest weakness is fear of prison. Criminal gangs that don't give a fucx about prison will always win over those who are afraid of prison.

If the guy is a real degenerate gambler, they could just cut him off until he pays what he owes. To some of those guys that's like a fate worse then death.

Unfortunately Veasey was made by Stanfa. He should have never been made but Stanfa made a lot of guys that shouldn't have been made.

For years I said Previte wasn't made but I recently watched an interview with Boston Bob Luisi and he stated that in fact Previte was considered a "friend"

That crazy. It really shows just how low the Philly mob had sank by that point

How many turncoats in Chicago??

not that many made guys as far as public knowledge, until Nick Calabrese flipped. Although we now know that soldier Butch Blasi, and associates Lefty Rosenthal, Ralph Pierce, and other close associates and outfit leaders were in fact confidential rats for years.