What informants (rats) would yo like to here from?

If you've been on YouTube the last few years there's been a surge in shows about guys who did time in prison, and informants making YouTube channels. Sammy Gravano being the most famous. You also have guys like John Alite, John Pennisi, Mike Franzese, Larry Mazza, and a few others.

Are there any rats out there you'd like to hear from to fill us in on some mafia history? If I had to pick one guy it would be Joseph Massino, he was involved in a lot of historical mafia events.

I’d like to see Mark Rosetti make a show or something if he gets out that be cool there’s not much on the Boston war so I’d like to see someone who was in it talk about it

Phil Leonetti would make for a fantastic YouTube channel.

I'm surprised Valuetainment hasn't gotten Joe Massino yet. That's gotta be the biggest get out there now. Maybe Joey is asking for too huge of an envelope to appear. He'd have some good stories to tell and was the actual Boss of a Family. I can't believe he hasn't been seen since he testified. I thought for sure he'd be writing a book or something. Did he have that much $$$$ squirreled away?

Joe Valachi lol

I agree, he'd probably be the biggest get and has the most stories. But I don't think it's going to happen, and if it did, he'd essentially take the money and be the least compelling listen possible.

Joe Massino really is a miserable, fat asshole. Aside from the mafia serial killers, he might be the most unlikeable LCN figure out there. He's gross. It feels like there's a big cancer in the room when he enters.

He buried Vinny B. to keep some property so he never had to work an honest day in his life. To have to admit to the world he's a murderer who flipped in order to keep his squirreled away cash is much different than someone like Pennisi, who felt wrongfully rejected by his crew, didn't make an ungodly amount of money, and wasn't facing jail time.

Joe took his money to run away from everyone who ever supported him so that he could waddle around some mcMansion in Oklahoma.

He's also very, very unhealthy. I saw him testify at trial, and it's hard for the guy to get out one gravely word without being out of breath or needing water. He muttered the shortest answers possible to get off the stand in his gross sweat pants and go back into a hole. He seemed miserable, on death's door, and unwilling to elaborate on any of his past life beyond direct questions.

If someone could actually get him to open up and write a book, I agree, he has the best stories. But I don't think it's going to happen. He made his decision, is probably close to dying, and wants to preserve what little dignity he has left.

Other mentions on who it would be nice to hear from:

Cafaro (is he alive?)

Wayne Grande

Joey Caves

Sebby Saracino

I'd love to see Mikey Scars do a full interview. Very credible guy, doesn't seem to be self-promoting as much as the other guys.

Fat, arrogant, useless POS that he is I can't help but agree that Massino would not only be great to hear from but truth be told he might be the best to ever speak. He'd be one of the most current and the only real boss to ever flip (not counting Ralph Natale LOL)

Either one of these guys, if I heard they had posted a full interview I would literally drop whatever I was doing to hear it.

Yeah, Mikey Scars would be a good one to hear from in an extensive interview too. He seems like a sharp, well spoken guy. If they couldn't get Massino, why not Sal Vitale? They both seem like scum, but it would be interesting to hear what they have to say about those Bannano years at the top. I just can't believe those two guys in particular walked away from the life without scheming someway to get $$$$ out of it with a tell all book or tv deal or something.

Yeah, Massino looked like a beached whale in the photos they presented as evidence at his trial. I can't imagine he's in good shape today. At all.

How did you manage to witness Massino testifying at a trial, Sharpie?

Fat Joey is a POS of epic proportions. He even copped a sneak on one of the three capo's before they got ambushed. A real punk move when you got a bunch of guys with guns ready to jump out and slaughter them.

Another guy with a story is Chicago Outfit squealer Nick Calabrese. He put in a ton of work, and his brother was one of the most deadly guys of his era.

100 Percent on Nick Calabrese. The son has yapped alot of stuff but he wasn't there for really anything and Nick knew and pretty much witnessed it all. He seems like he like Massino has not been seen or heard from since and has no interest. I wonder if Frank Jr even has seen or heard from him?

I think you'd see some of the older guys somewhat embarrassed about what they did. Even though they did it.

And I think some would like to forget about their cooperation. And just fade into oblivion

Guys we haven't heard from like John pate, Carmine sessa, cookie durso, Joey massino

Bobby Deluca....cause why not

Sessa is someone I was thinking of when making this topic. He doesn't seem mentally stable though, I'm pretty sure he got in trouble while in the WPP for beating up his wife and son.

Carmine was a dummy. Extremely ignorant guy. On all levels

From zero of them, let's hear from some stand-up guys.

Massino would give the Definitive account of the Cosa Nostra in America over the last half of the 20th century, The Galante killing, The 3 Capos murders, The Vito Borelli murder where John Gotti pulled the trigger(so we can stop hearing the bullshit how he never personally killed anyone), The Pizza Connection, Wall Street infiltration in the 90s, The commission meeting in 2000, The Bonnie and Clyde murders,The George from Canada murder in 99, The New York Post rackets, the San Gennaro Feast rackets in the 90s and early 2000s etc etc

Oh, I forgot all about Nick Calabrese. Great call Gerry. Yeah, that'd be my number one. He was around for a lot. Crazy all the shit he was involved with and the murders and he was basically making no kind of scratch. I'm pretty sure that Nick has been pretty openly visiting Chicago without a problem. Frank Jr. opened a pizza place in Arizona and I'm sure Nick has been around there too. I also think him and Jr. knew about a few stash spots they didn't tell the FEDS about when Sr. went away for life. I don't think anyone that's still around gives a shit he put Marcello away for Life as I think he's the only person with any rank that still around from that trial. I know Paul Schiro is still kicking it and trying to get a compassionate release, but the players are all gone. Wonder how much $$$ a guy like Marcello even left behind when he went away to begin with? Nick was doing all that time before he flipped and they were basically paying him 4K a month? That's not much to stop someone from squealing if they are facing life after that glove was found with his DNA match on it and the bullet in his arm.

I would love to hear from any of the New Jersey guys. Especially the Lucchese guys like Tommy Ricciardi or Tumac Acceturo. I would love to hear the stories they could tell. Or John Tully. He was Irish, so obviously not made, but he was around the Campisis, who were with (i think) the Genovese Family. He agreed to testify, and got more time than some of the guys he was going to rat on. After he got out of prison he went to Austin, Texas and worked as a hot dog vendor. He actually ran for mayor there saying he was regularly harassed by Austin police.

We'll never hear anything from the stand-up guys! They keep their mouths shut!

We're finally in agreement on something Louie. What if he starts a YouTube channel and makes a video saying that Roy DeMeo wasn't a Gallo crew member but started out under a Lucches associate? Will you just dismiss him as a dumb Youtuber who wouldn't know better than Ralph Scopo?

Just joking though. In all honesty my first question would be about the murder or Tommy Zummo, why it was done, and his take on the Bananas War in the 60s and go from there. Fat Boy will never do it. The Feds let him keep enough assets he won't have to do anything but grow old and die in some town in South Carolina.

Fish Cafaro
Massino
Nick Calabrese

Fish is in his late 80s. It would be like Biden making a video. " Back in 1978 me and fat Tony had a beef with this guy corn pop and and ah forget it, gimme a break, come on, you know the thing man!"

Haha. Biden can’t remember what day is after Friday.. he’s to busy falling up the stairs to run the country and when he has a “press conference” Q cards and cheat sheets are his best friend, seriously the man needs a cheat sheet for his own tax plan and he had 48 years in Washington to prepare for this...what a fucking joke!

He got to keep a bunch of his apartment buildings and whatever cash he had stashed besides what they found in his basement which I’m sure was millions more than what he acknowledges, he was basically the boss from 81 or 82 to 2003(once he was imprisoned it was a lot tougher for him to get his full share of the rackets money)

7 mill is a lot of cash to turn over along with all those gold bars. You guys think he had more stash spots than that? How do you hide 7 mill? That's 70,000 bills to have up in the attic.Was it up in the walls or something?

With wiseguys you never know where they have money stashed. If they already seized one stash I doubt he's going to reveal anymore.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=neeSUXPjXvU

Mikey scars interview

Fat man had all those gold bars the Feds took, and right afterwards gold shot up to record highs and been up ever since.

As part of his plea agreement, Massino also agreed to forfeit the following: (1) the business known as 60th Lane Restaurant, Inc., d/b/a Casablanca Restaurant (and the premises and real property, together with its buildings, appurtenances, improvements, fixtures, attachments, and easements located at 66- 15th Lane, Maspeth, New York); (2) the business known as Café Via Veneto (and the premises and real property, together with its buildings, appurtenances, improvements, fixtures, attachments, and easements located at 60-39 Fresh Pond Road, Maspeth, New York); (3) [u]$7,672,581 in cash (i.e., $7,182,281 and $490,300 surrendered by the defendant Massino to the government)u]; (4) 267 “gold bars” surrendered by the defendant Massino to the government (specifically 210 gold bars each weighing one ounce and 57 gold bars each weighing five ounces, all of which has a combined approximate market value of $267,000); and (5) the following substitute properties: (a) the premises and real property, together with its buildings, appurtenances,
improvements, fixtures, attachments, and easements located at 60- 37 Fresh Pond Road, Maspeth, New York; and (b) the premises and real property, with its building, appurtenances, improvements, fixtures, attachments, and easements located at 58-23 68th
Street, Maspeth, New York 11378.

Those 495 ounces of gold are now worth 855,572.

What did they let him keep? That sounds like a lot to forfeit.

He was able to keep 5 out of 10 properties. He says he actually had four or five hundred gold bars, so maybe someone hit the stash before he gave it up. The gold and 7 million cash were in his house, he most likely had other stash spots and properties. They gave him a really good deal.

Thanks GerryLang. I was in Maspeth four or five years ago. It was a nice area and a quick zillow search had the real estate higher valued than surrounding areas. Has it always been like that? I got my first hot towel shave by some old time barber while I was there.

He should have had some huge loose diamonds too. At least they don't take up so much room. Ha. If he gave up 7 mill cash, he must have had more than that stashed somewhere else. Wonder where he settled down at? Maybe him and Sal made up and are kicking it poolside somewheres now.

I'm not one who is so quick to assume that every boss or high up mafia member like Massino has millions stashed. I think they let him keep way more than enough to live like a king. DILeonardo got an undeserved bonus from the feds about 4 years ago, they granted him $4,000 a month to be available "In case he remembers anything" that he forgot to tell them in the past. No testimony or info has ever come up since, but they still probably send him that 4,000 each month as his "rat bonus." It was in Gangland, so I think the feds wanted Capeci to let others know they will be taken care of financially it they cooperate.

I'm a Philly guy. The only places I have spent any substantial time in Queens were Woodside and Astoria. My little knowledge of Maspeth is it's a more traditional NYC neighborhood that hasn't seen the gentrification that a lot of other neighborhoods. It's also been around five years or so since I frequented NYC on a regular basis.

I don't wanna hear from any of these people. Rats should not be heard from.

I want someone to do an in-depth interview with Persiano at somepoint

Exactly, we've already heard enough.

Nick Calabrese Jr. or whatever from Chicago Outfit who brought down his dad with Operation Family Secrets.

go watch more sopranos then and glorify the lifestyle of crime a bit more

Ralphie is right, they should not be heard from, who believes them anyway? If you feel anyone is glorifying people you are delusional. The men who rat are the worst of criminals, they do the crime, then avoid the time by ratting on fiends. Go watch a DiLeonardo or John Alite video and glorify rats a bit more.

That's a bunch of bullshit. Rats are a huge part of the mafia like it or not. I don't respect or condone them, but they play their part in the life. Without them the only info would come from LE.

. Good Post. It doesn’t matter which mobsters rat or not they are all bad people. Although I do feel they still deserve longer sentences informants are the way we get information on the mob

And exactly what do you think you are hearing when rats speak? LE filters what they say. and has them in a situation where they have to say what they are told, and if anything they say goes against what LE like to hear, they wind up like Casso did.

Vinny Ocean would be great to hear from and has a great story and really was a heavyweight that had big money.....

Ditto for Lenny Strollo as well...

chin,

why would you want to waste your time with that scum, he will only sit there and lie to your face. Trust me - I know.

all the rats should drop dead, and while they are alive they should be shunned by everyone and not given any attention in this life ever again.

I think its hilarious the anger and hate displayed against criminals who later turn against criminals. As if they were honorable law abiding moral people to begin with. Seems kind of odd.

He's the first made member in the Philadelphia family to flip since Pete Caprio in 2000. He'd be in a position to provide lots of information about the hierarchy, inductions, interactions with other families... I'd want an interview with him and I'd want transcripts of his recordings

While tempting to role-play Tony Soprano and be indignant about rats, I think there is another reality here, which is that not all rats are created equally.

There's a big difference, to me, in a Henry Hill who just wants to save his own ass and a Pete Chiodo or Al D'Arco for example who legitimately hadn't done anything "wrong" in their LCN context but who were marked for death by their psychotic administration. Is the proper thing for Fat Pete to do just to accept being whacked for no reason, not having done anything wrong, and say "oh well, that's the life I chose, I guess I'll die now." ???

That's ridiculous. The reality is that the administration owes a duty to its members to maintain and enforce the rules of LCN. If that breaks down - and a psycho like Amuso or Scarfo comes along and re-writes the rules to suit their own agenda/paranoia/cult of personality...then people are going to do what they've got to do. You've forced them into a corner and that's on you.

Joe Massino? An enormous (literally and figuratively) piece of shit. Same for Vinny Ocean. The leaders can't betray their own people, that's the worst.

There's plenty of others who probably fall in the middle somewhere, Leonetti, diLeonardo, etc., but I really don't think you can paint all rats with the same brush. You have to look at each individual case by case.