Best Hit

As we have been talking about the dumbest, most violent and the nicest wiseguys - how about the best hit?

What I mean by that is which hit do you consider to be a criminal mastermind with plenty of careful planning and daring to pull off?
Also the signifigance of the hit could be a factor.

Example, Sparks steaks house was VERY significant BUT it was also very stupid in my book.
Hitting a boss with no commission approval and what if a Christmas shopper had been hit by a stray bullet?
So Sparks steak house does NOT get my vote.

It could be argued that the 1981 hit of the 3 Bonanno Capos was a top hit.
Well planned to trick them into attending the meeting and it was significant in that it pretty much wiped out the oppostion to Rusty - however the careless disposing of the bodies kind of spoils it!

Sammy Gravano's 1980 hit on "Johnny Keys" Simone was well planned and elminated Scarfo's main adversary.

Then the Anastasia hit was monumental because it started Don Carlo's reign (wether or not the Gallo's did it is open to debate)

Fire away guys (pardon the pun)

my "favorite" hit if you can call it that , as sick as it sounds, was Sammy Gravano's hit on Frank Fiala. The whole story behind that is kind of bizarre and funny. Sammy and/or one of his guys ended up shooting him in the face while he was outside of a club, in front of all the people waiting on line. Sammy had just sold him the club for like $500K in gold and cash or something.

The best hit is probably the JFK hit. Now THAT was a professional hit.

"The Moe Greene Special".

And the hit on Emilio Barzini. Perfectly aimed.

Yes of course, the Bugsy Siegel hit was definitely the work of an artist.

Yes the Frank Fiala hit was an intresting piece of mob work
And as you say the build up was bizarre/funny in a way.
I'm suprised Sammy let the clown get away with as much as he did!!!!
If Fiala had tried those antics on Gaspipe or DeMeo..........

The hit on Paolo Violi and his brother Rocco followed by the hit on Nick Rizzuto 30 years later.

The Sal Maranzano hit. Lansky's hit team disguised as IRS agents to get passed his guards.

Sam Giancana because it has never been solved and cleared out any confusion over who was running the Outfit.

Joe Columbo because no one is certain who masterminded it (the Gallos, Carlo, etc) and they ended up with stronger leadership.

the Joe Gallo and the Joe Colombo hits

can we throw jimmy hoffa in here? we all know the mob had something to do with it and its been one of the most broadcasted missing persons cases of all time. i think he's more famous for disappearing than his corrupted union ways.

The Galante hit has always been one of my favorites because the Bonnanos removed a psychopath and solidified more solid leadership.

The fact that everyone knows who pulled the trigger and was part of the plan likely puts this lower on the list. I love the fact that the FBI caught Bruno "Whack Whack" Indelicato hugging it out with Dellacroce about 45 minutes after the hit on video tape - not one hug mind you, but two. The second was a Neil call back for some more love just cracks me up every time I see it.

Lastly, you have to give the NY Daily News headline photo of Carmine spread out with the cigar still in mouth one of the best pictures / portraits of what LCN really is.

BYW, Joe and Mary's did have good food.

Next string suggestion.....worst hit.

No Commission approval aside, the Castellano hit was really Gotti's high mark. For all the possible things that could have gone wrong, it was well planned and executed. They had the whole area boxed in - guys waiting right outside the restaurant (all dressed the same), guys waiting across the street, guys waiting up and down the street, DeCicco inside waiting for the meeting itself, and of course Gotti and Gravano in the car nearby. The shots were delivered at close range. I don't think there was really a chance of a citizen catching a stray bullet. Gravano said they were more concerned about somebody trying to interfere. Including cops. But they were prepared to shoot their way out if needed.

In hindsight, the main thing that stands out to me is there were too many people involved. The more people means more of a chance of somebody being apprehended or snitching later on.

No one mentioned the Anastasia hit? Are you kidding me?

Shooting a guy while he was relaxed in a barber chair, a hot towel blocking his vision; he never saw it coming. Plus, it was so high profile, having been carried out in a midtown hotel, you couldn't ask for a better outcome. It sent a message because it was so out in the open, plus it put the Gallo brothers on the map.

To paraphrase about thousand gangsters: "It was a beautiful piece of work."

There is a debate going on about the Gallo's involvement...

But it's definitely one of the most impressive hits.

Yeah, I know it's been debated, but I don't really know why. It's long been believed by law enforcement that Vito Genovese conspired with Joe Profaci, who assigned the hit to Joe Gallo to carry out, who in turn carried out the hit with one or both of his brothers.

"Five Families," by Selwyn Raab gives a decent account of this, as does "Mafia Dynasty," by John H. Davis. I guess we'll never really know for sure, but like Sonny said, it was a very impressive hit.

According to Joe Valachi, the buzz among the soldiers was that Carlo Gambino and Profaci would never dare make a move like that without the backing of Vito Genovese.

It's also believed to be one of the causes behind the Profaci/Gallo war. The Gallo crew felt they should have been rewarded more for the Anastasia hit.

It will not go down as a "great hit" in anyones books or movies, infact it will probably go down as "just another hit" but to me, personally, I love the Tony Mirra hit.

Something about a total fucking piece of shit being back stabbed by the only person who really liked him and whacked makes me laugh. It just goes to show you that in ANY life you cannot constantly shit on people and get away with with it.

I know it was over bringing in DB but still, he was a total fucking creep and to see that picture of him slumped over in his car made me laugh.

Oh and FYI-Anytime you can carry out a hit while someone is lamb Chopping it is a good hit in my book.

The Gallo crew felt they should have been rewarded more for the Anastasia hit.

If that is true then it wasnt the first time the Gallo's got stiffed.
They whacked a Red Hook based bookmaker/loanshark on Profaci's orders who in turn promised them a piece of the deadmans rackets.
Profaci being the greedy old bastard that he was gave the Gallo's nothing.
Its no wonder the Gallo's rebelled - Profaci was treating them like mugs!

First of all, Gary mentioned the Anastasia hit in the very first post. I agree it was monumental.

We are pretty certain who planned it, we just are not sure who pulled the trigger. Early on, it was believed to have been committed by "Crazy Joe" Gallo.

Later, Colombo boss and Gallo foe, Carmine "Junior" Persico claimed credit.

However, Jerry Capeci in "Gangland" claims that the murder was committed by a three-man hit team organized by Joseph "Joe the Blonde" Biondo, on the orders of Carlo Gambino. The team consisted of Stephen Grammauta, Stephen Armone and Arnold Wittenburg, a crew of Lower East Side heroin dealers.

Jerry is not always right, but has better sources than almost anyone, including Raab and Davis. I bet Jerry is not far from the truth.

I was about to mention Grammauta, but all we have is Capeci's word. As far as Crazy Joe goes, there's quite a few very reliable sources that suggest it was Crazy Joe. If I had to put my money on it, I'd say it was The Gallos.

worst hit - Fred Weiss. how many people got mixed up in that? just like IvyLeague was saying with too many people at Sparks. It seems like theres been 12 different people indicted on the Fred Weiss hit. Plus the guy was a citizen too. it's not like he was this elusive guy they needed an army to get to

One of my favorite hits was the Luchese killing of Otto Heidel. He was a strong and athletic guy, so they let the air out of one his tires as it was parked outside a gym. He goes down to fix the flat, and the hit men have a sitting duck. They screwed up and had to chase him down a crowded block, but the thinking behind it was simple yet brilliant.

Yeah, I've said it here before, "who wasn't involved in the Weiss hit?" It seems everyone but the actual shooters, one being Vinny Ocean, went to jail for it. Some guys are still getting convicted for being involved in it, like Joe Watts last week. The DEDS have a loose definition of being involved though.

Ooops, he did indeed. Sorry about that, Gary. That's what I get for speed reading the posts here .

Don't worry, you're not the only one...

I haven't heard about this hit Gerry, can you fill me in?

thanks

The hit went down as he described,so I'm assuming you mean some context...

Otto Heidel was a hijacker and robber and an important member of a sophisticated burglary crew known as the "Bypass Gang".He was also,from 1974 onwards,a CI for the NYPD and the FBI(not at the same time).Eventually he dropped the dime on a heist some Lucchese guys pulled(it was high-end watches I think) and after the bust Burton Kaplan,a close associate of Gaspipe Casso who handled fencing,became suspicious.Another guy who thought the same was Tommy "Karate" Pitera(very dangerous and 'capable'),and one day the told Heidel to his face he thought he was a rat.Needless to say Heidel was frightened,and Kaplan,who was close by,smelled something was wrong.He went to Casso with the suspicions,but Casso knew Heidel a long time and liked him.He was doubtful,but he agreed to have Kaplan check Heidel up using his law enforcement contacts.Soon they discovered that he was indeed a rat,and Casso sent a team after him.

thanks, but how did they "bungle" the hit with Otto running down a busy street?

This is how it is described in the "Brotherhoods"

"On the day of the murder, one of the hit team was late, caught in traffic on the Staten Island Expressway. His associates located Heidel's car and let the air out of the tires. Leaving the paddleball court, Heidel discovered the flat. He opened the trunk, took out his jack, and started to change the tire. As he bent down, Heidel saw a man walking toward him with a gun drawn. He turned and ran against traffic on a one-way street. It was late afternoon and kids from the grammar school down the street had just been let out; the park was filled with playing children at that time of the day. The hit men started to shoot. Heidel dodged cars while he fled. Struck in the buttocks and back, he kept running West on Avenue U and north on 35th Avenue as the attackers continued firing, hitting him in the back. Desperate, bleeding, and breathless, Heidel jumped on he back of a passing motorcycle and commandeered it. By then, his pursuers had caught up to him. Heidel was shot again and again, his back pierced with more than half a dozen slugs; amazingly, the motorcycle rider was missed. Finally succumbing, Heidel fell to the ground, Casso's hit mand stood over him and finished with a single bullet to the chest."

I didn't know Tommy Karate was a member of the bypass gang, or Carmine Sessa.