Arthur Ruffels interview

http://www.nleomf.org/assets/pdfs/nlem/oral-histories/FBI_Ruffels_interview.pdf

Fascinating read.

Excellent stuff on Roy De Meo and Nino Gaggi.

My favourite parts are the anecdotes about Nino Gaggi; fascinating guy.

Pretty good read...thanks Moe.

We arrested him in the afternoon like two o’clock on 86th Street and it was
McCabe, Pergola, another detective Ronnie Cadeaux, and myself. And we drive
back to the SDNY and he wouldn’t talk to us. We asked if he needed medication
or anything. He wouldn’t say one word to us.


When we got into Walter Mack’s office, the US Attorney, Walter’s going through
his list of things he wants to ask him. The guy’s just not answering a thing.
Walter, finally after about an hour and a half says, “Well, why don’t you guys go
ahead and take him over to the FBI office and fingerprint him and photograph him
and do all that and then bring him back here.” We did that. Still wouldn’t talk to
us.

We all came back. Now it’s like five-thirty or six o’clock in the afternoon and we
now had, probably had maybe six Agents. No, I think there’s just the four of us
that did the arresting. The four of us, but then we had two US Attorneys.

So we were in the conference room at the Southern District and we’re all sitting
around, and Kenny had told me that he’s taking his wife out that night for dinner.
Kathy. So he says, “I’m going to try to leave, as quick as I can.” So it’s like six
o’clock, the phone rings and we’re all at the conference table including Nino,
sitting around. And, of course, Nino is not saying anything to anybody. And it’s
for Kenny. Whoever answered it, “Kenny, it’s your wife.”

So Kenny’s on the phone and says, “Kathy, something’s come up and I don’t
think we can, I don’t think I can make it tonight. We’ll have to put it off for some
day next week.” So, Nino’s sitting around the table. All of a sudden, Nino says
his first word. “For Christ’s sake, McCabe --.” They all knew McCabe. “For
Christ’s sake, McCabe, will you go home and take your wife out to dinner. I’ll
give you a note.”

Lol

Gaggi died of a broken heart according to Ruffels. He was one of the only gangsters without a goomara, like a real-life Johnny Sack. Except Rose Gaggi was Irish and hot.

He had some balls. Remember seeing the picture of him walking with Senter behind him, Senter could have murdered him any moment.

Senter really has the evil eyes in that picture. Nothing there.

So thats Arthur Ruffles with Senter.

Ruffles losses a lot of credibility when he calls Dominic Montigilio a Vietnam vet and a former Green Beret. He was never a Green Beret, and may not have even been in Vietnem. There have been some pictures of him that are said to have been taken in Vietnam, but they have never been confirmed as real. His Green Beret story was proven to be a lie in a book by several former military men. His story on the crew member called Dracula sounds as if Ruffles is trying to paint an image of a horror film. The part where informer Freddie DiNome talks sounds like it was fixed up to be more interesting. The terminolgy used does not sound as if it comes from DiNome. It seems to have been touched up.