who was the damaging informant in o. c. history

ive have been reading o. c. books for over 5o yrs, the first being "the green felt jungle" in 1959. and I have a question concerning what informant has done the most damage to organized crime? personally I would have to say joe valachi, he is the one who brought them out of the shadows, when kennedy brought him in front of congress to testify in 1963, the country had never been informed as to who the bosses really were. the Kefauver hearings were hurtful to the mob but, valachi hurt them more. anybody have any thoughts as to the informant who hurt them most?

Nah, not Valachi. Someone else will know a better answer than me but I don't think it is him. Maybe Gravano? D'Arco?

And you're discounting the CIs.

Guys like Gravano and Valachi were damaging as witnesses. But there were countless CIs over the years who were never even outed. That's what makes this a tricky topic.

When Buscetta turned informant, the whole commission went on the run or in jail.
When Valachi did, no indictments at all.
I understand the laws in 2 countries are different, yet I think in this case the USA wasted an excellent opportunity, it would have been funny see Tommy Lucchese doing 100 years. I mean, it's one thing to put there somebody like Riina or Gotti who were in jail like at home, it's another to put there a half-white-collar guy like Castellano, Lucchese etc

Tomaaso Buscetta & Antonino Calderone

Did Buscetta also testify in American trials, at least in the Pizza Connection one?

As PB mentioned above, the rats that we all know about (ie. Lonardo, Leonetti, Gravano) gave a lot of damaging info. to the Feds, but the countless CIs that we never heard of are the ones who gave the nitty gritty info that led to the FBI massacre of the 80s and 90s.

Here is a list of mobsters who became informants that I found on a different site. I am sure that by no means this list is complete:

http://www.fivefamiliesnyc.com/2011/02/list-of-mafia-ratssnitchesinformantstur.html


Friday, March 9, 2012
List of NY Mafia Rats/Snitches/Informants/Turncoats
Bonanno Crime Family - 14 Members who have Flipped

Genoroso “Jimmy the General” Barbieri - Soldier/Former Acting Capo
Joseph "Jersey Joe/Joe the Rat" Bonanno - Soldier/Acting Capo
Paul Cantarella - Soldier
Richard "Shellackhead" Cantarella - Capo/Acting Underboss
Dominick Cicale - Soldier/Acting Capo
Frank Coppa - Capo
Joseph "Joey Mook" D'Amico - Soldier
Frank "Curly" Lino - Capo
Michael “Sonny” Maggio - Soldier
Joseph "Big Joey/The Ear" Massino - Boss
Nicholas “P.J.” Pisciotti - Soldier/Acting Capo
James "Jimmy Tag/Big Lou" Tartaglione - Capo
Salvatore "The Chief/Good Looking Sal" Vitale - Underboss
Peter Rosa - Soldier

Gambino Crime Family - 12 Members who have Flipped

Alfonse “Jim Carra” Attardi- Soldier (Dead)
Dominick "Fat Dom" Borghese- Soldier
Primo Cassarino- Soldier
Joseph "Little Joe" D'Angelo- Soldier
Craig DePalma- Soldier (Dead)
Michael "Mickey Scars" DiLeonardo- Capo
Frank "Frankie Fapp" Fappiano- Soldier
Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano- Underboss
Robert Mormando- Soldier
Alfredo “Freddie The Sidge” Santantonio- Soldier (Killed)
Nicholas “Nicky Skins” Stefanelli - Soldier (Suicide)
Name Not Revealed - Soldier

Colombo Crime Family - 17 Members who have Flipped

Paul “Paulie Guns” Bevacqua- Acting Capo
Reynold "Ren" Maragni - Capo
Rocco Cagno- Soldier
Dino “Big Dino” Calabro - Capo
Joseph "Joe Camp" Campanella- Capo
Joseph “Joey Caves” Compatiello- Soldier
Salvatore "Big Sal" Miciotta- Soldier/Acting Capo
John Pate- Capo
Alan Quatrache- Soldier
Michael "Mikey/Yuppie Don" Franzese - Soldier/Acting Capo (Left the life)
Anthony "Big Anthony" Russo- Acting Capo
Sebastiano “Sebby” Saracino- Soldier
Greg “The Grim Reaper” Scarpa Sr- Capo (Dead)
Gregory Scarpa Jr.- Capo
Carmine Sessa- Consigliere
Michael “Mikey” Souza- Soldier
Frank “Frankie Blue Eyes” Sparaco- Soldier

Genovese Crime Family - 8 Members who have Flipped

Anthony “Bingy” Arilotta- Soldier
George Barone- Soldier
John “Futto” Biello- Capo (Killed)
Vincent "Fish" Cafaro- Soldier
Felix Tranghese- Capo
Joseph "Joe Cago" Valachi- Soldier (Dead)
Louis Moscatiello- Soldier/Acting Capo (Dead)
Renaldi “Ray” Ruggiero - Capo

Lucchese Crime Family - 15 Members who have Flipped

Anthony "Tumac" Accetturo- Capo
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso- Consigliere/Underboss/Acting Boss
Peter "Fat Pete" Chiodo- Capo
Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco- Capo /Acting Boss
Joseph D'Arco- Soldier
Joseph "Little Joe/Joe D" Defede- Soldier/Acting Boss
Eugenio "Gene" Giannini- Soldier (Killed)
Frank Gioia Sr- Soldier
Frank Gioia Jr- Soldier
Steven LaPella- Soldier
Frank Lagano- Soldier (Killed)
Dominick “The Gap” Petrilli- Capo/Soldier (Killed)
Thomas “Tommy” Ricciardi- Soldier
Vincent "Vinny Baldy" Salanardi- Soldier
Frank "Goo Goo" Suppa- Soldier

17 guys for the Colombos. That's a lot for a small family.

And the crazy thing is, it seems like it has been even more.

How many made guys are actually on the street for the Colombos? 40?

gravan..u.s. buscetta sicily

Joe Valachi was the first one to reveal LCN to the rest of the world. Buscetta helped a great deal in the Maxi trails and the Pizza Connection trial. I have stated in another thread that Greg Scarpa Snr for the U.S. and Salvatore Contorno for the Sicilian mafia. Scarpa had been an informant since the 1960's till his death. Contorno became an informant when he went into hiding in 1981 after the Corleonesi killed his boss and most of his allies. As it has been stated in previous posts, the most damaging CI's are those that have been doing it for years and have not been caught.

I'd say Valachi because he forced the FBI into the game and gave them info on the structure and inner workings of the families when it was still a mystery.

Otherwise its Gravano. He took down half the capos in the family.

I would say salvatore vitale , he has been named as the best and most damaging witness ever

vital did a lot of damage, he also had many other captains and wise guys that flipped to corroborate his testimony , graven was alone.. valachi was a puppet for the fbi, they needed someone to come out and point a finger go over charts, LE had many CI's like scarpa for years, people that are dead now that have never been outed. gravano..updated for the world what valachi did early on..with the gotti name as the center piece..he was devastating..he made it easy for all the rats to follow..

Buscetta

Apart Joe Valachi and Tommaso Buscetta revealed that in USA and Italy the mafia exist, and that flooding with heroin the united states, the first gave evidence that there was a mafia in america twin of the Sicilian; the second in Italy proved that the Mafia really existed (until then there was no evidence).
Both forced the police to investigate against organized crime and to find ways to combat it.

After Valachi Hoover couldn't say again that American Cosa Nostra didn't exist.


Can say what informant was more damaging for a mob family ?

Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno,tried to bring back the Los Angeles family to its former glory and to become the boss, but Brooklier ordered to whack him and Fratianno flips. Was the most powerful mobster to become a federal witness until Sammy "the Bull" Gravano.

Carmen Zagaria ran a drug 15 million a year drug ring for the Cleveland family whren flips in 1983 with Angelo Lonardo the acting boss,gave the coup de grace to the family, that was already losing power because the two previous bosses,Scalish and Licavoli don't made new soldiers.

Angelo "Sonny" Mercurio,recorded a Cosa Nostra induction ceremony. His act led to the incarceration of family boss Raymond Patriarca, Jr. and other top family members.

Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, when he flips half of the Gambino crime family capos was arrested.

Joseph Massino was the first boss of the American Mafia and even of the powerful NY five families to flips, perhaps had done more damage Vitale, Coppa, Lino etc but the fact that even if a boss,to avoid the death penalty or not to be sentenced, at the age of 60 years to life contributed to the loss of power and prestige of Cosa Nostra.

Donnie Brasco(if he can be classed as a informant) pretty much brought down the five families in the 80's did he not..

He was an undercover FBI agent. Completely different thing. And, although his work helped to convict many mob members and associates, he didn't bring down the 5 families.

Agreed, the wiretaps in the Commission Case and the rats in the concrete club case did much, much more damage.

I remember reading somewhere that Brasco's wire got probable cause for wiring some of the bosses for the commission case, anybody sure about that?

I think that Valachi, for what he personally knew is overrated, it's still disputed about how much of his testimony was his and how much of it was fed to him by the FBI through information through thoroughly illegal FBI wiretaps they couldn't present in any court without blowing the cover on their "black bag" jobs.

But there's no doubt that Valachi's testimony, concocted by the FBI or not, can rank up there as the most damaging.

The feds say that about every rat

Only in his mind did he bring them all down by himself.

This time they defo got it right

Pretty sure dry snitches such as Greg Scarpa do more damage over 20, 30+ years than guys who roll, testify, and take out the current crop with one hit.

God knows how many cases where made over Scarpa's 20+ years. Much more than a one time rat who flips. Gravano, Vitale whatever.

Time beats hierarchy.

true, scarpa gave up the commission meeting that the feds caught on S.I…he put heat on the guys moving around with important stuff..

Yup. That was the point I was trying to make.

That was another of Pistone's exageration Bronx. Besides supposedly taking down the Pizza Connection, he claims that he took down the Commission case too. It was Scarpa who provided that info to the Feds. And please don't get me started on the 250 people that his case supposedly took down.

you are correct about pistone..plenty misinfo..why he would skew the facts is strange..he was a fed..made himself much more important

Good point. I agree.

I've heard Anthony Zoccolillo from the Bronx Mama's Boy show is doing some damage now

Most damaging known dry snitch was probably Scarpa. Did he do more damage than Gravano? The feds got the inner workings of all the Gambino rackets with Gravano.

Scarpa. Hands down. He burnt 3 bosses, provided the PC for the Commission case, and passed off information for more than 30 years. Most of Valachi's info and testimony came from Greg Scarpa's 302s that had been going to Hoover a few years before Valachi was on radar.

If I remember correctly, Scarpa was THE FIRST informant EVER for the FBI. Guys had rolled and testified in cases before connected to OC, obviously, but usually only in cases that they were involved in, and on their co-dee's. Scarpa's intel is actually what got Hoover to actually admit that there was indeed a "LA" Cosa Nostra operating in America.

iilupo77, you got me confused, are you saying scarpa was an fbi snitch before 1963. { valachi came out in 1963} ive never heard that before, if what you say is true, then indeed scarpa did major damage.

Yeah. Scarpa was a documented rat in 62… He put in work on the MISBURN cases for the Feds in 64. Scarpa's name is on 302 Intel before Valachi flipped. It is thought that Valachi's answers ware coached during his hearing, using info taken from Scarpa's 302's in order to protect Greg as an asset. I've read that Valachi was actually pretty low level and didn't really know shit, but the Feds just put him on parade to further their agenda.

If you google Scarpa vs. Valachi you can find some relevant info for you to read up on. I gotta' bounce or I'd copypasta' some info for you.

Some of Valachi's answer might have come from Scarpa. Scarpa became a snitch around the same time Valachi flipped. Valachi had been a made man for 30 years, while Scarpa had been made for around 5 years. He fought in the Castellammarese War and was a made man when Scarpa was wearing diapers. As far as Scarpa being the first snitch, that is likely not true. I'm sure there were dry snitches even back in the 1920's. He obviously did alot of damage during those 30 years, but those photos were only a small part of the evidence that put the bosses away. The wiretaps were the bulk of the evidence. Without the wiretaps, all they had was a bunch of photos of old men going into and out of a house.

What makes you think he knew more than Gravano, Lonardo, or D'Arco?

The info for the Commission Case came from wiretaps. The photos were icing on the cake, but it was the wiretaps at the Palma Boys, Castellano's house, and the Jag that took them down. The permission for the wiretaps came from bugging other mobsters and informants. No one person was responsible for the Commission Case.

mulberry, just reading {the five families, by raab} raab goes into the commission case in detail, guiliani build the case from the sources you mentioned, also he used bonnanos description of a commission from his book man of honor, a lot went into that case, and you are correct in stating that "no one person was responsible for the case" it was the first rico case, and the beginning of the end for the families.

It might have been the first big RICO case but it wasn't the first one ever for the mob. There was a RICO case in Philly in 1981 most of the defendants wound up being killed so it didn't really matter much I think the only guys who actually went to prison over it were Chickie Ciancaglini and Harry Riccobene.

I guess I should have said the most highly visible rico case at the time.

Except maybe Joe Bonanno's ghostwriter .

Just go lite on the sauce for me.

Have you read Deal with the devil? Lance Breaks it down pretty good on the whole issue. Scarpa gave the entire structure of the families, around a year prior to Valachi coming out, per the FBI's own documentation. Scarpa was responsible for the Colombo family downfall. He inadvertently helped get Persico in as the boss, set up anyone who he viewed as a rival, just destroyed that family. Also they would not of been able to get the wiretaps without the information that Scarpa had provided in the commission's case.

Like others have said, it's not like he flipped and gave a one time testimony of inside information. This guy had 30 years of doing nickel and dime shit, but it added up. He fucked over generations of gangsters. The entire blueprint of what the feds used for the mafia in new york was provided by Scarpa in 1962 at the very latest.

The permission for the wiretaps came from many sources, not just Scarpa. Any book is self-serving and will view everything with that author's bias to make it more dynamic and exciting. The Castellano wiretaps were a result of bugging Angelo Ruggiero's phone and the info they got on DeMeo linking that crew to Castellano. Part of it was from Pistone. Some from Joe Bananno's book. Like I said, Scarpa was probably the most damaging informant who didn't testify, but giving him 100% credit for the Commission Case is ridiculous.

Vincent (Fish) Cafaro was close to Fat Tony and he did a lot of damage

mulberry, as I have posted before, raab lays it all out in his book, "five families" there is a entire chapter on "quack quack" {angelo ruggerio} and the tapes were very incriminating for the family. they helped the commission case a lot. scarpas big mouth didn't have much to do with the commission case.

The bugging of ruggiero's daughters phone had far reaching implications for the mob , they not only bugged his house once but twice . They bugged his first house and he moved they bugged his second house aswel , he had it swept while the Feds were listening . They just turned the bugs off and put them bak on again

yeah, angelo should have been smarter, if he wouldn't have died of cancer, he stood a good chance of getting clipped. the tapes put dellacroce in the middle with castellano, he wanted them, and angelo told neil { at neils house when he was sick with cancer} that he would never give up the tapes. raab in "five families" is all over the ruggerio fiasco.