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.