Giovanni "Big John" Ormento









John Ormento of 118 Audrey Drive, Lido Beach, New York. This man, known as "Big John" regarded by the Federal Narcotics Bureau as one of the most active and important narcotic violators in the United States. He has been convicted for violation of the Federal Narcotic Laws on three separate occasions during the past 20 years. In 1937, Ormento was convicted of violating the Harrison Narcotic Act and was sentenced to a three year prison term. During 1941, Ormento was again arrested for violation of the Harrison Narcotic Act, convicted and sentenced to an eight year prison term. In 1951, Ormento was again arrested and subsequently convicted for conspiracy to violate the Harrison Narcotic Act and was sentenced to a two year prison term.

Ormento was born and raised in the East Harlem area of New York City and has always centered his activities around the vicinity of 107th Street. He is generally considered a prominent member of the East 107th Street Mob. LE investigations and the convictions of Ormento have uncovered probative evidence which establishes that he has been associated through the years with Salvatore Santora and Joseph Vento and others, in an operation where they either smuggled or caused to be smuggled vast quantities of heroin and opium from Mexico, Italy and France to the United States, for distribution on a nationwide scale. In addition to these three narcotic convictions, Ormento was convicted of bookmaking in 1948 and fined $50.

On March 18, 1955, Ormento was arrested in New York City with one Salvatore LoProto, in possession of two loaded pistols, one a .38 caliber and the other a .22 caliber equipped with a silencer. These weapons were cached in a secret, electrically controlled trap built into the front seat of a 1952 Chrysler bearing New York license plate# PB3730, listed to Betty Licatta, 2073 Second Avenue, New York City. This woman is a sister of LoProto. The charge against Ormento was dismissed when LoProto alleged the guns belonged to him.