GREG SCARPA SNR.
Greg Scarpa Snr.
In the early 1960's when Joseph Valachi decided to turn his back on organized crime it may have been the single biggest break law enforcement ever had in their fight against organized crime and in particular the Mafia. Valachi was the first member of the organization ever to admit publicly that there was such a criminal syndicate and that it was called La Cosa Nostra (Our Thing) or as it's more widely known now, the Mafia. Joe Valachi's testimony gave government officials their first ever insight into the structure of the Mafia by giving information on how each faction was known as a "family", that each family had it's own "Don" (Boss) who was head of the family and an Under Boss who was second in command to the boss, a consiglieri an advisor to the boss. Each family had numerous crews, groups of men know as Soldiers who were the rank and file of the membership. Each crew had a leader, the crew leader was known as a Capo, the Capo answered to the Underboss and Boss.
Valachi's testimony did much to lift the air of mystic that surrounded the word Mafia. Many people had knowledge that a criminal entity known as the Mafia existed but most had no idea of how it operated or how much wealth and power it had attained since it's seed was first sewn on American shores. Valachi gave the mystery a name La Cosa Nostra, and in doing so confirmed publicly to the authorities its existance.
Since the time Joseph Valachi made his historic appearance at the The McClellan Committee hearings in September of 1963 an increasing number of La Cosa Nostra members and associates have turned their backs on the organization and broken the code of Omerta, the Mafia's code of silence. Low-level associates right the way through and up through the ranks to mob boss have taken the governments promise of immunity from prosecution or lenient sentencing and a life in the witnes protection program in exchange for ratting out their former friends and mob associates in a court of law. Many took the step of informing after being indicted by the Government on serious charges that when convicted would lead to very long prison sentences. Seeing no way out of their predicament they hammer out a deal between themselves and the government. The FBI use the witness protection program and the offer of a chance at a new life for the prospective informant, far away from the old neighborhood as a carrot to entice the mobster to rat. Facing a possibility of as much as 50 years in prison means informing is not a tough choice for many wiseguys to make.
For Greg Scarpa though it was a little different. Scarpa became a government informer while still on the streets active in mob activity. For almost thirty years Greg Scarpa was a big earner and prolific killer for the Colombo crime family, while at the same time helping the FBI in exchange for avoiding arrest. The FBI had made a pact with the devil. In effect the FBI had handed Greg Scarpa a licence to kill.
Greg Scarpa was born on May 8th 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. He was a solidly built individual who was as strong as an ox and wasn't slow in using the full power of his 224lb to terrorise and intimidate anyone foolish or unlucky enough to get into his line of fire. His elder brother Salvatore was a made guy in the Profaci family. It wasn't long untill Greg joined his brother in pledging his allegiance to Cosa nostra and in turn Joseph Profaci as head of the Profaci crime family. The Profaci family was the name of what is now reffered to as the Colombo family, the name changed to Colombo family once Joe Colombo took over as boss. Greg Scarpa was to show his worth when the family faced a revolt in the 1960's when 'Crazy Joey' Gallo led a rebel faction in a bid to oust Joe Profaci as head of the family. Carmine Persico Jr. was an ambitious young leader in waiting first sided with the Gallo faction, but after Profaci had taken him aside and promised him wealth and power by sticking with him Persico weighed his options and sided with the Profaci faction. Scarpa played a big part in the shooting war that ensued. Besides being a stone cold killer, Scarpa actually enjoyed his work he was also a great earner for the family. He was involved in loan-sharking, bookmaking, credit-card fraud and he also ran a car-theft ring that netted him and the family a ton of money. Scarpa was also involved in drug dealing, he certainly knew how to generate money when you add that to his natural ability as a killer you realize that Greg Scarpa was a very serious wiseguy.
Scarpa first became involved with the FBI in March 1962 when he was arrested for an armed robbery. With prison looming close on the horizon Scarpa agreed to become a CI (confidential informer) for the FBI in order to keep himself out of prison. Over the years Greg Scarpa was to walk away from numerous charges due to his friendship with the FBI. These charges ranged from bookmaking, assault, possession stolen mail, interstate transportation of stolen bonds. All were dropped or dismissed after the FBI stepped inon his behalf. In a world where going to prison was par for the course it became very noticable to those around Greg Scarpa that he was leading more of a charmed life than the rest of the guys. Those cases against him always being dropped couldn't always be down to his good luck. Those who did voice this opinion made sure they did so privately and well out of the earshot of Greg Scarpa, with good reason.
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Mobsters knew that the FBI did not use informants who had commited murder and everyone was well aware of Scarpa's notarity as a stone killer. The fact Scarpa was a known killer helped alay any suspicions those around him may have had that he was a rat, an FBI informant. The thinking being that the Feds would never have a killer such as Scarpa a CI. Scarpa accumulated a few nicknames along the way. He was latterly known as 'The Mad Hatter' and 'The Grim reaper' both names which suited him perfectly. Scarpa was totally ruthles and without fear, killing came easily to him, extracting revenge by clipping someone gave him tremendous satisfaction. He could smile at a guy, take him out for a meal and after blow his brains out with no remorse. The killing of Joseph DeDomonico who was a suspect in the murder of Salvatore Greg's older brother was due to Greg Scarpa. Another five killings were linked by law enforcement to Greg Scarpa as revenge killings for his brothers demise. Those killings and the many others carried out by Greg Scarpa must have been known to his handlers in the FBI before they enlisted his services as a confidential informer.
Part One