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GREG SCARPA SNR.
Part Four
Greg Scarpa must have thought things couldn't get much worse, he was under house arrest and was facing three conspiracy to commit murder charges, but he was wrong, things could get worse, and they did. On Decemeber 29th 1992 Joey Scarpa Greg's stepson got himself involved in a dispute with two rival drug dealers, the drug dealers threatened to kill Joey. Joey went to his fathers home and told him about the problem and the threat made on his life. Greg Scarpa on hearing the news leapt from his deathbed into his son's car and raced to confront the two dealers who had threatended his son. Michael 'Mikey Flattop' DeRosa and Ronald 'Messy Marvin' Moran were associates of the Lucchese crime family and were not happy with the younger Scarpa, Joey trying to invade their area of the neighbourhood to encroach on their drug dealing territory. Joey Scarpa's red Ford Escort, a small un-Mafia like hatchback car sped toward DeRosa's home with Greg Scarpa driving, Joey in the front passenger seat and Joey's buddy Joe Randazzo in the backseat. DeRosa and Moran were both at the house. Upon ariving at DeRosa's house, DeRosa, Moran and another person walked toward the red Escort. Greg Scarpa told DeRosa to inform the other two men that he wanted to talk to him (De Rosa) alone. After Derosa told the two men to stay back Greg Scarpa fird a few rounds in the direction of DeRosa who hit the ground.
Two bullets had hit DeRosa. Derosa was not dead, he managed to crawl toward his house while 'Messy Marvin Moran came toward the red Ford Escort and emptied the entire magazine of a Taurus 9mm into the back of the car. During this bombardment from Moran Joey Scarpa escaped without injury, Joe Randazzo was already on his way to meet his maker and would pass away two days later on the 31st December in the city's Kings County hospital. Greg Scarpa was hit in the head from a round that literally blew out his right eye, but he was still alive.
Scarpa stumbled out of the vehicle and walked three blocks back to his house and was met by his daughter talking to someone respnsible for Scarpa's activities whuile he was under house arrest. The man on the other end of the phone wanted to know why Scarpa's security bracelet alarm had gone off and alerted the authorities that he had left the home. While pouring a good sized drink of scotch for himself he also poured a healthy dose of the alcohol into the hole where his eye had once been and then told the authorities that he had simply been in the shower and the water had made the alarm go off. As the night wore on the pain from the sht to the head got even more excruciating and Scarpa was forced to seek medical help and had some of his men take him to an out of town hospital. Unfortunately for Scarpa, the nature of his wound caused suspicion and he was arrested at the hspital. Scarpa's house arrest was revoked. He was packed off to Rikers Island despite his health problems. He was minus a stomach, minus an eye, and minus much more time on the planet due to the AID's virus he had contracted.
He subsequently pled guilty to three murders and several counts of conspiracy to murder. He was sentenced on Wednesday Decemeber 15th 1993. "Have you anything to say before i pass sentence?" Asked the judge. "No your honor, other than i expect to go home." The judge reponded with "Your not going home. Your going to prison." Scarpa was sentenced to life imprisonment. A short time later this sentence was reduced to 10 years by judge Jack Weinstein who cited 'humanitarian reasons' for his decision to lessen the original sentence. Scarpa by this time was gravely ill and only had a short time to live. Six months later in the federal medical center in Minnesota where he had been receiving treatment for his illness Greg Scarpa passed away, the date was June 8th 1994 he was 66 years old. His role as a government informer was now an open secret and as a result his funeral was attended by mainly relatives, there was no lavish mafia funeral for Greg Scarpa. Less than one year later his stepson Joey was murdered by Vinnie Rizzuto Jr the son of Vincent 'Vinnie Oils' Rizzuto over a drug dispute.
Scarpa had signed an affidavit where he absolved Alphonse Persico from playing any part in the Colombo family wars by stating that he took it upon himself to go after the Orena faction after "They had shot at me while i eas in a car withmy daughter and two year-old grandchild." He went on to further state, "I had no instruction to retaliate from anyone, especially Allie Persico. I did not need anyones permission to act" Persico was later acquitted of all charges in conection with the mob wars. When the shooting finally subsided in the Colombo war the toll stood at four Persico loyalists, six Orena rebels and two innocent bystanders dead. There were fifteen mobsters wounded. A lot of court cases stemmed from that war, Cutolo and six of his minions were acquitted of murder charges.
A school of thought put the acquittals dow to the realization by the jury that the FBI had allowed Scarpa to be the main agitator in the conflict while still operating for them as a confidential informant. Four other trials ended similarly in acquittals for the accused. Sixteen mobsters walked free due to the jury's being of the same mind that the FBI, in particular Lin DeVecchio had furnished Scarpa with information enabling him to gain the upper hand in the war all but guaranteeing Scarpa victory.
One jurer went on to comment, "If the FBI are like this, society is really in trouble." An internal investigation by the FBI into the handling of Greg Scarpa by agent DeVecchio warranted at the time no formal prosecution. Agent R. Lindsey DeVecchio retired from the Bureau in October 1995 after srving for 33 years.
Cutolo was appointed under boss of the Colombo crime family. 'Allie Boy' Persico wanted peace in order to bring stability to the family. Still the killing went on. On 29th May 1999 William 'Wild Bill' Cutolo dropped his Lincoln Navigator off at a garage to have the clutch repaired, he was never seen again, another victim of the Colombo family's constant bickering among it's inner-circle. Meantime Alphonse 'Allie Boy' Persico is serving a 13 year sentence after pleading guilty to racketeering, loan sharking and money laundering charges. He was sentenced on 20th Decemeber 2001 and is eligable for parole in 2011.
2006 update: On March 30, retired FBI agent Lin Devecchio was indicted in Brooklyn for what prosecutor Michael Vecchione calls "one of the worst cases of law enforcement corruption in the history of this country." Specifically DeVecchio has been accused of taking bribes from a mobster, the late Gregory Scarpa, Sr., in return for inside information that led to four gangland style murders in Brooklyn.
2006 update: On March 30, retired FBI agent Lin Devecchio was indicted in Brooklyn for what prosecutor Michael Vecchione calls "one of the worst cases of law enforcement corruption in the history of this country." Specifically DeVecchio has been accused of taking bribes from a mobster, the late Gregory Scarpa, Sr., in return for inside information that led to four gangland style murders in Brooklyn.
ARTICLE: Kenny Torro
SOURCES: Jerry Capeci's Gangland.com
Organized Crime 25 years after Valachi
Charlie Molino
The Mob Over Miami - Michele McPhee
The Clarion Ledger
SOURCES: Jerry Capeci's Gangland.com
Organized Crime 25 years after Valachi
Charlie Molino
The Mob Over Miami - Michele McPhee
The Clarion Ledger
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