Dominick LoFaro
Encyclopedia
Dominick "Big Dom" LoFaro (born 1928) was a soldier in the New York Gambino crime family
who later became an important government undercover informant. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI), LoFaro was the first Mafia soldier to ever work as an informant while on active duty.
Lofaro worked in Queens, New York, in captain Ralph "Ralphie Bones" Mosca
's crew, which specialized in labor racketeering, loan sharking, and extortion
. LoFaro was a "bagman" in the Carpenters' Union
rackets. LoFaro also transported the Gambino family share from Greek-American mobsters operating in Astoria, Queens
. In 1984, LoFaro was arrested in Upstate New York
trying to sell a kilogram of heroin to an undercover agent in an FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) operation. Facing over 20 years in prison for narcotics trafficking, LoFaro decided to wear a surveillance wire for the government and record mob conversations. http://jcgi.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962285,00.html.
According to Time Magazine, investigators outfitted LoFaro "...with a tiny microphone taped to his chest and a miniature cassette recorder, no bigger than two packs of gum, that fitted into the small of his back without producing a bulge. Equipped with a magnetic switch on a cigarette lighter to activate the recorder, Lofaro coolly discussed Gambino family affairs with the unsuspecting Gotti brothers. Afterward he placed the tapes inside folded copies of The New York Times
business section and dropped them in a preselected trash bin."
LoFaro wore a wire for the FBI for two years. One of LoFaro's primary targets was Gambino boss John Gotti
. LoFaro also gathered evidence against Gambino members Mosca, Mosca's sons, and Carmine Fiore. LoFaro also produced evidence against Genovese crime family
associates Attilio Bitondo
and Eugene Hanley
, who were leaders in the New York City Carpenters' Union. LoFaro provided information to the New York State Organized Crime Task Force that led to electronic surveillance on the offices of Carpenters' Union Locals 608 and 257 in Manhattan.
LoFaro was placed in a witness protection program. He died in 2003.
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
who later became an important government undercover informant. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI), LoFaro was the first Mafia soldier to ever work as an informant while on active duty.
Lofaro worked in Queens, New York, in captain Ralph "Ralphie Bones" Mosca
Ralph Mosca
Ralph "Ralphie Bones" Mosca, also known as Funzie, was a Queens/Bronx-based Gambino crime family caporegime. Mosca's crew was involved in labor racketeering, specifically through the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, loan...
's crew, which specialized in labor racketeering, loan sharking, and extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
. LoFaro was a "bagman" in the Carpenters' Union
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America is one of the largest building trades union in the United States. One of the unions that formed the American Federation of Labor in 1886, it left the AFL-CIO in 2001.-Early years:...
rackets. LoFaro also transported the Gambino family share from Greek-American mobsters operating in Astoria, Queens
Astoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...
. In 1984, LoFaro was arrested in Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
trying to sell a kilogram of heroin to an undercover agent in an FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
(DEA) operation. Facing over 20 years in prison for narcotics trafficking, LoFaro decided to wear a surveillance wire for the government and record mob conversations. http://jcgi.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962285,00.html.
According to Time Magazine, investigators outfitted LoFaro "...with a tiny microphone taped to his chest and a miniature cassette recorder, no bigger than two packs of gum, that fitted into the small of his back without producing a bulge. Equipped with a magnetic switch on a cigarette lighter to activate the recorder, Lofaro coolly discussed Gambino family affairs with the unsuspecting Gotti brothers. Afterward he placed the tapes inside folded copies of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
business section and dropped them in a preselected trash bin."
LoFaro wore a wire for the FBI for two years. One of LoFaro's primary targets was Gambino boss John Gotti
John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
. LoFaro also gathered evidence against Gambino members Mosca, Mosca's sons, and Carmine Fiore. LoFaro also produced evidence against Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
associates Attilio Bitondo
Attilio Bitondo
Attilio Bitondo , also known as "Tillio", was a New York City labor leader and an associate in the Genovese crime family in the crew of powerful Manhattan captain Vincent DiNapoli....
and Eugene Hanley
Eugene Hanley
Eugene Hanley was a New York City labor leader, as well as an associate of the Genovese crime family. Hanley took over as President of Local 257 of the New York City District Council of Carpenters for his father-in-law, a Genovese mobster named Will Graziano...
, who were leaders in the New York City Carpenters' Union. LoFaro provided information to the New York State Organized Crime Task Force that led to electronic surveillance on the offices of Carpenters' Union Locals 608 and 257 in Manhattan.
LoFaro was placed in a witness protection program. He died in 2003.
Further reading
- Davis, John H. Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. ISBN 0-06-016357-7