Giuseppe Schifilliti
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe "Pino" Schifilliti (born 1938) was a prominent member of the DeCavalcante crime family
since the 1980s, heavily involved in labour racketeering and extortion
activities.
into the DeCavalcante crime family, under the leadership of Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante
and early Underboss, Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi
. By starting out as a soldier, Schifilliti was hired in the same "Laborers' International Union of North America" at Local 1030, where he used to extort and bribe union officials to influence the power of the DeCavalcante crime family in construction sites, throughout the 1970s, alongside Riggi, who was then seen as the new boss of the family.
or Captain within the family. Operating out of the Elizabeth, New Jersey
faction, Schifilliti became a top member of the family alongside Girolamo "Jimmy" Palermo
and Stefano "Steve the Truck Driver" Vitabile
, with labor and construction racketeering, extortion
, illegal gambling, loansharking and money laundering
as criminal activities. Schifilliti also reputedly went under the radar, and operated with huge muscle throughout the 1980s, and early 1990s without a single indictment.
and Elizabeth factions of the family. In 1990, Riggi was convicted on the charges and he was sentenced to 15 years. To make sure everyone knew he still ran the family, he made Schifilliti and Consigliere
Stefano Vitabile, to organize the murder of former Underboss, Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso
, who was reported missing in 1991, as well as rumors went around North Jersey
that the current Acting boss, John "Johnny Boy" D'Amato
was gay, and was found murdered in his car later in 1992. Schifilliti was reportedly involved in both cases, as he cooperated much with Vitabile and the imprisoned Riggi.
, as prominent Acting boss Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo
was eager to control the entire DeCavalcante crime family, as he organized the attempted murder of rival Charles "Big Ears" Majuri, but failed to kill him. Later, an indictment wave of a four-year-investigation put 50 members and associates of the DeCavalcante crime family on trial, including prominent members Schifilliti, Palermo, Stefano Vitabile, Girolamo Palermo and Philip "Phil" Abramo
, with labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion, fraud, illegal gambling, murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges. As that wasn't enough, Vincent Palermo decided to turn state's evidence, as did capo Anthony Rotondo
and soldier Anthony Capo
, over the next year due to the indictments. Schifilliti was held against bail, and due to his age, put under house arrest and put on trial in late 2001, and 2002.
In September 2008, a federal appeals court reversed Schifilliti's racketeering conviction and ordered a new trial.
DeCavalcante crime family
The DeCavalcante crime family is an organized crime family that controls organized crime activities in Elizabeth, New Jersey and surrounding areas in the state, despite operating on the other side of the Hudson River in New York, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia...
since the 1980s, heavily involved in labour racketeering 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...
activities.
Made by DeCavalcante
Toward the mid 1970s, Giuseppe Schifilliti was inductedMade man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
into the DeCavalcante crime family, under the leadership of Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante
Sam DeCavalcante
Simone Rizzo "Sam" DeCavalcante , known as "Sam the Plumber", was a member of the New Jersey Mafia. Claiming descent from the Italian royal family, DeCavalcante was nicknamed "The Count"...
and early Underboss, Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi
Giovanni Riggi
Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi is a New Jersey mobster and member of the DeCavalcante crime family since the 1940s, before the family had acquired its name. Riggi was the leader of the "Elizabeth crew" in the family when he was a Caporegime. He had been the acting boss during the 1970s and has...
. By starting out as a soldier, Schifilliti was hired in the same "Laborers' International Union of North America" at Local 1030, where he used to extort and bribe union officials to influence the power of the DeCavalcante crime family in construction sites, throughout the 1970s, alongside Riggi, who was then seen as the new boss of the family.
Caporegime by Riggi
During the early 1980s, Giovanni Riggi was in total charge of the DeCavalcante crime family, as he promoted Schifilliti to the rank of CaporegimeCaporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
or Captain within the family. Operating out of the Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
faction, Schifilliti became a top member of the family alongside Girolamo "Jimmy" Palermo
Girolamo Palermo
Girolamo "Jimmy Dumps" Palermo is the longtime underboss of the DeCavalcante crime family in Elizabeth, New Jersey, under the imprisoned boss Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi.-Murdering Al Colicchio:...
and Stefano "Steve the Truck Driver" Vitabile
Stefano Vitabile
Stefano "Steve the Truck Driver" Vitabile, , is a New Jersey mobster and former consigliere of the DeCavalcante crime family.-Early years:...
, with labor and construction racketeering, 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...
, illegal gambling, loansharking and money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
as criminal activities. Schifilliti also reputedly went under the radar, and operated with huge muscle throughout the 1980s, and early 1990s without a single indictment.
LaRasso and D'Amato
In 1989, Riggi and several others were tried for racketeering and extortion charges, as well as internal rivalry was brought up between the NewarkNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
and Elizabeth factions of the family. In 1990, Riggi was convicted on the charges and he was sentenced to 15 years. To make sure everyone knew he still ran the family, he made Schifilliti and Consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
Stefano Vitabile, to organize the murder of former Underboss, Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso
Louis LaRasso
Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso was a New Jersey mobster and the longtime official Underboss of the DeCavalcante crime family.- Apalachin meeting :...
, who was reported missing in 1991, as well as rumors went around North Jersey
North Jersey
North Jersey is a colloquial term, with no precise consensus definition, for the northern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. A straightforward, noncolloquial term for the region is northern New Jersey.- Two-portion approaches :...
that the current Acting boss, John "Johnny Boy" D'Amato
John D'Amato
John "Johnny Boy" D'Amato was a New Jersey mobster and former Acting boss of the DeCavalcante crime family. After being recruited by Gambino crime family Boss John Gotti to take over the family, and amidst rumors that he was homosexual, D'Amato was murdered in January 1992.- Captain :After being...
was gay, and was found murdered in his car later in 1992. Schifilliti was reportedly involved in both cases, as he cooperated much with Vitabile and the imprisoned Riggi.
Kicked out of Local 1030
Toward the mid 1990s, Schifilliti managed to become one of the most powerful members of the family. Reportedly, he was a regular guest at Ribera Social Club, previously owned by John Riggi, and operated out of the Elizabeth faction of North Jersey, with illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion and especially labor racketeering with associate Charles DiMaria, until the Commission of the Laborers' International Union of North America discovered that they had been influenced by an organized crime family, operating in North Jersey. At which point in 1997, Schifilliti and DiMaria were kicked out of Local 1030, and charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering.Indictments & trials
In 2000, internal rivalry almost brought a new war to the streets of New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, as prominent Acting boss Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo
Vincent Palermo
Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo is a former de facto boss of the New Jersey DeCavalcante crime family who eventually became a government witness. Fictional mob boss Tony Soprano is said to be loosely based on Palermo.-Background:...
was eager to control the entire DeCavalcante crime family, as he organized the attempted murder of rival Charles "Big Ears" Majuri, but failed to kill him. Later, an indictment wave of a four-year-investigation put 50 members and associates of the DeCavalcante crime family on trial, including prominent members Schifilliti, Palermo, Stefano Vitabile, Girolamo Palermo and Philip "Phil" Abramo
Philip Abramo
Philip Abramo , also known as "The King Of Wall Street", "Lou Metzer" is a caporegime in the New Jersey DeCavalcante crime family who was allegedly involved in security fraud and murder. Abramo was a capo of the DeCavalcante family's crew in Miami, Florida.-Early years:Born in New York, Abramo...
, with labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion, fraud, illegal gambling, murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges. As that wasn't enough, Vincent Palermo decided to turn state's evidence, as did capo Anthony Rotondo
Anthony Rotondo
Anthony Rotondo is a former capo in the DeCavalcante family of New Jersey and police informant.- Early life :Anthony Rotondo lived with his father Vincent "Jimmy the Gent" Rotondo, and his father expressed wishes for his son to become a lawyer. Rotondo graduated from the Nazareth High School, and...
and soldier Anthony Capo
Anthony Capo
Anthony "Tony" Capo is a hitman in the DeCavalcante crime family who became a government witness.- Made Man :A resident of South Beach, Staten Island, Capo became an associate of the DeCavalcante crime family during the early 1980s under powerful Elizabeth, New Jersey faction leader Giovanni...
, over the next year due to the indictments. Schifilliti was held against bail, and due to his age, put under house arrest and put on trial in late 2001, and 2002.
Current status
Schifilliti was tried with Vitabile and Abramo on two counts of murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder. The charges were picked up from the following disappearing of Louis LaRasso and the murder of John D'Amato, both in 1991, including the attempted murder of Charles Majuri. Schifilliti was convicted of racketeering, loansharking and extortion in 2003, as well as being convicted along with Vitabile and Abramo on the murder and conspiracy charges from the 1990s in late 2005. In 2006, Schifilliti was sentenced to life imprisonment along with Vitabile and Abramo.In September 2008, a federal appeals court reversed Schifilliti's racketeering conviction and ordered a new trial.
Further reading
- Smith, Greg B. Made Men: The True Rise-and-Fall Story of a New Jersey Mob Family. Berkley Books, 2003. ISBN 0-425-18551-6
- Jacobs, James B. Busting the Mob: The United States Vs. Cosa Nostra. New York: NYU Press, 1994. ISBN 0-8147-4230-0
- Jacobs, James B., Coleen Friel and Robert Radick. Gotham Unbound: How New York City Was Liberated from the Grip of Organized Crime. New York: NYU Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8147-4247-5
- Goldstock, Ronald, Martin Marcus and II Thacher. Corruption and Racketeering in the New York City Construction Industry: Final Report of the New York State Organized Crime Task Force. New York: NYU Press, 1990. ISBN 0-8147-3034-5
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Organized Crime in America: Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate. Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O., 1983.
External links
- IPSN.org
- Racketeering Convictions Rejected for 3 in Mob Case By JOHN ELIGON