Pizza Connection Trial
Encyclopedia
Scope of the trial
The trial centered around a MafiaAmerican Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
plot to distribute heroin and launder
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...
the proceeds using a number of independently owned pizza parlors as fronts. The lead store in the scheme was "Al Dentes" in Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
, which remains open today, albeit under new ownership. It is estimated that $1.6 billion worth of illegal drugs was brought into the U.S. between 1975 and 1984, when a number of the key drug traffickers were arrested in a Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
airport trying to smuggle in huge amounts of cash. This resulted in a major crackdown primarily involving 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...
and the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
, with co-operation from Italian police.
Defendants
There were originally 32 mafia members and associates who were indicted in the case. Approximately 24 of the defendants were residing in America and presumed available for immediate prosecution. Out of those 24, only 22 defendantDefendant
A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute...
s eventually stood trial - believed to be just a fraction of the number of Mafiosi involved in the scheme - all Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
born, and many of whom could not speak English. Approximately 8 other defendants were sought for arrest outside of America, but were never placed on trial in the United States. Prior to the start of the trial, one defendant was murdered, one died of natural causes and another was murdered during the trial. Each defendant had his own attorney for the historic trial, which made the courtroom especially crowded. Sicilian Mafia turncoat Tommaso Buscetta
Tommaso Buscetta
Tommaso Buscetta was a Sicilian mafioso. Although he was not the first pentito in the Italian witness protection program, he is widely recognized as the first important one breaking omertà...
testified at the trial against his former criminal associates; he had not been part of the Pizza Connection scheme himself, but he had helped establish the Sicilians' presence in the U.S. drug trade in the early 1970s and had been a close friend of many of the defendants.
Witnesses
Another key witness was Salvatore ContornoSalvatore Contorno
Salvatore "Totuccio" Contorno is a former member of the Sicilian Mafia who turned into a state witness against Cosa Nostra in October 1984, following the example of Tommaso Buscetta. He gave detailed accounts of the inner-workings of the Sicilian Mafia...
, a Sicilian mafioso who became a state witness following the example of Buscetta. He agreed to testify in return for entry in the United States’ Witness Protection Program after having been the target of an attempted murder by the Corleonesi and losing family members to the same. He gave the evidence that directly linked the defendants to heroin trafficking. On the witness stand, he told how in the spring of 1980 he was present at a meeting in the iron factory of Leonardo Greco in Bagheria
Bagheria
Bagheria is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.-Etymology:According to some sources, the name Bagheria originates from the Phoenician term Bayharia meaning "land that descends toward the sea." Other sources claim that it derives from the Arabic Bāb al-Gerib, or "windy...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. Among those present were five of the defendants at the trial: Salvatore Greco, Giuseppe Ganci, Gaetano Mazzara, Salvatore Catalano, and Francesco Castronovo. Contorno watched as the men, "took out two plastic garbage bags and extracted packages of white powder in clear plastic envelopes, each bearing different tiny scissor cuts or pen or pencil marks to identify the individual owner. They poured samples of the powder into a bottle heating on a hot plate." These same marked samples were intercepted by the 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...
as a seizure of 40 kilograms of 85 percent pure heroin which was "$8 million worth at Mafia importer’s prices and at least $80 million worth at street prices."
FBI Special Agent Joseph Pistone, better known by his undercover alias "Donnie Brasco" was the initial source for information regarding the "Pizza Connection" (leaked to him in casual conversations by Bonanno family mafiosi Anthony Mirra
Anthony Mirra
Anthony "Tony" Mirra was an Italian-American mobster and soldier for the Bonanno crime family...
and Benjamin Ruggiero
Benjamin Ruggiero
Benjamin Ruggiero, also known as "Lefty," "Lefty Guns," "Lefty Two Guns" , was a soldier in the Bonanno crime family. He is well known for his friendship and mentorship of FBI undercover agent Joseph "Donnie Brasco" Pistone. Ruggiero was an old school Cosa Nostra mobster who knew how Mafia...
), testified in the trial as to the command and control structure of the Mafia, in order to show that the higher-ups were criminally liable for the doings of their underlings.
Verdict
The case proved especially difficult for the jurors, who were not allowed to take notes and were often asked to leave the court at important times, and for defendants, many of whom could not understand English.The case was meant to strike a definitive blow to the drug trade in the U.S. and for this reason the costs and the sheer scale of the trial were allowed to escalate. The case ended up costing $50 million. The prosecution case alone took a year to present. Ultimately, however, despite most of the defendants being found guilty, the trial had little impact on the drug problem in the U.S.
Consequences
Gaetano BadalamentiGaetano Badalamenti
Gaetano Badalamenti was a powerful member of the Sicilian Mafia. Don Tano Badalamenti was the capofamiglia of his hometown Cinisi, Sicily, and headed the Sicilian Mafia Commission in the 1970s...
, a former Mafia boss from Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, Sicily, was one of those convicted. He was given a 45-year sentence. He would eventually die of heart failure at the age of 80 at the Devens Federal Medical center located in Ayer, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
on April 29, 2004.
Domenico Lo Galbo, another of the bosses, convicted in absentia and sentenced to 18 years, died on 30 December 2005 in his bed in Bagheria
Bagheria
Bagheria is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.-Etymology:According to some sources, the name Bagheria originates from the Phoenician term Bayharia meaning "land that descends toward the sea." Other sources claim that it derives from the Arabic Bāb al-Gerib, or "windy...
(near Palermo). Relatives called the police to denounce the death, pretending he had returned from the United States to Sicily a few days before in order to die in his bed.
The lead prosecutor was future FBI Director Louis Freeh
Louis Freeh
Louis Joseph Freeh was the 5th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving from September 1993 to June 2001....
. He was responsible for the novel use of actors who read and acted out the English translations of the transcribed dialogue between the defendants.
Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who would later become Mayor of New York and modern Republican U.S. presidential candidate, also played a key role in the prosecution case.
The defendants
The United States of America vs Badalamenti et al.- Pietro Alfano ("Peter" or "The Nephew"), Oregon, IllinoisOregon, IllinoisOregon is a city located in Ogle County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 3,721, down from 4,060 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ogle County.- History :...
. Sicilian mafioso and Don Tano Badalamenti's nephew. Arrested in MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1984, while meeting with his uncle and cousin. Shot and crippled, while shopping in Greenwich VillageGreenwich VillageGreenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on February 11, 1987 a month prior to the trial verdicts being announced. Eventually he was sentenced to 15 years and served out seven years. - Baldassare Amato ("Baldo"), BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City. Sicilian mafioso and Bonanno crime familyBonanno crime familyThe Bonanno 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 ....
caporegime. Not sentenced until May 3, 1988, a 14 month delay made possible by his lawyer. Amato was sentenced to five years and given three-month conditional bail to put his affairs in order. He was eventually freed, but he has recently been convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence. - Gaetano BadalamentiGaetano BadalamentiGaetano Badalamenti was a powerful member of the Sicilian Mafia. Don Tano Badalamenti was the capofamiglia of his hometown Cinisi, Sicily, and headed the Sicilian Mafia Commission in the 1970s...
- sentenced to 45 years - Vito BadalamentiVito BadalamentiVito Badalamenti is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He is on the "Most wanted list" of the Italian ministry of the Interior since 1995.-Mafia heritage:Vito Badalamenti was born in Cinisi, Sicily...
- acquitted - Cesare BonventreCesare BonventreCesare "The Tall Guy" Bonventre was a Sicilian mobster and caporegime for the New York Bonanno crime family.-Early life:...
- murdered prior to indictment - Giovanni Cangialosi ("Johnny"), BaldwinBaldwin, Nassau County, New YorkBaldwin is a hamlet located in the town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 24,033 at the 2010 census.Baldwin is also a station on the Babylon Branch of the Long Island Rail Road....
, Long IslandLong IslandLong Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. Sicilian mafioso. Sentenced to 12 years. - Filippo Casamento - aka "Tizio", Brooklyn, New York City. Sicilian mafioso and Bonanno crime family associate. Sentenced to 30 years for his second heroin distribution conviction. Casamento was eventually released, but in early 2008 he was once again indicted for criminal activities in Operation Old BridgeOperation Old BridgeOperation Old Bridge is the code name for the February 7, 2008 arrests in Italy and the United States that targeted the Gambino crime family. Among the indicted were the reputed acting bosses Jackie D'Amico, Nicholas Corozzo and Consigliere Joseph Corozzo of the Gambino crime family...
that targeted mobsters in Sicily and America. - Frank Castronovo ("Ciccio l'Americano"), Parlin, New JerseyParlin, New JerseyParlin is an unincorporated area in Old Bridge Township and Sayreville in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08859....
, Sicilian mafioso and brother-in-law of Tommy Mazzara. Sentenced to 25 years. - Onofrio Catalano ("Oliviero"), Sicilian mafioso and cousin of Salvatore.
- Salvatore Catalano ("Toto" or "The Baker"), Sicilian mafioso and Bonanno crime family caporegime. Sentenced to 45 years, released from prison on 16 November 2009.
- Lorenzo De Vardo ("Larry"), Queens, New York. Sicilian mafioso, one of two defendants who pleaded to a lesser during the trial. Sentenced to four years for possession of a revolver.
- Samuel Evola ("Salvatore" or "Sam"), Temperance, MichiganTemperance, MichiganTemperance is an unincorporated community in Bedford Township, Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes. The population was 7,757 at the 2000 census...
. Sicilian mafioso and Don Tano Badalamenti's nephew. A known member of the Detroit PartnershipDetroit PartnershipThe Detroit Partnership, also known as the Detroit crime family, Detroit Combination, Detroit Mafia, Detroit Outfit or Zerilli crime family is an American Mafia crime family based in Detroit, Michigan...
. On the last day of trial Evola decided to plead guilty and received 15 years, cutting 5–10 years off his possible sentence. - Giuseppe Ganci ("Pino" or "Bufalone"), Sicilian mafioso, who died of cancer before the start of trial on February 11, 1986.
- Salvatore GrecoSalvatore GrecoSalvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco was a powerful mafioso and boss of the Mafia Family in Ciaculli, an outlying suburb of Palermo famous for its citrus fruit groves, where he was born...
, Oakhurst, New JerseyOakhurst, New JerseyOakhurst is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Ocean Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP population was 3,995.-Geography:Oakhurst is located at ....
. Sicilian mafioso and brother of BagheriaBagheriaBagheria is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.-Etymology:According to some sources, the name Bagheria originates from the Phoenician term Bayharia meaning "land that descends toward the sea." Other sources claim that it derives from the Arabic Bāb al-Gerib, or "windy...
capo-mafia (boss) Leonardo Greco. Sentenced to 20 years. - Giuseppe Lamberti ("The Brother-in-Law"), Sicilian mafioso, brother-in-law of Mazzurco and cousin of Salvatore. Sentenced to 30 years.
- Salvatore Lamberti ("Toto"), Sicilian mafioso and cousin of Giuseppe. Sentenced to 20 years for narcotics conspiracy.
- Giovanni Ligammari ("Johnny"), Saddle River, New JerseySaddle River, New JerseySaddle River is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 3,152. Saddle River has the second-highest per-capita income in the state...
. Sicilian mafioso, sentenced to 15 years. Upon his release in 1995 after serving 8 years he returned to his Bergen County home in suburban N.J. where he lived until he and his son Pietro were found hanging in the basement of the home on May 21, 1999. It was ruled a double suicide. - Gaetano Mazzara ("Tommy"), Sayreville, New JerseySayreville, New JerseySayreville is a borough located on the Raritan River, near Raritan Bay in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 42,704....
. Sicilian mafioso, murdered on December 1, 1985 during the trial. - Salvatore Mazzurco ("The Little One" or "The Cousin"), Sicilian mafioso. Sentenced to 20 years for narcotics conspiracy and 15 years on his RICO conviction. Sentences to run concurrently.
- Emmanuele Palazzolo ("Manny" or "The Brother-in-Law"), Milton, WisconsinMilton, WisconsinMilton is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,090 at the 2000 census .-History:The city was formed as a result of the 1967 merger of the villages of Milton and Milton Junction...
. Sicilian mafioso and Don Tano Badalamenti's nephew, brother-in-law to Peter Alfano. Sentenced to 12 years on narcotics conspiracy. - Francesco Polizzi ("Frank" or "Ciccio"), Belleville, New JerseyBelleville, New JerseyBelleville is a Township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 35,926.-History:...
. DeCavalcante crime familyDeCavalcante crime familyThe 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...
caporegime and Sicilian mafia associate. Sentenced to 20 years. Presently deceased. - Vincenzo Randazzo ("Enzo"), MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Sicilian mafioso and Don Tano Badalamenti's nephew. Extradited from ZürichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
to New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for the trial. One of two defendants who pled to a lesser charge before trial began. - Salvatore Salamone ("Sal"), Freeland, PennsylvaniaFreeland, PennsylvaniaFreeland, originally called Birbeckville after founder Joseph Birkbeck, then South Heberton, is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, south of Wilkes-Barre, and 10 miles northeast of Hazleton in an agricultural region. Freeland was officially incorporated as a borough on September 11, 1876....
. Sicilian mafioso, one of two defendants to be acquittedAcquittalIn the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
on the drug-related charges; was convicted on currency violations that carried up to five years in prison. Later retried, convicted and sentenced to 18 years on gunrunning charges. - Giuseppe Trupiano ("Joe"), Olney, IllinoisOlney, IllinoisOlney is a city in Richland County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,631 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Richland County.-History:...
. Sicilian mafioso and Don Tano Badalamenti's nephew. Sentenced to one year for narcotics conspiracy. Found not guilty on appeal - Giuseppe Vitale ("Joe"), Paris, IllinoisParis, IllinoisParis is a city in Paris Township, Edgar County, Illinois, USA, south of Chicago, and west of Indianapolis. In 1900, 6,105 people lived in Paris, Illinois; in 1910, 7,664; and in 1940, 9,281. The population was 8,837 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Edgar County.-Geography:Paris is...
. Sicilian mafioso and Don Tano Badalamenti's nephew. Sentenced to five years.
The trial began on September 30, 1985. The jury reached their verdicts on March 2, 1987. Sentences were handed down on by judge Pierre Leval on June 22, 1987.
Other defendants sought during trial
(America, Italy, Switzerland and South Africa)- Franco Della Torre -
- Leonardo Greco - capo of the BagheriaBagheriaBagheria is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.-Etymology:According to some sources, the name Bagheria originates from the Phoenician term Bayharia meaning "land that descends toward the sea." Other sources claim that it derives from the Arabic Bāb al-Gerib, or "windy...
cosca (crime family), brother of Salvatore. - Faro Lupo - Sicilian mafioso, nephew of Randazzo who lived with Alfano until 1984 when he returned to EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. - Salvatore Miniati -
- Vito Roberto PalazzoloVito Roberto PalazzoloVito Roberto Palazzolo is an Italian businessman living in South Africa. Born in Terrasini, he moved to South Africa in the mid 1980s. He also goes by the name Robert von Palace Kolbatschenko. He is alleged to be a member of the Sicilian Mafia, an allegation he denies...
- Filippo Salamone - Sicilian mafioso, related to Salvatore.
- Giuseppe Soresi - Sicilian mafioso from BorghettoBorghettoBorghetto is a common Italian place name:*Borghetto d'Arroscia, a commune in the province of Imperia*Borghetto di Borbera, a commune in the province of Alessandria...
, PalermoPalermoPalermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
. Suspected of heroin trafficking with American associates. - Oliviero Tognoli - Sicilian mafia money launderer based in Italy. Financial adviser and investor for Leonardo Greco and other Cosa Nostra leaders whom he held numerous Swiss bank accounts for.
- Benny Zito - Philadelphia pizzeria owner and associate of Joe Ganci who led authorities directly to the Catalano-Ganci Consortium in New York. Zito was not charged in the Pizza Connection, but he was charged in a separate drug related case by authorities in PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It was Zito who led authorities into the heart of the Pizza Connection heroin network and to the Sicilian mafia members who oversaw the drug and money laundering operations. He was suspected of fleeing prior to the indictments being handed down.
External links
- Gaetano Badalamenti And The Pizza Connection, article at americanmafia.com