Everyone has their own set of moral standards. Mob guys are no different. I was educated in Catholic schools for the most part. I have a deep-rooted faith, but I�m not a knee bending Catholic. I guess a lot of guys are like me. Mob guys don't have a franchise on immorality. I�ve known more legit guys who were more morally bankrupt than the wiseguys I�ve known.

     There is Cosa Nostra. There is a Sicilian mafia. They are totally separate. Not too many guys I know or knew spend their time waging a campaign to prove that Cosa Nostra doesn't exist. The mob is all Hollywood today. It's wide open and everyone thinks they're a celebrity.

     I was around 13 or 14 when I really became aware of it. I was with Nicky Palmieri a lot and I met a lot of other guys who I knew weren't 9 to 5 guys. I worked in a candy store where the guy moved shy money for my father. I got a birds eye view of gambling, swag and shylocking. By the time I was 15 I was working the door at a 24hr crap game they had in the basement of the store.

     Well, the thing about jersey is that there are so many crews. In the Lucchese crew you had Anthony "Tumac" Acceturo, Micheal Tacetta, his brother Marty and Michael Perna. I knew Michael Perna really well. He was like the 'crown prince' of the mob in the late70's and early 80's.He always treated me very well. I could have counted on his friendship if I had needed it.      The Colombos had Jimmy Randazzo. Jimmy was a straight shooter. He was all business and a real dangerous guy. I moved a lot of money with him over the years. He was a shylock�s shylock. I got close with him in the 90's.i liked him and he always was nice to me.

     The Genovese had a ton of guys around. I was very close with Genovese made guy Joe "the Indian" Polverino. I knew him as a young kid but got real close to him after I got out of jail in 87. I served as a driver for him when he had 'official' business to attend to. Joe didn't let his street friends into his personal world. He kept everyone at arms length when it came to his family. I was one of the few people he invited to his home. I was saddened when he died in 89. I was friendly with John Digilio and most of his crew. I knew all of the Bioardo Genovese faction including Andy Gerardo, Tommy Dephillips, Joe Zarro and Sal Cetrulo.

     I was with Jimmy Higgins (Palmieri), so anyone who was a Jersey Gambino guy I got to meet. I always got along with Bobby Cabert (Bisaccia), however because of his dislike for Nicky Olivieri our relationship was strained. I knew Patty Specs (Martorano) from the 70's and Scoops Licata too. We don't have enough time to discuss everyone I knew or met over the years

     My dealings in south Florida involved my association with Gerry Chilli. I met Gerry in Florida when he sent for me, which was often, but most of our business was in New York. Yeah, Florida is pretty much open territory.

     I was involved in gambling, loansharking, stick-ups, shakedowns, drugs, and robbery. Let�s put it this way, if there was money to be made I was into it.

     Actually, most guys like the shadows. Dimodica is a prime example. You know you have to remember it's supposed to be a "secret'" thing. (LOL)

     Scoops Licata is a jerk off in my opinion. He was Tony Banana�s bagman. When Banana�s got clipped, Scoops got rich. When I was in the can in 1986 I heard from Nicky O that Scoops got made. Nicky was passed over and that pissed me off because in my book Scoops is a fag. I once called him a fat fuck to his face because he made a remark about Jerry Chilli to me. There were a lot of people around when I said it including Nicky o, Louie fazzini, Bobby Spags, Marty Taccetta and Jimmy Fede. If Scoops didn't have Mike Perna backing him up no one would have paid him. He's one of those cases where he got respect when he got a button, but he never had it before. He also shit every time Joey Sodano came around. They were both 'acting' skippers for awhile, but Joey was a 'hitter' and Scoops was most certainly not.      Nick Olivieri was like my big brother. I used to think he was god until I realized he thought he was god. He's my goombah and godfather to my oldest son. Our families were close. We were partners under Jimmy Higgins (Palmieri) in the early 1980's. I made a lot of money with and for nick. I was the closest person to him, even when our relationship was strained, which it often was. I could count on him and he on me, but it was a love hate thing. We both had over sized egos. It was tough on both of us.

     Let me say this about Nick, when it comes to pure balls he's in a league of his own. He doesn't give a fuck. When it comes to the trenches I�d go any where with him, but he's greedy and a bullshitter. A lot of people see him as a fence jumper, that�s why his button isn't recognized. He was set to get hit, along with Scoops, but then they went away. He should just fade away when he gets out because in my opinion he's trunk material.I get sad when I think about the way nick and I both changed over the years. We were truly brothers. He sent a message to me through FBI agent Billy Evenina, that "I broke his heart". I believe that�s true. I wish him well.

     I like the Sopranos. It�s entertaining regarding Tony�s home life. I think Gandolfini is accurate in his portrayal and I think Edie Falco is outstanding, although the story lines get a little imaginative once in a while.

     I met Frankie Vincent when I had the bar in the Holiday Inn. Nicky O and I shook the joint down for a piece in the early 80's. Frank was selling advertising in a TV magazine. We hit it off. He was shocked at my knowledge of film and just in general. I was heavy in the coke business at the time and he became one of my dealers. Soon we were the best of friends. My wife and mother used to send him food every day because he was always broke. Anyway when I came home from the can in 87 I hooked him up with Ron Castellano so he could continue in the coke business. I was done with it by then. Frank was with me every day, I was buying cars and making him earn. I was also in the limo business so I hooked him up with cars when he needed them.

     When I moved into Asbury Park to set up my deal at the Empress Hotel I bought Frank in. We started a corporation called "Frank Vincent�s Hollywood East�". I had him on the payroll for a g-note a week. I sold my interest in the lounge to Joe Lucarelli and he never opened the place as Frank Vincent�s Hollywood East. Lucarelli is another story.

     Frank is godfather to my daughter. He had it made with me, but he fucked up and it got him hurt. I was beefing with Ron Castellano because he was trying to shake a friend of mine down. Frankie sided with Ronnie behind my back. Ronnie went to my mother�s house trying to find me. He caused a little commotion and the next night I told Ronnie to meet me on Blf. (Bloomfield) Ave by Ting-A-Lings. It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving 1990. When
Ronnie gets there he jumped out the car like an asshole, I had a .32 and he shit his pants. How he lived I don't know. As he drove off I blew every window out of the car. I caught him in the side of the head but it was only superficial. Ray Goodell, a good friend of mine was driving the get away car.

     Anyway after I try to clip Ronnie he ran to Nicky Olivieri Jr. Nicky Jr. called me and gave me the heads up that Frank Vincent gave Ron my mother�s address. I made Ray drive me to 515 Mount Prospect Ave where he lived in a high rise. I was going to whack him. I made him come downstairs and when he did I threw him on the ground and was about to shoot him when some old lady came out and started screaming and ray dragged me away. I gave Frank a minor tune up before I left. I never talked to him again. I did see him at Juicy Dimodica�s brother�s wake in 1994. The Juice and me were real tight at the time. Frankie told Juice he thought I was still going to whack him. Juice asked me to leave him be.

Name association- I give a name you tell me your thoughts :

     I met him through Nicky O. I wasn't impressed. Nicky was up his ass to get close with Patty Specs. George was no tough guy. Me and Louie Fazzini didn't like him, but maybe that was just sour grapes on our part. How can you dislike someone you don't know? I read his book and realized we were a lot alike in our upbringing, at least as far as OC goes. His book is truthful. From what I know he's done well for himself and for his family in his new life. I wish him well. For awhile I thought this guy "Picasso" who writes on the mob forums was George, but I know now for sure he isn't.

     I met him twice; once on Blmf. Ave. with his uncle when they came to see Patty Specs. Nicky O was there and I was with Nicky. Phil was quiet, well dressed and reserved. Our intro was brief. I saw him in Atlantic City once, on the boardwalk. I introduced myself and he remembered our previous meeting on Blmf. Ave. He was very polite and courteous. We have the same FBI handler, as my guy was transferred to A.C. . from Newark. For those interested, he's doing well.

Patty �Specs� Martorano

     A prince. I knew patty from Jimmy Higgins. I knew him before Nicky O latched on to his coat tails. I was with Higgins when Patty came to meet Jimmy at the Belmont. He had just been named skipper after the broke Blackie Napoli. What I remember about Patty was that he wasn't a hump and he wasn't greedy. When I came home in 87 I�d meet with him and Turk Cifelli at Michealangelo's Restaurant on Blmf Ave almost every morning. Nicky O would be there too. Every morning we'd do the Daily News crossword puzzle together and then the jumble. My time with him was cut short when he went on the lam later that year. I never saw him after that.

     I knew Bobby from when I was a teenager. I hung around in Silver Lake a lot with Sonny and Buddy Muccigrasso's cousin Joe Carzarella. Me and Joe were like brothers. Everyone thought we were cousins. He called me his cousin Steve and I called him cousin Joey. Anyway I probably met Cabert through Buddy and Sonny. He always liked me. When Higgins died, John Gotti assigned all of Higgins� guys to Bobby. Nicky O went Down Neck to Patty Specs on loan. Joe the Indian claimed me and Bobby couldn't get his hands on either me or Nicky. This pissed him off. He started to really dislike me because he disliked Nicky O. He told me that straight out.

     One time I got into a beef with Larry Day. Cabert sided with Larry even though it was none of his business because Larry belonged to Sally Dogs. Anyway Bobby was just about the most powerful guy around and no one to fuck with. He wanted to hurt me to get at Nicky O. Nicky said he had it under control. That�s what Custer told his troops at the little big horn. With that I went to Chilli. At one time he and Bobby were real close and Cabert wouldn't dare fuck with Gerry. We ran into him at the Meadowlands racetrack one afternoon and Gerry put the issue to rest. That really got me under Cabert�s skin.

     Later when I was doing things with Juicy Dimodica, Bobby tried to stir up some shit. Juicy told him to fuck off and believe me Juice meant it. Anyway Bobby turned in a beef from jail to Junior Gotti and Jackie the Nose about me and a kid around Juicy, Joey Vollaro. Juice took our back and went to NY to see Junior, Pete Gotti and Jackie the Nose. Pete remembered me from Chilli and Juice told him Gerry had ok'd me to do some things with him. Meanwhile they sent word to Bobby to stop the shit.

     My overall feeling about Bobby is this; he was a degenerate gambler who robbed all the guys under him. He is a ballsy guy, but a loudmouth bully who picks his spots. No one said it out loud, but when they gave him 40 years almost everyone, including his own crew said good riddance.

     He was a good guy. He was always nice to me. I knew him before he got made through the time he was a captain.

Gerry Catena

     I met him when I was a young kid with my dad. My dad was 'with' him directly, but I didn't even know what the mob was in those days.

Gyp DeCarlo

     When I was a kid I spent a lot of time with my father, Nicky Palmieri and Jack Panels bouncing from one joint to another. I met Gyp and his brother-in-law Cy Riga a couple times, but again I wasn't even a teenager yet.

     Jack "Panels" Santoli was a Genovese guy. Jack was a class guy. He operated in Newark and was under Gyp Decarlo. The other made guys in Gyp�s crew were Joe Polverino, Lucky from Asbury Park (whose name I can never remember) Carl "Leash" Scalesa, Frank Casina and Tommy Lombardi (the last two guys were from Brooklyn). Jack died of a perforated colon in 1972 during surgery to close up his colostomy. He was in his 50�s. I've been told by more than one person, among them Joe Polverino, Nick Palmieri, Turk and Jimmy Palmieri and my father that Jack is the one who shot Frank Costello. I just don't repeat the story because everyone will think I�m nuts.

     I never met him.

Nicky Scarfo Sr. and Jr.

     I met Nicky Scarfo Sr. with Patty Specs and Nicky one time. It was on a Sunday night. Phil Leonetti was with him. I remember he was drunk. I shook hands and that was it. Nicky and Patty went off by themselves. Now Nick junior is a different story. I got to know him good after he got shot. He was under Scoops and Nicky O's protection while he recovered, so I saw him a lot. He was a good kid but kind of serious. I sold him some swag in �92 to help him earn some cash. I never got paid.

     I met him once at a wake for Jimmy Higgin�s son Joey and Jimmy had me walk him and his guys to their car when they left. I met him one other time in the Queen Anne diner. I was waiting for my friend Marco Minichino when Frank Dicicco saw me and called me over to say hello. Frank remembered me from Higgins. Anyway Riggi was with him and again handshakes and 15 seconds of small talk.

     I knew Frankie from going out to Brooklyn with Jimmy Higgins. Every Sunday he went to meet Jimmy Brown at the Veterans club Brown ran next to Tommasso's Restaurant on 86th st. in Bensonhurst. Dicicco really liked Nicky O and me. He referred to us as the "peck twins"[pecks bad boy]. He represented Gambino and Castellano at NJ social functions, like weddings and wakes. He should have been boss. I was in the can when he got clipped in April of 86. Nicky and I would never have wound up with Cabert if he had lived, so there would never have been any reason for us to leave the Gambino fold. Life would have been all together different.

Joe Sodano

     I didn't know him except to say hello to. He was a serious tough guy and a hitter. He also had the rep of being a big time earner with big juice across the river

     I never met Pete.

     I was part of his inner crew from 1981 until he died in 85. If something needed doing it was me and Nicky O that got the call. When Nicky was away it was me. My impression is that Jimmy was the smartest wiseguy I ever met. He knew what you were going to do before you did it. He was a true gangster, a very gruff and uncouth guy. A stone killer and I mean a stone killer. A guy down neck owed me money one time. He ran to Bannanas and I got a threatening phone call. I was about 22 at the time. I told Higgins and he met with Bannanas, the guy, whose name was Pat Ciccalese and me. Bannanas was as scary as they came. I had met him before with my father. Anyway they're talking by themselves and suddenly Jimmy looks straight at Bannanas as says "well you know he's with me now!" He turned and we crossed the street and went into the Belmont. Jimmy then talked to Joe the Indian. I had my money the next day. Jimmy got away with a lot of shit over the years. I think he was really a psychopath, but his big problem was his wife and kids. Everyone was trouble with the exception of his son Peter. Higby was no ones fool

     Joe was a very tough guy and a gentleman. I got really close with him and referred to him as Uncle Joe. He was great believer in family and of not shitting where you eat. He could have been the captain after Gyp DeCarlo died but he didn't want it. He was a health nut who could still kick most guys asses when he was in his 70's. Sally Dogs sought his advice on all-important matters involving the crew. Joe got lucky when he died, the feds would have banged him with 20 years after Tommy Dimino ratted out the crew. They were going to pinch me on that case too, but I got pinched on the bank case and the rest is history

     I really miss 1976. I was 21 and it was all in front of me. Other than that, honestly, I've moved on.

     Maybe it's the water in Philly. Seriously I think it is a combination of Nicky Scarfo Sr. being inept and paranoid and the fact that too many young guys got made. I also think that the FBI and Justice Department have too many guns in the arsenal.

     Unlike a lot of guys who flip I don't offer any excuses. I flipped for selfish reasons. I saw an opening to get out from under and I went through it. The feds had me on a RICO indictment. I was looking at 50,no less than 20.so I made the best deal I could. There�s no sense in trying to justify it. The life wasn't worth my life. I had things to do. I weighed it out and made my decision based on what I thought I could accomplish away from the life.

     I know I made the smart move, whether it was the right move only time will tell. What I do know is there is no future in being a wiseguy. It's all over now. I've done ok in the legit world because I�m not lazy. My wife and kids have benefited from the decision I made.

     I'll tell you a story. Gerry Chilli is regarded as the ultimate stand up guy, right? He didn't know I flipped until I left, no one knew or had a clue. Gerry knew that Brian Gianolla flipped on me and Chicky. I knew because I was with the feds, Gerry knew because he was trying to combine his Florida case with any outstanding cases. They told him that he and I would be indicted for the garbage case. He called me every week from prison and sometimes more than once a week. He never told me he pled guilty on the garbage thing. If I wasn't co-operating his guilty plea sends me to the can for 20 years. He pled guilty to sending me to hurt the guy. I could never mount a reasonable defense. He sent me down the road and under the bus. He didn't give a fuck, he did what was best for Chilli. This is what the mob is really all about, fuck everyone before they fuck you. But they call Gerry a standup guy. You can't trust anyone and sometimes you can't even trust yourself. I�m glad I�m out. I�m glad my sons will never be part of it, I�m glad I�m alive. What I think about life today is not what I thought about 20 years ago.

     I guess I have a few. The one that stands out in my mind is a hijacking I committed in 1976. Along with 2 friends of mine, who are both long deceased, we grabbed a load of Florshiem shoes. This friend of mine Nick "Zinn" Franciose, gave me the score. A driver he knew gave it up. We picked the load up and delivered it to a guy named Emile from Down Neck. He in turn gave it to a Jewish guy from Hudson County. By the way my 2 friends were Alex Cerza and Jimmy Juliano. We got paid 7500.00 for the score, which we whacked up. We headed for the Surf Club in Ortley Beach, with a stop at Monmouth Park racetrack. Needless to say in a short time we were broke. Anyway we did the score on the sneak. I was with Jimmy Higgins, so I was obligated to tell him before I did it and to send him an end.

     Well to make a long story short I get word that a couple guys came looking for me at the Belmont Tavern, which was basically my office for 20 years. I call this Emile up and he's shit scared. I asked him what was wrong and he told me the entire load was left shoes only! Now this guy in Fort Lee, Tony, wanted his money back. Now I�m in trouble, so I go see Nicky Palmieri and told him the truth. He took me to Higgins and I told him the truth. He ranted and raved at me and wanted to know who else was involved, but I wouldn't tell him. He got even more pissed and asked me if I had 7500. I didn't have 75 dollars.

     So make a long story short I go with Higgins and Johnny M up to Tom Swift�s in Fort Lee to meet this Tony. There were two other guys with him, Mario, who was Tony�s son in law, and Ritchie, who was around Tony. These are the two guys who were looking for me at the Belmont. Well Higgins and this Tony talked for a while and then called me to the table. Tony asked me if I had his 7500, to which I said no. Then this Mario asks me if I could get the cash. They gave me a week. Higgins tells me on the way back that he's putting up the 7500 to cover it, plus another 2500 he was entitled to for me cutting him out of the score. I had to pay him 200 a
week for 50 weeks, a fortune back then. Then I go see Nicky Zinn and he agreed to give me half. Jimmy Jules and me paid the rest every week.

     Now the funny thing is that Tony was Tony C. Carminati, a Gambino soldier in Joe Paterno's crew along with Higgins. The fix was in before I ever went to the sit at Tom Swift�s. I got close with Tony, Mario and Richie a couple of years down the road and they always busted my balls about it. Higgins gave Tony half the 7500 and Tony told the guy Bernie to mind his business because I was with Higgins. So the breakdown is this. Bernie the Jew loses 7500. Tony C. makes 3750 and Higgins makes 6250.

     The moral here? The wiseguy always makes the money.