1979 in organized crime

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See also: 1978 in organized crime, other events of 1979, 1980 in organized crime and the list of 'years in Organized Crime'.

Contents

[edit] Events

  • Sicilian, mafia prosecutor Cesare Terranova is shot dead. Imprisoned mobster, Luciano Leggio is brought to trial but is acquitted due to lack of evidence. Terranova was the prosecutor responsible for Leggio's imprisonment; a life sentence for the murder of Michele Navarra.
  • James Eppolito, a member of the Gambino crime family, is photographed with First Lady Rosalynn Carter in recognition for his charity work in Manhattan.
  • January 12 - Johnny Dioguardi dies of natural causes at a Pennsylvania hospital, while serving a sentence for stock fraud.
  • January 17 - Anthony Scotto, a caporegime of the Gambino crime family and son-in-law to Anthony "Tough Tony" Anastasio, is indicted on charges of receiving $200,000 in illegal payoffs during his term in office as President of Brooklyn ILA Local 1814. As the General Organizer of the ILA, Scotto was one of the most influential labor leaders in New York at the time of his arrest.
  • April 14 - Giovanni "Papa John" Priziola, a former consiglieri of the Detroit crime syndicate, dies of natural causes at the age of 84.
  • April 26 - Anthony "Little Pussy" Russo, a high ranking member of the Genovese crime family who had risen from a chauffeur and bodyguard for Vito Genovese to become a Genovese Capo in Monmouth County, New Jersey, is found shot to death in Long Branch, New Jersey. Russo's death may have been connected to an FBI surveillance operation in which he unknowingly revealed details of concealing Las Vegas casino ownership and skimming operations.
  • May 11 - Gambino associate and DeMeo Crew adopted son Harvey 'Christopher' Rosenberg is murdered by Roy DeMeo and Anthony Senter on orders from DeMeo's superior Anthony Gaggi for ripping off and killing associates of a powerful Colombian drug dealer.
  • June 22 - Guam Drug trafficker Francisco S. Palacios and his wife are arrested on drugs charges. [1]
  • July 11 - Giorgio Ambrosoli is murdered on the orders of Michele Sindona.
  • July 11 - Anthony Provenzano, who had been extorting payments from trucking firms at the threat of instigating union strikes, is convicted of labor racketeering and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
  • July 12 - Carmine "Lilo" Galante, Boss of the Bonanno crime family, is gunned down with Capo Leonardo "Nardo" Coppola and his cousin, soldier Giuseppe Turano while having dinner at Joe & Mary's Italian Restaurant on Knickerbocker Ave., Brooklyn. Bonanno soldier Angelo "Little Moe" Presenzano escaped being killed by leaving early due to a stomach ache. Galante's bodyguards, "Zips" Cesare Bonventre and Baldo Amato took part in the hit (Bonventre shot Galante and Amato was back-up). The primary shooters were Russell Mauro (shot Galante), Bruno Indelicato (shot Turano and Coppola), Dominick "Big Trin" Trinchera (stood guard inside restaurant), Santo Giordano (stood guard outside and drove). Joe Massino, Sonny Red Indelicato, J.B. Indelicato and Phil Lucky Giacone were outside in a car as back-up. They all made up the Family Factions who opposed the monopoly[Galante had created in the heroin business and they feared his tyranical rule. The Factions who wished to rid themselves of Galante was the Rastelli-Massino-Napolitano Faction, the Indelicato-Giacone-Trinchera Faction and the "Zips" Catalano-Ganci-Bonventre-Amato Faction who all wanted to kill tyranical Boss Galante whom they feared. Galante rival Boss Rusty Rastelli was given Commission approval.
  • Nicholas "Nicky Glasses" Marangello and Michael "Mimi" Sabella, Bonanno family Underboss and Capo based out of "The Toyland Social Club" in Little Italy, Manhatten were contracted to be hit with Carmine Galante, but were demoted to soldiers because they were well liked by Family members. After Galante's murder "Zips" Capo Salvatore Catalano was made Underboss-Streetboss and Cesare Bonventre was made Capo (youngest in Cosa Nostra). Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano , Joseph "Big Joe" Massino and Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato made Capos.
  • July 13 - Former Guam police officer and drug trafficker Felix M. Garrido and his wife Dora Scharff Garrido are shot dead by an unknown assailant at their Dededo home.
  • July 14 - Dora Scharff Garrido's father, retired police detective George Scharff, vows to find his daughter and son-in-law's murderer.
  • July 17 - Guam police assign officers to guard George Scharff's home.
  • July 20 - Convicted drug trafficker Francisco S. Palacios is connected to the murder of Felix M. Garrido and Dora Scharff Garrido. They had provided the government with information leading to the arrest of Palacios and his wife on June 22.
  • August 19 - Guam police announce that four key suspects in the Garrido double-murder had left the country for California.
  • August 28 - Convicted drug trafficker Johnny B. Santos claims that fellow Guam Penitentiary inmate Irvin R. Ibanez admitted to the double-murder on the orders of Palacios. Ibanez denies the allegations and the case goes cold.
  • October 1 - Gambino members James Eppolito and James Eppolito, Jr. are shot to death by fellow Gambino Family members Anthony Gaggi and Roy DeMeo. The murder is witnessed by a civilian who alerts a nearby police officer. A gunfight erupts between the officer and Gaggi, who is wounded in the neck and arrested. DeMeo, who split up with Gaggi upon leaving the crime scene, is never identified or apprehended.The Eppolito's were related to Mafia Cop Louie Eppolito.
  • November 9 - John Paul Spica, associate of Anthony Giodano and a suspect in the assassination of civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., is killed by a car bomb in his Cadillac.
  • November 15 Detroit mobsters Raffaele Quasarano and Peter Vitale, members of a commission controlling the Detroit crime syndicate, are indicted under the RICO Act on charges including racketeering, extortion, mail and tax fraud.

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