Anthony DiLapi also known as "Blue Eyes over the Bridges" (February 9, 1936 - February 4, 1990) was a Teamsters union leader in New York City's Garment District and a soldier in the Lucchese crime family.
Anthony DiLapi was an instrumental cog in family boss Anthony Corallo's illegal control of the New York City garment district. DiLapi worked with Thomas Gambino, the son of Carlo Gambino and son-in-law of Thomas Lucchese. DiLapi was one of organized crime's biggest earners and most respected racketeers on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. DiLapi also ran a bookmaking business and owned part of vending machine company in Brooklyn.[1]
In May 1980, DiLapi was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice for squelching a union's organizing drive at a garment district trucking company. DiLapi received two consecutive sentences of five years each for the conspiracy count and the obstruction count.[2]
Upon DiLapi's release from prison, new underboss Anthony Casso summoned DiLapi to a meeting. DiLapi was afraid to attend this meeting; he knew that Casso and boss Vittorio Amuso distrusted anyone from the family's more powerful Bronx wing. Instead, DiLapi fled to Los Angeles and a life outside organized crime.
In response, Casso used two New York Police Department (NYPD) detectives on his payroll, Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, to track down DiLapi in California. The two detectives called police stations and law enforcement agencies throughout the state and finally located DiLapi in Los Angeles. Casso and Lucchese captain Alphonse D'Arco organized a hit team to kill DiLapi. D'Arco offered the murder contract to his son, Joseph D'Arco, so that he could qualify ("make his bones") to become a made man in the Lucchese family.
On February 4, 1990, Joseph D'Arco and a crew of hitmen shot Anthony DiLapi to death in the underground garage for his apartment building in Hollywood, California. DiLapi was shot four times in the face and four times to the body.[3][4]
On April 6, 2006, Eppolito and Caracappa were convicted of murder for their role in eight mob killings, including that of Anthony DiLapi.[5]
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