Victor Orena

Vittorio "Little Vic" Orena (born August 4, 1934)^[1] is a New York City mobster who became the temporary acting boss of the Colombo crime family.^[2] A challenge by Orena to boss Carmine Persico triggered one of the bloodiest Cosa Nostra wars of the late 20th century.

Biography

Background

Born in New York City, Orena's father died when he was a child. Orena spent time in a reform school and eventually dropped out of high school. According to his son, Orena entered the mob life because the wise guys were the big figures in the neighborhood, the nice clothes, cars, and the "glamor" of it and the fact that some of these men had rough beginnings.^[3]

In the early 1970s, the new Colombo boss, Carmine Persico allegedly had a few people "made" into his family, even though the "books" were officially closed, forbidding the introduction of any new members into the Mafia. One of these men was Victor Orena, who rose through the ranks and operated in Brooklyn, Long Island, and New Jersey primarily in labor racketeering. Orena was a well dressed individual who projected a traditional business image.

Brooklyn capo

In 1987, Carmine Persico and "acting boss", Gennaro Langella were convicted in the Mafia Commission Trial and sentenced to 139 years in prison. To run the family in his absence, Carmine Persico created a "Ruling Committee" of Orena, Joseph Russo, and Benedetto Aloi. At the same time, Orena was promoted to caporegime of the crew that had formerly been led by Carmine's son, Alphonse "Little Allie Boy" Persico. Orena was able to set up operations almost everywhere in the New York and New Jersey area.

When John Gotti became Gambino boss in 1986, Orena was able to expand his criminal dealings with the Gambinos. Orena now became a top earner in the Colombo family. Orena also increased his influence with brothers Vincenzo and Benedetto Aloi, leaders of the Colombo Brooklyn faction. Orena was also close friends with Lucchese crime family mobsters Victor Amuso and James Burke.

Acting boss

In 1988, Persico disbanded the "Ruling Committee", which had been decimated by convictions and imprisonments. He intended to pass the family to his son, Alphonse. Since Little Allie Boy was in prison at the time, Persico made Orena acting boss, making it clear that he was merely a placeholder until Little Allie Boy's release. Unusually, Persico gave Orena the right to induct members and order murders on his own authority.

In November 1989, Orena allegedly ordered the murder of Colombo mobster, Thomas Ocera. Ocera was allegedly skimming mob profits, had let police seize Colombo's loansharking records, and had supposedly killed an associate of John Gotti. On November 13, Gregory Scarpa who was in fact an F.B.I.informant with a 30 year relationship strangled Ocera with a length of piano wire It was later known that Scarpa had no contact with Orena, in fact he was the catalyst in the plot to kill Orena,using his top men Carmine Sessa and John Pate in the hit that failed. Most believe it was because of Orena's strong stance against narcotics, while Sessa and Scarpa and Page were secretly in the drug business.Scarpa,Sessa and John Pate all cooperated with the F.B.I.^[4]

Power play

By early 1991, Orena felt that he should become boss in his own right. He felt Persico was out of touch and keeping the family from making money. In addition, Persico had been negotiating for a television biography. Orena and several others, remembering how federal prosecutors had used Joe Bonanno's tell-all book as evidence in the Commission Trial, believed this proposed special would bring unwanted law enforcement interest on the family. In accordance with Mafia tradition and instructions from the Mafia commission, Orena instructed consigliere Carmine Sessa to poll all the capos (3 of them Persico relatives including brother Theodore) to see if they favored him taking over the family. Sessa afraid of Orena and his anti drug ban and in fear that Orena may find out about his secret drug dealing with government informer Gregory Scarpa plotted to kill Orena without official permission from the Persico's and later stated he did not want to tell Persico's brother Theodore of the plot in fear he would run to Orena and warn him. Scarpa hid behind a 5 year probation plea for the reason that he did not appear at any mob meetings when in fact he was a protected informer and murderer for 30 + years but in fact he pulled Sessa's strings and many others from the background.

Assassination attempt

In June 1991, an assassination attempt was made on Orena, sparking the Colombo War. On June 20, 1991, a five-man hit team including Sessa, John Pate, and Hank Smurra converged on Orena's Long Island home and waited for Orena to arrive home. As Orena was driving down his street, he recognized several men in the parked car. Realizing they were waiting to kill him, Orena drove away. By the time the gunmen spotted Orena, it was too late to act.^[5][6]

Third Colombo war

The Colombo conflict soon spiraled out of control. On November 18, 1991, Cutolo sent a team to attempt to murder Gregory Scarpa, the Persico's top capo and an infamous hitman. The team ambushed Scarpa as he was driving with his daughter-in-law and granddaughter, but Scarpa and his family managed to escape unharmed. On November 18, Persico loyalist Smurra, a member of the June assassination team against Orena, was shot dead. On November 29, Sessa survived a murder attempt while driving his car.^[7]

On December 3, Scarpa sent a team to kill Orena soldier Joseph Tollino. Tollino escaped, but his companion, Genovese crime family mobster Thomas Amato, was killed accidentally. On December 5 and 6, Cutolo sent teams that murdered Persico loyalists Rosario Nastasa and Vincent Fusaro. On December 8, Orena supporter Nicky Grancio was murdered. Soon after that Matteo Speranza, an innocent employee of a shop owned by Persico associates, was murdered by the a young Brooklyn underling Anthony Libertore and his want to be Father trying to make a name themselves with Joe Scopo, Brooklyn Colombo's.^[7] The Libertore's co-operated with the F.B.I. once imprisoned but were not found credible.

By this time, the Colombo warfare was receiving a great deal of public attention. On December 16, 1991, the Brooklyn District Attorney summoned Orena and the other Colombo principals to a grand jury meeting to testify about the conflict. The mobsters all refused to testify.^[7]

As the war progressed into 1992, Orena was indicted on charges of murder and racketeering. To ensure his personal safety, Orena had gone into hiding at his girlfriend's new house, which was still under construction in Valley Stream, New York. Orena outfitted the basement into a small apartment for himself. On April 4, 1992, agents arrested Orena at the house. A search uncovered four shotguns, a large supply of ammunition, and a bullet-proof vest. In testimony made in 1997, Gregory Scarpa Jr. would claim that his father planted the guns in the house to frame Orena. However, this charge was never proven.^[8]

Imprisonment

On December 22, 1992, Orena was convicted of racketeering, the 1989 Ocera murder, and other related charges.^[4] He received three life sentences plus 85 years in federal prison.^[8] By late 1992, the shooting war had petered out and Carmine Persico remained in control of the Colombo family.

On March 10, 1997, a judge refused to overturn Orena's conviction. The appeal was based on an alleged conspiracy between Gregory Scarpa Sr. and his FBI handler, Lindley DeVecchio, against Orena during the Colombo war.^[9] On January 16, 2004, a judge denied Orena's appeal for a new trial.^[10]

As of May 2013, Orena is serving a life sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) near Terre Haute, Indiana.^[11] While in prison, Orena has became a Catholic Eucharistic minister, helping the priest administer the host and wine to inmates during mass.^[3]

References

External links

• La Cosa Nostra – State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation 1989 Report - The Colombo/Persico/Orena Family
• Post-Gazette.com Switching sides by Bill Moushey
• Former FBI agent goes on trial in mob-tied murders By SCOTT SHIFREL