Alphonse D'Arco
Encyclopedia
Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco (July 28, 1932), also known as "The Professor", is a New York mobster who became the acting boss of Lucchese crime family
. He was the first boss, acting or otherwise, of a New York crime family
to become a government witness.
and attended a Catholic grammar school
. D'Arco's criminal career started at age 14, when he beat another boy with brass knuckles
. At age 15, he dropped out of high school. In 1951, during the Korean War
, D'Arco served two years as a volunteer in the U.S. Army. After an honorable discharge from the army, D'Arco returned to Brooklyn and got married. He and his wife had five children. One of his sons, Joseph D'Arco, became a member of the Lucchese family.
D'Arco became a Lucchese associate during the 1950s when the family was led by boss Tommy Lucchese
. In 1959, D'Arco met future Lucchese boss Victor Amuso
. In the 1960s, D'Arco was convicted on drug-related charges and spent several years in prison. After his release, D'Arco returned to the Lucchese family, which was then run by boss Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corralo
. On August 23, 1982, D'Arco became a made man
in the Lucchese family and a soldier in the Brooklyn-based crew
of caporegime
Paul Vario
.
In the 1980's, D'Arco opened an Italian restaurant, La Donna Rosa, in Little Italy, Manhattan
. It would serve as a frequent Lucchese meeting place.
D'Arco became involved in bookmaking, loansharking, occasional drug deals and other criminal activities. During his criminal career, D'Arco would be involved in ten murders. His criminal record would include extortion, murder, murder conspiracy, robbery, arson, tax evasion, counterfeiting, narcotics trafficking, burglary, hijacking and assault. In 1983, D'Arco was convicted of heroin trafficking and was sentenced to several years in prison. He was released in 1986.
of the New York Cosa Nostra.
By the mid 1980's, D'Arco was becoming a rich man due to the earnings from his crew and from his own loanshark portfolio. Soon D'Arco was gather tribute from the Lucchese crews for Amuso and Casso. On one Christmas, D'Arco gathered a $100,000 holiday gift for the two leaders from all the capos.
In August 1990, D'Arco facilitated the murder of Lucchese mobster Bruno Facciola. Amuso suspected Facciola of being an informant and ordered his death. Facciola tried to run away when he knew he was about to be set up, but he was tackled and dragged back into the garage, where he was stabbed and shot. On Amuso's instructions, the hitmen placed a dead canary, the sign of an informant
, in Facciola's mouth after they killed him.
received an early warning about an upcoming federal indictment and went into hiding, leaving D'Arco as the acting boss. D'Arco would meet with them twice in Scranton, Pennsylvania
, and several times at safe house
s in Brooklyn. In the summer of 1991, D'Arco met with warring factions in the Colombo crime family
to mediate a peace agreement. However, Casso sent him on this mission in hopes that the Luccheses could grab some Colombo rackets.
Through their ruthlessness and brutality, Amuso and Casso generated many internal conflicts in the Lucchese family and broke down the unity and loyalty of its members. Family members felt the two bosses were greedy and paranoid
, ordering too many murders to make themselves feel secure.
In early 1991, Amuso became falsely convinced that Lucchese capo Peter Chiodo
had become a government witness and ordered D'Arco to kill him. In May 1991, Chiodo was shot 12 times, but survived the attack. Chiodo then became a government witness, and testified in June 1991 at a Lucchese trial.
Amuso and Casso sent more hit orders to D'Arco. Amuso ordered the family's entire New Jersey
faction, the Jersey Crew
, killed after it refused to increase the family's share of their profits (the infamous "whack Jersey" order). Casso gave D'Arco a list of 49 people he wanted killed—half of whom were Lucchese wiseguys. Amuso then ordered D'Arco to bring in a bomb expert from Philadelphia
in order to blow up Gambino
boss John Gotti
. All of these actions convinced D'Arco that Amuso and Casso were no longer acting rationally. Later, D'Arco explained his role in the family:
meeting, Amuso and Casso replaced D'Arco as acting boss with a four man panel of capos.
On September 18, 1991, D'Arco attended a meeting of Lucchese leaders in Manhattan
's Kimberly Hotel. D'Arco noticed that one man had a bulge under his shirt—a sure sign that he was carrying a gun. The man then went to the bathroom—and when he came back, the bulge was gone. D'Arco realized this was a classic setup for a hit; the next person to go into the bathroom was likely to come out blasting. Convinced his life was threatened, D'Arco rushed out of the hotel. His driver was nowhere to be found—another indication that D'Arco had been marked for death.
The next day, FBI agents warned D'Arco that he was in danger. Too fearful to go to the main FBI office in Manhattan, D'Arco went instead to an FBI office in New Rochelle, New York
and offered to become a government witness. Except for $55,000, D'Arco was forced to leave his fortune behind. At the time, he was the highest-ranking member of the Cosa Nostra to break his blood oath
and testify against the mob.
hearings and other legal proceedings. His testimony helped convict Amuso, acting Colombo crime family
boss Victor "Little Vic" Orena, Bonanno crime family
consigliere
Anthony Spero
, Genovese crime family
consigliere James Ida
and Genovese boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante
. D'Arco also testified at the trial of Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa
, the two corrupt NYPD detectives who provided Casso with information.
D'Arco is participating in the federal Witness Protection Program. According to government sources, D'Arco has been an excellent witness and has not committed any more criminal acts. At one of his trials, a prosecutor asked D'Arco if the mob life was worth it, and received this reply:
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese 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 . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
. He was the first boss, acting or otherwise, of a New York crime family
Five Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
to become a government witness.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, D'Arco grew up near the Brooklyn Navy YardBrooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
and attended a Catholic grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
. D'Arco's criminal career started at age 14, when he beat another boy with brass knuckles
Brass knuckles
Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckledusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
. At age 15, he dropped out of high school. In 1951, during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, D'Arco served two years as a volunteer in the U.S. Army. After an honorable discharge from the army, D'Arco returned to Brooklyn and got married. He and his wife had five children. One of his sons, Joseph D'Arco, became a member of the Lucchese family.
D'Arco became a Lucchese associate during the 1950s when the family was led by boss Tommy Lucchese
Tommy Lucchese
Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese , also known as "Tom Brown" or "Three-Finger Brown", was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City...
. In 1959, D'Arco met future Lucchese boss Victor Amuso
Victor Amuso
Vittorio "Little Vic" Amuso is a New York mobster and, as of 2011, the reputed Boss of the Lucchese crime family. Amuso is currently serving life at the Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont, Texas on murder and racketeering charges....
. In the 1960s, D'Arco was convicted on drug-related charges and spent several years in prison. After his release, D'Arco returned to the Lucchese family, which was then run by boss Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corralo
Anthony Corallo
Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo was a New York City mobster and boss of the Lucchese crime family.-Early life:...
. On August 23, 1982, D'Arco became a made man
Made man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
in the Lucchese family and a soldier in the Brooklyn-based crew
The Vario Crew
The Vario Crew is a group operating within the Lucchese crime family. It was once controlled by powerful Capo Paul Vario from the early 1950s into the early 1980s, when Vario and Jimmy Burke were betrayed by Henry Hill. Hill betrayed the crew by testifying against many members and his life-story...
of caporegime
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
Paul Vario
Paul Vario
Paul Vario was a caporegime of a crew in the Lucchese crime family. In the 1970s Vario held the position of consigliere in the family but later resigned. In 1980, longtime associate Henry Hill became a government witness and testified against Vario and members of his crew...
.
In the 1980's, D'Arco opened an Italian restaurant, La Donna Rosa, in Little Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York City, once known for its large population of Italians. Today the neighborhood of Little Italy consists of Italian stores and restaurants.-Historical area:...
. It would serve as a frequent Lucchese meeting place.
D'Arco became involved in bookmaking, loansharking, occasional drug deals and other criminal activities. During his criminal career, D'Arco would be involved in ten murders. His criminal record would include extortion, murder, murder conspiracy, robbery, arson, tax evasion, counterfeiting, narcotics trafficking, burglary, hijacking and assault. In 1983, D'Arco was convicted of heroin trafficking and was sentenced to several years in prison. He was released in 1986.
Caporegime
In 1986, Victor Amuso took control of the Lucchese family and Anthony Casso became underboss. In 1988, Amuso promoted D'Arco to capo of the old Vario Crew. In 1990, Amuso selected D'Arco to organize a "Lucchese construction panel". A committee of Lucchese family members, the panel would oversee the Lucchese-controlled unions and construction companies and co-ordinate joint business ventures with the other Five FamiliesFive Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
of the New York Cosa Nostra.
By the mid 1980's, D'Arco was becoming a rich man due to the earnings from his crew and from his own loanshark portfolio. Soon D'Arco was gather tribute from the Lucchese crews for Amuso and Casso. On one Christmas, D'Arco gathered a $100,000 holiday gift for the two leaders from all the capos.
In August 1990, D'Arco facilitated the murder of Lucchese mobster Bruno Facciola. Amuso suspected Facciola of being an informant and ordered his death. Facciola tried to run away when he knew he was about to be set up, but he was tackled and dragged back into the garage, where he was stabbed and shot. On Amuso's instructions, the hitmen placed a dead canary, the sign of an informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
, in Facciola's mouth after they killed him.
Amuso and Casso
In January 1991, Amuso and Lucchese underboss Anthony "Gaspipe" CassoAnthony Casso
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso is a former New York City mobster who served as underboss and acting boss of the Lucchese crime family until he was arrested in 1993, becoming a cooperating witness for the Federal Government...
received an early warning about an upcoming federal indictment and went into hiding, leaving D'Arco as the acting boss. D'Arco would meet with them twice in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
, and several times at safe house
Safe house
In the jargon of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a safe house is a secure location, suitable for hiding witnesses, agents or other persons perceived as being in danger...
s in Brooklyn. In the summer of 1991, D'Arco met with warring factions in the Colombo crime family
Colombo crime family
The Colombo crime family is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
to mediate a peace agreement. However, Casso sent him on this mission in hopes that the Luccheses could grab some Colombo rackets.
Through their ruthlessness and brutality, Amuso and Casso generated many internal conflicts in the Lucchese family and broke down the unity and loyalty of its members. Family members felt the two bosses were greedy and paranoid
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
, ordering too many murders to make themselves feel secure.
In early 1991, Amuso became falsely convinced that Lucchese capo Peter Chiodo
Peter Chiodo
Peter "Big Pete" Chiodo was a capo in the Lucchese crime family who later became a government witness. He is the nephew of Lucchese mobster Frank Signorino.-Background:...
had become a government witness and ordered D'Arco to kill him. In May 1991, Chiodo was shot 12 times, but survived the attack. Chiodo then became a government witness, and testified in June 1991 at a Lucchese trial.
Amuso and Casso sent more hit orders to D'Arco. Amuso ordered the family's entire New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
faction, the Jersey Crew
The Jersey Crew
The Jersey Crew is a powerful faction of the Lucchese crime family, that operates and controls illegal activities like drug trafficking, labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion, illegal gambling, money laundering, and murder, in the Northern New Jersey area....
, killed after it refused to increase the family's share of their profits (the infamous "whack Jersey" order). Casso gave D'Arco a list of 49 people he wanted killed—half of whom were Lucchese wiseguys. Amuso then ordered D'Arco to bring in a bomb expert from Philadelphia
Philadelphia crime family
The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Scarfo crime family, Bruno crime family, Philadelphia Mafia, or Philly Mob, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the most active American Mafia families outside of the Five Families of New York...
in order to blow up Gambino
Gambino crime family
The Gambino 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 . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
boss John Gotti
John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
. All of these actions convinced D'Arco that Amuso and Casso were no longer acting rationally. Later, D'Arco explained his role in the family:
"When a job needed to be done, whenever they needed to do something unpleasant to someone, I was the prick chosen by them."
Defection
D'Arco knew that Amuso and Casso blamed him for the failed attack on Chiodo, and believed they were waiting to kill him. In July 1991, in a Staten IslandStaten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
meeting, Amuso and Casso replaced D'Arco as acting boss with a four man panel of capos.
On September 18, 1991, D'Arco attended a meeting of Lucchese leaders in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Kimberly Hotel. D'Arco noticed that one man had a bulge under his shirt—a sure sign that he was carrying a gun. The man then went to the bathroom—and when he came back, the bulge was gone. D'Arco realized this was a classic setup for a hit; the next person to go into the bathroom was likely to come out blasting. Convinced his life was threatened, D'Arco rushed out of the hotel. His driver was nowhere to be found—another indication that D'Arco had been marked for death.
The next day, FBI agents warned D'Arco that he was in danger. Too fearful to go to the main FBI office in Manhattan, D'Arco went instead to an FBI office in New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
and offered to become a government witness. Except for $55,000, D'Arco was forced to leave his fortune behind. At the time, he was the highest-ranking member of the Cosa Nostra to break his blood oath
Blood Oath
Blood Oath may refer to:Literature and media* "Blood Oath" , Star Trek: Deep Space 9 episode* Blood Oath, 1982 novel by David Morrell* Blood Oath, 2010 novel by Christopher Farnsworth...
and testify against the mob.
Government witness
Over the next ten years, D'Arco testified in a dozen trials along with many grand juryGrand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
hearings and other legal proceedings. His testimony helped convict Amuso, acting Colombo crime family
Colombo crime family
The Colombo crime family is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
boss Victor "Little Vic" Orena, Bonanno crime family
Bonanno crime family
The 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 ....
consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
Anthony Spero
Anthony Spero
Anthony Spero was the consigliere and one time acting boss of the Bonanno crime family.-Biography:Spero was a large man with dark hair, a dark complexion and was good looking in a rough way" Philip Carlo wrote...
, Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese 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 . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
consigliere James Ida
James Ida
James Ida also known as "Little Guy" is a New York mobster and former consigliere of the Genovese crime family.James was born to first generation immigrants from Lombardy, Italy. Growing up in the Little Italy neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, Ida was inducted into the Genovese crime family in...
and Genovese boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante
Vincent Gigante
Vincent Gigante was a short lived professional light heavyweight boxer who was known as "The Chin" Gigante. He fought 25 matches and lost four, boxing 121 rounds. On February 19, 1945, he fought Pete Petrello in Madison Square Garden and won by a knock out in the second round. During his successful...
. D'Arco also testified at the trial of Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa
Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa
Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa are two former New York Police Department police detectives who worked on behalf of the New York Mafia while they committed various illegal activities...
, the two corrupt NYPD detectives who provided Casso with information.
D'Arco is participating in the federal Witness Protection Program. According to government sources, D'Arco has been an excellent witness and has not committed any more criminal acts. At one of his trials, a prosecutor asked D'Arco if the mob life was worth it, and received this reply:
"No, I'm 65 years old. What has it gotten me? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Yes, I have my wife and I have my son. But I was the one who got my son into the Mafia. And what did I accomplish by doing that? My son is a drug dealer. No, I've got nothing to show for it. What a waste of my life."