Anthony Capo
Encyclopedia
Anthony "Tony" Capo is a hitman in the DeCavalcante crime family
who became a government witness.
, Capo became an associate of the DeCavalcante crime family
during the early 1980s under powerful Elizabeth, New Jersey
faction leader Giovanni Riggi
. Capo was involved in extortion
and loansharking activities. Capo is a large man with red hair who loves manicures and playing golf. He is married with three children.
Capo also had a bad temper and an eagerness to use violence.In the mid-1980s, Capo committed many home invasions dressed as a policeman. On one occasion, he handcuffed an elderly man to his wife and then pulled a ring off his finger. On another occasion, Capo ransacked a man's safe and then locked the victim in it.
At one point during the 1980s, Capo attended school to become a certified Asbestos abatement
worker. However, Capo later testified that he slept during class and allowed the school's operator to take the test for him. When questioned by a federal prosecutor about his knowledge of asbestos
removal, Capo replied, "I wouldn't know asbestos if I was sitting on it." Sometime in the late 1980s, law enforcement listed Capo as a soldier in the DeCavalcante family.
was afraid that Weiss might become a government witness. As a favor to Gott, the DeCavalcantes agreed to murder Weiss. On Sept. 11, 1989, Capo drove DeCavalcante mobsters Vincent Palermo
and James Gallo to Weiss' apartment. Palermo and Gallo shot Weiss in the face as he was entering his car.
and reputed capo Anthony Rotondo
of the Elizabeth faction in labor racketeering, illegal gambling, extortion and loansharking activities. Capo also ran a DeCavalcante crew in New York City. Between 1986 and 1994. Capo also worked with reputed Gambino crime family
mobster Joseph Watts in a loansharking racket that allegedly grossed more than $12 million.
After Riggi was indicted in 1990 for labor racketeering and extortion
, he appointed Gaetano "Corky" Vastola
as the new acting boss. Later in 1990, Riggi was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, that same year, Vastola also went to federal prison on a 20 year sentence on extortion charges. Riggi replaced Vastola with D'Amato as acting boss.
encounters that D'Amato had in Manhattan
sex clubs with both women and men. Rotondo shared this information with underboss Giacomo Amari
, and consiglieri Stefano Vitabile
. As Capo himself described it in court testimony in 2003,
. The three men ordered D'Amato's execution and gave the job to Capo, Vincent Palermo, and James Gallo. In contravention of Cosa Nostra rules on the killing of a family boss, the plotters did not ask permission to kill D'Amato from the Mafia Commission
in New York.
On the day of the attack, D'Amato, Capo and the other two hitmen entered D'Amato's car to drive to lunch. Sitting in the back seat, Capo shot D'Amato four times, killing him. Capo and Rotundo left the body at safe house, where other mobsters disposed of it. D'Amato's body was never recovered. Informed in prison of D'Amato's execution, Riggi appointed Amari as the new acting boss.
faction leader Charles Majuri. However, Majuri wanted to control the family himself, and he asked Gallo to murder Vincent Palermo. Instead, Gallo told Vincent about the plot. Vincent now decided to murder Majuri and enlisted Capo and Gallo in the plot.
On the day of the attack, Capo, Gallo, and DeCavalcante mobsterJoseph Masella went to Majuri's house to ambush him. However, Majuri did not return home. After after several hours, the hitmen drove away. After the failed murder attempt, Vincent Palermo decided to cancel the murder contract.
During the mid-1990s, Capo stabbed a Gambino associate named Remy in the eye at a Staten Island bar. Capo was flirting with a girl there when Remy interrupted their conversation. Capo objected and Remy cursed at him. Capo then stabbed Remy in the eye and the face. When describing this incident in court in 2003, Capo said he thought Remy had a gun and described him as a "violent individual".
To avoid a life sentence for murder, Capo became a government witness. He later testified against the DeCavalcante family, Colombo crime family
boss Joel Cacace
, and Genovese crime family
capo Federico Giovanelli
. Capo also warned prosecutors that a stenographer working in the Manhattan office of the U.S. Attorney was passing sensitive information, including lists of suspects, to Giovanelli.
Capo and his family are presumably in the federal Witness Protection Program.
DeCavalcante crime family
The DeCavalcante crime family is an organized crime family that controls organized crime activities in Elizabeth, New Jersey and surrounding areas in the state, despite operating on the other side of the Hudson River in New York, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia...
who became a government witness.
Made Man
A resident of South Beach, Staten IslandSouth Beach, Staten Island
South Beach is the name of a neighborhood located on the East Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It is situated immediately to the south of the Staten Island side of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge...
, Capo became an associate of the DeCavalcante crime family
DeCavalcante crime family
The DeCavalcante crime family is an organized crime family that controls organized crime activities in Elizabeth, New Jersey and surrounding areas in the state, despite operating on the other side of the Hudson River in New York, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia...
during the early 1980s under powerful Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
faction leader Giovanni Riggi
Giovanni Riggi
Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi is a New Jersey mobster and member of the DeCavalcante crime family since the 1940s, before the family had acquired its name. Riggi was the leader of the "Elizabeth crew" in the family when he was a Caporegime. He had been the acting boss during the 1970s and has...
. Capo was involved in extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
and loansharking activities. Capo is a large man with red hair who loves manicures and playing golf. He is married with three children.
Capo also had a bad temper and an eagerness to use violence.In the mid-1980s, Capo committed many home invasions dressed as a policeman. On one occasion, he handcuffed an elderly man to his wife and then pulled a ring off his finger. On another occasion, Capo ransacked a man's safe and then locked the victim in it.
At one point during the 1980s, Capo attended school to become a certified Asbestos abatement
Asbestos abatement
Many buildings contain asbestos, which was used in spray-applied flame retardant, thermal system insulation, and in a variety of other materials. Asbestos was sometimes "flocked" above false ceilings, inside technical ducts, and in many other small spaces where firefighters would have difficulty...
worker. However, Capo later testified that he slept during class and allowed the school's operator to take the test for him. When questioned by a federal prosecutor about his knowledge of asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
removal, Capo replied, "I wouldn't know asbestos if I was sitting on it." Sometime in the late 1980s, law enforcement listed Capo as a soldier in the DeCavalcante family.
Weiss murder
In 1989, Capo participated in the murder of Fred Weiss, a Staten Island, New York developer and newspaper publisher. Weiss was under federal investigation for illegal dumping of medical waste and Gambino boss John GottiJohn 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...
was afraid that Weiss might become a government witness. As a favor to Gott, the DeCavalcantes agreed to murder Weiss. On Sept. 11, 1989, Capo drove DeCavalcante mobsters Vincent Palermo
Vincent Palermo
Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo is a former de facto boss of the New Jersey DeCavalcante crime family who eventually became a government witness. Fictional mob boss Tony Soprano is said to be loosely based on Palermo.-Background:...
and James Gallo to Weiss' apartment. Palermo and Gallo shot Weiss in the face as he was entering his car.
Criminal activities
By 1990, Capo was working for John D'AmatoJohn D'Amato
John "Johnny Boy" D'Amato was a New Jersey mobster and former Acting boss of the DeCavalcante crime family. After being recruited by Gambino crime family Boss John Gotti to take over the family, and amidst rumors that he was homosexual, D'Amato was murdered in January 1992.- Captain :After being...
and reputed capo Anthony Rotondo
Anthony Rotondo
Anthony Rotondo is a former capo in the DeCavalcante family of New Jersey and police informant.- Early life :Anthony Rotondo lived with his father Vincent "Jimmy the Gent" Rotondo, and his father expressed wishes for his son to become a lawyer. Rotondo graduated from the Nazareth High School, and...
of the Elizabeth faction in labor racketeering, illegal gambling, extortion and loansharking activities. Capo also ran a DeCavalcante crew in New York City. Between 1986 and 1994. Capo also worked with reputed Gambino crime family
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...
mobster Joseph Watts in a loansharking racket that allegedly grossed more than $12 million.
After Riggi was indicted in 1990 for labor racketeering and extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, he appointed Gaetano "Corky" Vastola
Gaetano Vastola (gangster)
Gaetano "Corky" Vastola is a New Jersey mobster who became an underboss for the DeCavalcante crime family in New Jersey.-Record mogul:In 1946, Vastola was arrested for burglary in New York City...
as the new acting boss. Later in 1990, Riggi was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, that same year, Vastola also went to federal prison on a 20 year sentence on extortion charges. Riggi replaced Vastola with D'Amato as acting boss.
D'Amato murder
In January 1992, Capo participated in the murder of acting boss D'Amato. Earlier in 1991, D'Amato's girlfriend, retaliating against D'Amato over an argument, told Rotondo that D'Amato was an active bisexual. She described swingingSwinging
Swinging or partner swapping is a non-monogamous behavior, in which both partners in a committed relationship agree, as a couple, for both partners to engage in sexual activities with other couples as a recreational or social activity...
encounters that D'Amato had 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...
sex clubs with both women and men. Rotondo shared this information with underboss Giacomo Amari
Giacomo Amari
Giacomo "Jake" Amari was the powerful Underboss and later Acting Boss of the DeCavalcante crime family.- Background :According to the testimony provided by Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, the later Acting Boss of the DeCavalcante crime family, Amari was a prominent and ruthless captain before being...
, and consiglieri Stefano Vitabile
Stefano Vitabile
Stefano "Steve the Truck Driver" Vitabile, , is a New Jersey mobster and former consigliere of the DeCavalcante crime family.-Early years:...
. As Capo himself described it in court testimony in 2003,
“Nobody’s going to respect us if we have a gayIn addition, many family members believed that D'Amato was controlled by Gambino boss John GottiGayGay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
homosexual boss sitting down discussing La Cosa Nostra business,”
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...
. The three men ordered D'Amato's execution and gave the job to Capo, Vincent Palermo, and James Gallo. In contravention of Cosa Nostra rules on the killing of a family boss, the plotters did not ask permission to kill D'Amato from the Mafia Commission
Mafia Commission
Mafia Commission may refer to:*Sicilian Mafia Commission*The Commission *Mafia Commission Trial...
in New York.
On the day of the attack, D'Amato, Capo and the other two hitmen entered D'Amato's car to drive to lunch. Sitting in the back seat, Capo shot D'Amato four times, killing him. Capo and Rotundo left the body at safe house, where other mobsters disposed of it. D'Amato's body was never recovered. Informed in prison of D'Amato's execution, Riggi appointed Amari as the new acting boss.
Majuri murder conspiracy
After Amari's death in 1997, Riggi and Vitabile established a "Ruling Panel" to run the family. This panel included capos Vincent Palermo, Girolamo Palermo (no relation) and NewarkNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
faction leader Charles Majuri. However, Majuri wanted to control the family himself, and he asked Gallo to murder Vincent Palermo. Instead, Gallo told Vincent about the plot. Vincent now decided to murder Majuri and enlisted Capo and Gallo in the plot.
On the day of the attack, Capo, Gallo, and DeCavalcante mobsterJoseph Masella went to Majuri's house to ambush him. However, Majuri did not return home. After after several hours, the hitmen drove away. After the failed murder attempt, Vincent Palermo decided to cancel the murder contract.
During the mid-1990s, Capo stabbed a Gambino associate named Remy in the eye at a Staten Island bar. Capo was flirting with a girl there when Remy interrupted their conversation. Capo objected and Remy cursed at him. Capo then stabbed Remy in the eye and the face. When describing this incident in court in 2003, Capo said he thought Remy had a gun and described him as a "violent individual".
Indictments
In December 1999, Capo and the DeCavalcante leadership were indicted on charges of labor racketeering, extortion, loansharking, murder, and conspiracy to commit murder. Prosecutors charged Capo with the 1989 Weiss murder, the 1992 D'Amato murder, and involvement in two other murders.To avoid a life sentence for murder, Capo became a government witness. He later testified against the DeCavalcante family, 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 Joel Cacace
Joel Cacace
Joel J. Cacace Sr. also known as Joe Waverly is a New York City mobster and acting head of the Colombo crime family. He was convicted of murder and is currently on trial for a second murder.-Career:...
, and 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...
capo Federico Giovanelli
Federico Giovanelli
Federico "Fritzy" Giovanelli is a Caporegime in the Genovese crime family.Giovanelli is the typical New York mafioso, a small time criminal who had participated in loansharking, bookmaking, and illegal gambling. As a Capo in the Genovese crime family, one of the country's most powerful families,...
. Capo also warned prosecutors that a stenographer working in the Manhattan office of the U.S. Attorney was passing sensitive information, including lists of suspects, to Giovanelli.
Capo and his family are presumably in the federal Witness Protection Program.
External links
- The Star-Ledger: Mob Story - How a crime family turned dysfunctional by ROBERT RUDOLPH