Raymond Wean
Encyclopedia
Raymond J. Wean a.k.a. "Big Ray" (born circa 1935 Greenpoint, Brooklyn
) was a Bonanno crime family
associate who worked under capo
Joe Massino
and Dominick Napolitano.
descent with relatives originating from Yorkshire, England, but born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His family heritage could never allow him to join the ranks of the Bonanno crime family
like fellow Massino associate German-American Duane Leisenheimer, but Raymond was allowed to work for the family as mainly an enforcer. Ray was a Philip Rastelli
-loyalist. He was described by FBI Special FBI Joseph Colgan that once when arresting him, he couldn't get the handcuffs around Wean's thick wrists. Colgan would also say, "Wean was a psychopath. He would have killed you and not batted an eye. But he was terrified of Joey (Massino)".
FBI Special Agent Joseph Pistone described Raymond as being a "tall, stocky, thick-handed guy". He never married, but maintained a relationship with a common-law wife. He suffered a heart attack in the 1970s and became afraid of dying in prison after being branded a three-time felon after his arrest in 1977. While he was sentenced to municipal jail in Manhattan his wife never received financial support from Joe Massino. FBI Special Agent Joseph Colgan and an assistant U.S. attorney testified before a special secret court hearing to lower Wean's $100,000 bail to $40,000 in exchange to testify. Ray's parents agreed and posted bail for him. He was an avid pool player and would compete with John Cersani and Dominick Napolitano at The Studio Lounge] in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
. While testifying against Massino he stated that he committed around "roughly 200 crimes".
Wean was arrested with Massino after conspiring to receive 225 cartons of merchandise stolen from an interstate shipment contained in a Hemingway Transport truck. Massino was tried for the truck hijacking
in 1977 and acquitted. Wean was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison. In 1987, Massino was tried for murder and undercover FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone
and Wean, now an FBI informant
, testified against him.
Joe Massino was acquitted of the triple homicide and the conspiracies to murder Bonanno crime family mobster Joseph Pastore and Anthony Indelicato
, after having already ordered and performed the task of executing his father, Alphonse Indelicato. He was the individual who informed the FBI of the plan for Massino to have Benjamin Ruggiero
murdered for his association with undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone. He also revealed to the FBI, information about his involvement in the botched home invasion of Princess Ashra Pahlevi, a sister to the Shah of Iran in 1980. He and John Cersani were let into the townhouse at 29 Beekman Place passing themselves off as air conditioner delivery men. During the robbery, Ray was shot in the hand while struggling with the security guard.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newtown Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the...
) was a 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 ....
associate who worked under capo
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...
Joe Massino
Joe Massino
Joseph Charles Massino , also known as "Big Joey" or "The Ear". Massino was the boss of the Bonanno crime family before he became a government witness in 2004. The media nicknamed him the "The Last Don" or "The Horatio Alger of the Mob"...
and Dominick Napolitano.
Biography
Raymond Wean was of EnglishEnglish people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
descent with relatives originating from Yorkshire, England, but born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His family heritage could never allow him to join the ranks of the 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 ....
like fellow Massino associate German-American Duane Leisenheimer, but Raymond was allowed to work for the family as mainly an enforcer. Ray was a Philip Rastelli
Philip Rastelli
Phillip "Rusty" Rastelli was a New York mobster and former boss of the Bonanno crime family.-Biography:...
-loyalist. He was described by FBI Special FBI Joseph Colgan that once when arresting him, he couldn't get the handcuffs around Wean's thick wrists. Colgan would also say, "Wean was a psychopath. He would have killed you and not batted an eye. But he was terrified of Joey (Massino)".
FBI Special Agent Joseph Pistone described Raymond as being a "tall, stocky, thick-handed guy". He never married, but maintained a relationship with a common-law wife. He suffered a heart attack in the 1970s and became afraid of dying in prison after being branded a three-time felon after his arrest in 1977. While he was sentenced to municipal jail in Manhattan his wife never received financial support from Joe Massino. FBI Special Agent Joseph Colgan and an assistant U.S. attorney testified before a special secret court hearing to lower Wean's $100,000 bail to $40,000 in exchange to testify. Ray's parents agreed and posted bail for him. He was an avid pool player and would compete with John Cersani and Dominick Napolitano at The Studio Lounge] in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newtown Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the...
. While testifying against Massino he stated that he committed around "roughly 200 crimes".
Wean was arrested with Massino after conspiring to receive 225 cartons of merchandise stolen from an interstate shipment contained in a Hemingway Transport truck. Massino was tried for the truck hijacking
Truck hijacking
Truck hijacking is the taking of a truck: normally for the consignment being carried, by force, or the threat of force to the driver....
in 1977 and acquitted. Wean was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison. In 1987, Massino was tried for murder and undercover FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone
Joseph D. Pistone
Joseph Dominick Pistone, alias Donnie Brasco, , is a former FBI agent who worked undercover for six years infiltrating the Bonanno crime family and to a lesser extent the Colombo crime family, two of the Five Families of the Mafia in New York City...
and Wean, now an FBI 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...
, testified against him.
Joe Massino was acquitted of the triple homicide and the conspiracies to murder Bonanno crime family mobster Joseph Pastore and Anthony Indelicato
Anthony Indelicato
Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato , also known as "Bruno", "Whack-Whack" and "Anthony Indelligado" is a capo with the Bonanno crime family in New York City,-Biography:...
, after having already ordered and performed the task of executing his father, Alphonse Indelicato. He was the individual who informed the FBI of the plan for Massino to have Benjamin Ruggiero
Benjamin Ruggiero
Benjamin Ruggiero, also known as "Lefty," "Lefty Guns," "Lefty Two Guns" , was a soldier in the Bonanno crime family. He is well known for his friendship and mentorship of FBI undercover agent Joseph "Donnie Brasco" Pistone. Ruggiero was an old school Cosa Nostra mobster who knew how Mafia...
murdered for his association with undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone. He also revealed to the FBI, information about his involvement in the botched home invasion of Princess Ashra Pahlevi, a sister to the Shah of Iran in 1980. He and John Cersani were let into the townhouse at 29 Beekman Place passing themselves off as air conditioner delivery men. During the robbery, Ray was shot in the hand while struggling with the security guard.
Further reading
- Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the MafiaDonnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the MafiaDonnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia is a non-fiction crime book written by Joseph D. Pistone. It is the true story of FBI agent Joseph Pistone going undercover and infiltrating the Mafia...
by Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley - The Last Godfather: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino by Simon Crittle