Richard DiNome
Encyclopedia
Richard "Richie" DiNome (September 7, 1954 Pigtown, Brooklyn
- February 4, 1984 Gravesend, Brooklyn
) was an alleged member of the DeMeo crew under the Gambino crime family
. He was the younger brother of Gambino associate and government informant
Frederick DiNome
.
in Staten Island
, stripping cars for automobile parts. On an average day DiNome stole 60 to 70 cars from the rich neighborhoods in Brooklyn. He was known among criminal associates as an expert auto mechanic
. He professed pure happiness when he was asked to work with his brother Frederick in his stolen car ring.
Fellow car thieves Anthony Senter
and Joseph Testa used his family's station wagon equipped with his child's baby stroller, car seat and toys to hinder police suspicion of any wrongdoing when stopped by curious police officers out on the street. Anthony, Joseph, DiNome, and Vito Arena centered on the Jewish-populated neighborhood of Borough Park
because the cars in the vicinity of that neighborhood were least likely to have non-leather upholstered seats due to religious practices. He would drive them to Flatlands, Brooklyn
and leave them on streets near his brother Freddy's automotive shop, signalling which vehicles were stolen by leaving the passenger-side sun visor down.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, DiNome started adopting a wardrobe that consisted of New York City Police Department
-style shirts, gold chains around his neck and a dungaree jacket. While attaching a silencer
to a loaded automatic handgun in preparation for the murder of business associate Khaled Fahd Darwish Daoud, he accidentally shot himself in the hand.
He followed his brother into organized crime and become a key member of the DeMeo crew headed by Mafia capo Roy DeMeo
; a dangerous group linked to hundreds of murders. In Murder Machine, authors Jerry Capeci and Gene Mustain described him as a "stumblebum". He did not suffer from dyslexia
like his older brother, but was thought to be considerably less acute
. He managed to successfully manage a Flatlands, Brooklyn
automotive repair shop on Glenwood Road in Flatlands located directly around the corner from his brother's gasoline station, body shop and auto repair center. While his brother Frederick was offbeat with his eccentricities and idiocyncracies but competent, Richard DiNome was a "whining bumbler".
He made most of his money from grand theft auto
from Joseph Scorney
, a former friend and protege of Vito Arena. Scorney would slim jim
and slap hammer the cars whereupon DiNome would drive the stolen cars away to the many chop shops in Canarsie, Brooklyn
. Between DiNome and Scorney, they were making $1,000–2,500 a week for their stolen car parts of luxury vehicles. He owned three cars, including a Porsche 935
, and lived in a newly furnished Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
highrise apartment building where he kept $25,000 hidden underneath the hollow bottom of an artificial plant, for "in case I have to buy a cop off" as he would tell his associates.
He was more enthusiastic than Scorney about hiring Vito Arena into their car theft crew but he wanted to please his brother Frederick, by helping out his old friend. In the summer of 1978, Scorney, Arena and DiNome stole between four to seven cars a night. He murdered his brother's friend Joseph Scorney on September 28, 1978 for refusing to join their auto theft ring, by shooting him to death with the help of Vito Arena, Frederick and Ronald Turekian.
home along with his friends John Baida and Frederick Sedian.
Pigtown, Brooklyn
Pigtown formerly described a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, existing as such until approximately the end of the 19th century.Pigtown was at the southern periphery of the then City of Brooklyn where it bordered the Town of Flatbush...
- February 4, 1984 Gravesend, Brooklyn
Gravesend, Brooklyn
Gravesend is a neighborhood in the south-central section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA.The derivation of the name is unclear. Some speculate that it was named after the English seaport of Gravesend, Kent. An alternative explanation suggests that it was named by Willem Kieft for the...
) was an alleged member of the DeMeo crew under the 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...
. He was the younger brother of Gambino associate and government 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...
Frederick DiNome
Frederick DiNome
Frederick DiNome was a professional drag racer and a member of the DeMeo crew, headed by Gambino soldier Roy DeMeo...
.
Biography
Richard DiNome was born to Italian-American emigrants in Pigtown, Brooklyn. He was involved in stealing cars and worked at a chop shopChop shop
In motor vehicle theft, a chop shop is a location or business which disassembles stolen automobiles for the purpose of selling them as parts. It may also be used to refer to a location or business that is involved with the selling of stolen or fraudulent goods in general, an example of the latter...
in Staten Island
Staten 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...
, stripping cars for automobile parts. On an average day DiNome stole 60 to 70 cars from the rich neighborhoods in Brooklyn. He was known among criminal associates as an expert auto mechanic
Auto mechanic
An auto mechanic is a mechanic with a variety of car makes or either in a specific area or in a specific make of car. In repairing cars, their main role is to diagnose the problem accurately and quickly...
. He professed pure happiness when he was asked to work with his brother Frederick in his stolen car ring.
Fellow car thieves Anthony Senter
Anthony Senter
Anthony Senter and Joseph Testa, better known the Gemini twins are two mobsters in the Lucchese crime family. Senter and Testa are former members of the DeMeo crew in the Gambino crime family...
and Joseph Testa used his family's station wagon equipped with his child's baby stroller, car seat and toys to hinder police suspicion of any wrongdoing when stopped by curious police officers out on the street. Anthony, Joseph, DiNome, and Vito Arena centered on the Jewish-populated neighborhood of Borough Park
Borough Park, Brooklyn
Borough Park , is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City in the United States....
because the cars in the vicinity of that neighborhood were least likely to have non-leather upholstered seats due to religious practices. He would drive them to Flatlands, Brooklyn
Flatlands, Brooklyn
Flatlands is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18.One of the original five Dutch towns on Long Island , this neighborhood was originally known as Nieuw Amersfoort, after the Dutch city of Amersfoort, but the name was changed to...
and leave them on streets near his brother Freddy's automotive shop, signalling which vehicles were stolen by leaving the passenger-side sun visor down.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, DiNome started adopting a wardrobe that consisted of New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
-style shirts, gold chains around his neck and a dungaree jacket. While attaching a silencer
Silencer
Silencer may refer to:* Muffler, a device for reducing the amount of noise emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine* Silencer , a DNA sequence capable of binding transcription regulation factors termed repressors...
to a loaded automatic handgun in preparation for the murder of business associate Khaled Fahd Darwish Daoud, he accidentally shot himself in the hand.
He followed his brother into organized crime and become a key member of the DeMeo crew headed by Mafia capo Roy DeMeo
Roy DeMeo
Roy Albert DeMeo was a soldier in the Gambino crime family. He is infamous for heading the DeMeo crew, a gang suspected by the FBI of murdering at least 70 people between 1973 and 1983. The vast majority were disposed of so thoroughly that they were never found...
; a dangerous group linked to hundreds of murders. In Murder Machine, authors Jerry Capeci and Gene Mustain described him as a "stumblebum". He did not suffer from dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
like his older brother, but was thought to be considerably less acute
Acute
Acute may refer to:* Acute accent* Acute angle* Acute * Acute * Acute toxicity...
. He managed to successfully manage a Flatlands, Brooklyn
Flatlands, Brooklyn
Flatlands is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18.One of the original five Dutch towns on Long Island , this neighborhood was originally known as Nieuw Amersfoort, after the Dutch city of Amersfoort, but the name was changed to...
automotive repair shop on Glenwood Road in Flatlands located directly around the corner from his brother's gasoline station, body shop and auto repair center. While his brother Frederick was offbeat with his eccentricities and idiocyncracies but competent, Richard DiNome was a "whining bumbler".
He made most of his money from grand theft auto
Motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle...
from Joseph Scorney
Joseph Scorney
Joseph "Joey" Scorney was an Irish-American member of the DeMeo crew who was involved in grand theft auto...
, a former friend and protege of Vito Arena. Scorney would slim jim
Slim Jim
Slim Jim is a brand of meat snacks or dried sausage manufactured by ConAgra Foods, Inc. They are popular in the United States. More than 500 million are produced annually in at least 20 varieties. The Slim Jim itself has been transformed in the years since Adolph Levis invented it in 1928...
and slap hammer the cars whereupon DiNome would drive the stolen cars away to the many chop shops in Canarsie, Brooklyn
Canarsie, Brooklyn
Canarsie is a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City, United States. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18....
. Between DiNome and Scorney, they were making $1,000–2,500 a week for their stolen car parts of luxury vehicles. He owned three cars, including a Porsche 935
Porsche 935
The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976, as the factory racing version of the Porsche 911 turbo prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules. It was an evolution of the Porsche Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype which had scored 2nd overall in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans....
, and lived in a newly furnished Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
Bensonhurst is a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.-Geography:Sometimes erroneously thought to include all or parts of such neighborhoods as Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, and Borough Park, or to be defined by the streets where the concentration of...
highrise apartment building where he kept $25,000 hidden underneath the hollow bottom of an artificial plant, for "in case I have to buy a cop off" as he would tell his associates.
He was more enthusiastic than Scorney about hiring Vito Arena into their car theft crew but he wanted to please his brother Frederick, by helping out his old friend. In the summer of 1978, Scorney, Arena and DiNome stole between four to seven cars a night. He murdered his brother's friend Joseph Scorney on September 28, 1978 for refusing to join their auto theft ring, by shooting him to death with the help of Vito Arena, Frederick and Ronald Turekian.
Murder
DiNome was found shot in the back of the head with an automatic handgun in his Gravesend, BrooklynGravesend, Brooklyn
Gravesend is a neighborhood in the south-central section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA.The derivation of the name is unclear. Some speculate that it was named after the English seaport of Gravesend, Kent. An alternative explanation suggests that it was named by Willem Kieft for the...
home along with his friends John Baida and Frederick Sedian.