Robert Perrino
Encyclopedia
Robert Francis Perrino, also known as "Bobby Perrino" (February 9, 1938, Fordham, Bronx
– May 4, 1992, Port Richmond, Staten Island
) was the Superintendent of Deliveries at The New York Post from the 1970s until 1992 when he was murdered. He was a Bonanno crime family
associate of Italian-American descent. Perrino was the leader of "The Post Circulation Crew" (as referred to by Manhattan District Attorney
Robert Morgenthau in court) which allegedly existed to control the circulation department of (the now defunct) New York Post printing press and distribution center (located at 210 South Street) by means of extortion, coercion, the falsification of business records, larceny and bribery. The crew also became involved in loan shark
ing, drug trafficking and the selling of stolen firearm
s.
and former consigliere
Nicholas Marangello
. He was born to first generation immigrants from Brindisi
, Italy
, and not to be mistaken as a relative of Anthony Peraino
. Perrino was a former New York Police Department (NYPD) law enforcement officer policing the Little Italy, Manhattan
neighborhood during an unremarkable twenty year career. His retirement from the NYPD and introduction to his subsequent career in organized crime remains a mystery to authorities. Perrino lived in Knickerbocker Village
, where his father-in-law Nicholas Marangello
and other members of the Bonanno crime family resided. He maintained daily contact and worked alongside other crime family members at The New York Post, a mere three blocks away from his home. Perrino was hired in the late 1960s as the Superintendent of Deliveries for the New York Post
to replace Bonanno crime family mobster Anthony Michele. Later, he moved from Knickerbocker Village to a waterfront mansion on Huntington Bay in Huntington, New York
with his wife and children, of which only one daughter is known, Nicola Laronga.
After his disappearance, police discovered in his Huntington home a stunning arsenal of firearms, including some with erased serial numbers, plus $105,000 in loose currency. Months following his disappearance, Perrino's picture was broadcasted on the television show America's Most Wanted
, but the show elicited no tips. Law enforcement officials and most News and Mail Deliverer's Union (NMDU) workers assumed Perrino had been murdered. He was declared legally dead in 1997.
to replace Anthony Michele, another Post Circulation Crew member whom had been promoted to Director of Circulation. Perrino led a double life as a powerful and influential associate of the Bonanno crime family for twenty years, unknown to his fellow "citizen" employees and family members. During his employment, Perrino allowed The New York Post labor force to be infested with button-men, or "sidewalk soldiers", from the Bonanno crime family. The Post Circulation Crew included three "made" soldiers: Richard Cantarella
, Joseph D'Amico
and Albert Embarrato. They among other members of the Bonanno crime family were all employed by The Post and received wages, some of which amounted to $50,000 a year. An estimated 51 crime family members were no-show employees while others were partially or wholly present at the newspaper distribution plant including Cantarella, D'Amico and Embarrato.
For years, through the influence of Joseph Massino and Salvatore Vitale
, Perrino while leading the The Post Circulation Crew organized the theft of thousands of newspapers every day and sold them to non-connected independent street vendors and stores in Manhattan and Staten Island
at a rate of twenty to thirty cents each; the standard newspaper price at the time was fifty cents. Although Perrino helped the Bonanno crime family orchestrate many rackets at the newspaper they demonstrated no interest in the actual content that was printed by The Post and did not control its content.
With Perrino's help the Bonanno crime family became entrenched at the newspaper – the mobsters organized loan shark operations to employees, sold small quantities of stolen firearms, ammunition and drugs. Perrino collected the loan shark debts by threatening his indebted employees with chukka
sticks. While the Bonanno crime family operation prospered under Perrino, the New York
State Marshals began probing La Cosa Nostra infiltration of the The New York Post and Perrino became the main target and focal point of a labor racketeering probe brought on by Manhattan District Attorney
Robert Morgenthau. As the investigation came to show promise, the U.S. Marshals planted a transmitter in Perrino's office at the distribution plant.
While Perrino was Superintendent of Distribution, he employed The Post Circulation Crew that consisted of truck drivers, Richard Cantarella
, Paul Cantarella, Joseph Padavano, Frank Cantarella, Joseph D'Amico
, Albert Embarrato
, Vincent DiSario, Gerard Bilboa, Anthony Vitale, John Vispisiano (NMDU business agent for The New York Post), Douglas LaChance (former NMDU president), Anthony Turzio, John Vispisiano (NMDU business agent for The New York Post), Michael Diana (NMDU business agent), John Nobile, Armando DiCostanzo, Leo D'Angelo (general foreman at Metropolitan News Company), James Galante
, John Piervencenti (assistant foreman), Thomas Carrube (assistant foreman), Michael Alvino (NMDU President from 1989 to 1991), Joe Torre (Citiwide News Corporation business agent), Joseph Steo (newspaper foreman), Anthony Michele (Director of Circulation), Gerard Bilboa (newspaper foreman), Corey Ellenthal (newspaper foreman), Michael Fago (newspaper foreman), and for a short period of time, Salvatore Vitale's youngest son, Anthony Vitale who worked as a delivery truck driver.
Albert Embarrato. A wire transmitter in Perrino's office caught saying to Richard Cantarella, as reported in The Village Voices article "The Newspaper Racket: Tough Guys and Wiseguys in the Truck Drivers Union", "Al Walker's the smartest guy in the whole Bonanno family, and he's the toughest fuckin' guy."
Perrino was in regular contact with Bonanno crime family underboss Salvatore Vitale to whom he handed over the weekly proceeds from their racketeering ventures. When law enforcement finally came down on the newspaper's crooked workforce, Perrino was not arrested or indicted although Bonanno crime family members and several others were caught in the sting operation – making Salvatore Vitale nervous. A secret video camera placed in Perrino's office in late 1991 caught Perrino discussing his important role in the Bonanno crime family. It also taped Perrino and other Post employees discussing the finer points of bootlegging
, newspaper theft and passing around loaded pistols to admire. Perrino was heard advising truck drivers, "It's bad to carry a fuckin' piece in the car, you'll have to shoot everybody," as reported in "The Newspaper Racket: Tough Guys and Wiseguys in the Truck Drivers Union" in The Village Voice. Although Salvatore Vitale had not been named in the initial indictments, he thought that Perrino could become an informant
because of his immense involvement with the rackets at The New York Post. Perrino's father-in-law, Nicholas Marangello, was incarcerated for racketeering as a result of the Donnie Brasco investigation at the time of his execution. Two of Perrino's executive co-workers, including his friend Director of Circulation, Anthony Michele, pleaded guilty to racketeering. A number of Bonanno crime family connected members of the Newspaper Mail Deliverer's Union later pleaded guilty to a variety of charges and were imprisoned at Riker's Island. Salvatore Vitale suggested that Richard Cantarella replace Perrino shortly before the racketeering investigation was revealed.
, social club owned by Bonanno mob associate Anthony Basile, a relative of Long Island
discothèque owner and Lucchese crime family
associate Phillip Basile.
As Perrino entered the club, Baldassare Amato, waiting inside the social club, shot Perrino several times in the back of the skull and immediately left with Cardello. Frank Lino
was then notified of the completion of the execution and sent over a "clean up team" that consisted of his cousin Robert Lino, Frank Ambrosiano and Anthony Basile. The trio was shocked to discover upon entering the club that Perrino was still alive, and one of the team stabbed Perrino to death with an ice pick to the chest. Frank Lino, angered at the botched execution, would later tell Salvatore Vitale in Joey Massino: The Rise and Fall of the Last Godfather, "Tell the guy that did the shooting to make sure that next time that the victim was dead". Perrino's car was later recovered nearby with a parking ticket in the windshield.
According to The Last Godfather, the men wrapped Perrino's corpse in a carpet and drove to a construction company, Commercial Brick, located at 98 Jewett Avenue in Port Richmond, Staten Island
owned by Anthony Basile and buried him underneath the cement floor of the store. Several weeks later, one of his limbs was said to have risen up from the floor making the mobsters dig a deeper grave. Years later, Anthony Basile was indicted on drug trafficking charges; Salvatore Vitale and Joseph Massino feared Anthony would become an informant and reveal Perrino's gravesite. His remains were removed from the cement floor and buried again.
was recruited as a potential partner by former New York Post owner Steve Hoffenberg. Bonanno crime family mobster Armond DiCostanzo went on disability leave from the newspaper, but his allies retained influence when The Daily News moved its plant to Jersey City, where Douglas LaChance, a close friend of Perrino and Albert Embarrato was named circulation manager.
Perrino's body remained hidden until December 2003, when his skeleton was found embedded in the concrete floor of the construction company. He had been shot multiple times in the head. Richard Cantarella, Frank Ambrosiano, Baldassare Amato, Frank Lino and Robert Cardello were all convicted of the murder. Bonanno crime family don Joseph Massino wis not indicted for involvement in Perrino's murder because he was in prison at the time. At the trial, Perrino's daughter, Nicola Langora, testified that on the night Perrino disappeared, that she ate pizza at their home and watched the movie All Dogs Go To Heaven
on television with his granddaughter. "I asked him why he was in a hurry, and he said he had to meet somebody in Brooklyn", Langora testified, "I asked him who he had to meet, and joking around he said, 'What's the matter-are you writing a book?'" That was the last time she saw her father.
, and Bonanno crime family mob associates Stephen Locurto and Anthony Basile, were convicted of murdering Robert Perrino, Joseph Platia and Sebastiano DiFalco along with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
charges. The government's case was tried by Assistant U.S. District Attorneys John Buretta, Jeffrey A. Goldberg and Andrea Goldbarg.
Nicholas Marangello
in The Last Godfather: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino and several online articles, when this is impossible, Marangello and Perrino having two different last names. In Simon Crittle's book, he also mistakenly changes Perrino's name to "Anthony Perrino". Perrino is sometimes labeled as a mobster with the Bonanno crime family, which is false because of his history working with law enforcement.
Fordham, Bronx
Fordham is a neighborhood of New York City, United States, located in the West Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 5. It is bordered by Fordham Road to the north, Webster Avenue to the east, East 183rd Street to the south, and Jerome Avenue to the west...
– May 4, 1992, Port Richmond, Staten Island
Port Richmond, Staten Island
Port Richmond is a neighborhood situated on the North Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, United States. It is along the waterfront of the Kill Van Kull, with the southern terminus of the Bayonne Bridge serving as the boundary between it and Mariners Harbor, the...
) was the Superintendent of Deliveries at The New York Post from the 1970s until 1992 when he was murdered. He 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 of Italian-American descent. Perrino was the leader of "The Post Circulation Crew" (as referred to by Manhattan District Attorney
New York County District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
Robert Morgenthau in court) which allegedly existed to control the circulation department of (the now defunct) New York Post printing press and distribution center (located at 210 South Street) by means of extortion, coercion, the falsification of business records, larceny and bribery. The crew also became involved in loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
ing, drug trafficking and the selling of stolen firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s.
Biography
Robert Perrino was the son-in-law of Bonanno crime family underbossUnderboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
and former 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...
Nicholas Marangello
Nicholas Marangello
Nicholas Marangello , also known as "Nicky Glasses", "Nicky Cigars", "Nicky the Butler" and "Little Nicky", was the underboss of the Bonanno crime family under Phillip Rastelli, the father-in-law of Robert Perrino and grandfather of Nicola Langora.-Biography:Marangello was born on the Lower East...
. He was born to first generation immigrants from Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and not to be mistaken as a relative of Anthony Peraino
Anthony Peraino
Anthony "Big Tony" Peraino was a New York mobster in the Colombo crime family who financed the ground-breaking pornographic film Deep Throat...
. Perrino was a former New York Police Department (NYPD) law enforcement officer policing the 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:...
neighborhood during an unremarkable twenty year career. His retirement from the NYPD and introduction to his subsequent career in organized crime remains a mystery to authorities. Perrino lived in Knickerbocker Village
Knickerbocker Village
Knickerbocker Village Limited is a lower-middle class housing development located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.-Location:...
, where his father-in-law Nicholas Marangello
Nicholas Marangello
Nicholas Marangello , also known as "Nicky Glasses", "Nicky Cigars", "Nicky the Butler" and "Little Nicky", was the underboss of the Bonanno crime family under Phillip Rastelli, the father-in-law of Robert Perrino and grandfather of Nicola Langora.-Biography:Marangello was born on the Lower East...
and other members of the Bonanno crime family resided. He maintained daily contact and worked alongside other crime family members at The New York Post, a mere three blocks away from his home. Perrino was hired in the late 1960s as the Superintendent of Deliveries for the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
to replace Bonanno crime family mobster Anthony Michele. Later, he moved from Knickerbocker Village to a waterfront mansion on Huntington Bay in Huntington, New York
Huntington, New York
The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
with his wife and children, of which only one daughter is known, Nicola Laronga.
After his disappearance, police discovered in his Huntington home a stunning arsenal of firearms, including some with erased serial numbers, plus $105,000 in loose currency. Months following his disappearance, Perrino's picture was broadcasted on the television show America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
, but the show elicited no tips. Law enforcement officials and most News and Mail Deliverer's Union (NMDU) workers assumed Perrino had been murdered. He was declared legally dead in 1997.
The Post Circulation Crew
The Post Circulation Crew was formed in the early 1960s before Perrino was hired at The Post by Albert EmbarratoAlbert Embarrato
Alfred "Al Walker" Embarrato a.k.a. "Alfred Scalisi" a.k.a." Aldo Elvorado" was a New York mobster who became a caporegime of the Bonanno crime family and a powerful labor figure at a New York newspaper.-Newspaperman:Born on the Lower East Side, Manhattan to first generation immigrants Salvatore...
to replace Anthony Michele, another Post Circulation Crew member whom had been promoted to Director of Circulation. Perrino led a double life as a powerful and influential associate of the Bonanno crime family for twenty years, unknown to his fellow "citizen" employees and family members. During his employment, Perrino allowed The New York Post labor force to be infested with button-men, or "sidewalk soldiers", from the Bonanno crime family. The Post Circulation Crew included three "made" soldiers: Richard Cantarella
Richard Cantarella
Richard Cantarella , was an New York mobster who became a caporegime for the Bonanno crime family and later a government witness.-Biography:...
, Joseph D'Amico
Joseph D'Amico
Joseph D'Amico , also known as "Joey Moak" was a made man in the Bonanno crime family who later turned informant...
and Albert Embarrato. They among other members of the Bonanno crime family were all employed by The Post and received wages, some of which amounted to $50,000 a year. An estimated 51 crime family members were no-show employees while others were partially or wholly present at the newspaper distribution plant including Cantarella, D'Amico and Embarrato.
For years, through the influence of Joseph Massino and Salvatore Vitale
Salvatore Vitale
Salvatore "Good Looking Sal" Vitale was a New York City caterer and former underboss of the Bonanno crime family of La Cosa Nostra before becoming a government informant.-Biography:...
, Perrino while leading the The Post Circulation Crew organized the theft of thousands of newspapers every day and sold them to non-connected independent street vendors and stores in Manhattan and 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...
at a rate of twenty to thirty cents each; the standard newspaper price at the time was fifty cents. Although Perrino helped the Bonanno crime family orchestrate many rackets at the newspaper they demonstrated no interest in the actual content that was printed by The Post and did not control its content.
With Perrino's help the Bonanno crime family became entrenched at the newspaper – the mobsters organized loan shark operations to employees, sold small quantities of stolen firearms, ammunition and drugs. Perrino collected the loan shark debts by threatening his indebted employees with chukka
Nunchaku
is a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.-Etymology:The Japanese word nunchaku is the Kun'yomi reading of the Kanji term for a traditional Chinese two section staff....
sticks. While the Bonanno crime family operation prospered under Perrino, the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
State Marshals began probing La Cosa Nostra infiltration of the The New York Post and Perrino became the main target and focal point of a labor racketeering probe brought on by Manhattan District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Robert Morgenthau. As the investigation came to show promise, the U.S. Marshals planted a transmitter in Perrino's office at the distribution plant.
While Perrino was Superintendent of Distribution, he employed The Post Circulation Crew that consisted of truck drivers, Richard Cantarella
Richard Cantarella
Richard Cantarella , was an New York mobster who became a caporegime for the Bonanno crime family and later a government witness.-Biography:...
, Paul Cantarella, Joseph Padavano, Frank Cantarella, Joseph D'Amico
Joseph D'Amico
Joseph D'Amico , also known as "Joey Moak" was a made man in the Bonanno crime family who later turned informant...
, Albert Embarrato
Albert Embarrato
Alfred "Al Walker" Embarrato a.k.a. "Alfred Scalisi" a.k.a." Aldo Elvorado" was a New York mobster who became a caporegime of the Bonanno crime family and a powerful labor figure at a New York newspaper.-Newspaperman:Born on the Lower East Side, Manhattan to first generation immigrants Salvatore...
, Vincent DiSario, Gerard Bilboa, Anthony Vitale, John Vispisiano (NMDU business agent for The New York Post), Douglas LaChance (former NMDU president), Anthony Turzio, John Vispisiano (NMDU business agent for The New York Post), Michael Diana (NMDU business agent), John Nobile, Armando DiCostanzo, Leo D'Angelo (general foreman at Metropolitan News Company), James Galante
James Galante
James Galante is a convicted felon and associate of the Genovese crime family, owner of the defunct Danbury Trashers minor league hockey team, and ex-CEO of Automated Waste Disposal , a company which holds waste disposal contracts for most of western Connecticut and Westchester and Putnam counties...
, John Piervencenti (assistant foreman), Thomas Carrube (assistant foreman), Michael Alvino (NMDU President from 1989 to 1991), Joe Torre (Citiwide News Corporation business agent), Joseph Steo (newspaper foreman), Anthony Michele (Director of Circulation), Gerard Bilboa (newspaper foreman), Corey Ellenthal (newspaper foreman), Michael Fago (newspaper foreman), and for a short period of time, Salvatore Vitale's youngest son, Anthony Vitale who worked as a delivery truck driver.
Relationship with the Mafia
Richard Cantarella and Robert Perrino spoke freely in his office about racketeering matters. He was also a close friend of Bonanno crime family capoCaporegime
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...
Albert Embarrato. A wire transmitter in Perrino's office caught saying to Richard Cantarella, as reported in The Village Voices article "The Newspaper Racket: Tough Guys and Wiseguys in the Truck Drivers Union", "Al Walker's the smartest guy in the whole Bonanno family, and he's the toughest fuckin' guy."
Perrino was in regular contact with Bonanno crime family underboss Salvatore Vitale to whom he handed over the weekly proceeds from their racketeering ventures. When law enforcement finally came down on the newspaper's crooked workforce, Perrino was not arrested or indicted although Bonanno crime family members and several others were caught in the sting operation – making Salvatore Vitale nervous. A secret video camera placed in Perrino's office in late 1991 caught Perrino discussing his important role in the Bonanno crime family. It also taped Perrino and other Post employees discussing the finer points of bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
, newspaper theft and passing around loaded pistols to admire. Perrino was heard advising truck drivers, "It's bad to carry a fuckin' piece in the car, you'll have to shoot everybody," as reported in "The Newspaper Racket: Tough Guys and Wiseguys in the Truck Drivers Union" in The Village Voice. Although Salvatore Vitale had not been named in the initial indictments, he thought that Perrino could become 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...
because of his immense involvement with the rackets at The New York Post. Perrino's father-in-law, Nicholas Marangello, was incarcerated for racketeering as a result of the Donnie Brasco investigation at the time of his execution. Two of Perrino's executive co-workers, including his friend Director of Circulation, Anthony Michele, pleaded guilty to racketeering. A number of Bonanno crime family connected members of the Newspaper Mail Deliverer's Union later pleaded guilty to a variety of charges and were imprisoned at Riker's Island. Salvatore Vitale suggested that Richard Cantarella replace Perrino shortly before the racketeering investigation was revealed.
Botched execution
Richard Cantarella told Perrino that he needed to attend a meeting and discuss the case against the Bonanno crime family and the investigation of their infiltration of The New York Post. He accompanied Michael "Mickey Bats" Cardella to a Bensonhurst, BrooklynBensonhurst, 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...
, social club owned by Bonanno mob associate Anthony Basile, a relative of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
discothèque owner and Lucchese crime family
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...
associate Phillip Basile.
As Perrino entered the club, Baldassare Amato, waiting inside the social club, shot Perrino several times in the back of the skull and immediately left with Cardello. Frank Lino
Frank Lino
Frank "Curly" Lino is a Sicilian-American caporegime in the Bonanno crime family who later became an informant.-Biography:...
was then notified of the completion of the execution and sent over a "clean up team" that consisted of his cousin Robert Lino, Frank Ambrosiano and Anthony Basile. The trio was shocked to discover upon entering the club that Perrino was still alive, and one of the team stabbed Perrino to death with an ice pick to the chest. Frank Lino, angered at the botched execution, would later tell Salvatore Vitale in Joey Massino: The Rise and Fall of the Last Godfather, "Tell the guy that did the shooting to make sure that next time that the victim was dead". Perrino's car was later recovered nearby with a parking ticket in the windshield.
According to The Last Godfather, the men wrapped Perrino's corpse in a carpet and drove to a construction company, Commercial Brick, located at 98 Jewett Avenue in Port Richmond, Staten Island
Port Richmond, Staten Island
Port Richmond is a neighborhood situated on the North Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, United States. It is along the waterfront of the Kill Van Kull, with the southern terminus of the Bayonne Bridge serving as the boundary between it and Mariners Harbor, the...
owned by Anthony Basile and buried him underneath the cement floor of the store. Several weeks later, one of his limbs was said to have risen up from the floor making the mobsters dig a deeper grave. Years later, Anthony Basile was indicted on drug trafficking charges; Salvatore Vitale and Joseph Massino feared Anthony would become an informant and reveal Perrino's gravesite. His remains were removed from the cement floor and buried again.
The New York Post labor racketeering investigation
After the disappearance and later confirmed murder of Perrino, only a handful of Bonanno crime family members and associates involved in the News and Mail Deliverer's Union were incarcerated for racketeering at Riker's Island. Many of those convicted in the Robert Morgenthau probe went back to work at The New York Post, some elevated to management positions following their release. Albert EmbarratoAlbert Embarrato
Alfred "Al Walker" Embarrato a.k.a. "Alfred Scalisi" a.k.a." Aldo Elvorado" was a New York mobster who became a caporegime of the Bonanno crime family and a powerful labor figure at a New York newspaper.-Newspaperman:Born on the Lower East Side, Manhattan to first generation immigrants Salvatore...
was recruited as a potential partner by former New York Post owner Steve Hoffenberg. Bonanno crime family mobster Armond DiCostanzo went on disability leave from the newspaper, but his allies retained influence when The Daily News moved its plant to Jersey City, where Douglas LaChance, a close friend of Perrino and Albert Embarrato was named circulation manager.
Perrino's body remained hidden until December 2003, when his skeleton was found embedded in the concrete floor of the construction company. He had been shot multiple times in the head. Richard Cantarella, Frank Ambrosiano, Baldassare Amato, Frank Lino and Robert Cardello were all convicted of the murder. Bonanno crime family don Joseph Massino wis not indicted for involvement in Perrino's murder because he was in prison at the time. At the trial, Perrino's daughter, Nicola Langora, testified that on the night Perrino disappeared, that she ate pizza at their home and watched the movie All Dogs Go To Heaven
All Dogs Go to Heaven
All Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 Irish-English animated film directed and produced by Don Bluth and released by United Artists. The film tells the story of two dogs, Charlie B. Barkin and his loyal best friend Itchy Itchiford...
on television with his granddaughter. "I asked him why he was in a hurry, and he said he had to meet somebody in Brooklyn", Langora testified, "I asked him who he had to meet, and joking around he said, 'What's the matter-are you writing a book?'" That was the last time she saw her father.
Hit men convicted
After an eight-week trial on October 27, 2006, Bonanno crime family capo Baldassare Amato, a cousin of Bonanno crime family capo Cesare BonventreCesare Bonventre
Cesare "The Tall Guy" Bonventre was a Sicilian mobster and caporegime for the New York Bonanno crime family.-Early life:...
, and Bonanno crime family mob associates Stephen Locurto and Anthony Basile, were convicted of murdering Robert Perrino, Joseph Platia and Sebastiano DiFalco along with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization...
charges. The government's case was tried by Assistant U.S. District Attorneys John Buretta, Jeffrey A. Goldberg and Andrea Goldbarg.
Trivia
After Perrino was indicted for fraud and racketeering, he was represented by the criminal attorney Matthew Marie. In 2004, Marie would represent Richard Cantarella, one of Perrino's accused executioners. During the Perrino murder trial Marie argued that his client had nothing to do with Perrino's murder – Cantarella was found not guilty.Discrepancies in articles
Perrino is wrongfully labeled as being the son of former Bonanno crime family underbossUnderboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
Nicholas Marangello
Nicholas Marangello
Nicholas Marangello , also known as "Nicky Glasses", "Nicky Cigars", "Nicky the Butler" and "Little Nicky", was the underboss of the Bonanno crime family under Phillip Rastelli, the father-in-law of Robert Perrino and grandfather of Nicola Langora.-Biography:Marangello was born on the Lower East...
in The Last Godfather: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino and several online articles, when this is impossible, Marangello and Perrino having two different last names. In Simon Crittle's book, he also mistakenly changes Perrino's name to "Anthony Perrino". Perrino is sometimes labeled as a mobster with the Bonanno crime family, which is false because of his history working with law enforcement.