The Washington Times ran my On Crime column on Larry McShane’s Little Vic and the Great Mafia War.
You can read the column via the link below or the text below:
A look back at the Colombo 1990s gang war - Washington Times
In 2013, I interviewed former Philadelphia Cosa Nostra underboss and cooperating government witness Philip “Crazy Phil” Leonetti.
He explained mobsters’ rationale for killing one another during
mob wars.
“All the crimes I committed, like the murders I was involved in,
were all against bad people, guys that were involved in our life, so I didn’t
think anything of it,” Mr. Leonetti told me. “They were looking to kill us, and
we were looking to kill them. We weren’t looking to kill no legitimate people.”
In Larry McShane’s “Little Vic and the Great Mafia War,” the
author looks back at the New York Colombo Cosa Nostra organized crime family’s
internecine war in the 1990s between the imprisoned Colombo boss, Carmine “the
Snake” Persico and Victor “Little Vic” Orena, the acting Colombo boss.
I contacted Mr. McShane (seen in the bottom photo) and asked him why he wrote the
book.
“Two things: It was the last of New York’s major mob wars, following the federal
government’s takedown of the Five Families during the 1980s, particularly with
the Commission trial (where Carmine Persico represented himself and wound up
with a 100-year sentence),” Mr. MacShane replied. “And second, it was
ultimately a war about nothing, two sides fighting for control of an enterprise
on its last legs, a self-destructive conflict destined to end with no winners
on either side. I found the pointlessness of the whole thing oddly compelling,
akin to the last days of a dynasty.
How would you describe Vic Orena and Carmine Persico, and why
did they go to war against each other?
“Both Orena and Persico were Colombo family
veterans, with Little Vic a more low-key earner living in suburban Long Island
and Persico a fearsome boss from Brooklyn who took the top seat two years after
the infamous hit on his predecessor Joe Colombo in 1971. Oddly enough, the
Orena and Colombo families were like family apart from the crime family, with
two generations described by Vic’s son Andrew Orena as “as close as you can be
in the life.” Michael Persico, son of Carmine, stood as godfather for John Orena’s
son and was his partner in a legitimate business outside the mob. The
interfamily dynamic was something I found compelling.”
How would you describe Gregory Scarpa, a hit man and an FBI
informant, and how he was involved in the internecine conflict?
“One of a kind in the annals of organized crime. Greg Scarpa,
aka “The Grim Reaper,” emerged as the deadliest fighter in the war, responsible
with his crew for multiple murders. Colleagues recalled Scarpa as a
cold-blooded figure who took great pleasure in his lethal work during the
conflict. His support of the Persico side was a game-changer. Scarpa was a
fearsome presence with a long history inside the Colombo family and was
famously exposed as working for the FBI after the murders of three Civil Rights
activists in 1964.”
Who also stood out to you as a combatant in the bloody Columbo
war?
“Wild Bill” Cutolo was one of Vic Orena’s top guns and his most
ardent backer. His failed hit on the Persico team’s deadliest acolyte kicked
the war between the two sides into high gear. Cutolo, in the years after the
war, eventually mended fences within the crime family — and was killed on
orders of Persico’s son Little Allie Boy.”
How many people were arrested during the conflict, and what was
the death toll?
“On the Orena side, 61 arrests. On the Persico side, 60 arrests.
The death toll was 12.”
Who came out on top in the conflict?
“This was absolutely a war with no winners. Vic Orena (still
alive and behind bars) was locked up before the shooting ended. His sons Vic
Jr. and John were both convicted and spent time in prison, with both now free
and back in the legitimate world. Carmine Persico died in prison back in 2019;
his successor son Allie Boy remains imprisoned for the murder of Cutolo.”
How were you able to secure interviews with two of Orena’s sons?
And who else did you interview?
“I’d also covered New York City organized back in that era
(I was on scene after the Paul Castellano hit outside Sparks Steakhouse) and
then into the 1990s. The Orenas were introduced to me by a mutual friend, and
they were incredibly helpful in revisiting the war. We would meet for coffee,
and the brothers’ insights and accounts of the war were invaluable. No
questions were out of bounds. Other interviews included Sammy Gravano, Michael
Franzese, FBI agent Lin DeVecchio, former FBI Gambino Squad head Bruce Mouw,
ex-federal prosecutor John Gleeson.”
• Paul Davis’ “On Crime” column covers true crime, crime fiction
and thrillers.
• • •
Little Vic and the Great Mafia War
Larry McShane
Citadel, $29.00, 224 pages
No comments:
Post a Comment