Free PROFESSIONAL KILLERS (True Crime) by Gordon Kerr Page B

shot him to death after a car chase. This killing irritated Gaggi and he ordered DeMeo to get on with killing Rosenberg. He finally summoned him to a meeting and after Rosenberg had kissed him on the cheek, he shot him in the head. It was a killing that affected DeMeo deeply, probably the only one that ever did.
    The money continued to pour in through his numerous enterprises. He now controlled the biggest car theft operation in New York’s history. Hundreds of cars stolen on the streets of New York were being shipped from ports in New Jersey to Kuwait and Puerto Rico. The profits were huge and the Family benefited as much as he did.
    He was still not liked, however, even within his own organisation. Gambino man James Eppolito went to Paul Castellano in 1980, claiming that DeMeo and Gaggi were involved with drugs. But Castellano liked Gaggi and chose not to believe Eppolito. He gave Gaggi permission to kill him which he and DeMeo duly did, shooting him and his son to death in their car. A witness was able to alert a nearby policeman and Gaggi was shot and arrested after a shoot-out. Meanwhile, DeMeo got away without being seen. Nino was charged with murder, but only sentenced to 5–15 years for assault after the jury was got at. Needless to say, shortly after the trial, DeMeo murdered the witness.
    In 1981, the car operation began to fall apart when Henry Borelli and another crew member, Frederick DiNome, were arrested. But luckily for the rest of them, there was not enough evidence to make further arrests. DeMeo ordered the two men to plead guilty and he hoped that their convictions might bring an end to the FBI’s investigations into his affairs.
    It did not, however. The FBI became curious about the number of people who had disappeared after last being seen entering the Gemini Lounge. To make matters worse for DeMeo, Paul Castellano, fed up with DeMeo’s activities, put out a contract on him. However, he could not find anyone willing to carry it out. Eventually, it was handed to Frank DeCicco but he passed it on to DeMeo’s own crew.
    DeMeo, aware of what was going on, began wearing a leather jacket with a shotgun hidden under it. It wasn’t enough, however, and on 10 January 1983, he went to a meeting at Patrick Testa’s bodyshop and disappeared. Eight days later, police responded to a call saying that a car appeared to have been abandoned in the car park of the Varnas Boat Club in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. When they opened the boot, they were surprised to find a large chandelier and underneath it Roy DeMeo, his hand frozen in rigor mortis with a bullet hole right through it, as if he had raised it to protect himself. His leather jacket was wrapped around his head and he had been shot a number of times in the head and in the hand. At least they did not dismember him.
    Although the government had lost Roy DeMeo, they were not to be defeated and continued to look for evidence against the remainder of the Gemini Crew. Anthony Gaggi was suspected of having personally carried out DeMeo’s murder, but although he was charged with a number of other murders, that was not one of them. He died of a heart attack during his trial in 1988.
    Henry Borelli, Joseph Testa and Anthony Senter (the Gemini twins) were sentenced to life for a collective total of 25 murders. Paul Castellano was indicted for ordering the killing of DeMeo, but was gunned down before the case came to trial.
    The FBI and New York Police Department estimate that DeMeo and his crew were responsible for at least 70 murders, although the true total could be closer to 200. Most were never found.

Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo

     
    Nicodemo Domenico Scarfo’s family had Mafia blood running through their veins and within a couple of decades of his birth, ‘Little Nicky’ had it running in the streets of Philadelphia.
    His father was a made member of the New York-based Genovese Crime Family and his son, Nicky Jr. became a made member of the Lucchese family, while