November 17, 1986 Colombo Crime Family Boss Carmine “the snake” Persico is handed a 39-year jail sentence, while his son Alphonse “Little Allie Boy” Persico was handed a 12-year term. In January of 1987 Carmine Persico is handed a 100-year jail sentence, effectively taking away his freedom for the rest of his life. The snake wanted to maintain control of the family, and this would ensure that he would continue making money from the illegal rackets. The snake appoints his brother “Allie Boy” as acting boss, however he was arrested for loansharking and then he disappeared. The snake the creates a ruling committee consisting of Colombo Crime family members Vittorio "Little Vic" Orena, Joseph Russo, and Benedetto Aloi. The committee would remain in place until Little Allie Boy was released from prison. Vic Orena was also promoted to the rank of Capo and given Little Allie Boy’s old crew. Orena then set up shop in New York and most of New Jersey. Orena’s crew was bringing in millions of dollars to the Colombo family. In 1988, the snake terminates the ruling committee and makes Orena sole acting boss, because he was loyal and he was bringing in a lot of money. Orena named Joseph Scopo his underboss
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| Carmine Persico in Jail |
The Snake Maintains Control
Orena was also given the power to induct new members into
the family, a privilege that is rare for acting bosses. Orena had developed a close relationship with
Gambino Crime Family Boss John Gotti.
Orena made a deal with Gambino Boss John Gotti that brought in a lot of
money. In 1990 Orena petition to the
Commission to make him the boss of the Colombo family because the snake was
going to talk. The commission turned
Orena down and he remained the acting boss.
It is believed that Gotti wanted the votes at the commission from the
Colombo family, and he could only get it if Orena was made permanent boss.
Over the next year, the snake hands out orders from prison
and Orena soon grew tired of this. Orena
enjoyed being boss of the family and did not want to turn control over to
Little Allie Boy once he got out of prison.
Orena ordered the consigliere of the family Carmine Sessa to poll the Captains
to see who should be boss Persico, or Orena.
Sessa knew that if he carried out this ordered he would be
killed by Persico. Instead of taking the
poll Sessa reports this to Persico in prison.
Persico issues the order to assassinate Orena. Carmine Sessa was appointed as Consigliere by
Carmine Persico, so there was a sense of loyalty in their relationship.
The War
Cedarhurst, Long Island, New York June 20, 1991 Sessa along
with Colombo family members Robert Zambardi, John Pate, and Hank Smurra are
waiting in a car near Orena’s home. The hit
could not be carried out because Orena arrived at his house earlier than
expected. Orena saw the four men sitting
in a parked car near his home and he immediately knew it was a hit team. The hit team aborted and thus began the civil
war in the Colombo family, the Persico faction vs the Orena faction. The Orena faction hits back at the Persico
faction.
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| Gregory Scarpa |
Brooklyn, New York, November 18, 1991. When the Colombo’s needed to take care of a
hit they would call Gregory Scarpa a vicious hitman and a Persico loyalist. The hitman Gregory Scarpa is driving in a
car, directly in front of him was the car of his daughter. Orena hitmen are waiting nearby to strike at
Scarpa. The kill team blocks Scarpa’s
car with two vehicles of their own. Scarpa
and his family managed to get away, acting boss Vic Orena had a hitman of his
own that was responsible for the hit on Scarpa, William “Wild Bill”Cutolo. Cutolo hit team later that day assassinate
Hank Smurra in front of a Brooklyn doughnut shop.
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| Wild Bill Cutolo |
On November 28, 1991 underboss Carmine Sessa survives a hit conducted
by the Orena faction while he was driving.
On December 3, 1991 a Scarpa team attempts a hit on Orena
faction soldier Joseph Tollino. The hit fails,
and a Genovese soldier Thomas Amato was killed instead.
On December 6, 1991 a Cutolo hit team assassinates Persico
faction members Vincent Fusaro, and Rosario Nastasa.
On December 8, 1991 a Scarpa hit team kills an Orena Faction
member Nicky Grancio. In Janauary of 1992,
Vic Orena is indicted under the RICO statute and for murder.
The third Colombo war lasted seven months, and the war ended
for two reasons. Valley Stream, New York April 4, 1992, Vic Orena is taken into
custody by federal agents. Orena is
later sentenced to 100 years in prison, he was convicted of murder and racketeering. The second reason the war ended was the Orena
faction Capo Joseph Scopo was killed on October 20, 1993.
Peace Efforts
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| Alphonse D'Arco |
In the 1980s, acting boss of the Lucchese family Alphonse D’Arco
who would become a government informant testified that efforts among the
families of New York where attempted to settle peace within the Colombo’s. Meetings through New York city were arranged
with the Colombos. Among those that
attended these peace meetings where the Genovese family, and Capos from the Gambinos
to include John Gotti Jr. The families warned
the Colombo’s that if bullets start flying they would be ousted from the
commission and shunned by the other families.
After getting shunned any members involved in the shootings would be
eliminated. In one of the meetings D’Arco
reported that if Carmine Persico had asked Orena to step down he would
have. In a separate meeting Colombo
underboss Sesso stated that he supported the imprisoned boss and not
Orena.
The Aftermath
The winner of the third Colombo war was the government. There was a lot of bloodshed on the streets
of New York. Carmine Persico’s urge to
maintain control of the family added to the bloodshed and Vic Orena’s greed
along with a strong urging from Gambino boss John Gotti made the situation worse. In the end the two biggest losers were
Carmine Persico and Vic Orena. The commission
could not intervene as the control of the Colombo family was being fought by
greedy mobsters.
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