1989 in organized crime

"See also:"
1988 in organized crime,
other events of 1989,
1990 in organized crime and the
list of 'years in Organized Crime'.

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Events

*As of 1989, only 60 of the 360 convicted defendants from the 1986 Maxi Trial in Sicily remain imprisoned.
*Garafano crime family associate Robert DeCavalacante is killed for stealing the license plates from a vehicle belonging to a made member of the family. It is alleged that Garafano took the plates to plant them on a wrecked car at a crime scene of his doing.
*Francesco Guarraci becomes a made member of New Jersey's Garafano crime family following the death of Robert DeCavalcante.
*Joey Garafano now lives his life in New Jersey where he is yet to be found.
*James Basile, a bookmaker for the Chicago Outfit, agrees to become a government informant, later identifying a "Mafia graveyard," in the suburban neighborhood of Hillside, Illinois.
*Angelo "Quack Quack" Ruggiero, Gambino crime family Captain and heroin dealer, dies of cancer. His Boss and former best friend John Gotti doesn't visit him before he dies, reportedly still harbouring ill feelings towards Ruggiero for the trouble he caused when his house was bugged.
*January -
**Albert "Caesar" Tocco, a high ranking member of the Chicago Outfit involved in extortion and racketeering within the South Suburbs, is extradited to United States for trial after being arrested in Athens, Greece and deported.
*February - U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh, recently appointed by President Ronald Reagan, officially merges the regional organized crime strike forces the office of the U.S. Attorney General.
*May 2 - Gerald Scarpelli, a former Chicago hitman turned FBI informant, commits suicide while held in the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center.
*May 2 - Russian mobster Michael Markowitz who operated a gasoline bootlegging business under the auspices of Colombo Family caporegime Michael Franzese was shot to death while driving his Rolls-Royce in Brooklyn. After being convicted of taking part in the illegal business Markowitz became a government witness against Franzese and testified as to the roles of the Genovese and Lucchese Families in the lucrative business.
*May 26 – Government witness Salvatore Contorno is arrested with other mafiosi in Palermo. Contorno stayed n a hide out in an area called the triangle of death (Bagheria, Altavilla and Casteldaccia) near Palermo together with his cousin Gaetano Grado and a cache of weapons. In the previous weeks members of the winning factions of the Second Mafia War allied with the Corleonesi had been killed and the police suspected the raided hide out had something to do with the killings. Examination of the weapons showed that they were not used in the murders. The affair became a scandal in June 1989 when anonymous letters signed by “il corvo” (literally “crow”, but meaning “provocateur”) claimed that prosecuting judge Giovanni Falcone and his close collaborator, police inspector Gianni De Gennaro, had organised Contorno’s secret return from protective custody in the US to Sicily to start a state sponsored vendetta against the Corleonesi. The allegations against Falcone and De Gennaro proved to be a hoax, but further weakened Falcone’s already difficult position in the prosecuting office in Palermo.
*June - Frank Salemme is seriously wounded in a gunfight in Saugus, Massachusetts, reportedly shot by Frank Imbruglia.
*June 6 – Anonymous letters signed by “il corvo” (literally “crow”, but meaning “provocateur”) begin to circulate accusing Giovanni Falcone and police inspector Gianni De Gennaro of sending Contorno to Sicily to start a state sponsored vendetta against the Corleonesi.
*June 17 - The body of William P. Grasso, former Underboss to the Patriarca crime family, is found after being dumped in the Connecticut River.
*June 20 – A powerful bomb is discovered outside the summerhouse of Antimafia judge Giovanni Falcone in Addaura as Falcone confers with Swiss magistraters Carla Del Ponte and Claudio Lehman about money laundering by Cosa Nostra in Switzerland.
*July 6 - Richard Troy, Pete Rose's bookmaker, was indicted for his involvement in a massive gambling ring, which was headed by Gambino crime family soldier Joseph Bilotti (brother of murdered family underboss Thomas Bilotti) and had operations in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.
*July 7 - Gambino crime family captain Gene Gotti brother of boss John Gotti, was sentenced to the maximum sentence of 50 years for drug trafficking. John Carneglia was also sentenced to 50 years. John Gotti’s brother Peter replaced Gene as caporegime of Gotti’s former crew in Queens.
*August 9 - Richard Costello, President of the International Longshoresman's Union Association Local 1964 and longtime associate of Gambino crime family leaders Thomas Gambino and Paul Castellano, is killed.
*Fall - Patriarca crime family Consigliere Joseph "J.R." Russo met with Gambino crime family boss John Gotti and Salvatore Gravano at the wedding of Genovese crime family soldier Joseph Galizia's son concerning the growing tensions in New England between Russo and family boss Raymond "Junior" Patriarca.
*September 11 - Private sanitation businessman Fred Weiss was assassinated outside his Staten Island apartment by DeCavalcante crime family soldiers Anthony Rotondo and James Gallo on orders from Gambino crime family boss John Gotti at the request of captain James "Jimmy Brown" Failla. Future mob turncoat Michael DiLeonardo was also involved in setting up the murder.
*September 14 - Lucchese Family soldiers and former DeMeo Crew members Joseph Testa and Anthony Senter are sentenced to life imprisonment for their involvement in over a dozen murders.
*October 8 – Francesco Marino Mannoia starts to collaborate with Antimafia judge Giovanni Falcone.
*October 31, Halloween - Nicodemo Scarfo, Jr. is attacked and almost killed at Dante and Luigi's [http://dinesite.com/info/rstrnt-127317/??&t=0] , an Italian restaurant in Philadelphia. [http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=12330]
*November 11 - Patriarca crime family mobsters Joseph "J.R." Russo, Robert Carrozza, Vincent Ferrara, Angelo Mercurio and Dennis Lepore were indicted for RICO offenses ranging from extortion, loansharking and cocaine dealing. It was revealed in court that Mercurio, who had been in attendance at the tape recorded induction ceremony, had been cooperating with investigators since 1987.
*November 17 - A Nassau County grand jury refused to indict Gambino Family soldier John A. Gotti, Jr., son of boss John Gotti, Sr., for assaulting two men and a woman outside a Long Island nightclub.
*November 17 - Brooklyn mobster Costabile Farace, recently implicated in the murder of DEA agent Everett Hatcher, is killed in his car during a gunfight. Joseph Sclafani Jr., son of Gambino soldier Joseph "Big Joe" Sclafani, Sr., is found severely wounded.

Arts and literature

*"A Better Tomorrow III" (film) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098691/]
*"Billy Bathgate" (novel)
*"The Killer" (film) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097202/] starring Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee and Sally Yeh.
*"Mob War" (film) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097898/] starring Jake LaMotta.

Births

Deaths

*DeCavalcante, Joey Garafano crime family associate
*Anthony Loria Sr., Luchesse crime family member, participant in the French Connection drug smuggling case and associate of the Luchesse family's Vincent Papaand Virgil Alessi
*Angelo Ruggiero, Gambino crime family Capo and New York labor racketeer
*May 2 - Gerald Scarpelli, Chicago Outfit member and FBI informant
*June 17 - William P. Grasso "The Wild Guy", Patriarca crime family Underboss
*August 9 - Richard Costello, President of the International Longshoresman's Union Association Local 1964
*November 17 - Costabile Farace "Gus", Bonanno crime family associate