Family Business IV

Family Business IV: Golden Summer Memories

A Matter of Respect

It is interesting how Sicilian organized crime families, despite all the corruption and dirty deeds they engage in, still hold dear their law-abiding brethren’s long-standing customs and religious traditions.

Be it family weddings, confirmations, first communions, or even funerals, expectations regarding specific protocols, acts of respect, or common courtesies are an inherent part of their culture.

In terms of the five New York crime syndicates, attending another family’s wedding reception or the funeral of a high-ranking member is considered a great sign of respect not necessarily to the person in question but also the family leader.

Despite these occasions being celebratory and expectations of everyone acting on their best behavior, many are criminals at their core, and trouble sometimes arises.

Funeral for a Friend

Such was the case when Augustine Palmisano passed away at age 78 in the summer of 1977. Augustine was the Italian immigrant who built the Upstate New York potato farm that has since become the location of Don Guiseppe Zizzo’s infamous Old Barn Justice Facility.

Like many funerals of crime family members of status, Palmisano was a person of importance, well known and respected throughout the five families. As a result, his wake would attract an overflow crowd of well-wishers from across the five Burroughs and beyond.

An estimated number of over 3,000 people came to pay their final respects with the representation so great it rivaled that of a president, head of state, or even King.

All the Dons and numerous Capos, Soldiers, and Associates from each of the five New York families were present. In addition, leaders from organized crime syndicates from Philadelphia, Chicago, and Kansas City were there to pay last respects.

Criminal Disrespect

Whenever such a significant criminal element gathers, something is bound to go awry, and Auggie Palmisano’s funeral was ripe for something nefarious to occur.

A wedding or funeral gathering will usually advocate an air of truce. However, most of these gang members were still rivals on the outside, especially within the lower, younger ranks, so differences were difficult to set aside.

The elder Palmisano was a member of the Zizzo crime family. There had been a known history of bad blood between Don Guiseppe Zizzo and Don Santo Capriotti, head of the New York Capriotti family based in Queens. While Don Capriotti would attend civilly, apparently, some of his low-ranking Associates had other ideas.

Eager to Make a Move

Enter Capriotti Associates Frankie DiFalco and Antonio Orlando. Newly adopted members with aspirations to earn where they can, impress the bosses, and move up the crime family hierarchy.

These two youngsters had not been Associates long enough to fully understand the respect protocols of attending this type of event. They also did not grasp the notion of consequences that could occur when making bad decisions.

So, they devised a plan that would make them the talk of the family, a move to demonstrate to all in the Capriotti family they possessed abilities making them worthy of greater rank.

The plan was simple but risky. With so many wealthy dignitaries attending the funeral, they knew all would be giving memorial condolence cards containing significant cash. All they needed to do was wait until the prayer services begin, and they could easily remove the envelope receptacle holding all those cash-filled cards.

Upward Mobility

In the organized crime game, expectations are that all members earn. With the accumulated earnings, the money trickles upward.

A lower ranking Associate would take a customary 10 percent of his “earnings” and give the rest to the Soldier sponsoring him.

The Soldier would take 15 percent of that amount and then provide the remaining amount upward to his Capo.

The Capo would then take 20 percent of that amount and give the rest to the Don, who would then decide where to appropriate the funds.

In this instance, the Associates anticipated a haul of over $300,000 in the condolence cards. Of that, they would get $30,000, the Soldier would receive $40,000, the Capo would net $45,000, and the remaining amount of $185,000 would go to the Don to distribute wherever he determines correct for the family business.

With this standard practice of “kicking up,” the benefit becomes clear to the young Associates the favorable status they would receive for such a lucrative payday.

The Time to Shine

Upon arrival at the funeral home, DiFalco and Orlando kept a close eye from a distance on the ornate, wooden receptacle where mourners placed their offerings. However, it was not long before they knew this was indeed their chance and they must make their move. There possibly could be even more cash involved than expected at the rate at which things were progressing.

While they waited, Orlando jimmied the lock on a quiet rear room used primarily by ushers and funeral home staff members. When he entered, he found just what he needed, a drawer full of usher name tags and a box of yellow marigold flower boutonnieres worn by the ushers.

Their escape plan was in place. In the minutes before the heist, they would move their getaway car to the parking spot behind the hearse waiting outside. Then, when the call for prayer would begin, they would pose as the ushers adorned with appropriate nametags and flowers and remove the cash-filled receptacle contents to their vehicle.

Exactly as they had planned, the condolence-card heist went off without a hitch. Even better than they expected, as the Zizzo family never discovered the cards missing until long after the funeral home viewing, church service, or final cemetery burial had taken place.

A miscommunication among Zizzo family members combined with the slick getaway of the Capriotti Associates left no one questioning the whereabouts of the money until much later.

Settle Up Our Business

After the burial, Zizzo Caporegime Antonio Ingrilli returned to the funeral home to pay the funeral expenses and settle the final bill. He asked about the condolence cards and discovered two family member ushers secured those immediately after the viewing.

The problem they found was the ushers belonged to the wrong family. From descriptions provided by the assistant funeral director, then verified by outdoor security camera footage, the identities of the imposter ushers became known.

Ingrilli took the footage back to the family to show other members. It was there they recognized the two culprits responsible. Zizzo Soldiers Mario Jennaro and Salvatore Tommasino identified Frankie DiFalco and Tony Orlando from the Capriotti crime family.

News of the theft completely outraged Don Zizzo. There was already an existing hatred between the two families. Such a crime against his family was considered the epitome of disrespect.

An extreme insult to the long-standing relations the five families had established. It was not just the stolen money that enraged him, but to do such at a prominent family member’s funeral was the ultimate slap in the face.

War or No War

Back in the Capriotti camp, Don Santo Capriotti was not entirely pleased with the young Associates’ actions. He realized the odd predicament he was now in with such a crime against the Zizzo’s.

He was also aware that Zizzo retaliation was inevitable once the rival family discovered the thieves’ identities.

These types of unprovoked actions are what start wars between organized crime family syndicates. As a result, Capriotti was uneasy about the possibility of a new war between his and the Zizzo family.

Should war occur, the other three families would likely become involved and would each be required to choose a side.

While these wars take place every so often, they also are costly for everyone involved. Fighting an inter-family war would mean earnings are put on hold until things are settled.

On the other hand, Capriotti was pleased with the $185,000 cut he received directly from the hated Zizzo’s. His attitude was to wait and see, knowing that the first Zizzo reaction would be target the young Associates DiFalco and Orlando.

After a bit of consideration, his feeling was both these two expendable. Should any prospect of war end there, they would be a small price to pay. If it involved higher ranking, more trusted family members, the war might be the only option. But these two might fall under the cost of doing business category.

Actions Have Consequences

As Don Capriotti anticipated, word spread the Zizzo’s had discovered those responsible for the theft of the funeral money. Normally, he would act to protect his family members, but doing nothing was his best bet to avoid a full-blown war against him. So he chose to do nothing.

He also praised DiFalco and Orlando for their deed and assured them family protection to alleviate any concerns they may have that the Zizzo’s may be gunning for them. He knew the Zizzo’s would act quickly, and he desired to have this matter resolved just as quickly.

In most cases, Don Zizzo would insist on a fair and unbiased trial set in place to give the accused opportunity to defend their actions. His justice and fair attitude were the sole reasoning behind his creating the old barn justice facility.

But his outrage in this instance overcame any feeling that these two thugs would deserve such consideration. The evidence was clear that they were responsible.

The Don then instructed his Capo Ingrilli to plan and assign appropriate Soldiers to eliminate DiFalco and Orlando.

What is Done, is Done

It was relatively easy for the Zizzo Soldiers to find both DiFalco and Orlando. Flush with extra cash, they started frequenting the Rumpus Room, a swanky nightclub on the east bank of the Hudson River.

They hired two prostitutes to entice the men to their car in the parking lot for a few lines of cocaine and the promise of a “happy ending.”

Once outside, the ladies were instructed to beat it. In true gangland execution-style, the Capriotti boys were each then shot twice in the back of the head. Finally, their bodies were dragged the short distance to the river edge and disposed of. Zizzo justice again quickly served.

In the passing days, the disappearance of DiFalco and Orlando indicated to all what had taken place. Finally, Zizzo had settled the score for the theft of the funeral money. For Don Capriotti, his allowing such had now put any discussion of war between the two families at rest. For now.

Look for more in the ongoing Family Business series describing stories and reports of this unique crime family and the Don Zizzo justice system.

About the Author

Thomas Doyle is a professional career chef, entrepreneur, restaurant consultant, writer for the food industry, storyteller, and humorist. A Green Bay, Wisconsin resident, avid Green Bay Packers fan, and lifelong Packer season-ticket holder, Doyle now can be found as a feature writer for Packerstalk.com.