MOBWAR

by Salvatore Stabile

RIVIER A PIC TURES

R I V I E R A P I C TU R ES

by Salvatore Stabile

prologue A war divides a nation. Rising gas prices. Tensions in the Middle East.

A stock market crash. A recession. Record unemployment.

Social issues created by racial tensions and class inequalities abound.

Financial corruption at the highest levels almost bankrupt the country.

No, it’s not 2008. It’s 1980. Unlike the current fiscal malaise we are sorting through, in 1980, there was only one major corporation with enough power to take down the economy, “The Mafia.”

It was the height of influence for Italian organized crime in America, but little did they know it was all about to end. In the decades preceding the 1980’s, a turbulent shift was underway within the ranks of the mob.

A new crop of “made men” ascended up the chain of command, and these younger turks decided to ditch the usual mob money making operations in favor of drug trafficking. The cocky turks blatantly ignored older, wiser gangsters and their repeated warnings that drugs would be their downfall. In the end, the wisdom of the older generation prevailed.

With America overrun by drugs and crime throughout the 1970’s, newly elected president Ronald Reagan understood something drastic had to be done to stop the country from its social decline. Reagan’s plan; “A War on Drugs.” Public enemy number one; “The Mafia.”

Once in office, Reagan swiftly dispatched a wily group of Federal Agents and District Attorneys, lead by Rudy Giuliani, to the mecca of mob activity, New York, granting them the power to use RICO and whatever means necessary to take down organized crime. With that back drop in place, “Mob War” begins. The series ventures into the never explored period of crime and justice in America, told through the journey of three childhood friends who find themselves caught in an epic battle between the laws of the jungle and the laws of our Constitution.

overview 4

Mob War is conceived to be a long running series based on a confluence of ideas that include personal knowledge and experiences, as well as major headline events as they occurred. It is the first material to closely examine the destruction of the Italian-American Mafia as it existed for over a hundred years. Beyond defining where this series is headed, the intention of this bible is to show its clear distinction from other mob related material that has come before it.

Being the “Mafia-buff� that I am, in realizing this series, I have made a concerted effort to avoid any similarities to previous works to avoid being derivative. Unlike other content produced in this genre, Mob War will not be one sided. Instead, it will take a multi-point-of-view approach in dramatizing the war that was waged on the bloody, corrupt streets of New York during the 80’s. The pilot launches us into a dangerous, high stakes period for both the mob and law enforcement officials, and does so in a very personal, intimate way. Episodically, the show will deliver big, bold, high stakes stories that will have audiences torn over who they should be rooting for to come out on top in the end.

TOMMy

characters arcs

TOMMY BRUNO

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Backstory: Born and raised on the streets of Brooklyn, Tommy developed an acute mental and physical toughness at a very young age. His father, «WILD NICK» BRUNO, a powerful mob captain throughout the 1960-70’s, raised Tommy with tough love and taught him that the world was a brutal place, preparing him for the future.

During his childhood, Tommy formed deep bonds with two friends, Andrew and Richie. They shared every major moment of their nostalgic youth together, but the 1950’s umbrella of innocence they were raised under blew away in 1970 when Andrew was drafted to Vietnam. Refusing to let his best friend to go off to war alone, Tommy enlisted in the army alongside Andrew. Richie followed suit. Three best friends went off to war.

What happened in Vietnam changed their friendship forever. Atrocities committed in their effort for survival weighed heavily on Andrew’s soul, but Tommy and Richie grew numb to the violence, and thus were able to handle their return home much better than Andrew. Without a job waiting for him, Tommy fell prey to the influence of his father and father’s mobbed up friends. To earn a living, Tommy turned to a life of petty crime and took Richie with him. Tommy’s long-time high school sweetheart, MARIE, who waited for him to return from war to get married, refused to be a part of the criminal path he was headed down. After Tommy was arrested for robbery, and while he was incarcerated for a year, Marie left Brooklyn, which she knew was the only way to get away from Tommy’s grip once and for all.

The frustrations of being a young war veteran, the bad economy, the loss of Marie and the year in jail thickened the callus growing on Tommy’s soul. After being released from jail, he became more brazen in his life of crime and stepped up his efforts to earn for the mob. He decided this would be his best path to prosperity. Tommy “made his bones,” proving himself to be a valuable earner for the mob. However, his father, Wild Nick, was arrested for manslaughter and went off to jail for seven years just as he was about to become the boss of the family.

Per Wild Nick’s request, Frankie Black took Tommy under his wing. Tommy did well under Frankie, quickly expanding earnings for the family by handling a covert drug dealing operation that was initiated

by Frankie and his Sicilian contacts. At the same time, Tommy fell in love with Frankie’s sister Lisa.

They were married within a year. Shortly after the wedding, Frankie «made» Tommy and legitimately brought him into the family.

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Series Arc:

Tommy’s central story will revolve around his inner conflict with HONOR. Ever since he was a kid, his father instilled the values of a samurai in him; a true man is someone who protects his family and community; a true man is someone who sticks to his word; a true man is someone who will die for what he believes in and the oath that he took.

The Mafia gave Tommy an identity and good source of income after the US government turned its back on him. When we meet Tommy in the pilot, he is ready to strap his boots back on, arm up and enter a jungle of war once again to show his loyalty and honor to the organization that has taken him in. But as the show unfolds, and the repercussions of an elongated mob war take its toll, Tommy begins to question whether honor is a value worth dying for.

Throughout the series, Tommy finds himself under constant attack from all angles, but finds a way to rise up the ranks in his mob family. However, unlike Vietnam, Tommy has an even more formidable foe to battle against. This time, Tommy is pitted against his best friend, Andrew, who knows exactly how Tommy thinks and acts when his back is up against the wall. As the saying goes, “No better friend, no worse enemy.”

Torn between the oath he made to his «family», and his natural instinct that none of this will end well for him, Tommy will be forced to make some very big decisions to ensure his survival. The primal battle between good vs. bad, and honor and loyalty vs. survival, will play out like a classic Western as the series leads us an ultimate showdown between two best friends who will square off on the streets where they grew up. In the end, a surprising twist will leave audiences shocked as to who is left standing.

lisa

characters arcs

LISA BRUNO

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Backstory: Lisa is the complete opposite of Marie. Born and raised within a Mafia family, she views Tommy ascent into the criminal world as a badge of honor. She grew up under the protection of her father and brother, so choosing a strong man was important to her. Lisa blossomed early and caught the attention of older men to her father’s dismay. When she was a teenager, she walked by her father’s social club in her Catholic school uniform and a construction worker whistled and made an inappropriate comment to her. The next day, Francesco Sr. gunned down the construction worker in broad daylight.

Lisa never pursued an education beyond high school. She didn’t need to because she was taken care of by her father. She was considering opening her own a hair salon, but then Frankie introduced her to Tommy. Lisa fell for Tommy’s good looks and charm. After dating for a few months, Tommy proposed and they were married in opulent Italian Mafia fashion. Less than a year later, Lisa became pregnant and has a baby on the way.

Series Arc: Lisa revels when she learns that Tommy was «made» into the family. To her, that is the biggest honor that can be bestowed on them. As their social status rises, and Tommy makes his way up the ranks, Lisa enjoys the power that comes with their ascent. Unlike Carmela in the Sopranos, Lisa has no problem sticking her nose in Tommy’s affairs. Like a queen sitting on the throne, she weighs in with advice that will ultimately serve her end. However, as tensions mount in Tommy’s life, and his situation becomes more perilous, Lisa is too weak to handle the reality of war, which adds to Tommy’s list of growing problems.

desiree

desiree

characters arcs

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Backstory: At 17, Desiree became pregnant with the child of a local gang leader named Domingo.

She had the baby, and with the help of her mother began to raise her son. Because she couldn’t rely on Domingo to make ends meet, she began working at a strip club. Domingo used the strip club as a base for his growing drug operation. Both Domingo and Desiree were arrested for trafficking drugs by Serrano. To avoid jail and losing her son, Desiree agreed to become a criminal informant for Serrano.

Series Arc: Desiree was blessed, and cursed, with a sexiness most women will never have.

At a young age, she realized the power she had over men and used it to her advantage. Although it backfired with Domingo, Desiree isn’t shy about using her looks to get what she wants. What she wants most is to be out from under any man’s control. As Desiree honors her agreement with Serrano to take down Richie, both men fall for her, complicating her exit strategy. When Domingo gets out of jail, her situation becomes even more cumbersome. Desiree finds herself caught in the middle of a love triangle that doesn’t seem like it will end well for her. An unlikely ally, however, helps her escape. In the process, Desiree discovers the power of her seduction is not an asset at all, and so she takes drastic measures to ensure it is never a problem again.

serrano

characters arcs

DETECTIVE SERRANO

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Backstory: Life hasn’t been kind to Serrano. He grew up in the run down, tough Puerto Rican neighborhood of Sunset Park. His father was in and out of jail his entire life and his mother died when he was 17. He joined the police force when he was 21 and has since dedicated his life to cleaning up the streets where he grew up.

Serrano’s wife, Cassandra, had the same interest as him. She worked for a local church that helped wayward kids get their life together. Just before their fifth wedding anniversary, Sandra was caught in the middle of a shoot-out between rival gangs and was hit by a stray bullet and killed.

She was four months pregnant.

Serrano went into a deep depression and found himself at a crossroads in his life. He knew the gang members who were responsible for his wife’s death and easily could have taken revenge.

Instead, he took the high road and used the law to put away those responsible. One of the gang members he put away was a drug dealing scumbag named Domingo, who was a high ranking member of the Latin Kings, and the father of Desiree’s child. Serrano caught Domingo dealing drugs in the strip club where Desiree worked. Desiree was part of the operation, but because she had a child, Serrano took pity on her in exchange for her services as a criminal informant.

When we meet Serrano in the pilot, he has convinced Desiree to get close to Domingo’s source, who happened to be Richie. Serrano instructed Desiree to find out when the new shipment of drugs were being shipped in. Richie was frequenting the strip club and had his eye on Desiree. A relationship developed between them to serve the purpose. Serrano promised Desiree that once the bust was made, her services would be complete as a criminal informant.

Series Arc: Serrano found religion to help him cope with the loss of his wife and save him from succumbing to his vengeful instincts. He has conducted himself with such righteousness since her death that he has become a pariah to his peers.

When his wife’s killer, Domingo, is released from prison and insists on getting back together with Desiree, Serrano will have to fight a new war of restraint, within himself, which he may just lose. Like Tommy, Serrano struggles with his honor as a cop, and if it’s even worth having any in a world that seemingly has none.

Serrano’s battle with his own morality will not only jeopardize his life, but it will also nearly destroy Andrew’s effort to take down the mob.

FONTANA/ESPOSITO

fontana

characters arcs

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Backstory: Once you dance with the devil, you’re always their partner. Fontana and Esposito both come from a long line of law enforcement families. Part of the game of being cops has always been to buddy up to criminals who run each neighborhood and establish relationships that can help them make collars.

Fontana and Esposito have buddied up too close this time.

They are forever in the pockets of Frankie Black and the mob.

Series Arc: Fontana and Esposito operate with an «above the law» attitude.

They are revered within their police precinct for making huge busts, and they also have the protection of the mob on the streets. They have a unique ability to walk on both sides of the law. That all will catch up to them as Andrew and his task force make inroads into taking down the mob. Constantly scrambling to cover their tracks, and their involvement with mob activities, Fontana and Esposito will eventually dig a grave so deep that there will be no chance of survival.

story arcs

seasons one & two

seasons one & two

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THE CERAVINO FAMILY WAR In the pilot, mob boss Carlo Ceravino is shot to death and then thrown overboard with a heavy pair of cement shoes, and his bodyguard, George Genaro, is wheeled into the emergency room.

Picking up from there, we learn that George Genaro is alive, but in a coma.

The Ceravino family, all the crew captains, learn of the hit on Genaro and gather to discuss the possible whereabouts of Carlo, who is missing. They discuss what to do if the worst proves true, and speculate on who may be behind the hit.

Frankie shows up to the clandestine meeting, feigning the same shock and surprise as every other captain. Every crew suspects each other. We quickly learn that Carlo was not well liked, and if he is dead, no one will be that upset. Discussions ensue on who the proper successor to Carlo should be. Frankie lashes out, pointing out everyone’s disrespect. What if he’s still alive?

When Carlo’s body is picked up by a local fishing boat trolling the bay, the Ceravino family’s fears are confirmed. A succession plan is discussed amongst the captains.

Meanwhile, Joe Lugano catches wind of the news. Only days earlier, Joe spoke to Carlo about killing Tommy and Frankie. Joe reaches out to a rival crew in the Ceravino family. Joe informs the rival crew’s captain that he believes Frankie is responsible for Carlo’s murder.

A botched hit against Frankie, planned by a rival crew with the help of Joe Lugano, ignites a full out war within the already fragile family. Each crews chooses a side and the bullets fly. Unfortunately for Frankie and Tommy, they are significantly outnumbered, since most of the crews believe they are behind the Carlo hit.

Since Tommy has been in this situation before, out numbered and outmatched, he and Richie draft a plan of attack which is so bloody and violent that it catches the attention of police and law enforcement officials throughout the city.

As bodies pile up in the streets, Andrew has his crime task force lock up as many mobsters as he can, which he thinks will stop the war. However, it only makes matters worse, as the violence spills into the jail system. When Andrew realizes how deep Tommy is in the war, he offers him a one time chance to walk away. This is Andrew’s payback for Tommy saving his life and keeping him alive when they were taken as POW’s in Vietnam.

Not only does Tommy ignore Andrew’s offer, with the help of Fontana and

story arcs Esposito, Tommy makes a move that shames Andrew and clearly pits them on opposite sides for the foreseeable future. When tensions reach their highest, and it seems like there is no way out but death for Tommy, Frankie and their allies, Tommy’s father, Wild Nick (who we will meet repeatedly during the season), is released from jail. iWild Nick sets up a meeting with Joe Lugano and the other three Mob Bosses running the city. Before the legendary sit down takes place, Wild Nick promises Frankie that he will make sure Frankie is recognized as boss.

Wild Nick goes to the secret meeting to negotiate a truce, but while he is there, he also negotiates himself into the top spot, taking over the family and becoming acting boss. Although there is a declaration of instant peace between all the crews and families, and everyone lays down their weapons, Frankie feels completely betrayed by Wild Nick. Frankie’s anger toward Nick sets us up for season two.

Frankie may go along with Wild Nick as boss for now, but it is clear that Nick’s reign will be short lived.

In season two, a disgruntled Frankie sets his crosshairs on removing Wild Nick from the throne. However, Frankie’s outward disrespect toward Nick begins to weigh on his relationship with Tommy and drives us toward a shocking end to the second season that moves Tommy up the ranks within the family, setting us up for seasons three and four.

THE WAR WITH THE SICILIANS AND IRISH As mentioned earlier, this show is not solely about one war within an Italian crime family. The war will also engage other mobs in the city who are vying for power, money and influence of their own. In season one, besides Tommy and Frankie battling to stay alive within their own family, there are two outside threats which they must contend with as well; the Irish Westies who want their drugs, and the Sicilians who want their money for the drugs.

In season one, the Sicilians send a hit squad to collect their money. To pay back the Sicilians, Frankie and Tommy devise a plan to rob the vault of the police precinct where the heroin is being stored. Frankie employs the help of Fontana and Esposito to get into the vault. He also cuts a deal with the Irish gangsters, reducing their price per kilo, if they help in robbing the vault.

seasons one & two

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story arcs seasons one & two

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The robbery goes completely south, and a Heat-like shoot out with the cops only allows Frankie and Tommy to regain half the shipment. To get the Sicilians off his back once and for all, Frankie fucks the Irish by selling half the recaptured heroin to the Triads for what he would have initially sold it to the Irish for. Frankie pays off the Sicilians and escapes a dual war, but seriously bad blood is created with the Irish, which is where we end season one.

In season two, the Irish seek revenge. They are going to get paid for the risks they took for the robbery, and they are going to get the money they would have made if they would have sold the heroin. Inspired by reality, the Irish Westies strart taking mobsters hostage and offering them back to their crews for ransom in return.

When they don’t get paid what they ask for in ransom, the Irish begin killing their Italian hostages. A bloody war between the Irish and Italians plays out through season two, culminating with some very unexpected alliances.

TOMMY/LISA/MARIE Playing out in the back drop of this bloody war, is a passionate love triangle that raises the stakes for everyone involved. As the mob war rages on the streets, Lisa gives birth to a baby boy. Shortly after, Lisa falls into a severe post partem depression. Her erratic behavior and mood swings drive a wedge between her and Tommy, adding unwanted stress to his life. As the situation on the streets turns from bad to worse, and his marriage to Lisa faces serious head winds, Tommy finds himself gravitating toward Marie for comfort and support.

Marie returns to New York and finds a job teaching troubled kids in a public school.

Her marriage to Andrew, due to the demanding nature of his new job, also becomes troubled.

As Andrew focuses all of his energy on his new job, neglecting their plan to start a family, Marie begins to question whether marrying Andrew was just her way of getting back at Tommy.

Facing her past for the first time, Marie finds herself gravitating to Tommy as well.

By the end of the season, they become dangerously close, but cooler heads prevail before any permanent damage is done to their respective marriages.

In season two, Andrew and Marie make a serious attempt to have children, but have trouble conceiving.

story arcs Andrew visits a physician friend of his and learns that he is infertile. However, Andrew doesn’t share that knowledge with Marie. Meanwhile, Tommy and Marie find themselves back in each other’s orbit. This time they make a life altering mistake that raises the stakes for the series going forward.

Upon learning that Marie is pregnant, Andrew investigates Marie, suspecting infidelity. Andrew’s suspicions are confirmed when Serrano reports back that Marie is having an affair with Tommy. Andrew declares his mission to destroy Tommy and put him behind bars forever. However, at the same time, Andrew continues with his marriage to Marie and pretends as if the child is his, which weighs on their marriage throughout the rest of the series.

ANDREW In season one, Andrew assembles a dream team of rogue police officers and FBI agents that he hopes will take down the Mafia. However, as Andrew dispatches them out on strategic missions to take down certain criminals, he quickly discovers that the Mafia isn’t his only foe. Andrew learns that his boss, the Manhattan DA, is as corrupt as the gangsters he is trying to prosecute, and the corruption runs even deeper within the police department.

In the pilot, Andrew is given information by Serrano that shows Tommy is a part of the Ceravino crime family. In the upcoming episodes, Andrew reaches out to Tommy, pretending he has returned to New York to work as a grunt lawyer for the state. Andrew rekindles their friendship with the hope of getting any inside beat on current mob activities. Even though Tommy doesn’t suspect Andrew is up to something, he pretends he is working for a construction company and offers Andrew no information in regards to anything to do with the mob.

When Serrano catches Andrew hanging out with Tommy, playing paddle ball in a park where they grew up, Andrew comes clean about his friendship with Tommy and Richie and informs him of his plan. Serrano thinks Andrew is playing with fire. When one of the undercover officers in Andrew’s task force is killed during the heroin heist at the police station, Andrew realizes Serrano is right; Tommy is a dangerous criminal and if he found out that Andrew was trying to deceive him, Tommy would waste no time in killing him.

The cat and mouse game between Andrew and Tommy culminates at the end

seasons one & two

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story arcs seasons one & two

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of the season when Andrew has his men scoop Tommy off the streets and bring him to a secret interrogation room.

Similar to the scene in Heat between DeNiro and Pacino, Andrew reveals his true motives to Tommy. Because Tommy saved Andrew’s life in Vietnam, Andrew makes him a generous offer. He tells Tommy to either go on the run, or flip and work as an informant for the DA and the Feds. But if he decides to stay, and push comes to shove, Andrew tells Tommy that he will not be spared. Tommy declines Andrew’s offer, and informs him that same holds true the other way around. Tommy tells Andrew to either back off, or leave and head back to Washington. Because if push comes to shove on his end, this time Andrew won’t make it.

Locked in a dead heat of tension, the series barrels into season two where the battle between Andrew and Tommy turns deeply personal after Andrew learns of Tommy’s affair with Marie. Blinded by anger, Andrew makes it his new mission to destroy his childhood friend. In his pursuit of taking down Tommy, the mob and corrupt city officials, Andrew becomes the thing he despises most, morally corrupt.

RICHIE Richie’s only want is to be «made» into the family. He will do anything to prove that he is worthy of getting a «button.» Throughout season one, Richie demonstrates his loyalty to Frankie with hopes of becoming a made man.

He kills and does whatever ruthless dirty work needs to be done.

Richie’s lack of consciousness, when it comes to killing, proves valuable to Frankie during the initial stages of the mob war, but it also frightens him.

When Richie is caught doing drugs, something Tommy warned him repeatedly to stop, Frankie decides that Richie is unreliable and a liability to the crew.

However, when Wild Nick emerges from jail and takes over as boss, he personally takes Richie under his wing. At the end of season one, Nick finally gives Richie what he’s always wanted, even though Frankie protests against the move.

Wild Nick makes Richie, giving him the power and status he’s desired for so long.

In season two, we quickly begin to see why Frankie was so set against bringing Richie into the family. Richie immediately begins to use his newfound power in the wrong ways, creating a myriad of enemies and problems that destroys the bartered peace amongst the five families.

story arcs

SERRANO/DESIREE When Serrano informs Andrew that he has a criminal informant working the inside on Richie and Tommy, Andrew orders Serrano to ramp up Desiree’s role in the investigation. Andrew suggests that Desiree should establish a close friendship with Lisa as a way of obtaining information they would never have access to. When Serrano informs Desiree of the plan, she realizes that she will be implicated much deeper than Serrano originally suggested.

With no way out, Desiree continues her sexual relationship with Richie and makes a move to become Lisa’s friend. She discovers that she and Lisa have more in common than expected, and they become close. Desiree helps Lisa with her newborn son, offering tips on being a mother. As their friendship blossoms, Lisa confides in Desiree with intimate details about her feelings, Tommy and things she knows about their activities. Desiree has mixed feelings about what she is doing to Lisa, and only shares some of the information with Serrano.

When Lisa begins to show signs of post-partem depression, Desiree is the one who helps her the most, a move that makes Tommy feel indebted to her.

A second love triangle develops when Serrano begins to have feelings for Desiree.

She is the first woman Serrano has felt something for since the death of his wife.

Vulnerable, Serrano shares his story with Desiree, which he has never done with anyone before. Desiree, who wants nothing more than to get out of this mess she is in, preys on Serrano’s vulnerability. She sleeps with him and pulls him into her web, hoping that if he falls for her he will extract her as a criminal informant.

The plan works. Serrano no longer wants her sleeping with Richie, so he goes to Andrew at the end of season one and tells him that he will be pulling Desiree out. However, Andrew forbids him to and threatens to have him thrown off the force if he does. When Serrano informs Desiree of the bad news, she abruptly ends her relationship with him.

In season two, Desiree’s ex, Domingo, the father of her child, is released from jail.

He not only wants back in with Desiree and his son, but he also wants back into the drug trade with Richie. Tensions ride high for Desiree as she navigates between Serrano, Richie and Domingo. When Richie and Domingo learn of each other’s relationship with Desiree, bullets fly. After witnessing Richie murder Domingo, Desiree decides to pull the plug herself on being a criminal informant.

seasons one & two

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MOB WAR

mob wars: last 100 years

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There have been several major wars in Mafia history that have defined their organization. It’s worth reading and being aware of their causes and outcomes.

The Castellammarese War (1929-1931) The Castellammarese War, fought from 1929-1931, was a war fought in Sicily between Joe Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano. It was a bloody war that Maranzano won, after which he declared himself capo di tutti capi, «boss of all bosses.» However, soon after making that declaration, a crew of turks led by Lucky Luciano murdered Maranzano and established what became a power sharing arrangement between the Five Mafia Families. The families were called «The Commission» and the heirarchy was structured like a Fortune 500 company.

First Colombo War (1960-1963) Joseph Profaci had become a wealthy Mafia boss and was known as «the olive-oil and tomato paste king of America». One of Profaci’s most unpopular demands was a $25 monthly tribute from every soldier in his family. In the late 1950s, capo Frank «Frankie Shots» Abbatemarco became a problem for Joe Profaci. Abbatemarco controlled a lucrative policy game that earned him nearly $2.5 million a year with an average of $7,000 a day in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

In early 1959, Abbatemarco, with the support of Gallo brothers and the Garfield Boys, began refusing to pay tribute to Profaci. By late 1959, Abbatemarco’s debt had grown to $50,000 and Profaci allegedly ordered Joe Gallo to murder Abbatemarco.

However, other versions of the story indicate that Gallo played no part in this murder.

In return for Abbatemarco’s murder, Profaci allegedly agreed to give the Gallos control over Abbatemarco’s policy game.

On November 4, 1959, Frank Abbatemarco walked out of his cousin’s bar in Park Slope, Brooklyn and was shot and killed by Joseph Gioielli and another hitman.

Profaci then ordered the Gallos to hand over Abbatemaro’s son Anthony. The Gallos refused and Profaci refused to give them the policy game. This was the start of the First Colombo war. The Gallo brothers and the Garfield boys (led by Carmine Persico) were aligned against Profaci and his loyalists.

On February 27, 1961 the Gallos kidnapped four of Profaci’s top men: underboss Joseph Magliocco, Frank Profaci (Joe Profaci’s brother), capo Salvatore Mussachia and soldier John Scimone. Profaci himself eluded capture and flew to sanctuary in Florida.

While holding the hostages, Larry and Albert Gallo sent Joe Gallo to California.

Profaci’s Consigliere Charles «the Sidge» LoCicero negotiated with the Gallos and all

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the hostages were released peacefully. However, Profaci had no intention of honoring this peace agreement.

On August 20, 1961 Joseph Profaci ordered the murder of Gallo members Joseph «Joe Jelly» Gioielli and Larry Gallo. Gunmen allegedly murdered Gioilli after inviting him to go deep sea fishing. Gallo survived a strangulation attempt in the Sahara club of East Flatbush by Carmine Persico and Salvatore «Sally» D’Ambrosio after a police officer intervened. The Gallos then began calling Persico «The Snake»; he had betrayed them, the war continued on resulting in nine murders and three disappearances.

In late November 1961, Joe Gallo was sentenced to seven-to-fourteen years in prison for murder. In 1962, Joe Profaci died of cancer, leaving Joe Magliocco, his longtime underboss, as the new boss. The war continued on between the two factions. In 1963, Carmine Persico survived a car bombing and his enforcer Hugh McIntosh was shot in the groin as he attempted kill Larry Gallo.

On May 19, 1963, a Gallo hit team shot Carmine Persico multiple times, but Persico survived.

In 1963, Magliocco and Bonanno boss Joseph Bonanno hatched an audacious plan to murder bosses Carlo Gambino, Tommy Lucchese, Stefano Magaddino and Frank DeSimone and take over the Mafia Commission. Joseph Magliocco gave the murder contact to Joseph Colombo. Colombo either feared for his life, or sensed an opportunity for advancement, and instead reported the plot to The Commission. Both Magliocco and Bonanno were forced to retire.

Second Colombo War (1971-1975) On June 28, 1971, Colombo held the second League demonstration at Columbus Circle in Manhattan. As Colombo prepared to speak, an African-American man, Jerome Johnson, walked up to Colombo and shot him in the back of the head three times; seconds later, Colombo’s bodyguards shot Johnson to death. The shooting did not kill Colombo but left him paralyzed for seven years; he died of natural causes on May 22, 1978. Although many in the Colombo family blamed Joe Gallo for the shooting, the police eventually concluded that Johnson was a lone gunman. Regardless, the Colombo shooting triggered the Second Colombo war.

Colombo’s Consigliere Joseph Yacovelli became the family acting boss, and he directed a new campaign to murder Joe Gallo and his crew. On April 7, 1972, acting on a quick tip, four gunmen walked into Umberto’s Clam House in Little Italy and killed

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