Dominick Cirillo
Encyclopedia
Dominick V. "Quiet Dom" Cirillo (born July 4, 1929 East Harlem) is a high-ranking member of the Genovese crime family
, who briefly served as acting boss for the imprisoned Boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante
.
caporegime
of Neapolitan-Italian Alphonse Cirillo who served as a made man
under Joseph Magliocco
when it was the Profaci crime family. Alphonse was a first generation Italian-American immigrant from Potenza
, Basilicate, Italy
. In 1961, his father Alphonse was implicated in the attempted murder of Lawrence Gallo, a brother of fellow Profaci crime family capo Joseph Gallo. Alphonse, Carmine Persico and Salvatore D'Ambrosio were the suspected attempted murderers, but Gallo refused to cooperate and no one was charged in the attack. His father died of unknown causes sometime before 1963 when Dominick was very young but was later made infamous after he was one of the hundreds of organized crime figures named in the testimony of mob turncoat Joseph Valachi. His father Alphonse through his lifetime had succeeded in never being arrested for a single criminal act except for "criminally receiving" as an early 1960s era organized crime mob family chart had stated. He is the brother of Gaetano "Wheeg" Cirillo and the father-in-law to mob associate John Caggiano. Dominick grew up on East 117th Street in East Harlem and as a teenager dropped out of Benjamin Franklin High School. He was an amateur boxer who boxed at neighborhood youth clubs and briefly pursued a career as a professional middleweight boxer. He was a husky man who stands at 5'10" and grew to be almost 200 pounds by the 1990s. He was a close personal friend and criminal partner of Vincent Gigante
from a young age, who would later become heir to the Genovese crime family of which Dominick served in. Mob soldier Frank "Frank California" Condo and Frederico Giovanelli often laughed at Dominick's choice of clothing attire that was said to be reminiscent of Emmett Kelly
's clown
suits.
In 1949, Dominick who at the time was a twenty year old welterweight was knocked out in three matches and had one match drawn before retiring. In 1953, at the age of twenty three he pled guilty to overlooking a clandestine heroin trafficking ring that was said to have grossed up to $20,000 a day. For his drug trafficking conviction he served nearly four years in Federal Correctional Institution, Milan
in Milan, Michigan
before returning to East Harlem. Between 1958 and 1965, he was arrested four times for consorting with known criminals, which were all later dismissed. He is married to an Italian-American woman named Bella who bore him two children, Nicholas Cirillo and Anne Marie. His son disappeared after leaving his home to buy compound. It is alleged that he was murdered by Vincent Basciano, Jr., the son of Vincent Basciano and Dominick Cacale at a real estate office in Pelham Bay. It was believed by law enforcement that Dominick would avenge the alleged murder and disappearance of his son, but The New York Daily News would later report that Dominick was unhappy with his son for being convicted of minor drug offenses over the years. On December 4, 2004 Randolph Pizzolo who allegedly bragged about his role in the murder and disappearance of Nicholas was found shot to death. Whenever fellow criminal associates would want to mention Cirillo's name they used an adapted clandestine sign language where they put put their finger to their lips which would mean that they were discussing Dominick. He claimed to be a retired construction worker and said to live off of $510 a month in social security checks. He lived in the Country Club section of the northeast Bronx, near Pelham Bay Park and Eastchester Bay.
("Tommy Ryan") as his manager and world heavyweight champion Tommy Ryan
worked as his trainer. Cirillo gradually drifted towards the criminal side of the neighborhood, along with another boxer and associate, Vincent "Chin" Gigante. As a boxer he weighed between 151 and 156 pounds. He was an unsuccessful professional middleweight boxer in 1949. His first professional fight was against Matt Ward on March 9, 1949 in White Plains, New York
which he lost. During his short lived boxing career he boxed sixteen rounds and lost three matches, withdrew from one and won just a single match. While he was a boxer Dominick weighed between 152 and 154 pounds. His last professional boxing match against Johnny Kohan on December 19, 1949 in Newark, New Jersey
. He suffered two knock outs by Matt Ward on March 9, 1949 which was also his first professional match and once again by Emerson Charles on March 23, 1949. His one disqualified match was against Bobby Holt on April 6, 1949 at the Manhattan Center
.
charges, the leadership of the Genovese crime family passed to a committee/ruling panel, known as the "Administration", ostensibly led by Cirillo. In this capacity, Cirillo represented the Genoveses in their dealings with the other Mafia families
of New York City
, though Gigante remained in overall charge of the family. In this way, Cirillo served as "acting boss", and was seen by US authorities as the most powerful member of the Genovese family. However, in 1998 Cirillo stepped down as acting boss because of a heart attack, and recovered his position as caporegime of the Genovese crime family that same year.
boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano and caporegime Dominick Cicale. It remains unclear whether this would have been allowed to happen without the explicit permission of Dominick Cirillo.
Sources in 2010 say that Dom ordered the death of his drug addicted son on mothers day of 2004
http://gothamist.com/2011/04/23/mob_boss_ordered_son_whacked_on_mot.php
, John "Johnny Sausage" Barbato
and Anthony "Tico" Antico
, pleaded guilty on charges of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy. Cirillo was sentenced to 48 months in prison and forced to pay $75,000 restitution.
of the Genovese family.
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
, who briefly served as acting boss for the imprisoned Boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante
Vincent Gigante
Vincent Gigante was a short lived professional light heavyweight boxer who was known as "The Chin" Gigante. He fought 25 matches and lost four, boxing 121 rounds. On February 19, 1945, he fought Pete Petrello in Madison Square Garden and won by a knock out in the second round. During his successful...
.
Early life
Cirillo was born in East Harlem on July 4, 1929 to Colombo crime familyColombo crime family
The Colombo crime family is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
caporegime
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
of Neapolitan-Italian Alphonse Cirillo who served as a made man
Made man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
under Joseph Magliocco
Joseph Magliocco
Joseph Magliocco, also known as "Joe Malayak" was a New York mobster and the boss of the Profaci crime family from 1962 to 1963...
when it was the Profaci crime family. Alphonse was a first generation Italian-American immigrant from Potenza
Potenza
-Transportation:Potenza is a rail junction on the main line from Salerno to Taranto, managed by FS Trenitalia; it has also a connection to Altamura, served by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane regional company...
, Basilicate, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1961, his father Alphonse was implicated in the attempted murder of Lawrence Gallo, a brother of fellow Profaci crime family capo Joseph Gallo. Alphonse, Carmine Persico and Salvatore D'Ambrosio were the suspected attempted murderers, but Gallo refused to cooperate and no one was charged in the attack. His father died of unknown causes sometime before 1963 when Dominick was very young but was later made infamous after he was one of the hundreds of organized crime figures named in the testimony of mob turncoat Joseph Valachi. His father Alphonse through his lifetime had succeeded in never being arrested for a single criminal act except for "criminally receiving" as an early 1960s era organized crime mob family chart had stated. He is the brother of Gaetano "Wheeg" Cirillo and the father-in-law to mob associate John Caggiano. Dominick grew up on East 117th Street in East Harlem and as a teenager dropped out of Benjamin Franklin High School. He was an amateur boxer who boxed at neighborhood youth clubs and briefly pursued a career as a professional middleweight boxer. He was a husky man who stands at 5'10" and grew to be almost 200 pounds by the 1990s. He was a close personal friend and criminal partner of Vincent Gigante
Vincent Gigante
Vincent Gigante was a short lived professional light heavyweight boxer who was known as "The Chin" Gigante. He fought 25 matches and lost four, boxing 121 rounds. On February 19, 1945, he fought Pete Petrello in Madison Square Garden and won by a knock out in the second round. During his successful...
from a young age, who would later become heir to the Genovese crime family of which Dominick served in. Mob soldier Frank "Frank California" Condo and Frederico Giovanelli often laughed at Dominick's choice of clothing attire that was said to be reminiscent of Emmett Kelly
Emmett Kelly
Emmett Leo Kelly , a native of Sedan, Kansas, was an American circus performer, who created the memorable clown figure "Weary Willie", based on the hobos of the Depression era.- Career development :...
's clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
suits.
In 1949, Dominick who at the time was a twenty year old welterweight was knocked out in three matches and had one match drawn before retiring. In 1953, at the age of twenty three he pled guilty to overlooking a clandestine heroin trafficking ring that was said to have grossed up to $20,000 a day. For his drug trafficking conviction he served nearly four years in Federal Correctional Institution, Milan
Federal Correctional Institution, Milan
The Federal Correctional Institution, Milan is a U.S. federal prison in York Charter Township, Michigan, near Milan.This prison is a low-security facility for male inmates. Its adjacent Federal Detention Center houses pretrial and holdover inmates...
in Milan, Michigan
Milan, Michigan
Milan is a city in Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,775 at the 2000 census. About 60% of the city's area and 75% of its residents are located on the Washtenaw County side adjacent to York Township in Washtenaw County; while 40% percent of the...
before returning to East Harlem. Between 1958 and 1965, he was arrested four times for consorting with known criminals, which were all later dismissed. He is married to an Italian-American woman named Bella who bore him two children, Nicholas Cirillo and Anne Marie. His son disappeared after leaving his home to buy compound. It is alleged that he was murdered by Vincent Basciano, Jr., the son of Vincent Basciano and Dominick Cacale at a real estate office in Pelham Bay. It was believed by law enforcement that Dominick would avenge the alleged murder and disappearance of his son, but The New York Daily News would later report that Dominick was unhappy with his son for being convicted of minor drug offenses over the years. On December 4, 2004 Randolph Pizzolo who allegedly bragged about his role in the murder and disappearance of Nicholas was found shot to death. Whenever fellow criminal associates would want to mention Cirillo's name they used an adapted clandestine sign language where they put put their finger to their lips which would mean that they were discussing Dominick. He claimed to be a retired construction worker and said to live off of $510 a month in social security checks. He lived in the Country Club section of the northeast Bronx, near Pelham Bay Park and Eastchester Bay.
Boxing career
Dominick started out as a boxer with future Genovese crime family boss Thomas EboliThomas Eboli
Thomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli was a New York City mobster who eventually became the acting boss of the Genovese crime family.-Early life:...
("Tommy Ryan") as his manager and world heavyweight champion Tommy Ryan
Tommy Ryan
Tommy Ryan was a famed welterweight and middleweight champion boxer who fought from 1887-1907. Ryan was considered an excellent boxer-puncher, and many consider him one of the all time greatest middleweight champions. His won lost record is 86 wins , 3 losses and 6 draws...
worked as his trainer. Cirillo gradually drifted towards the criminal side of the neighborhood, along with another boxer and associate, Vincent "Chin" Gigante. As a boxer he weighed between 151 and 156 pounds. He was an unsuccessful professional middleweight boxer in 1949. His first professional fight was against Matt Ward on March 9, 1949 in White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
which he lost. During his short lived boxing career he boxed sixteen rounds and lost three matches, withdrew from one and won just a single match. While he was a boxer Dominick weighed between 152 and 154 pounds. His last professional boxing match against Johnny Kohan on December 19, 1949 in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. He suffered two knock outs by Matt Ward on March 9, 1949 which was also his first professional match and once again by Emerson Charles on March 23, 1949. His one disqualified match was against Bobby Holt on April 6, 1949 at the Manhattan Center
Manhattan Center
The Manhattan Center building, built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, houses Manhattan Center Studios , its Grand Ballroom, and the Hammerstein Ballroom, one of New York City's most renowned performance venues...
.
Genovese crime family
His first conviction came in 1952, when he was imprisoned on narcotics charges. In subsequent years, he grew closer to Gigante, who was seen, in the mid 1980s, as the de facto boss of the Genovese crime family. While Gigante served as boss on the streets, Cirillo served in a 'messenger' between Gigante and the other caporegimes of the Genovese crime family, as Cirillo's low-key style earned him his nickname "Quiet Dom", and helped him avoid the gaze of the authorities for many years.Gigante's acting boss
After Gigante was imprisoned in 1997 for racketeering and conspiracyConspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
charges, the leadership of the Genovese crime family passed to a committee/ruling panel, known as the "Administration", ostensibly led by Cirillo. In this capacity, Cirillo represented the Genoveses in their dealings with the other Mafia families
Five Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, though Gigante remained in overall charge of the family. In this way, Cirillo served as "acting boss", and was seen by US authorities as the most powerful member of the Genovese family. However, in 1998 Cirillo stepped down as acting boss because of a heart attack, and recovered his position as caporegime of the Genovese crime family that same year.
Nick Cirillo missing
Cirillo's son, Nicholas, who was not believed to be a made man, disappeared on May 9, 2004. Three weeks later his abandoned car was discovered, but Nicholas Cirillo has never been found. Investigators believe the younger Cirillo was killed after he insulted the son of acting Bonanno crime familyBonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano and caporegime Dominick Cicale. It remains unclear whether this would have been allowed to happen without the explicit permission of Dominick Cirillo.
Sources in 2010 say that Dom ordered the death of his drug addicted son on mothers day of 2004
http://gothamist.com/2011/04/23/mob_boss_ordered_son_whacked_on_mot.php
Trial and guilty plea
On October 18, 2005, Cirillo, who again was recognized as "acting boss" for Gigante, and four Genovese capos, Lawrence "Little Larry" DenticoLawrence Dentico
Lawrence Dentico , also known as "Larry Fab","Little Larry" and "The Little Guy", is a New Jersey mobster who is a former captain and consigliere for the Genovese crime family....
, John "Johnny Sausage" Barbato
John Barbato
John "Johnny Sausage" Barbato is a New York City mobster and reputed captain in the Genovese crime family.- Career and NJ exclusion :...
and Anthony "Tico" Antico
Anthony Antico
Anthony "Tico" Antico is a New York mobster and a reputed captain in the Genovese crime family.In 2005, Antico was indicted on federal racketeering charges and racketeering conspiracy, which included murder conspiracy, extortion, loansharking and witness tampering...
, pleaded guilty on charges of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy. Cirillo was sentenced to 48 months in prison and forced to pay $75,000 restitution.
Reputed consigliere
On August 22, 2008, the 79-year-old Cirillo was released from federal prison after serving more than three years. After being "acting boss" following the death of longtime family godfather Vincent "Chin" Gigante in December 2005, he is believed to be ConsigliereConsigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
of the Genovese family.