Pizzonia gets 15 years for murder conspiracy

Dominick "Skinny Dom" Pizzonia, reputed lieutenant within the Gambino Crime Family, was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder, according to a story by Trymaine Lee of the New York Times.

Pizzonia, 65, was convicted in May of involvement in the 1992 killings of Thomas and Rosemarie Uva of Queens (below). The Uvas had been engaging in the dangerous hobby of targeting Mafia clubs for robberies. With the Gambino, Bonanno and Colombo Crime Families all gunning for the couple, they were shot to death on Dec. 24, 1992.

Pizzonia was charged with committing the murders, but a jury found him guilty only of conspiring in them.

Defense attorneys had argued for a prison sentence of no more than 10 years. At sentencing, federal Judge Jack B. Weinstein called Pizzonia "a lifelong member of a vicious gang."

Split verdict in Pizzonia-DiConiglio case

A federal jury in Brooklyn found a reputed Gambino Crime Family captain guilty of plotting to murder Thomas and Rosemarie Uva in 1992, according to a story by Anthony M. DeStefano of Newsday.

Dominick Pizzonia, 65, remains in prison as his attorney appeals the jury verdict. Because he was also convicted of running a gambling enterprise, he could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy.

The jury did not convict Pizzonia of actual participation in the Uva murders, of participation in the June 1988 killing of Frank Boccia, or of two counts of extortion. Pizzonia's co-defendant in the Boccia slaying, Alfred DiConiglio, 77, was found not guilty.

Related MobNews posts:

• Pizzonia / Diconiglio trial update 05-08-07
• Court hears of Boccia slaying in 1988 05-01-07
• Two to stand trial for Uva, Boccia slayings 04-10-07
• Gotti lawyers want to exclude Uva evidence from trial 06-28-06
• Gotti tapes link him & dad to Uva murders 06-23-06

Pizzonia / Diconiglio trial update

Two women were called to the witness stand in New York Monday to poke holes in the federal case against Dominick "Skinny Dom" Pizzonia and Alfred "Freddy Hot" DiConiglio, according to a story by John Marzuli of the New York Daily News.

The two men are accused of the 1998 racketeering murder of Frank "Geeky" Boccia. Pizzonia (to the left of the photo) is individually charged with the slaying of Thomas and Rosemarie Uva on Dec. 24, 1992.

The 78-year-old mother of Pizzonia's mistress testified that Pizzonia could not have committed the Uva killings because he was at her home in Howard Beach helping to prepare the Christmas Eve dinner.

Francine Boccia said prosecutors "overexaggerated" the fight between her mother and her husband in order to create a motive for Boccia's murder. Prosecutors contend that Frank Boccia struck his mother-in-law, the wife of reputed Gambino Crime Family mobster Anthony "Fat Andy" Ruggiano Sr. and was subsequently killed for that offense.

Last week, the Daily News reported details relating to the disposal of Boccia's corpse in the Atlantic Ocean. Thomas "Tommy Flash" Morea described the transportation and gutting of the remains before they were dropped into the water.

Related MobNews posts:

• Court hears of Boccia slaying in 1988 05-01-07
• Two to stand trial for Uva, Boccia slayings 04-10-07
• Gotti lawyers want to exclude Uva evidence from trial 06-28-06
• Gotti tapes link him & dad to Uva murders 06-23-06

Court hears of Boccia slaying in 1988

Anthony Ruggiano Jr. related in Brooklyn federal court yesterday the details of Frank "Geeky" Boccia's 1988 murder, according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News.

Ruggiano, Boccia's brother-in-law and a participant in his murder, was testifying in the trial of Dominic "Skinny Dom" Pizzonia (far left) and Alfred "Freddy Hot" DiConiglio (left). Ruggiano said he, Pizzonia, DiConiglio and the late Anthony "Tony Lee" Guerrieri were jointly responsible for the killing, the result of Boccia beating his mother-in-law (Ruggiano's mother).

According to the testimony, Ruggiano's father and Gambino Crime Family boss John J. Gotti approved the killing. Boccia was lured to a social club run by Pizzonia, where he was shot to death. His body was then taken out into the Atlantic Ocean aboard a mob associate's boat. The body was cut open at the stomach and lungs and then dumped into the water, Ruggiano testified.

Boccia's fight with his mother-in-law occurred after Boccia's daughter's baptism, just a week before his murder.

While Pizzonia and DiConiglio are on trial jointly for Boccia's murder, Pizzonia alone is charged with murdering Thomas and Rosemarie Uva on Christmas Eve of 1992.

Related MobNews posts:

• Two to stand trial for Uva, Boccia slayings 04-10-07
• Gotti lawyers want to exclude Uva evidence from trial 06-28-06
• Gotti tapes link him & dad to Uva murders 06-23-06

Mob turncoat describes fed 'torture'

During courtroom questioning last week, Mafia turncoat Michael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo described the pressure law enforcement agents put on him to testify against his underworld colleagues, according to a story by Stefanie Cohen of the New York Post.

DiLeonardo (right), a former captain in the Gambino Crime Family, revealed that he had been locked in a freezing cell and given uncooked or inedible food.

The informant said, however, that the "torture" did not prompt him to cooperate with authorities. He agreed to testify only after the Gambino organization turned its back on him and tried to manipulate his son, he said.

DiLeonardo was questioned in connection with Dominick "Skinny Dom" Pizzonia's trial for killing Thomas and Rosemarie Uva.

Related MobNews posts:

• Two to stand trial for Uva, Boccia slayings 04-10-07
• Gotti lawyers want to exclude Uva evidence from trial 06-28-06
• Gotti tapes link him & dad to Uva murders 06-23-06

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Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia

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Two to stand trial for Uva, Boccia slayings

Gangland racketeering-murders more than a decade old will soon be tried in Brooklyn federal court, according to a story by William K. Rashbaum of the New York Times.

Dominick Pizzonia (far left), 65, and Alfred "Freddy" DiConiglio, 77, are charged in the case. The two men are jointly accused of the 1988 murder of Frank Boccia. Pizzonia is also charged with the 1992 murders of Thomas and Rosemarie Uva and with gambling and loansharking.

Prosecutors say Pizzonia is a captain in the Gambino Crime Family.

John A. "Junior" Gotti was named as a conspirator in the case yesterday, but he was not officially charged. Gotti has long been mentioned in connection with the Uva slayings, but he has denied any involvement.

Thomas and Rosemarie Uva (right) made a brief but memorable criminal career out of raiding Mafia social clubs in New York. Thomas carried an Uzi submachine gun on the raids, while Rosemarie drove the getaway car. Their career ended on Christmas Eve, 1992, as the couple's car stopped at a red traffic light in Ozone Park, Queens.

Boccia, son-in-law of reputed mobster Anthony Ruggiano, was murdered in June 1988. Rumors linked Boccia's slaying with his physical mistreatment of Ruggiano's wife.

Related MobNews posts:

• Gotti lawyers want to exclude Uva evidence from trial 06-28-06
• Gotti tapes link him & dad to Uva murders 06-23-06

JUST RELEASED: Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia by Thomas Hunt and Martha Macheca Sheldon Click for more information or to order.