by gohnjotti » Wed Mar 29, 2023 4:58 pm
Interesting. I don't have much information on Funzi but there's probably lots out there. He was driving Carmine Persico in May 1963 when the pair were ambushed by the Gallos and shot, but both survived. That is where Carmine infamously spat out the bullet. In 1972, Funzi was linked to the dodgy Kings Lafayette Bank who were accused of giving preferential treatment to wiseguys for loans, despite poor credit ratings, long criminal records and frequent false information. D'Ambrosio borrowed $15,000 from this bank. The FBI said they believed this money (not specifically Funzi's loan, but the wiseguy loans in general) was being used for loansharking. He was already into his fifties when he was arrested in 1975 for selling $9 million in stolen US Treasury bills, which had been received from a bank robbery two years prior.
In 1991, Greg Scarpa identified him as being in Patty Amato's crew, alongside guys like Bobo Malpeso, Joe Black Gorgone and current captain Joey Amato (Greg didn't name Joey as a crew member at the time but later evidence established he was). During the war, Funzi joined the Orena faction and was one of six representatives who met with the Persico faction in Oct. 1991 to try and make peace (unsuccessfully).
Funzi was caught on surveillance in 1998 inside the Torrese Social Club, as part of the FBI investigation into captain Benjamin Castellazzo's gambling activities. Joe Competiello also testified that Funzi was present at his induction ceremony in 2004, but could not recall if Funzi was a captain or a soldier. It's not unusual for soldiers to be present at induction ceremonies, just like Vincent Febbraro was also at the ceremony, and Dino Saracino and Ralph Scopo Jr. would attend ceremonies as soldiers the following year.
There is a possibility, however, that in 2004 he was an acting captain on behalf of Benjamin Castellazzo, who was likely still on supervised release by that point, having been arrested in 2000 for in the Torrese Social Club bust. Castellazzo was a captain prior to his arrest, and was back in that position by 2007 at the latest. Funzi was getting well into his eighties by this point, and never cropped up in the big Colombo busts of 2008 and 2011. It's also important to note that in 2009, Castellazzo inducted close associate Sal Castagno to serve as his new acting captain, indicating a possible changing of the guard due to Funzi's old age.
Interesting. I don't have much information on Funzi but there's probably lots out there. He was driving Carmine Persico in May 1963 when the pair were ambushed by the Gallos and shot, but both survived. That is where Carmine infamously spat out the bullet. In 1972, Funzi was linked to the dodgy Kings Lafayette Bank who were accused of giving preferential treatment to wiseguys for loans, despite poor credit ratings, long criminal records and frequent false information. D'Ambrosio borrowed $15,000 from this bank. The FBI said they believed this money (not specifically Funzi's loan, but the wiseguy loans in general) was being used for loansharking. He was already into his fifties when he was arrested in 1975 for selling $9 million in stolen US Treasury bills, which had been received from a bank robbery two years prior.
In 1991, Greg Scarpa identified him as being in Patty Amato's crew, alongside guys like Bobo Malpeso, Joe Black Gorgone and current captain Joey Amato (Greg didn't name Joey as a crew member at the time but later evidence established he was). During the war, Funzi joined the Orena faction and was one of six representatives who met with the Persico faction in Oct. 1991 to try and make peace (unsuccessfully).
Funzi was caught on surveillance in 1998 inside the Torrese Social Club, as part of the FBI investigation into captain Benjamin Castellazzo's gambling activities. Joe Competiello also testified that Funzi was present at his induction ceremony in 2004, but could not recall if Funzi was a captain or a soldier. It's not unusual for soldiers to be present at induction ceremonies, just like Vincent Febbraro was also at the ceremony, and Dino Saracino and Ralph Scopo Jr. would attend ceremonies as soldiers the following year.
There is a possibility, however, that in 2004 he was an acting captain on behalf of Benjamin Castellazzo, who was likely still on supervised release by that point, having been arrested in 2000 for in the Torrese Social Club bust. Castellazzo was a captain prior to his arrest, and was back in that position by 2007 at the latest. Funzi was getting well into his eighties by this point, and never cropped up in the big Colombo busts of 2008 and 2011. It's also important to note that in 2009, Castellazzo inducted close associate Sal Castagno to serve as his new acting captain, indicating a possible changing of the guard due to Funzi's old age.