THE BLACK HAND FORUM

Antiliar wrote: ↑Wed Aug 16, 2023 5:58 pm

PolackTony wrote: ↑Wed Aug 16, 2023 4:30 pm

Ed wrote: ↑Wed Aug 16, 2023 3:17 pm

PolackTony wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 11:27 pm

davidf1989 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 11:17 pm Also was Bompensiero and Piscopo valuable CI's for the Feds?

Yes, Bompensiero in particular being one of the single most valuable CIs the FBI had in this period as he knew members in Families around the country and was basically reporting his conversations with guys directly to the FBI. Bomp is also very valuable to us as researchers, and not just for LA. For example, we’ve learned more about Chicago from Bomp’s intel, arguably, than from the Chicago CIs in this period.

Tony's right. I can't recall the precise wording, but the FBI referred to Bompensiero as their most valuable Mafia CI circa 1967. I think by then, Scarpa had temporarily stopped working with the bureau.

Although we have the FBI's word that Bompensiero was their top CI, the randomness and limitations of the FBI intelligence reports on MF (the documents are summaries) can skew our opinion of a source's productivity if we are making a judgment based solely on publicly available records. (Not that you are.)

We know from the FBI vaults that Scarpa was furnishing reams of blockbuster Intel in the first half of the 1960s, but his informant symbol code turns up relatively infrequently in declassified intelligence reports on MF during this period. NY 3461 wouldn't impress you much if you didn't know better.

Good point about Scarpa of course. I forget her name at the moment, but I once saw a doc on Whitey Bulger where this woman who had previously investigated Scarpa’s shenanigans with the FBI stated that she had to file an FOIA suit to force the Feds to release his full record which amounted to some 10ks of pages that she had never seen previously.

That was Angela Clemente who sued to get the Scarpa files.

PolackTony wrote: ↑Wed Aug 16, 2023 4:30 pm

Ed wrote: ↑Wed Aug 16, 2023 3:17 pm

PolackTony wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 11:27 pm

davidf1989 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 11:17 pm Also was Bompensiero and Piscopo valuable CI's for the Feds?

Yes, Bompensiero in particular being one of the single most valuable CIs the FBI had in this period as he knew members in Families around the country and was basically reporting his conversations with guys directly to the FBI. Bomp is also very valuable to us as researchers, and not just for LA. For example, we’ve learned more about Chicago from Bomp’s intel, arguably, than from the Chicago CIs in this period.

Tony's right. I can't recall the precise wording, but the FBI referred to Bompensiero as their most valuable Mafia CI circa 1967. I think by then, Scarpa had temporarily stopped working with the bureau.

Although we have the FBI's word that Bompensiero was their top CI, the randomness and limitations of the FBI intelligence reports on MF (the documents are summaries) can skew our opinion of a source's productivity if we are making a judgment based solely on publicly available records. (Not that you are.)

We know from the FBI vaults that Scarpa was furnishing reams of blockbuster Intel in the first half of the 1960s, but his informant symbol code turns up relatively infrequently in declassified intelligence reports on MF during this period. NY 3461 wouldn't impress you much if you didn't know better.

Good point about Scarpa of course. I forget her name at the moment, but I once saw a doc on Whitey Bulger where this woman who had previously investigated Scarpa’s shenanigans with the FBI stated that she had to file an FOIA suit to force the Feds to release his full record which amounted to some 10ks of pages that she had never seen previously.

Ed wrote: ↑Wed Aug 16, 2023 3:17 pm

PolackTony wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 11:27 pm

davidf1989 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 11:17 pm Also was Bompensiero and Piscopo valuable CI's for the Feds?

Yes, Bompensiero in particular being one of the single most valuable CIs the FBI had in this period as he knew members in Families around the country and was basically reporting his conversations with guys directly to the FBI. Bomp is also very valuable to us as researchers, and not just for LA. For example, we’ve learned more about Chicago from Bomp’s intel, arguably, than from the Chicago CIs in this period.

Tony's right. I can't recall the precise wording, but the FBI referred to Bompensiero as their most valuable Mafia CI circa 1967. I think by then, Scarpa had temporarily stopped working with the bureau.

Although we have the FBI's word that Bompensiero was their top CI, the randomness and limitations of the FBI intelligence reports on MF (the documents are summaries) can skew our opinion of a source's productivity if we are making a judgment based solely on publicly available records. (Not that you are.)

We know from the FBI vaults that Scarpa was furnishing reams of blockbuster Intel in the first half of the 1960s, but his informant symbol code turns up relatively infrequently in declassified intelligence reports on MF during this period. NY 3461 wouldn't impress you much if you didn't know better.

PolackTony wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 11:27 pm

davidf1989 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 11:17 pm Also was Bompensiero and Piscopo valuable CI's for the Feds?

Yes, Bompensiero in particular being one of the single most valuable CIs the FBI had in this period as he knew members in Families around the country and was basically reporting his conversations with guys directly to the FBI. Bomp is also very valuable to us as researchers, and not just for LA. For example, we’ve learned more about Chicago from Bomp’s intel, arguably, than from the Chicago CIs in this period.

davidf1989 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 11:17 pm Also was Bompensiero and Piscopo valuable CI's for the Feds?

B. wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 9:24 pm Yes, I meant George White not Bill White.

davidf1989 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 2:07 am

B. wrote: ↑Wed Aug 09, 2023 10:22 am One of the issues with Fratianno is that he tried to arrange a transfer to Chicago that later went unrecognized but during this period he was sort of in limbo where he, Bompensiero, and Roselli regarded him as a Chicago member but later when Licata investigated it, it turned out he was never officially with Chicago. So before Licata followed up on it he perceived Fratianno as an "outsider" trying to make moves in LA's territory.

The Frank Balistrieri who lived in San Diego was the famous Frank's uncle. Both of them were friends with Bompensiero, who was from Milwaukee and a paesan of them.

Thanks for your reply B and when did Bompensiero become the boss of the rackets in San Diego?

B. wrote: ↑Wed Aug 09, 2023 10:22 am One of the issues with Fratianno is that he tried to arrange a transfer to Chicago that later went unrecognized but during this period he was sort of in limbo where he, Bompensiero, and Roselli regarded him as a Chicago member but later when Licata investigated it, it turned out he was never officially with Chicago. So before Licata followed up on it he perceived Fratianno as an "outsider" trying to make moves in LA's territory.

The Frank Balistrieri who lived in San Diego was the famous Frank's uncle. Both of them were friends with Bompensiero, who was from Milwaukee and a paesan of them.

B. wrote: ↑Wed Aug 09, 2023 10:22 am One of the issues with Fratianno is that he tried to arrange a transfer to Chicago that later went unrecognized but during this period he was sort of in limbo where he, Bompensiero, and Roselli regarded him as a Chicago member but later when Licata investigated it, it turned out he was never officially with Chicago. So before Licata followed up on it he perceived Fratianno as an "outsider" trying to make moves in LA's territory.

The Frank Balistrieri who lived in San Diego was the famous Frank's uncle. Both of them were friends with Bompensiero, who was from Milwaukee and a paesan of them.