Book to Reveal Gotti’s Role in ‘Goodfellas’ Murder

[willychichi]

It was time for Tommy ­DeSimone to die.

The mobster — famously portrayed by Joe Pesci in “Goodfellas” — killed two made men, tried to rape the wife of his gangster pal Henry Hill and stupidly lifted his ski mask during 1978’s historic $6 million Lufthansa heist.

So John Gotti took care of it — personally.

The handsome capo used a silencer-equipped Colt .38 to shoot DeSimone three times in the skull in January 1979 in the basement of an Italian restaurant on Arthur Avenue in The Bronx, says an upcoming book, “The Lufthansa Heist,” written by Hill and journalist Daniel Simone.

It’s the first time the details of Gotti’s role in the death of the 28-year-old psychopath have been revealed.

Hill heard the specifics surrounding DeSimone’s murder from Sal Polisi, a Gotti confidant he met in the Witness Protection Program. When Hill collaborated with author Nicholas Pileggi on “Wiseguy,” the 1986 book that was the basis of “Goodfellas,” he withheld the information on De­Simone’s slaying because he feared reprisals from Gotti, who by then had risen to become godfather of the Gambino crime family.

The book by Hill and Simone, due out Aug. 1, also exposes Gotti’s part in the infamous Dec. 11, 1978, holdup of the Lufthansa freight terminal at JFK Airport, the biggest heist in US history at the time. The robbers made off with about $5 million in cash and $1 million in jewelry, none of which was ever recovered.

Read more: http://nypost.com/2015/07/12/new-book-r ... as-murder/

[Hailbritain]

I thought tommy Argo took care of 2 of the desimone brothers

[Hailbritain]

I thought the only two gotti was personally involved in was the vito borelli and Anthony plate murders

[Rocco]

It's a probably horseshit. And of all places in the Bronx..? None of these guys were from the Bronx. TOMMY was more then likely killed on the other side of town in Brooklyn or Queens area.

[bronx]

TWO BULLSHITTERS, don't believe it/

[Ivan]

The real Tommy DeSimone doesn't quite deserve to have the name he has in crime history. If it weren't for the fact that Joe Pesci is capable of being so funny and so scary on camera, very few people would know that DeSimone exists. So it's obvious that whoever is behind this book is mooching off the reputation created by Goodfellas. This fact alone is a testimonial to Pesci's talent, I guess. The writers should send Pesci royalties.

[bronx]

Agree

[East Bronx]

Here's what I posted on the baby board:

Nick Pileggi finished "Wiseguy" in late 1985. The first editions were released on a limited basis in December of 1985, just before Big Paul was hit and the book went national in January of 1986. This is very easy to research. Check with the library of congress, or if you have a first addition check the date.

My point is, it's funny how Hill left all of this bullshit out of the first book. Yet when Gotti became the most visible gangster since Capone, Hill slowly but surely had more and more to say about him. At first, on shows like Geraldo, wearing the stupid rubber nose, fake beard, and hat.

There's a reason that Pileggi had nothing to do with "Gangsters and Goodfellas" or this latest pile of shit, and it's not because he didn't like Hill. By all accounts he did. It's because he knew this was all a bullshit money grab, and he'd have no part in ruining his reputation as a journalist.

Verdict: Bullshit.

[Giacomo_Vacari]

Good Post EB. Even Pileggi knew it was bullshit, but he put what Hill told him in the revised versions. Argo killed Tommy and his brother.

[East Bronx]

Good Post EB. Even Pileggi knew it was bullshit, but he put what Hill told him in the revised versions. Argo killed Tommy and his brother.

Joe Iannuzzi and his ghostwriter made the same claim in "Joe Dogs."

I enjoy that book for one reason. It perfectly captures the Florida hangouts of the late '70s and early '80s. I remember some of those places very, very well. The Diplomat in Hallandale has since become a behemoth, on par with the Fontainebleau. But back then it was small, homey, and wiseguy central.

I was a kid in my early '20s at the time, and we didn't buy our place in Delray Beach until '97. But I've been visiting that part of Florida all my life. I remember Florida pre-Disney when you stayed at a funky motel on A1A, and it was a big deal to get a rubber alligator or a plastic orange juicer that you actually plugged into the orange and squeezed. But they never worked.

[B.]

"Joe Dogs" is a great book in my opinion, though I don't know how accurate it is aside from what was verified by recordings and surveillance. I don't remember any outlandish claims and it has good info on the Colombos and Gambinos in Florida.

Since John Gotti died and the popularity of the mob in pop culture has died down a bit, I am sure we'll continue to see these types of desperate claims. If you've got nothing else to offer, just combine John Gotti with a plotline from Goodfellas and hope it takes off.

Anyone know how involved Hill actually was with Lufthansa? I don't remember seeing his name anywhere on the Asaro indictment but could be wrong.

[rayray]

It has to be horseshit just for the fact that Burke and Vario were just as dangerous as Gotti in the sense of being killers--Hill wasn't afraid to testify against those two.

Was Gotti friends with both made members killed by Tommy D?