Cantarella on Gunner Lindbloom's show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HdTXOwbXPM
Thought I'd throw some notes on here as it goes well with the testimony.
- Still has a very favorable opinion of Joe Massino to this day. Says Massino never reached into his (Cantarella's) pockets for money. He said the only reason he flipped was to stay out of prison not because of anything personal toward Massino. Says he "fell in love with the man."
- Also very fond of Sal Vitale still. He said when Massino turned against Vitale, Massino told Cantarella he wanted to kill Vitale. Cantarella told Massino to let him know if he needed help with it and Massino said either way he (Massino) wanted to be the one to pull the trigger. Cantarella says he doesn't know "one tenth" of the full story but it sounds like he feels Massino went overboard.
- Says his uncle Al Walker didn't tell the Bonanno leadership that Cantarella participated in the Mirra hit. He feels if Walker had told them he would have been made sooner.
- Says Shellackhead wasn't a real nickname, just a code name Robert Perrino and one other guy at the Post used when talking about him. Says the nickname was blown out of proportion when he was arrested in the 1990s and nobody called him that or any other nickname.
- Says he 100% misses being in the life. He clarifies he doesn't miss doing bad things but misses being part of the mafia as a "club" and being treated with respect where he went.
- He says it was Vitale who proposed Paul Cantarella for membership, at least initially, as Paul got close to Sal when Cantarella was in jail in the 1990s.
- When talking about associate Barry Weinberg, he says Jews "don't think like us" when it comes to cooperating with LE. Feels they give info more freely.
- Mentions his own relatives cooperating against him and has a serious beef with his sister and brother-in-law, who he says cooperated against him and took his mother's house from him. Says he loves Joe Massino more than his own blood family. Doesn't mention cousin Joey D'Amico who also cooperated, though it was Cantarella who cooperated first -- would be curious about his thoughts on this.
- Joe Butch Corrao was Paul Cantarella's baptismal godfather. Frank DeCicco tried to arrange for Richard Cantarella to transfer association to the Gambinos but the Bonannos wouldn't release him.
- He says he barely remembers what was going on in the organization when he was a high-ranking member. He had forgotten that he was on a three-man panel at one point and was in consideration for underboss. He said thirteen years later it was all "vague" to him. He had five captains reporting to him at one point on the panel.
- Paul Cantarella is working on a book with help from Gunner Lindbloom. Richard Cantarella has been approached to write a book by multiple people but isn't interested and again says his memory of the life isn't great.
- Richard says he was one of two Italians at Riker's Island in 1994. He avoided the yard and mess hall because he was afraid of being stabbed. A Latin King befriended Cantarella and put him under his protection so he could hang out in the yard.
- Cantarella has never cooked in his life. He mentioned this in a story about getting ahold of one egg in prison.
- Cantarella says they used to meet up for dinner at a restaurant in Brooklyn at the same location where an old time boss (Joe Masseria) was murdered, near Nathan's. The first time Cantarella met with Massino after they were both out of prison in the 1990s was at this restaurant. I believe he said it was called Virgilio's or something similar.
- He says he found out Massino is living in some state all by himself, so Cantarella invited Massino to come live with Cantarella and his family. He said Massino became paranoid about the idea, however, as he wasn't sure who Cantarella sees and meets with. He says Massino's family disowned him.
- Says he and Massino and their wives used to go out on Friday nights. Cantarella used to turn his back when Massino would meet people so he doesn't overhear things, but Massino told Cantarella he wouldn't have him with him if he didn't want him to hear what was said. Says Tony Graziano didn't like that Cantarella became so close to Massino.
- As an associate, Cantarella attended a dinner shortly after the Castellano murder where Gene Gotti came in and met with Massino, where apparently the Gotti faction learned it was safe to come out of hiding. Afterward, Cantarella was told it was embarrassing he didn't leave the table as everyone else there was a made guy and he should have gotten up and left while they talked.
- Cantarella reported directly to Vitale when he was made but when Massino got out he tried to fish for dirt on Vitale and encouraged Cantarella to cool off his relationship with Vitale. Other members accused Cantarella of being disrespectful to Vitale, but Cantarella says it was on Massino's orders.
- Cantarella isn't in touch with Sal Vitale and doesn't know where he is. He thinks Sal is in Florida.
- Lindbloom mentioned how Gravano is in Arizona like the Cantarellas and Cantarella said "nothing against Sammy" but indicated he didn't want to be involved with him.
