LCN hits outside of the U.S.

[slimshady_007]

That Outfit made man killed in South America?

Supposedly wasn't Jay Vandermark killed in Costa Rica by the Chicago mob?

Didn't really happen fellas, as much as I love that scene in Casino. The FBI somehow got the idea (as reported by Roemer in "The Enforcer") that he was hunted down and killed in Latin America. This was combined with the Jerry Lisner hit (the one where Culotta, playing himself in the movie hilariously enough, chased a guy around his house) for the movie. Sadly during Family Secrets it came out that Vandermark was strangled in a motel in Arizona and buried out in the desert somewhere. He's still there, presumably. Someone should erect a monument in his memory.

Wow I never knew that. Always thought the Outfit went out of their way to track the guy down and whack him in Costa Rica. Either way, one of the best scenes in Casino IMO. Did it ever come out who was personally involved in killing Vandermark?

[CornerBoy]

Supposedly wasn't Jay Vandermark killed in Costa Rica by the Chicago mob? And wasn't Phil Abramo from the Decavalcantes linked to a couple murders in the Bahamas?

Abramo hit ppl in Bahamas?

[Ivan]

Wow I never knew that. Always thought the Outfit went out of their way to track the guy down and whack him in Costa Rica. Either way, one of the best scenes in Casino IMO. Did it ever come out who was personally involved in killing Vandermark?

Interesting. I missed that in the Family Secrets trial. Did they provide any info on who they thought did it?

It wasn't intentionally wrong because that's basically what the feds really thought at the time. (Scorsese did combine it with the Lisner hit as he does this a lot - for example, Frankie Carbone in Goodfellas is like three different real-life guys crammed into one character.) The reason the feds originally thought he was killed in South America is because when Vandermark disappeared, he really did skip to Mexico. However, according to Nick Calabrese, at one point he sneaked back in to Arizona for some reason. He was last seen in the company of Emil Vaci, who Calabrese later murdered after he testified before a grand jury about Vandermark. Vaci was the guy who recognized Vandermark when he was back in Arizona and reported him to the Outfit. The reason Vandermark fled was because he skimmed 7 million but only kicked up 4 million (imagine stealing three million bucks from a guy like Aiuppa haha jeezus) and because investigators were on to him. It's unclear who the actual hitman was but FWIW Jimmy LaPietra was the guy who was worried about being linked to Vandermark and Paul Schiro was the Outfit's guy in Phoenix at the time. After they strangled him in the hotel they took him out in a wheelchair so it would look less suspicious and then buried him in the Arizona desert. They whacked Vandermark's son right after he disappeared, too. Here's a couple passages I just carved out of the Family Secrets book:

[Adam]

Supposedly wasn't Jay Vandermark killed in Costa Rica by the Chicago mob? And wasn't Phil Abramo from the Decavalcantes linked to a couple murders in the Bahamas?

Abramo hit ppl in Bahamas?

I really hope I'm not making that up. But I really thought that it's been mentioned on this site that Abramo had ties to a couple murders in Nassau or somewhere else in the Caribbean that involved his stock schemes. Nothing charged, but I thought that was a thing. And I am specifically not mixing them up with the Chalem double murder he gets mentioned about. This was specifically in the Caribbean.

Edited:
This is what I was thinking of: viewtopic.php?p=95361#p95361

The "Possible Unsolved Decavalcante Murder" thread from three years ago. And Bahamas came up and three years ago I remember finding the murders that were being referred to in the thread, but I'm having trouble finding them now.

[PolackTony]

Wow I never knew that. Always thought the Outfit went out of their way to track the guy down and whack him in Costa Rica. Either way, one of the best scenes in Casino IMO. Did it ever come out who was personally involved in killing Vandermark?

Interesting. I missed that in the Family Secrets trial. Did they provide any info on who they thought did it?

It wasn't intentionally wrong because that's basically what the feds really thought at the time. (Scorsese did combine it with the Lisner hit as he does this a lot - for example, Frankie Carbone in Goodfellas is like three different real-life guys crammed into one character.) The reason the feds originally thought he was killed in South America is because when Vandermark disappeared, he really did skip to Mexico. However, according to Nick Calabrese, at one point he sneaked back in to Arizona for some reason. He was last seen in the company of Emil Vaci, who Calabrese later murdered after he testified before a grand jury about Vandermark. Vaci was the guy who recognized Vandermark when he was back in Arizona and reported him to the Outfit. The reason Vandermark fled was because he skimmed 7 million but only kicked up 4 million (imagine stealing three million bucks from a guy like Aiuppa haha jeezus) and because investigators were on to him. It's unclear who the actual hitman was but FWIW Jimmy LaPietra was the guy who was worried about being linked to Vandermark and Paul Schiro was the Outfit's guy in Phoenix at the time. After they strangled him in the hotel they took him out in a wheelchair so it would look less suspicious and then buried him in the Arizona desert. They whacked Vandermark's son right after he disappeared, too. Here's a couple passages I just carved out of the Family Secrets book:

Yeah, even though I don’t believe it’s ever been confirmed, my assumption is that Paulie Schiro was responsible for taking out Vandermark.

[furiofromnaples]

Onofrio "Nono" Minaudo, deported Detroit and Windsor, Ontario mobster, was killed in Trapani, Sicily on May 17th, 1965
Nono Minaudo was involved with many of Detroit's top Italian gangsters in gambling, coin and vending machine rackets, prostitution, labor unions and overall vice in Detroit for many years leading upto the Kefauver investigation in 1949. The investigation revealed Minaudo's underworld stature and eventually led to his deportation. Minaudo crossed the river and began living in Windsor, where he'd continue his career in the rackets, emerging as a top figure of the Windsor faction of the Detroit mafia by 1954. By 1964, Minaudo was deported from Canada and returned to his hometown of Trapani, Sicily, where he'd be murdered shortly after his arrival.

[Adam]

Onofrio "Nono" Minaudo, deported Detroit and Windsor, Ontario mobster, was killed in Trapani, Sicily on May 17th, 1965
Nono Minaudo was involved with many of Detroit's top Italian gangsters in gambling, coin and vending machine rackets, prostitution, labor unions and overall vice in Detroit for many years leading upto the Kefauver investigation in 1949. The investigation revealed Minaudo's underworld stature and eventually led to his deportation. Minaudo crossed the river and began living in Windsor, where he'd continue his career in the rackets, emerging as a top figure of the Windsor faction of the Detroit mafia by 1954. By 1964, Minaudo was deported from Canada and returned to his hometown of Trapani, Sicily, where he'd be murdered shortly after his arrival.

Yeah, I always took that as he was killed for the shit he did while there. I in no way think Minaudo getting killed was a Detroit or other family hit. I don't think it's a Detroit hit if they could have hit him at any time and then they wait till back to Italy? Makes no sense. Seems like Sicily shit.

[Ivan]

Yeah, even though I don’t believe it’s ever been confirmed, my assumption is that Paulie Schiro was responsible for taking out Vandermark.

I am of the opinion that if you steal three million dollars from people like Aiuppa, Balistrieri, and the LaPietras you basically deserve whatever happens to you. That's like playing Russian Roulette with five bullets instead of one. They didn't really hunt him down in Costa Rica as it turns out but they certainly WOULD have if needed.

Anyway found this just now, it's entertaining. Vandermark is the guy under "Jeff" on the Family Secrets book cover also visible at this link.
https://www.phoenixmag.com/2020/04/30/t ... d-mob-hit/

[PolackTony]

Yeah, even though I don’t believe it’s ever been confirmed, my assumption is that Paulie Schiro was responsible for taking out Vandermark.

I am of the opinion that if you steal three million dollars from people like Aiuppa, Balistrieri, and the LaPietras you basically deserve whatever happens to you. That's like playing Russian Roulette with five bullets instead of one. They didn't really hunt him down in Costa Rica as it turns out but they certainly WOULD have if needed.

Anyway found this just now, it's entertaining. Vandermark is the guy under "Jeff" on the Family Secrets book cover also visible at this link.
https://www.phoenixmag.com/2020/04/30/t ... d-mob-hit/

Aiuppa would have you killed for far less, to say the least lol.

Nice article, thanks.

[Ivan]

Yeah, even though I don’t believe it’s ever been confirmed, my assumption is that Paulie Schiro was responsible for taking out Vandermark.

I am of the opinion that if you steal three million dollars from people like Aiuppa, Balistrieri, and the LaPietras you basically deserve whatever happens to you. That's like playing Russian Roulette with five bullets instead of one. They didn't really hunt him down in Costa Rica as it turns out but they certainly WOULD have if needed.

Anyway found this just now, it's entertaining. Vandermark is the guy under "Jeff" on the Family Secrets book cover also visible at this link.
https://www.phoenixmag.com/2020/04/30/t ... d-mob-hit/

Aiuppa would have you killed for far less, to say the least lol.

Nice article, thanks.

I'm sure you guys know this already, but another thing Casino got wrong due to faulty intelligence at the time the movie was made was the Spilotros getting killed in the cornfield instead of just being buried there. That's what everyone thought before Calabrese flipped. There's some other stuff too no one knew when it was made, like Lefty ratting the whole time. They should shoot additional scenes for a special edition with DeNiro calling "Ace's" pals in the FBI using that de-aging software from The Irishman, like how they put Jabba the Hutt back into the original Star Wars when the technology made it possible.

In real life I am a Las Vegas guy who hangs around casinos too much, incidentally, in case anyone's wondering why I'm so interested in Vandermark, skimming, etc.