John Pennisi Sighting / Sit Down News

[MightyDR]

According to Raab’s Five Families book, Vitale also testified that Massino told him that even if they were someday convicted of the three capos murders, he would still enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that he had bumped off Napolitano in retaliation for a blunder that disgraced and endangered the entire family.

Frank Lino and Frank Coppa were also involved in the murder but I can’t seem to find if they testified about the reason why he was hit. Does anyone know if they gave their opinion?

There is obviously a lot of evidence pointing to Sonny Black being killed because of Joe Pistone, but to me that makes Massino’s alternative reason more interesting. Not saying he has always told the truth, but there’s just no reason to lie about it. Saying that the murder was over a leadership play doesn’t make Massino look any better in front of the jury or a judge. If anything it would piss off the feds and get him in trouble because it goes against the narrative they and other witnesses have been pushing for years.

[PaddyWhack]

If Sonny wasn’t killed for Pistone, why cut his hands off?

[Shellackhead]

If Sonny wasn’t killed for Pistone, why cut his hands off?

For greed he was probably stealing money from the family as well, I was thinking about that the other day

[SonnyBlackstein]

If Sonny wasn’t killed for Pistone, why cut his hands off?

I'm quite sure his hands werent cut off. That was a rumour from severe decomposition. IIRC.

[Pogo The Clown]

Yes the autopsy showed that he lost parts of some fingers due to decomposition. This got spun in the press as his hands being cut off and it took off from there.


Pogo

[B.]

There was also evidence his fingers had been eaten/chewed by animals given where his body was disposed of, which may have added to the initial impression they were severed.

Vitale's account is a worthy part of the conversation but in addition to his own admitted memory issues, he wasn't a member yet and not part of the decision making process. The only people who could really challenge Massino's testimony are Cannone, Farrugia, and Rastelli who would have to rise from the grave to do so.

[SonnyBlackstein]

Vitale's account is a worthy part of the conversation but in addition to his own admitted memory issues, he wasn't a member yet and not part of the decision making process.

"Vitale wasnt a member and part of the decision making process."
Which has nothing to do with anything.

Vitale testified about what Massino told him directly. You know the guy who was a member and part of the decision making process.
"I have to give Sonny a receipt for the Donnie Brasco thing."
&
Vitale also testified that Massino told him that even if they were someday convicted of the three capos murders, he would still enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that he had bumped off Napolitano in retaliation for a blunder that disgraced and endangered the entire family.

But you know, doesnt fit the narrative so let's ignore.

[B.]

If you don't trust Massino that's okay, brother. That seems to be the root of the issue.

Personally I happen to think Massino's testimony corresponds to some other info from various sources that accumulated over the years and puts things in context, plus none of the other CWs were in the position he was at the time to know certain details. I don't think their POV should be ruled out, it's all part of the discussion, but the trouble with this subject is there are a lot of conflicting accounts (just go through FBI informant reports) especially when it comes to why people were killed and sometimes people are killed for multiple reasons.

I'd actually say discrepancies between sources are the norm when it comes to mafia murders and in this case a top capain, ruling panel member, and later boss broke it down for us. He might have an agenda but I found his testimony refreshingly straightforward and we're lucky to have it. Hopefully he talks more about these events.

[dack2001]

Joe Massino was looking out only for Joe Massino. I'm sure there were several reasons for the hit including that Sonny Black was a threat to Big Joe, who was heading off to prison. Sonny Black also failed to vet Joe Pistone and proposed him for membership, which is also a good reason to clip him. Once Massino made his play to become a rat in jail, he had every incentive to maximize the motive for the hit being for his own protection and greed minimize the hit being done for Sonny Black bringing around an FBI agent. Imagine, the FBI and the Justice Department give a deal to a guy who put a 500K bounty on an agents head? Killed a guy for bringing the agent around? Massino was selling a bill of goods to the FBI and Justice Department from the beginning. He framed Basciano for the threats against the Judge and then used him as a springboard to get himself out of jail. Within the context of the "life", Joe Massino is a huge fucking scumbag. As for life in general, he's a huge fucking scumbag.

[SonnyBlackstein]

If you don't trust Massino that's okay, brother. That seems to be the root of the issue.

If you dont trust Sal Vitale, thats okay. That seems to be the root of the issue.

[SonnyBlackstein]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC2YAem ... itdownnews

New sitdown news on Frank Lastorino getting shelved.

[B.]

Before we go back to Pennisi full time, just a few closing remarks since the Massino debate is an interesting one.

- Massino was outranked by at least three people, arguably four if we count Sonny Black as the "top captain" per Ruggiero (a position akin to street boss that was previously held by guys like Marangello). Massino did not have the authority to issue murder contracts, so there is no argument to be made that Joe Massino was the final word on any of these murders.

- Sonny Red, Sonny Black, and Phil Giaccone were originally Rastelli loyalists with a longer and deeper history with Rastelli than Massino. Indelicato and Napolitano were associates of Rastelli long before he was boss and Giaccone was a soldier in Rastelli's decina after the Bonanno war. Massino was a latecomer, only becoming an associate of Rastelli in the early-mid 1970s shortly before Rastelli went to prison. If Massino was throwing his weight around and ordering murders on his own, we'd be reading about his murder in the early 1980s alongside the other former Rastelli loyalists who made powerplays.

- If Massino wanted to deflect blame, all he had to do is say Rastelli, Cannone, and Farrugia wanted Napolitano and Mirra killed because of Donnie Brasco and that he, Massino, was just following orders as a loyal captain. Massino cooperated after the other CWs and knew they gave different accounts as to why these people were murdered, so if it were just about protecting himself he could have simply said the administration was to blame. That would have been a much easier lie and had the same net result.

- Massino was trying to literally save his life (death penalty) and knew that lying on the stand could have a draconian response, so the idea that he'd draft up elaborate stories to deflect blame knowing it conflicted with other CWs is pretty silly for someone alleged to be a Machiavellian mastermind.

- Massino admitted legal responsibility for all of these murders and readily admitted to being a co-conspirator. He didn't absolve himself of the crime of murder itself and we have no basis for believing his cooperation agreement would be impacted by the motivation for these murders. The FBI knew Massino was a member of a mafia Family who detested LE and informants, so it likely wouldn't phase them even if mafia members had been killed for letting an undercover agent get too close.

- Massino outranked the other CWs and was directly involved in these conspiracies by his own admission, so he was in a unique position when it came to knowledge of the different murder plots.

I'm not opposed to psychoanalyzing or questioning CWs, I probably do it to an unhealthy degree myself, but Massino was outranked by multiple people and didn't have the authority to kill people on his own so it doesn't make sense that he'd come up with these elaborate stories to make himself look good to the FBI.

[SonnyBlackstein]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snv2grJ ... itdownnews

30 min interview with Scott Dietche

[sdeitche]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snv2grJ ... itdownnews

30 min interview with Scott Dietche

Thanks for posting

[B.]

Great interview, Scott.