John Pennisi Sighting / Sit Down News

[Tonyd621]

In his newest video he claims DeSantis made his money dealing drugs and DeSantis had a shipment of drugs seized in 1991 that involved a land, Air and sea police chase with over 10,000> ks on it, but the people getting arrested didn't drop his name so they didn't tie it back to him

https://youtu.be/QvqB3kUr06E

[Uncle Pete]

Thanks for posting Tony, a lot of info in this video.

Good story about Madonna holding out on a million dollars that Vic wanted to go to Bobby Spinelli and when Vic finds out, he barrs anyone from associating with Madonna and DeSantis takes all of Madonnas street money as a fuck you to him

[TSNYC]

The stories regarding the DeSantis drug shipment, and even Amuso and co whacking up the $4 million from Avellino seemed a bit far fetched. Almost get sense they’re part of game of telephone with embellishing being added to each new story teller

[johnny_scootch]

Thanks for posting Tony, a lot of info in this video.

Good story about Madonna holding out on a million dollars that Vic wanted to go to Bobby Spinelli and when Vic finds out, he barrs anyone from associating with Madonna and DeSantis takes all of Madonnas street money as a fuck you to him

They won't even send him money from the commissary fund! Madonna had quite the rise and fall.

[Shellackhead]

Thanks for posting Tony, a lot of info in this video.

Good story about Madonna holding out on a million dollars that Vic wanted to go to Bobby Spinelli and when Vic finds out, he barrs anyone from associating with Madonna and DeSantis takes all of Madonnas street money as a fuck you to him

Did this happen after Madonna went down for the Meldish murder?

[johnny_scootch]

Thanks for posting Tony, a lot of info in this video.

Good story about Madonna holding out on a million dollars that Vic wanted to go to Bobby Spinelli and when Vic finds out, he barrs anyone from associating with Madonna and DeSantis takes all of Madonnas street money as a fuck you to him

Did this happen after Madonna went down for the Meldish murder?

No it was before.

[Shellackhead]

Thanks for posting Tony, a lot of info in this video.

Good story about Madonna holding out on a million dollars that Vic wanted to go to Bobby Spinelli and when Vic finds out, he barrs anyone from associating with Madonna and DeSantis takes all of Madonnas street money as a fuck you to him

Did this happen after Madonna went down for the Meldish murder?

No it was before.

So all of this happened to him, and then he got out after that 2007 bid & became acting boss again? Lmak

[Tonyd621]

Did Madonna even the $?

[SonnyBlackstein]

So all of this happened to him, and then he got out after that 2007 bid & became acting boss again? Lmak

No. It happened when he went away with DiNapoli in 2015.

The link for the vid is above.

[newera_212]

Pennisi has been one of the only ones, or maybe even the only one out there at all, who I've never once ever said "that doesn't sound right" or "that sounds like bullshit" in response to either a big story he's told, or a little passing anecdote. Pretty much nothing with him has seemed far fetched. With that said, the story about DeSantis being the intended recipient of a shipment of Cocaine in the early 90s that had a street value totaling an 8 figure sum... that was the first time I said to myself "wait...what?"

I'm not sure of DeSantis' age but I think he was a pretty young guy around 91. Not like Lucchese "Class of 91" young where they inducted some guys in their mid 20s - but he was still a pretty young guy and an up-and-comer. He'd participated in at least 1 hit by then and was by all accounts the real deal and not a bum or someone who "didn't deserve" to be made. But, I think it's more probable and likely that DeSantis threw in money on a kilo (or two, three, etc.) that was a part of the much, much larger shipment.

Saying that was "his" drug shipment sounds crazy, unless he was/is one of the biggest Cocaine importers of all time in the NYC area and just happened to never have taken a drug charge in his life.

Before Jimmy Calandra got caught up in the Youtube drama nonsense and was just putting out stories and tales...before they were blatant tall tales...he mentioned that as a kid, DeSantis was around him (and even later married into his family; DeSantis' brother or something like that is an in-law of Calandra). He said DeSantis was a good dude and was always a big money guy, was involved with a lot of stuff to make money, even purchasing a tractor trailer filled with baseball cards in hopes to flip them for profit during the 90s card craze, but he never mentioned drugs (that could be out of respect / protection) and never mentioned that DeSantis could float a multi million dollar coke shipment.

IDK - maybe just hasty wording on Pennisi's part. Not saying he's bullshitting but that was the one thing ever Pennisi has said that made me say "no fucking way." Luccheses have always had a lot of drug guys, even when they were in disarray in the 90s there were guys who were just drug guys. There was an acting boss (maybe 2 acting bosses, not sure when DeFede flipped), a Capo, and an Underboss who all flipped that knew DeSantis. The guy who he was under at one point flipped for christ's sake. You'd think if DeSantis was one of the drug guys, especially on that large of a scale, we would have heard about it somehow.

[johnny_scootch]

Thanks for posting Tony, a lot of info in this video.

Good story about Madonna holding out on a million dollars that Vic wanted to go to Bobby Spinelli and when Vic finds out, he barrs anyone from associating with Madonna and DeSantis takes all of Madonnas street money as a fuck you to him

Did this happen after Madonna went down for the Meldish murder?

No it was before.

So all of this happened to him, and then he got out after that 2007 bid & became acting boss again? Lmak

Your timeline is screwed up. Madonna wasn’t charged with the Meldish murder until 2017 and wasn’t convicted for it until 2019.

[SonnyBlackstein]

Pennisi has been one of the only ones, or maybe even the only one out there at all, who I've never once ever said "that doesn't sound right" or "that sounds like bullshit" in response to either a big story he's told, or a little passing anecdote. Pretty much nothing with him has seemed far fetched. With that said, the story about DeSantis being the intended recipient of a shipment of Cocaine in the early 90s that had a street value totaling an 8 figure sum... that was the first time I said to myself "wait...what?"

I'm not sure of DeSantis' age but I think he was a pretty young guy around 91. Not like Lucchese "Class of 91" young where they inducted some guys in their mid 20s - but he was still a pretty young guy and an up-and-comer. He'd participated in at least 1 hit by then and was by all accounts the real deal and not a bum or someone who "didn't deserve" to be made. But, I think it's more probable and likely that DeSantis threw in money on a kilo (or two, three, etc.) that was a part of the much, much larger shipment.

Saying that was "his" drug shipment sounds crazy, unless he was/is one of the biggest Cocaine importers of all time in the NYC area and just happened to never have taken a drug charge in his life.

Before Jimmy Calandra got caught up in the Youtube drama nonsense and was just putting out stories and tales...before they were blatant tall tales...he mentioned that as a kid, DeSantis was around him (and even later married into his family; DeSantis' brother or something like that is an in-law of Calandra). He said DeSantis was a good dude and was always a big money guy, was involved with a lot of stuff to make money, even purchasing a tractor trailer filled with baseball cards in hopes to flip them for profit during the 90s card craze, but he never mentioned drugs (that could be out of respect / protection) and never mentioned that DeSantis could float a multi million dollar coke shipment.

IDK - maybe just hasty wording on Pennisi's part. Not saying he's bullshitting but that was the one thing ever Pennisi has said that made me say "no fucking way." Luccheses have always had a lot of drug guys, even when they were in disarray in the 90s there were guys who were just drug guys. There was an acting boss (maybe 2 acting bosses, not sure when DeFede flipped), a Capo, and an Underboss who all flipped that knew DeSantis. The guy who he was under at one point flipped for christ's sake. You'd think if DeSantis was one of the drug guys, especially on that large of a scale, we would have heard about it somehow.

+1

Thought the same. That this was "HIS" shipment, no f***** way. Either poorly worded or Chinese whispers.

[gohnjotti]

If i have to hear tom lafanookia say one more time that he is italian american and from NJ i am going to vomit. And all he says is "interesting" after every Penisi statement. He pretends like he knows the streets but it's all from books.

He’s the living embodiment of a wonder bread wop.

I tried listening to this podcast once while driving and I couldn’t finish it, both of them annoy the fuck out of me, Pennisi sitting on his high horse and Lafanookia (I’m gonna call him that from now) who seems like his only frame of reference for organized crime is The Sopranos and The Godfather.

It seems as if the podcast has a pretty active following on here so maybe I’ll give it another go. I guess that Tom dude makes it viewable to the majority of viewers who probably also base their Mafia knowledge off of Hollywood productions.

[NorthBuffalo]

I've listened to Calandra quite a bit and it sounds like most of the guys in the late 80s/early 90s were moving cocaine and crack - especially in Brooklyn. Even Baratta and some of the higher-ups were into cocaine. I think it would be difficult to make a name for yourself during this time period without being involved with drugs - it was the largest money maker for a lot of these blue collar guys who weren't running garbage businesses or construction.

[newera_212]

If i have to hear tom lafanookia say one more time that he is italian american and from NJ i am going to vomit. And all he says is "interesting" after every Penisi statement. He pretends like he knows the streets but it's all from books.

He’s the living embodiment of a wonder bread wop.

I tried listening to this podcast once while driving and I couldn’t finish it, both of them annoy the fuck out of me, Pennisi sitting on his high horse and Lafanookia (I’m gonna call him that from now) who seems like his only frame of reference for organized crime is The Sopranos and The Godfather.

It seems as if the podcast has a pretty active following on here so maybe I’ll give it another go. I guess that Tom dude makes it viewable to the majority of viewers who probably also base their Mafia knowledge off of Hollywood productions.

They might be archived somewhere out there, but the podcast with John and Tom isn't around anymore. I don't even think it's up on youtube, besides Tom randomly uploading small couple minute clips of John talking from older, complete episodes (which feels a little cheap and clickbait'ish).

Not sure what Tom is doing now, but John has been on his own for a while, putting out little ~10 minute clips and stories. John and Tom did some good episodes together though, and from what I remember they got better over time - Tom adapted to critique from listeners and became a better host and interviewer. If you have access to some of the older, full episodes - they are worth a listen IMO. Especially the more targeted, topic specific ones.

Maybe I'm just looking back on the show with rose colored glasses because it was the first "mob podcast" I ever really heard and got into when it was giving live