Women Killed by the American Mafia

[furiofromnaples]

1934 - Michele Maggio found his second wife Anne in bed with his son Joseph from another marriage. Maggio killed them both before surrendering to authorities and receiving a five year sentence

April 19,1938 - Thelma Giroux was a showgirl from L.A. who hooked up with Genovese mobster Johnny "The Bug" Stopelli. She allegedly committed suicide by jumping out naked from a window while Stopelli in the building.

February 2, 1943 - Estelle Evelyn Carey.She worked as the “head dice girl” at The Colony casino in Chicago, at 744 N. Rush Street, had dated the club owner, mobster Nick Dean, and sidelined as a photographer’s model. Members of the local underworld knew Carey as “Nick Dean’s girl”.
She was first stabbed with an ice pick several times, than they broke her jaw, cut her with a knife and also burned her with an electric iron, and in the end the killers poured flammable liquid on her legs and set them on fire. The poor girl was screaming so hard that her heart immediately stopped from the pain and she finally died.

May 8,1943 - Cecelia Ashley was a witness of the double murder of Danny Stanton and Louis Dorman,both feared Chicago Outfit killer.She was going to the police before disappeare.

August 5, 1957 - Amelia "Molly" Zelko was a 47-year-old reporter for the Joliet Spectator.Zelko frequently wrote articles about mobsters, political corruption, and gambling.on August 5, 1957, Amelia Molly Zelko was attacked and kidnapped while she was entering her car in front of her home. Her shoes were found kicked off on the sidewalk and her car keys were in their usual place underneath the driver’s seat, which tells us that she was attacked as soon as she entered the car.

December 2, 1958 - Bess Greenbaum, wife of Las Vegas casino boss Gus Greenbaum was killed in Phoenix with her husband.

September 25,1959 -Janice Drake.A dancer and the wife of comedian Allan Drake, she competed as Miss New Jersey in the 1944 Miss America Pageant. She was in the car that mobster Anthony (Little Augie Pisano) Carfano was driving when they were both shot to death by two men of the Genovese Crime Family. Vito Genovese ordered Carfano's murder because Carfano refused to meet with him after he took control of the Family in 1957. The only reason Janice Drake was murdered was because she was in the car and the killers didn't want any witnesses.

1962 - Philip Rastelli's wife Connie,was believed to have been killed in 1962 after she became a Federal informer. Mrs. Rastelli, who had been angered over her husband's suspected infidelities, began telling Federal investigators about the family's criminal activities. Her body was never found.

June 16, 1975 – Chicago mob associate Harry (The Hat) Holzer and his girlfriend Linda Turner are shot to death inside their Michigan home. Holzer was the co-owner of South Chicago Auto Parts with Outfit heavy Steve (Stevie O) Ostrowsky, one of the organizers of the mafia takeover of the chop shop rackets. According to FBI records, Holzer left the Windy City months prior to his slaying after he survived a robbery and murder attempt at the auto parts store authorities suspected Ostrowesky of setting in motion. Their one-time partner-in-crime, Harry (The Cat) Carson was blown up in a car bomb in 1969.

November 9, 1975 - Tamara Rand - A widowed investor, she loaned a casino operator (who was actually a front man for the Mafia in Las Vegas) named Allen Glick, $500k USD to set up an investment. Glick embezzled the money and Rand threatened to take him to court. She was shot on November 9, 1975 in her home in San Diego in what was an apparent attempt by the Mafia to silence her.

February 6, 1976 - Rita Payonk was found shot two times at the back of her head and four times in the chest, while being seated and slumped over the wheel of her car.She was killed because was working in mob controlled catering business and someone was stealing and there was an informant.Payonk was an innocent victim.

July 26, 1977 - Cherie Golden, a 19-year-old brown-haired beauty with brown eyes and a cherubic smile who had won a Twiggy look-alike contest. She was wooed by John Quinn, a married mobster with six kids on Long Island, who showed Cherie off in Little Italy restaurants.Quinn was invited to a mob meeting in a Brooklyn tavern with Roy DeMeo, his boss in the car racket and the Gambino family's ace killer. Quinn brought Cherie along and left her outside in his car. He went inside and was promptly put to sleep with a silencer equipped gun.Cherie did not hear the shot. Two of the mob's members came to the car and started flirting with her, one on each side of the vehicle. As one of the men distracted the young girl, she turned her head toward him and the other one drew a gun and shot her in the brain. As her head whipped around, she took another bullet in the face. The killers disposed of her body, removing her halter top just to give the police a possible sexual angle to investigate.
Unfortunately, he also took Cherie along while negotiating the purchase of hot cars and to a number of chop shops he ran. His superiors in the mob did not like that and warned Quinn to dump Cherie. He refused and then got in severe legal trouble. Suddenly he looked like a prime candidate for becoming a turncoat, and that made Quinn an obvious hit candidate.

February 10,1979 - Theresa Ferrara,girlfriend of Thomas DeSimone. It was believed DeSimone had told Ferrara about the Lufthansa heist, and so she was murdered to prevent her from becoming an informant. Her dismembered remains were found floating offshore of Toms River, New Jersey in 1979, She was identified by the serial numbers on her breast implants.

March 1979 - Joanne Carfora - Murdered along with her husband Louis Carfora in the aftermath of the Lufthansa, likely at the behest of Jimmy Burke, the mastermind of the robbery, or his Mafia boss, Paul Vario Sr.

July 2, 1980 - William Dauber was a Chicago Outfit associate in the South Side chop shop ring.His wife Charlotte’s sin was that when he told her his business, she listened, and then she mouthed off in a bar about his troubles.Dauber agreed to testify but was killed along his wife.

May 27,1981 - Chelsais Bouras, head of Philadelphia's "Greek Mob", is killed by gunman along with his girlfriend Jeannette Curro in a South Philadelphia restaurant, allegedly by Scarfo gunman.

Jan. 6, 1982 - Veronica Zuraw,a former nun was killed in her kitchen by a shotgun blast that penetrated the second-floor door and walls of her home in Brooklyn.The killer is Thomas Gioeli that was trying to kill Peraino father and son.

July 18, 1984 - Joanna Lombardo - A girlfriend of the primary executioner involved in “cleaning up” after the Lufthansa heist, Angelo Sepe. Not only murdered because of what she may have known about the heist, but also because she was a criminal herself and was involved in several drug ripoffs that affected Sepe’s employers, the Lucchese crime family.

August 1984 - Evelina Mancuso was killed by his husband Michael Mancuso.

September 25,1984 - Mary Bari,a former girlfriend of then Colombo consigliere Alphonse Persico. When Persico went into hiding to avoid an indictment, the family decided to kill Bari out of concern that she knew Persico's location. Bari was lured into Carmine Sessa's social club Occasions on the pretext of a job interview. When Bari arrived, Sessa shot her three times in the head.

September 1987 - Phyllis Burdi, a drug addict, was shot at point blank range by Thomas Pitera because he held her responsible for the death of his wife from a drug overdose.Burdi murder was testified by Frank Gangi for have a short sentence.

December 18, 1988 - Joann Gasic was killed in her apartment together with Carmine Sarlo by Joseph Bravieri and Richard Zuniga that under influence of booze and cocaine tried to take control of Gasic cocaine ring.

December 24,1992 - Thomas and Rosemarie Uva a couple that robbed several mob socials club thinking that the mob was decling and won't be retaliations.Instead they was killed by Gambino soldier Dominick Pizzonia.

february 20, 1993 - Judith Shemtov killed by Thomas Reynolds a Bonnano associate during a home invasion.

November 1996 - Aislin Silva. Paul DeCologero a member of Boston mob crew ordered to kill the girl that could be a potential informant with an heroin overdose.The thing went wrong so he was strangulated by Derek A. Capozzi.

[furiofromnaples]

Thanks to friends of Gangsterbb.net for help,especially Toodoped.

[Antiliar]

You could add that Frank Schweihs killed his girlfriend 18-year-old Eugenia Pappas in 1962. Her murder was investigated by corrupt cop and Outfit guy Richard Cain, and Schweihs wasn't charged.

Allegedly Schweihs killed Pappas because he blabbed that he killed Marilyn Monroe. If you believe he also killed Monroe then that would be two names to add. Personally, I have no opinion on it, but I can't rule it out.

[Adam]

Detroit:

1945: Lydia Thompson
1968: Judith Ruggirello
1968: Shirley and Susan Robison
1972: Agnes Brush
1976: Janice Stevens
1985: Colleen Marie Smith
1985: Camille Stabile

These are the ones from Detroit that could conceivably have been killed by the Detroit mob or by fringe players in the mob. I'll say that I don't believe the Camille Stabile or the Shirley and Susan Robison murders were Detroit mob related.

[Ivan]

Bitches ain't shit in Detroit it looks like.

Some (I think) unproven ones:

A couple of girls are rumored to have been collateral damage in a hit in Florida ordered by the (lolz) Docile Don, Angelo Bruno. Never heard this corroborated or any actual names provided, so it might be internet BS.

Crystal Quinn in 2023 is suspected to have been given a hot dose by Buffalo-adjacent elements.

Also quick note, Theresa Ferrara from what I understand was mainly killed for skimming (along with Richard Eaton and possibly one Thomas Monteleone) Lufthansa money she was supposed to be laundering, though I'm sure tying up a loose end for the robbery factored in it.

[cavita]

August 8, 1962 32 year old Octavio Martinez and his 18 year old girlfriend Ann Bergman were forced into a car outside the mob owned Town Lounge. Martinez was shot and killed and his body dumped in the middle of Beltline Road. Bergman’s body was found a week later in some brush on a little traveled farm road outside Byron, Illinois. Martinez was suspected of helping run numbers for both the Rockford and Chicago LCN and somehow ran afoul. A police detective later said that Rockford LCN member Phil Priola was a prime suspect in the murder and his description matched that of a man Martinez was talking with inside the Town Lounge.

[cavita]

August 8, 1962 32 year old Octavio Martinez and his 18 year old girlfriend Ann Bergman were forced into a car outside the mob owned Town Lounge. Martinez was shot and killed and his body dumped in the middle of Beltline Road. Bergman’s body was found a week later in some brush on a little traveled farm road outside Byron, Illinois. Martinez was suspected of helping run numbers for both the Rockford and Chicago LCN and somehow ran afoul. A police detective later said that Rockford LCN member Phil Priola was a prime suspect in the murder and his description matched that of a man Martinez was talking with inside the Town Lounge.

[Ivan]

Mary Ann Vrancich, March 11 1960, collateral damage in the hit on her boyfriend Sandy Naples in Youngstown, Ohio.

[NorthBuffalo]

Chicago: 62 - Lydia Abshire killed in Elmwood Park riding w/Scavo brothers. Their killers would be tortured by a young Tony Spilotro and Mario DeStefano in the M&M murders - the head in the vice.

[Ivan]

Chicago: 62 - Lydia Abshire killed in Elmwood Park riding w/Scavo brothers. Their killers would be tortured by a young Tony Spilotro and Mario DeStefano in the M&M murders - the head in the vice.

I thought that was Spilotro and Nicoletti? There's a quote in the Casino book where Spilotro is impressed by Nicoletti eating pasta while watching the guy's eye pop out, could be BS though.

[furiofromnaples]

Bitches ain't shit in Detroit it looks like.

Some (I think) unproven ones:

A couple of girls are rumored to have been collateral damage in a hit in Florida ordered by the (lolz) Docile Don, Angelo Bruno. Never heard this corroborated or any actual names provided, so it might be internet BS.

Crystal Quinn in 2023 is suspected to have been given a hot dose by Buffalo-adjacent elements.

Also quick note, Theresa Ferrara from what I understand was mainly killed for skimming (along with Richard Eaton and possibly one Thomas Monteleone) Lufthansa money she was supposed to be laundering, though I'm sure tying up a loose end for the robbery factored in it.

https://torontosun.com/news/world/hunte ... nd-the-mob

Crystal Quinn had enough fentanyl blasting through her system to kill 400 people.

 The 37-year-old former stripper discovered too late that the Buffalo Mafia and its affiliates still have enough juice to permanently silence those who step out of line.

Quinn had been slated to testify this month against Peter Gerace Jr., owner of Pharaoh’s Gentleman’s Club in Cheektowaga, in a widespread criminal conspiracy featuring drugs, rotten cops and the No. 2-but-trying-hard Outlaws Motorcycle Club.

Gerace Jr. is the nephew of reputed Buffalo Mob supremo Joseph “All I know is pizza” Todaro.

Quinn died last Aug. 1, an alleged slaying designed to look like a standard drug overdose. She was the second witness against Gerace Jr. to die. Weeks before her death, someone left rats on Quinn’s car.

Her mother told the Buffalo News Quinn was “scared to death.”

If true,would be a new mob hit since Meldish hit in 2017.

[Dave65827]

I think your forgetting the Uzbek girl that gott beaten to death with that genovese associate in the late 2000s. I’m forgetting the name and the case but somebody broke into their room and beat them to death and doused the room with bleach

[Costigan]

The March 1974 shotgun death of John & Francis Dubeck in Las Vegas. He was set to testify against Pete Milano of Los Angeles in a gambling case. It has been speculated in the past that Spilotro carried out the hit for LA, but who knows. Here is a recent article about the killing.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/hom ... i-3061035/

[Ivan]

If true,would be a new mob hit since Meldish hit in 2017.

Quick nitpick: Meldish was 2013.

There's a couple others that are suspected. Napoleon Andrade in 2019 is rumored to have been killed by Patriarca/Gambino-adjacent elements for robbing Nick Melia, and Robert English Jr. is rumored to have been whacked by Cicero for drug ripoffs and other generally obnoxious behavior. These and the Quinn thing are all of course alleged and unproven.