
Salvatore 'Sally Penn Glass' D'Ottavio was a Soldier in the Bonanno Family.
Born May 11, 1932 in New York to William (27y) and Josephine Roselli (23y). Father from Villetta Barrea comune of L'Aquila, Abruzzo. Mother from Pisciotta comune of Salerno, Campania.
His father's side of the family spent time in Cumberland, New Jersey and Joliet, Illinois prior to settling in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, where Salvatore was raised. (Salvatore's grandparents were still residing in Joliet as of 1942.)
By 1935 the D'Ottavios were living at 695 Park Ave and listed on home relief.
On November 29, 1949 Salvatore was arrested by the NYPD on a forgery (motor vehicle) charge. Convicted as a wayward minor and given probation.
By April 1950 the D'Ottavios resided at 102 Floyd St (now Martin Luther King Jr. Place) in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Salvatore listed his occupation as grocery store errand boy.
On July 31, 1950 arrested by NYPD on grand larceny (auto) charge. Case dismissed.
On August 27, 1953 charged with assault and armed robbery.
His criminal record lists no further arrests until April 20, 1971, when he was picked up on charges of grand larceny and possessing burglar tools. This case was dismissed.
It's not known when D'Ottavio became involved with the Bonanno Family.
He was
inducted in the late 1970s and by 1979 reported to Captain Michael Sabella.
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M. Sabella |
By 1979 made members under Sabella included William 'Willie the Tile Setter' Dara, Salvatore 'Sally Penn Glass' D'Ottavio, Anthony 'T.G.' Graziano, Ronald Lorenzo, Joseph 'Pepe' Marino,
Stephen Maruca, Joseph Puma and Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggiero. The crew was comprised of both New York and Florida-based membership.
Sabella was demoted after Carmine Galante's murder in July 1979. D'Ottavio and some other crew members were placed with the newly-promoted Dominick 'Sonny Black' Napolitano.
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D. Napolitano |
Made members under Napolitano included Salvatore D'Ottavio, Alfred 'Al Walker' Embarrato, James 'Jimmy Legs' Episcopia and Benjamin Ruggiero. Probable crew members included Vito Badamo, John 'Chubby' Galante, Frank 'Cheesecake' Mistretta and Michael Sabella.
By 1981 D'Ottavio resided at 8656 20th Ave in Bath Beach, Brooklyn. Operated Penn Glass located at 8672 18th Ave, also in Bath Beach.
On March 5 of that year he and Gaetano 'Tony' Mule (42y) were indicted by the Kings County District Attorney's Office on conspiracy and loansharking charges.
Gaetano Mule was born 1938 to Sicilian parents from Alcamo, Trapani and Vallelunga, Caltanissetta. His father Gasper (1911-1983) was a nephew of Francesco Puma, a Bonanno member murdered in 1922.
On March 13, 1981 the New York Daily News reported that D'Ottavio's former Captain Michael Sabella was expected to be called before a County Grand Jury as a result of the investigation.
D'Ottavio was subsequently convicted on a final charge of conspiracy 4th degree and fined $2,000.
On May 14, 1981 Dominick Napolitano met with an associate in his crew, FBI UCA 'Donnie Brasco', at Charlie's Lounge in Brooklyn. Topics of discussion included the May 5 triple murder of Family Captains Philip 'Phil Lucky' Giaccone, Alfonse 'Sonny Red' Indelicato and Dominick 'Trin' Trinchera, as well as the planned hit of Sonny Red's son, Family Captain Anthony 'Bruno' Indelicato. After the conversation the pair was joined D'Ottavio and James Episcopia.
Three days later D'Ottavio, 'Donnie Brasco' and Stephen Maruca met inside the Little Italy Restaurant in Hallandale, Florida. Business owned by Joseph Puma who, along with Maruca, had recently been named co-Acting Captains of the Giaccone crew.
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S. Maruca |
Brasco recorded the conversation, which included further discussion of Alfonse Indelicato's murder:
"
Maruca: I only met Sonny Red about three times.
D'Ottavio: Nice guy, wasn't bad...he was a gentleman, but everybody makes mistakes.
Brasco: That's right.
D'Ottavio: Now, we're working under an honor system. You got to be honorable amongst our fellows, right?
Brasco: That's the way it's supposed to be.
"
Brasco's undercover role ended in late July 1981 and his status as a Federal agent was made known.
Dominick Napolitano's unwitting role in furthering the Brasco operation contributed to his disappearance the following month. (Former Bonanno Boss Joseph Massino attributed Napolitano's murder primarily to the intra-Family factionalism that persisted in the wake of the three captains murders.)
Most or all of Napolitano's crew is believed to have been placed with James Episcopia. (Episcopia was a confirmed official Captain by November 1983, although there may have been other acting / interim crew leaders.)
On March 15, 1982 D'Ottavio was called to testify before a Federal Grand Jury in Manhattan re indictments brought about by the Brasco case.
In September 1982 he was included in the FBI's list of identified Bonanno Family members.
Named as a Captain in the June 1983 Senate
Chart of Bonanno membership.
He is again listed as a Captain in a
1985 Federal chart.
By the Summer of 1986 subject of an FBI RICO investigation.
By 1987 resided in Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.
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1980s |
That March he was indicted by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York on multiple counts of perjury stemming from his 1982 Grand Jury testimony. Released on $50,000 bail.
By August 1987 reporting to Captain Alfred Embarrato.
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A. Embarrato |
Embarrato succeeded James Episcopia when the latter stepped down due to health.
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L to R: D'Ottavio, Episcopia, Mauro, Mistretta, Sabella Govt Photos / Press |
Made members of
Embarrato's crew included Salvatore D'Ottavio, James Episcopia,
Russell Mauro, Frank Mistretta and Michael Sabella.
An October 1987 FBI report on the crew noted the following re D'Ottavio: "
Presently facing perjury charges from 3/82 Grand Jury appearance where he denied knowledge of Bonanno activities and members. 11 count indictment, SDNY, Trial slated for 1/88."
By 1988 resided at 106-28 East Hudson Drive in Mystic, New Jersey.
In 1988 included in
Senate list of 94 identified Bonanno Family members.
Around this time D'Ottavio was transferred to Captain James 'Big Lou' Tartaglione.
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J. Tartaglione Source: Gang Land News |
By the late 1980s made members under Tartaglione included Frank Coppa, Salvatore D'Ottavio and John Palazzolo. (There were many other confirmed crew members by the early 1990s.)
Tartaglione later testified about D'Ottavio's involvement in the Summer 1981 murder plot against Bruno Indelicato: "
They transferred [D'Ottavio]
to me...He told me a story that he was in Florida with Lefty Guns [Ruggiero]
in a car [with FBI UCA 'Donnie Brasco' and 'Tony Rossi']
. When they were in the car, somebody had a detector. In that detector they had a buzzing going off. Saying that somebody was wired but we know it's none of us that are wired. We just [rented]
the car or something like that. He says, we were there to look for Bruno. And ain't it funny as the time went by we come to find out they probably had a bug because they were the two FBI agents that were with us."
On June 29, 1988 began standing trial in Manhattan.
On July 7 convicted on six counts of perjury.
On January 26, 1989 sentenced by SDNY Judge John E. Strizzo to five years imprisonment and fined $30,000.
On April 30, 1990 surrendered at FCI Danbury, Connecticut.
On January 10, 1991 the facility submitted Progress Report: "
...Currently, Mr. D'Ottavio is assigned to the Recreation Department where he receives outstanding work reports from his detail supervisor...Upon release from custody, Mr. D'Ottavio intends to return to the Mystic, New Jersey area...Mr. D'Ottavio has been retired since 1981."
On November 30, 1991 involved in an unspecified altercation. Punishment listed as '30 days DS, 15 Days FSGT and Recommended Disciplinary Transfer'. Disposition to be suspended for 180 days clear conduct.
On June 26, 1992 FCI Danbury issued another report: "
...The majority of his leisure is spent working on legal issues relevant to his instant offense...Mr. D'Ottavio is a Recreation Aide in the Recreational Department. His work reports are consistently above average."
On February 11, 1993 transferred to FCI Allenwood, Pennsylvania.
In June 1993 included in the FBI's
list of 88 identified Bonanno Family members. (The name is redacted but his details match the third entry.)
The following month D'Ottavio was released from FCI Allenwood.
He died on or around November 5, 1999 and was buried in Hicksville, Long Island.