Colombo Family Ceremonies (1980s-1991)

Brief descriptions, in chronological order, of known Colombo Family induction ceremonies from the 1980s through 1991.

The majority of this information was obtained from reports of longtime FBI CI Gregory Scarpa.

Dates are approximate and usually indicate when news of the induction was first reported to LE, not necessarily when the ceremony itself took place. It's possible some names listed separately were made together and news of their membership got out at different times.

More info will be added as it becomes available.

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January 7, 1981
CI Scarpa reported: "[Carmine] Persico is attempting to seek a Commission meeting soon to ask for new members for the Colombo Family, and to that end is having all his Capos reporting on their respective members to give Persico an accurate reflection of the makeup of the Colombo Family."

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Early February 1981
- Joseph Scopo (34y) (Murdered 1993)

CI Scarpa reported: "[Carmine] Persico was attempting to make ten new members in the Colombo Family but the National Commission approved only the one above individual. [Scarpa] noted that the other LCN Families in the New York area are concerned that the Colombo Family has been taking in too many young and inexperienced individuals and has therefore limited their numbers at this time."

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c. Early April 1981
- Joseph ‘Joe Notch’ Iannaci (50y)
- Unsub

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c. September 1981
- Pat Amato (46y) (IPL 1993) (Died 2015)

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c. 1981
- Joseph 'Joe Brewster' DeDomenico (38y) (Murdered 1987)
- Gregory Scarpa Jr. (30y)

Sources differ on year of Scarpa Jr.'s induction (1977/1981).

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November 16, 1982

CI Scarpa reported: "[Scarpa] advised that approximately two weeks ago new members were inducted into the Colombo Family, but [Scarpa] had not met either one of the individuals and could not furnish names at that time."

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c. 1983
- William Russo (25y)

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January 1983
- Joseph Colombo Jr. (36y) (Died 2014)
- John Saponaro (48y) (Died 1991)
- Frank 'Frankie Collision' Tormenia (36y)

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Pre-April 1983
- William 'Wild Bill' Cutolo (34y) (Murdered 1999) [Sponsored by J. DeRoss]

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September 1983
- Joseph ‘Joe Lane’ Gentile (69y) (Died 1987)

On September 29, 1983 CI Scarpa reported: "[Scarpa] also advised that the Colombo Family has three or four additional individuals proposed for membership, and they are to be taken into the Family within the next several months."

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c. June 1986
- Robert Pate (38y)

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January 9, 1987
- Thomas ‘Tommy Shots’ Gioeli (34y)
- Theodore Persico Jr. (23y)
- Unsub

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Pre-March 1987
- Vincent 'Jimmy Gooch' Febbraro (53y) (Died 2017)

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March 11, 1987

Location: Unspecified Residence (Brooklyn)

Attendees:
- Benedetto Aloi (51y) (Captain) (Died 2011)
- Vic Orena (52y) (Captain) (IPL 1992)
- Gregory Scarpa Jr. (35y) (Acting Captain)

- Joel 'Joe Waverly' Cacace (45y) (Soldier)
- Vincent 'Jimmy Gooch' Febbraro (53y) (Soldier) (Died 2017)
- Theodore Persico Jr. (23y) (Soldier)

Members Inducted:
- Dennis DeLucia (45y)
- Carmine Sessa (36y) (Flipped 1993)
- Robert Zambardi (46y) (Died 2014)

Sessa: "I was [called in first and] asked to state my name and what I thought of everybody in the room. And I answered that I thought very highly of everybody..The next question was if we have a problem in the Family, Carmine, would you be willing to help out with this problem to kill somebody? And I said I would. With that, these individuals were throwing out fingers like they were choosing, and Vic [Orena] got up, came on my right, and Benny Aloi came on my left, and Vic Orena took a pin and pricked my finger, drew blood. Benny grabbed a [paper saint and] put the blood of my finger on that saint, put in in my hands, told me to cup my hands. He lit the saint on fire and told me to repeat after him. And the words were, 'May I burn in hell like the saint that's burning in my hand if I reveal any secrets of La Cosa Nostra'."

(CI Scarpa, who was not present at the ceremony, named Dennis Guzzardo as the third inductee in addition to Sessa/Zambardi. Dennis DeLucia is specifically named by Sessa as the individual made with him.)

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Pre-Summer 1987
- James Vincent Randazzo (40y) (Murdered 1993)

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July 17, 1987

CI Scarpa reported: "[Scarpa] said the Colombo Family is planning to make five new members in the near future. Three will be from New York including Benny Aloi's son [sic; brother] and Vic Orena's son, and two will be New Jersey guys in the Profaci crew. Sometime thereafter eight more are to be made. [Scarpa] said although the books are supposedly closed to new members, the Colombo Family is nevertheless going to make at least 13 new members without the approval of the other Families."

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July 28, 1987

Location: Bay Lounge (New York)

Attendees:
- Vincent Angellino (51y) (Acting Boss) (Murdered 1988)

- Anthony Scianna (56y) (Acting Captain) (Died 2009)

- James Randazzo (41y) (Soldier) (Murdered 1993)
- Others

Members Inducted:
- Sebastian Aloi Jr. (44y)
- John Orena (33y)
- Aurelio ‘Ray’ Cagno (46y) (IPL 2004) [Sponsored by J. Randazzo]
- Rocco Cagno (43y) (Flipped 1993) [Sponsored by J. Randazzo]
- Unsub (NY)

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Pre-Fall 1987
- Vincenzo Miceli (55y)
- Ralph 'Ralphie Patches' Piccirillo (47y) (Died 2001)

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October 30, 1987

CI Scarpa reported: "[Scarpa] advised that another eight individuals have been proposed for membership in the Colombo Family, and said that they would be initiated shortly."

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c. November 1987
- Victor M. Orena (31y)

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Pre-1988
- Richard 'Ritchie Nerves' Fusco (50y) (Died 2013)

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1988
- Alan Quattrache (39y) (Flipped 1992)

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Pre-Summer 1988
- Richard Capichano (46y) (Died 2018)
- Joseph 'Joe Smash' Gambale (36y) (Died 2018)
- Thomas Petrizzo (55y)
- John Staluppi (40y)

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December 1988
- Robert Donofrio (32y)
- Joseph ‘Joe Legs’ Legrano (46y) (Died 2017)
- Lawrence ‘Larry Monk’ Micciolo (46y)
- Michael Sessa (29y) (IPL 1992)
- Seven Additional Inductees

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Pre-1989
- Vincent 'Schwartzie' Cascio (50y) (Died 2007)

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c. Mid-1989
- Gioachino 'Jack' Leale (42y) (Murdered 1991)

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Pre-Fall 1989
- Ralph Lombardo (59y)
- Thomas Ocera (58y) (Murdered 1989)
- Henry ‘Hank the Bank’ Smurra (50y) (Murdered 1991)

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December 1989

Location: Residence of Lombardo Relative (Long Island)

Attendees:
- Vic Orena (55y) (Acting Boss) (IPL 1992)
- William Cutolo (40y) (Underboss) (Murdered 1999)

- Joseph Scopo (43y) (Captain) (Murdered 1993)

- John Orena (35y) (Soldier)
- Victor M. Orena (33y) (Soldier)

Members Inducted:
- Joseph Baudanza (45y)
- Joseph ‘Joe Campy’ Campanella (40y) (Flipped 2002) [Sponsored by W. Cutolo]
- Unsub

Campanella: "[Cutolo] told me that he's going to pass my name around, and most likely, he doesn't see a problem. That was about a week, week-and-a-half later, got back to me and he told me my name went around to the Family, to other Families, and that there's going to be a ceremony..I had met Robert D'Onofrio, Joe Legrano. We had met in the neighborhood and then we drove to Bill Cutolo's house [and from there] to Long Island..[Cutolo] told me to go in the basement to wait till my name was called..They had called me up. I went upstairs, and Bill had just pinched my trigger finger with a knife, made some blood come out. He put a saint in my hand. He burned it, and just repeated a couple of words after what he said, and that was it, basically, confess yourself to the Family."

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c. Late December 1989

- Pasquale 'Patty' Catalano (58y) (Died 1999)

Catalano may have been the Unsub inducted in the Baudanza / Campanella ceremony noted above.

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Late 1990
- Joseph Amato (31y)
- Pasquale 'Fat Patty' DiMatteo (44y) (Died 1999)
- Salvatore Fusco Jr. (25y)
- Louis ‘Bobo’ Malpeso Sr. (51y) (IPL 1995) (Died 2003)
- Joseph ‘Joe Monte’ Monteleone (50y) (IPL 1993)
- Five Additional Inductees

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c. Early 1991
- Frank 'Frankie Camp' Campione (48y) (Died 2012)
- Daniel Persico (28y) (Died 2016)
- Ralph Scopo Jr. (42y) (Died 2013)

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June 20, 1991

Location: Unspecified Residence (New York)

Attendees:
- Vic Orena (55y) (Acting Boss) (IPL 1992)
- William Cutolo (40y) (Capodecina) (Murdered 1999)
- Others

Member Inducted:
- Vincent 'Chicky' DeMartino (35y) [Sponsored by W. Cutolo]

Campanella: "It was myself, maybe like 30 or 40 guys at the club in Queens, and Bill [Cutolo] had told me, they're going to leave for about two hours and they're going to sponsor [DeMartino] into the Family. It was him, Vic Orena, maybe about four or five captains over there, and they had left for about two hours and Bill had come back [and] introduced Vincent DeMartino as a friend in the Family."

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c. August 1991

- James 'Jimmy O'Toole' Spitalere (58y) [Sponsored by R. Fusco]

DeMartino and Spitalere were both initially scheduled for induction on June 20, 1991.

The day before the ceremony a failed hit attempt was made on Vic Orena and several Persico loyalists went into hiding. The ceremony continued nonetheless but was attended only by Orena and his supporters.

After a short period of time a truce between the factions was reached and Spitalere, according to CW Joseph Ambrosino, was inducted 'a few weeks' after DeMartino.

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Confirmed Inducted Pre-November 1991
- Joseph 'Chubby' Audino (50y)
- Paul Bevacqua (52y) (Died 2011)
- Salvatore 'Sally Bread' Cambria (40y)
- Benjamin Castellazzo (52y)
- James 'Jimmy Brown' Clemenza Jr. (56y)
- Gary Gugliaro (36y)
- Dennis Guzzardo (48y) (Died 1992)
- Frank 'Chicky' Leto (60y)
- Angelo Leto (30y)
- Charles Lombardo (52y) (Died 2004)
- Frank Melia (44y) (Died 2001)
- Charles 'Charlie Fish' Miceli (30y)
- Frank 'Frankie Wheels' Politi (46y) (Died)
- Vincent Ricciardo (45y)
- John Rosatti (56y)
- Joseph Saponaro (53y) (Died 1991)
- Frank 'Frankie the Bug' Sciortino (57y)

The Colombos were banned from making new members for the rest of the decade. Inductions resumed early 2000.

Edit1: Moved DeMartino and Spitalere to c. August-October 1991.

Edit2: Moved Pasquale Catalano to December 1989, DeMartino to June 20, 1991 and Spitaleri to c. August 1991.