My Crime Fiction: 'The Moonlighter'

The story below is another chapter in my work in progress crime novel about Cosa Nostra from South Philly to Sicily. 

The story originally appeared in American Crime Magazine.

 The Moonlighter

By Paul Davis

For this weekly interview session with former Philadelphia Cosa Nostra capo and government cooperator Salvatore Stilitano, I asked him to meet me at 13^th and Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia.

I had been meeting Stillitano each week and running our conversations in my crime column in the local paper. The idea was to later compile the columns into a book. 

I stood on the corner of 13^th and Oregon Avenue and looked across Oregon Avenue at the park where we played basketball, baseball and football when I was a teenager. I remember the many nights I stood here on the corner as a teenager in front of a luncheonette where we hung out nearly every night in the late 1960s.

I recalled how my crowd stood on the corner, sometimes with beer and pot and sometimes with a bunch of young girls we called “crews.” We were known as a party corner.  

I saw Stillitano park his car next to the park and watched him walk across the four-lane avenue to meet me. It was Stillitano’s idea that we do a “walk & talk,” like the old Cosa Nostra members did to avoid law enforcement surveillance bugs in the clubhouses.    

Although Stillitano and I were about the same age – two old South Philly street guys, one an old mobster and the other an old reporter -- I did not know him from the old days. But Stillitano told me that he knew several of my good friends from 13^th & Oregon. He said he stopped here to visit those friends on several occasions during the late 1960s.    

Stillitano pulled out two Cohiba cigars, cut the ends off, handed me one and lit mine then his own. We walked over to 2600 S. Iseminger Street, a nice street of rowhouses where I lived until I joined the U.S. Navy when I was 17 in 1970.  

Then, while smoking our fine cigars, we turned off Iseminger and turned left on Shunk street and walked to 13^th Street. I wanted to see the site where my old bar, the Moonlighter, was located in the early 1970s.

When I returned home from the Navy in 1972 after serving on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War, I discovered that my crowd had moved exactly one block north from the luncheonette on 13^th & Oregon to the bar on 13^th & Shunk.

Stillitano, who had surprised me by telling me we had teenage friends in common, surprised me again by stating that he too was a regular at the Moonlighter. Stillitano by his own admission, said he was a loud and aggressive young man, so I wondered how I missed meeting him back then.

The Moonlighter was owned and managed by Albert “Al Tuna” Galli, a big and heavy 50-year-old Cosa Nostra associate. Galli was a pleasant man until angered by a customer. He was originally from Altoona, Pennsylvania, hence his nickname, and he moved to South Philly in the early 1960s.

His partner was Gene Urban, an experienced businessman in the bar and music industry from the Fishtown section of Philadelphia. He looked different from the South Philly crowd in this predominantly Italian American neighborhood. With his long and thin blonde hair and droopy mustache, he looked like one of the Allman Brothers, a popular band in the 1970s. Like Galli, Urban was a genuine tough guy that the customers at the Moonlighter respected. 

The Moonlighter brought in many of young, pretty girls, as well as the 20-something former South Philly street corner boys that as teenagers were mortal enemies. Many of the street corners gangs battled each other in parks, playgrounds and on the streets during the late 1960s. There were many injuries and even a couple of murders, but in 1972, the corner boys had matured somewhat, and they were then united by drink, drugs and dancing with girls at the great bar.

The former 13^th & Oregon street corner crowd considered the Moonlighter to be our bar, as we were the closest corner. And although we were a small corner, and we were considered to be more of a party corner than a combative one, we had several respected tough guys, such as Joe Villotti and Chick and Stevie Saccone.         

I recall that Gene Urban, who became a good friend of mine, had a stage built two feet off of the floor at the end of the bar and on weekends he brought in bands that played live music. In front of the stage was a hard wood dance floor where customers danced to the performing bands. This was a few years before recorded dance music would replace live bands in the clubs. (We called the music club music, and I never heard anyone call it Disco).   

Even though I was a veteran, I was only 19 and a half and so I was underaged at the time. Twenty-one was the legal drinking age in Pennsylvania, but thankfully Al Tuna and Gene allowed me to drink at the bar, and I was there nearly every night.      

Stillitano wanted to talk about the Moonlighter and how his late father, a Philadelphia Cosa Nostra capo of the Wildwood, New Jersey crew, and a national boxing promotor, illegal gambler and fixer for Philadelphia boss Angelo Bruno, became involved in a dispute at the popular South Philly bar in 1972 between the outlaw motorcycle club the Renegades and the notorious drug gang from Dalton and Oregon Avenue known the D&O gang.

Although I later heard about the altercation at the Moonlighter during the summer of 1972, I was away from South Philly attending a summer semester at Pennsylvania State University at State College, PA.

Stillitano puffed on his cigar and pointed at the front of the building that once housed was the old Moonlighter. He spoke of the time three bikers entered the Moonlighter on a Friday night.    

“The problem was the Renegades, and the D&O gang were competitors in the heroin drug trade at the time,” Stillitano explained. “Gene did his usual thing and frisked the three bikers and disarmed them. All three bikers carried knives, which Gene placed under the bar.

“Bikers did not usually drink at the Moonlighter, and Al Tuna warned the bikers that he didn’t want any fighting or drug dealing in the bar. The bikers, who knew Al Tuna’s reputation, said they understood. But it was not long before the two drug gangs clashed.”

Stillitano said that a D&O guy, Joesph “Joey D” D’Alo started the fight when one of the bikers asked a neighborhood Italian girl to dance. She said no and the biker shrugged and walked away, but D’Alo took offense and smashed his beer bottle against the back of the biker’s head.        

The biker went down and his two friends rushed to his aid. The other D&O gang members jumped in and began to beat the bikers. Gene Urban, Tony Tuna, a bartender, and other customers broke up the fight. The bikers left the bar and threatened to come back in force.

Tony Tuna apologized to the bikers in the doorway and said that Joey D would be banned from the bar, but if they came back looking for trouble, well… Tony Tuna lifted his shirt and showed the bikers the butt of his revolver in a holster.

Thankfully, the Renegades did not return to the bar, but the D&O gang members drove three carloads of the gang to the Renegades’ bar and club house. At four in the morning, four D&O hoodlums aimed their shotguns at the front of the bar and opened fire. No one was in the bar, so no one was injured, but the shotgun blasts caused considerable property damage.  

The Renegades’ leader, Roland “Outlaw Santa” Simpson, a 60-year-old, white-haired biker with a long white beard and huge belly who did in fact resemble Santa Claus and even portrayed Santa at a Center City department store during the holidays, spoke to a  Cosa Nostra soldier he did business with. He told the mobster that the outlaw bikers were going to retaliate against the D&O gang.   

The mobster reported the conversation to the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra organized crime family boss Angelo Bruno. Bruno was not happy. His soldiers had trouble with the D&O gang in the past. They were fearless and reckless. Bruno’s capos had asked for approval to whack the D&O leaders, but Bruno knew a shooting war was bad for business.

Dead bodies in the street and injured innocent bystanders would cause the newspapers and the TV stations to crusade against violent crime, which would lead the Philly cops and the feds to come down in force and close the mob’s lucrative criminal enterprises.

Bruno knew that a South Philly street war between the bikers and the D&O would be especially violent. Bruno called his capo Nick Stillitano. The capo, called “Nick the Broker,” was known for deescalating disputes.

Nick Stillitano called for a sitdown meeting between Simpson and the D&O’s boss, a 40-year-old grim-faced hoodlum named Rocky Rotta. Stillitano called for the sitdown to be held at the Moonlighter, the scene of the original alteration.

Nick Stillitano arrived at the bar after closing hours at three in the morning. Despite the late hour, Stillitano was impeccably dressed in a dark business suit, a white shirt and black tie. He looked more like a business executive than a mob boss. Walking in behind him was his young son Salvatore, who was a Moonlighter regular and was there during the bar fight.

Tony Tuna welcomed Nick Stillitano with a hug and led him to a table where Outlaw Santa Simpson and Rocky Rotta sat. Noticeably absent from the sitdown were the two combatants, the biker and the D&O gang member.

“My father was smooth, He did not threaten. He did not raise his voice. He did not get emotional. He suggested rather than ordered,” Salvie Stillitano recalled.

Nick Stillitano told Simpson and Rotta that a violent gang war would be bad for everyone’s business. He offered a plan. The D&O would do business in South Philly and in the New Jersey resort shore towns.

The Renegades would operate in the Philly suburbs and the New Jersey towns along the Black Horse Pike before the shore points. Both the Renegades and the D&O gang would pay a small tribute to the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra family.  

He also suggested that Rotta discipline Joey D, the instigator of the situation. And he suggested that Simpson keep his bikers away from the Moonlighter and other mobbed-up South Philly bars and clubs in order to prevent similar incidents.

“Done,” Rotta said, quickly realizing that the territory deal would nearly double the drug gang’s income.

Simpson also agreed, knowing how well the lucrative deal was.     

Tony Tuna brought out a bottle, and everyone had a drink to celebrate the new peace.

"So, my dad stopped a major drug gang war in South Philly,” Salvatore Stillitano said to me.

“And Joey D was later whacked in Wildwood. He went to the shore to get away from the trouble, but Rocky Rotta clipped him with a double blast from a shotgun.”  

© 2026 Paul Davis  

You can read earlier posted chapters via the links below:

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'The Rigano Murders'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'From South Philly To Sicily'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Salvie Shotgun'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Nick The Broker'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Upton "Uppercut" Clarke'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'The Face'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Three Soldiers' 

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Jadroll'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Up And Coming'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Tony Ball-Peen'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Passyunk Avenue'    

My Philly Daily On Crime Column: Feds Take Over Prosecution of Suspected Cop Killer

Philly Daily ran my On Crime column today.

You can read the column via the link below or the following text:

 Paul Davis: Feds take over prosecution of suspected cop killer – Philly Daily

Considering all of the recent legal actions and accusations against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, I’m glad that U.S. Attorney David Metcalf is prosecuting the suspect in murder of a Philadelphia police officer and the wounding of another Philadelphia police officer.

Krasner’s office has been issued federal grand jury subpoenas following a referral by a federal judge to the Justice department for potential prosecution involving criminal misconduct. The subpoenas are suspected to be related to possible obstruction of justice, perjury and conspiracy committed while relitigating a 2009 murder case.

In addition to that troublesome action, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, who under normal circumstances does not speak out about the actions of other government agencies, sharply criticized Krasner concerning a video by the DA that addressed a suspect's 2019 murder acquittal, which is now connected to the killing of a city police officer.

In the video, Krasner spoke of Lewis' acquittal on a murder charge in 2019 and he blamed the police investigation, even calling one of the officers’ conduct criminal.

"We fight behind the scenes all the time, but we never bring that to the forefront, particularly in a time like that," Bethel said.

Bethel added that the focus of law enforcement should be on the victims and their families rather than pointing fingers.

On October 22, 2026, Metcalf, along with Bethel and ATF Special Agent in Charge Eric DeGree, held a news conference in which he announced the indictment of Eric Lewis (seen in the top photo), 35, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on charges arising from the ambush shooting this month that killed Philadelphia Police Officer Shane Seiber (seen in the above photo) and seriously wounded his partner, Philadelphia Police Officer Hector Rodriguez III.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO), the five-count indictment charges Lewis with interference with interstate commerce by robbery, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, theft of a firearm that has moved in interstate commerce, and possession of a stolen firearm and stolen ammunition.

“No one attacks law enforcement without facing the consequences,” Metcalf said. “Our thoughts remain with Officer Seiber’s loved ones and the Philadelphia Police Department. We also continue to pray for a swift and complete recovery for Officer Rodriguez. We can never right the terrible wrongs of October 10, 2026. But we can and will bring the person responsible to justice.”

Bethel added, “From the morning we lost Sergeant Shane Seiber, and Officer Hector Rodriguez suffered devastating injuries, our federal partners stood beside our officers and their families with compassion, resources, and an unwavering commitment to justice. U.S. Attorney David Metcalf, ATF Special Agent in Charge Eric DeGree, and their teams have backed that commitment with action.

“That is what leadership and partnership demand: showing up when people need you most and doing the work to pursue accountability. These charges represent another important step toward justice for Shane, Hector, and their families.”

“These federal firearms charges are an important step to hold this suspect responsible for the violent, repugnant, and cowardly acts he is accused of,” DeGree said. “These firearms and related charges are serious offenses with significant mandatory prison sentences. In cooperation the United States Attorney, Philadelphia Police Department and other partners, ATF is committed to use the entire scope of lawful authority to pursue violent criminals who unlawfully utilize firearms to commit violence against law enforcement and our communities.”

The indictment alleges that, on the night of October 10, 2026, Lewis, who was in possession of a loaded 9mm semiautomatic, privately manufactured firearm (“ghost gun”) and a loaded 12-gauge short-barreled shotgun, shot Officers Seiber and Rodriguez, then took a PPD-issued Glock 17 9mm handgun from the wounded Officer Rodriguez.

Lewis had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and was not permitted to possess firearms or ammunition.

 "At a time when our department was hurting, our federal partners didn't wait to ask for help, they reached out. They offered support and they stood beside us. That is what partnership looks like," Bethel said.

Paul Davis’s On Crime column appears here each week. He can be reached via pauldavisoncrime.com. 

My South Philly Review Crime Beat Column: Is Police Work More Dangerous Today? A Retired Polce Instructor Responds, Party Two

The South Philly Review ran my Crime Beat column today. 

You can read the column via the above page or the text below:

In my previous column, I interviewed Martin O’Donnell, a retired Police Academy instructor whom I met when I was attending the pilot class of the Civilian Police Academy program on assignment for the Review back in 1994.

I recall how professional then-Lieutenant O’Donnell was when he addressed the lawyers, town watch and clergy members and a lone reporter in the first group to attend the modified police training at the Police Academy on State Road in Northeast Philadelphia.    

I asked Martin O’Donnell if being a police officer was more dangerous today.

“Today is definitely more dangerous than when I was on the job for a number of reasons,” O’Donnell replied. “My list is not all inclusive, but being a former officer and looking at what police officers the encounter today, I would point to the following factors:

Respect: Many people no longer respect authority or the police anymore.

Political interference: Although politicians have always had a hand in the work of the police, their influence from city council to the mayor, to the district attorney, and to judges, have drifted from supporting the police to undermining their authority by promoting their own political and personal agendas. Many politicians these days also tend to support the criminals instead of law enforcement. Some places have even changed laws to restrict either pedestrian investigations or car stops to promote their own agenda.

Lack of consequences: Police officers do their jobs day in and day out, but they are stymied due to the lack of support, no cash bail, sign your own bail, failure to prosecute, and withdrawn prosecution. The criminal element exploits these weaknesses.

Manpower: Manpower in most departments is concerning. The numbers presented to the public are definitely not the number of patrol officers.

Social media: Social media has been a catalyst for many of the problems in our country today. It promotes hatred, disobedience, and a total disregard for morals, civility, and respect.

Access to firearms: People have the same access to firearms that they've always had, however, now, there are more firearms in the hands of criminals via, thefts, burglaries, and straw purchases. The laws that politicians promote to restrict owning a firearm really only effects the people who buy and own guns legally.”

I asked Martin O’Donnel what he thought of police officers on the job today.     

 “I have nothing but praise for officers today,” O’Donnell said. “I have a tendency to live in the past, thinking of the way my department used to be. It's easy to second guess, be judgmental or criticize while sitting in a nice warm house, far away from the crime, dirt, smells, and all of the other things that most civilians will never experience and in which most officers never relate to their families.

“In a world where recruiting police officers is a challenge, whether it's here New York, California or most any other places, I understand things must change. I appreciate changing some of the uniforms to be more practical for patrol and special units, however, I don't agree with the personal standards that many departments have adopted.

“The proper wearing and presentation of a uniform by a police officer commands a certain amount of respect. We are not like everyone else. Police officers are held to certain high standards. Once you make exceptions, allow certain accommodations, or compromise the organization, the officer that follows the rules every day starts to question why is he or she the only ones held accountable. This is not the fault of departments; it is the result of political influence. 

I asked him if he had any final thoughts.

“Mostly everyone I worked with or know, loved the department they once worked in. There was comradery, pride and respect for the uniform we wore, because it represented those who wore it before us and those who gave their lives wearing that uniform. Times have changed, the police department has changed, but we all still have respect for those that wear the uniform. May they forever be protected.”

Paul Davis’s Crime Beat column appears here each week. He can reached via pauldavisoncrime.com. 

U.S. Government Contractor Arrested For Allegedly Leaking National Defense Information

 The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

A U.S. government contractor was arrested by the FBI this morning for allegedly leaking national defense information to another individual who repeatedly posted classified information to an online publication.

“National defense information is classified to protect the American people from bad actors around the world who wish to do us harm,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The details alleged in this affidavit reflect the behavior of a government contractor who exempted himself from a federal law governing the protection of classified information. The Department of Justice will continue prosecuting individuals who leak classified information and put our national security at risk.”

“The FBI arrested the subject after he was caught allegedly betraying his oath and leaking classified defense information,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Protecting America’s secrets is a top counterintelligence priority of this FBI - and anyone caught abusing their position of trust within the government by jeopardizing national security and putting our brave warriors at risk will be met with the full weight of justice.”

“Following a referral from the Agency, on Friday, October 23rd, the FBI arrested a contractor who provided services to CIA for alleged unauthorized disclosures of classified information,” said CIA Director John Ratcliffe. “The unauthorized release of classified material poses grave risks to our national security, intelligence sources, ongoing operations, and our officers. There is absolutely zero tolerance for leaking, and anyone who violates their oath will be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“As alleged, Brinksman reached far outside his own duties to obtain some of our Nation’s most closely held secrets and handed them to a romantic partner he knew intended to publish them,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “That is not carelessness. It is a betrayal of his oath and the American people who entrusted him to fulfill his duties honorably. Those cleared to hold our Nation's secrets undertake a solemn obligation to protect that information. If proven at trial, this conduct is a grave violation of the Espionage Act, and the National Security Division will prosecute it as such.”

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

A U.S. government contractor was arrested by the FBI this morning for allegedly leaking national defense information to another individual who repeatedly posted classified information to an online publication.

“National defense information is classified to protect the American people from bad actors around the world who wish to do us harm,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The details alleged in this affidavit reflect the behavior of a government contractor who exempted himself from a federal law governing the protection of classified information. The Department of Justice will continue prosecuting individuals who leak classified information and put our national security at risk.”

“The FBI arrested the subject after he was caught allegedly betraying his oath and leaking classified defense information,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Protecting America’s secrets is a top counterintelligence priority of this FBI - and anyone caught abusing their position of trust within the government by jeopardizing national security and putting our brave warriors at risk will be met with the full weight of justice.”

“Following a referral from the Agency, on Friday, October 23rd, the FBI arrested a contractor who provided services to CIA for alleged unauthorized disclosures of classified information,” said CIA Director John Ratcliffe. “The unauthorized release of classified material poses grave risks to our national security, intelligence sources, ongoing operations, and our officers. There is absolutely zero tolerance for leaking, and anyone who violates their oath will be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“As alleged, Brinksman reached far outside his own duties to obtain some of our Nation’s most closely held secrets and handed them to a romantic partner he knew intended to publish them,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “That is not carelessness. It is a betrayal of his oath and the American people who entrusted him to fulfill his duties honorably. Those cleared to hold our Nation's secrets undertake a solemn obligation to protect that information. If proven at trial, this conduct is a grave violation of the Espionage Act, and the National Security Division will prosecute it as such.”

Ian A. Brinksman, 42, of the District of Columbia was arrested following a search of his residence and charged by criminal complaint with unlawfully transmitting national defense information.

According to the criminal complaint, beginning in 2020, the defendant worked as an employee of a U.S. government agency based in the Eastern District of Virginia and later in 2022 began working as a developer for systems integration for “Company 1,” a contractor to the same U.S. government agency. During all times relevant to the complaint, Brinksman held a Top Secret security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access.

 As further detailed in the complaint, Brinksman had an ongoing personal relationship with an individual who maintains an online publication on Substack (Individual 1). A fundraising article reportedly published by Individual 1 in September 2026 claimed Individual 1 had “published reporting based on classified [relevant U.S. government agency] assessments.” Individual 1 posted on her social media profile, “I also accept leaks.”

The FBI Chicago Field Office is investigating the case with substantial assistance from the Washington Field Office.

Trial Attorneys Eli Ross and Kathryn DeMarco of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Vito Iaia for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal Chawla and Stuart Allen for the District of Columbia. 

Charges in a complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

 , 42, of the District of Columbia was arrested following a search of his residence and charged by criminal complaint with unlawfully transmitting national defense information.

According to the criminal complaint, beginning in 2020, the defendant worked as an employee of a U.S. government agency based in the Eastern District of Virginia and later in 2022 began working as a developer for systems integration for “Company 1,” a contractor to the same U.S. government agency. During all times relevant to the complaint, Brinksman held a Top Secret security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access.

 As further detailed in the complaint, Brinksman had an ongoing personal relationship with an individual who maintains an online publication on Substack (Individual 1). A fundraising article reportedly published by Individual 1 in September 2026 claimed Individual 1 had “published reporting based on classified [relevant U.S. government agency] assessments.” Individual 1 posted on her social media profile, “I also accept leaks.”

The FBI Chicago Field Office is investigating the case with substantial assistance from the Washington Field Office.

Trial Attorneys Eli Ross and Kathryn DeMarco of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Vito Iaia for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal Chawla and Stuart Allen for the District of Columbia. 

Charges in a complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

 

My Crime Fiction: 'The Rigano Murders'

The story below is chapter one of a crime novel I’m working on.

You can read subsequent posted chapters via the links below>   

The story appeared originally in American Crime Magazine.

 The Rigano Murders 

By Paul Davis

Rigano’s was crowded on that Friday evening in January of 1980.

People were lined up three deep at the nightclub’s long bar as they waited to buy drinks from the busy bartenders. Many others danced wildly and happily to club music on the large, square dance floor under a glitter ball that flashed roving light beams down upon them.

The well-dressed crowd was mixed, but many of the patrons were young people in their 20s from nearby South Philadelphia. They crossed the Walt Whitman bridge from South Philadelphia and drove to the upscale neighborhood in Cherry Hill, New Jersey to visit the trendy nightclub. Among the South Philadelphia patrons were a dozen or so of the younger members of the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra crime family.    

The young criminals from South Philadelphia were more than welcome at Rigano’s, as they were flashy big spenders and the two owners were themselves members of Cosa Nostra, although they were connected to the New York Bonfiglio crime family by way of Sicily.

The two owners and operators of the nightclub were Ciro and Angelo Rigano. The two brothers hailed from Palermo, Sicily. The 26 and 25-year-old stocky brothers with curly black hair looked like twins. They left Sicily to make their reputation and fortune in America. Their entry into America was sponsored by their father’s cousin, Luigi “Lupo” Bonfiglio, the boss of the New York Bonfiglio Cosa Nostra organized crime family.

The Rigano brothers’ popular and successful nightclub was not their primary source of income. The two brothers made the bulk of their money selling heroin, using the nightclub as their base. Their dealers spread across the region.

To operate in the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra crime family’s territory, Bonfiglio had to approach Angelo Bruno, his longtime friend and fellow Cosa Nostra National Crime Commission member, and ask him for permission for his second cousins to set up a nightclub and heroin operation in the Philly mob’s territory. Of course, Bonfiglio offered Bruno a percentage of the drug sales. Bruno agreed.

Bruno and Bonfiglio were partners in several criminal ventures, from organizing overseas high-end gambling junkets to promoting and “fixing” national boxing matches. Bruno and Bonfiglio also voted together whenever an issue came to a head at the National Cosa Nostra Crime Commission.   

Known as a businessman and racketeer rather than a violent gangster, Bruno was a friend to politicians, cops, entertainers and his South Philadelphia neighbors. He made most of his money from illegal gambling, loansharking and controlling unions. Although in his more than two decades as the Philly boss, he had men killed and many more beaten over serious issues, he much preferred to negotiate and exert influence over others rather than commit violence.

In one situation in 1969, a heroin addict named Michael “Blackie” Russo was holding up mob-run card games. Russo was called Blackie due to his raven-black long hair and scraggily black beard, and he was recognized easily by the poker players when he waved a long-barreled revolver at them and demanded they place the money on the table, and their wallets, watches and rings into a pillow sack.

When the series of robberies were reported to Bruno, his underlings asked the mob boss for the authority to murder the drug addict. Bruno gave Russo a pass, as the addict was a nephew to a made member.

“Lean on him,” Bruno ordered. “Tell him to go rob liquor stores.”

But despite a “good talking to” by his uncle, Russo went on to hold up another game. Bruno’s underlings, including Russo’s uncle, called for Russo to be “whacked,” but Bruno ordered that Russo be given “a good beating.”

When Russo recovered from the beating, he needed money for his drugs, so he went out and robbed another card game. Only then did Bruno reluctantly order that Russo be murdered.          

 

Bruno was born Angelo Annaloro in Sicily in 1910. His conciliatory reputation began in 1959 when the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra boss Joseph Ida fled the United States to avoid narcotic charges. Antonio “Mr. Miggs” Pollina succeeded Ida as the crime family boss.

Concerned about Bruno as a rival, Pollino ordered an underling to murder him. Instead, the underling informed Bruno of the murder plot. Bruno went to the Commission in New York to redress his grievance. The Commission sided with Bruno and authorized him to murder Pollino and become head of the Philadelphia crime family.

Instead, Bruno spared Pollino’s life and told him to retire from Cosa Nostra and move away from Philadelphia. Bruno then became the Philadelphia boss.

With his easy-going public demeaner, pencil moustache, white hair, jeff cap and big glasses, Bruno appeared to be everyone’s kindly grandfather. But in private, he ruled his crime family with an iron hand. But as the 1980s began, many in his crime family came to resent him for his greed and his old school Cosa Nostra ways. 

Allowing the Rigano brothers to sell heroin in Cherry Hill, New Jersey infuriated Bruno’s captains, soldiers and associates, as he forbade them to sell narcotics. It was bad enough that despite Bruno’s edict on narcotics, he turned a blind eye as the biggest methamphetamine dealer in Philadelphia operated openly in Bruno’s South Philly neighborhood as well as across the city.

The mobsters also knew that Bruno received a weekly fat envelope full of cash from the “meth” dealer. Now, Bruno was receiving another fat envelope from the Sicilian heroin dealers. And he was not sharing any of that tribute drug money with anyone under him.

The Philadelphia Cosa Nostra troops under Bruno were not happy.

 

Ricardo “Ricky” Amato, a tall, thin man in his 50s with a pinched face, was an unhappy caporegime in the Philadelphia crime family. He was unhappy that Angelo Bruno restricted his ability to earn a living by not allowing him to venture into narcotic trafficking. He was especially unhappy that Bruno did not share his drug money from those who were exceptions to his rule.

Not that he needed the money. Amato was caught on an FBI wiretap telling his fellow caporegimes that he had more money than he could possibly spend in his lifetime. Amato made a fortune overseeing illegal gambling, loansharking and theft from legitimate businesses in South Philadelphia. But he hated the boss for not sharing his drug tributes with his captains.

“It’s the principal, not the money,” Amato told his fellow mobsters. But of course, he wanted the money as well.

Although Amato’s parents came over from Sicily, he hated Sicilians. He said they were greedy and notorious cheap skates. He called them “Zips” and “greaseballs,” and he hated that Bruno dealt with them.

Amato was also unhappy at the way Bruno had made Atlantic City an “open city” like Las Vegas when New Jersey legalized casino gambling in the seaside resort town in 1978. Bruno retained a hold on several unions in Atlantic City, so the Philadelphia crime family made a fortune as the casinos began to operate. But his decision to call Atlantic City an open city allowed other Cosa Nostra crime families to operate in a city that was firmly in the Philadelphia crime family’s territory.

“He’s allowing these New York wiseguys and other crooks to pick our pockets in Atlantic city,” Amato told the gathering of Philadelphia caporegimes in his South Philly home in the Packer Park area. “And we can’t sell narcotics, but he allows these fuckin’ Sicilian “Zips” to set up shop in our backyard.

“It’s a fuckin’ insult.”     

The other angry captains nodded in agreement. Richard Amato, the capo’s son, overheard the conversation as he emptied ashtrays and refilled the captains’ glasses with Sambuco, Scotch and wine. Some thought it ridiculous, but the son was called “Little Ricky,” even though the 25-year-old was hefty and even taller than his father.

Little Ricky was ambitious, and he waited desperately to become “made,” and he dreamed of being inducted formally into the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra crime family. He saw himself as a future boss of the crime family.

After the other captains left Amato’s house, the father sat his son down and explained what must be done, and how Little Ricky must do it.         

 

On that busy Friday night at Rigano’s, Little Ricky Amato was one of the many customers at the bar. He was accompanied by Joseph “Fireplug” Caruso, a short and stocky young man who was Amato’s best friend. Amato swallowed his Scotch in a gulp and Caruso lifted his bottle of beer and gulped down half of it. Amato slammed his glass on the bar, looked at Caruso and began to walk towards the men’s room. Caruso smacked his bottle down on the bar and the shorter man followed Amato.

Amato and Caruso lingered at the sinks, washing their hands until they were the only ones in the men’s room. Amato then pulled a ski mask out from his sport jacket and placed the mask over his head. As Caruso was also placing his ski mask on his head, Amato pulled out his 9mm Colt and theatrically jacked a round in the chamber, like they do in the movies. Caruso pulled out his 38. Smith & Weston.

“Let’s do this, Joe,” Amato said.

The two young mobsters rushed out of the men’s room and moved swiftly through the crowd towards a back table where the Rigano brothers were holding court with two young girls and a criminal associate named Billy Yates.

The Rigano brothers were so engrossed with drinking and laughing with the girls and Yates that they failed to see the two-masked gunmen moving towards their table.      

Amato and Caruso began shooting as they neared the table and Ciro Rigano and Yates died instantly from the hail of bullets. The girls screamed and ducked under the table as Angelo Rigano was up and attempting to run from the table. Amato ran up quickly behind the fleeing Sicilian and shot him in the upper back and the back of his head. Rigano fell and slid across the dance floor.

Most of the crowd at the nightclub were running and screaming from the numerous shots while many others had dropped to the floor. No one attempted to stop the two masked gunmen from running out of the nightclub. The two fleeing gunmen fired at a man in the parking lot as they jumped into their car. Amato rolled down his window and fired off two shots in the air to scare off anyone looking to stop them from driving away. 

      

The sensational murders at Rigano’s made headlines in all of the Philadelphia area newspapers and was the lead story on the TV news broadcasts. The Rigano murders also led to the murder of the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra organized crime family boss on March 21, 1980.  

After having dinner at a South Philly restaurant, Angelo Bruno was driven home by Sicilian John Stanfa. As Bruno sat in the passenger seat of the car in front of his South Philadelphia row home, someone came up to his window with a shotgun and blasted the 69-year-old mob boss. He died instantly. 

A macabre photo of the late mobster, his head back and his mouth agape, ran on the front page of the Philadelphia newspapers and other newspapers across the country.  

The brutal murder of Angelo Bruno led to further murders and an internecine mob war that stretched from South Philly to Sicily.  

© 2025 Paul Davis  

You can read earlier posted chapters via the links below:

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'From South Philly To Sicily'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Salvie Shotgun'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Nick The Broker'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Upton "Uppercut" Clarke'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'The Face'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Three Soldiers' 

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Jadroll'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Up And Coming'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Tony Ball-Peen'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Passyunk Avenue'

 

My Philly Daily On Crime Column: Sports Gambling, Bribery, Money Laundering, And Game-Fixing

Philly Daily ran my On Crime column today. You can read the column via the link below or the following text:

Paul Davis: sports gambling, bribery, money laundering, and game-fixing – Philly Daily 

In my late teens and 20s I was a gambling fool. I was a young, happy and adventuresome gambler. I liked the “action.”

I was a fair poker player, and I bet heavily on sports. When I won, I bought rounds of drinks at the South Philly bar where my crowd gathered, and I took girlfriends to expensive dinners. When I lost, I borrowed money from loan sharks. I was free of true responsibility at the time, as I was unmarried, had no children, and I did not own a home. I stopped gambling when I met a beautiful woman who later became my wife.

In my time I saw other gamblers go into heavy debt and I saw how gambling ruined their relationships with their families. Excessive gambling has ruined nearly as many lives as drug addiction and alcoholism.

Back in 2022 I interviewed former New York Columbo Cosa Nostra organized crime family captain Michael Franzese (seen in the above photo). He made millions of dollars with criminal scams, such as cheating the government out of gasoline taxes. He was also involved with traditional Cosa Nostra criminal activity, such as illegal gambling.

After fighting the federal government’s many indictments against him, he pled guilty to racketeering charges and was sentenced to ten years in federal prison. 

While in prison, Franzese became a devout Christian and announced that he was walking away from Cosa Nostra. He is the only high-ranking member of a major crime family to walk away from the mob without being in the witness protection program. Although the Colombo family initially put out a contract on his life, he now lives openly.

Today he is a popular podcaster and public speaker, Franzese has testified before government and sporting industry committees, colleges and prisons about how criminals become involved in the world of sports.   

“I used to be the guy bringing athletes in. Now I’m the guy warning them. Twenty years speaking to pro teams, colleges, and sports organizations - teaching them how to avoid the exact situations I used to create,” Franzese said: “It’s all about education and enforcement, and the two have to go hand in hand. You’ve first got to let the players know, and those associated with the game, what the dangers are, how they can get themselves caught up.

“You could be in a gambling situation and not realize you’re hanging with the wrong people, and before you know it, you’re in over your head financially, and somebody’s taking advantage of you; and you don’t have any way out other than to compromise a game. That’s what I used to do: put a player in that position to where he had to do our bidding.”

Which brings me to two recent prosecutions by the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) in Philadelphia.  

On October 13^th, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf (seen in the top photo) announced that Jalen Smith, 30, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced to 72 months in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution of approximately $1.1 million, and forfeiture of $75,000 by United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, for his role in a bribery and point-shaving scheme to fix National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) Division I men’s basketball games, as well as a firearms offense.

According to the USAO, Smith was charged by indictment in January of this year in connection with the bribery and point-shaving scheme. He was subsequently charged by information with possession of a firearm by a felon, arising from a 2025 search of Smith’s Charlotte residence, in which a loaded semi-automatic pistol was recovered.

In March, Smith pleaded guilty to one count each of bribery in sporting contests, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

“Jalen Smith played a central role in this point-shaving scheme, which corrupted the integrity of NCAA games and the sport of basketball itself,” said Metcalf. “As his prosecution and sentence show, we will not permit the criminal corruption of athletic competition to go unanswered. Those engaged in such behavior may profit in the short term, but they’ll lose much more when our team takes them to court.”

Wayne A. Jacobs, the Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia, added, “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: Those who exploit professional and collegiate athletes for personal gain will be held accountable. This conduct does more than harm individual athletes. It undermines the integrity of sports and the trust placed in fair competition. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue those who seek to manipulate that trust for their own financial benefit and ensure they are held responsible for their actions.”

As detailed in court filings, “the overall scheme to influence or fix CBA and NCAA men’s basketball games lasted from approximately September 2022 to February 2025. After co-schemers profited on fixed CBA games, they turned their attention to influencing NCAA men’s basketball games.

“Jalen Smith was a “fixer” in the scheme, working together with others to recruit and bribe NCAA men’s basketball players to underperform and help ensure their team failed to cover the spread in games during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 NCAA men’s basketball seasons,” the USAO stated. “Then, through various sportsbooks, Smith helped to arrange for large wagers to be placed on those games, betting against the team whose player or players they had bribed to engage in this point-shaving scheme. Smith had a leadership role in the scheme, particularly in recruiting, managing, and paying players for their roles in the scheme.”

Smith and other fixers approached and communicated with the players, in person and through social media, text message communications, and cellular telephone calls, offering the players bribe payments, usually ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game.

“Smith and other fixers specifically targeted college players for whom the bribe payments would meaningfully supplement, or exceed, the student-athletes’ legitimate opportunities for “Name-Image-Likeness” compensation. The fixers also generally targeted in their scheme players on teams that were underdogs in games and sought to have them fail to cover the spreads in those games. Many of these players accepted the offers and agreed to help fix specific games so that the fixers would win their wagers. 

In total, the USAO noted, bribery and point-shaving scheme involved more than 39 players on over 17 different NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams, who fixed and attempted to fix more than 29 NCAA games. The scheme also resulted in more than $3 million in fraudulent wagers placed on these games, and more than $1.1 million in financial losses to sportsbooks throughout the country.

On October 15^th, U. S. Attorney David Metcalf announced that Shane Hennen, aka “Sugar Shane,” 41, of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty before United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro on Wednesday to bribery in sporting contests, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and three counts of wire fraud, arising from a years-long scheme to influence or “fix” Chinese Basketball Association (“CBA”) games and National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) men’s Division I basketball games. The defendant was charged by indictment in January in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

In addition, the USAO stated that Hennen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, as charged by superseding indictment in May of this year in the Eastern District of New York (“EDNY”). Those charges arose from his participation in a scheme to defraud betting companies by wagering on National Basketball Association (“NBA”) games with the improper benefit of having non-public information that would affect the outcome of those games and the performance of certain individuals in those games, and his participation in laundering the proceeds.

As detailed in court filings, “beginning in or about September 2022, Hennen and others worked together in a scheme that involved recruiting and bribing players to help fix CBA games through point-shaving during the 2022-2023 season. Hennen’s primary role in the scheme was to place bets and arrange for others to place large bets on the fixed games — betting against the teams whose players they had bribed to underperform.

“After profiting on the CBA games, the schemers turned their attention to NCAA men’s basketball games. During the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons, fixers agreed to recruit NCAA players who would accept bribe payments in exchange for helping to influence outcomes of NCAA basketball games. In particular, the fixers agreed to recruit into the scheme players who would help ensure that their team failed to cover the spread of the first half of a game or an entire game.

“In total, the bribery and point-shaving scheme involved more than 39 players, on over 17 different NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams, who fixed and attempted to fix more than 29 NCAA games. The scheme also resulted in more than $3 million in fraudulent wagers placed on these games, and more than $1.1 million in financial losses to sportsbooks throughout the country.

In the EDNY prosecution, conspirators obtained insider information from several NBA players and coaches and distributed that information through a network of bettors, including Hennen. Hennen and others then placed and directed wagers through online sportsbooks and retail betting outlets, falsely representing that their wagers complied with the betting companies’ rules — which included not betting on non-public information or using straw bettors - while concealing that their wagers were based on confidential team information.

According to the USAO, Hennen is scheduled to be sentenced on February 25 in Philadelphia. In the EDPA case, he faces a maximum possible sentence of 85 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a monetary fine, and restitution. In the EDNY case, Hennen faces a maximum possible sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a monetary fine, and restitution.

Paul Davis’ On Crime column appears here each week. He can be reached via pauldavisoncrime.com.

My South Philly Review Crime Beat Column: Is Police Work More Dangerous Today?

The South Philly Review ran my Crime Beat column today. 

I interviewed retired Philadelphia Police Lieutenant Martin O’Donnell and asked him if police work was more dangerous today. 

You can read the column via the page above.