My Crime Fiction: 'Tony Ball-Peen'

 The story below is another chapter in my crime novel in progress. 

You can read the first chapter and link to subsequent posted chapters via the link below: 

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

The below story originally appeared in American Crime Magazine.

 Tony Ball-Peen

By Paul Davis

I was meeting Salvatore Stillitano, once known as “Salvie Shotgun,” each week as I was interviewing him for a book about his life in organized crime.

He agreed with my idea of serializing the book in my crime column in the local paper prior to compiling the columns into a book. 

The former Philadelphia Cosa Nostra organized crime family caporegime, or captain, and the son of the legendary mobster Nunzio “Nick the Broker,” became a government witness after the FBI played him a wiretap recording of Cosa Nostra bosses ordering his murder. 

He testified against his fellow mob bosses and then went into the Witness Protection Program in the 1980s. Now, having returned to South Philadelphia, he was unafraid of mob retaliation, and he wanted to tell his life story. 

He previously spoke of Anthony “Tony Ball-Peen” Gina, his late father’s criminal underling. For this interview session, Stillitano wanted to talk more about Gina. 

Although young Anthony Gina was short and thin as a teenager in South Philadelphia in the 1950s, no one dared pick on him.

Even as a teenager, Gina was dangerous. He was violent and unafraid to brandish a weapon, any weapon, and use it on anyone he thought was disrespectful or threatening.

Gina’s father, Ralph, was a knockaround guy, thief and a bruiser for a South Philly Cosa Nostra criminal crew.

Ralph Gina saw his bad tempered and violent son heading to prison unless the father could harness that anger and violence. He approached a boxing trainer he knew, and the trainer agreed to take the little miscreant and train him to become a prize fighter.

Gina trained hard, stayed out of trouble, and became a fine amateur boxer before turning pro. As a professional welterweight, Gina racked up an impressive number of wins, often by knock out, but he was also amendable to losing a bout if his father said the mob gamblers wanted him to do so.

One of the mob gamblers was Nunzio “Nick the Broker” Stillitano. Stillitano was a Cosa Nostra soldier and a rising fight promoter. He began to promote all of Gina’s bouts. Stillitano became fast friends with Gina as he got a kick out of the loud and outrageous fighter, although their personalities were diametrically opposed.

Stillitano took Gina under his wing and used him for rough stuff when it was occasionally called for. Gina retired from boxing and became an associate member and part of Stillitano’s crew. In the mid-1960s, Stillitano proposed Gina to become a made member of Cosa Nostra and assigned him to murder a boxing manager who cheated Stillitano out of some serious money.

Gina, known in the ring as “Tony Ball-Peen” as he hit with both hands like a ball-peen hammer. A ball-peen hammer, also called a machinist's hammer, is used as a peening hammer in metalworking. The hammer has two heads, one is flat and the other, called the peen, is rounded.

Gina used a real ball-peen hammer to beat the manager to death.

The brutal murder sent a message to people around Nick Stillitano that the mob fight promoter was not a man who would be cheated.

Gina was made a Cosa Nostra member and became Stillitano’s number two.

In the late 1960s, Gina and Dominic “Dom D” DeMarco, a big and fat former heavyweight boxer, entered a small bar in South Philly.

The bar was a front for a lucrative bookmaking and loansharking operation. The bookmaker, Joseph “Joe Bar” Barbieri, a tall and gangly 50-year-old mob associate, stood up from a table. Without a word or warning, Gina punched him in the face and the illegal gambler dropped to the floor.

DeMarco then delivered a devastating right cross to John “Butch” Monti, a big and muscular collector for Barbieri, and he too fell to the floor.

Gina announced to the group of gamblers in the bar that he was taking over the “book.”

“Any objections?”

No one objected.

 

Barbieri was a long-time mob associate and a big earner. He requested a “sitdown” with Angelo Bruno, the then-boss of the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra organized crime family.   

When Barbieri entered the closed restaurant later that week, he saw that Gina was seated across from Bruno and next to Nick Stillitano. He instantly knew his case was hopeless as he was an associate while Stillitano and Gina were “made men.”

Still, he sat down and made his case. After he spoke, Gina responded by saying that Barbieri was a poor bookmaker and loan shark. Gina told Bruno that the book was not living up to its potential. This was due, Gina explained, to the fact that Barbieri neglected the illegal operation by spending too much time in Florida. Gina said that he would do a much better job.

Nick Stillitano nodded in agreement.

Bruno sipped his coffee and was silent for a moment. He then spoke softly to Barbieri.

“You have been a good earner and I’m thankful,” Bruno said. “But Tony is right, you do spend too much time in Florida.”

“My daughter and my grandchildren live in Florida, so I go down and stay with them, but I call the bar every day…”

“OK,” Bruno said flatly. “I understand. Here’s what we will do. Gina will give you a good payout and you can move to Florida permanently. Tony will take over the book for you.”

Barbieri was not happy that he was losing his criminal operation, but he thought that Gina, a notorious killer, would murder him otherwise. He was glad that he would receive a payout and that he would not be murdered.

The sitdown ended with everyone shaking hands.

The following day Gina went to the bar and sat at the back table that Barbieri had occupied. He spoke to Benny Martini, Barbieri’s assistant.

“Benny, I want you to run the day-to-day operation, and I got some ideas I want you to work on.

Martini nodded in agreement.

Gina quickly increased the book’s earnings by drawing in big gamblers that he knew to the book. He kicked up a piece of the profits to Nick Stillitano. And Stillitano in turn kicked up a piece to Bruno.

 

Butch Monti, who was still suffering from the heavy blows from Dom D, was grumbling over the management change while drinking in a mob-run club. He cursed Gina and DeMarco. He said that he was going to clip the two men.

“I don’t care if them is made guys,” Monti told a friend. “I’m gonna whack them.”

Monti’s threats were overheard by another mob associated and he reported the threats to Gina. Stillitano and Gina went to Bruno and made the case that Monti had to go. Bruno, who did like violence as it was bad for business, reluctantly agreed.

The following Saturday evening Monti left a club and was walking towards his car when Gina stepped in front of him. Gina placed his .38 revolver against Monti’s face and fired twice.

Monti fell against a parked car and slid down to the street. Gina walked briskly to a running car. Gina stepped into the front passenger seat next to Dom D at the wheel. The big former heavyweight drove away slowly.

© 2026 Paul Davis