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Anthony "Sonny" Ciccone (b. July 19, 1934) is a New York mobster and a high ranking member within the Gambino crime family.
On the Waterfront
Ciccone is the son of legendary Brooklyn waterfront wiseguy Pasquale "Patsy" Ciccone. 'Young Sonny', as he was called, became a made member of the Gambino family during the late 60s in the Brooklyn crew of caporegime Anthony Scotto, a high ranking official in the International Longshoremen's Association. Before Scotto, Ciccone's father Patsy was caporegime of the same crew during the 1950's under Albert Anastasia. Ciccone's nickname "Sonny" came from long time Brooklyn waterfront racketeer Santo "Sonny Boy" Ricchiettore, a Soldier in Patsy's crew who groomed Ciccone and proposed him for family membership. Ciccone also served as an official in the ILA until he was removed for his involvement in organized crime.
In 1979, Scotto was convicted of labor racketeering and Ciccone become the de facto boss of the Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York waterfronts. In 1986, Gambino crime family boss John Gotti made Ciccone a captain and demoted Scotto to soldier. Soon after promoting Ciccone, Gotti was overheard on a federal wiretap mentioning that Ciccone's average Christmas tribute to Gotti was $22,000. In July 1997, Ciccone was convicted of criminal contempt for talking to mob members and union officials in violation of a court order.
Extortion of Steven Seagal
The attempted extortion of actor Steven Seagal took place in Toronto, Canada in December 2000. Seagal was shooting the film Exit Wounds when he was unexpectedly confronted by Ciccone, 350 pound 'soldier' Richard Bondi, Julius Nasso, and Primo Cassarino, Ciccone's chief enforcer. The Gambino family wanted Seagal to pay them $150,000 for each of his future film projects. Julius Nasso had previously warned Ciccone that Seagal wouldn't scare easily. At a later meeting at Gage and Tollner's, a Brooklyn steakhouse, Ciccone bluntly told Seagal, "Look at me when I talk to you. We're proud people ... Work with Jules and we'll split the pie." After this meeting, Cassarino took Seagal aside and told him, "If you would have said the wrong thing, they would have killed you." In one recorded conversation at the Staten Island eatery Brioso Ristorante, Ciccone and Cassarino were overhead by a wiretap laughing about scaring the 'shit' out of Seagal.
Indictment
In 2002, Ciccone and Gambino crime family boss Peter Gotti were indicted on charges of exerting illegal control over the New York City waterfront and extorting money from both the water terminal businesses and Seagal. The indictment demonstrated the control that the New York crime families still maintained over the city waterfronts and detailed the working partnership between the highest levels of the Genovese and Gambino families.
While under indictment, Ciccone allegedly threatened Los Angeles Times reporter Anita Busch, who was writing a story about Seagal's mafia connections and Ciccone's racketeering trial. On June 20, 2002, Busch's car windows were shattered, with a note on one window containing one word: "STOP". A package containing a dead fish and a rose was found inside the car.
Conviction
Gambino captain Michael DiLeonardo, and ILA Local 1814 boss Frank "Red" Scollo would eventually help authorities convict Ciccone, Cassarino and Gotti. Ciccone soldier Salvatore Ricchiettore always Known as Vinny Papa, son of the late Brooklyn waterfront legend "Sonny Boy" Ricchiettore currently holds the position of acting capo and may continue to keep the title even after Ciccone's released from prison.
As of April 2008, Anthony Ciccone is serving time at the Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Fort Dix, New Jersey. His projected release date has been changed from June 28, 2015 to April 4, 2014
Further reading
- Jacobs, James B., Christopher Panarella and Jay Worthington. Busting the Mob: The United States Vs. Cosa Nostra. New York: NYU Press, 1994. ISBN 978-0-8147-4230-3
- Saggio, Frankie and Fred Rosen. Born to the Mob: The True-Life Story of the Only Man to Work for All Five of New York's Mafia Families. New York: Thunder Mouth Press, 2004. ISBN 978-1-56025-559-8