The Mobs Maneuver

While no new bodies have turned up, New York's Mafia war, triggered by last month's murder of Mobster Joey Gallo (TIME, April 17), is still as hot as ever. Federal agents have learned that at least eight more Mafiosi have been marked for death. The toll might already have been higher if a massive raid by eight carloads of FBI men and New York state troopers last week had not temporarily disarmed at least part of one of the gangs.

The agents surprised four members of the Joseph Colombo family and the girl friend of one of them as they left their lavish horse-farm hangout 100 miles north of Manhattan. The prize catch was Alphonse ("Alley Boy") Persico, whose brother Carmine ("The Snake") still seems to be directing the Colombo war against the Gallos from his Atlanta Penitentiary cell.

On the farm, agents seized an arsenal of a dozen rifles, two shotguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and some 40 fireworks bombs. Police theorize that the bombs, which look and sound like hand grenades, were to be used to flush the Gallos out of their Brooklyn stronghold. Then they would be picked off with gunfire as they fled.

The Colombo arrests gave the Gallos a chance to breathe a bit more easily --and perhaps longer. But they know that Mafia contracts are out for Joey's brother Albert, Joey's bodyguard and three other Gallo hoods. The Gallos, in turn, are gunning for a top Colombo member, a New England gangster allied with Colombo and Alley Boy. Seemingly unworried, Persico quickly posted $5,000 bail and flew off to visit his brother in Atlanta.

Open Contract. New York police were certain that they were on the trail of Joey Gallo's killer. As they now reconstruct the assassination, an open contract for Gallo's death had been offered by the Carlo Gambino family at the urging of the Colombos--meaning any Mafia member could execute it. Gambino, the East's strongest Mafia boss, supplied both gangs with guns and encouraged the warfare.

Gallo was sighted at Umbertos Clam House in Manhattan's Little Italy on April 7 by a small-time racketeer who quickly spread the word. Most interested was Carmine ("Sonny Pinto") DeBiase, a soldier in the Mafia clan once headed by the late Vito Genovese. He recruited Phil ("Fat Fungi") Gambino, a distant relative of Carlo's, and two Brooklyn mobsters identified so far only as brothers.

It was DeBiase, authorities believe, who walked up to Gallo's table in the clam house. Gallo recognized him and cursed, "You son of a bitch," as DeBiase began shooting. The Brooklyn brothers opened fire from the clam bar over the heads of patrons to force everyone to duck for cover. DeBiase and the brothers fled in the confusion, apparently in a car driven by Phil Gambino.

Investigators are trying to gather more evidence before they pick up DeBiase. There is, of course, always the chance that the Gallos will relieve the state of the costs of prosecution by finding him first.

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