Giovanni Rocco - Giovannis Ring: My Life Inside the Real Sopranos

Copyright 2021 by Giovanni Rocco and Douglas Schofield
All rights reserved
Published by Chicago Review Press Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610

ISBN 978-1-64160-353-9

The Sopranos is a registered trademark of Home Box Office Inc. All third-party trademarks in this book are used for purpose of identification only, and no sponsorship by or other affiliation with such trademark owners is claimed or implied.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021932772

Typesetting: Nord Compo

Printed in the United States of America
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This digital document has been produced by Nord Compo.

Justice is a temporary thing that must at last come to an end; but the conscience is eternal and will never die.

Martin Luther, 1530

IT WAS FIVE on a rainy afternoon in November when Luigi called me. The newly made member of the DeCavalcante crime family wanted a meeting.

His voice dripped with self-importance: I need a couple of cases. Im at the club. Come over. A meeting on his turf for only two cases of contraband cigarettes? It made no sense. I knew he had another motive.

Im busy, I said dismissively. Im over in Union right now. Call you later.

By now, I was acutely aware of widening divisions in the family, not only over who should replace John Riggi, the aging DeCavalcante boss, but also over Luigi Oliveris swaggering behavior since the old man had given him his button at a secret ceremony. Riggi had conducted that ceremony without consulting the rest of the family, the Gambino bosses, or any other borgata.

Based on my interactions with Oliveri up to this point, I had a bad, bad feeling about his call. Every instinct was telling me the cigarette deal was just a ruse to set me upto injure me or, more likely, to whack me out. Lui the Dog, as he was known (or often, mockingly, the Pet or the Mutt), was itching to send a message to my capo, Charlie Stango, and to others in the Administration, that he was ready and able to use violence, inside or outside the organization, to make a point.

When the Dog called, I was standing in Marco Barones auto body shop. Marco was a longtime Gambino associate, and the guy sure as hell looked and sounded the part: overweight, double chin, rasping voice, and a perpetual cigar stub in his mouth. (We sometimes called him Sammy Cigars.) Id been doing a lot of business with Marco in the last few months, selling him cigarettes and assorted swag, but today I was hoping he could help me track down an aluminum welder to repair one of the dump trucks at the excavation company where I kept my office. Charlie Stangos son Whitey had been driving the truck, and hed damaged the load bed.

Luigi called two more times. Each time I told him I was still busy and didnt have time to drive over to his club to deliver the cigarettes. I could tell from his tone that my response offended him, and I knew why. In his eyes, he was the only made member in this conversation, and therefore the only one who counted. I was, as hed once derided me to my face, just a fuckin citizen.

He kept insisting that I come to him because it was raining and the traffic was heavy. He claimed it would take forever for him to come to me. This was bullshit and I knew it. His social club was no more than a fifteen-minute ride away. I said, Take your time. Ill wait for you.

The perceived arrogance of my reply pissed him off even more. He growled that hed have to find a ride and it would just be better that I come to him.

My gut was telling me Id be walking into a trapand I always listened to my gut. And there were other considerations. To maintain my credibility within the family, it was time to put this fucker in his place. As Charlie had told me, You gotta go at this guy head on, Giovanni! Be the man you were born to be! If I didnt, I would lose face in the family, and I would lose the trust of my crew. Worse, it would mean losing Charlies trust. That alone could cost me my life.

At that moment, I was completely on my own. I had a cover team backing me, but from past experience I knew I couldnt count on a quick response if things went south. And I couldnt call in my own street crew, because that might lead to a bloodbath.

I was in a tight spot. There was no way I could risk going into Luigis neighborhood, but there were too many risks to our overall operation, too many moving parts, for me to just walk away and go home for the night.

I made a battlefield decision and told Marco Barone about my ongoing problems with Lui the Dog. After laying out the background, I put it to him squarely. I think the bastards trying to set me up.

Marcos reaction was typically direct: Fuck this guy, Giovanni! If you dont trust him, make him come here! I aint leavin for a while. I can wait with ya, and Ive got some guys coming over to hang out and have coffee. Were gonna settle up some things. Tell him if he wants those cigarettes, hes gonna have to come here.

Earlier, I had been thinking it would be a bad idea for me to invite Luigi to another familys hangout. I had a few Gambino friends, but I had no status in their family, so how was that going to look? But when Marco gave me the green light, my protocol worries evaporated. I thought, This could work. If the body shop was loaded up with some serious guys and Luigi saw that I had a solid relationship with the Gambinos, and not just few DeCav stepchildren, that might put him in his place. It would definitely make him think twice about taking a shot at me.

True to form, Luigi called again, raging about the rain and the traffic and how I absolutely must come to him. I stuck to my position. If you want those cigarettes, youll just have to come here. Past experience had taught me how easy it was to bait him, so I softened my tone slightly and added, Look, Lui, no shit. I really am tied up here. Ive gotta find an aluminum welder for one of our dump trucks. Any chance you know anyone?

He went for it. You got dump trucks? What kind of company you into?

An excavation company, and I really need to get this truck back on the road.

Immediately, his whole manner changed and he was full of questions. It was obvious he wanted to see what kind of racket I had going on so close to his neighborhood.

Where are you? Ill come over.

I gave him the body shops name and address.

Ill be there soon.

Minutes after that call, the rear area of the body shop started filling up with Gambino guys. One of the first to arrive was Danny Gooms Bertelli, and that was perfect for me. Bertelli was one of my capos oldest and closest friends. With him there, at least I began to feel comfortable, telling myself I was in a good place. I thought, God help Luigi if he says something stupid.

And then it all went to shit.

I overheard Gooms telling Marco that hed been talking to Nick (Nicky the Whip Milanoa Philly mob soldier) and he was on his way over. He said Nick had mentioned some other guys whod be coming by as well, and he rattled off some names. Then he said, Oh, yeah... Nicky says Kyles coming. Ragusa. Be here soon.

Kyle Ragusa? When I heard that name, I could barely breathe. Kyle Ragusa was a Gambino thug I had arrested in 2007.