Mafia Son: The Scarpa Mob Family, the FBI, and a Story of Betrayal

by Sandra Harmon

Book Overview

The Scarpas were a mafia dynasty led by Greg Scarpa, Sr., a man so addicted to killing that he was nicknamed 'The Grim Reaper'. His son, Gregory, Jr., worshipped him and was slowly drawn into his dark world. What no one but father and son knew was that for 30 years, Scarpa, Sr. was an informant for the FBI. This is their story.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312370245
• ISBN13: 9780312370244
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Interesting

I know I might be breaking omerta, but this is a very good book! I suggest if you like reading about the mob to read this book. I hope Mr. Scarpa gets out soon seams like he wants to do rite now.

OUTfreakinstanding

The Greed,betrayal, Selfishness,brutal honesty ,and love! The author also writes in a way that makes you think your watching instead of reading! The only complaint? Becoming so engrossed while reading, id miss my subway stops.

RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "THE SINS OF THE FATHER DROWNED THE MAFIA SON!"

With all that's been written about the Mafia... if a person reviewing a Mafia book feels strongly enough to describe the subject matter as shocking... the book better be powerful! And this book is shocking in more ways than one. The story is centered around Greg Scarpa Sr. a lowly "soldier" in the Colombo family. A "soldier" is the lowest ranking amongst "made men". Most stories are about the "Don's"... or the "capo's"... but when the "soldier" we're talking about is Greg Scarpa Sr. ... a raving sociopath... who not only murdered over fifty people... but simultaneously... under his own volition became a paid "rat" informant with the FBI... we have a unique story worth telling. Greg was not under any pressure to become an FBI "rat"... he just wanted to do it. His FBI handler Lindley DeVecchio would make FBI payouts to Greg for info about other Mafia members... and Greg would share bank loot and jewelry from heists... and numerous other remunerations to DeVecchio. In addition... whenever DeVecchio would hear through FBI channels that a Mafia member from any family was turning "rat"... he would notify Greg... and if it had the potential of affecting their relationship... Greg would murder him. DeVecchio would even act as a lookout during bank robberies and radio Greg if law enforcement was in the area. In the midst of this life Greg's first son Greg Scarpa Jr. (Gregory) is born... and is raised with violence as the golden rule. The Father even told his son he was helping serve his country with honor by being an informant (rat) for the FBI. Greg didn't hide the fact that he was a murderer from his sons. As younger brother Frankie says: "I REMEMBER HOW I WOULD SIT ON HIS LAP RIGHT AFTER HE WOULD COME HOME FROM KILLING SOMEBODY, AND HE WOULD TELL ME HOW HE DID IT... THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN I WAS ABOUT FOUR-YEARS- OLD." Greg came home covered in blood... walked past him... washed up... Frankie asked him what happened. He said: "I JUST HAD TO GO KILL SOMEONE. HE TOLD ME THAT HE PUT THE GUN BEHIND THE GUY'S EAR AND KILLED HIM. AND THAT WASN'T THE FIRST TIME. HE TOLD ME THREE OR FOUR TIMES DURING MY CHILDHOOD HOW HE KILLED PEOPLE. I USED TO HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT IT. HE PROGRAMMED ME TO BELIEVE THAT WE WERE THE GOOD GUYS, AND "THEY" WERE THE BAD GUYS." Gregory became a top earner in the Mafia and wound up killing over twenty-five people. As Greg got older and ill... a situation came up regarding the Scarpa's drug dealing operation... and their FBI handler said a big bust was coming down that he couldn't make go away... and that one of the Scarpa's had to go down with it. The Father talked Gregory the adoring son into taking the rap, assuring him he'd get off easy. And here's where the second EARTH-SHAKING scenario plays out. Gregory winds up in ADMAX the most secure federal prison in the United States... and between his incarceration there... and during transfers to other prisons and temporary locations for multiple trials... Gregory has a chance to

You may smell a rat! A great Mafia tale.

This book was gripping and almost unbelievable as a whole. It moves quickly and you will be taken right into the mind of an FBI Top Echelon Informant. The fact that the main character: Greg Scarpa Sr., could play both roles (Wiseguy and FBI informant) with no conscience and a literal "ticket to kill" amazes me and shows the depths of sociopathology. Scarpa was a sociopath. The book takes you into the mind of the Mob and into the Scarpa family in particular. You'll get an opportunity to share some of the intimate details. I'm not familiar with "The Sopranos" ... but I would venture that this story is something out of a television series like that. Gripping and fast ... but not for the faint of heart. If you like reading about the mob and getting into some of the psychological aspects, this one is a must read.

Truth stranger than fiction

Wow,this book was a tremendous read, from beginning to end it was hard to put down. I was completely unaware of this mob story. Author Sandra Harmon(also known as the "love coach") tells a tale of intrigue and mystery for the uninitiated to the story of the Scarpa Family that just blows you away. This true crime book reads like a tragic novel, complete with colorful characters that you'd swear were the work of an imaginative author's mind. Not so though, it is just a gritty piece of journalism, well researched and a fascinating story. The title of the book is a little deceptive because I found that the book deals primarily with Greg Scarpa Sr. Nonetheless, this is really a petty observation and insignificant because Greg Scarpa Jr. is the focus of the story as the author tells the story through Greg Jr's eyes by prison correspondence. Rather than give away all the details of the story I will only reveal what I found to be some rather stunning facts that surfaced. I will only say that Greg Sr. was a murderer and a mob guy known as the " The Grim Reaper" and for good reason. He was said to have stopped counting after fifty deaths! He lived a life with two wives and two families simultaneously. He was able to avoid jail time because he was also an informant for the F.B.I. The mob does not like rats, so Greg Sr. was walking a very high wire tight rope. Eventually he also let his son Greg Jr., is mob heir apparent, take the fall for one his crimes which resulted in jail time, big jail time. This is where the story becomes most interesting. While Greg Jr. was in prison he beomes buddies with Ramzi Yousef, the international terrorist who was behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. This is only one of many acts of violence atributed to Yousef's long terrorist resume. The mobsters angle was to feed the feds information to get time reduced. What surfaced was information about 9/11! The government did not act on the jail house intelligence and we all know about the ensuing horrific events on American soil. If that wasn't enough later on while serving forty to life at ADMAX, the super secure Federal prison for notorious high risk murderers( the Unibomber, Terry Nichols of Oklahoma infamy etc.)he works his way in with Terry Nichols through ingenius communication means again to gather more intelligence. The government ignored Nichols revelations to Scarpa. I found these situations almost too hard to believe but I do believe them. The stories in this book are unbelieveable but sadly I think they are all true. Another interesting part of this book is about the ongoing relationship Greg Scarpa Sr. had with the F.B.I. agent assigned to him, for informant purposes,Lindley DeVecchio. This turned into a big scandle and eventually the government brought charges against the agent. The acusations were that he was aware of some of the murders that were to take place at the hands of Scarpa Sr.and had even tipped him off with fed intelligence to assist him. The star

Mafia Son - The Growth and Destruction of a Crime Family

Set in Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York, you follow the trail of Greg Scarpa, Sr. and his son Gregory in their rather fascinating history. Interestingly this is a tell all book, at least as much as Sandra Harmon could gather on the subjects. She gets pretty close to a 360 degree view of the man, Greg Sr., who was working for the US Government as an informant and even an enforcer and was also working as one of the untouchables in the US crime syndicate. The Son Gregory, although the book extols how he was corrupted to follow his dad. Gregory seemed to be intrigued at what his dad did since he was a child. His dad was brutal in his protection of his son as well. He taught his son not to take any 'garbage' from people, to stand up for himself. You will get to see in inside workings of the life of crime. Sandra shares with us which family Greg, and eventually Gregory, worked for. You get a feel for the real people in this book. It reads quite like a novel as well not a dry bio, but a real brutal look at another part of our society. We get a real close look at Gregory, who is behind the 'story of betrayal' in the subtitle. Gregory was famous for talking with the one of the plotters of 9-11, although not believed, he holds to his story. Ironically, he and his dad constantly expressed their love for the USA. It was their home, their country. A fast paced book, that could be easily read in a couple of days if you have the time available, well worth the peek into the world of crime. Cool thing about Mafia Son, you get a feeling of reality and the book leaves you to judge things for yourself.