1. Michael Rizzitello was featured in several biography novels by mobsters-turned-informants Jimmy Fratianno, Anthony Fiato, and Kenny Gallo.
25 Facts About Michael Rizzitello
1. 2.
Michael Rizzitello later moved to New York City and as an adult became associated with organized crime.
3.
Michael Rizzitello worked for "Crazy Joe" Gallo in the 1950s who was a member of the Profaci crime family.
4.
When Gallo attempted to take over the Profaci crime family, Michael Rizzitello was one of his key gunmen.
5.
Michael Rizzitello allegedly participated in the murder of mobster John Guariglia and Paul Ricci at the HiFi Lounge in Brooklyn on November 11,1961, along with future Los Angeles crime family soldier Tommy Ricciardi.
6.
In California, Michael Rizzitello first became affiliated with the Los Angeles Mafia working as a debt collector and extortionist for Salvatore "Dago Louie" Piscopo along with a friend of his named Louie "Lefty" Castiglione.
7.
Michael Rizzitello was mentored by Joseph Sica; an associate of Piscopo.
8.
In 1962, Michael Rizzitello was arrested by the LAPD for a string of armed robberies of restaurants and businesses in the Hollywood area, and after conviction he served nine years in prison.
9.
Michael Rizzitello met inmate William Carroll in prison at Chino prison.
10.
Michael Rizzitello became involved in illegal gambling, loan sharking, mail fraud, insurance fraud, and extortion.
11.
Mob, On June 6,1976, Louie Piscopo allegedly sponsored Michael Rizzitello to become a made man.
12.
Michael Rizzitello was sentenced to three years for the two convictions.
13.
In 1977, Michael Rizzitello was charged with extortion and filing a false insurance claim.
14.
Michael Rizzitello pleaded no contest on May 2,1977 to one count of insurance fraud.
15.
In 1978 mob boss Dominic Brooklier had tried to get Michael Rizzitello to set up the murder of Jimmy Fratianno.
16.
Michael Rizzitello was later put on trial for conspiring with Fratianno to attempt to kill a government witness for Pennsylvania crime boss Russell Bufalino, but was acquitted.
17.
In November 1980, Michael Rizzitello was convicted of racketeering and extortion, and sentenced two months later to five years in prison.
18.
Michael Rizzitello was released from prison in 1986, he was put on trial again on charges that he and others tried to defraud a Montana firm in a fraudulent transfer of stock.
19.
When Michael Rizzitello was released from prison in early 1986, Peter Milano had become the new boss of the Los Angeles crime family.
20.
Michael Rizzitello then went to the Gambino crime family in New York City to seek permission to start his own crime family in California, but it never came to be.
21.
Michael Rizzitello worked closely with and mob mentored Anthony Fiato in the 1980s, before Fiato secretly decided to cooperate with the FBI.
22.
In 1988, Michael Rizzitello was blacklisted from every casino in Las Vegas due to his involvement in crime and specifically illegal gambling in the city.
23.
Terminally ill, Michael Rizzitello died of complications of cancer at the age of 78, on October 26,2005, in Palm Springs, California.
24.
Michael Rizzitello was still in custody at the time of his death.
25.
Michael Rizzitello was interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City, California.