abstract
| - Born on November 19th 1941 in the Ozone Park section of Queens, Pizzonia began working for the Gambino crime family as a crew member for then caporegime John Gotti. On December 16, 1985, Pizzonia allegedly participated in the assassinations of Gambino boss Paul Castellano and underboss Thomas Bilotti outside Sparks Steak House. After Castellano's murder, Gotti took over as family boss. In June 1988, Pizzonia allegedly murdered mobster Frank Boccia at the family's request. The Gambinos ordered Boccia's murder because he had allegedly pushed his mother-in-law Jennifer, the wife of mobster of Anthony Ruggiano down a flight of stairs, while Ruggiano was in prison for refusing to pay for his daughter's $500 baptism. Boccia was lured to Cafe Liberty in Ozone Park, Queens on the ruse of an upcoming planned heist, Pizzonia shot Boccia in the head repeatedly. Pizzonia paused midway to reload, said "this guy don't want to fucking die", and then shot him a few more times. They gutted Boccia's like a fish so that his body would not float, and threw the body into the waters off Merrick, New York. On December 24, 1988, as a reward for the Castellano and Boccia murders, the Gambinos allowed Pizzonia to become a made man, or full member, in the family. He earned the nickname "Skinny Dom" Pizzonia to distinguish himself from Gambino crime family mobster "Fat Dom" Borghese, so associates would not get confused. On December 24, 1992, Pizzonia participated in the murder of Thomas Uva and his wife Rosemary. Previously that year, the Uvas had robbed several social clubs belonging to the Gambino, Bonanno, and Colombo crime families. Pizzonia was especially enraged by the Uvas because they twice robbed Gotti's Bergin Hunt and Fish Club in Ozone Park, which Pizzonia managed. On Christmas Eve, Pizzonia and capo Ronald Trucchio located the Uvas in Queens and shot both of them dead in their car. In 1995, Pizzonia became the head of a Gambino bookmaking operation and later replaced Peter Gotti as capo.
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