By the age of 16, he was an alcoholic who drank Sambuca in the morning while working. The airline had contracted to return the money to the U.S. for depositing with American banks. Hill claims the body was bured in Roberts Longue and his body has never been found. A few weeks after the heist, DeSimone got the news he had been waiting almost his entire life for. DeSimone followed their example and began a life of crime early on, joining the crew of Lucchese family mobster, Paul Vario. Agro also suggested murdering the eldest and last remaining brother, Robert. [11] It is believed that DeSimone was murdered as revenge for the two unsanctioned murders of John Gotti's men, Bentvena and Jerothe. While walking down the street with Hill, he spotted a total stranger strolling in front of him. Like many other characters in Goodfellas, Spider is based on a real-life person, and according to the real Henry Hill, his death in the movie happened just as it did in real-life. Both of his brothers were associates of the Gambino crime family; Anthony was murdered by mobster Thomas Agro in 1979. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. He insulted DeSimone by reminding his earlier life as shoe shine boy that went on to be shown in the movie Goodfella. Tommy or Two-Gun Tommy because he always had two guns, had three siblings, a sister named Delores and two brothers, Robert and Anthony DeSimone. Thomas DeSimone (May 24, 1950 disappeared January 14, 1979) was an American criminal associated with New York City's Lucchese crime family who is alleged to have participated in both the Air France robbery and the Lufthansa heist. True Story Explained, Goodfellas: The Mafia's Rules & Code of Honor Explained, Goodfellas: Every Character Who Dies (& Why), Quantum Of Solace's Original Ending Would've Totally Changed Craig's 007, Why Pirates of the Caribbean Producer Wants Johnny Depp Back, Harry Potter: Why Peeves Wasnt In The Movies. He was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn to Sardinian-Italian emigrants from Olbia and christened as "Michele Gianfranco". Gianco and DeSimone had an argument, after Gianco forgot DeSimone's drink, that resulted in DeSimone pulling out a handgun and shooting him in the thigh. On The Howard Stern Show, Hill said that Gianco was buried next to Robert's Lounge along with other bodies. Was Michael Imperioli's character in Goodfellas based on a real-life person? They found seven bags and loaded the money into the suitcase they brought. The money was stored in a cement-block strong room at Air France's cargo terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport, with a round-the-clock private security guard. When Imperioli auditioned for the groundbreaking series, he was best known for playing Michael "Spider" Gianco, a minor role in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. Tommy then shot Gianco in the chest, killing him, and Henry described that moment as the one when he realized DeSimone was a total psychopath. Goodfellas: Was Michael Imperioli's Spider Real? On the day of the robbery, Hill and DeSimone drove to Kennedy airport with an empty suitcase, the largest Hill could find. He sold the property 2 years before his death but the body is still in the basement. The stolen vehicles would then later be shipped from the New York Harbor to Port-au-Prince, Haiti through Edguardo's Sea-Land Service Inc. situated in South Ozone Park, Queens. Free updates online. 2004-2022 American Mafia is a Registered Trademark in the United States, The Beginning Of A New Age/Era & The Legacy Of Lucky Luciano, The Day It Came Together Vitos Last Stand, Tommy DeSimone Who depicted killings from the movie The Goodfella. The saloon's backyard became Dominick's grave after his murder. Vario made him an official member of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union and was hired on as a bartender by Casey Rosado at Robert's Lounge and Bruno Facciolo's restaurant 'Bruno's'. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. [2] In Wiseguy, Hill said the body was eventually crushed in a compactor at a New Jersey junkyard, which was owned by Clyde Brooks. It is interesting that in this first iteration of the story, Spider is never called "Michael Gianco", he is only referred to by his nickname. In 1970, while serving drinks to some mobsters at Robert's Lounge, Gianco forgot to give Tommy DeVito his Crown Royal, angering him. See All Available Copies See All Available Copies. A member of the Vario crew, Jimmy Burke who was a family friend of the DeSimones took Tommy in teaching him the ways of the mob. He also added that the death "took a long time," as Bentvena had been a personal friend of Gotti's, and he wanted DeSimone to suffer before he died. Hill claimed that in "the week after Christmas," he and Burke had gone to Florida to straighten out a drug deal gone bad. DeSimone and Hill entered the unsecured area unchallenged and unlocked the door with a duplicate key. This gave their relative Michael much hardship when growing up. Some say it was because he killed Billy Batts Devino and Ronald Foxy Jerothe, both made members of the Gambinos without proper permission as mandated by the commission. His early life 2 comments share save She said she last saw Tommy a few weeks earlier when he borrowed money from her. Of course, the truth was that DeSimone was walking into a trap. DeSimone had a huge appetite and quick temper and could drink every day gallon of milk. She was also a contributor for FanSided's BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. DeSimone and Gianco had an argument which led to DeSimone shooting Gianco on his thigh. He kicked and swung and shit all over himself before he died." He added that Agro had tortured DeSimone slowly to death. Next: Goodfellas: Every Character Who Dies (& Why). They took $420,000 without raising any alarm. Thomas Monaster/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesJames Burke (Jimmy the Gent), arrested and taken to Federal Court. His father owned a printing shop but later lost it because of hiscompulsive gambling addiction. DeSimone was told he would become a made man when he completed the hit. DeSimone later told Hill that he was using Gianco for "target practice", testing out his new Colt .45 revolvers. When Jerothe found out about it, word got back to Tommy that Jerothe had said he was going to kill him. I know this because I was friends with the associates brother and the brother showed me the burial area in his basement. The argument was amusing to the rest as they started laughing, but that only made Tommy angrier, who continued yelling as Spider left to get his drink. However, DeSimone wasnt shy about using his gun. Tommy had remained behind in New York because he was going to be made. [7] Peter Vario (Paul Vario's son) and Bruno Facciolo took him to an unknown location, where he was murdered. DeSimone began working for Paul Vario around the age of 15, becoming involved in truck hijackings, dealing and fencing stolen property, extortion, fraud, and (of course) murder. According to another mobster who claimed he was at the scene, his death was slow and painful. Create a free family tree for yourself or for Michael Gianco and we'll search for valuable new information for you. The theft was done unnoticed until the following Monday when a Wells Fargo truck went to pick up the cash which was to be delivered to the French American banking corporation. It was after this murder that Henry Hill considered DeSimone a psychopath.Fact|date=November 2007 DeSimone was never convicted of murdering Gianco, whose corpse was never discovered. It has been assumed that Tommy DeSimone was buried in a suspectedmafia graveyardon the Brooklyn-Queens border near Kennedy Airport. [5] After Bentvena was severely beaten and presumed dead, DeSimone, Burke, and Hill placed his body in the trunk of Hill's car, stopping at DeSimone's mother's house for a knife, lime, and a shovel. Tommy agreed, and Spider was never seen again. Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. With the club nearly empty, DeSimone pistol-whipped Bentvena, yelling "Shine these fucking shoes!" 1937 - January 17, 1979) was a New . On some occasions, he perceived jokes about him as insults. Gianco was a young mob associate who was serving as a bartender when he forgot DeSimones drink. Tommy started teasing him about it, but Spider had enough and told him to go f*** himself. Next, read more about Henry Hill and the Goodfellas crew. ): Missing. Thomas DeSimone was born on May 24, 1950. "Walking down the street, he looked like he was bringing you a sandwich instead of a .38," Hill said. After some weeks, DeSimone joked to Gianco about his wounded leg and Gianco didn't take so well so he told DeSimone to 'go fuck himself. Michael was a bartender who was employed at Jimmy Burke's Robert's Lounge. Also, another person had been murdered and buried within the saloon, who was Michael Gianco, popularly called the 'Spider'. Here's the link to the article: https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130617/south-ozone-park/fbi-digs-for-body-queens-home-of-goodfellas-mobster-jimmy-burkeHelp support my channel!YOUTUBEJoin this channel to get access to perks like Blogs, Podcasts, Photos and more:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRDFfDnR178DvtTk1pmrqtA/joinPATREONhttps://www.patreon.com/williamdefalco (for exclusive posts and lots of photos)AMAZONhttps://www.amazon.com/shop/williamdefalco (where your clicks and purchases further help) Nationality: American Unless Henry Hill made that story up. Another murder of DeSimone got played in Goodfella movie, where DeSimone had murdered Michael Spider Gianco, by putting three bullets in the chest. DeSimone was involved in truck hijackings, dealing and fencing stolen property, extortion, fraud, and murder. Gianco had worked as night manager and bartender. Henry claimed that in the week after Christmas that he and Jimmy Burke had gone down to Florida to straighten out a drug deal gone bad. Full name: Thomas James DeSimone Unlike Burke, Gianco could become a "made member" of the Lucchese crime family because he was a full-blooded Italian. Thomas Monaster/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. They buried his body upstate. Spider's real name was Michael Gianco, and he became associated with the Lucchese family sometime in the 1960s. While hijacking, DeSimone would always carry his gun in a brown paper bag. DeSimone went missing in 1979 and is believed to have been murdered. Related: Goodfellas: The Mafia's Rules & Code of Honor Explained.