Alfonse (Funzi D) D’Ambrosio – Backbone of the Borgata

After his brother Sally’s disappearance and presumed murder along with soldier Freddy Red DeLucia in 1969, Funzi D would grow closer to a boyhood friend of his brother's from the neighborhood by the name of Tommy Ocera.

Alfonse (Funzi D) D'Ambrosio was born on December 21, 1924 He resided for many years at 2112 East 5th Street in Brooklyn. He had a twin brother, the notorious Salvatore (Sally D) D’Ambrosio, one of the most important and dangerous soldiers in the Family.

Alfonse D'Ambrosio

His activities included gambling, shylocking, hijacking, extortion, strong-arm enforcer, and stock/securities theft.

His associates over the years included:

Salvatore (Sally D) D’Ambrosio - his brother, a much feared and respected Family soldier, who would later be killed by the hierarchy for his ambitions

Joseph Colombo, Sr., - a top capo who would rise to be Boss of the Family.

Carmine (Junior) Persico - Funzi’s capo and one of the most notorious mafioso to ever walk the streets of New York. He would rise to Boss after Colombo.

Ferdinand (Freddy Red) DeLucia - close associate and partner of Sally D. They would disappear together after the hierarchy feared their growing power.

Thomas (Tommy) Ocera - one of the D’Ambrosio brothers' closest allies and associates. A former pro boxer active in shylocking and stock fraud rackets.

Dominick (Mimi) Scialo - a notorious Family soldier based in Coney Island who would also later be killed.

Joseph (Little Joey) Brancato - a long-time Family soldier and acting capo of the Franzese regime. He served briefly as “acting boss”.

Funzi D was a well-known Brooklyn-based Profaci member. He and his brother Sally Dwere considered top torpedos in the Carmine Persico regime of the Family. Both were viewed as dangerous “shooters” for the Profaci Family.

Key Profaci loyalists during the infamous Profaci-Gallo War of the early 1960s, Funzi D’Ambrosio and Junior Persico were ambushed by Gallo gunmen.

Carmine Persico being taken by ambulance.

While sitting in a parked automobile on a Brooklyn street, a panel truck loaded with shooters abruptly cut in front of Persico’s car as the truck’s rear doors swung open.

Firing carbine rifles, the Gallos pegged a volley of shots into the Profaci hoodlums car severely wounding both men,

D’Ambrosio was hit in the arm and shoulder while Persico got the worst of it.

He caught carbine slugs in his arm, mouth, and hand while trying to block gunfire. This is the incident that left Persico’s hand crippled. He would never use it again.

Mob legend has it that he caught a bullet in his teeth, spitting it out afterward. This is not true, of course. But a bullet did ricochet from his shoulder through his body into his neck settling in his mouth. So, he did spit it out, leading to the underworld legend of his toughness.

After his brother Sally’s disappearance and presumed murder along with soldier “Freddy Red” DeLucia in 1969, Funzi would grow closer to a boyhood friend of his brother's from the neighborhood by the name of Tommy Ocera.

Carmine Persico

In fact, only hours after their double murder, an unsuspecting Ocera, lured to a hotel room, had survived a vicious beating with blackjacks and fists at the hands of a half-dozen Colombo soldiers (including Joseph (Joe Notch) Iannaci and Joseph (Joe Butter) De Cicco) under orders by the boss himself, who had suspected Ocera of plotting a coup in cahoots with DeLucia and Sally D’Ambrosio to overthrow Colombo and seize the Family throne.

Only Tommy’s tremendous skills as a former boxer helped him survive the attack which left him gravely injured, unconscious, and requiring extensive reconstructive surgery to his face (it wasn’t intended that he survive).

After several months in the hospital recuperating, Joe Colombo invited Tommy to his home on a Sunday afternoon. Italian readers will know that Sunday is a sacred day to the Italian people typically spent home with the family.

Scared to death to go, but also scared to death not to show up, Ocera nonetheless made the fateful decision and proceeded to his boss’ Brooklyn home.

Upon walking through the front door, Tommy immediately saw one of Joe’s small grandchildren scurry through the foyer bouncing a ball. He breathed a deep sigh of relief, instantly realizing that Joe would never allow a mob hit to take place in the presence of his precious grandchildren.

After having a candid heart-to-heart talk over espresso, with Tommy swearing his ignorance to whatever might have been plotted by the deceased Family soldiers, Boss Joe Colombo gave Ocera a pass, swearing on his grandchildren’s eyes that no further retribution would be forthcoming against Ocera.

From that point forward, Funzi and Ocera, a highly successful business owner, shylock, and Family associate would go on to become partners in several ventures together. Tommy had been active years earlier in several boiler room stock frauds with Sally D.

In the late 1960s, he also had designed and opened a very successful catering hall named The Manor East out in Massapequa, Long Island. A popular destination for engagements, weddings, christenings, and other social events, Ocera would later also purchase the multi-acre property which housed the catering building.

Funzi also figured in a Brooklyn bank load scandal in 1972. The Kings Lafayette Bank came under fire for issuing over 50 unsecured loans to many mob figures, several of which went into default.

D’Ambrosio was named as having received three such loans, totaling $15,000, in a period of 10 months, giving different addresses and false information for each loan.

Funzi would be indicted by the FBI in the mid-1970s for interstate stolen securities with several other Brooklyn hoods.

Side Note: Unfortunately, in 1982, his young son, Nicholas, who was 24 at the time, while in Fort Lauderdale, Florida vacationing with several friends, would have an altercation with Mark Tortoriello, the son of a Chicago mobster named James (Mugsy) Tortoriello.

Allegedly over a minor drug deal gone wrong, young Nicky D’Ambrosio pulled a pistol and shot the young scion killing him. Besides conflict between the two mob Families, Florida police authorities issued a murder warrant for D’Ambrosio, forcing him to go “on the lam” (his father hiding him out). Eventually, Nicky was apprehended. He was later convicted of second-degree murder and would end up serving a lengthy prison term......... Funzi was broken-hearted over his son.... and I can tell you that he was never the same after that.

Additionally, Funzi was one of several who suspected that Greg Scarpa was an informer. He brought his opinion to the powers that be at the time, but as a mere soldier, his words were ignored.

In later years, he was placed in capo Pasquale (Patty) Amato’s crew. As a senior member having experienced a lot in his day, he was looked upon by the younger members with much respect.

As the third internal Colombo Family gang war unfolded, D’Ambrosio would not take an active role in the warfare. He had seen it all before and knew it was a thankless and futile endeavor.

Although based in the very heart of the section of Brooklyn which was ground zero for the fighting, Funzi did his best to navigate around the conflict. And as an old man by then, he successfully managed to duck most of the collateral fallout of the war.

No positive dod, but I do believe that Funzi was still alive as of the late 1990s or early 2000 period.

Alfonse (Funzi) D’Ambrosio was a very respected, longtime pillar for the Family in that section of Brooklyn. He was typical of the solid rank and file that formed the cement foundation the borgata was built on.

Just another storied tale that is and was the Joseph Colombo Family.

Alfonse (Funzi D) D’Ambrosio – Backbone of the Borgata

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Alfonse (Funzi D) D’Ambrosio – Backbone of the Borgata

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You May Also Enjoy

The Anthony Strollo Regime of NY/NJ

The Day Charlie (the Bug) Workman Saved a Horse

Racketeer Profile – San Francisco’s “Jimmy the Hat” Lanza

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