Bernard Dolcemaschio: The Strong Arm

Bernard Dolcemaschio was a Profaci (Colombo) Family associate aligned with the Carmine Persico faction. Bernard was known as a tough guy in the neighborhood and that became his future mantra.

Bernard Dolcemaschio was born in 1929 and raised at 1072 St. Marks Avenue, Brooklyn. By the early 1960s, he had migrated out to 58 Meadowmere Avenue in Mastic in Long Island’s Suffolk County.

Since he was a teenager back in Brooklyn, Dolcemaschio had always been friendly with young hoodlums most of whom would later affiliate with the Profaci-Colombo Family of LCN.

Bernard Dolcemaschio

In 1950, as a 21-year-old young street tough back in South Brooklyn, he was one of a large gang of young hoodlums who were arrested by multiple teams of policemen who had received an informant tip about an impending battle between rival Italian street gangs.

After staking out the designated location of the rumble, ten police cars converged on the scene. The gaggle of hoods scattered, hiding in doorways and hallways and under cars. Sixteen of them were nabbed.

Among those detained with Dolcemaschio included future Profaci-Colombo Family members 20-year-old Ferdinand (No-Nose Freddy) DeLucia, 19-year-old Gaetano (Tommy) Ocera, 17-year-old John (Tarzan) Lusterino, and future DeCavalcante Family soldier, 23-year-old Louis Telese.

All 16 were arrested, various weapons recovered, and all were arraigned the following day in Bay Ridge court on unlawful assembly, weapons, and other counts.

A Tough Guy in the Neighborhood

By the late-1950s, he was being identified as a Profaci Family associate aligned with the Carmine Persico faction.

His activities included loansharking racket, strong-arm enforcer, and thefts.

Bernard was known as a tough guy in the neighborhood and that became his future mantra.

He would later be arrested as the strong-arm collector for recalcitrant loan customers for a shylock operation based out of a horse farm in Center Moriches, Long Island.

His criminal record of eight arrests dates from 1950 and includes criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, and unlawful assembly, possession of a weapon, vagrancy, unlawful entry, felonious assault, assault and robbery, usury, and conspiracy.

He had convictions for third-degree robbery, assault and robbery (served four to eight years in state prison), and a reduced charge of assault. He was also convicted in the loanshark case.

In 1969, a top prosecutor, the famed Maurice Nadjari, oversaw a year-long probe (directed by Saverio Fierro, chief of the District Attorney’s Rackets Squad) that saw the indictment of seven hoods connected with Colombo and Lucchese crews for the operation of two active loanshark rings preying on the Eastern Long Island communities of Moriches, Mastic, and Mastic Beach.

This joint investigation was started after several victims complained about being threatened and terrorized by the hoodlums after falling behind on payments.

Nadjuri said that they had loaned out thousands of dollars to many victims, who paid anywhere from a 176 % annual interest rate to a whopping 520% depending upon the amount and circumstances of the loan, and utilized strongarm men to ensure payment.

Charged with usury and conspiracy were Michael (Big Mike) LaBarbara, Nunzio (Big Ned) Vetrano, Vincent Correlli, Dolcemaschio, and Gaetano Tedesco.

Authorities alleged Vetrano was the head of one ring with Correlli and Dolcemaschio as strongarm collectors. They were indicted on 19 counts of conspiracy, criminal usury, attempted grand larceny by extortion and attempted coercion.

LaBarbara headed the other shylock ring. He and Tedesco were indicted on 16 counts of conspiracy, criminal usury, attempted grand larceny by extortion and attempted coercion. Two unidentified others were also sought by authorities.

LaBarbara was a notorious Lucchese-affiliated mafioso with a long record of 36 arrests and 9 convictions for operating alcohol stills and gun possession. At the time of his arrest in this case, he was facing another shylock case in Suffolk and a forgery of U.S. Treasury bonds case in Brooklyn.

Tedesco was awaiting trial for another shylock case with Gambino member Sebastian (Benny) Biondo, who was recently convicted for bookmaking.

Side Note: These were joint ventures of Lucchese, Colombo, and Gambino associates. LaBarbara was incorrectly identified as a Colombo member when, in fact, he was a long-time Lucchese member.

In later years no more was publicly heard of Dolcemaschio, and no dod was available.

Until next time...The Other Guy!

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Bernard Dolcemaschio: The Strong Arm

Often Imitated. Never Duplicated. Button Guys of The New York Mafia...There's Only One!

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The Most Powerful Profaci/Colombo Family Capo

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