Bonanno Mobster George (Georgie Bennett) DiBenedetto: The Wrong End of the Blade

George (Georgie Bennett) DiBenedetto was an associate of the Bonanno Family who was involved in a massive children’s charity racket scheme with Colombo Family mobster Frank Sciortino. But DiBenedetto found himself at the wrong end of the blade before the case went to trial.

George (Georgie Bennett) DiBenedetto -- aka George DeBenedetto, George DeBenedetta, George Benedetto, Georgie Dee, Giorgio Cavalieri DiBenedetto (TN) -- was born in New York City’s East Harlem section on February 17, 1928.

DiBenedetto grew up at 162 East 113th Street. He was raised and reared in a notorious area rife with hoodlums, gangsters, and mafiosi. He attended NYC’s public school system, going asfar as junior high before dropping out completely. Thereafter, he held various part-time jobs and operated criminally in his East Harlem neighborhood and the Bronx sections of the city.

George (Georgie Bennett) DiBenedetto

On February 18, 1946, only one day after his eighteenth birthday, George went to the local U.S. Draft Board in his Manhattan neighborhood and registered for the armed services.

On his draft card registration form, DiBenedetto was described as standing 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. He had black hair, dark brown eyes, and a fair complexion. On the intake form, George listed his next of kin as his mother, Frances DiBenedetto.

Side Note: There is some evidence that only a year later, in 1947, George may have also gotten married. That year, a man named George C. DiBenedetto and a woman named Lucy Rinaldi obtained a marriage license in Bronx County.

Little is known about his activities over the next decade, through the 1950s. But by at least 1965, he had already relocated to Long Island. It was around that time that he purchased a small 3-bedroom ranch-style home at 44 Milton Street in the Town of Islip, on Suffolk’s South Shore.

44 Milton Street, Islip

Young Hoods in Training

DiBenedetto started his criminal career with the NYC Police Department back in the mid-1940s, at the tender age of only fifteen.

During the early 1960s, DiBenedetto was being identified as a criminal associate of the Joseph Bonanno Family.

Then, in 1966, DiBenedetto became involved in a children’s charity racket scheme being operated on Long Island by Frank (The Bug) Sciortino , a well-known crew associate and future soldier of the Joseph Colombo Family.

In time, DiBenedetto would also be recognized by local law enforcement authorities as being “allied” to Sciortino and the Colombo Family.

Frank (The Bug) Sciortino

By early 1967, Sciortino, DiBenedetto, and Nathan (Nat) Plotkin went partners after they took over the operation of the defunct Long Island-based Children’s Center Rehabilitation Fund.

The three partners rented office space for their newly regenerated charity fund in the Leeds Building at 215 Deer Park Avenue in the Town of Babylon, Long Island.

Nat Plotkin, a large, portly individual, was installed as the charity's frontman or “beard” because both Sciortino and DiBenedetto had extensive criminal records.

Sciortino, who lived nearby in Massapequa then, was a part-owner of Star Carting Co., a private garbage and rubbish removal firm headquartered on Denton Avenue in New Hyde Park. He also held a hidden interest in The Chateaubriand Restaurant, in New Hyde Park.

“Frankie the Bug” also happened to be well-known as a notorious mob figure on Long Island.

Lengthy Rap Sheets

Dating back to at least the early 1950s, Sciortino had a criminal record reflecting arrests for possession of a gun, criminal mischief, felony assault, and grand larceny. By the mid-1960s, he had been arrested several more times in Nassau County on charges of coercion and attempted extortion relating to garbage racketeering.

By then, Sciortino was also awaiting trial in connection with a highly-publicized case in Bridgeport, Connecticut, stemming from his arrest on felonious assault and attempted murder charges brought by a discount house operator who accused Sciortino of shooting him during an attempted shakedown related to a shylock loan and the hijacking of merchandise.

A quick background check of DiBenedetto was just as unsavory. Dating to 1943, he had been arrested at least seven times for policy-numbers gambling, police bribery, sale of heroin, assault and battery, grand larceny, and scheming to defraud.

He had been convicted of selling heroin, for which he was sentenced to serve three years in Federal Prison, and of a reduced charge of bribery conspiracy for which he received a sentence of criminal probation.

A Very Bad Year

1969 would turn out to be a bad year for George DiBenedetto. That was the year George was first publicly identified as a Mafia associate.

Newsday published an extensive investigative series about the local underworld titled “Growth Industry: Mobs on L.I.”

In the award-winning series, Newsday initially named 120 mob figures they identified as Long Island residents. A month or so later, they released a follow-up article adding several dozen more mob figures to the list. George DiBenedetto was among those profiled.

The newspaper went on to describe him as “a (Paul) Sciacca crime-family associate, allied with Frank (The Bug) Sciortino, a mobster of some note.

The newspaper series also singled out Sciortino by writing a separate, extended profile about his background and criminal exploits.

Deadly Weapons, Powerful Explosives

Later that same year, on April 9, 1969, the two friends added to their notoriety and anti-social register when Nassau County authorities directed a team of detectives from the intelligence unit, working in cooperation with officers of the Rackets Squad, to conduct an early morning raid at the homes of both DiBenedetto and Sciortino.

Acting on information provided by the Suffolk County Police Intelligence Unit, legendary State Court Judge Francis X. McInerney signed warrants authorizing thorough searches of both residences.

Subsequently, shortly after entering the homes, the police raiding parties hit pay dirt. Authorities reported that they had uncovered a small arsenal between the two residences.

At Sciortino’s Massapequa home, they discovered a hidden cache of 6 loaded handguns. In the garage of DiBenedetto’s Islip residence, they reportedly recovered over 50 crates of illegal fireworks.

Subsequently, Sciortino was charged with multiple counts of felony possession of dangerous weapons, while DiBenedetto was charged with conspiracy and illegal possession of and intent to sell fireworks.

Mob-Style Charity

Then, on June 23, 1969, the two hoodlums were nabbed yet again.

This time, they were picked up with their associate and partner, Nat Plotkin, regarding their long-running charity racket scheme.

After hearing evidence over the course of a year, the Suffolk County Grand Jury voted to indict the three men on charges of fraudulently operating the purported charity.

Nat Plotkin

In publicly announcing the arrests, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said they had broken up a mob-linked Children’s Charity Fund after their office had received repeated complaints from various victims and local residents. The Suffolk D.A. ordered an immediate investigation into the organization and quickly discovered a years-long fraud scheme being perpetrated by the defendants.

All three suspects were charged with multiple felony counts of grand larceny, promoting gambling, and falsifying business records. They were also charged with an additional 48 counts of various misdemeanors, including criminal conspiracy, possession of gambling records, and petty larceny.

If convicted on all counts, the defendants each faced a maximum of 60 years of jail time.

At their arraignment, the judge enumerated the charges they faced and then set bond conditions for the three defendants.

First up was the rotund Plotkin, who cast an imposing figure as he stood before the Magistrate. Bail was set at $2,500, which the corpulent defendant promptly posted to the court to gain his release from the police lockup.

DiBenedetto was also released from jail after meeting his $10,000 bail bond requirement.

But at his arraignment, Frankie Sciortino didn’t get as lucky. The ever-notorious mob figure was held on the highest bail of the three and was remitted to the County lockup after failing to meet his $15,000 bail bond requirements.

The judge did not set any firm date for trial.

How the Scam Worked

Authorities explained that the defendants initially worked this long-running scam by placing hundreds of collection boxes in various local retail stores, bars, and restaurants.

On the front of these collection boxes were advertisements that offered tickets for sale at .50 cents and $1 apiece for a nonexistent raffle, which reportedly had the potential to yield the winner a $75,000 prize. Sciortino, DiBenedetto, and Plotkin then printed 12,500 chance books and distributed over 3,000 plastic containers in anticipation of heavy donations.

Innocent members of the public were then solicited to buy "chances," lured by the promise of valuable prizes like a brand new automobile, color television sets, and other items. But no such raffle was ever actually held.

Instead, the schemers simply pocketed the money from their victims, and none of the collected funds were forwarded to any such charity.

The twenty-six-page indictment did not specify how much money the trio had allegedly profited from the scheme, which they had operated since 1967.

However, the indictment stipulated, "The defendants had collected at least $8,000 from collection boxes placed in stores and bars, and had sold 50-cent tickets for a non-existent raffle which had the potential to yield another $74,500 in profits.”

Furthermore, from the evidence gathered during this investigation, Suffolk DA George J. Aspland and Rackets Squad commander Saverio Fierro said they believed the suspects were about to expand the charity fraud into a nationwide scam. D.A. Aspland then stated, “But I think we hit them in sufficient time to cripple them.”

As part of the scheme, the indictment also stated Plotkin and DiBenedetto once solicited visitors to the Laurel Haven Rest Home in Babylon to sell raffle tickets for the fund. In furtherance of the scam, DiBenedetto was also accused of “falsely stating that he had a child who was retarded as well as crippled.”

The Scales of Lady Justice

Two years later, in October 1971, their charity fraud case finally came to trial. Subsequently, after several weeks of evidence and testimony presented by the prosecution, the jury deliberated for five hours before returning guilty verdicts.

After hearing all the evidence, but before the case went to the jury, Acting County Court Judge John Copertino dismissed a grand larceny count and two gambling counts against both men. Nonetheless, the jury found Sciortino guilty on one misdemeanor charge of third-degree conspiracy to defraud. He received nine months behind bars in the Suffolk County jail. He could have received a maximum of one year on his guilty plea.

For his part in the fraud plot, Plotkin was convicted on one felony count of falsifying business records and another 39 counts related to petty larceny and conspiracy to defraud.

But Nathan Plotkin got lucky. When he went before the court for sentencing, Judge Copertino took mercy on him and sentenced him to five years on probation and then ordered the fraudster to pay a fine of $1000. Plotkin could have received a maximum of 44 years in jail.

Regarding George DiBenedetto, their partner in crime and the third codefendant in the charity case?

As far as George was concerned, none of what took place in that courtroom would ever matter to him. Not one bit!

Because as it turned out, only eight months prior, The Grim Reaper had come calling for him.

The Wrong End of the Blade

Admittedly, George DiBenedetto had a long and very serious police record. Apparently, he was a very dangerous guy. A mobbed-up hoodlum not to be trifled with. At least, George thought so.

But, like they say, no matter how tough you think you are, there’s always somebody tougher and more dangerous out there. And some guys out there just don’t care who you are, who you think you are, or who you’re connected with.

In the end, Georgie boy found that fact of life out the hard way.

A Bloody Ending

A Suffolk County Police Department spokesman described what happened this way:

On February 16, 1971, shortly after 3 p.m., police officers responded to calls made by several of DiBenedetto’s neighbors who had seen two suspicious men drive up to the DiBenedetto home, enter, and then quickly depart the scene shortly thereafter. They also described the men to the authorities.

When police entered the home, they reportedly discovered a bloody scene -- with DiBenedetto lying on the floor, dead from multiple stab wounds.

The police quickly determined that George’s murder was not related to the underworld or a “gangland” type killing.

An APB (all-points bulletin) was immediately issued for the unidentified suspects, whose description and make of car was supplied by DiBenedetto’s neighbors.

Shortly thereafter, a patrol car just a few miles away spotted a car matching that description driving along Sunrise Highway. The cop forced the car to the curb, and after a brief struggle, the patrolman was able to subdue two men and place them both under arrest.

The suspects were later identified as two local Suffolk County residents: twenty-four-year-old Thomas A. Barbato, an aluminum-siding installer, and thirty-two-year-old William Young, a construction roofer.

After police interrogated them back at the precinct house, both were arraigned on charges of first-degree manslaughter and then held in the Fourth Precinct lockup. They were then transported out to the Suffolk Country Jail in Riverhead to await trial.

Later, a police spokesperson provided further information regarding the circumstances leading to DiBenedetto’s murder.

A police investigation determined that both suspects and the victim were previous acquaintances of one another. On the afternoon of the murder, Barbato and Young had driven to DiBenedetto’s home for a visit.

DiBenedetto brought his guests into the den of his home and was talking when a violent quarrel ensued between the three men. A physical altercation quickly broke out, with Barbato and Young attacking DiBenedetto with knives.

Police did not say what led to the attack. But they said that the aspiring hoodlum was stabbed numerous times in the head and body and quickly succumbed to his wounds.

At the time of his murder, law enforcement authorities said that both DiBenedetto and his friend and codefendant Nat Plotkin were working as self-employed ice cream vendors.

They operated their own ice cream trucks, which they had aptly named “Hoodsie Ice Cream.”

George Cavalieri DiBenedetto was only 44 years old.

Until next time…”The Other Guy”

Bonanno Mobster George (Georgie Bennett) DiBenedetto: The Wrong End of the Blade

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Bonanno Mobster George (Georgie Bennett) DiBenedetto: The Wrong End of the Blade

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Giuseppe (Joe) Bonanno: Infamous and Controversial Cosa Nostra Boss

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