Salvatore Peritore was a soldier in the Profaci/Colombo Family involved mostly in gambling rackets. But he was also suspected of being a strong-arm enforcer who had done a lot of “work” for boss Joe Profaci and the borgata, thus his nickname, Sammy the Assassin.
As a young kid in the 1930s, Sammy was part of what newspapers dubbed the Midget Gang, a teenage group of young robbers operating primarily in the Coney Island, Bath Beach, and Bensonhurst sections of Brooklyn. Why the Midget Gang? Because after one bust, cops told newspapers all the suspects were under 5-feet-4 inches tall.
Early on in his criminal career Peritore was believed to have served in the regime of an old-time Profaci stalwart named Enrico (Harry) Fontana, one of the most respected and revered “capodecina” of the entire Profaci Family.
After Joe Colombo took over, Sammy the Assassin served as the personal bodyguard, aide, and appointment secretary to Colombo’s newly installed underboss, a 67-year-old low-keyed mafioso named Salvatore (Charlie Lemons) Mineo.
Often Imitated. Never Duplicated. Button Guys of The New York Mafia...There's Only One!
