Dominick (Little Dom) Cataldo: Colombo Family Hitman

Dominick (Little Dom) Cataldo was a key enforcer and mob hitman in the Colombo crime family, aligning himself with the Family's Persico faction. In the early 1980s, he was caught up in a major mafia RICO case involving top Colombo mobsters.

Dominick (Little Dom) Cataldo was born on May 10, 1936, on Essex Street in Brooklyn's East New York section. By the 1960s, he had moved to the Ozone Park area and later relocated a bit further east to 1096 Ashley Drive in Valley Stream in Nassau County.

FBI # 139341D, NYCPD # B-431893

He was a long-time “associate” who eventually became an inducted “soldier” in the Colombo Family. Cataldo had a brother named Joseph who was also an “associate” of this family and served under Dom.

Dominick (Little Dom) Cataldo

Dominick Catlado was a mid-sized, 5-foot 7-inch, compact, 150-pound muscular, sharp, nice-looking man with a quick wit and quick hands.

He had the potential for a fiery temper but was loyal to his friends, both in and out of the mob. He was very well-liked by his friends; not so much by his enemies.

Little Dom made the rounds pretty good in his day, bouncing around New York, Long Island, and even South Florida monthly looking for narcotics and scores.

He was known as a heist guy or trickster (hijackings, burglaries, armed robberies) and an enforcer, he was known to have done ample “work” in his day.

Dominick Cataldo owned a piece of several bars and nightclubs over the years; the lounge at the Kennedy Inn Hotel near JFK Airport was one. He also had owned the Villagio Italia Restaurant on Rockaway Ave. on the South Shore of Long Island of which he was proud.

A Hoodlum Through and Through

But primarily, Little Dom was a hoodlum through and through! And he loved it! Think“Jimmy Cagney-style.” Nobody fucked with Dom!

A highly respected member who traveled in high circles! He was an intimate of many of the Colombo hierarchy - as can be evidenced by his inclusion in the “Colombo Family” indictment.

He was active in most of the typical rackets including gambling, loansharking, extortion -- big time -- he loved shaking suckers down, labor rackets, etc. but he was really into truck hijacking and “planned” big-money heists!

He also got into narcotics trafficking, mostly cocaine, from South Florida to the NYC area later in life! It is said he would set up and rob drug dealer shipments of cocaine and marijuana. He is alleged to have killed several drug dealers, burying them in the Florida swamps where alligators would eat them, thus disposing of evidence.

Recognized as a very loyal and “capable” soldier, Cataldo was a force to be reckoned with! Aligned with the Persico faction, he did their bidding unfailingly!

In the early 1970s, future informant Salvatore (Crazy Sal) Polisi stated that he started out serving under Dominick Cataldo as part of Cataldo's crew in the East New York and Ozone Park areas.

Little Known Fact: Polisi’s uncle, Anthony, was originally associated with the Sonny Franzese crew. He was even indicted on bank robbery charges that eventually got Sonny 50 years. He was also tied to the Ernie Rupolo murder, in that it “allegedly” took place at Polisi’s Aquaduct Motor Inn (a charge that Sonny was tried for and “acquitted” of, I might add!)

Silencers and RICO

In 1981, Dominick Cataldo was convicted of possession/sale of guns with silencers to an undercover agent. He received eight years in jail.

In 1984, he was one of 11 top Colombo hoods (basically the whole hierarchy) charged in a huge 53 count RICO indictment. Carmine Persico, Gennaro Langella, Andrew Russo, Vito Pitta, Dominic Montemarano, Frank Falanga, and others were charged with extortion, usury, bribery, major thefts, robberies, gambling, narcotics, labor rackets (controlling Local’s #100 & #6 - Restaurant Workers Union through Vito Pitta - a top Union official), etc.

All were held without bail as dangers to the community. After an explosive trial, all were convicted and received long prison terms.

Dom got 14 years. Cataldo used attorney Michael Coiro for the case, a close friend. Maybe too close! Prosecutors would later indict Coiro as a mob “associate.”

Co-defendants included Carmine Persico, Jerry Langella, Dominick Montemorano, Anthony Scarpati, Jackie DeRoss, Frank Falanga, Frank Melli, Ralph Scopo Sr. (official of the Cement Workers Union), Thomas DiBella, and Pitta.

This trial was a long and very interesting case study on mob control over many industries. Some of the unions claimed to be under the dominion of the Colombo Family included:

Cement & Concrete Workers Union - Local # 6-A (Manhattan)

District Council of Cement & Concrete Workers (Queens)

Hotel, Restaurant & Club Employee’s& Bartender’s Union - Local # 6 (Manhattan)

Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees Union - Local # 100 (Manhattan)

The New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council (Manhattan)

Teamsters Union - Local # 707 (Queens)

Teamsters Union - Local # 617 (Jersey City, NJ)

Side Note: Observers often say other NY families control all the unions (Genovese, Gambino, or Lucchese), but this indictment clearly showed that the Colombos controlled many varied unions.....and this was just a small piece of their labor union domination in varied industries!

It was said that you could NOT pour concrete in New York City without the approval of the Colombo Family! Both the construction and restaurant/nightclub industries were affected by this Family.

Among his many criminal associates over the years included, Dominick (Donny Shacks) Montemorano (at one point possibly his capo), Alphonse (Little Allie) Persico, Alphonse (Big Funzi) Tarricone, Ralph Lombardo, Charles Lombardo, Gaetano (Tommy) Ocera, Nicholas Botta, John (Johnny Irish) Matera, Thomas Farese, Anthony (Tony Pep) Trentacosta, and Anthony (Fat Andy) Ruggiano.

His arrest record was hard to fully access, but I believe it included assault, robbery, possession of guns (with a silencer in approximately 1980,) obstruction of justice, bribery and conspiracy (judge bribery case,) racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, extortion, narcotics trafficking (Colombo Family case,) and probably a few earlier arrests I couldn’t pull up.

In the early 1980s, a Queens judge named William Brennan was bribed by Cataldo and other Colombo hoods who got their criminal cases either reduced or thrown out. They utilized Andy Bruno who had run the lounge at the Pan-American Motor Lodge on Queens Blvd. in Queens as a “conduit” since he was a close friend of Brennan.

This went on for years until the scheme was exposed by a rat, of course, and multiple indictments came down. Bruno - always known as a weasel - turned rat, testifying against the judge, and many others.

Little Known Fact: The main owner of the “Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza” chain, Anthony, is the son of informant Andy Bruno. This is the case where veteran Colombo bookmaker, Nicky Botta, also turned informant.

A Devout Mafioso

With his conviction in late 1986 in the “Colombo Family Trial,” Dom was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. Although Google and various so-called mob websites list his death consistently as 1997, it is NOT so, per BOP records.

Dominick Cataldo got cancer and died in prison on August 21, 1990. He was only 54 years old.

“Little Dom” Cataldo was a true hoodlum and devout mafioso who lived every day as if it were his last. And considering he died so very young - maybe he was on to something - with laughter, breaking balls, and whose every waking minute was dedicated to thieving and scheming -which he quite simply loved.

Postscript: His brother, Joey, was believed to have moved down to Florida after Dom’s death. No dod available.

Until next time..."The Other Guy"

Little Dom on Mob Fireside Chat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuA4lFuNwwI

Dominick (Little Dom) Cataldo: Colombo Family Hitman

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Dominick (Little Dom) Cataldo: Colombo Family Hitman

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