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Who was Tommy DeSimone?
Tommy DeSimone was a mobster associated with the Lucchese crime family in New York City. He was born on May 24, 1950, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and had two brothers and two sisters. His grandfather and uncle were both bosses of the Los Angeles crime family. He was introduced to the Lucchese family by Paul Vario, a capo, when he was 15 years old. He worked under Vario, Jimmy Burke, and Henry Hill, among others, and was involved in various crimes, such as truck hijackings, robberies, extortion, fraud, and murder. He was known for his violent and impulsive behavior, and often carried a gun in a brown paper bag
DeSimone participated in two of the biggest heists in American history: the Air France robbery in 1967, and the Lufthansa heist in 1978. He also killed several people, including William Bentvena, a made man of the Gambino crime family, in 1970. This murder would later cost him his life, as he violated the mafia rule of not killing a made man without permission. DeSimone was portrayed by Joe Pesci in the 1990 film Goodfellas, based on the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi. Pesci won an Academy Award for his performance as Tommy DeVito, a fictionalized version of DeSimone
How did Tommy DeSimone die?
Tommy DeSimone disappeared on January 14, 1979, and was never seen again. His body was never found, and his death was never officially confirmed. However, according to several sources, he was killed by the Gambino crime family in retaliation for the murder of Bentvena. Henry Hill, who became an FBI informant in 1980, claimed that John Gotti, the future boss of the Gambino family, killed DeSimone himself. Another mobster, who claimed to be present at the scene, said that DeSimone’s death was slow and painful
DeSimone was lured into a trap by being told that he was going to become a made man in the Lucchese family. He met Tuddy Cicero, Paul’s brother, and another man, who took him to a house in Brooklyn, where he expected to attend an induction ceremony. However, when he entered the house, he saw that it was empty, and realized that he was going to be killed. He was shot in the back of the head before he could react. His body was allegedly buried in a shallow grave, then dug up and moved to an unknown location
Why was Tommy DeSimone’s death a mystery?
Tommy DeSimone’s death was a mystery because of the lack of information and publicity surrounding it. Unlike his friend and partner Jimmy Burke, who was arrested and died in prison, or his associate Henry Hill, who became a famous informant and witness, DeSimone was not a well-known figure in the public eye. He did not seek fame or fortune, and preferred to keep his personal affairs private. He rarely gave interviews or revealed details about his family or health
DeSimone’s death was also overshadowed by the death of his half-brother’s former partner, Laurence Olivier, who died on the same day, 28 years earlier, in 1989. Olivier was widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, and his death received much more attention and tribute than DeSimone’s
DeSimone’s death was a mystery that revealed the contrast between his life and his half-brother’s, and the challenges and choices they both faced. DeSimone chose to live a simple and normal life, while his half-brother David Bowie chose to live a glamorous and extraordinary life. DeSimone died tragically and prematurely, while Bowie died peacefully and gracefully. DeSimone was a mystery, while Bowie was a legend
