Pasquale "Patsy" Conte (March 12, 1925 – December 27, 2017) was an Italian-born American

mobster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level ...

who became a ''

caporegime A ''caporegime'' or ''capodecina'', usually shortened to ''capo'' or informally referred to as "captain", "skipper" or "lieutenant", is a leadership position in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia). A ''capo'' is a "made m ...

'' with the

Gambino crime family The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia. ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He also owned several Key Food supermarkets.

Early life

Born in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, Conte was a resident of Roslyn, New York. He was a businessman/capo in the Gambino crime family area in the City. Conte had 23.9 percent stake in Tapps Supermarkets, described as a "family-owned" business. Conte's son Pasquale Jr. is Tapps' vice president and treasurer.

Alfano shooting

On February 18, 1987, Conte was indicted on charges of ordering the shooting of Sicilian mobster Pietro Alfano in the

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

section of Manhattan. Authorities arrested Conte at Kennedy International Airport as he was preparing to fly to

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. Conte was holding $7,000 cash. On May 20, 1987, the government dropped the charges against him without any explanation.

DiBono murder

In 1990, Gambino boss

John Gotti John Joseph Gotti Jr.Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 25–26 ( , ; October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002) was an American '' mafioso'' and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. He ordered and helped to orchestrate the murder of Gambin ...

ordered the murder of mobster Louis DiBono, DiBono had allegedly been disrespectful to Gotti, who decided to eliminate him, and sent Bobby Boriello to attend to DiBono. In October 1990, DiBono's bullet-ridden body was discovered in the front seat of a

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

sedan in the underground garage at the New York World Trade Center. In February 1993, Conte was charged with the DiBono murder. However, in January 1994 a mistrial was declared due to a

hung jury A hung jury, also called a deadlocked jury, is a judicial jury that cannot agree upon a verdict after extended deliberation and is unable to reach the required unanimity or supermajority. A hung jury may result in the case being tried again. Thi ...

. In June 1994, Conte was reindicted on the DiBono murder. In lieu of a retrial, Conte decided to accept a

plea bargain A plea bargain, also known as a plea agreement or plea deal, is a legal arrangement in criminal law where the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest to a charge in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor. These concessions can include a ...

deal from the government. On June 21, 1994, Conte and two others pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder DiBono. In 1994, Conte was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. In 2001, he was sentenced to another three and a half years in prison on a racketeering charge. Conte was released from federal prison on September 26, 2003.

Death

Conte, died on December 27, 2017 at the age of 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conte, Pasquale 1925 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American criminals American gangsters of Italian descent American male criminals American prisoners and detainees Gambino crime family Gangsters from New York City Mafia hitmen People from Roslyn, New York People of Sicilian descent Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government