On this date in 1979, Lucchese crime family associate Thomas “Two-Gun Tommy” DeSimone was reported missing by his wife. Turns out he was whacked, reportedly by members of the Gambino family. DeSimone, who was believed to have killed at least ten people, apparently killed someone he shouldn’t have. I guess if you kill enough people, that’s bound to happen eventually. Anyway, DeSimone’s victims included William “Billy Batts” Devino, a made man with the Gambino family, and Ronald “Foxy” Jerothe, a protege of future Gambino family boss John Gotti. Killing made men without permission is a big no-no in the mob, which Tommy found out the hard way.
He was lured to his death by Lucchese family members who told him he was being “made,” and that they were taking him to the ceremony. But instead of getting made, he got dead. DeSimone’s body was never found. His remains were thought to be buried in a “mob graveyard” on the Brooklyn-Queens border.
Tommy DeVito, the character played by Joe Pesci in the movie Goodfellas, was based in large part on Thomas DeSimone.
Further reading:
Wikipedia – Thomas DeSimone
The Free Information Society – DeSimone, Thomas
truTV – The End of Tommy DeSimone
John D.:
Having spent the first 45 years of my life in Philly, I came across all sorts of “mob” stuff…was in the papers almost every day. Even dated a girl whose dad ran numbers in South Philly.
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What I reallty like to know to this day is whether Tommy was related in ANY way to the DeSimones that owned DeSimone CADILLAC, a dealership that used to be in Philly.
(think they’re in NJ now)
Amazing what you can’t shake over time.
A very good story about some not so “goodfellas”.
Roll safe out there.
Not sure, but I know he had an uncle who was boss of the L.A. crime family, and another uncle who was a criminal attorney.
Oy vey…. can’t believe he was that stupid.
That’s what happens when murder becomes your default solution to every problem.