Victor Orena

Vittorio "Little Vic" Orena (b. August 4, 1934) was a prominent figure as caporegime of the Colombo crime family, and served as both Acting boss and later rival boss to Carmine "Junior" Persico.

Made unofficially

After the assassination-attempt of infamous Mob boss, Joseph "Joe" Colombo during the early 1970s, it wasn't actually known who the new boss was, and it stayed that way until 1973, when FBI and US authorities listed strong caporegime Carmine "Junior" Persico as the new Boss of the Colombos, and tried him for labor racketeering, which he was convicted of in late 1973. It was around this time, Persico allegedly had a few people made into his family, while the books were officially "closed". One of these men was Victor Orena, a distant cousin of Persico himself, who rose through the ranks and was suddenly operating in Brooklyn and New Jersey, with labor racketeering and extortion activities. He is the father of Colombo crime family mobsters John and Victor Orena Jr.

Brooklyn Capo

During the crackdowns of the 1980s, many prominent members of the Colombo crime family were indicted and imprisoned, which made Orena jump some spots himself, as he was made caporegime in the early 1980s. And with Persico both in and out of prison, Orena could set up operations almost every were in the New York and New Jersey area, and was able to "skim" of the top of the profit, without Persico even knowing it because of all his trials. It was around this time that Orena and John Gotti, then a powerful Captain in the Gambino crime family, tied a close relationship and became partners in various activities within organized crime.

Promotion

In 1985, with Persico and "acting boss" Gennaro "Jerry Lang" Langella indicted in the infamous Mafia Commission Trial, Orena was seen as a strong and loyal candidate for the Colombos. When Persico and Langella were found guilty and sentenced to 139 years in prison along with seven others, Orena got his promotion at the seat of the "Ruling Committee/Panel", along with prominent Colombo figures Joseph "Jo Jo" Russo and Benedetto Aloi.

But after the assassination of Gambino Boss, Paul "Big Paul" Castellano, Castellano's rival John Gotti was now presented as the head of the Gambinos, and Orena became highly involved with racketeering and murder with Gotti. This made Orena stronger than ever, by becomimg the top earner of the Colombo crime family durind the mid 1980s.

Because of Orena's relationship with Gotti, and currently indictment of the other members of the "Ruling Committee/Panel", the imprisoned Persico chose Orena as the lone and only Acting boss of the Colombos in early 1988, disbanding the "Panel". It was around this time that Orena's influence in the family grew, as he became close with brothers Vincenzo and Benedetto Aloi of the Brooklyn faction.

Acting boss

Betraying Persico

After becoming Acting boss in 1988, Orena became very attached to bear the throne. The thought of anyone else taking it made him sick, which is why Orena organized his own operations throughout his first year as "acting boss", expanding the family income and cutting off Persico even more. This became that former rival factions of Orena, suddenly went allied and betrayed Persico, who still didn't knew what Orena was up to.

NJ excluded person

In mid 1988, Vic Orena became excluded from the state of New Jersey, after being recognized as a top member of the Colombo crime family, with racketeering, money laundering and murder as his ordinary work. The reason for the excluding was that he had a conviction of perjury in 1976, and a conviction for conspiracy to commit criminal usury, in 1986. This made Orena searching for other places to conduct business, while his supporters still operated from NJ.

Excluding Persico

During what the FBI later called "The Cold Colombo War" in mid 1990, it had been rumored that Orena and Gambino crime family boss John Gotti had gathered many acting members of the Commission, and tried excluding Persico from any association with the Colombos. Months went by, and the Commission had yet to give an answer, as tension and betrayal disrupted the Colombos.

Assassination attempt

After a year of confusion, and still without an answer from the Commission, fearing that he had been betrayed by his family, Persico struck first at Orena. On June 20, 1991, a five-man hit team led by Persico's "consigliere" Carmine Sessa, converged on Orena's home on Long Island, ready to take him out. But one of the shooters started firing his weapon before the other men were in position, making Orena see them coming and manage to escape. This attempt on his life forced him to reach out to the other families for help, and again seek the Commission's answer, while Sessa appealed to the Commission on behalf of Persico, portraying Orena as an upstart who was betraying his longtime boss.

Third Colombo War

On November 18, 1991, Orena and his supporters claimed war against the Persico faction, opening fire on Persico's top caporegime, Gregory "Greg the Grim Reaper" Scarpa, Sr., as he was driving his daughter and granddaughter home. Scarpa managed to survive the assassination attempt by Orena, only to learn that he had been an FBI informer for over 30 years. A man, being seen as maybe one of the toughest mobsters in history by Orena, would become very important during the crackdowns of the 1990s. Only five days after the Scarpa shootout, Orena felt he had to push out Persico with strong power, organized the murder of Persico supporter Henry "Hank the Bank" Smurra in Brooklyn. By hiring Gambino associate William "Wild Bill" Cutolo, through John Gotti and Gambino Underboss, Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, Cutolo became one of Orena's most powerful hitmen, and went into history as the legendary "Wild Bill", during the Colombo War. The last casualty in the Colombo War, was one of Orena's top capos named Joseph "Joey" Scopo, who was murdered by John Pappa, Greg Scarpa's associate. John Pappa would later murder two of his associates who took uncredited honor for the Scopo murder, and later be shipped off to prison as his employer Greg Scarpa would testify against him and others during the 1990s.

Crackdowns

After a total of twelve murdered, two of who were bystanders, and 15 wounded, the FBI and Brooklyn AUSA took down the whole Orena faction, including Vic Orena himself in 1992. Days later, more than 40 members of the Persico faction would be arrested and tried for racketeering, murder and conspiracy to commit murder, giving murderes like Pappa life imprisonment just after a few weeks. It was during the "Colombo trials", that Greg Scarpa would be recognized as an informer and testify against dozens of members of the Colombo crime family, including Vic Orena himself.

In late 1992, Orena's most powerful caporegime, Pasquale "Patty" Amato, was arrested along with the remaining Orena faction. Later, the imprisoned Carmine "Junior" Persico and the remaining Persico faction claimed the victory of the Colombo War.

It soon roumered around the country that the Commission had played both sides during the Colombo War, not responding to the questions asked by both Persico and Orena, of who would continue as the Boss of the Colombo crime family, in an attempt to completely destroy the much wounded crime family by letting them fight each other.

Imprisonment

After maybe one of the most infamous and most bloody Mob wars in the history of the Colombo crime family, Orena was finally brought to justice along with half the family. Victor Orena was tried on several counts of racketeering, murder and conspiracy to commit murder in New York City, receiving life imprisonment and excluded from the Colombo crime family by Persico forever.

Victor "Little Vic" Orena, 73, is still alive and well, despite his attempt to take over the Colombo crime family during the Colombo War from 1991-1993. As of October 2008, Victor Orena is still serving life imprisonment at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) near Coleman, Florida, along with Pasquale "Patty" Amato.

External links

* [http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ge/exclusion/orena_v.htm Division of Gaming Enforcement Exclusion List: Vic Orena]
* [http://www.mafianj.com/sci89/colombo.shtml La Cosa Nostra – State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation 1989 Report - The Colombo/Persico/Orena Family]
* [http://www.post-gazette.com/win/day6_1a.asp Post-Gazette.com Switching sides] by Bill Moushey
* [http://members.fortunecity.com/sosdie/mob/family/colombo/colombo.html Dieland: The Mob - The Colombo Family]
* [http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/family_epics/colombo/7.html truTV Crime Library: The Colombo Family Junior's War]
* [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/09/30/2007-09-30_former_fbi_agent_goes_on_trial_in_mobtie.html Former FBI agent goes on trial in mob-tied murders] By SCOTT SHIFREL
* [http://www.angelfire.com/blog/organizedcrime/colombo/thirdwar.html Colombo war]