Tommy DeSimone, the Lucchese crime family associate immortalized by Joe Pesci in the 1990 film Goodfellas, was close friends with a man who would later become the acting boss of a rival organization: Victor Arena of the Colombo crime family. The two men, along with Henry Hill, Jimmy Burke, and Lenny Vario, could be seen together in a famous photograph from their younger days in Brooklyn and Long Island. DeSimone was a regular presence in Arena’s household, and the friendship went beyond the usual bounds of mob association. Mob historian and former journalist Larry McShane, author of the book “Little Vic and the Great Mafia War,” interviewed Arena’s sons while researching the book.
He learned that the boys had numerous memories of DeSimone, whose unpredictable behavior matched the wild persona Pesci brought to the screen. In one incident, a neighbor across the street made a comment to one of the Arena children during the Christmas season. DeSimone reportedly walked over and tore down all of the neighbor’s Christmas lights. Another story involved one of Arena’s sons being upset after an ice cream truck passed the house without stopping.
DeSimone confronted the driver and made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that the truck was never to pass that house again without stopping. McShane noted that DeSimone and Arena were not in the same family, but they were in the same business. They were about the same age, had crossed paths, and simply became friends, not just business associates. Arena was believed to have been formally inducted into the Colombo family around 1973.
According to McShane’s research, part of the reason Arena was made was that he had no significant criminal record and was not likely to be on the FBI’s radar. He was more of an earner than a gangster, a low-key figure who lived on Long Island and could easily have been mistaken for an ordinary commuter heading into the city for work. Arena’s sons also spoke about their family’s close connection to the Persico family, who were the dominant power in the Colombo organization. John Arena had a business relationship with one of the Persico sons, and the families socialized together as though they were extended relatives.
That closeness collapsed in the early 1990s when the Colombo crime family split into two factions. One side backed Arena, who was acting boss, while the other supported the imprisoned official boss, Carmine Persico. The dispute led to a brutal war and a wave of murders. McShane said the Arena brothers maintained that their father did not fire the first shot.
The initial attack came against Arena himself, just a day after a meeting between the two sides that was meant to sort things out. After the war ended, a vast number of Colombo family members were in prison. Arena was sentenced to life and remains incarcerated, while Persico died in custody. The bad blood between the factions, McShane suggested, has never fully healed.
The Arena sons still believe the Persico side started the conflict, and McShane indicated that the bitterness remains strong. The families, once close enough to see each other at Christmas, are not planning any reunions. Arena did not continue to earn while in prison, but he reportedly maintained a degree of respect among other incarcerated mob figures. Over time, however, his mental and physical health deteriorated significantly.
Court papers now detail how poor his health has become, and his family has been pursuing compassionate release. That effort remains an ongoing process. McShane noted that Arena was widely regarded as a gentleman in wiretapped conversations, even among members of the opposing faction, and that his lower-key lifestyle set him apart from flashier mob bosses of the era.
He was a father of five who, from the outside, looked like an ordinary man, but he went on to lead one of the bloodiest mob wars in New York history.