William Bentvena
William Bentvena | |
---|---|
Born | Mobster | January 19, 1921
Allegiance | Gambino crime family |
Conviction(s) | Narcotics trafficking |
Criminal penalty | 15 years' imprisonment |
William "Billy Batts" Bentvena (January 19, 1921 – June 11, 1970), also known as William Devino,
Life
Born in Brooklyn on January 19, 1921, little is known about Bentvena's early life other than that he grew up in the same area as DeSimone and Hill. In 1959, Bentvena became an associate with the Gambino crime family and in 1961 became a full member, but was not a made man. Bentvena was a protégé street soldier for Carmine Fatico.
In May 1958, Bentvena became a member of what would become known as the Ormento Group, a
Murder
After his release in 1970, according to the mafia memoir
Aftermath
About three months after Bentvena's murder, Burke's friend sold the dog kennel to housing developers, so Burke ordered Hill and DeSimone to exhume Bentvena's corpse and dispose of it elsewhere.[2] In Wiseguy, Hill said the body was eventually crushed in a mechanical compactor at a New Jersey junkyard, owned by Clyde Brooks. On the commentary for the film Goodfellas, he additionally states that Bentvena's body was first buried in the basement of Robert's Lounge, a bar and restaurant owned by Burke, and was at a later time indeed crushed in the compactor.
On January 14, 1979, DeSimone disappeared. It is speculated that the Gambino family ordered the death of DeSimone, a mob associate with the Lucchese crime family, for his role in the unsanctioned murder of Bentvena and Ronald "Foxy" Jerothe. Another theory is that the Gambino family did not know about the Bentvena murder and that Gambino captain John Gotti may have just wanted revenge for DeSimone's murder of Jerothe, another Gambino associate and good friend of Gotti's.[5]
In 1980, facing a lengthy sentence for
In the 1990
A photo of Philadelphia mobster
References
- ISBN 978-1-139-49564-6. Archivedfrom the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4516-4278-0. Archivedfrom the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- ^ "United States of America, Appellee, v. William Bentvena et al., Defendants-appellants, 319 F.2d 916 (2d Cir. 1963)". US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. 1963. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019 – via Justia.
- ^ "13 Are Sentenced In Narcotics Case". New York Times. July 11, 1962.
- ^ Susman, Gary (September 14, 2015). "25 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Scorsese's 'Goodfellas'". Moviefone. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- ^ Moore, Paul (September 14, 2017). "Tributes pour in for Frank Vincent, one of cinema's greatest character actors". JOE.ie. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- ^ ROSS SCARANO, ARIANNA FRIEDMAN, FRANTZ ROCHER, TARA AQUINO (October 2, 2013). "The 25 Best Sonnings in Movie History". Complex. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Maresca, Rachel; Caulfield, Philip (April 23, 2015). "25 things you didn't know about 'Goodfellas'". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
Further reading
- ISBN 0671723227
- ISBN 1840188812
External links
- The Real Goodfella. Dir. George Simon. Narr. Channel 4 Television Corporation — via YouTube