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You Want Some Mob War With Your L&B Pizza?
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jun 12, 2012
Modified Jun 12, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Jun 12, 2012
Modified Jun 12, 2012
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The history of pizza feuds run deep, and they aren't all ancient history. In fact, one of the more interesting ones in recent memory is being reheated in court this week as alleged Colombo mobster Francis Guerra faces charges of being involved with two gangland murders—and "extorting dough" out of a pizza maker he thought stole a secret recipe from beloved Bensonhurst pizzeria L&B Spumoni Gardens. Not too shocking as their Sicilian squares really are to die for.
Guerra allegedly threatened Eugene Lombardo, a former employee of L&B, because he believed Lombardo copied L&B’s tomato sauce when he opened slice spot The Square in Staten Island. "Guerra confronted the pizza maker, demanded money from him and hit him," Assistant Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Allon Lifshitz said in his opening statement. When the case first came to light last year, however, Lombardo denied being attacked by and paying off mafiosos when asked by the News."This is no secret recipe. There's no patents on pizza," he said at the time.
Anyway, the pizza is only a piece of the pie that is Guerra's trial. He is also charged with "participating in the rubouts of rival underboss Joe Scopo, who was shot during the Colombo civil war in 1993, and Staten Island nightclub owner Michael Devin, who was whacked for dating the wife of former Colombo acting boss Alphonse Persico."
Tagged
brooklyn
colombo
l&b
l&b spumoni gardens
mob
pizza
staten island
Garth Johnston
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