John Gregory "Buster" Ardito (October 30, 1919 – December 31, 2006) was an American caporegime in the

Genovese crime family The Genovese crime family, () also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as part of the American M ...

who worked in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

borough of New York. Born in Columbia Street Waterfront District,

Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Cobble Hill is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. A small neighborhood comprising 40 blocks, Jackson, Kenneth T., and Kasinitz, Philip. "Cobble Hill" in Cobble Hill sits adjacent to Brooklyn He ...

, Ardito married Fay Cerasi and was the father of John and Annette Ardito. He stood at 5'9 and weighed 160 pounds. His legitimate profession was as part owner of a butcher shop at 590 East 156th Street in

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

. Ardito was involved in

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

, loan sharking, and illegal gambling operations. His arrest record included seduction, possession of

counterfeit To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...

currency, and

narcotics The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "to make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

possession. After joining the Genovese family, Ardito became a button man, or killer, in the crew of

Michele Miranda Michele "Big Mike" Miranda (July 26, 1896 – July 16, 1973) was a longtime member and eventual consigliere of the Genovese crime family and one of the most powerful New York gangsters in the 1950s and 1960s. Early years Born in San Giuseppe V ...

. Miranda eventually became the family consigliere under boss Vito Genovese and help run the family while Genovese was in prison. A later indictment alleged that Ardito once ordered a beating on a debtor who owed him $150,000. During a 1983 trial for Genovese mobster

Gus Curcio Gus Curcio (Gustave Vincent Curcio, Sr.) is an American mobster. He is the owner or president of several local businesses. Early life and family Gustave Vincent Curcio was born in Bridgeport, CT on January 30, 1951. He legally changed his name to ...

, Curcio collapsed in court with what seemed like a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. However,

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) surveillance recorded that Ardito had secretly passed some medications that simulated cardiac problems to Curcio to delay the trial. In 1985, Ardito was sent to federal prison for conspiracy to obstruct justice. In 1991, Ardito was released from prison. In 2003, the FBI started using

electronic surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...

to record many of Ardito's meetings in several Bronx restaurants. After Ardito discovered one of the devices, he started holding his meetings in retail shops, medical offices, cars, and boats. Later on, the FBI also started bugging Ardito's home phone. Reportedly, the FBI was even able to turn on Ardito's cell phone without his knowledge and use that as a listening device. In 2006, using this surveillance information, the government charged Ardito, Genovese captain Liborio Bellomo, and other Genovese family members with labor racketeering and other charges. The racketeering charge involved New York Local 102 of the Bakery, Confectionery and Tobacco Workers' Union and New York Local 15 of the

International Union of Operating Engineers The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) is a trade union within the United States-based AFL–CIO representing primarily construction workers who work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, and stationary engineers (also ...

.IPSN.com Indictment Criminal Genovese Family http://www.ipsn.org/indictments/bellomo/indictment_criminal_genovese_family-2006-2-23.htm On December 25, 2006, due to failing health, Ardito was released on bail while awaiting trial on these racketeering charges. On December 31, 2006, Ardito died from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

References

Further reading