It is generally agreed that the war began on June 20, 1991 when four men set out to ambush and kill Orena outside his Cedarhurst, Long Island home. Their attempt failed when Orena arrived home earlier than expected and panicked the men into action. They literally fell over themselves as Orena raced off like a startled game bird. As the sides loyal to Persico and Orena manoeuvred around each other, Vincent Aloi, the former acting boss, back in the fold from his time in prison, tried to maintain a peace through sit downs with the various factions. His efforts were in vain and the shooting started in earnest.
From the first killing of Gioachino Leale on Oct. 31, 1991, until the final blast of the war in October 1993, when Colombo capo "Big" Joey Scopo, armed only with a cell phone to defend himself, was shot dead in front of his home in Ozone Park, Queens. At least 10 people were killed and perhaps as many as twenty wounded across the streets of Queens and Brooklyn. The most pointless and most tragic victim was poor 18-year-old Matty Speranzo.
Christopher Liberatore, an Orena supporter, set out to kill the owners of Wanna Bagel shop in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, because they were allied to Persico. When his mission failed, he was sent back to the store with orders to kill anybody he found there. Matty, the counter boy, was serving at the time and Liberatore shot him dead.
By the end of December 1992, Vic Orena had been found guilty of various charges and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The family appointed Andrew Russo, cousin of Carmine, to run the family until Carmine�s son was released. His term of duty would be relatively short as he was arrested, found guilty of racketeering charges and received a 5-year sentence in February 1999.
Carmine�s son Alphonse (Allie) is reputedly the acting boss of the family at this time and has been maintaining a low profile since his release from prison in 1994. However, in September 1998, while vacationing on his 50-foot speedboat off Key West, Florida, he was stopped by the Coast Guard on a routine search and found to be carrying loaded weapons in breach of his parole requirements. Arrested on a federal indictment, he is currently on bail awaiting trial. In the event that Allie goes back to jail, it is possible his place will be taken by Joel Cacace, allegedly the consigliere of the family. The underboss, William Cutolo, disappeared at the end of May 1999 and authorities believe he may have been murdered.
The Profaci/Colombo family that emerged in 1931 is a different entity almost seventy years later. Battered, under siege, the synthesis of disorganized crime, scrambling for cover, its future is anything but certain. However, in the murky, evershifting waters of organized crime, there are few things more certain than the fact that the sharks will need to keep feeding and, if necessary, feed off each other.