With Anthony Civella back in the picture, the senior Cammisano�s influence, as well as his health, deteriorated. On Jan. 26, 1995 the 8- year-old William Cammisano, Sr. died from lung disease.
By 1983, law enforcement officials believed that Anthony Civella was being groomed for the day-to-day leadership of the family in the belief that his father, Carl, as well as Carl DeLuna would soon be going to prison to serve long sentences for the Strawman convictions. Authorities claimed that as early as 1977 Anthony Civella was controlling a portion of the gambling enterprise for his uncle, Nick Civella.
Also being looked at for a leadership position was James Duardi, another Kansas City mob associate who had a reputation as an enforcer. In 1983, sources were quoted in The Kansas City Star as stating that Duardi had, "significant ambitions for leadership and support among the rank and file �soldiers� of the family."
One source stated, "They�re grooming him to be not the boss but giving him more things to ensure his loyalty. If those guys (Carl Civella or DeLuna) would go in (prison) it could be that a guy like Duardi could be a caretaker for a while�" Duardi, who at the time was 61, was convicted in 1972 of attempting to set up prostitution and gambling operations in Grove, Okla.
Law enforcement people were concerned about a power struggle in the Kansas City underworld due to the likelihood that the entire leadership of the family was heading to prison. Their concerns were realized on Jan. 9, 1984 when Carl Spero, a Civella Family rival, was murdered after a bomb exploded in his used car lot. The following month, Anthony "Tiger" Cardarella, a Civella associate, was found in the trunk of his car. Cardarella, a record storeowner, had been sentenced to prison in 1961 for obstruction of justice after the murder of a prosecution witness during a drug case. In 1977 he was convicted and sentenced to five years for receiving stolen goods.
Anthony Civella�s first conviction was in 1964 when he was found guilty of driving an automobile without the owner�s consent. In 1974, he was found guilty of conspiring to run an interstate gambling operation. He pled guilty in 1983 to sports bookmaking and running a continuing criminal enterprise. At the same time he also signed a statement prepared by the government admitting that he was involved in a Las Vegas skimming operation, stealing money from local charity bingo games, and setting up companies to act as fronts to hide his hidden ownership.
Civella was released from prison in January 1988 and resumed his leadership of the Kansas City Family. He avoided legal troubles until the early 1990s. In December 1991, Civella was convicted by a federal jury on eight counts of fraud involving the resale of prescription drugs. Civella and two others purchased over $1 million dollars worth of pharmaceuticals at low prices after they claimed the drugs were to be used in nursing homes. The drugs were then resold to West Coast wholesalers at higher prices. Two co-conspirators, Louie Ferro, Jr. and Wilbur Swift, became government witnesses and testified against Civella and two others. In July 1999, Ferro, Swift and two others were charged with operating a similar scheme.
On July 14, 1992, Civella was sentenced to four-and-one-half years in prison for his part in the fraud and fined $7,500. At the time of his sentencing, the FBI believed that Civella had already appointed Johnny Joe Sciortino as acting boss. The Kansas City mob was still a tight knit family operation. Civella, who was married to Carl DeLuna�s sister, was the godfather of Sciortino, a felon and longtime mob associate.
In June 1996, Anthony Civella was released from a federal prison in Texas and it was believed that he resumed his leadership role in the family. He immediately began proceedings to appeal his recent entry into the Missouri Gaming Commission�s Black Book, which prevented his involvement and presence in the state�s recently allowed riverboat gambling casinos. At the same time, Civella was about to be included in Nevada�s more famous Black Book.
Just before Civella went to prison in 1992, authorities were concerned about the release of William Cammisano, Jr. in June of that year and what affect it would have on the leadership picture. Complicating the situation was the fact that one of Civella�s top lieutenants, Peter J. Simone, had been sentenced in April 1992 to more than four years in prison after he pled guilty to laundering money from a video poker operation.
In May 1997, Simone�s name drew media attention again after a Nevada State Gaming Control Board investigation tied the late Ted Binion in with Peter Joseph Ribaste. In 1989, Ribaste was sentenced to six months in prison for mail fraud. He then moved to Las Vegas where he allegedly looked out for the Kansas City Family�s interests. During the investigation it was reported that Ribaste was "influenced" by Peter Simone. A December 1999 Kansas City Star article stated that Ribaste was a "one-time Kansas City mob boss."
Simone was released from prison in 1996 and was placed on three years probation. At 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 2, 1999, just two months before his probation ended, Simone was found playing craps at Harrah�s North Kansas City Casino & Hotel. A judge ordered him to spend one day in jail and extended his probation an additional twelve months, four of which were to be spent in electronically monitored home detention. In this newspaper article The Kansas City Star referred to Simone as the "reputed Kansas City crime boss."
In an August 1999 article in The Kansas City Star, columnist Mike Hendricks stated, "A lot of folks once did what the mob wanted in Kansas City, but no more, or at least we�d like to think that part of our history is over. I�d almost forgotten about the mob in Kansas City. Consider that progress."