MORE WORDS FROM OUR READERS
INTHEHAT has to have one of the most well-informed audiences on this subject in the blogosphere. As the reader mentions below, back in March we posted a mention of PROJECT GET GOING and the murder of ELLEN DELIA who ran the operation. We also mentioned that GET GOING had been thoroughly infiltrated by the brothers and they were using government provided cars and expense accounts to run the business of the EME back in the late 1970s. ELLEN DELIA was murdered in SACRAMENTO on her way, it was rumored, to blow the whistle on the infiltration. Here's the reader's elaboration on that post. To make it easier to understand, M.D. is MICHAEL DELIA, ELLEN'S estranged husband. COCOLISO is the late JOE MORGAN, GODFATHER of the EME. J.M. is again, Joe Morgan. The reader also corrects my mistake. I said "city councilman" when in fact I should have said "State Senator." Mea culpa. Thanks for the correction.

"Back on Friday March 5 2004 in the 5th paragraph you stated that an assistant to a city councilman was found murdered. Could that have been Robert L. Lewis, the administrative assistant to State Senator Alex P. Garcia? I do not recall any other government type person being murdered. As to M.D. having "Cocoliso's" blessings in the operation of Project Get Going, that is true. It was through M.D.'s father, M.D. Senior,(A very close friend of J.M. that M.D. was allowed into La EME, in fact, M.D.Jr. was put on a "Hit list" for bringing to much publicity to EME during the murders that were occuring and being tied to PGG.)J.M. had the "Hit" removed from M.D. as a favor to M.D. Senior. (M.D.Senior was a "wheelman" for the Sica brothers, Frank and Joe.)"

For those who may not know, the SICA brothers were connected to the ITALIAN MAFIA aka LA COSA NOSTRA. ROBERT L. LEWIS was supposedly also connected to both the Italian Mafia and to the Brothers. We could actually write a book about all the various connections and cross-connections that emanate from the DELIA case. It would be like reconstructing an explosion in a wire factory. Here it is in brief.

MICHAEL DELIA was a friend of LEWIS. LEWIS was in the construction business and thanks to giving State Senator ALEX GARCIA financial and other forms of "support" LEWIS had GARCIA's fullest attention. It was through LEWIS that DELIA got Federal and State funding and some zoning variance for PROJECT GET GOING's office. PGG was at one time located in GARCIA's office prior to getting its own facility in BOYLE HEIGHTS. LEWIS, however, was also known by law enforcement to have connections with the JOE "CRAZY JOE" GALLO crime family in NEW YORK. This is not the same JOE GALLO who was PAUL CASTELLANO'S consigliere. Different GALLO, different set of connections.

The CRAZY JOE connection was through long-time COSA NOSTRA soldier JIMMY "THE WEASEL" FRATIANNO and his partner MIKE RIZITELLO, aka MIKE RIZZI. Law enforcement at the time (the late 1970s) had observed meetings between LEWIS, RIZITELLO and SENATOR ALEX GARCIA over RIZITELLO wanting GARCIA to help obtain a parole for some of his GOODFELLAS locked up in prison. Or so the story goes. There was also information at the time that MIKE RIZZI had some interest in state pension funds and wanted GARCIA's help. Maybe someone could shed some light on this. My records are incomplete.

To make a very long, very complicated story short, ALFIE SOSA, the triggerman on the ELEN DELIA execution got a life sentence in March 1982. SOSA, according to testimony given by informants, was also DELIA's boyfriend. That was probably the reason she got into the car with him in SACRAMENTO the night of her killing. She trusted the guy.

There are other offshoots and interesting threads in this case. One of the other people in the car that night was EDDIE "SAILOR BOY" GONZALES who was either an informant at the time or became one shortly thereafter. He presented testimony to a grand jury abou the DELIA murder but the information was excluded because it was obtained in a wonky way that JUDGE BOSKOVICH threw out. Another long story there. For those who keep track of these things, SAILOR BOY was a tight pal of another famous informant/dropout/hit man, RAYMOND "MUNDO" MENDOZA. If you follow the MUNDO thread, you go to a lot of places and you eventually wind up in AMERICAN ME and the EDWARD OLMOS dustup with JOE MORGAN. You also end up at the ANA LIZARAGA case, another incident of a woman who knew too much or cared too much.

Follow the thread back to MICHAEL DELIA and you end up with the murder of YSIDRO "FRITOS" TRUJILLO who was found shot to death in LANCASTER about 200 yards away from MICHAEL DELIA SR.'s property. DELIA JR. was also the alleged shooter in the LEWIS murder. There was speculation that LEWIS was killed by DELIA on a contract basis because LEWIS owed money to COSA NOSTRA loan sharks. Keep following the MIKE DELIA thread and you end up with ABRAHAM "ICEPICK JOE" HERNANDEZ and JUAN AGUILAR HERNANDEZ (no relation), war with the NF and a dozen homicides all over the state. It's a rich tapestry of intrigue, drugs and murder.

After seven years of court cases, MICHAEL DELIA was eventually released in 1984 after taking a plea. Current whereabouts unknown.

Anyway, with all the connections, we could spin this out forever. It's getting late and I gotta go Christmas shopping. More to come. And hey, this is to the anonymous reader, thanks for setting the record straight and let's talk.