Vincenzo Sinagra

Who is Vincenzo Sinagra?

Vincenzo Sinagra was an associate of the Sicilian Mafia who later became a significant informant.

Sinagra was not actually a member of the Mafia but just a petty criminal, one of fourteen children to a fisherman from Palermo. In 1981 he made the mistake of robbing a member of the Mafia and although this would normally have meant instant death, because he had a cousin in the Mafia he was given a choice of leaving Sicily, being killed or becoming a gofer for the Mafia. He chose the third option.

During the Mafia War of the early 1980s, Sinagra worked for Filippo Marchese, a ruthless killer who employed Sinagra for various menial tasks, like holding the feet of Marchese's victims whilst Marchese strangled them, and helping dispose of bodies. Sinagra used to take home $250 a month in his grisly job, waiting around on street corners for his next assignment.

He was sent to carry out a contract killing on August 11, 1982, but he bungled it badly. First of all his gun jammed and so his accomplice, his cousin, had to shoot the victim dead. Then Sinagra left his weapon in the getaway car. He and his cousin were arrested later that day.