Piece of the Action: The Testa Hit

For years Bruno had taken a cautious approach. That had been great for old Angelo, but what about the rest of them? Testa had struggled. Scarfo had struggled. There were made members, for Christ's sake, working as tailors downtown. What the hell kind of mob was this? Now Phil Testa, often considered a mindless brute, would show them how to really make money. Testa saw himself as the new Caesar, the man who would ensure the Philadelphia family its rightful place in the mob hierarchy. It was all there in front of him, easily within his grasp. The Bruno conspirators were gone. McCullough was out of the way. Things were falling into place.

Then came the Ides of March.

Phil Testa went out with a bang.

Across the street from Testa's double-parked car was a black Volkswagen van. Inside the van sat Rocco Marinucci, a local pizza shop operator and an associate and sometime chauffeur for Testa's underboss, Pete Casella. As Testa's foot hit the front porch, Marinucci pushed the switch on a remote-control detonator. Testa's reign as mob boss ended in the blast that followed. A bomb packed with nails and explosives erupted from under the porch where it had been hidden, rocking homes and stores within a twelve-block area.

from Blood and Honor

"VITO" WAS THE NICKNAME GIVEN ANASTASIA BY THOSE SENSITIVE DARTMOUTH BOYS.