Decision in for mob hitman who used mafia ‘to fill the fatherhood gap,’ sought release

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— A mafia hitman’s plea for compassionate release after being convicted in a series of gangland murders that spilled onto Staten Island has been denied by a judge, federal court records show.

John Pappa, 50, carried out four slayings in the 1990s which included the underboss of the Colombo Crime Family. Then, he wiped out the other members of his own hit team.

In the court’s denial of compassionate release, Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Pamela Chen said Pappa’s actions were “brutal and senseless.”

Pappa is serving two life sentences in addition to 65 years.

Hit team whacked underboss, then imploded: Court docs

Pappa and another mobster, John Sparacino, were part of a hit crew that, in 1993, targeted Colombo underboss Joseph Scopo at his home in the Ozone Park section of Queens, according to the courts’ decision in May.

When Sparacino took sole credit for the shooting, Pappa and a third associate, Eric Curcio, took exception, leading them to plot to kill Sparacino. But first, they went after a friend of Sparacino, who was believed to be talking about the murder.

In 1994, Curcio and Pappa shot Ronaldo Rivera while inside a van as they crossed onto Staten Island, and tossed him out of the moving vehicle.

Then, they set their sights on Sparacino. They had a drug dealer lure Sparacino to the drug dealer’s home on Staten Island, then shoot Sparacino in the back of the head.

Pappa and Hennigar drove Sparacino’s body to Howard Avenue on Grymes Hill and set the van ablaze. An autopsy showed the man had been hog-tied, and that part of his face was slided off. Additionally, the man’s penis was cut off and shoved in his mouth, Advance/SILive.com records show.

Ultimately, Pappa also went after Curcio, who he felt was not giving him due credit for killing Scopo, and who might have killed one of his close friends.

Judge hears testimony from defendant, victims’ families

In 2022, Pappa’s attorney, Shon Hopwood, filed for compassionate release, records show.

“Pappa was raised in a life of organized crime and drug dealing, and after his father was killed and his stepfather was incarcerated, he began to look up to organized crime members to fill the fatherhood gap,” wrote Hopwood.

During a hearing last year on the matter, family members of the victims testified before Chen in Brooklyn Federal Court.

“You deserve nothing but suffering like we’ve suffered,” said Michelle Gedz, who was five months pregnant with Rivera’s daughter when he was killed.

At the same hearing, Pappa told the judge his time in prison had been “transformative.”

“I’ve learned that working as hard as you possibly can, being honest and helping others, that those are the three keys to a meaningful life,” he said.

Family of Sparacino interjected from the gallery: “And the Oscar goes to.”