Antonio "Toni" Cipriani is a Leone crime family Mafioso who is the current acting Don of the Leone Family, rising from the rank of Caporegime following Salvatore Leone's death. He bypassed Joey Leone because he didn't do much for the family, rather working as a car engineer. Cipriani was more of a mobster than he was, and faced many rivals within the Leone Family itself, murdering Vincenzo Cilli in 1998 after Cilli attempted to kill him with a chainsaw.
Biography[]
Cipriani in 2001
Antonio Cipriani was born in Brooklyn in New York City to Nelly and Carmine Cipriani. His mother was Florentine (from the north Italian city of Florence) and his father Sicilian; he was 100% Italian the father was from the town of falcon in messina sicily he was working for carlo falcon his affiliate chief and distant cousin. His mother ran Momma's Restaurante in Downtown Brooklyn, while his father was a mobster working for Salvatore Leone, and his father was killed by Triads when Toni was 10, in 1978.
Toni followed his father's footsteps and became an enforcer for the Leone crime family, killing Mitch Ferrara in 1994 on the orders of Salvatore, and he left New York City to lay low for a while in Miami. He returned to New York in 1998, and resumed his duties as a mobster, and started rivalry with Vincenzo Cilli, a fellow Soldato who had recently became Caporegime. Cipriani was sent on several suicidal missions, and destroyed his car at a crusher after Cilli put police heat on him. Following this incident, Cipriani left the Cilli Crew and refused to do any more work for him. At a meeting with him at a ship docked at Red Hook, Cilli's men attempted to cut him down with a chainsaw, but Cipriani killed Cilli and all of his cronies, and became a Capo after getting back in Salvatore's good graces.
He did jobs for Leone afterwards as his right-hand man, including the murder of Paulie Sindacco and Kazuki Kasen. He also helped Donald Love in running for Mayor, and participated in several hits to elevate him to the position, getting rid of all people who knew about his allegiance with the Leones. Massimo Torini, Underboss of the Sicilian Syndicate, attempted to kidnap the mayor but Cipriani shot him and saved the mayor, which let Love become Mayor soon after.
Toni meeting Claude Speed in 2001
In 2001, Cipriani started war with the Triads when they stopped paying protection money, first by killing three hitmen at Mr Wongs, then by blowing up three laundromat vans, and finally by taking a suitcase of money and killing the hitmen, all tasks accomplished by Claude Speed. Cipriani took charge of the family after the assassination of Salvatore by the Yakuza, as Salvatore's Underboss and son Joey Leone was more of an engineer, not capable of leading a family.
Cipriani oversaw the production of Luigi Goterelli's sex clubs across the Red Light District, including Luigi's Sex Club 7, and built a strong base in Brooklyn alongside the Gambetti crime family, Faustin crime family, Hillside Posse, and Spanish Lords, and Cipriani is currently the head of the organization, based at his mother's restaurant.