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| William Cicci | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Aliases | Willie |
| Gender | Male |
| Born | October 28, 1907 Little Italy, New York City, United States |
| Died | January 13, 1972 Buffalo, New York |
| Affiliation |  Corleone crime family
|
| Title(s) | Soldier |
William "Cheech" Cicci was the first Mafia member to publicy acknowledge the existence of the Mafia, testifying in front of the Kane Commission in January 1960 against Michael Corleone along with his Capo Frank Pentangeli. Cicci was imprisoned for the admittance of past crimes and died, incarcerated, in Buffalo.
Biography[]
Cicci was born in Little Italy, Manhattan, to Gennaro Cicci and Antonietta Luciano. Both of his parents were Italian, from the province of Naples. Cicci was raised in an apartment block that was very small, and had little money. However, in 1935, his luck changed when he was offered work by Vito Corleone, the superstar of Little Italy, whose Genco Pura Olive Oil Co. was making lots of money and needed more jobs. Cicci worked for Genco Abbandando in the legitimate business and Frank Pentangeli in the illicit activities of the Corleone crime family as a buttonman. By 1942, he had become a Soldier in the family and put in the regime of Peter Clemenza. In 1945, Cicci started the mean business as a bodyguard for Santino Corleone, family Underboss, but also made his bones with extortion, taking over the Italia Warehouse with aid from fellow Corleone enforcer Aldo Trapani. Cicci and Trapani were responsible for the death of Salvatore Tessio in 1955, gunning him down in a shootout in a bar for his treachery for the Barzini crime family. They were also responsible for the murder of Carmine Cuneo and several Cuneo buttonmen in a shootout at the Savannah Hotel in Midtown Manhattan in 1955, which soldified his position as a made member in his family. Cicci remained in New York City after Michael Corleone moved his organization to Nevada with Clemenza, until his death in 1957, whereupon he worked for Pentangeli.
In 1959, Cicci was wounded in an assassination attempt on his boss at Richie's Tavern, shot by Carmine Rosato while trying to chase him across the street. A limping Cicci tried to shoot but was struck by a car and fell to the street. Fortunately, he recovered while in the hospital, and heard from Pentangeli that Michael Corleone set him up because Corleone wanted to get rid of Frank, who had a fiery temper. Pentangeli testified against Michael Corleone in early 1960 while under FBI protection, and Cicci was the first witness for the prosecution. Cicci gave up to the court about the ranks of the Mafia, the hierarchy, his role, his crimes, and the Godfather's crimes. He was the first to break Omerta, but he could not be touched because he was sentenced to thirty years in prison in Buffalo. He died in 1972 of a blood clot.