Intermezzo: My probe of "Brother Moscato's Dump," aka the PJP Landfill, in the Jimmy Hoffa murder case
Key voices: Ralph Picardo, Phillip Moscato, and Frank Cappola
This is the series of columns to date about my relationship with the FBI during the murder investigation of Jimmy Hoffa who disappeared from a Detroit suburb on July 30, 1975.
Having specialized in investigations of the Teamsters and the Mafia since December 1974, I hit the ground running and began my research about this case the day after Hoffa vanished eight months later. My first book, The Hoffa Wars, was published in 1978.
My quick series summary:
* Ralph Picardo told the FBI the truth in November 1975 when he said, among other things, that he believed that Jimmy Hoffa’s body was buried at Brother Moscato’s Dump.
* Genovese-Mafia soldier Phillip “Brother” Moscato told me the truth during our many exclusive interviews between 2007 to 2014 when he said that “Picardo basically had it right,” adding that Hoffa was, indeed, buried at his dump.
* Frank Cappola told me the truth during our thirty-plus hours of interviews between September 2019 and his death in March 2020 when he said that his father, Paul Cappola, a co-owner of the landfill, had buried Hoffa on the orders of his partner, Brother Moscato, near PJP. At my request, Cappola executed a sworn declaration on October 7, 2019, detailing what his father told him. Frank also offered to take a polygraph test.
Here are the installments of this series:
* November 26, 2023: “Working on the FBI’s ‘one-way street” (Part 1)
* December 10, 2023: “Frank Cappola enters the fray” (Part 2)
* January 14, 2024: “The FBI calls six months after Frank Cappola dies” (Part 3)
* January 21, 2024: “My team and our negotiations” (Part 4)
* February 25, 2024: “The first GPR test in November 2020” (Part 5)
* March 3, 2024: “My command performance before a star-studded crowd at the FBI field office in Newark” (Part 6)
* March 10, 2024: “The Mystery Mound” (Part 7)
* March 17, 2024: “The FBI executes a search warrant for the alcove” (Part 8)
* April 7, 2024: “Napco detects a third location in the alcove” (Part 9)
* April 14, 2024: “The FBI digs in the wrong place” (Part 10)
* April 21, 2024: “Napco doubles down on the location of Hoffa’s unmarked grave” (Part 11)
* December 11, 2024: 49 years ago today, the FBI served a search warrant on "Brother Moscato's Dump," aka the PJP Landfill in Jersey City: Will Jimmy Hoffa's remains be found before the 50th anniversary of his murder in July 2025? (Extra 1)
* December 15, 2024: This week is my 50th anniversary as an independent investigative journalist: The birth of a cautionary tale (Extra 2)
And here is a selected bibliography about this investigation:
* Dan E. Moldea, Gang Land News, “The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa:
40 years later.” July 30, 2015* John Marzulli, New York Daily News, "New evidence emerges on Jimmy Hoffa's possible fate, suggests feds were on right track searching N.J. dump," July 30, 2015
* Dan E. Moldea, FoxNews.com, "Dan Moldea: Has Jimmy Hoffa’s grave been found?" November 21, 2019
* John Wisely, Detroit Free Press, "Search for Hoffa may have new lead, expert has best tip ever in search for grave," November 21, 2019
* Debate: The Mob Museum, "Dan Moldea, Eric Shawn, Vince Wade (video)," December 11, 2019
* Dan E. Moldea, The Mob Museum, “DEM on Frank Cappola and the alleged
location of Hoffa's remains (2019-2020),” Part One: July 8, 2020* Dan E. Moldea, The Mob Museum, “Here is the alleged unmarked grave of Jimmy Hoffa,” Part Two: July 21, 2020
* Dan E. Moldea, Deadline Detroit, "Is this enough evidence to obtain a search warrant for Jimmy Hoffa's grave?" July 30, 2020
* Scott Burnstein, Gangster Report, "Hoffa hysteria," July 31, 2020
* Scott Burnstein, The Mob Museum, "Following the Facts," August 4, 2020
* Dan E. Moldea, The Mob Museum, “On the 46th anniversary of the murder of Jimmy Hoffa,” Part Three: July 30, 2021
* Michael Wilson, New York Times, "Search for Jimmy Hoffa Leads
FBI to Jersey City Landfill," November 18, 2021* James Barron, New York Times, "A New Search for Jimmy Hoffa," November 23, 2021
* Ted Shaffrey, Associated Press. Video interview with DEM, "FBI looks in N.J. for Jimmy Hoffa's remains," November 24, 2021
* Roger Schneider, Associated Press, "Theories in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa," (excerpt), November 25, 2021
* Allan Lengel, Deadline Detroit, "Allan Lengel interviews FBI-SAC Timothy Waters of the Detroit field office," December 7, 2021
* Dan E. Moldea, "On Phillip Moscato Jr.," February 28, 2022* Dan E. Moldea, "On Eric Shawn of Fox News," April 7, 2022
* Michael Wilson, New York Times, "Search for Hoffa Under Jersey City Bridge Came Up Empty, FBI Says," July 21, 2022
* Ed White, Associated Press, "FBI: No sign of Jimmy Hoffa under New Jersey bridge," July 21, 2022
* See Dan E. Moldea on YouTube, reading his statement below, July 28, 2022* Dan E. Moldea: Deadline Detroit, "Moldea: 'I Still Believe That Jimmy Hoffa Was, Or Is Buried in New Jersey,'" July 28, 2022
* Jack Goldsmith, Lawfare, "47 Years of Feckless Digging," July 29, 2022
* Jeff Burbank, The Mob Museum, "Latest Search for Jimmy Hoffa's Remains
Joins Long List of Fruitless Attempts," September 9, 2022* Tommy Canale, Before the Lights, “Interview with DEM on Jimmy Hoffa,”
January 16, 2023
* Scott Burnstein, Gangster Report, "The search for Hoffa: An update," November 17, 2023
My interviews with key characters
Below is a list of the key characters in the Jimmy Hoffa murder drama—along with, where applicable, the dates of their deaths. . . . Notably, I am the only person in the world, living or dead, who has interviewed all of those with asterisks (*) next to their names.
Those without asterisks, like Russell Bufalino and the Giacalone brothers, did not respond to my requests for interviews, as was the case with Tony Provenzano—although I did question his brother, Salvatore Provenzano, during my exclusive interview with the Andrettas and the Briguglios, along with their attorney, William Bufalino, in October 1976.
Also, even though I tried hard, I could not get to the FBI's key federal witness, Ralph Picardo—who died in 2004 but whose information, in my opinion, is still the firewall of the Hoffa case—because he was in the Federal Witness Protection Program.
And, sadly, I did not realize the importance of Paul Cappola, Sr—who allegedly buried Hoffa—until eleven years after he passed in 2008, even though I had started interviewing his partner at the PJP Landfill, Phillip “Brother” Moscato, in 2007.
Paul Cappola’s name never came up—or, if it did, it went over my head.
* Stephen Andretta, December12, 2022
* Thomas Andretta: January 25, 2019
* Stanton Barr: November 13, 2019
* Salvatore Briguglio: March 21, 1978
Russell Bufalino: February 25, 1994
* William Bufalino: May 12, 1990
* Frank Cappola (DEM source): March 16, 2020
Paul Cappola, Sr.: March 8, 2008
* Allen Dorfman: January 20, 1983
Anthony Giacalone: February 23, 2001
Vito Giacalone: February 19, 2012
* Louis Linteau: October 13, 1978
* Lawrence McHenry: January 17, 1994
* Rolland McMaster: October 25, 2007
* Phillip Moscato, Sr.: February 16, 2014
* Charles O’Brien, February 13, 2020
Ralph Picardo (federal witness): January 26, 2004
Anthony Provenzano: December 12, 1988
* Salvatore Provenzano: May 27, 2013
* Jack Robison: July 27, 2003
* Leonard Schultz: September 6, 2013
* Jim Shaw: March 31, 1987
* Frank Sheeran: December 13, 2003
* Donovan Wells (federal witness): September 5, 2019
Still alive, as of this writing (April 30, 2024):
* Gabriel Briguglio, living in New Jersey
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to our documentary production team for their outstanding work on the “Ahab-White Whale” project. They include our team captain, Beaux Carson of Carson Signature Films, Ari Mark of Ample Entertainment, Richard Lawrence of Rebel Entertainment, Bob Burke, the late Frank Cappola, Eric Dezenhall, Joy DiBiaso, Andrew Dunn, Doug Dupin, Eric Emerich, George Farris, Jeff Goldberg, Conrad Martin, Sean Nugent, Jon Oberg, Jimmy and Kevin O’Keefe of Napco, Gerry Pallay, Roger Simmons, Tom von Stein, and Sean Weppner.
Among others, friends, colleagues, and key supporters, including some who disagree: David Ashenfelter, Marty Bell, Scott Burnstein, the late Fabrizio Calvi, Jerry Capeci, Joe Conason, David Corn, the late Bob Davis, Mark Dawidziak, Susan Eisner, Paul Egan, Bill Fargo, Mark Feldstein, Ron Fino, Jack Goldsmith, Harry Gossett, Jim Grady, Tommy Hammett, Larry Henry, Debbie Jojola, the late Jon Kwitny, Tom Lange, Laurence Leamer, Allan Lengel, Nancy Lubin, Phil Manuel, Alice Martell, Ethelbert Miller, Karl Milligan, the late Phillip Moscato, Sr., Geno Munari, Rich Munsey, Jules Nasso, the late Nancy Nolte, Mark Olshaker, Tom O’Neill, the late Mark Perry, Andy Petepiece, Mike Pilgrim, Kristina Rebelo, Gus Russo, the late Carl Shoffler, Geoff Schumacher, Eric Shawn, Leo Sisti, Marc Smolonsky, Jodi Solomon, John Sopko, Jeff Stein, Joel Swerdlow, the late Don Wells, Danny Wexler, Dave Williams, John Wisely, and the late John Zeitts.
Please watch this page for updates.