Ex-loan shark with ties to mafia dies in apparent homicide in Brooklyn

Make sure to let us know what you think... we now have comments turned ON below the article!

An elderly man with a history of loan sharking and suspected ties to an organized crime family in New York City was found dead with a handgun next to him in his Brooklyn home on Friday afternoon in what appeared to be a possible suicide at first glance.

However, the death of 77-year-old Vincent Zito was most likely a mob-style execution as the old loan shark was shot twice in the back of the head.

The New York Post reported that Zito’s body was discovered by his grandson, who lives at the same house in Brooklyn, after the boy had returned home from school.

Zito had been arrested in the past on charges of loan sharking. His older brother, 82-year-old Anthony Zito, was sentenced to prison in 1971 on extortion charges. Both brothers have been tied to the Luchese crime family.

Execution-style killing

According to the police, there were no signs of forced entry at the home, meaning the killer was quite possibly someone Zito was familiar with.

Zito was found lying face up on the living room floor with a handgun next to him when the man’s grandson returned home from school Friday afternoon.

It is noteworthy that the home had stickers suggesting an ADT alarm system installed, and had security cameras watching both the front and back doors of the home.

Loan shark with ties to crime family

While some in the neighborhood spoke fondly of the elderly man, others described him as a “snake” or worse, with one neighbor recalling how Zito had sold him a can of gasoline for $100 during the initial clean-up in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy in 2012.

But there was at least one man who would miss Zito dearly, a 43-year-old immigrant from Jamaica, Howard Stewart, who worked as a handyman for Zito — who he affectionately referred to as “Pop” — said Zito “would give you everything. He would give you the shirt off his back. I don’t know why someone would want to hurt him.”

Stewart firmly believed that Zito was the victim of a mob-style execution.

“Two shots to the head? Man, it’s a setup,” he said. “There was no break-in. It’s someone he knew.”

[show_poll poll_id=981]

It is unclear at this time if the police have any leads or suspects in the suspected murder, or if the potential killer was caught on the security cameras keeping watch over the doors of the Brooklyn home.

Whether this man was truly a loan shark with ties to organized crime or not, he nevertheless was a victim of murder and will be missed by his family and the friends who knew him well.

795 Responses

  1. An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a coworker who has been doing a little homework on this. And he in fact bought me dinner due to the fact that I discovered it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending the time to discuss this subject here on your blog.

  2. Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve visited this web site before but after browsing through many of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m definitely pleased I stumbled upon it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back often!

  3. Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after going through some of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m certainly delighted I stumbled upon it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back often!

  4. oh i understand that thank u very much but please can you answer me Last Question :-Is it wise to rent 200 and extend them to 240 days and buy a golden or rent 250 and extend them for 240 days and earn money(IF POSSIBLE. Can I?) for Golden.

  5. I was pretty pleased to discover this web site. I wanted to thank you for ones time for this particularly wonderful read!! I definitely really liked every part of it and I have you book marked to check out new information in your blog.

  6. After going over a handful of the blog articles on your site, I seriously appreciate your technique of writing a blog. I added it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my web site too and tell me your opinion.

  7. Can I simply say what a relief to discover somebody who actually understands what they’re talking about on the web. You actually understand how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people really need to check this out and understand this side of the story. I can’t believe you’re not more popular since you certainly have the gift.

  8. Good day I am so glad I found your blog page, I really found you by accident, while I was browsing on Askjeeve for something else, Regardless I am here now and would just like to say cheers for a incredible post and a all round exciting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the excellent b.|

  9. Amazing blog! Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m totally confused .. Any ideas? Kudos!|

  10. You’re so awesome! I don’t believe I’ve truly read something like that before. So good to find someone with some original thoughts on this issue. Really.. many thanks for starting this up. This site is something that is needed on the web, someone with a little originality!

  11. Howdy! This article could not be written much better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He always kept preaching about this. I most certainly will forward this information to him. Pretty sure he’ll have a great read. Many thanks for sharing!

Leave a Reply to Dodge Sprinter Repair Shops Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Popular