Abraham Telvi, a 22-year-old Jewish-American man, was a mobster and hitman entangled with the Lucchese crime family. His life came to a violent end on the streets of Manhattan on July 28, 1956. Telvi's death was not a random act of violence, but rather a direct consequence of his involvement in a crime that shocked the nation: the blinding of crusading labor journalist Victor Riesel.
Earlier that year, on April 5, 1956, Telvi had been hired by labor racketeer Johnny Dio to silence
Riesel, who was known for his relentless exposés on union corruption. Outside a Broadway restaurant, Telvi threw sulfuric acid in Riesel's face, an attack that left the journalist permanently blind. In the process, Telvi himself sustained acid burns to his own face and neck. For this brutal assault, he was initially paid $1,175.
However, the notoriety of the attack and the intense federal investigation that followed seemingly emboldened Telvi. He began to demand more money from Dio, possibly believing the racketeer would be forced to pay to ensure his silence. This proved to be a fatal miscalculation. After being promised another payment, Telvi was instead gunned down, his body discovered with a bullet wound to the back of the head near the former headquarters of the New York Police Department. It is believed his murder was ordered to silence him permanently.
The investigation into the acid attack and Telvi's subsequent murder led to several arrests. Johnny Dio was arrested and charged with conspiracy in the Riesel attack, and prosecutors publicly linked him to Telvi's murder, though the conspiracy charges against Dio were eventually dropped. Other associates involved in recruiting Telvi, including Joseph 'Joe Pilo' Carlino, Gondolfo 'Sheikie' Miranti, and Dominick Bando, were also implicated. Carlino pleaded guilty for his role in arranging the attack on Riesel. Miranti and Bando were also found guilty in connection to the acid attack. While arrests were made for the crime that ultimately led to Telvi's demise, the direct perpetrators of his murder were never officially brought to justice in the same manner, leaving his death a stark example of brutal gangland retribution.
