Collection: Wimpy Boys Social Club

The Wimpy Boys Social Club, once the headquarters for Colombo capo Gregory Scarpa, is now an empty storefront with a for-rent sign.

Scarpa, who likely chose the club's name as an inside joke, was known amongst a fraternity of killers as the "Grim Reaper" for his willingness to resort to violence.

He was also, for 30 years, a high-level informant for the FBI. It is difficult to determine who was using who, as Scarpa received valuable information on gangland rivals from the federal government, which he used to murder with impunity. In 1964, following the murder of three civil rights workers – James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner – in what became known as the "Mississippi Burning case," the FBI was under mounting pressure to find the bodies. While this account has since been challenged, the widely-told version of events is that the FBI decided to fly Scarpa from Brooklyn to rural Mississippi to assist with the case, and Scarpa promptly got to work: He kidnapped a local Klansman, tortured him for information, and then informed the FBI where to find the bodies.

Being an enforcer for the Colombos during a violent civil war within the family, and at the same time a well-paid informant for the government, was a dangerous game, but Scarpa survived an assassination attempt.

In 1993, he pleaded guilty to murder and racketeering charges, and died in prison a year later at the age of 66.

The New York Times noted in his obituary that he had contracted HIV from a blood transfusion.