Raymond W. Ferritto—born Remo Ferretti on April 8, 1929 in Erie, Pennsylvania—was the fourth of five children born to Michael and Rose (née Fracassi) Ferritto. Within a year, the family adopted the surname Ferritto, and young Remo began using “Raymond” upon entering school.

As a youth, he was rebellious—stealing chickens from local grocers and shoplifting clothing out of spite. At age 13, Ray and a friend burglarized a filling station in Ashtabula, Ohio; they were apprehended hours later. A judge dismissed serious punishment after a local priest interceded on his behalf. 

After lying about his age, Ferritto began working at 14 in a foundry, where a work accident injured his foot; his family sued and settled for a mere $50. Soon after, he co-founded a teenage gang called “The Wasps,” targeting vending machines across Erie. They were eventually caught, but again spared harsh sentencing due to a vicar’s influence.

Ferritto was briefly drafted into the U.S. Marine Corps around June 1946, but was medically discharged in October due to his injured foot.

In August 1957, Ferritto was arrested for an attempted gas station robbery in Erie. He pled guilty and served three to six years. The following year, at age 29, he was convicted of burglary in Warren, Ohio, and served a three-year term. Later, in Los Angeles during the late 1960s, Ferritto connected with Cleveland mobsters—including Julius “Julius” Petro—and began acting as a freelance mob associate.

In 1969, Ferritto fatally shot Julius Petro in an airport hangar. He initially tried to bomb Petro’s car but accidentally detonated the device, injuring himself, before opting for a quieter method: a single, silenced shot fired into Petro’s head, drowned by jet engine noise.

Convicted in 1971 for a bombing-related burglary, Ferritto was sentenced to 15 years and incarcerated at Chino (California). There, he befriended Jimmy Fratianno, another future notable mobster. Ferritto was released in 1974 due to good behavior and health issues—he suffered from a peptic ulcer requiring partial stomach removal.

During a violent mob war in Cleveland, hitman Ray Ferritto was hired to eliminate Irish-born gangster Danny Greene, who had become a powerful threat to the Cleveland Mafia. On October 6, 1977, Greene exited his dentist’s office and approached his car when a bomb-packed vehicle parked adjacent to him exploded, detonated by Ronald “Ronnie the Crab” Carabbia—Ferritto’s accomplice—killing Greene instantly. A local witness, sketch artist Debbie Spoth, provided a key sketch that led to Ferritto’s arrest.

While in custody, Ferritto discovered there was a contract on his life set by Cleveland boss James Licavoli. Fearing for his life, he flipped—becoming a government witness in the ensuing trials. His testimony, particularly implicating Jimmy Fratianno and others, helped bring down several mafia figures in 1978.

He admitted to both murders—the Greene bombing and Petro’s 1969 airport hit—yet served less than four years in prison for both. Leaving witness protection after just a year, Ferritto returned to Pennsylvania.

Convicted in 1992 for conspiracy and bookmaking, Ferritto received a sentence of 6 to 23.5 months, along with a $10,500 fine and probation. He died on May 10, 2004, in Sarasota, Florida, from congestive heart failure at age 75.