James "Jimmy" Altieri (1960 - 1999) was a capo of the DiMeo crime family who became a member of the Witness Protection Program during the 1990s. In 1999, he was executed by Silvio Dante for his treason.
Biography[]
James Altieri was born in New Jersey to an Italian family, and he became a capo in the DiMeo crime family during the early 1990s. Altieri led his own crew, and he was later recruited into the Witness Protection Program after being arrested for gun charges while running an illegal card game in 1999. Altieri was released too promptly after his arrest, drawing suspicion from Tony Soprano, a fellow DiMeo captain. After corrupt detective Vin Makazian informed Soprano that Salvatore Bonpensiero had started wearing a wire, Soprano suspected that Makazian had confused Altieri for the similar-looking Bonpensiero; both were obese and had black hair. Soprano never got Makazian to clarify this, as Makazian killed himself soon after.
Death[]
Altieri after being shot.
Soprano obtained permission from DiMeo boss Junior Soprano to whack Altieri after it became apparent to the family administration that he was acting odd, and Christopher Moltisanti and Silvio Dante were sent to whack him. Moltisanti lured him to a hotel room in Times Square, New York City with a beautiful Russian girl as bait, and, once Jimmy was seated, Dante entered the room and put a gun to the back of Altieri's head. Altieri attempted to reach for a pistol hidden on his ankle, but Moltisanti grabbed it first. Dante then told Altieri to shout for help through his wire, and he shot him once in the back of the head, killing him. His body was found in an alley with a rat stuffed in his mouth, and Moltisanti went so far as to call in a bomb threat on his wake. Altieri's crew was taken over by Carlo Gervasi after his death.