By RACHAEL SONTAG
She opens her eyes to the world around her as she assesses the dreams she just experienced. Before her feet touch the cold wooden floor she give thanks to mother earth for protecting her and giving her life, a life she has become so comfortable in. She grounds herself spiritually, emotionally and physically as she begins to meditate and protect herself from the energy that follows her. A deep breath, a smile and she becomes Rita Gigante the spiritual healer, the wife, the sister and the daughter of Vincent Gigante the “Odd-Father”.
Small Beginnings
In a small one bedroom apartment she lived with her four older siblings, her mother Olympia, her grandmother and her Mob boss father in the West village. Rita wasn’t aware of her father’s “business” until she was a teenager.
Rita admits that her father was intimidating but not because of what he did or who he knew but because he was a man. Rita grew up in a large Italian family where men were dominant over the women but as a child she knew nothing else. Rita also recalls one of her fondest moment with her father. “If I could get him dancing, he loved Elvis. He would start dancing then my mom would start dancing.”
In the same breath that Rita recalls such a beautiful memory she also remembers a scarring moment from the shadows of her grandmother’s dining room table. There was music playing and nobody spoke, just the sound of pens on paper and whispers in ears. Something didn’t feel right when the words “I’m done with him” came from hr father’s voice, followed by a thud. She watched thee hands of her father beat another man but she sat in silence until it was safe for her to retreat. Life was simple for a time until different parts of Rita’s life began to surface and Rita began to suffer.
At the age of five Rita noticed she was affected by the emotions and energy of the people around her. She began to experience depression, Obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety attacks and so much mental and emotional confusion early into her adolescence. Her father decided to move the family to Tappan New Jersey so they could ‘live more comfortably.” In all reality Vincent’s Mistress would be taking over the apartment and raising her family with him, unbeknownst to Rita.
“The Chin”
Vincent Gigante was not always Boss of the Genovese crime family. He began an early career as boxer in New York City at the age of 14. According to Rita, one of her father’s biggest supporters was Vito “Don Vito” Genovese. She believes this was the reason for Vincent’s interest in a life of crime. Both of Rita’s parents grew up in poor Italian families so in a way this was Vincent’s chance to break the cycle.
Tony Destefano, expert journalist on the topic of organized crime, recalls Gigante’s attempted assassination of Frank Costello. In the lobby of a New York City hotel in 1956, Vincent Gigante fired shots hitting Costello in the head with a bullet but amazingly he did not die. Rita believes that her father was not a violent man, “He didn’t go around firing off shots at people”. In most instances a failed attempt like this would end someone’s life in the Mob but not for Vinny the Chin. He continued to move up in the family until he was appointed boss in the early 80’s.
According to Rita, “ In essence, my father could have done anything. He was smart enough to be the CEO of a company. He was mart in business”. Vincent’s Life of crime was one of the most interesting as he managed to stay under the radar by acting as an insane person. He would wander the streets of the West Village in a bathrobe, at times with Rita by his side. This earned him the nickname, “The Enigma in the Bathrobe”. When she would ask questions the answer was always, “Your father is sick”.
Rita remembers putting her pent up energy into her athletics. She was able to cope with her secrets at home by releasing them through physical activity. In Rita’s teenage years she grew through self discovery she understood that she was gay and also had psychic abilities. Rita describes her abilities as being able to contact the dead, read energy, heal through spirituality and at times see and hear things others cannot.
When asked if she ever told her father about her sexuality Rita responded, “I told him once but immediately retracted. He was silent which was almost worse than if he had blown up.” She feels that her mother always knew but she came out to her in her twenties. Her family was accepting and continues to love and support her life decisions. In 2013 Rita married her wife Bobbi and has never been happier.
In her early twenties Rita’s mother admitted to her that her father has another family in the city who he has been supporting. The normal feelings of anger, disappointment and sadness were brief. Although it was shocking, a part of Rita had felt relieved that she was no longer in the dark.
Reconciliation
Years went by and the distance between Gigante and his family became greater. In 2003 Vincent Gigante was charged with faking insanity to avoid imprisonment. He was sent to thee Federal Correctional Institution in Springfield Missouri on a 20 year sentence and a $2 million fine. It wasn’t until Vincent was sick and dying that Rita send him a letter of forgiveness and told him again that she was gay and that was who she would be for the rest of her life. She received a letter in return and shortly after, Vincent passed on December 19, 2007, at the age of 77, at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. Through her gifts, Vincent was able to contact Rita after death and they were able to settle everything.
Today Rita lives in a modest home with her wife Bobbi in Bergen County, New Jersey. In 2013 Rita published her book “The Godfather’s Daughter” and discusses her struggle with the family secrets and her personal struggles as well.She has earned a degree in exercise physiology and is a licensed massage therapist and Reiki master. She has done countless interviews and public appearances to discuss her abilities and her spiritual practices. Rita’s abilities are one of the biggest influences on her ability to heal and protect herself from negative energy which she has been so familiar with from a young age.
She has developed The Collective Healing Network which offers sessions exploring spiritual healing in NY and NJ as well as a private practice she runs from her home. Using energy therapy, intuitive healing, spiritual counseling, sound therapy and angel readings Rita has healed herself of her uncomfortable past and has helped hundreds of others find healing within themselves.
Rita feels she is the “way-shower” and she it is her responsibility to show people the way by helping them understand themselves and to accept the world around them which they cannot change. She hopes that if nothing else she can be viewed as an accepting heart full of love and understanding. Despite her rough start in life Rita lives each day with gratitude, thankful for another day to be alive and touching the hearts of everyone around her.
This was a super interesting story to read learning about the behind-the-scenes life of someone who comes from a mob family is something that isn’t always reported to the public. I’ve never heard of the Gigante family before this, but I got a good sense of who Rita was in the past, how she got through those hardships of growing up with a father in the mob, and who she is now and how she devotes her time to helping others through her “gifts” and healing personality.