Making ceremonies under the John Stanfa administration
November 1991 ceremony:
Joseph F Ciancaglini (source: The Goodfella Tapes, George Anastasia)
Luigi Tripodi (likely)
Ronald Turchi (likely)
[Younger mobsters were picked up on tape 03 Dec 1991 discussing why Stanfa would induct such an ‘old person’ like Tripodi into the family. Turchi was reported to be ‘one of the first initiated’ by Stanfa (Kitty Caparella, 28 Jan 1997). This could have meant that Turchi was initiated at the Sep 1992 ceremony however when Turchi was returned to prison for violating his parole he was cited for meeting with mobsters in Oct 1992 and Mar, Oct and Dec 1996. Had Turchi been inducted in Sep 1992 he would have likely been cited for it, as Merlino was, based on Biagio Adornetto’s information.]
September 1992 ceremony:
Biagio Adornetto
Michael Ciancaglini
Joseph Merlino
Gaeton Lucibello (likely)
Joseph Massimino (likely)
[Adornetto confirmed his initiation with Ciancaglini and Merlino after he began cooperating. Massimino was made by Stanfa in 1992 (2004 New Jersey report) and I can’t find reference of another 1992 ceremony so I’m considering it was likely this one. Lucibello was reported to have been made at this ceremony (Caparella, 29 Aug 1994), however this report also incorrectly identified John Veasey as having been made at the ceremony. I can find no other mention of Lucibello being made at any other ceremony and he had fallen out of favour with Stanfa by Apr 1993. Gaetano Scafidi testified that Michael Ciancaglini identified Lucibello as part of the team sent to kill him Mar 1992. Lucibello could have been made for his role in that murder attempt.]
May 1993 ceremony:
Sergio Battaglia
Raymond Esposito
Frank Martines
[Battaglia testified about this ceremony after turning CW 1996.]
November 1993 ceremony:
Gaetano Scafidi
Giuseppe Gallara (likely)
Vincent Pagano (likely)
[Scafidi testified that Nov 1993 was the date of his initiation while on the witness stand during the 2001 Merlino trial. John Veasey testified that Gallara was inducted ‘a few weeks after’ the 17 Sep 1993 murder of Frank Baldino. Pagano returned to Philadelphia from Florida mid-late September and by December was recorded describing himself as the no. 3 man in the organisation behind Stanfa and Martines.]
December 1993 ceremony:
Vincent Filipelli
Joseph Stanfa
John Veasey
[Veasey testified that he and Filipelli were made together. The ceremony was reported to have taken place in December with Joseph Stanfa as another inductee (Kitty Caparella, 17 Mar 1994).]
Informal induction (c.1993):
Ronald Previte
[Recalled being told by Stanfa that he was carried as a member; formal ceremony never happened after Stanfa was locked up.]
Making ceremonies under the Merlino/ Natale administration (1994-1999)
November/ December 1994 ceremony:
Frank Gambino
Ralph Natale
[Natale testified that he and Gambino were inducted by Merlino in late 1994. Merlino was released from prison Nov 1994.]
Made prior to Natale’s induction:
Martin Angelina
George Borgesi
Michael Lancellotti
Steven Mazzone
[possibly others]
[Natale testified that the above individuals were present as made men for his induction (Caparella, 05 Apr 2001). By Nov 1995, the above members were reported to have been made ‘within the past year’ as well as ‘others’ (Caparella, 20 Nov 1995), possibly a reference to Natale and Gambino or other unconfirmed inductions.]
January/ June/ October 1996:
John Ciancaglini
[Natale testified that he inducted Ciancaglini following the William Veasey murder but provided conflicting dates. Ciancaglini was incorrectly reported to have become consigliere by Oct 1996 (Caparella, 28 Jan 1997), and this is the earliest popular account I can find of his membership, making it possible that he was inducted in October and this is the cause of the confusion.]
1998 (Boston crew inductions):
Robert Luisi
Robert Gentile
Shawn Vetere
David Pepicelli (source: Robert Luisi via Stroccos)
David Pepicelli (source: Robert Luisi via Stroccos)
Robert Puleo (source: Robert Luisi via Stroccos)
Paul Tanso (source: Robert Luisi via Stroccos)
[Possibly two different ceremonies: one for Luisi and one for the rest. Luisi was reported to be a soldier in 1999 likely based on information from a Fall 1998 chart compiled by LE (Anastasia, May 1999). In Oct 1998, Merlino told Previte that he was ‘taking over’ the family and a few days later that he was going to make Luisi a capo (Caparella, 08 Jul 1999). Luisi told George Anastasia that he and George Borgesi went up to Boston and made ‘six or seven guys’ in 1997 or 1998 (Mob Talk Sitdown 9). Those dates are likely off as Luisi did not start associating with Natale and Merlino until 1998 (The Last Gangster). In Feb 1999 Luisi was introduced at a party in Philadelphia as a member (Caparella, 30 Jun 1999). When Luisi was charged he was identified as being promoted to capo in 1999 (Anastasia, Slobodzian, 29 Jun 1999).]
Other late 1990s induction info:
- Michael Virgilio was promised membership ‘one day’ by Natale following the Mar 1998 murder of Anthony Turra. Virgilio was identified in a Mar 2001 FBI memo as an associate (Caparella, 10 Apr 2001). I haven’t been able to find any official confirmation of Virgilio’s induction (if there is, I’d be interested to see it) though he was likely a member before his death.
- Philip Ligambi was incorrectly reported to be the family’s consigliere Feb 1999 (Caparella). I think it’s likely that, similar to the John Ciancaglini situation, this was just confusion over his recent induction (though I can’t find anything else about him as a member).
- An induction ceremony took place at the wedding of Tyrone DeNittis’ daughter in the late 1990’s (Mob Talk Sitdown 33). I haven’t been able to find out when this wedding happened to discern whether this could have been Ciancaglini’s induction or a later one that hasn’t been confirmed yet. Finding out the date of that wedding I think could be quite important in terms of research.
- As of July 1999, the family was, according to an LE source, at a size of 12 to 20 active members (Caparella). By this point Ligambi, Filipelli, Massimino and Turchi had been released from prison. Taking into account Lucibello, Angelina, Borgesi, Lancellotti, Mazzone, Gambino, Ciancaglini and Philip Ligambi that takes my count up to 12. Factor in Caprio and Centorino from North Jersey and the Boston guys still on the street at that time (Gentile, the Pepicellis, Puleo and Tanso) my count is at 19. Anthony Pungitore Sr was considered active by LE as of 2009 so perhaps he factors in.
15 to 17 guys have been inducted since 2001 (Mob Talk Sitdown 33).
Licata describes seven guys as having been made in recent years during a 2010 recorded conversation and that three members were waiting for Merlino’s release to be inducted:
- JOSEPH LICATA: It was five before you, and it was two that night. That's seven guys. Seven guys. That's it. That's it. Seven made […] Damion [Canalichio] was before you.
LOUIS FAZZINI: Before me?
LICATA: Then he went to the can. Yeah. Damion was before. He might have been with the first five.
FAZZINI: Right.
LICATA: Yeah. First five. Then you guys came. And it was five that night supposed to be with youse. When I got there, there was only three. I says what happened? Said when [Merlino] comes home let him do it. He, he… [unintelligible] so I said where's the other three, 'cause we're all sitting in the room. They're all downstairs. When he comes home.
Damion Canalichio
Anthony Nicodemo
Anthony Staino (likely)
[+2 others]
[LE confirmed Nicodemo was made ‘shortly after’ the Nov 2003 murder of John Casasanto. Ceremony likely takes place between Nov 2003 and Mar 2004 as Staino is describes himself as the CFO, ‘on the board of directors’, and that Filipelli is ‘with him’ in a 17 Mar 2004 recorded conversation. Knowledge of the ceremony likely didn’t get out for a while as Staino’s membership is debated following Joseph Curro’s death: ‘Whether or not Ligambi has inducted Staino as a member may not matter, said one law enforcement source’ (Caparella, 07 Apr 2004). New Jersey State report on OC from May 2004 identifies the organisation as having approximately 10 active members on the street, most likely not taking into account the ‘first five’ described by Licata.]
Other possible inductees made in the ‘first five’:
Martin Curro
- Identified on a Philadelphia police chart as a soldier Sep 2009 (more on the Curro brothers below).
- Reportedly identified by CW Michael Orlando as a member during the Ligambi trial (Julie Shaw, 13 Dec 2013). Orlando’s cooperation enabled him to avoid prosecution on a Sep 2003 arrest for fraud, and I think he entered the witness protection program shortly after this, so his knowledge of Lancellotti’s membership likely comes from after he was taken off the streets if Lancellotti was made in the ‘first five’. I listened to a trial recording of Orlando’s cross examination from Nov 2012 where he discussed Albert Lancellotti but didn’t mention him as a member. I don’t think the audio of the court session in which he did is available online.
- Apparently identified by a Philadelphia police officer as a member while testifying at the Ligambi trial. I haven’t been able to find the audio of this court session either.
Eric Esposito
Louis Fazzini
[Described in Licata’s recorded conversations and his detention memo.]
Other information from Licata’s detention memo:
Other identified members:LICATA stated that, after Steven Mazzone (a member of the Philadelphia LCN Family convicted in the Merlino RICO case), who LICATA identified as the “consigliere”, gets off of supervised release, more people will become fully initiated members of the Philadelphia LCN Family through “making” ceremonies. LICATA explained that Joseph Merlino is calling shots from prison by telling LIGAMBI to “make” certain people. According to LICATA, LIGAMBI will only “make” guys he knows well, and will let Merlino “make” the guys he wants when he comes home from prison. LICATA also stated that the leadership in Philadelphia has asked him if he wants to propose any new members. LICATA stated that, while he is not ready to do it now, he will propose new members in near future. LICATA stated to the CW that he had already proposed [Vito Malgeri] and [Joseph Servidio] previously to LIGAMBI and wants them to be “made” before proposing any new members. LICATA added that he will propose reliable guys who will earn money for him and not give him headaches.
Dominic Grande
- Indicted in the Borgata gambling case as an associate. Identified in court as the suspected shooter in the Dec 2012 murder of Gino DiPietro. Accompanied Joseph Merlino and Michael Lancellotti to the Dec 2014 New York Christmas party where Merlino introduced Lancellotti as his ‘main man’. Grande is a capo by 2016 at the latest (Servidio indictment).
- Identified as a member in court documents Jan 2018 following Lucibello’s parole violation.
- Proposed by for membership by Licata. Released from prison April 2011. Indicted as a member 2018.
Reported by Anastasia in Jan 2016. Five associates inducted by Merlino.
Anthony Persiano and Salvatore Piccolo:
Inducted by an ‘old timer’ about 10 years ago with the blessing of former boss Nicodemo Scarfo (Mob Talk Sitdown 33). Eventually recognised as Philadelphia members reporting to Dominic Grande (Servidio indictment).
Joseph and Martin Curro (and Roger Vella)
Joseph Curro is released from prison 1994 and identified in an FBI memo as an associate at the start of the Merlino RICO trial (Caparella, 10 Apr 2001). By October of that year he is first reported in Philadelphia City Paper, citing LE sources, as a made member (Jim Barry, 04 Oct 2001). By Jan 2003 he is reported as the consigliere (Brendan McGarvey, 16 Jan 2003) and this is confirmed by the May 2004 New Jersey state report.
I find it hard to believe that with both Natale and Previte cooperating by Mar 2001 that Curro would have been incorrectly identified as an associate if he had been made by that point. I suspect, though this is the most speculative part of this post on my part, that Curro (and possibly others, namely his brother Martin if he wasn’t made as part of the ‘first five’) could’ve been made at a Jul 2000 ceremony in Atlantic City by Ligambi. I say this because in Apr 2001 Roger Vella began cooperating with the government and told them that he was made in Jul 2000 before quickly taking back that claim, saying he had been ‘exaggerating’ (Anastasia, 11 Nov 2003). I won’t say anything definitive because Vella’s credibility is clearly suspect, but I wonder whether that ceremony was a complete fabrication or just the part about him being made at it. Vella knew Curro and he was cited for parole violation for associating with him (Caparella, 31 Jul 1999). It would explain why LE suddenly starts referring to Curro as a member later in 2001, and I haven’t found an earlier reference to Curro as a member. Schratwieser also identified the 15 to 17 new members as being made ‘since 2001’ so this would fall before that cut off period.
Important questions I have:
- Anyone know when Tyrone DeNittis’ daughter got married?
- Anyone have any sources that explicitly refer to Michael Virgilio as a member rather than a proposed member?
- Anyone have any sources that explicitly refer to Vincent Iannece as a member (I’ve looked quite extensively and can’t find one)?
- Anyone have any sources referring to Joseph Curro as a member before Oct 2001?
- Anyone have access to a 1995 list of members compiled by Previte referenced to during the Merlino RICO trial?
