Visiting Pittsburgh 1963

[Angelo Santino]

George Adragna was a member at this time. Family from Alcamo. Brother Frank was a Pittsburgh member who died in 1962 and was arrested in NYC after the Bazzano murder. Their brother Vito was proposed for membership in San Jose and another brother Joseph was made in Williamsburg (likely Bonanno).

Tony Lima learned in the 1970s that John LaRocca (the boss's brother) was made. Don't think he was made yet in 1963 but not sure.

So I'm assuming Vito Adragna would still be as well. What about Anzalone?

[Angelo Santino]

36 names, 11 left, so far I clocked 12 Calabrians, 5 Campanians, 5 Sicilians, 1 Umbrian and 1 Lazian.

[Angelo Santino]

Frank Rosa was born in 1930 to Joe Rosa (described as a retired long time mob enforcer), his mother was a Penn. born woman of Germany ancestry. Given that Sam Mannerino said about Pittsburgh not having made someone for a very long time, Rosa would have been 33 in 1963, kinda young. Not saying he wasn't a member yet but if so he's the youngest. His father came from Alvito in Frosinone so that's two Lazians.

[Angelo Santino]

Looking up Pecora it's taking me to San Rufa, Salerno, Campania. I'm hearing a chime in my head, didn't B. once find out that he was Abruzzesi?

[B.]

Looking up Pecora it's taking me to San Rufa, Salerno, Campania. I'm hearing a chime in my head, didn't B. once find out that he was Abruzzesi?

Never looked into him or most of these guys.

So I'm assuming Vito Adragna would still be as well. What about Anzalone?

Vito was never made in Pittsburgh -- he was proposed in San Jose, can't remember if he did get made there but he wasn't a member of any Family in 1963. George was the only living Adragna brother in the Pittsburgh Family at this time.

Anazalone was in San Jose by this time. Tony Lima said Anzalone was originally sent by the Sicilian mafia to carry out a murder in Pittsburgh but Tony Lima's father talked him out of it and he joined the Pittsburgh Family. He later fell out with Pittsburgh and joined San Jose.

[B.]

Al D'Arco said Joe Sica was his cousin and invited him to join the Pittsburgh Family at one point before he was made w/ the Lucchese. Sica's obit write-up also says he was drug dealer Joe Rosa's grandfather. It says Rosa flipped and testified -- guessing this is a younger one?

Great report about Genovese captain Sally Celembrino visiting the Pittsburgh Family in 1965










- Another sign of the close ties between Genovese and Pittsburgh.

- Joe Rosa Sr. comes across like a member, with Joe Jr. also being respected.

- Weird Celembrino told the CI that Frank Amato was the "capo". This is 1965 and it's pretty established LaRocca was the boss. Maybe plays into the idea that Amato was the boss behind the scenes or there's more to the story.

- The Russell Bufalino mentioned here wasn't the Pittston boss. This was Dr. Russell Bufalino, Mannarino's in-law, whose father was Sam. Maybe a cousin of the Pittston ones? Haven't looked into it.

- Informant said that only himself and Lanzierri were treated as "outsiders", whereas Celembrino was treated as an "equal". Maybe everyone else was made?

- There must have been confusion about LaRocca calling someone a "fellow" Calabrese. He was Sicilian. Does back up what Pete Maggio said about LaRocca referring to people's ethnicity.

- Not Pittsburgh relevant, but Celembrino saying he was a "wheelman" for Al Capone in Chicago.

- Not in this report, but apparently Frank Amato once lived in the same NY neighborhood as Vito Genovese and they were close. Wondering if Amato was originally a Masseria member. Not to be confused with the Genovese member Frank "Dick" Amato who was Corleonese.

[Angelo Santino]

Here's what's left that I need help with.

pbleft.PNG

[Angelo Santino]

Al D'Arco said Joe Sica was his cousin and invited him to join the Pittsburgh Family at one point before he was made w/ the Lucchese. Sica's obit write-up also says he was drug dealer Joe Rosa's grandfather. It says Rosa flipped and testified -- guessing this is a younger one?

Great report about Genovese captain Sally Celembrino visiting the Pittsburgh Family in 1965










- Another sign of the close ties between Genovese and Pittsburgh.

- Joe Rosa Sr. comes across like a member, with Joe Jr. also being respected.

- Weird Celembrino told the CI that Frank Amato was the "capo". This is 1965 and it's pretty established LaRocca was the boss. Maybe plays into the idea that Amato was the boss behind the scenes or there's more to the story.

- The Russell Bufalino mentioned here wasn't the Pittston boss. This was Dr. Russell Bufalino, Mannarino's in-law, whose father was Sam. Maybe a cousin of the Pittston ones? Haven't looked into it.

- Informant said that only himself and Lanzierri were treated as "outsiders", whereas Celembrino was treated as an "equal". Maybe everyone else was made?

- Not in this report, but apparently Frank Amato once lived in the same NY neighborhood as Vito Genovese and they were close. Wondering if Amato was originally a Masseria member. Not to be confused with the Genovese member Frank "Dick" Amato who was Corleonese.

This is what I have

Frank J. Rosa 2/21/1930 Pittsburgh, PA 339 Sunset Dr, Pittsburgh, PA Joseph Anthony Rosa Alvito, Frosinone, Lazio Genevieve Gesner Germany Single
Joseph Sica 5/10/1908 Jeannette, PA 1003 Lincoln Alley, North Versailles, PA Luigi Sica Castiglione Christina Castiglione Carolina Di Girolamo Little Scalzitti

If Frank Amato lived close to Genovese, we'll have to have a group call about that.

[B.]

Don't know about Anthony Capizzi's DOB/POB but if his father was the boss Vincenzo Capizzi his paternal heritage is Villarosa, Enna.

When I first posted the Celembrino stuff there was an error w/ the images. Fixed.

Zoccoli was a San Jose member by 1963, so didn't live in Pittsburgh.

[B.]

- The FBI said Sebastian "John" LaRocca was living in Pittston in 1928, then moved to Jamestown NY until 1933. Could mean he was involved with the Pittston and Buffalo Families while he was there.

- Mannarino said LaRocca had the made members themselves run their operations directly rather than associates. Sounds likey they didn't have many associates doing things for them.

- Info on LaRocca from 1958:





- What was Thomas Pecora's relation to Joseph? Very close to LaRocca.

- The Joe Rosa referred to here was a much older one, not the younger one. Sounds like the older Joe Rosa was important. He was Sica's father-in-law.

- Nick Stirone and John Scardina sound like suspected members if they were still alive by 1963.

[B.]

- Possible member is Giuseppe Landolina (1894-1988). From Trabia but shared surname with murdered underboss Nicasio Landolina from nearby Caccamo.

- Former boss Vincenzo Capizzi was still alive in 1963. He died in 1967.

- Vincenzo Capizzi was a business partner of Chicago member Anthony Pinelli in the 1930s along with Abraham Class from Chicago. Pinelli was from Caliscibetta right next to Capizzi's hometown Villarosa. Pittsburgh member Sam DiBella, a close associate of Capizzi, was also from Calascibetta.

- John Cancellieri and his son Sam were confirmed members but Sam died in the 1940s. John was still alive in 1963. Not sure if Jack Cancellieri was still alive but he might have been a member too.

[PolackTony]

Mannerino's father was Giacinto who changed his name from Ruggiero to Mannerino, he came from Amantea, Cosenza. His mother Domenica Politano came from Lago, Cosenza.

31311_134290-00021.jpg
31040_175154-01960.jpg

Nice find. I had bet that the father was from Amantea, or thereabouts. Lago is of course just inland. That section of Cosenza is not far from where a ton of Chicago Calabresi came from too.

[PolackTony]

- Possible member is Giuseppe Landolina (1894-1988). From Trabia but shared surname with murdered underboss Nicasio Landolina from nearby Caccamo.

- Former boss Vincenzo Capizzi was still alive in 1963. He died in 1967.

- Vincenzo Capizzi was a business partner of Chicago member Anthony Pinelli in the 1930s along with Abraham Class from Chicago. Pinelli was from Caliscibetta right next to Capizzi's hometown Villarosa. Pittsburgh member Sam DiBella, a close associate of Capizzi, was also from Calascibetta.

- John Cancelleri and his son Sam were confirmed members but Sam died in the 1940s. John was still alive in 1963. Not sure if Giacomo "Jack" Cancellieri was still alive but he might have been a member too.

Trabìa looks to have been the single largest Sicilian comune of origin for Pitt arrivals pre-1900, so my guess is they played a major role in founding the mafia there. Even in the 60s, unsurprising that there was at least one member from there.

Good info on Capizzi and Pinelli. Villarosa also had a large settlement in Chicago; for example, the Villarosa Società during this time period was an affiliated “lodge”’of the “Unione”. The DeStefanos and Bobby Bellavia have ancestry from Villarosa, while the parents of Chuckie Nicoletti and the English brothers had ancestry from neighboring Santa Caterina Villarmosa, and Dom DiBella’s parents were from neighboring Alimena. Villarosa was at the center of a close-knit network of comuni spanning the provincial borders of then-Caltanissetta and Palermo.

[Angelo Santino]

Joe Rosa was the father then, he died in 3/2/1966 in Tucsan, Arizona so he can be added to the Arizona thread.

[Angelo Santino]

Giuseppe Landolina married Maria Anna Calderone, niece of the Salvatore Calderone.