"They all used to be under Mike. Vito made them caporegimes."

[PolackTony]

I checked out the article on the 1929 murder of Giuseppe Aiello. He was said to be 36 and lived in Bushwick right off Knickerbocker Ave. His alleged killer was Gandolfo Annullo of Little Italy.

Thanks to Tony I was able to find more background info on Charles Gagliodotto (true name Gagliardotto). He and his parents did live at the same address as the restaurant where Giuseppe Aiello was killed. They lived in one of the apartments above the restaurant. It's definitely interesting that Gagliodotto was said to be with the Giosue Aiello crew and a Giuseppe Aiello was killed in the same building Gagliodotto lived in. I'm not convinced it's the same guy, though..

The Giuseppe Aiello murdered in BK in March of 1929 was born ~1899 in Partanna and immigrated in 1923. He was a barber and lived at 143 George St, around the corner from Knickerbocker and Flushing, when he was killed.

[B.]

Thanks, Tony. Does bring to mind the Aiellos from Partanna who affiliated with the Bonannos near Bushwick much later but these details make it more unlikely this guy was a "mob boss" of the Lower East Side who mentored a bunch of very young future Genovese members between 1923-1929.

Also correction to something earlier -- I'm not sure where Rosario DiMaggio was from, only that D'Arco said he was Sicilian. The person I saw from Caltanissetta was a different guy. If I had to guess I'd say he was from Palermo province like some of his associates but haven't found anything and it looks like his father came to the US pretty early which makes info more sparse.

Re: Moretti, it does make sense that crew was split earlier.

[JoelTurner]

Before he moved out to New Rochelle, NY; Vincenzo Generoso lived at 84 Elizabeth St, NYC, NY under the name "James DeMino".

Top Gambino figure, Accursio DiMino lived a few houses away at 91 Elizabeth St, NYC, NY. Generoso also named his son "Accursio", but that's probably a coincidence. Per MMC, some other early Gambino figures also lived nearby like Giuseppe Parlapiano (90 Elizabeth St).

A likely member of his crew, Vito Campo, had a very similar path. Born in Sciacca in 1887, lived at 176 Elizabeth St, and moved to Westchester, NY.

The members of his crew largely look like they were from that neighborhood before they moved out to the suburbs:

-Rocco Perotta - 27 Prince St, NYC, NY
-Salvatore Granello - 215 Mott St, NYC, NY
-Salvatore DiPietro - 215 Mott St, NYC, NY
-Dominick Capola - 121 Chrystie St, NYC, NY

It looks like another Lower Manhattan crew rather than something tied to Frankie Yale/Brooklyn


-------------------------------------

- Moretti was likely a capodecina by 1931. Though some info states he didn't move to the NJ-NYC area until later in the 1930s, other reports confirm he was already there and influential.

Moretti got married in Manhattan on Dec 9 1926.

On May 25 1928, his daughter Marie was born in NY. Frank Costello stood as her godfather. On May 4 1929, his daughter Rose was born in the Bronx.

He was living at 1 Obal Ave, East Paterson, NJ; next door to Angelo LaPadura, by the 1930 census.

[PolackTony]

Moretti got married in Manhattan on Dec 9 1926.

On May 25 1928, his daughter Marie was born in NY. Frank Costello stood as her godfather. On May 4 1929, his daughter Rose was born in the Bronx.

He was living at 1 Obal Ave, East Paterson, NJ; next door to Angelo LaPadura, by the 1930 census.

This is all great info, thanks!

[B.]

Yeah the misinfo on Moretti comes from a Congressional Report that says he didn't settle in the area until later in the 1930s. Along with the records you referenced, there are reports from Boiardo's file that show Moretti was an active power in NJ by 1930.

Re: Dimino, the possible Yale connection comes from a letter from an extortion victim who was being preyed upon by Augie Carfano and Jimmy Dimino. Giuseppe Peraino was also mentioned as being involved. I will try to find the letter again to see if it has any other details.

Very interesting he lived so close to Accursio Dimino. Most of the Sciacchitani lived in that area at one point. Could be a connection though Accursio is an extremely common given name in Sciacca and same for Dimino with last names. Could be something there though.

[JoelTurner]

Where exactly did the Alo crew come from?


Alo's supposed to have inherited it from Joseph "Joe Adonis" Doto after he was deported in 1956. Doto was a Brooklyn figure who moved to Fort Lee, NJ in 1945. However, rather than being a Brooklyn-based crew, the bulk of the members identified look like they largely were Bronx/Westchester/NJ:

- Aldo Mazzarati - 8 Mayfair Rd, Elmsford, NY [Westchester]

- Gaetano Somma - 10 Barnaby Ln, Hartsdale, NY [Westchester]

- Joseph Peloso - 23 Beattie Ln, New Rochelle, NY [Westchester]

- Larry Centore - 20 Secor Pl, Yonkers, NY [Westchester]

- Nick Rattenni - 107 Rockledge Rd, Yonkers, NY [Westchester]

- Rudolph Prisco - 466 S 7th Ave, Mount Vernon, NY [Westchester]

- Thomas Milo - 23 Lamartine Ter, Yonkers, NY [Westchester]

- Bart Salvo - 35 Shore Rd, Pelham Manor, NY [Westchester]

- Joseph Bernava - 1979 Crotona Ave, Bronx, NY

- Sabato Milo - 1102 Mace Ave, Bronx, NY

- Louis Milo - 719 Tilden St, Bronx, NY 

- Nicholas Belangi - 473 FDR Drive, NYC, NY

- James Picarelli - 67 James St, NYC, NY

- Frank Cucola - 118 11th St, Beach Haven, NJ // had an apt at 765 Riverside Dr, NYC, NY

- Joseph Sabato - 2352 Linwood Ave, Fort Lee, NJ


From what I can tell, the only Brooklyn people in that crew were Angelo Iantosca (747 14th Ave, Brooklyn, NY) and Gaetano Ricci (25 Ocean Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY)

Is it known where this crew came from? I don’t see what would tie it to Brooklyn at all; I’ve heard that Doto may have been part of the Frankie Yale group but that isn’t really reflected here.

[B.]

Ricci is one who was part of the Yale crowd for sure.

Burton Turkus said Carfano and Doto took over the "Brooklyn rackets" when Yale was killed, not that Turkus had any real organizational insight though. Valachi also said Carfano's murder was set up by Frank Cucola who he ID'd as a member of the Alo crew. There does look to have been a relationship and history between the Doto/Alo crew and Yale/Carfano just not sure how direct it was.

We don't know either that Yale's crew was limited to Brooklyn, so I guess it's possible he had members/associates in other boroughs. He had associates in Chicago and the perception was that Yale's group was an empire unto itself, which I believe is somewhat sensationalized, but there could have been members and associates in other parts of NYC who traced back to Yale. Or it's possible Doto split off from Yale in Brooklyn and the crew later recruited guys from other boroughs but it's speculative and I don't think there's anything confirming it one way or another.

[quadtree]

Alo himself could have started with Adonis, it is interesting to know where he lived until the 1950s. But his crew is similar to part of Rocco Pellegrino’s crew. Nicholas Rattenni was Pellegrino's "young blood" in 1927. Bart Salvo was also with Pellegrino in the 1920s. Brothers Milo and Bernava were also originally with Pellegrino. Salvo, Milo and Bernava would be named in Valachi's book Real Thing as members of Alo's crew during the reign of Vito Genovese. Apparently, Alo received part of Pellegrino's crew, and these were the same members who were based in Westchester and the Bronx, which refutes the idea that the Adonis crew was based in Westchester and the Bronx. How do we know that Alo inherited Adonis' crew? Just from the Valachi chart from the FBI? As we know, the FBI has made many mistakes, so more facts are needed.

Who was in the original crew of Adonis is also an interesting question. There are reports that Joe Lanza was under the leadership of Adonis, and subsequently he seems to have ended up on Miranda's crew. It is curious that his brother Nunzio is considered Carfano's successor. Two brothers in different crews, or both started under Adonis? Gaetano Ricci is described as a former captain; his being under Alo may be explained by the fact that both lived near each other in Florida. Also Ricci is described as Adonis' lieutenant, but Moretti was also called Adonis' lieutenant, I read somewhere that the police called the entire Lucania family the "Adonis Gang", he was considered a more powerful figure than he actually was. Francesco Bonadio is described as Doto's cousin and went to live from New York to New Jersey, presumably because Doto had moved there. Does anyone know any other people who were associated with Adonis? How do we know that Alo started with him?

If the source of Alo replacing Doto is only the Valachi diagram, then this is weak evidence. There are many errors in the same diagram. But if Alo really started with Adonis, I would not rule out that those same Ricci and Iandosco are the same crew of Adonis, it could be very small. If Ricci was with Adonis, but it is described that Ricci himself was a capodecina, maybe Ricci acted for Adonis?

[quadtree]

They write that Alo had been in the Bronx since 1915, and before that he lived in East Harlem. I doubt that this was Yale territory, but it cannot be ruled out. It is also reported that Alo was also with Pellegrino. I wonder when Alo became a capodecina. When Frank Costello went to prison, Alo was also a contender for the position of acting boss, and this is around 1952. Alo was already influential enough by this time to claim such a position; he could have been a capodecina even then. If this is so, then he could have inherited some of Pellegrino's people in the 1940s or early 1950s, and received Adonis's people later.

bn last year published an excerpt from the FBI file on Toddo Marino. It was reported that in 1953, that the 'captain' who is supposed to be the head of the Fourth Avenue mob in Brooklyn, has stepped down from that position. He was replaced by a man whose last name is unknown and whose first name/nickname (redacted) was about 13 characters long. Considering that Gaetano Licata died in 1954 and was presumably replaced by Cosmo Frasca, I think the replacement captain could have been Licata. Frasca lived near 4th Avenue, on 13th Avenue, so he fits the geography. On the other hand, maybe the replacement captain was Adonis? I also thought it might have been Michelino Clemente, as he is described as a captain, but by the 1960s he clearly wasn't, geographically it fits, he was based in Brooklyn.

[PolackTony]

Alo himself could have started with Adonis, it is interesting to know where he lived until the 1950s.

Maybe people already know this, but Jimmy Alo was from the Bronx. He grew up on Hoffman and 187th in Belmont. As of 1939, he was living at Holland and Allerton in the East Bronx, which put him very near where Sabato and Louis Milo lived. By the time of his WW2 draft card, however, his address was in Hollywood, FL.

EDIT: Just saw your second post. In 1910, the Alos lived at 119th and Pleasant in East Harlem; sometime between then and 1915, they relocated to Belmont.

Another interesting thing to think about with relation to the Pellegrino circle is that, unlike most of the guys with origins in East Harlem, the Alos were Calabrese (from Cosenza). If it was the case that Alo was connected to the Pellegrino crew early on, this could be just as relevant as geography.

[HairyKnuckles]

They write that Alo had been in the Bronx since 1915, and before that he lived in East Harlem. I doubt that this was Yale territory, but it cannot be ruled out. It is also reported that Alo was also with Pellegrino. I wonder when Alo became a capodecina. When Frank Costello went to prison, Alo was also a contender for the position of acting boss, and this is around 1952. Alo was already influential enough by this time to claim such a position; he could have been a capodecina even then. If this is so, then he could have inherited some of Pellegrino's people in the 1940s or early 1950s, and received Adonis's people later.

bn last year published an excerpt from the FBI file on Toddo Marino. It was reported that in 1953, that the 'captain' who is supposed to be the head of the Fourth Avenue mob in Brooklyn, has stepped down from that position. He was replaced by a man whose last name is unknown and whose first name/nickname (redacted) was about 13 characters long. Considering that Gaetano Licata died in 1954 and was presumably replaced by Cosmo Frasca, I think the replacement captain could have been Licata. Frasca lived near 4th Avenue, on 13th Avenue, so he fits the geography. On the other hand, maybe the replacement captain was Adonis? I also thought it might have been Michelino Clemente, as he is described as a captain, but by the 1960s he clearly wasn't, geographically it fits, he was based in Brooklyn.

Licata was a captain by the late 1940s. It makes more sense that the guy who is described in that FBI excerpt is Cosmo Frasca. Licata was sick by 1953 and may have stepped down due to this already in 1953, a year before he died or Frasca was acting for him that year. Licata had a very small crew so it makes sense that his crew grew in numbers when Frasca took it over (Brooklyn based members were added). It could be that some guys who had formerly been under Doto, were placed with Frasca. Because if you take a look at the Genovese chart presented at the Valachi Hearings, specifically Alo s crew, you will see George Smurra listed there. Smurra was Brooklyn based before he moved to Florida and both he and his brother Willie are later (in the 1970s) listed by FBI as being under Frasca. George Smurra was close with Frasca going back centuaries. They were arrested together in the early 1930s and in 1945 they were both suspected members of the hit team that took Ferdinand Boccia out.

My theory is that Smurra had been under Adonis originally and was put with Frasca after the death of Licata and that Valachi was unaware of that some Adonis crew members were moved when Alo took over/given that crew. This can not be proved though and I have no file snippet to show but its fun to speculate.

[quadtree]

I expressed it incorrectly, I wanted to say that Frasca was the captain with 13 characters, and he replaced Licata, who retired in 1953. The captain who was removed from his post was apparently Licata, that’s what I wanted to say.

I came across Smurra's name in the context of Alo/Frasca, but forgot to write about it. An interesting version, this explains why people from Brooklyn ended up in Licata’s Lower East Side crew (they moved from Adonis’ crew). Frasca himself could have been in Adonis’s crew initially, but this still needs to be proven. If Frasca was with Adonis, but replaced Licata by 1953, then Adonis’s crew split up long before 1956. Joe Lanza ended up with Miranda, and Toddo Marino ended up with Carfano. Adonis’s men could have been transferred to Pellegrino, and only then went to Alo when Pellegrino’s team was divided.

[HairyKnuckles]

I expressed it incorrectly, I wanted to say that Frasca was the captain with 13 characters, and he replaced Licata, who retired in 1953. The captain who was removed from his post was apparently Licata, that’s what I wanted to say.

Right.

During the early days, Frasca s first name was often said to be Cosimo. Cosimo Frasca have 13 spaces, including the empty space between first and last name. Cosimo Frasca

This could explain why his name is redacted in the file. (The FOIA people could not find any DOB and DOD of this Cosimo Frasca so they redacted it to protect the name.)

[Clark]

On wiretaps, Eddie McGrath talked about how he and Alo "came up together" under Joey Rao. Take it for what it is worth, but McGrath and Alo were extremely tight from the beginning of their lives right until the end.

[quadtree]

Knowing that Frasca's crew was amalgamated from two crews, the Licata crew and an unidentified small crew in Brooklyn, it appears that Frasca was from the Brooklyn small crew.

Frasca is a Calabrian, like Frankie Yale, but he interacted a lot with Neapolitans. Frasca and Smurra were accused in the murder of Ferdinand Boccia (on the orders of Vito Genovese), the other accused were from the Neapolitan faction. Therefore, many considered Frasca to be a Neapolitan and a member of these crews. On the other hand, Gaetano Ricci was closely associated with Frasca. Ricci was a member of Vincent Alo's crew, and was also once a captain himself (acting for Adonis?). Was the little crew from Brooklyn that merged with the Licata crew from Manhattan the Adonis crew?

Does anyone know what happened to Frasca's crew? bn believes that Dominick Cappolla's crew may have separated from Frasca's crew. JoelTurner brought Dominick Capola as member of Vincenzo Generoso's crew. Cappolla's crew was based in Little Italy. Headquarters on Mulberry Street.