1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

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1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by B. »

This comes from Calogero Ganci, Sicilian mafia member and son of the Noce boss. Ganci began cooperating in 1996 and told investigators the following:

I specify that - when a man of honor decides to emigrate - he is provided with a letter of passage, that is a real letter of introduction, written, which is sent from the Sicilian head of the family to the American one.

- Ganci was born in 1960 and cooperated in the mid-1990s, but the protocol he describes is identical with what Nicola Gentile described in the 1900s-1920s. The "letter of introduction" has also shown up in other research into early mafia history. Ganci was only old enough to be active in the 1980s and 1990s, so the letter of introduction was still in use then.

- Ganci visited NYC at one point, meeting Paolo LoDuca, who he referred to as Rosario Naimo's "compare". He didn't mention LoDuca's membership, but Italian investigators identified LoDuca as a Sicilian mafia member, making it likely his membership in the Luccheses was a transfer. Ganci knew Naimo personally from Naimo's stay in Palermo during the early 1980s.

- He believed the San Lorenzo, Passo di Rigano, and San Giuseppe Iato families had the closest ties to American mafia families and said Salvatore Riina himself had ties to American families.

- Ganci said that Filippo Casamento had been a member of the Sicilian mafia (Boccadifalco) and then became a member of the American mafia. Casamento most likely transferred to the Gambino family. The Gotti tapes might shed light on this during a discussion the admin had about John Gambino's decina:

Image

^ Filippo Casamento was a "big gray-haired guy" who closely associated with John Gambino's crew, so that much fits. He was also a conspirator in the murder of the earlier captain of the crew, Nino Inzerillo. Inzerillo and his brothers may have transferred from the Sicilian mafia themselves given the extensive membership/leadership of the Inzerillos in Passo di Rigano.

^ Gravano twice using the word "accept" to refer to members brought into the decina lends itself more to a transfer than an induction, same with the reference to losing one member who moved to Italy.

- Investigators believe John Stanfa was a member in Sicily before coming to the US in 1964. Nino Giuffre was sponsored into the Caccamo family by Stanfa in the early 1980s. He was likely a transfer to the Philadelphia family.

- The 1970s Violi tapes in Montreal revealed that the Bonanno crew there allowed Sicilian mafia members to transfer but first had to follow certain protocol, including a waiting period and then only if space was available.'

- Michael DiLeonardo identified Ignazio Ingrassia as a member under captain Jack D'Amico. Ingrassia is a Sicilian mafia member in the Ciaculli family who fled to the US to escape prosecution during the 1990s and appears to have transferred. Ingrassia lived in NJ and associated with Frank Cali, being arrested in 2007 and extradited back to Italy. Ingrassia is a relative of old Brooklyn Gambino member Giuseppe Ingrassia.

- Felice shared info about Salvatore Lombardo who had to receive a letter in 2012 from the boss of Montelepre so that he could join the Gambino family. He had been living in the US for decades and associated closely with the Gambino family but the old letter protocol still had to be followed.
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by JohnnyS »

Nice work again B.
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by CabriniGreen »

On Riinas American ties.....

There was a post, ( or article, cant quite recall) somewhere, that speculated that Luciano Leggio visited the US. I wondered if the Corleonesi getting either a direct or back channel to New York sealed the fate of Palermo mafiosi.... interesting... or was it, Catalano and Ganci were Riinas contacts?

Do you think the family of Castellammare becoming the point of reference for Trapani mafiosi interactions with American LCN is something that developed after the Corleonesi decline? Asking because they hit the Buccelatos in Sicily, right or no?

They looked to separate the Palermo mafia from their New York connections.....
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by cavita »

B.

You know I have to wonder about Alberto "Bino" Seminerio of Rockford. Here's a guy who moved to Rockford at the age of 35 at the sponsorship of underboss Frank Buscemi and was smack in the middle of the Sicilian narcotics network in the 1980s. In one of Buscemi's FBI files with more investigation, they revealed that they believed Seminerio was "tied up with a Sicilian mafia family."
I have to wonder if Seminerio was made a member in the Aragona mafia and transferred to the Rockford LCN. The IIT report on organized crime in northern Illinois stated in 1971 they were importing Sicilian men to help strengthen the family and police reports indicated they were doing the same in the early 80s. Whether this was done by accepting transfers or not, it bears me requesting Seminerio's FBI file I think.
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by B. »

cavita wrote: Mon Oct 19, 2020 6:30 pm B.

You know I have to wonder about Alberto "Bino" Seminerio of Rockford. Here's a guy who moved to Rockford at the age of 35 at the sponsorship of underboss Frank Buscemi and was smack in the middle of the Sicilian narcotics network in the 1980s. In one of Buscemi's FBI files with more investigation, they revealed that they believed Seminerio was "tied up with a Sicilian mafia family."
I have to wonder if Seminerio was made a member in the Aragona mafia and transferred to the Rockford LCN. The IIT report on organized crime in northern Illinois stated in 1971 they were importing Sicilian men to help strengthen the family and police reports indicated they were doing the same in the early 80s. Whether this was done by accepting transfers or not, it bears me requesting Seminerio's FBI file I think.


That's a good lead. We talked a bit about it when Biagio DiGiacomo came up, but Aragona was definitely sending men to America who, if not members themselves, were related to members there.

The midwest aspect of the Pizza Connection still leaves unanswered questions:

- Most of what we know about the midwest is Gaetano Badalamenti's relatives who seemed kind of bumbling and were all over LE's radar, largely because LE was after Badalamenti.

- San Giuseppe Iato played a significant role in the Pizza Connection on the east coast and I know from you that San Giuseppe Iato plays a central role in Rockford history.

- Tony Riela is at the same table as Frank Polizzi at the Bono wedding, and Giuseppe Ganci was all over those photos. Ganci was a close associate of both Polizzi and Riela, all from San Giuseppe Iato. The Bono wedding was like a convention for Pizza Connection.

- Around this same time, the Bonanno family uses Riela to make contact with Rockford to arrange a meeting with Milwaukee. Were there still compaesani in Rockford who Giuseppe Ganci and Frank Polizzi would want to meet? Or that they already know?

- Rockford was importing Sicilian men from Aragona and Ribera, as you've said. Frank Polizzi is part of the DeCavalcante family, filled with men from Ribera with ties to the mafia there.

All of the pieces are there, especially if Rockford had Sicilian men of honor transferring in. It's not a question of "how" they would have been involved in the Pizza Connection, but "if" they acted on these connections.
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by B. »

CabriniGreen wrote: Mon Oct 19, 2020 4:18 am On Riinas American ties.....

There was a post, ( or article, cant quite recall) somewhere, that speculated that Luciano Leggio visited the US. I wondered if the Corleonesi getting either a direct or back channel to New York sealed the fate of Palermo mafiosi.... interesting... or was it, Catalano and Ganci were Riinas contacts?

Do you think the family of Castellammare becoming the point of reference for Trapani mafiosi interactions with American LCN is something that developed after the Corleonesi decline? Asking because they hit the Buccelatos in Sicily, right or no?

They looked to separate the Palermo mafia from their New York connections.....
- We have accounts of Sicilian members (US mafia members and US-based Sicilian mafia) communicating with Riina, so maybe that is what Calogero Ganci meant. Naimo, John Gambino, Jake Amari, and more are all alleged to have had contact with Riina. Seems there was a lot of indirect communication.

- Tom Reina's relatives in Corleone used the spelling Riina and a Corleone genealogist says Toto Riina's great-great-grandfather is also the great-grandfather of Tom Reina. I guess that would make Tom Reina and Toto Riina second cousins once removed. Tom Reina was killed the year Toto Riina was born, but maybe he heard of him or met some of Reina's many mafia relatives. Can only speculate but he had ties to the Lucchese family through Naimo.

- Castellammare was always a point of contact for the Bonanno family and I think the current ties are just a continuation of what's always been there. The 1990s seem to have been a low point for Sicilian->American contact because of murders, LE crackdowns, and all of the drug trafficking cases of the 1980s. We can see that the Bonannos re-ignited ties to Castellammare at the same time the Gambinos did the same with Palermo.

- Naimo said the Sicilian mafia leadership was desperate to find and kill Tommaso Buscetta and if the Gambinos/Inzerillos helped with that things may have played out differently. When John Gambino visited Sicily after Totuccio Inzerillo's murder, he was trying to pardon the life of Totuccio's father Giuseppe Inzerillo, a Passo di Rigano member living in the US. John Gambino gave Palermo boss Rosario Riccobono the phone number of Giuseppe Inzerillo and Riccobono tested Inzerillo by calling and asking for Buscetta's whereabouts. If Inzerillo gave Riccobono accurate whereabouts for Buscetta, they might grant Inzerillo a pardon, but Inzerillo told them he no longer knew where Buscetta was. He failed the test and as a result Riccobono (and Riina) ordered the murders of more Inzerillos.

- Stood out that John Gambino's contact in Sicily was Riccobono given all of the Riccobonos who have been in the Gambino family in NYC since D'Aquila. No idea if there is a connection but Rosario Riccobono was boss of a family less than a mile from the neighborhood where the Gambino Riccobonos originally came from.

- I haven't seen anything about the Sicilian mafia leadership trying to separate Palermo and New York. They still wanted American connections but were targeting the Inzerillos any way they could.
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by CabriniGreen »

Not exactly separate Palermo from New York, more to cut off the access to New York, enjoyed by their adversaries in Palermo. They for sure wanted to keep the relations with New York going, they just wanted the contacts concentrated in their hands, and not the Palermo families.

Cavatiao had the same misgivings.....
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by B. »

Valachi on Luciano's ruling not to recognize Sicilian mafia members:

Image

- This info has filtered around over the years and led to a lot of confusion. I'd view this mainly through the lens of the Genovese family. Luciano didn't have the power to tell multi-generation Sicilian-born mafia bosses like Joe Bonanno, Joe Profaci, and the Gambino Palermitani they couldn't recognize their own relatives and friends in Sicily. We know they didn't follow Luciano's guidelines.

- Valachi notes that exceptions are made and his language is interesting: "sponsored and accepted." He doesn't say "made" or "inducted", so he may have understood that Sicilian members transferred membership rather than being "re-made". It would make sense that a transfer would require a sponsor, as you can't come in off the street and ask for a transfer. Valachi's family was mostly non-Sicilian and seems to have had few if any transfers, but he may have been aware of families like the Gambino, Bonanno, and DeCavalcantes who allowed Sicilian transfers, which is why he knew about exceptions.

- When he says Luciano sent word not to "recognize" members, that either applied exclusively to the Genovese family or he didn't mean they stopped recognizing membership, but rather stopped readily accepting new immigrant mafiosi into their families the way they did pre-1931. Based on Gentile's account, it seems a mafioso could travel just about anywhere he wanted in the US and Sicily and as long as he followed protocol would be accepted. It wasn't only Sicilian->US transfers that waned post-1931, but transfers between US families became rare.
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by PolackTony »

B. wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 8:08 pm Valachi on Luciano's ruling not to recognize Sicilian mafia members:

Image

- This info has filtered around over the years and led to a lot of confusion. I'd view this mainly through the lens of the Genovese family. Luciano didn't have the power to tell multi-generation Sicilian-born mafia bosses like Joe Bonanno, Joe Profaci, and the Gambino Palermitani they couldn't recognize their own relatives and friends in Sicily. We know they didn't follow Luciano's guidelines.

- Valachi notes that exceptions are made and his language is interesting: "sponsored and accepted." He doesn't say "made" or "inducted", so he may have understood that Sicilian members transferred membership rather than being "re-made". It would make sense that a transfer would require a sponsor, as you can't come in off the street and ask for a transfer. Valachi's family was mostly non-Sicilian and seems to have had few if any transfers, but he may have been aware of families like the Gambino, Bonanno, and DeCavalcantes who allowed Sicilian transfers, which is why he knew about exceptions.

- When he says Luciano sent word not to "recognize" members, that either applied exclusively to the Genovese family or he didn't mean they stopped recognizing membership, but rather stopped readily accepting new immigrant mafiosi into their families the way they did pre-1931. Based on Gentile's account, it seems a mafioso could travel just about anywhere he wanted in the US and Sicily and as long as he followed protocol would be accepted. It wasn't only Sicilian->US transfers that waned post-1931, but transfers between US families became rare.
Thanks again for this thread B. I've been laboring under the impression that in most cases, guys made in Sicily had to be re-inducted under a US LCN family if they were to be considered full-fledged made members of that family, in distinction to the protocol or "SOP" covering transfers between US families. I suppose that this notion then goes back to Valachi's statement, or were there other sources making similar statements over the years? Do we know of other examples from families apart from the Genovese post-1931 where Sicilian Men of Honor had to be re-inducted in order to be full members of an American family?
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by B. »

Never seen a clear example in any family where a Sicilian member was completely re-inducted. It looks to be the same transfer process Gentile described when he bounced around the US and Sicily.
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by johnny_scootch »

I think the only members to ever go through an induction twice are the guys from the DeCavalcante family. Their Bonanno family style induction wasn’t good enough for Gotti so they had to do a traditional style ceremony at his behest. I think JD had a list of some of the re induction ceremonies.
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by baldo »

Always found this trans-continental connection fascinating. When would you say it ended or are there still some connections today?
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by B. »

johnny_scootch wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 7:52 am I think the only members to ever go through an induction twice are the guys from the DeCavalcante family. Their Bonanno family style induction wasn’t good enough for Gotti so they had to do a traditional style ceremony at his behest. I think JD had a list of some of the re induction ceremonies.
Yeah, he said everyone made from at least 1976 onward had to be re-made. Makes you wonder if the guys made in the 1950s and earlier went through a traditional ceremony or, like the Bonanno family, if it went back generations.
baldo wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 9:26 am Always found this trans-continental connection fascinating. When would you say it ended or are there still some connections today?
Info on recent cases involving the Sicilian mafia and NYC families:

Bonanno
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=6182

Gambino
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=4894
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by B. »

Not exactly related to transfers but recognition/introductions between Sicily/USA:

- In the 1960s, there was a dispute in the Philly family after member Tony Perella (Joe Scafidi brother-in-law) criticized boss Angelo Bruno behind his back for introducing his cousin Calogero Sinatra as "amico nostra" to the Philly membership. Perella evidently felt Bruno wasn't allowed to introduce a Sicilian man of honor to American members. Perella made these complaints to his brother-in-law "Jimmy" LNU (probably Gioe*) and Michael Tramontana, both made members. "Jimmy" and Tramontana were uncomfortable with Perella's conduct and one of them reported his comments to the administration. Bruno took the issue up with Perella directly.

= The FBI recorded a meeting between Bruno and Perella where Bruno admonished Perella for his comments and stated that Perella was not only wrong for talking behind Bruno's back when he should have addressed the issue directly with Bruno, but that Perella was wrong about the issue anyway. Bruno explained that he had been formally introduced to his cousin Sinatra at a dinner with the Commission, therefore he had the right to introduce his cousin as a member to the Philly family. We know from other info that Bruno also consulted a "Joe" about whether he should introduce Sinatra to the Philly membership; Joe said yes, and that he wanted to be introduced to Sinatra as well. The FBI guessed "Joe" was Joe Rugnetta, but it might be Joe Traina who Bruno frequently contacted for administative advice.

- In the transcript it becomes clear that Bruno didn't understand Perella's exact complaint. Perella tries to point out to Bruno that his complaint involved a previous mafia rule against introducing Sicilian members to Americans. It seems Perella heard the same rule as Valachi (allegedly sent via Luciano) barring formal introductions between Sicilians and Americans. Bruno never addresses this exact complaint, not seeming to understand or acknowledge it.

- Bruno seems to have no idea what Perella is talking about and continues to argue from the POV that he had been previously introduced to Sinatra therefore had the right to introduce him. Bruno doesn't seem to understand Perella is referring to something along the lines of Luciano's rule barring Sicilian/American introductions. Suggests the earlier Philly boss(es) honored Luciano's rule (assuming it originated with Luciano), while Bruno either wasn't informed of it when he was made in the 1950s or he ignored it. We have numerous evidence that Bruno recognized Sicilian mafia members: John Stanfa is believed to have been a Sicilian transfer; Bruno introduced Sicilian mafia member Rosario Gambino to Nicky Scarfo as "amico nos"; Bruno was formally introduced to mafia leaders all over Sicily during a 1960s trip.

Just shows that even in the same family there were different attitudes/understandings of the relationship between Sicilian and American members. Perella and Bruno were both part of the Sicilian faction, too.

This is the same conversation where Bruno talks about how even old time members must check in with their captains once a month or be shelved. He used the example of Joe Maggio as an elderly member who was retired at the shore. Bruno said guys like this didn't care if they were shelved because they were old and retired, but said if their younger relatives have a problem they could need the mafia to help them, so that should be incentive for the old timers to maintain contact with the capodecina.

--

* - Trrenton member Jimmy Gioe was from Belmonte Mezzagno, the same hometown as Perella's in-laws the Scafidis and Barrales. I suspect the Perellas are from Belmonte as well. I haven't found the exact relation aside from "Jimmy" being called Perella's "brother-in-law".
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Re: 1990s source on Sicilian->American transfers

Post by CabriniGreen »

I'll throw some thoughts out there for the sake of discussion........

wrote:
- In the transcript it becomes clear that Bruno didn't understand Perella's exact complaint. Perella tries to point out to Bruno that his complaint involved a previous mafia rule against introducing Sicilian members to Americans. It seems Perella heard the same rule as Valachi (allegedly sent via Luciano) barring formal introductions between Sicilians and Americans. Bruno never addresses this exact complaint, not seeming to understand or acknowledge it.
In my opinion, Bruno didnt understand the complaint because it isnt really a rule, so much as a political RULING.

First off, it's ironic Luciano, who was banished to Italy, would forbid Americans from interacting with Sicilians, he DID BUSINESS with Sicilian bosses, right? Did they pull a, " Hey, you dont count over here?", or no? Did the Italians exclude any of the deportees? I dont think they did that to him, or any of the other guys, even if they wernt Sicilian like say, Joe Adonis. Genovese? I dunno, I could be wrong. Although, there IS that incident where someone slapped him.

Its political and situational. It has to do with vested interest. There really isnt a set rule, or rather, there wasnt. How was Luciano going to STOP guys like Profaci and Bonnano from Sicilian interactions? Also, was this rule before or after he needed Sicilian help for the Americans, the military, I mean.


It's funny to me. In the 60s, the Sicilians started coming over. Some bosses were ok with it, like Castellano, the Bonnanos, Bruno. Notice these borgatas at that time were somewhat, kinda Genovese rivals. Now I know Chin was close to Paul, but the moves on Bruno, not recognizing Sicilian members, the awkward drug ban, all if this benefits the Genovese, not the Gambinos or Bonnanos. I never got why Paul allowed this, but Lefty gave a clue in the Brasco book. He said Tieri had the power, then got knocked down by the Commission, and then Paul and Dellacroce had it. But I think their power was somewhat fractured, I'm not sure if Neil and Paul were always in lockstep.





wrote:
- Bruno seems to have no idea what Perella is talking about and continues to argue from the POV that he had been previously introduced to Sinatra therefore had the right to introduce him. Bruno doesn't seem to understand Perella is referring to something along the lines of Luciano's rule barring Sicilian/American introductions. Suggests the earlier Philly boss(es) honored Luciano's rule (assuming it originated with Luciano), while Bruno either wasn't informed of it when he was made in the 1950s or he ignored it. We have numerous evidence that Bruno recognized Sicilian mafia members: John Stanfa is believed to have been a Sicilian transfer; Bruno introduced Sicilian mafia member Rosario Gambino to Nicky Scarfo as "amico nos"; Bruno was formally introduced to mafia leaders all over Sicily during a 1960s trip.


I'm reminded of a post you made, about Tieri holding a sitdown, a SITDOWN, WITH a Sicilian mafia member present, and representing himself. So Tieri was good with it, but then the Chins becomes boss, and hes against it? Political, situational.

Imagine a Sicilian gangster at that time. You got Inzerillos in Brooklyn, Zips on Knickerbocker, Zips in Philly. You KNOW THIS. But a soldier in Canada, Violi says, no, you arnt welcome, it's a RULE....? Yet bosses in Sicily are PARTNERS with the Americans. To make it worse, hes Calabrian, lol.....



wrote: Just shows that even in the same family there were different attitudes/understandings of the relationship between Sicilian and American members. Perella and Bruno were both part of the Sicilian faction, too.

This is the same conversation where Bruno talks about how even old time members must check in with their captains once a month or be shelved. He used the example of Joe Maggio as an elderly member who was retired at the shore. Bruno said guys like this didn't care if they were shelved because they were old and retired, but said if their younger relatives have a problem they could need the mafia to help them, so that should be incentive for the old timers to maintain contact with the capodecina.

The origin of Scarfos touching base philosophy?



Three Fingers Coppola....... did he transfer back and forth?
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