THE BLACK HAND FORUM

Some of the above is from 1970s Lima-sourced FBI reports and some of it is from the FBI's ongoing investigation into the Lanzas, combined with other research into surrounding names/connections. Glad you all are enjoying it -- this is some of the best stuff I've come across in a while.

[b]Sciortino / Orlando / Camporeale / Tunisia Connections[/b]

- The Sciortinos appear to be related to the Orlandos from Camporeale. The San Francisco and Los Angeles Sciortinos used the full name "Orlando Sciortino", i.e. Gaspare Orlando Sciortino, Antonio Orlando Sciortino, Charles Orlando Sciortino, etc. Every relative (including the women who married into the family) used that set of names, meaning it wasn't a true middle name but another surname they wanted to carry over. It's rare among Sicilians but we see similar examples with Messina Denaro, Rizzo DeCavalcante, and some others, typically of a higher social standing.

- The Sciortinos lived in Brooklyn at the time their paesano Paolo Orlando was boss and as this thread has shown, the Sciortinos were part of a mafia circle that connects back heavily to Orlando's future successor Nick Schiro. I don't know if the Sciortinos had a direct relation to Paolo Orlando, but he certainly had status and it may have been a source of pride for the Sciortinos to be from the Orlando clan of Camporeale (whether because of Paolo himself or the general esteem of the Orlando clan).

- Not trying to connect too many distant dots here, but SF member Frank Joseph Genovese was of Castellammarese heritage and grew up in Tunisia until he was in his 20s. Genovese's cousin Joseph Genovese was a member of the Brooklyn Bonanno family originally headed by Paolo Orlando, who lived in Tunisia before the US. Joseph Genovese's in-law Joe Bonanno also stayed in Tunis before he came to the US, staying with his uncle Giovanni Bonanno and cousin Pietro Magaddino. While not a mafioso, Bonanno's father-in-law moved his family from Camporeale to Tunisia. Point being, there are connections between Camporeale, Castellammare, Tunisia, Brooklyn, and San Francisco swimming around the Orlando-Schiro-Bonanno figures.

[b]The Other Sciortinos and San Jose[/b]

- I haven't seen any connection between the SF/LA Sciortinos of Camporeale and the San Jose Sciortinos, who came from Bagheria. Gentile referred to the San Jose Sciortinos as D'Aquila spies from New York who became members of the San Francisco family, but now that we know the San Jose family existed in the 1920s (via Lima) it's possible Gentile confused their membership. Lima was clear that Onofrio Sciortino replaced Alfonso Conetto as SJ boss and they may have used the same underboss (Giuseppe Lintini). Other sources have also ID'd Sciortino as an early SJ boss.

- Looking at the influence of Schiro in California, it might tell us something about D'Aquila sending "spies" to California. Schiro looks to have been a powerbroker in San Francisco and LA, so it would make sense for D'Aquila to keep a closer eye on an area with loyalties to his rival Schiro. San Jose's early boss was from Alessandria della Rocca, which is linked to the D'Aquila/Gambino family, and the Sciortinos were Palermitani. The San Jose family would be represented on the Commission and take greatest influence from the Profaci family, itself a Palermitani group. It's all speculation, but this could tell us something about the political need for both a San Francisco (Schiro-influenced) and San Jose family (D'Aquila-influenced) in a small area with limited membership opportunities.

- There could be a Bonanno connection to the San Jose Sciortinos, too, as Bonanno member Pietro Sciortino was from Bagheria and had ties to the west coast. Pietro was close to member John DiBella, who has already been mentioned as having his own west coast mafia ties. Nick Guastella, who later transferred to San Jose, traveled with some early Sciortinos from Bagheria living in San Jose. At the time Guastella traveled with San Jose Sciortinos, he was still living in New York under the Bonanno family and associating closely with, surprise, the aforementioned Pietro Sciortino.

- The SF and SJ families may have had fairly solid jurisdictional lines despite being so close. For example, Giuseppe Lima was a member of the San Jose family likely because he lived in nearby Santa Clara, while his possible relatives from Trabia, Salvatore and Anthony Lima, were members of the San Francisco family because that's where they lived. We can see that possible blood and hometown ties didn't necessarily dictate who joined San Francisco vs. who joined San Jose. Going against this theory, though, it appears Frank Joseph Genovese lived in the San Jose area yet joined the San Francisco family. But Genovese was born in San Francisco before moving to Tunisia, so that could have factored into his SF membership along with his ties to Schiro's group.

[b]Lima Inducting a Camorrista[/b]

- Anthony Lima told the FBI he inducted a Camorra member from NYC into his family while he was boss around 1945 and shelved him a year later for not producing as planned in connection with a promised olive oil deal. Their business was in Palermo, California. He had consulted with someone (possibly an older Lima relative -- maybe his uncle Salvatore, former consigliere -- or another ranking figure) about doing business with this Camorrista, and it was recommended that he induct him as a member in order to better control him. He also had some association with a Tony Esposito and his sons, who he described as a Camorrista from NYC who had been close to Frank Costello, but Esposito wasn't the person he inducted.

- We have examples of Sicilian mafia members transferring into US families and vice versa without having to undergo another induction ceremony (this is because it's still ultimately the same umbrella organization), but it's been a mystery whether or not Camorra members could transfer into the mafia or would have to go through the Sicilian-style induction ceremony. I've been leaning toward the latter for some time, as unlike the Sicilian mafia, the Camorra is not "the same thing" as the US mafia. Lima's account supports that theory and despite some unfortunate redactions, it's clear that he inducted someone into the SF mafia who he believed to already be a Camorrista.

[b]Michael Abati Connections[/b]

- SF boss Michael Abati was involved in criminal activity around Erie, PA and lived in that area prior to San Francisco, though he spent time in San Francisco while still living in the Erie area. His wife was born in PA and may have been of Castellammarese heritage, as she lived in Castellammare Del Golfo while Michael was boss of San Francisco. Abati himself would move to Castellammare and die there following his deportation.

- Abati used the "stolen" identity and passport of a man from Castellammare while he (Abati) was living near Erie, which was Buffalo territory. Buffalo leader in Erie, James Salamone, had heritage in Serradifalco, Caltanissetta which connected to leaders in Buffalo, so it's possible Abati's Castellammarese ties similarly connected him to the Magaddino regime.

- San Jose boss Joseph Cerrito was on an extended trip to Sicily in the early 1960s and he spent the majority of his time in Palermo. Cerrito was in Palermo when former SF boss Michael Abati arrived from his deportation and Cerrito and Abati socialized in Palermo. Cerrito told Lanza that Abati would be staying in Palermo for a while. Cerrito also told Lanza about several other former Bay Area figures he saw in Italy, one of whom wanted to return to the US.

[b]More Lanza Connections[/b]

- Old time Pueblo / Kansas City member Vincenzo Chiapetta was interviewed by the FBI and admitted to having done business with Francesco Lanza when he (Chiapetta) was living in Kansas City running a wine and olive oil business. He said Lanza helped him get started in the business and that he (Chiapetta) maintained some friendship with Lanza's sons James and Anthony, visiting with them on a trip to San Francisco some years prior. Chiapetta was from Poggioreale, Trapani and was part of the Pueblo family while Rosario Desimone was there, the Desimones being from the close neighboring village Salaparuta.

- Giuseppe Alioto Sr. was identified by the FBI as a close friend and associate of Francesco Lanza. The elder Alioto is credited with opening the first shop on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and was involved in the fishing industry. Giuseppe Alioto's son Joe Jr., the future mayor, later visited Milwaukee and was observed with former Milwaukee boss John Alioto and Frank Balistrieri's brother Peter. When asked by the FBI about this, Anthony Lima said he did not believe Joe Alioto Jr. was a relative of John Alioto but that their families were close. Both Giuseppe Alioto Sr. and John Alioto come from the same part of the Bagheria coast.

- When Giuseppe Alioto Sr. died in 1961, Lanza was recorded talking to older man who was in town for the funeral. The men discussed how Alioto had been a partner of Francesco Lanza in a San Francisco seafood restaurant and it's possible the visiting man was another one of the former partners. During the conversation, the older man was referred to as "Mr. Marini" and surveillance showed that an unknown man approximately 60-years-old stayed overnight at the Lanza home that same night, where he and Lanza were observed speaking in Sicilian. Following the mention of "Mr. Marini", the FBI noted that San Jose member Salvatore Marino (paesano of the Aliotos) attended the funeral, but the FBI was under the impression that the man Alioto spoke with seems to be from further away and it seems unlikely Marino would have needed to stay with Lanza overnight.

- Francesco Lanza's SF business address, which would be inherited by his sons, was used by at least two other mafiosi. Nick Schiro, as already mentioned, used this address when he witnessed the Desimone-Lanza marriage and Salvatore "Vito Bruno" Internicola used the Lanza address as his mailing address while Frank was alive and continued to use it for decades afterward via the Lanza sons.

[b]Misc. Info[/b]

- The brother of Gambino leader Salvatore Chiri had a brother who lived in the Bay Area and though he was not a member, he ran in local mafia circles and had a relationship with James Lanza. Both James Lanza and Salvatore Chiri attended the Apalachin meeting.

- Possible SF member Anthony Perconti was originally from Chicago, where he was involved in mafia activity. His brother Joseph was murdered in Chicago in 1929 and the FBI reported that another brother and sister-in-law were also murdered there. Anthony subsequently left Chicago for Pueblo, Colorado for a period before settling in San Francisco. The Percontis appear to be from Agrigento, hence the Pueblo connection.

- SF member Frank Scappatura, mentioned earlier as being inducted by Anthony Lima in the presence of Bonanno underboss Frank Garofalo, died of natural causes while riding in a car with Michael Abati and James Lanza in 1952.

- SF member Phil Maita, said to be the member who helped bring the Sciortinos into the SF area, was described by a source as someone in the San Francisco area who often takes responsibility for helping "foreign-born Italians" settle in the area.

- The partner in SF member Gregory Genovese's dental practice was the son of the local Daly City mayor. SF member "Vito Bruno" Internicola had his teeth worked on by Genovese and was recorded complainting to family boss James Lanza that he was having trouble with his teeth since Genovese did work on them. Bruno sought Lanza's advice on whether he should continue to use Genovese as a dentist.

- In the 1960s, Bill Bonanno initiated a lawsuit against local government and law enforcement officials in Tucson. Gregory Genovese was recorded discussing this with James Lanza, but did not mention Bill Bonanno and simply said his "father" had initiated this lawsuit. The FBI was confused as they initially thought Gregory meant his own father Joseph, but from context and piecing together the information it's clear that Gregory Genovese was saying his father-in-law Joe Bonanno was behind Bill Bonanno's lawsuit.

Great stuff...the unearthed links between early New York and West Coast members is fascinating. I especially love learning new details about early induction ceremonies, etc. The wealth of information hidden in FBI informant files on the history of the LCN must be astounding and would probably remake our understanding of the Italian underworld. Is this info coming from Lima's FBI file?

Agreed, thank you very much B.

Great info, B.

[b]More on Lanza / Schiro[/b]

- Frank Lanza's brother-in-law Mariano Prisinzano was from Castelbuono like the Lanzas and followed them to San Francisco. The Prisinzanos lived with the Lanzas in Brooklyn previously, then lived with them again for a period when arriving in San Francisco.

- A son of Frank Lanza's brother-in-law Mariano Prisinzano was interviewed and asked if they had a relation to Bonanno member Angelo Prisinzano, identified as an employee of a fish market and close to Carmine Galante. Mariano's son claimed his father was an orphan and they only knew of blood relatives in California. Note that Francesco Lanza's father was allegedly an orphan -- strange his brother-in-law was one, too.

- Prisinzano's son was also asked about the Escondido ranch / vineyard, as the Prisinzano's co-owned it with Lanza until 1928 when they sold their share and cut business ties to Lanza. He claimed not to know whether Nick Licata later invested in the property, but the timeline would make sense based on Licata's arrival to CA.

- Prisinzano's son recalled Nicolo Schiro visiting the Lanza home in NYC and Schiro also visiting them in San Francisco after they moved. He remembered Schiro being in the yeast business and heard that he eventually moved back to Sicily.

- John DiBella of Wisconsin admitted in an FBI interview to having been friends with Francesco Lanza when the two lived in NYC. John DiBella associated with Nicolo Schiro in NYC and Schiro witnessed DiBella's marriage. DiBella also admitted to knowing James Lanza. DiBella's brother Salvatore had settled in the Bay Area and ran in local mafia circles.

[b]Sciortinos[/b]

- James Lanza's underboss Gaspare "Bill" Sciortino was born in Brooklyn to parents from Camporeale. Lima identified Bill Sciortino's father Antonio as a mafia member in the San Francisco family, so he was presumably involved in the mafia in Brooklyn.

- After leaving Brooklyn, Antonio and Bill Sciortino initially lived in Los Angeles. They fled to San Francisco in 1932 after Antonio shot three men who were caught raiding his still. Lima described both Antonio and Bill Sciortino as "capable" of handling a contract. They settled in San Francisco through the elder Sciortino's friendship with SF member Phil Maita.

- Sam Sciortino of Los Angeles was a cousin of Bill Sciortino and the two kept each other updated on their respective organizations during the 1970s. Sam Sciortino was sponsored into the Los Angeles family by Nick Licata, from Camporeale like the Sciortinos. Sam Sciortino's family lived in New York before LA like their relatives in San Francisco.

- Lima was told by Bill Sciortino that Nick Licata is "stupid" like his father was, and that Nick Licata's father once owed money to Sciortino's father Antonio and wouldn't pay. Member Salvatore Taranto was sent to retrieve the money from Licata's father. It's not specified if Licata's father, Calogero, was a mafia member.

[b]Other SF / NYC / Bonanno Connections[/b]

- SF member Salvatore "Vito Bruno" Internicola was a bootlegger in Brooklyn, where he admitted in an FBI interview that he knew Frank Lanza. In 1937 he moved to San Francisco and changed his name to escape legal trouble. He told the FBI that upon arriving to San Francisco he immediately sought out Frank Lanza and obtained employment through Lanza in the months before Lanza's death. He claims Lanza didn't ask about his name change. Internicola was from Vita, Trapani.

- James Lanza's wife's family, the Nasos, were partners in a Pennsylvania garment business with NJ Bonanno member Antonio Riela. The Nasos had previously lived in Brooklyn before Pennsylvania and were from Marineo, Sicily.

- While Anthony Lima was boss, all new members were inducted at his ranch in Lodi. A ceremony was held there where Salvatore Taranto and Frank Scappatura were inducted. In addition to a number of San Francisco members, the ceremony was also attended by Bonanno underboss Frank Garofalo from Brooklyn. In late 1972, Lima told the FBI he had received word of Garofalo's passing in Sicily.

- San Francisco member and Bonanno son-in-law Gregory Genovese was inducted as a member of the Bonanno family in New York before transferring to the San Francisco family. His father had also previously been a Bonanno member and was a third cousin of Joseph Barbara Sr.


[b]Other Bay Area Info[/b]

- In addition to Giuseppe Trifiro and later his son Steve, other San Francisco members during the Lima regime were Giuseppe's brother Jack Trifiro and their father Stefano Trifiro. The Trifiros lived in Brooklyn before Cleveland and then San Francisco. Stefano Trifiro's wife was a Sciortino, relation to other Sciortinos unconfirmed.

- A redacted member was kicked out of San Francisco by Anthony Lima in the 1930s and asked for a transfer to Los Angeles, which Lima granted. He couldn't confirm if the member still lived there.

- Lima was told by San Jose capodecina Manny Figlia that a former Profaci member in New York had a son who was rumored to have been made into the Los Angeles family sometime around the early 1970s. This wasn't confirmed but any guesses?

- In 1972, Bill Sciortino shelved Steve Trifiro and Vincent Infusino for being "unworthy" of membership, and was considering shelving James Lanza. Lanza was still the official boss at this time but had severed most of his contact with the organization and Sciortino was essentially the one in charge though he was retired and his duties were purely administrative.

- Lima knew the LaRocca brothers of Pittsburgh since the 1940s and boss John LaRocca attended a party held to celebrate Lima's visit to Johnstown in the late 1960s. Lima claimed John LaRocca's brother (also named John?) was more capable than John the boss and he heard from a non-member (who was apparently related to members and well-informed) that the brother John had been inducted into the Pittsburgh family.

- Lima described a member named Giuseppe "Peppino" Lima who was a made into the Trabia family in Sicily and became an early San Jose member who died around 1933. Records show that Giuseppe Lima died in 1934. Before living in Santa Clara, CA he lived in Portland, Oregon for several years, so here is a rare example of an early mafia member in Oregon. The San Francisco/Pittsburgh Limas were from Trabia, but no relation is specified.

- Early San Jose underboss Giuseppe Lintini was from Castrofilippo, Agrigento. The first known boss, as mentioned elsewhere, was Alfonso Conetto, from Alessandria della Rocca, Agrigento.

More info: Joe Ardizzone and Jack and Tom Dragna had a large bootlegging operation and Mafiosi from all over the country were involved, including Gaspare Milazzo and Giuseppe Bonventre. This Bonventre was the brother of Pete Bonventre, who gave Joe Bonanno a place to live in Brooklyn in 1924. Another brother, Vito Bonventre (not the Good Killers one) gave Bonanno a job driving a truck.

Awesome info. It seems California mafia politics played roles in two(maybe three if you include the shelving of Bonanno) major New York mafia events now. Moretti being killed and Schiro being demoted. All of this info came out on this forum too I believe.

Just to break it down:

-> (1910s) Nicolo Schiro is likely boss of Francesco Lanza in Brooklyn.
-> (1910s) Nick Licata arrives from Camporeale and lives in Brooklyn, both areas connected to Schiro.
-> (1919-1920s) Lanza moves to Southern California, then to San Francisco and becomes boss.
-> (Early 1920s) Rosario Desimone moves to Los Angeles from Pueblo and becomes boss.
-> (Early 1920s) Licata moves to Detroit and becomes involved in the local mafia.
-> (Early 1920s) Castellammarese Schiro member Gaspare Milazzo moves to Detroit and climbs the mafia ranks.
-> (Early 1920s) Lanza's son Anthony marries the niece of Rosario Desimone and the marriage is witnessed by Nicolo Schiro.
-> (Late 1920s?) Licata moves to Los Angeles and joins the local family.
-> (Late 1920s?) Lanza becomes property co-owner in Southern California with Nick Licata.
-> (1929-1930) Schiro and Lanza are deposed or step down from their boss positions and Gaspare Milazzo is killed.
-> (Late 1940s) Desimone cousin is killed in Sicily; widow has unfavorable experience with "Americans" traveling to Castellammare.
-> (1940s-1950s?) Nicolo Schiro maintains contact with Rosario's son Frank Desimone.
-> (1940s-1950s) Frank's son James Lanza becomes influential figure under Castellammarese SF boss Mike Abati.
-> (1950s?) Licata's son Carl marries into and joins the Detroit mafia.
-> (Mid 1950s) Frank Desimone becomes boss of Los Angeles and names Nick Licata underboss.
-> (Mid 1950s) Desimone's first cousin Joseph Civello becomes boss of Dallas.
-> (Late 1950s) Desimone and Civello travel to Apalachin with Desimone's relative-by-marriage James Lanza.
-> (Early 1960s) Frank's son James Lanza becomes SF boss during same period as Desimone/Licata regime.
-> (Early 1960s) Joe Bonanno, boss of Schiro's former family, makes multiple attempts to undermine the Desimone-Licata leadership.
-> (Early 1960s) Bonanno also has plans to take over the Lanza SF family and the nearby SJ group, wanting to control the whole state.
-> (Early-Mid 1960s) Bonanno is reported to the Commission and numerous issues surrounding him lead to being deposed/shelved.
-> (Late 1960s) Bonanno's successors show little interest in California and west coast mafia activities.
-> (Late 1960s) Frank Desimone dies and is replaced by Nick Licata.
-> (Early 1970s) James Lanza becomes virtually inactive as boss.
-> (Mid 1970s) Nick Licata dies. Joe Bonanno reportedly plans to attend but his attendance is not confirmed.
-> (1970s) Joe Bonanno continues plotting to take over California throughout the decade but is largely ignored due to his shelved status.
-> (Late 1970s) Joe Bonanno ceases his plotting due to legal troubles and old age, choosing instead to write an autobiography.
-> (1970s-1980s) Bay Area families dwindle into total inactivity, while the Los Angeles family struggles to remain active.

Some of the year ranges might not be perfect but this is the general timeline for tracking these relationships/connections. You can see how some of the same threads ran through California for decades and were tied to the Schiro-Bonanno family (for better and worse).

Notes:
- It appears Nick Licata becoming Frank Desimone's underboss was not just a random choice, but part of a longterm connection we can see glimpses of through their mutual early ties to the Lanzas and possibly even Schiro himself.

- A future SF informant stated that James Lanza was a third generation mafia leader, with Francesco Lanza's father having been a mafia figure in Sicily. This would almost guarantee Lanza had existing mafia connections when he arrived in NYC.

- Frank Desimone and James Lanza are unique in that that both they and their fathers were bosses of their respective families at the same time. Are there other examples of father/son sets who were contemporary bosses of each other in different eras?

The FBI also had a source in San Francisco during the late 1950s who confirmed the friendship between Nicolo Schiro and Frank Lanza and told the FBI that Schiro had died in Camporeale in April 1957. Interesting they had a source with this specific knowledge of Schiro. Between the Desimone and Lanza connection, it appears Schiro was an important figure among the early California mafia. Interesting too that Nick Licata came from Camporeale and owned property early on with Schiro's friend Frank Lanza. Curious if the connection came through Licata's paesano Schiro. Licata was from Detroit where Gaspare Milazzo became boss for a time, another national figure from the Schiro tree.

It also could could have been both situations, as B. suggested, and either Bonanno left that out or wasn’t aware of the controversy.

Good point, although Bonanno placing the root cause of Schiro’s abdication as related to Milazzo’s murder/Masseria’s pressure on the Castellemmarese is revealing if Schiro was indeed deposed in 1929 because of Lanza, no?

It obviously wouldn’t be the first thing that he stretched/bended the truth on, maybe to paint Maranzano and the war as a “just” one where Maranzano was defending them, and Schiro was the coward who left.

What Antiliar said also applies to DOB and DOD, sometimes including official records. From context, though, we can often narrow things down a bit better.

The Newark CI placed the Schiro / Lanza situation around 1929 and CI Anthony Lima, who replaced Lanza as boss, gave a 1929-1930 estimate for Lanza stepping down. It's possible the Lanza controversy started in 1929 and led to Schiro losing his post in 1930, but either way we have multiple sources who place these seemingly related events in the 1929-1930 period.

When people are recalling events from years and decades earlier all dates should be considered approximate. 1929 should be 1929 plus or minus a year or two. We shouldn't get hung up on exact dates. Memories are fallible and these guys generally didn't write dates down.

So Schiro was living in New Jersey in the 1940s?

Interesting that he informant states that Schiro stepped down in 1929 for helping Lanza, when Bonanno clearly states that he abdicated in 1930 after Milazzo was killed.

Letter correspondence was found showing that Frank Desimone of Los Angeles (possibly before becoming boss) was in communication with former Bonanno boss Nicolo Schiro in New Jersey.

This report also references a mysterious Newark informant who claims Schiro was forced to step down as boss because of an incident involving San Francisco boss Francesco Lanza, who other researchers have pointed out was most likely under Schiro in Brooklyn in the 1900s and 1910s. It should be noted too that Francesco Lanza's brother-in-law and business partner in Brooklyn was Mario Prisinzano, a fairly unique surname that shows up later in the Bonanno family.

[img]https://i.ibb.co/0Ywmkn0/schiro.png[/img]

- As the report indicates, SF boss Frank Lanza's daughter-in-law was a Desimone and the first cousin of Frank Desimone. This also explains some info provided by a CI who believed the Lanzas had some relation to Dallas boss Joe Civello. Civello was a first cousin of the Desimones, so that would connect him to the Lanzas, making the sitting bosses of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Dallas all cousins at the same time in the 1960s.

- Frank Desimone had another cousin with the surname Desimone who was killed in Salaparuta, Trapani, around 1948. The cousin's widow wrote a letter to Frank at this time claiming to know who was responsible but she would leave it to Frank's "imagination". She was visited by several men from America after the murder, presumably mafiosi, who were inconsiderate to her and the men were in a hurry to go to Castellammare Del Golfo. She wanted Frank Desimone to speak to these men for the sake of their relatives.

- Frank Lanza and Nick Licata (from Camporeale) owned a vineyard together in Escondido, CA. James Lanza told FBI agents that his father lived there for some time after retiring, but it was sold prior to Lanza's 1937 death. When Frank Lanza left Brooklyn, he first arrived to Escondido, which is near San Diego, in 1919. San Diego was Los Angeles family territory.

- The info about Nicolo Schiro intervening in a kidnap plot on Lanza in 1929 is worth comparing to some info provided by SF CI Anthony Lima. Lima claimed that in 1929 or 1930, Frank Lanza assigned him (Lima) a murder contract but Lima confronted Lanza for discussing the contract in front of other SF family members. After Lima quickly fulfilled the murder contract, he says Lanza was intimidated into stepping down as boss in favor of Lima because other bosses around the country were being killed and Lanza feared for his life.

- Given that the Newark informant says Schiro was forced to step down in 1929 for helping Lanza, it seems likely Lanza was forced to step down around this time as well, which fits Lima's info. The kidnap plot on Lanza doesn't sound entirely realistic but the general theme would explain Lima's vague info on Lanza being so afraid of other bosses being killed around the country: Lanza was in immediate danger.

- The Nicola Schiro who witnessed the Lanza->Desimone marriage in Los Angeles in 1929 gave Francesco Lanza's San Francisco address, so it's likely this is the same Nicolo Schiro.

- Frank's father Rosario Desimone died in 1946. Desimone was from Salaparuta, Trapani, and became a US boss while Schiro was a major powerbroker and looks to have influenced boss elections in multiple cities. Given the relation to the Lanzas, who were under Schiro's influence, and Schiro's later correspondence with Frank Desimone, it's possible Rosario Desimone's stature was influenced by Schiro as well.