THE BLACK HAND FORUM

Kinda ironic Scarfo was replaced by a Sicilian. He was constantly warning Leonetti that all the “Siggies” cared about was “greed and treason”.

The issue with Catalano was reportedly the language barrier as his English was poor.

That seems odd that zips would be banned from being the boss. Weren’t Carlo Gambino and Joe Bonanno and many of the early bosses all born in Sicily?

The extent to which Gotti supported or recognised Stanfa as boss is something that I still find interesting. It's clear that Stanfa was close to the Sicilian Gambinos, meeting with them on several occasions and asking them for help in the war with Merlino (though no help was ultimately provided).

Ralph Natale's statements about things can provide some clarity but need to be taken with a grain of salt and compared with other sources given his tendency to exaggerate or outright lie and make things up. From his 302s, it's we can see he was of the opinion that none of the New York families had officially sanctioned Stanfa to take over as boss, and that he asked Vic Amuso (while they were incarcerated together) to get a message to Gotti to see if he recognised Stanfa.

Natale claimed he was incarcerated with Amuso for a couple of weeks when they were only in the same facility for a handful of days, but he expanded on that exchange in his book. He claims Amuso told him that Stanfa could not be the boss because the Commission had voted to not allow zips to become heads of American families. He said the response he got back from Gotti regarding Stanfa was, "Who knows him?" and that Stanfa was only approved as boss by John Gambino.

We know from Michael DiLeonardo that it's true that Gotti withdrew any support from Stanfa and issued an order not to recognise Philadelphia at all because of many reasons including inducting an ex-cop (Previte). The issue of a zip running an American family I believe came up before with Salvatore Catalano. Wasn't his run as acting Bonanno boss cut short because he was a zip?

I suspect the most likely scenario is that the Sicilian Gambinos backed Stanfa to become boss but Gotti had not sanctioned him officially. Gotti eventually completely withdraws any recognition from Philadelphia and the zips can't help Stanfa in the war.

Stanfa was a zip from Sicily who came over in the 60s. He was close with the Cherry Hill Gambinos.

When Philly needed a new boss after Scarfo went away, John Gambino and the Cherry Hill guys lobbied Gotti to make Stanfa the new boss. Gotti gave in to their requests to keep their faction happy. I’m paraphrasing, but one of the books discussed it. Can’t remember if it was Gravano’s book or a different one.

But Stanfa was like a general with no army, as he was essentially an outsider to the guys in South Philly. Which is why Merlino and the others balked at Stanfa from trying to assert control over them.

Stanfa was Sicilian or Calabrese? No interest in discussing the past internal beef.

Rather, I believe that the Cherry Hill Gambinos, were linked to P2 via the Vatican Banker Michele Sidona who was a Sicilian, as well as the Gambinos, obviously.

So there is that link in Philly, was Angelo Bruno anyway linked to those circles, Scarfo or anyone else?

The connections between Stanfa and the Gambinos ran a lot deeper than Gotti getting Stanfa a pass. The cherry hill gambinos were connected with Stanfa since he came over in the 60's. They were Stanfa's entre to Philadelphia. Bruno backed their heroin operation, Stanfa worked in their pizza joints when he first arrived.

Then you have Gotti, Gotti was aggressive in aligning families with the Gambinos. See his actions in Providence and with the DeCavs. Historically, Bruno was with the Gambinos also. That's where he got a lot of his strength. Scarfo was aligned with Bobby Manna and Gigante. This was an opportunity for Gotti to help put an ally in as boss in Philly.

So Gotti recommending Stanfa as boss was almost entirely based on the thinking that “I got this guy a pass. He’ll do what we want down there in Philly”, moreso than the notion that Stanfa was an old school mafioso that would get a dysfunctional family in line. Am I reading that correctly?

Stanfa went on the lam after Bananas got killed. He left his wife and kids and took his mistress down to Baltimore. He got caught a year later working in a pizzeria connected to the cherry hill gambinos. Took an eight year sentence on the chin for perjuring himself about whether he went to New York with Frank Sindone after Bruno got killed and whether he met with John Simone and Frank Sindone a day or two in the hospital.

Before he got out of prison, John Gotti asked Scarfo to give Stanfa a pass when he got out. According to Leonetti, Scarfo said if he does what he is supposed to do he won't have problems. He didn't come back to Philly until Scarfo and his guys were locked up and Nicky Jr. fled town.

Teddy Persico wrote: ↑Sat Feb 20, 2021 3:09 pm I’m not justifying Scarfo’s actions, but he did have plenty reason to be paranoid. That last two bosses were killed by their underlings and after inheriting the top seat he had to fight an internal war with Riccobene. I’m sure his two years in Texas rapidly accelerated his paranoia.

Yeah that’s fair. I think he was finishing up his term in Texas when he started to sour on Salvie Testa.

I’m not justifying Scarfo’s actions, but he did have plenty reason to be paranoid. That last two bosses were killed by their underlings and after inheriting the top seat he had to fight an internal war with Riccobene. I’m sure his two years in Texas rapidly accelerated his paranoia.

That makes sense.

I’ve always known Scarfo was a certified maniac but this book made me realize I’d been underselling his psychosis. Naturally, he wanted to kill guys that weren’t doing their jobs as wiseguys. But he would get so fucking paranoid that he would want to kill the ones that *were* doing their jobs, too. Leonetti said there were times when people brought Scarfo a fat envelope and Scarfo’s reaction would be “this motherfucker might be getting a little big for his britches. We gotta keep an eye on him!” He’d do the same thing with guys who just put work in for the family. “This guy kills someone and all of a sudden he’s Al Capone?! Keep an eye on him!”.

Under Scarfo it seems like the safest route was being good at your job, but not *too* good.

I think Stanfa was on the lam and then imprisoned soon after the Bruno hit. By the time he got out Scarfo was in prison and the family had imploded.


Pogo

How did John Stanfa initially slip thru the cracks when Scarfo, Leonetti, etc were killing everyone associated with Bruno’s murder? I was reading Mafia Prince and it says Gotti asked Scarfo to give Stanfa a pass, but there were several years in between Bruno’s murder and Gotti becoming boss. I know when Caponigro went to NYC under the impression he was going to be named boss, a couple Genovese guys saw Stanfa at the bar, and initially thought he was Scarfo. Leonetti said if the Genovese guys *knew* that it was Stanfa, they woulda killed him and left his body right next to Caponigros.

So it’s clear the Genovese woulda killed him. And Scarfo was a legitmate psychopath. He knew Stanfa was the driver that night. Did he just not see Stanfa as a threat and basically forgot about him? Scarfo was constantly looking for reasons to take guys out. Seems like extraordinary luck on Stanfa’s part.