Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

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Expand view Topic review: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by CabriniGreen » Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:10 am

Wiseguy wrote: Wed Apr 13, 2022 6:48 am
SonnyBlackstein wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 11:54 amIm actually interested as to the involvement in NYC of Ndrangheta and Sicilian clans. Are they there, to what extent, thier interactions with the 5, territory etc etc.

Gravano in a video mentioned he had a beef/sitdown with an Italian LCN group in NYC. Id like to know who they were, they still there etc etc.
There are members and affiliates of Sicilian and Calabrian clans present in New York City, though it doesn't appear to me they have the numbers or overall presence they (the Sicilians) did decades ago. At that time, it seems more manpower was needed for the heroin distribution networks in the U.S. Today, they've been marginalized in the domestic drug trade and, if you look at the cases over the past 15 years or so, the larger and more significant ones have involved NY-based Italian operatives acting as brokers (often working in some fashion with NY LCN families but on an ad-hoc basis) to arrange cocaine shipments going to Europe for distribution. This has certainly been the case with the Ndrangheta cases. This seems to have been the goal of involving the Sicilians back in the 2008 Old Bridge case but didn't appear to get off the ground before indictments came.
Spot on...

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by Wiseguy » Wed Apr 13, 2022 6:48 am

SonnyBlackstein wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 11:54 amIm actually interested as to the involvement in NYC of Ndrangheta and Sicilian clans. Are they there, to what extent, thier interactions with the 5, territory etc etc.

Gravano in a video mentioned he had a beef/sitdown with an Italian LCN group in NYC. Id like to know who they were, they still there etc etc.
There are members and affiliates of Sicilian and Calabrian clans present in New York City, though it doesn't appear to me they have the numbers or overall presence they (the Sicilians) did decades ago. At that time, it seems more manpower was needed for the heroin distribution networks in the U.S. Today, they've been marginalized in the domestic drug trade and, if you look at the cases over the past 15 years or so, the larger and more significant ones have involved NY-based Italian operatives acting as brokers (often working in some fashion with NY LCN families but on an ad-hoc basis) to arrange cocaine shipments going to Europe for distribution. This has certainly been the case with the Ndrangheta cases. This seems to have been the goal of involving the Sicilians back in the 2008 Old Bridge case but didn't appear to get off the ground before indictments came.

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by UTC » Tue Apr 12, 2022 5:03 pm

CabriniGreen wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 10:49 am
SonnyBlackstein wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 8:23 am I think the term also refers to those with significant or notable current ties to Sicily.
John Gambino faction, Tall Pete, Ernie Grillo with the G's. Montreal faction of the B's etc etc all have current ties to Sicily.

Italian CN is also primarily the drug trade vs US LCN which is more diversified. US 'Zips' have historically had a much greater involvement, as a group, in narcotics than non-zips.
To add a little more nuance to it... there a question of whether... is it Calogero Davi? Is Davi a member or "head" of a Luchesse sicilian faction? Or being from Torreta, is he part of an extension of the Gambinos Sicilian faction?

Or indeed, is there JUST a Sicilian faction within American LCN in general, that permeates NY and Jersey, and Philly too, with familial affiliation, tied to historic immigration patterns and villages in Sicily? Like theres a single Sicilian faction, but the actual family affiliations
are spread out? Cali seemed to be a central reference for Sicilian mafiosi in general, no matter where they were coming from.... this is just a thought for kicks... I dont know if I actually believe it...
Imaginative concept. It would make sense from the standpoint of the zips, imo.

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by B. » Tue Apr 12, 2022 2:29 pm

Capeci didn't invent a fictional Sicilian faction for the Bonanno Family, plus more info has come out supporting his info. Haven't seen any misleading coverage of it myself. There's a group of members with a strong Sicilian identity who socialize in Sicilian circles in NYC and maintain ties to Sicily.

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by johnny_scootch » Tue Apr 12, 2022 12:52 pm

SonnyBlackstein wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 8:23 am I think the term also refers to those with significant or notable current ties to Sicily.
John Gambino faction, Tall Pete, Ernie Grillo with the G's. Montreal faction of the B's etc etc all have current ties to Sicily.
Significant ties won’t transform you into a zip you either are or you aren’t and Ernie grillo certainly isn’t no matter how many times he goes to Sicily

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by SonnyBlackstein » Tue Apr 12, 2022 11:54 am

CabriniGreen wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 10:49 am To add a little more nuance to it... there a question of whether... is it Calogero Davi? Is Davi a member or "head" of a Luchesse sicilian faction? Or being from Torreta, is he part of an extension of the Gambinos Sicilian faction?

Or indeed, is there JUST a Sicilian faction within American LCN in general, that permeates NY and Jersey, and Philly too, with familial affiliation, tied to historic immigration patterns and villages in Sicily? Like theres a single Sicilian faction, but the actual family affiliations
are spread out? Cali seemed to be a central reference for Sicilian mafiosi in general, no matter where they were coming from.... this is just a thought for kicks... I dont know if I actually believe it...
Im actually interested as to the involvement in NYC of Ndrangheta and Sicilian clans. Are they there, to what extent, thier interactions with the 5, territory etc etc.

Gravano in a video mentioned he had a beef/sitdown with an Italian LCN group in NYC. Id like to know who they were, they still there etc etc.

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by CabriniGreen » Tue Apr 12, 2022 10:49 am

SonnyBlackstein wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 8:23 am I think the term also refers to those with significant or notable current ties to Sicily.
John Gambino faction, Tall Pete, Ernie Grillo with the G's. Montreal faction of the B's etc etc all have current ties to Sicily.

Italian CN is also primarily the drug trade vs US LCN which is more diversified. US 'Zips' have historically had a much greater involvement, as a group, in narcotics than non-zips.
To add a little more nuance to it... there a question of whether... is it Calogero Davi? Is Davi a member or "head" of a Luchesse sicilian faction? Or being from Torreta, is he part of an extension of the Gambinos Sicilian faction?

Or indeed, is there JUST a Sicilian faction within American LCN in general, that permeates NY and Jersey, and Philly too, with familial affiliation, tied to historic immigration patterns and villages in Sicily? Like theres a single Sicilian faction, but the actual family affiliations
are spread out? Cali seemed to be a central reference for Sicilian mafiosi in general, no matter where they were coming from.... this is just a thought for kicks... I dont know if I actually believe it...

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by SonnyBlackstein » Tue Apr 12, 2022 8:23 am

I think the term also refers to those with significant or notable current ties to Sicily.
John Gambino faction, Tall Pete, Ernie Grillo with the G's. Montreal faction of the B's etc etc all have current ties to Sicily.

Italian CN is also primarily the drug trade vs US LCN which is more diversified. US 'Zips' have historically had a much greater involvement, as a group, in narcotics than non-zips.

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by HairyKnuckles » Tue Apr 12, 2022 5:17 am

Is there a strong, thriving, newly arrived Sicilian community in the NY area? I don't see the point of calling young ItalianAmericans, born in the US, "zips", even if they have ties to this community. And if this is the case, the term "zips" has certainly been watered down.

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by B. » Mon Apr 11, 2022 11:16 pm

Capeci said Grimaldi was viewed as an advisor to the Sicilian faction. His wife was born in Santa Ninfa and he's close to people from that part of Trapani, having operated in a heavily Sicilian neighborhood, attended the Bono wedding, etc. American-born but not cut off from his roots.

Bonanno Sicilian faction = mostly younger guys with Sicilian heritage who are part of strong Sicilian immigrant communities in Queens (Middle Village, Astoria) and have relationships with Sicilian mafiosi in the US and Sicily. They see themselves as Sicilian and have political influence, those are the basics of it from what's available.

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by CabriniGreen » Mon Apr 11, 2022 10:55 pm

HairyKnuckles wrote: Mon Apr 11, 2022 10:01 pm
Pogo The Clown wrote: Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:32 pm The Sicilian faction and Zip labels is highly misleading. Almost everyone who gets lumped in as part of said factions are American. A very small number were born in Italy but came over as small children and were raised in the US. Almost none came over as adults who were part of the Sicilian mob.


Pogo
Yes. And I think Capeci said that Vito Grimaldi headed the zip faction. But he is part of a family that goes generations back in America.

Without an active connection to the actual organizations in Sicily, I'm not sure what it means in practice.... I feel the same when they say " Calabrians". If not Ndrangheta, it doesnt really mean much...


This why the New Connection revelations were relevant. The Gambino Sicilian faction base on 18th ave, basically doubles as a New York base for the Sicilian clans from Torreta and Passo Di Rigano. At least until they started to return to Sicily.

Is been an ongoing fascination of mine as far as exactly WHERE the line is drawn.

Look at that recent Grillo/ Slyvestro Davi/ Zito thing... perfect example....

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by HairyKnuckles » Mon Apr 11, 2022 10:01 pm

Pogo The Clown wrote: Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:32 pm The Sicilian faction and Zip labels is highly misleading. Almost everyone who gets lumped in as part of said factions are American. A very small number were born in Italy but came over as small children and were raised in the US. Almost none came over as adults who were part of the Sicilian mob.


Pogo
Yes. And I think Capeci said that Vito Grimaldi headed the zip faction. But he is part of a family that goes generations back in America.

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by Pogo The Clown » Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:32 pm

The Sicilian faction and Zip labels is highly misleading. Almost everyone who gets lumped in as part of said factions are American. A very small number were born in Italy but came over as small children and were raised in the US. Almost none came over as adults who were part of the Sicilian mob.


Pogo

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by Dave65827 » Mon Apr 11, 2022 6:48 pm

If I remember the “Sicilian faction” according to capeci in a old Gangland article said it was around 20 people and a decent amount of them where just the sons/grandsons of guys from the pizza connection case

Zummo who was supposedly part of this faction was selling coke inside his gelato shop

Re: Michael Mancuso on the daily news.

by stubbs » Mon Apr 11, 2022 5:01 pm

Tonyd621 wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 2:02 am You can probably Google any of those Sicilians for the Bonnanos and I bet nothing will pop up. We tend to discount how much power or wealth they have because we haven't heard or seen any of them just word of mouth
That's how they like it and how it should be-understated stoic humble out of sight of mind which leaves us to say they are stronger then ever or weaker then ever
No one is right and no one is wrong until..
Anyone know what types of rackets those Sicilians have? Is it still drugs like the 80s or are they more lowkey? Basically, are they doing anything different from the non-zips, or just your standard bread and butter street stuff?

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