by chin_gigante » Thu Jun 08, 2023 12:09 pm
John Grande was born in Philadelphia on 10 February 1934, to Salvatore Grande and Petruzza Vetra, both from the town of Cutro in the province of Catanzaro in Calabria. He was one of nine children (including a couple of older half-siblings who were born from a different mother) and ended up having three sons himself: Salvatore, Joseph, and Richard. Salvatore and Joseph later joined their father in becoming members. Salvatore's son Domenic is also a member most recently serving as a caporegime.
Grande was sponsored for membership in the Philadelphia family by Frank Narducci in 1969 and, according to the Pennsylvania Crime Commission, was one of the last members inducted by Angelo Bruno in the early 1970s. In his early career, he was involved in gambling, loan sharking, selling fireworks, and operating illegal stills. At the time that he was proposed by Narducci, he was involved in his numbers operation and worked as a doorman at his after-hours club.
Following the murder of Phil Testa, Grande was aligned with the faction backing Peter Casella to take over as boss. After Testa’s wake, Casella wanted to meet Nicky Scarfo at John Cappello’s house in South Philadelphia. Scarfo suspected he would be killed at the meeting, so before going he told Ralph Napoli to set up a meeting with the Genovese family about becoming boss. While Scarfo and Salvatore Merlino went to the meeting with Casella, others held Cappello hostage at the 9M Bar as insurance. When Scarfo and Merlino arrived at Cappello’s house, they found Grande, his son Joseph, Casella, his brother Anthony, Narducci, and Rocco Marinucci waiting for them. There was a police scanner and a rolled-up rug in the room, which Scarfo took to confirm the other faction had been looking to kill him. Casella tried to suggest that John Berkery was responsible for Testa’s murder, but Scarfo didn’t believe it and mentioned how he was going to meet with Bobby Manna the next day to see what really happened.
After the commission recognised Scarfo as boss, Grande came into the fold. Grande and his sons then took over Narducci’s numbers business following his January 1982 murder. By 1991, the Pennsylvania Crime Commission carried Grande as one of the ten most active members of the family still on the street and described him as having ‘one of the largest gambling and layoff operations in Philadelphia’.
Grande died 16 February 1993. His sons Richard and Joseph were named by the family in the obituary, but Salvatore, who had already flipped, was not. Six months later, Anthony Piccolo and Salvatore Avena were caught on tape talking about how the Grande family excluded Salvatore because they were so embarrassed by his cooperation with law enforcement. Before he died, Grande had disowned his son for what he did.
John Grande was born in Philadelphia on 10 February 1934, to Salvatore Grande and Petruzza Vetra, both from the town of Cutro in the province of Catanzaro in Calabria. He was one of nine children (including a couple of older half-siblings who were born from a different mother) and ended up having three sons himself: Salvatore, Joseph, and Richard. Salvatore and Joseph later joined their father in becoming members. Salvatore's son Domenic is also a member most recently serving as a caporegime.
Grande was sponsored for membership in the Philadelphia family by Frank Narducci in 1969 and, according to the Pennsylvania Crime Commission, was one of the last members inducted by Angelo Bruno in the early 1970s. In his early career, he was involved in gambling, loan sharking, selling fireworks, and operating illegal stills. At the time that he was proposed by Narducci, he was involved in his numbers operation and worked as a doorman at his after-hours club.
Following the murder of Phil Testa, Grande was aligned with the faction backing Peter Casella to take over as boss. After Testa’s wake, Casella wanted to meet Nicky Scarfo at John Cappello’s house in South Philadelphia. Scarfo suspected he would be killed at the meeting, so before going he told Ralph Napoli to set up a meeting with the Genovese family about becoming boss. While Scarfo and Salvatore Merlino went to the meeting with Casella, others held Cappello hostage at the 9M Bar as insurance. When Scarfo and Merlino arrived at Cappello’s house, they found Grande, his son Joseph, Casella, his brother Anthony, Narducci, and Rocco Marinucci waiting for them. There was a police scanner and a rolled-up rug in the room, which Scarfo took to confirm the other faction had been looking to kill him. Casella tried to suggest that John Berkery was responsible for Testa’s murder, but Scarfo didn’t believe it and mentioned how he was going to meet with Bobby Manna the next day to see what really happened.
After the commission recognised Scarfo as boss, Grande came into the fold. Grande and his sons then took over Narducci’s numbers business following his January 1982 murder. By 1991, the Pennsylvania Crime Commission carried Grande as one of the ten most active members of the family still on the street and described him as having ‘one of the largest gambling and layoff operations in Philadelphia’.
Grande died 16 February 1993. His sons Richard and Joseph were named by the family in the obituary, but Salvatore, who had already flipped, was not. Six months later, Anthony Piccolo and Salvatore Avena were caught on tape talking about how the Grande family excluded Salvatore because they were so embarrassed by his cooperation with law enforcement. Before he died, Grande had disowned his son for what he did.