THE BLACK HAND FORUM

Uncle Pete wrote: ↑Sat Sep 07, 2024 12:38 pm Who are some of the guys from Messina? And do you happen to know if they were from the city or the northern area of the province like Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto? That area seems to have more activity today then the city itself right?

Thanks in advance!

If I recall correctly Umberto Valenti was from Barcellona. Tony Lombardo of Chicago was also from Messina, as were early Mafiosi Nicola Taranto and Candelario Bettini.

The DeCavalcantes' original Manhattan-Queens group (termed the Family's "old faction" by an FBI informant) likely predates the existence of the New Jersey branch of the Family. The Brooklyn faction in turn was separate from the Manhattan-Queens group but basically started when Frank Cocchiaro (who had roots in the former group) was made capodecina and eventually sponsored a bunch of local Brooklyn/Staten Island gangsters. Then other guys who operated in Manhattan were recruited into the Brooklyn faction but these Manhattan guys weren't rooted in the original Manhattan-Queens group, at least not directly.

But anyway, the original New York group of the Family could go back to the 1890s/early 1900s and then branched into Elizabeth when the Merlos moved there around 1907 and many more Riberesi moved there in the 1910s/20s.

Does anyone know how the DeCavalcantes were able to get crews in New York started and around when that happened?

Was frank Costellos brother Edward an initiated member? I’ve never read any specific info about it but have seen that he was made but no sources are ever listed.

Who are some of the guys from Messina? And do you happen to know if they were from the city or the northern area of the province like Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto? That area seems to have more activity today then the city itself right?

Thanks in advance!

Why was Roger Touhy killed? He didn't pose any danger to the Outfit, or am I mistaken?

This has probably come up a million times but what would you name as some of the main rackets/businesses the mob still has strong influence in. Main ones that come to my mind are below, am I missing any?:
Pizza/Italian restaurants
Construction/property
Garbage
Loansharking
Gambling (clinging on as online gets stronger)

Proletarian187 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 5:18 am How about Catania? Lots of Mafia activity to this day but not a lot of american mobsters come to mind.

Ragusa, Syrakusa, Messina have plenty of well known mafia members in America but Catania less so, right? Less immigration due to being the biggest city/economic hub in eastern Sicily maybe?

Correcting myself:
The Zappola family of Genovese/Lucchese fame were from Catania..
Funny what you come across when going down a Rabbit hole.

How about Catania? Lots of Mafia activity to this day but not a lot of american mobsters come to mind.

Ragusa, Syrakusa, Messina have plenty of well known mafia members in America but Catania less so, right? Less immigration due to being the biggest city/economic hub in eastern Sicily maybe?

Favara is one that has always surprised me. It was a hotbed of organized mafia activity in the 1880s but there were few if any known American mafiosi from there even though Agrigento province as a whole produced a massive amount of members.

Harrism wrote: ↑Thu Aug 15, 2024 12:36 pm Are there any Sicilian towns with a lot of maffia related activities out of which we do not see or see relatively few american made members?

Probably the borgate in provinces outside Palermo, Trapani and Agrigento.

Ivan wrote: ↑Fri Aug 02, 2024 10:51 pm Is Fat Mike Sarno the recent Outfit boss related to Big Al Sarno?

No relation.

Are there any Sicilian towns with a lot of maffia related activities out of which we do not see or see relatively few american made members?

Not sure if this is Mafia related. Can any of the historians give me an understanding of the "Padrone system"? Did this have some link to OC?

DKellerman wrote: ↑Fri Aug 09, 2024 3:37 pm Im looking for books to read about the Westside, primarily Greenwich Village stuff. Anybody have any good recommendations?

Search some threads in the Book section of the forum.

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