THE BLACK HAND FORUM

Thanks B. I figured at least most of these on the charts had been taken back as far as they could go but thought it was worth reviewing.

We just don't have the intel to even reasonably speculate for many of them. Anastasia may have been under Vincenzo Mangano at some point but we don't know if they were contemporary captains or exactly how things were laid out right before they joined the admin. Both LiConti and Anastasia also had roots with Biagio Giordano who was almost certainly a Calabrian Camorra leader near the Brooklyn docks but we can't be sure Giordano was made into the Gambinos/Cosa Nostra before his death let alone held rank though he was a leading figure among these Calabrians and at least a spiritual predecessor to what they became in Cosa Nostra. I'm also not aware of any info confirming LiConti was a captain although he's a good candidate.

A possible predecessor to DiLeonardo could have been Salvatore D'Aquila himself, although it's a guess to assume D'Aquila was a captain before he became boss and along with there being possible captains in between if that were the case, we know crew succession is often non-linear and captains are appointed over new crews, crews are split up, etc. Soldiers can also move directly to the admin, so while various admin members in the 1920s/30s were probably captains earlier it's not a given. Though you didn't mention the Traina crew, a strong candidate would be Giuseppe Giallombardo.

Curiale may have been the first Brooklyn Lucchese captain. D'Arco believed Curiale once belonged to a different Brooklyn Family and I got the impression it could have started under him as there's little to suggest the Luccheses had an earlier Brooklyn presence.

For some of the Genovese crews (Genovese, Yale, Pellegrino), I don’t think that there was a captain preceding them. They were probably independent gangs.

If Moretti had a predecessor, it was Frank LoVullo who was killed in 1930. However, I think the handful of NJ members reported to an East Harlem based crew. During the ‘20s they were connected to that area & Connecticut in ways that we don’t really see subsequently.

The Lucchese NJ crew came from the Newark Family. Controversially, I don’t think that Sam Accardi was a captain. He was obviously a powerful & well-connected member, but I feel that Joe Abate may have had the crew much earlier than previously thought. Also, in terms of an early leader, Steve Badami strikes me as a the crucial link, considering his unique Corleone background and ties to Gagliano.

Salvatore Lombardino’s crew came from the Newark Family, no likely predecessor. This is the only one I’m truly confident about.

Anyone have an idea who predated these guys as captains of their crews, if anyone?


Genovese
Ciro Terranova
Vito Genovese
Charles Luciano
Anthony Miranda
Rocco Pellegrino
Joseph Doto
Frankie Uale
Willie Morretti

Gambino
Saverio Virzi
Joseph Travato
Accursio Domino/Umberto Valenti
Albert Anastasia
Frank Scalise
Francisco Castellano
Vincenzo LoCicero
Vincenzo DiLeonardo
Vincenzo Urso
Carmelo LiConti

Lucchese
Vincent Rao
Thomas Lucchese
Salvatore Curiale
Sam Accardi

Colombo
Salvatore Musacchio
John Oddo
Salvatore Lombardino
(Also where did the the Maglioccos and Salvatore Profaci fit in in terms of crew succession?)

Bonanno
John Bonventre
John Tartamella Sr.