THE BLACK HAND FORUM

JD wrote: ↑Wed Nov 30, 2016 3:20 pm.

Raven wrote:Armand Rava was important. He attended the wedding of Joe Profaci's Daughter in 1957:

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 0apalachin

Rava was also the "godfather" of Albert Anastasia's Daughter:


https://vault.fbi.gov/Mafia%20Monograph

"In May 1957 a christening party was held a daughter of Albert Anastasia In the ballroom of a large Newark, New Jersey, hotel which had been reserved by Armand Rava. Rava and his wife acted as godparents at the christening and Rava paid the hotel bill which totaled close to $6,000 dollars."

B. wrote:There's a 1960s report where his son David Rava is identified as non-member in context with some Colombo people (though it doesn't say he's a Colombo associate), and later David Rava's son-in-law was Michael Persico. He was made with the Gambino family as you've mentioned, but there's definitely a relationship there through South Brooklyn at least. Sounds like it goes deeper with what you've said about Armand's relationship to the Colombos, too. Would be curious if David ended up staying on record with the Dellacroce or Fatico crews until he was made or what path he took.

Interesting that Nick Russo of Trenton, more well-known as a later member of the Aurello/Gravano crew, can be traced to the Rava crew. Anyone know if he was originally a Brooklyn guy or when he ended up in Trenton? He was close to many Philly members. I've mentioned before how John Rizzo and Louis Milito were arrested in Trenton in the 1960s and tried to drop Bruno/Simone's names to get out of the charges, so it seems that crew had an interest in Trenton in general.

JD wrote:

AlexfromSouth wrote:
Yes the one in Bay Ridge. It's famous by now that Rava hung out there, even owned it. I never heard about the one in Park Slope. May be a mistake. Read before that he was close to Fontana maybe even related somehow.

The thing I didn't understand is the other adress I asked about, the 4th ave adress. The thing they were partners in. Its known that Harry Fontana's club or something was at the corner of Union st and 4th ave., right next to that adress.

I edited the initial post re the restaurant's address, it was either a typo or they changed locations, as of 1958 it's at 7201 8th Ave.

The 226 4th Ave address was used for an insurance business operated by Harry's son (Joseph) and Armand's nephew (also named Joseph). Harry's older brother Agostino was giving this same address as his residence way back in the 1910s, and another relative of Harry's ran Stanco Electronics there by 1960.

B. wrote:Interesting that Nick Russo of Trenton, more well-known as a later member of the Aurello/Gravano crew, can be traced to the Rava crew. Anyone know if he was originally a Brooklyn guy or when he ended up in Trenton?

If I have the correct Russo, he was born in Caserta and grew up in Trenton. He and Andrew Avellino operated Capitol Vending at 463 Whittaker Ave. Avellino was born in Passaic, NJ but living in Trenton by the 1930s.

There was another member active in Trenton named Joseph Farinella. He's mentioned more than once in Gravano's book as an old-timer, but his last name isn't included coincidentally. He was born 1930 in NJ, family from Villarosa (Enna) and operated Pal Joey's Restaurant in Trenton by the 1960s. Might not have been made until the 1970s. He and Russo were participants in the Alfred Santantonio hit but all indicted were let off through a legal technicality. There's a good deal on him and his associates through Fulton/MF.

johnny_scootch wrote:

AlexfromSouth wrote:Of course we all know about the New corner restaurant.

JD wrote: By 1955 listed employment as meat cutter at New Corners Cafe located at 7th Ave and 12th St in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Alex if the address JD posted is correct he is talking about a different place. The New corner your used to hearing about is in Bay Ridge not Park Slope.