More Magaddino family info 1960s (including Rochester)

[faffy444]

i believe joe pieri sometime in the early 80's

[Snakes]

No worries here. I've been more interested in the Carlisis recently as well. Roy Carlisi was asked to replace Fred Randaccio as underboss in 1968 but refused as he didn't want the heat it would bring. Magaddino had reportedly wanted to demote Randaccio for years, as he suspected him of withholding money, but waited until Randaccio's 1968 incarceration. Because Carlisi wouldn't take the position, it was given to Joe Fina. Randaccio had by all accounts been the "street boss" of the family and 1968 is when the family further broke into different factions. 1968 is also when top capodecina Pasquale Natarelli went to prison and was demoted, being replaced by Michael Perna.

Thanks. In my readings on Sam, some reports described Roy as being the "head" of the Buffalo family although that would seem to be a mistake on their part.

[B.]

No worries here. I've been more interested in the Carlisis recently as well. Roy Carlisi was asked to replace Fred Randaccio as underboss in 1968 but refused as he didn't want the heat it would bring. Magaddino had reportedly wanted to demote Randaccio for years, as he suspected him of withholding money, but waited until Randaccio's 1968 incarceration. Because Carlisi wouldn't take the position, it was given to Joe Fina. Randaccio had by all accounts been the "street boss" of the family and 1968 is when the family further broke into different factions. 1968 is also when top capodecina Pasquale Natarelli went to prison and was demoted, being replaced by Michael Perna.

I have Peter Maggadino replacing Randaccio in 1968 before both Maggadinos were demoted in 1969. Do you happen to know who the first Consigliere was post Maggadino? As we know Maggadino didn't have one but the family was using the rank by the 1980s.


Pogo

Haven't seen anything about Peter Magaddino taking any kind of position. The FBI has Vincent Scro as the family consigliere in the 1960s. If he did step up, it would have been after the mid-1960s when Magaddino was recorded saying he never had a consigliere. The FBI also may have had him listed in that position as a "defacto" sort of role, as he was a family advisor.

I don't think Magaddino officially lost his position as boss until he died in 1974 but the family had split into factions years earlier, with one group supporting Sam Pieri as boss. Here is a note on that and some notes on Sam Pieri's activities in the 1960s:

- In June 1966, an informant reported that ~7 months earlier that Magaddino was planning to step down as boss and Joseph Falcone of Utica and Sam Pieri of Buffalo were candidates to replace him. An informant claimed that Pieri was "associated" with the Colombo family and "only tolerated" by Magaddino, with heavy tension existing between underboss Fred Randaccio and Pieri. However, apparently Pieri would kick up a percentage of his scores to Randaccio.

- An FBI report from 1974 following Magaddino's death claims that capodecina Joseph Falcone may potentially run the Magaddino family for a "short period of time" while a new leader is "groomed". Rumors circulated at this time that former members of the Magaddino family were now under the Gambino family. However, this seems to be clarified a few months later when an informant reported a meeting that took place at the deceased Stefano Magaddino's home in Niagara Falls and included "several" important members from New York City, New Jersey, and elsewhere. The informant claimed that Carlo Gambino or a representative of Gambino was at this meeting, as Gambino had temporarily taken over the Magaddino family until Magaddino's successor was selected, which was expected to happen in "two to three months." It should be noted that there were reports of severe factionalism in 1968 with the family splitting into separate Buffalo and Niagara Fall factions, with the Buffalo faction selecting Salvatore Pieri as their boss and later Joseph Fino following Pieri's incarceration. Magaddino had previously appointed Fino underboss following Randaccio's incarceration in 1968.

- Pieri had previously served 8 years in prison on narcotics charges, being released in 1963. During his incarceration, underboss Fred Randaccio had Pieri's former associates under him. A party was being planned to celebrate Pieri's release from prison and it was believed he would bring several individuals as a "show of force", including his brother-in-law Joe DiCarlo Jr. (who had left Buffalo), Pieri's brothers from Youngstown, and Tony "the Chief" Bonasera, a semi-retired leader of the Colombo family. Like Pieri, Tony Bonasera had married into the DiCarlo family (and was from Vallelunga like the DiCarlos). Randaccio, who was more or less the street boss of the family, claimed he had no men he could trust in Niagara Falls.

- While imprisoned with Pieri, Valachi said that Pieri never discussed any plans to take over for Magaddino, though he pointed out that it's unlikely for a member from a different family to "discuss his ambitions" with a member of another family unless he is planning to start a war and trying to get outside support.

- Shortly after Pieri's release from prison, in May of 1963, Randaccio drove Pieri to Magaddino's office where the three men conducted a meeting. Magaddino told Pieri that he was not to "make a move" without Magaddino's or Randaccio's explicit approval. He said that in this area they respect and love each other and don't want anything bad to happen or anyone to get hurt. Magaddino said that this applied to everybody around the country and that he wants peace with no trouble. Magaddino also asked that if Pieri went into any business, he wanted to be notified about it and told who Pieri was going into business with. Magaddino also warned Pieri not to get involved in narcotics and talked about Albert Agueci. Apparently there was a man who had been "talking" in Canada but Magaddino didn't know him.

- Pieri notified Randaccio during this time that a friend from another city wanted to visit him and he believed Magaddino knew him. Randaccio told him that this friend of Pieri's should get approval from "the other side", meaning the friend's own mafia family. This friend was Matty DiLorenzo of the Genovee family. Magaddino said it was fine for Pieri to visit with DiLorenzo as long as he didn't talk about it to anyone.

- In 1967, the FBI reported that the Colombo family was "bringing money" into Buffalo through Sam Pieri and that the Colombos had a piece of C'est La Vie restaurant in Buffalo. That same year, several Buffalo associates, led by associate John Sacco, obtained a large amount of silver silverware obtained through burglaries in the Buffalo area. A raid discovered over $200,000 worth of silverware and other stolen items in Sacco's position. It was determined that these goods had been "sold through" Colombo capodecina Carmine Persico.

[Pogo The Clown]

Good info. The bit about Peter Maggadino was in Mob Nemesis written by that agent who invesitgated Buffalo at the time.


He said that Stefano put in Peter Maggadino as the UnderBoss following Randaccios incarceration. But it idn't last long as they were both forced to step down after the other top leaders found out that Stefano was hoarding money and not sharing it with the family. They were replaced with Sam Pieri as Boss and Joe Fino as UnderBoss. After Pieri was imprisoned in 1970 Fino became the Boss and Daniel Sansenese was promoted to UnderBoss. Sansenese himself was imprisoned in 1972 and if my memory is correct Fino was forced t step down that year as well.


Pogo

[Ed]

FYI, Joe Fino was an FBI informant beginning around 1966/7. Fino gets talked about as an informant in Mob Nemesis although not by name. Not sure the extent of his cooperation but Ron Fino, his son, talked about it in his own memoir published a few years ago. Another FBI source going back to the early 1960s was Steven Cannarozzo.

[B.]

The member "faffy" on here seems to have done a lot of Buffalo research, so maybe he can comment, but I haven't seen anything about Peter Magaddino even being in consideration for a leadership role. I don't think the info I've seen is necessarily comprehensive and different sources could have had different interpretations, too. The Commission definitely still recognized Magaddino until his death, though his influence had been declining in the family for at least a decade by that point.

It does seem that the Buffalo faction began operating with its own leadership in the late 1960s. While the Niagara Falls/Magaddino faction was the official leadership, their presence was slim at best and had been for some time before the split. The Utica group looks to have stayed loyal to Magaddino until the end, but we know Rochester split off during this period and Magaddino had a falling out with a number of the Canadian members in the early-mid 1960s, so they may have been doing their own thing or aligned with the Buffalo faction. There were other members scattered around, like the Erie guys, but seems the family was in disarray and operating like a few separate groups. He was recorded saying the family had 125 members at their peak, not sure they still had quite that many but probably close. Would be curious how they were all distributed.

[faffy444]

magaddino did have his son as underboss more or less during the late 60's. he wasn't however respected by the Buffalo guys. by 1969 the Niagara falls magaddino group was sort of independent.you are correct about the commission continuing to recognize magaddino as the boss until his death. after all magaddino was an original and remained boss emeritus.

by 1969-70 the buffalo groups were more or less on their own doing their own things. utica was basically half and half. which ever way the wind was blowing. rochester is an enigma to me. were they on their own? never been sure. they continued to kick up so we can take it for what its worth. also never been sure about the canadian guys having a falling out with magaddino. paul volpe? probably as he was a lone wolf. the rumor in the 70's was that 11 different capo's were doing their own thing. things didnt start to come back together until the early 80's.

[lennert]

Thought I would post stuff relating to Rochester in this topic, so not to derail the Buffalo/Ontario topic too much...

anyway, I wondered if the identity of the Camorra figure giving Frank Valenti trouble has ever been established...

In a November 1964 conversation between among others Steve Magaddino and "a man from Rochester" named Frank or Francesco. Francesco was described as running a restaurant in Rochester, and having brothers named Sam and Paul. I am fairly sure this is Frank Valenti, since Valanti ran a restaurant at this t5ime, and two of his brothers were named Sam and Paul.

During this conversation, Frank asked Magaddino advise how to handle a certain individual, described as belonging to the "Calabrese Camorra." The nature of the trouble does not become clear, but Frank makes it clear he also gave his brothers trouble, as well as his cousin, who operates a store across from Valenti's restaurant.

It crossed my mind he might have been referring to Jake Russo, as he was having trouble with him during this time. But as far as I could find out, Russo was born in Rochester, and his parents hauled from Polizzi in Sicily. So I assume the so called Calabrese Camorra member must have been somebody else.

Anybody has any thoughts?

[lennert]

Another bit of Rochester related info:

In July 1924, several Detroit Mafiosi were arrested for a murder committed in the vicinity of the Venice Cafe, a known hangout of the Chester LaMare mob. Arrested were Leo Cellurra, Frank Meli, Frank Cammarata, Angelo Livecchi and Michele Giardino. The latter two had just arrived from Rochester. Of course Livecchi would become a notorious Detroit mobster, figuring in the Gerald Buckley murder later on.

Of interest is that the Michele Giardino had figured in a so called Black Hand case in Rochester two years earlier. Described as the leader of this gang was Raffaele Greco, who at the time of his arrest was in possession of several books of lottery tickets. The same kind of lottery tickets were found on Calogero Arena when he was murdered in Rochester in 1924. Arena, in turn, figured in the 1921 Good Killers case, having been a suspected in Detroit murders of Sam Giannola.

[lennert]

Also, in regard to Jake Russo/Russolesi, one of his sisters was married to Frank L. Boscarino, the son of former "King of the Bootleggers" Alfio.

[lennert]

Obituary of Jake Russo's father, listing Frank Boscarino as his son-in-law

[lennert]

The 1922 Black Hand case

[lennert]

Detroit arrest of Michele Giardino

[Villain]

Does anyone have any info on Mike Morro from Accera Naples, who in 1923 owned a club in Buffalo on East St and was later arrested on bootlegging charges. During one time John Roselli worked in the same club as a youngster. Later Morro allegedly escaped from Buffalo and landed in Chicago where he became big shot with the Capone brothers in Cicero. So from that point on I dont have any clue on what happened to this fella except for his death which occurred in 1965 i think in Pomona, California. Was he an early Buffalo member or maybe he was made in Chicago because of his Neapolitan blood and stayed there for some time and again transferred to a different place?

[lennert]

Moro moved to the West Coast in the early 1930s, and operated a restaurant named Casalito in Long beach.