The Agrigento Network

[Angelo Santino]

I wonder if the Mafia's turnover of legitimate members had to do with its transplant to America combined with the admission of other Sicilians/Italians without previous homogeneous exposure? Legitimacy didn't fully disappear but it did go underground as the mafia embraced full criminality. Even still, those with lineage still found their way to be associated. Salvatore Avena was said to have asked Stanfa about possible membership despite being an attorney. And Tommy Gambino has largely been written off as only having been made due to his father.

I think each men are examples of the extended mafia network who fall outside the business structure of soldiers and crews operating direct rackets and kicking up on a weekly grind. Mob economics was laid bare in the Sopranos and the importance of money flowing up. But within the more Sicilian derived families, there was a deeper glue that connected them. Back to Tommy Gambino, I would imagine he's inactive in the sense that he doesn't oversee soldiers nor kick up money to anyone. But that doesn't stop him from taking his affiliation with him. If he goes to LA and he encounters other members or even opportunities I imagine he has the network to call back to or rely upon. This falls into "Mafia is a process, not a thing." my addendum would be that it's both a process and a thing.

I keep going back to Chris Moltisanti's episode where he's made and then bled by Paulie. From all the mob tell alls I've read I kinda get the sense that this is true on the east coast. Newly made members are generally assigned to a crew and percentages are agreed upon. I imagine it could/may be different for older members who get released from prison and maybe aren't as active but not fully retired. I imagine some are direct with the admin, others are assigned a capo but are pretty much on a loose leash. And then we have examples of members who's status outshine any rank.

In regards to cattle rustling, it was an important part of the Sicilian economy as was the citrus industry, the ports etc. They tended to dominate local economies with local protection and islandwide cohesion. Today its drugs and immigrant smuggling and no group has overtaken Sicily. Many of the mafia-related surnames can be found back in the 1800's from the same regions.

At its roots, it's a group of blood families in local areas that wanted to maintain a territorial and economic dominance over the locals who relied on each other in the form of an established society that was non-family based. With respect to Buscetta, it bears no semblance to the Carbonari, if you'd like we can discuss this over the phone and I'll lay it all out. I'm not dismissing it entirely but.. if they did borrow/incorporate the Carbonari they essentially looked at a restaurant chain and converted it to fast food, its a much for simpler and straight forward structure and culture. The Mafia, despite its misconception of how organized it is, is efficiently simple.

It's simplicity allows it to transcend time, era, racket, individuals. The ranks, the approach to crime, the cultural aims of honor etc have stayed the same. I think what changes for each individual is the fact that things go bad for them by external factors that they attribute to the mafia, hence it's no longer the same organization they claim. Valachi felt betrayed by Genovese, Fratianno talked too much shit about people in high places, Lonardo blamed the young guys for 'destroying' (getting caught) Cosa Nostra. Gravano and Natale same thing. The organization hasn't changed, these are just interpersonal disputes with results that put the member's allegiance to the organization at risk. And when you take strip away the Mafia process and reduce it to just a structure, where we just see ranks and money and nothing else, its hold on individuals becomes less personally attached.

However, there's more more informants from the Sicilian Gambinos and Bonannos than there have the mainland Genoveses and Chicago. They're not ran on blood family ties but the structure remained intact but seemingly applied differently. For instance these families captains enjoyed larger crews and greater autonomy as opposed to the Sicilian families where captains were often directly tied to the boss and their support was vital.

Maybe you'd disagree, but I'd imagine that if you're a captain who committed an error in the Genovese's, let's say Costello is pissed at you, spend him a spa gift card; Chin is pissed at you, unless its a grave error you'd probably live to see another day given you're been successful in the role thus far. "We don't break out captains we kill them," lively reserved to grave infractions, where someone is just totally unmanageable. Switch to the Bonannos, JB didn't like how you acted you were sent back to Sicily, speak negatively of one of Massino's captains and you're dead. And we can bring GJotti in to expain the Colombos, it's purely a Sopranos style organization- money goes up to the Persicos. All are examples of groups with the same structure and hierarchy and status that as individual groups have a precedent for operating very differently.

[Angelo Santino]

And it's been a long day, excuse the grammar mistakes.

[Angelo Santino]

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[SantoClaus]

Does anyone have information about the Sicilians from Racalmuto on Railway Street in Hamilton? Or the Calabrese from Railway Street?

Sorry if the information has been already shared.

[sdeitche]

- Early NYC member Salvatore Cina was from Agrigento and started out in Tampa, a family dominated by Agrigentesi, before ending up in Manhattan in the early 1900s. Early Tampa boss Ignazio Italiano was from Agrigento and did the reverse, first living in Manahttan for a time before going to Tampa.

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I did not know this about Italiano! Though makes sense as most of them came through NY/Ellis Island. Thanks for the info. I have some great photos of Ignazio from his great grand-daughter. Will try to post here (always seem to have issues).

Within the Agrigento province, an overwhelming majority of Tampa Sicilians came from the villages of Allesandria Della Rocca and Santo Stefano Quisquina like the Cacciatores, Trafficantes, Diecidues, Ippolitos, etc.

Cina, of Bivona, wrote people from Tampa-
Filippo Giglio, bro in law. Once Tampa and the other Ybor with address 2107 11th Ave. It's one or the other.
Francesco Mobia, cousin, West Tampa

Cina's bro in Law Vincent Giglio wrote to
Vincent Giglio's wife, Giovanna lived in West Tampa, 245 Oak St
"Mr. Greco Giuseppe", West Tampa, 836 Oak St
Angelo Giglio, cousin, 146 Oak St, West Tampa


I have people from Birmingham who were incarcerated in the 10's also, they wrote people in Tampa (not sure if they are connected or not.)
Giuseppe Ramatta, he wrote to
wife Carmela (Vicari), 141 Arch St, Tampa and later on 236 Oak St.
brother Enrico, 215 Fortune St.

Stefano Vicari of Birmingham also wrote:
Giuseppe Vicari, 246 Oak St, Tampa
Even if these last two guys aren't connected in any way to OC, it makes me wonder if Birmingham and Tampa had more connections? Looks like Oak Street might be a place to check.

All those addresses on Oak Ave (ther eis no Oak Street, unless that's an historic name)., which are a 5 min walk to from my office here in downtown Tampa, are parking lots and part of Armature Works: https://armatureworks.com/

I those were on East Oak Ave, that's a little further east and close to Ybor CIty.

[Antiliar]

According to this site Oak Street was renamed Union Street in 1927:
https://www.tampapix.com/howard3.htm

Found an article in the Tampa Tribune from April 22, 1926 discussing street name changes to be effective on May 16, including Oak Street to Union Street.

[B.]

On the topic of the Gambino family Sciacchitani, by the 1950s/60s a number of members (around seven at least) with heritage from Sciacca were with the Franco-Lombardozzi crew. Specifically Sciacca and not other Agrigento towns.

This crew had Calabrian captains and a chunk of Calabrian/mainland members and it's likely by the time of Franco-Lombardozzi leadership these Sciacchitani were with this crew due to the Brooklyn common denominator. It does stand out that they kept these Sciacchitani together in the same crew, especially given many of them weren't made until the 1940s/50s and it's not known if their fathers were involved.

[Angelo Santino]

Do we have the lineages of the Gambino Sciaccatani crews?

I know Accurso Di Mino, Filippo and Vincenzo Lo Cicero and the two guys Gentile named as Captains in the 30's were all of this faction. is there any continuity or connection between these captains/crews?

I tried tracing the Neapolitan membership back it seems like they were a later rendition, the 40's. They appeared to have been brought in as individuals and placed into preexisting crews in the traditional fashion. I was trying to find the roots of Dellacroce's crew and it appears to trace back to Sicilians or at least crews with Sicilian captains.

[sdeitche]

According to this site Oak Street was renamed Union Street in 1927:
https://www.tampapix.com/howard3.htm

Found an article in the Tampa Tribune from April 22, 1926 discussing street name changes to be effective on May 16, including Oak Street to Union Street.

Thanks. Tampa has changed a bunch of street names over the years.

So these are all located in West Tampa, another ethnic enclave of Italian/Cubam/Spanish . Like Ybor, a couple miles to the east, West Tampa was an epicenter of the cigar industry.

[Antiliar]

Do we have the lineages of the Gambino Sciaccatani crews?

I know Accurso Di Mino, Filippo and Vincenzo Lo Cicero and the two guys Gentile named as Captains in the 30's were all of this faction. is there any continuity or connection between these captains/crews?

I tried tracing the Neapolitan membership back it seems like they were a later rendition, the 40's. They appeared to have been brought in as individuals and placed into preexisting crews in the traditional fashion. I was trying to find the roots of Dellacroce's crew and it appears to trace back to Sicilians or at least crews with Sicilian captains.

Another crew that could be of interest is Umberto Valenti's. He came from Barcellona in Messina, and after he was killed in 1922 his successor was Joe Biondo, who also came from there. Charles (Rosario) Dongarra, who was also in that crew, came from Gangi, which is in the far east end of the province of Palermo.

Saverio Virzi operated very close to that area too.

[bronx]

dongarra was old school guy..malandrino

[Angelo Santino]

Do we have the lineages of the Gambino Sciaccatani crews?

I know Accurso Di Mino, Filippo and Vincenzo Lo Cicero and the two guys Gentile named as Captains in the 30's were all of this faction. is there any continuity or connection between these captains/crews?

I tried tracing the Neapolitan membership back it seems like they were a later rendition, the 40's. They appeared to have been brought in as individuals and placed into preexisting crews in the traditional fashion. I was trying to find the roots of Dellacroce's crew and it appears to trace back to Sicilians or at least crews with Sicilian captains.

Another crew that could be of interest is Umberto Valenti's. He came from Barcellona in Messina, and after he was killed in 1922 his successor was Joe Biondo, who also came from there. Charles (Rosario) Dongarra, who was also in that crew, came from Gangi, which is in the far east end of the province of Palermo.

Saverio Virzi operated very close to that area too.

Wasn't Valente under Di Mino? While Gentile didn't directly say that he strongly implied that Di Mino headed up the Lo Monte murder while Valente carried it out.

[Antiliar]

Do we have the lineages of the Gambino Sciaccatani crews?

I know Accurso Di Mino, Filippo and Vincenzo Lo Cicero and the two guys Gentile named as Captains in the 30's were all of this faction. is there any continuity or connection between these captains/crews?

I tried tracing the Neapolitan membership back it seems like they were a later rendition, the 40's. They appeared to have been brought in as individuals and placed into preexisting crews in the traditional fashion. I was trying to find the roots of Dellacroce's crew and it appears to trace back to Sicilians or at least crews with Sicilian captains.

Another crew that could be of interest is Umberto Valenti's. He came from Barcellona in Messina, and after he was killed in 1922 his successor was Joe Biondo, who also came from there. Charles (Rosario) Dongarra, who was also in that crew, came from Gangi, which is in the far east end of the province of Palermo.

Saverio Virzi operated very close to that area too.

Wasn't Valente under Di Mino? While Gentile didn't directly say that he strongly implied that Di Mino headed up the Lo Monte murder while Valente carried it out.

You may be correct. Some of what he wrote is hard to decipher.

[B.]

We were talking about Messina not too long ago. John Avena had ties to others from Messina in NYC. Philly boss Joe Bruno Dovi was from Barcellona like Valenti and Biondo. I've wondered if Dovi's ascension to boss in the 1930s was aided at all by Biondo being such a powerful figure in NYC at the time.

I have a tendency to assume anyone from Messina in that era had little to no mafia connection in Sicily and became connected after immigrating to the US but it might be naive to believe there wasn't more mafia presence/influence in Messina earlier on. The Sicilian mafia went to the US and spread like wildfire across a large new country, so seems unlikely they would leave Messina mostly untouched on their own little island.

In Philadelphia, which may have had the largest Messinese membership, we see them gravitating toward the Calabrians and possibly serving as an intermediate group between the Calabrians and Sicilians which would make sense both geographically and culturally. The city of Messina itself may have had closer ties to Calabrian criminal elements, too, given it would have been much quicker and easier to take a boat across the strait than travel by horse from the western part of the island.

Valenti went to Sicily with the other condemned leaders in the early 1920s. Would be interesting to know if he had any of his own ties to the Sicilian mafia or if his rise was 100% from his fearsome reputation on the streets of NYC. If it's the latter, it shows that someone could come up completely in the US from a nontraditional mafia background and still expect to petition the powers-that-be in Sicily in the early 1920s. Could guys from mainland backgrounds who were inducted in NYC do the same at that point?

All of these guys with heritage in Sciacca who ended up under the Calabrese Franco-Lombardozzi regime could trace their roots back to Dimino. For as autonomous as this early Sciacchitani faction is said to be by Gentile, they were connected to Valenti the Messinese and some were later placed under Calabrese leaders. Magaddino was recorded talking about a visit to Pittsburgh (time period not specified) where he was shocked that they had Sicilians reporting to a Calabrese capodecina, but in NYC this sort of novelty became normal much more quickly.

It could tell us something that a Messinese (Valenti), with proximity to Calabria, would be under a Sciacchitano (Dimino) and that this group would eventually be under Calabrians. Did these Messinese in the D'Aquila/Gambino family serve as a sort of intermediate like they did in Philadelphia? Like Philadelphia, the Gambino family had a significant Calabrian element alongside the Sicilians.

Side note, but it seems pretty clear Dimino was a leader. Is he ever specifically called a capodecina? I've wondered if D'Aquila may have had a Sciacchitano underboss given the number of members from there and the significance of their faction.

[Angelo Santino]

Wasn't Valente under Di Mino? While Gentile didn't directly say that he strongly implied that Di Mino headed up the Lo Monte murder while Valente carried it out.

You may be correct. Some of what he wrote is hard to decipher.

I could also be wrong. When we did the article, the thinking was that he was under Di Mino. If your thinking has changed/evolved I'd love to hear it.

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Messina. In the 1890's there's was a Bottini? Bettini? Something from Messina who was arrested with Nick Taranto and the other Palermitans. The 1880's to the 1900's reported no documented activity from Messina but some reports placed Messina with a crime rate comparable to Palermo so something was going on. But given that Messina borders Calabria there was likely smuggling involved, who knows if the Mafia had a part in that or not. One source in the 1920's later described Messina as a mafia stronghold. Can't verify it's accuracy.

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In the 1910's there was Filippo Lo Cicero who dates back to Lupo. There was Accurso Di Mineo in the later 1910's. In the 1920's there was Vincenzo Lo Cicero as per Gentile. In the 1930's we have (B. Please correct me if I'm wrong) Parlapiano and Trupia as Sciaccatani faction captains.

I wonder how early the Sciaccatani were in Brooklyn. Unless Brooklyn answered to the city, it's possible the Gambinos had a Sciaccatani-based crew in Brooklyn. Vincenzo DiLeonardo perhaps? He arrived in 1895.
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Battista Balsamo is another interesting figure, just not for what Bill Balsamo made him out to be. The guy was from Partinico and lived in Brooklyn, he likely had relatives in Detroit. But going back to the mafia's version of 'factions' we have someone from Partinico living Brooklyn affiliated with the Gambinos in what could possibly be an early Detroit connection.