Gambino 1960's Chart (in progress)

[B.]

I could see that being the same guy. Similar face shape, jaw line, hair is parted the same way (what's left of it later). Nose looks like it could be similar just different lighting.

[Angelo Santino]

Former Capodecina Tony Geep Sedotto's mother was a Squillante, his father was listed as from Salerno, but his mother from Sarno, Salerno, same place as the other Squillantes in the Gambinos. Tony might find this interesting.

[Angelo Santino]

Dominic Ida is from Scilla and Joe Ida from Philly was from Fiumara, next town over.

There's alot of interesting Philadelphia and Gambino connections.
1 Traina/Belmontesi link with the Scafidis in S Jersey
2 Calabrians that appeared to be originally with Anastasia. I disremember there names right now but B will know.
3 Search function doesn't allot me to find it but I previously wrote about someone who was shot/killed in the mid 1920's who came from E 12, a Gambino stronghold. Deolato? Not the Lanzettis. I think the guy was Messinese if I recall.
Nonrelated related-
4 In searching for the above, I found an Atlanta inmate who wrote to Joe Ida at 735 Christian St which has to be our Joe Ida. Same guy wrote to a Sam Muratore in Brooklyn. I've encountered more than 10 inmates in Atlanta and Leavensworth who wrote to this name in Brooklyn. I've never been able to find his identity. He was alive in the 1920's but given who was writing to this guy my thinking is he was Calabrese, maybe even Reggio Calabrese.

[B.]

Another little-known Gambino connection is Angelo Bruno was a first cousin of the Spitaleris, Gambino father and son zips from Villafrate. Bruno, Vallelunga boss Calogero Sinatra, and Spitaleri were first cousins through their mothers who were sisters. Shows Villafrate, Villabate, and Vallelunga mafia clans intermarried over there.

Pretty sure at least the father Giosue and probably the son Alfonso were made in Villafrate and transferred to the Gambinos based on when they arrived to the US. They were with the Patsy Conte crew for a time and worked for his business.

[JoelTurner]

Looking up Antonino Rizzo, Palermo born, few things
1 His mother was a Virga, Palermo mafia name.
2 His daughter married a Gullo, common mafia Nola name.
3 JD's pic of "Anthony Rizzo" doesn't match the one born 1887-1962. He had a son- 1915-1972 could both have been members?
rizzo2.PNGrizzo1.PNG

Was his son “The old man Johnny Rizzo” that Sammy the Bull talks about?

[Antiliar]

Just noting that "Fat Anthony" Ruggiano (1927-1999, Ozone Park, NY) was made in 1953 according to his son. Since the books were closed in 1953 he must have been a replacement for a recently deceased member, or the books may not have been "that" closed.

[B.]

Books were definitely open in NYC in the 1940s and early 1950s. Bunch of member sources talk about it like Scarpa, Santantonio, Dara, Taglialatela.

I used to think it was just the NJ members since we have DeCarlo talking about multiple inductions between 1945-1947 but by 47-53 NYC was bringing in many people too.

Wonder why Valachi thought they didn't open until 54.

[PolackTony]

Books were definitely open in NYC in the 1940s and early 1950s. Bunch of reliable sources talk about it like Scarpa, Santantonio, and others.

I used to think it was just the NJ members since we have DeCarlo talking about multiple inductions between 1945-1947 but by 47 NYC was bringing in many people too.

Wonder why Valachi thought they didn't open until 54.

FWIW, Bill Bonanno made the same claim: that the books were closed from the 1930s-50s. He also specified that this only applied to the NYC and Chicago Families.

[B.]

Yeah, some people seemed to have that impression. All of the 1940s to early 50s inductions noted by Pogo came from member sources provided by me and JD:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=144&p=568&hilit=jack+scalise#p568

- Valachi did say he knew that NYC would send members to other cities to get made and have them transferred back when the books were closed, which is interesting because it predated Nicky Bianco and Allie Persico, but the guys who were made pre-1954 seem to have been made in NYC and not just one-offs sent to other cities like that.

- Aside from the DeCarlo tapes talking about NJ guys, the first time I ever saw reference to pre-1954 inductions was when Scarpa said he was made in 1951 and I assumed he was just off on the year but since then a lot more evidence has surfaced that NYC opened their books after WWII and continued into the early part of the next decade

- I think 1954 is when they really started a recruitment drive though and that's when many sources say they lowered their standards. A lot of the guys made pre-1954 seem to have been well-deserving of membership but some of the 1954-1957 guys weren't (by traditional standards at least).

- Ruggiano being made in 1953 is supported by Freddy Santantonio who told the FBI he himself was made that year, same with Gambino member Tony Leggio. Santantonio also ID'd a number of guys from his decina who were made before him going back to the late 1940s.

[Raven]

Here's Arthur Leo's WWII draft reg. card and a few other items i was able to find. The birth date on the draft card matches the one given in Organized Crime and Illicit Traffic in Narcotics hearings. In census records, his father is listed as Jack Leo, born in the New York.

[Raven]

Other Death Record

[PolackTony]

Yeah, some people seemed to have that impression. All of the 1940s to early 50s inductions noted by Pogo came from member sources provided by me and JD:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=144&p=568&hilit=jack+scalise#p568

- Valachi did say he knew that NYC would send members to other cities to get made and have them transferred back when the books were closed, which is interesting because it predated Nicky Bianco and Allie Persico, but the guys who were made pre-1954 seem to have been made in NYC and not just one-offs sent to other cities like that.

- Aside from the DeCarlo tapes talking about NJ guys, the first time I ever saw reference to pre-1954 inductions was when Scarpa said he was made in 1951 and I assumed he was just off on the year but since then a lot more evidence has surfaced that NYC opened their books after WWII and continued into the early part of the next decade

- I think 1954 is when they really started a recruitment drive though and that's when many sources say they lowered their standards. A lot of the guys made pre-1954 seem to have been well-deserving of membership but some of the 1954-1957 guys weren't (by traditional standards at least).

- Ruggiano being made in 1953 is supported by Freddy Santantonio who told the FBI he himself was made that year, same with Gambino member Tony Leggio. Santantonio also ID'd a number of guys from his decina who were made before him going back to the late 1940s.

Yeah there’s plenty of evidence at this point to show that the books were not continually closed over that whole period.

Valachi’s claim about guys being made in other families and then transferred to NYC would, however, align with Bill Bonnano’s claim that the books were closed only for NYC and Chicago, and that smaller families nationwide were given exceptions.

[Antiliar]

Chicago was making plenty of guys during that period: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=6692

[PolackTony]

Chicago was making plenty of guys during that period: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=6692

Sure, as with NYC there's plenty of reason to believe that Chicago made a bunch of guys over this period when Bill claimed that the books were closed, though we have far less in terms of member sources to actually support when Chicago members were made. There's comparatively more guesswork and reasoning to the best explanation involved, but I think it's pretty evident that Chicago made guys during those decades.

We are thus able to say that Bill's account, as stated (he was very clear and explicit in his claim) is not valid. We're then left with two remaining interpretations: either 1) Bill was completely wrong (And then the question would be why did he believe this to have been the case? Was it based on his father, on Valachi?); or 2) Bill was partially wrong. If 2, then Bill was also partially right. Perhaps the books were closed for Chicago and NYC over long periods, with brief openings to replenish the membership or specific exceptions granted. If that were the case, then the "books were closed" would be the default state over that period, and Bill may have misunderstood or overstated the claim, despite some kernel of truth being buried in his claim.

[JoelTurner]

Was William "Billy Batts" Bentvena a member?

If he was a member in 1970 when he came out of prison, he should have been a member in the 1960s.

I haven’t seen him on a membership list. However, Henry Hill explicitly says Batts was a made man in the Gambino family on pages 115 & 117 of Wiseguy.