Who runs the DeCavalcantes?

[B.]

Another note, but the newer member Luigi Oliveri's parents immigranted to Elizabeth from Partinico, Sicily. I'm not familiar with any other DeCavs from there but the town has a deep mafia history. John Riggi was reported as personally inducting Oliveri. From the info that came out of the Stango case and some other research I've been able to do, Oliveri just seems to be a kid who grew up on the streets of Elizabeth but I would be curious if any of the Sicilian experts on here know of any Oliveris connected to the Partinico mafia, or Partinico connections to Jersey.

[B.]

Anthony DeMaio was another member related to the Majuris and Merlos through marriage. His wife was a Merlo and related to Majuri's mother as well as being a cousin of the DeCav Merlos. This group of guys all operated closely together, very similar to the sort of kinship mafia relationships you see in the early Sicilian-US mafia.

[Chaps]

This is why they always fascinated me, even before all the "Real Sopranos" hype. They seem to have those old school kinship patterns we see in the earliest families in the U.S. Also, they seem to be closest to what we see in a Sicilian cosca (at least at one time).

[NJShore4Life]

You should see the younger morons they have running around these days...

[Chaps]

I know NJShore. I can only imagine. After that last indictment it kind of hit me that the best thing about them is pretty much nonexistent in the modern age.

[B.]

Some of the other guys busted with Oliveri were wiggers along the lines of the younger Stango. That seems to be the case down the line.

[Frank]

Stango and others wanted to kill Oliveri, who was made by Riggi? This happened while Riggi was still alive? They state that he was claiming to be made, but wasn't. Is this the same guy? That is an interesting scenario.

[B.]

As far as what's been made available, Oliveri is an inducted member, though there was controversy surrounding it. I have seen more recent photos of an Italian festival in Peterstown and Oliveri can be seen in photos working as a vendor, so he still has a public presence in Peterstown/Elizabeth which could be seen as a sign that he hasn't been shelved or "chased" in the wake of all this.

This was from the indictment:

VICTIM-1, aka "the Pet," aka "the Mutt" ("V -1 ") is a "made" member of the
DCF. There is currently a dispute among the current leadership of the enterprise as to
whether V-1 was rightly "made." The dispute focuses on whether V-1 's capo had the
right to have V -1 "made" a member of the DCF. V -1 is alleged to be part of another
DCF "crew" run by the other DCF capo. V -1 maintains a residence in Elizabeth, New
Jersey, and V-1 'screw operates in the Elizabeth, New Jersey-area.

- One of the issues Staino had with Oliveri was that Oliveri claimed that the undercover agent who was posing as an associate of Stango was "bad", meaning an informant or undercover agent (which Oliveri was correct about). Stango tried to force Oliveri to continue doing business with the undercover agent. There had also been an issue over who the undercover agent originally belonged to, Stango or Oliveri. Similarly, it seems Stango felt Oliveri originally belonged to him and not the other captain, "Big Head".

- Another issue was that Oliveri had insulted the family's acting boss "Horse" at a gathering believed to have taken place at the Ribera Club. Stango's issues were not only with Oliveri, but other unspecified members under Oliveri's captain, called "Big Head". Stango complained that "Big Head's" crew had betrayed him.

- Stango told Paul Colella, the associate and go-between with Frank Nigro, that he refused to recognize both Oliveri and Oliveri's captain and implied there were others doing the same, though he said he didn't care if the family punished him (Stango) for this, which indicates it was not a unanimous sentiment in the organization. Frank Nigro sent word to Stango that he could say whatever he wanted about Oliveri, but the same did not apply to Oliveri's captain. Stango spoke to street boss "Milk" who told him the same thing. Colella told Stango the reason for this was because they didn't have anybody who could replace "Big Head" as captain and "they're trying to keep him with us."

- As a result of the different issues with Oliveri, Stango wanted the undercover agent to have him (Oliveri) killed or at least severely maimed, ultimately deciding on murder. While the plan was to hire bikers from outside of Elizabeth to commit the murder and the planning had the markings of a sneak hit, Stango told the undercover agent he had the support of consigliere Frank Nigro and apparently others within the family. Nigro was recorded giving his support to the plan but said to hold off and Stango claimed they were waiting for the approval of "Milk".

They were still discussing the plan to murder Oliveri with Nigro still on board and apparently there was going to be a meeting in Las Vegas to discuss it. Stango was also supposed to travel to NJ. Around this time, Stango's son Anthony received text messages from Oliveri or another member of Oliveri's crew, which apparently included a photo of Oliveri and other crew members, which the Stangos felt was an insult. There was an exchange of text message insults between Anthony Stango and whoever sent the messages. Anthony Stango or someone close to the Stangos also received insulting Facebook messages from Oliveri or someone in Oliveri's crew. Charles Stango's nephew (whose name is not given) was close to Oliveri and likely part of the same crew, with Stango's hatred also extending toward this nephew. The most recent info was that the DeCav leadership was still trying to decide what to do about Oliveri, meanwhile Stango had instructed the undercover agent to move forward with the murder which obviously didn't happen.

- I'm curious about Stango's nephew. An unidentified cousin of Stango was reportedly proposed for membership around the same time that Stango himself was. It's not clear if the nephew is a made member of "Big Head's" crew or simply an associate but it seems he is with that group as well as Oliveri. I would be curious if the nephew and cousin of Stango are one and the same or if Stango has both a nephew and cousin involved with the DeCav family. It's not uncommon for someone, especially these guys, to call a younger second cousin a "nephew" or something similar.

--

- There is a vague reference in an unrelated report I saw that claims Majuri was the family's "acting boss" after he was on the ruling panel; it clearly makes a distinction between the two. I thought he was off the streets once the panel was disbanded but I suppose it's possible he was still acting in a leadership role from prison. John Riggi was reportedly doing very little to direct the family by the late 1990s, which is why the family and particularly Majuri were planning to force Riggi to step down once he was released (as reported by JD), so it seems possible Majuri had influence from prison. For comparison's sake, one of the Colombo indictments some years back reported that Allie Boy Persico was the acting boss from prison, though his father was official boss and Andy Russo was the street boss. What this means is Allie Persico was giving orders from prison even though he was not the official boss. Given Riggi's declining influence and Majuri's large number of mafia relatives, it could have been another situation like that. Also like the Colombos, the DeCavs are described as having both an acting boss and a street boss at the same time, though in the case of the DeCavs they were both out of prison by the time of the Stango investigation.

- In addition to saying that "Milk's" family is the "root of the tree" from Sicily, Stango says "Milk and them" are "from 1910". As I mentioned earlier, the Merlos were among the first known Riberesi to settle in the Elizabeth area, being there shortly after the turn of the 20th century and running a dairy farm. I have never seen anything about the early family patriarch Michele Merlo being a member but it's entirely possible given the membership of his descendants and the Merlos' ties to other DeCavalcante members. With Joe Merlo Sr. being known by the nickname "Joe Milk" as I said earlier and the Merlo family's early presence in Elizabeth, Joe Merlo Jr. or Mike Merlo seem like the strongest candidates by far for "Milk". Scoops Licata was also recorded discussing the DeCavalcantes just under ten years ago and said the family at that time was being run by the sons of an earlier leader; "Joe Milk" Merlo never had a leadership role to my knowledge but the Merlos are two of the only known sons (plural) ID'd as current members, so this could add to the theory.

- Someone on here speculated a while back that "Horse" could be a play on "Charlie Horse". From the Stango indictment, it appears that street boss "Milk" was more involved in handling the direct affairs of the family rather than the acting boss "Horse". Along with being cousins, we know that Joe Merlo Jr. was a soldier who reported direct to Charlie Majuri when he was on the panel. If one of the Merlos was or is the street boss operating on behalf of the acting boss, it would be logical if Majuri was the acting boss with Merlo as the street boss, essentially an evolution of their earlier relationship, especially if Majuri had been an acting boss earlier (whether in prison, defacto, or otherwise).

[Mikeymike12]

Seems to me like they have a decent amount of action and/or guys around the Tom river area.

Wonder if they still have a close relationship with the Gambinos like in the late 80’s n 90’s . Wonder about Philly and them

[Stroccos]

- Someone on here speculated a while back that "Horse" could be a play on "Charlie Horse". From the Stango indictment, it appears that street boss "Milk" was more involved in handling the direct affairs of the family rather than the acting boss "Horse". Along with being cousins, we know that Joe Merlo Jr. was a soldier who reported direct to Charlie Majuri when he was on the panel. If one of the Merlos was or is the street boss operating on behalf of the acting boss, it would be logical if Majuri was the acting boss with Merlo as the street boss, essentially an evolution of their earlier relationship, especially if Majuri had been an acting boss earlier (whether in prison, defacto, or otherwise).

B is there any chance Gaetano vastola is horse ? he owned horse farm ? I read somewhere s he was acting boss for riggi 89-91

[B.]

Seems to me like they have a decent amount of action and/or guys around the Tom river area.

Wonder if they still have a close relationship with the Gambinos like in the late 80’s n 90’s . Wonder about Philly and them

Well, one of the more quoteable parts of the Stango indictment was him talking about "Milk's" family and the DeCavalcante organization's history, saying:

CS: ...okay this proves he's the oldest crew in the country. They
start, they originated the five families. Okay?
UC: Right.
CS: And now we run under the f**kin' Gambinos.

- Someone on here speculated a while back that "Horse" could be a play on "Charlie Horse". From the Stango indictment, it appears that street boss "Milk" was more involved in handling the direct affairs of the family rather than the acting boss "Horse". Along with being cousins, we know that Joe Merlo Jr. was a soldier who reported direct to Charlie Majuri when he was on the panel. If one of the Merlos was or is the street boss operating on behalf of the acting boss, it would be logical if Majuri was the acting boss with Merlo as the street boss, essentially an evolution of their earlier relationship, especially if Majuri had been an acting boss earlier (whether in prison, defacto, or otherwise).

B is there any chance Gaetano vastola is horse ? he owned horse farm ? I read somewhere s he was acting boss for riggi 89-91

In the 1970s Vastola tried to use his relationship with Sammy Davis Jr. through the music business to set up a horse farm in NJ named for Davis but Davis backed out and I'm not sure what else came of it or if he was associated with horses beyond that. He wasn't a member at the time. He also lives in Colts Neck which could be seen as another horse reference but I seriously doubt it's him. Between his age, his poor reputation spanning decades, and the unlikelihood of him showing up at a Ribera Club event (as "Horse" did), it seems unlikely though I'll never say never when it comes to this stuff.

Not only was he not acting boss during 89-91, he was in extremely poor standing in the family and slated to be murdered for matters related to his brother-in-law and fellow soldier Danny Annunziata's behavior surrounding the Weiss murder. Vastola was also convicted on racketeering charges in 1988 and out on bail until sentencing in 1990, all around not in a position to do much. For whatever reason, maybe the music business and Hesh / Sopranos connections, Vastola's name has been the source of a lot of hype and misinformation with no basis in reality.

[Stroccos]

Seems to me like they have a decent amount of action and/or guys around the Tom river area.

Wonder if they still have a close relationship with the Gambinos like in the late 80’s n 90’s . Wonder about Philly and them

Well, one of the more quoteable parts of the Stango indictment was him talking about "Milk's" family and the DeCavalcante organization's history, saying:

CS: ...okay this proves he's the oldest crew in the country. They
start, they originated the five families. Okay?
UC: Right.
CS: And now we run under the f**kin' Gambinos.

- Someone on here speculated a while back that "Horse" could be a play on "Charlie Horse". From the Stango indictment, it appears that street boss "Milk" was more involved in handling the direct affairs of the family rather than the acting boss "Horse". Along with being cousins, we know that Joe Merlo Jr. was a soldier who reported direct to Charlie Majuri when he was on the panel. If one of the Merlos was or is the street boss operating on behalf of the acting boss, it would be logical if Majuri was the acting boss with Merlo as the street boss, essentially an evolution of their earlier relationship, especially if Majuri had been an acting boss earlier (whether in prison, defacto, or otherwise).

B is there any chance Gaetano vastola is horse ? he owned horse farm ? I read somewhere s he was acting boss for riggi 89-91

In the 1970s Vastola tried to use his relationship with Sammy Davis Jr. through the music business to set up a horse farm in NJ named for Davis but Davis backed out and I'm not sure what else came of it or if he was associated with horses beyond that. He wasn't a member at the time. He also lives in Colts Neck which could be seen as another horse reference but I seriously doubt it's him. Between his age, his poor reputation spanning decades, and the unlikelihood of him showing up at a Ribera Club event (as "Horse" did), it seems unlikely though I'll never say never when it comes to this stuff.

Not only was he not acting boss during 89-91, he was in extremely poor standing in the family and slated to be murdered for matters related to his brother-in-law and fellow soldier Danny Annunziata's behavior surrounding the Weiss murder. Vastola was also convicted on racketeering charges in 1988 and out on bail until sentencing in 1990, all around not in a position to do much. For whatever reason, maybe the music business and Hesh / Sopranos connections, Vastola's name has been the source of a lot of hype and misinformation with no basis in reality.

just thought I throw it out there don't know much the decavalcantes
Annunziatas is the one who had the connections to horse racing , the theory was he was the front for vastola on the farm , Vaastola also was tied into two guys fixing horse races in the 80's
I am not sure when he was made but i believe he switch over from the colombos to the DeCavalcantes

[B.]

Annunziata was made in the 1970s, Vastola in 1982. Not sure if they were with another family earlier, but they were on record with the DeCavalcantes by the 1960s. Vastola was close to Funzie Tieri and the Brooklyn Genovese crew(s), being related to Genovese soldier Dominick Caiffone.

[Frank]

Annunziata was made in the 1970s, Vastola in 1982. Not sure if they were with another family earlier, but they were on record with the DeCavalcantes by the 1960s. Vastola was close to Funzie Tieri and the Brooklyn Genovese crew(s), being related to Genovese soldier Dominick Caiffone.

When I read about Vastola, I came up with that theory not being to promising. The Milk being one of the Merlos sounds like a great possibility and a great find.Horse being Marjuri is definitely a possibility. Then there is Guarracci, was he acting boss till death, or was he already not acting boss when in that 2010 Gambino- Philadelphia meeting time period. Miranda is thought to be underboss and acting boss after the ruling panel was disbanded. It would seem kind of strange for Marjuri to be in prison and be acting boss for a boss that is in prison.

[Eld]

Vastola became a Decavalcante associate late 1962, before that he was a Genovese associate, with Ciaffone for seven years.

Vastola's mother and Dominick Ciaffone were first cousins. Then Vastola married the daughter of Ciaffone's sister, which also made Vastola Ciaffone's nephew-in-law. (I think it's called).