"Duollantomo Illiru"
He, along with Bonanno, seems to have given Magaddino headaches related to Canada. "Illiru" and Johnny Burns apparently visited Magaddino when they were having trouble with the Calabrese in Canada (Cotroni and co.? On a side note, it sounds like there was conflict between the Sicilians and Calabrians in Canada when Joe Bonanno tried to establish himself there, possibly related to "collecting taxes"). At the time of this recording, "Illiru" is in jail.
Johnny Papalia had a lot of problems with the Contronis, don't know if he was IP over the years.
"Elmo", "Giovanni Ciurnia", "Tony Adamo", and "Leo Ferrari"
"Bill Loffa" mentions having attended a meeting with these guys and the aforementioned "Mo". He also mentions this in the same context as Angelo Caruso having been part of a different borgata than "our borgata" at one point, meaning maybe Caruso was with a different family pre-1930's. Other people mentioned are Bill Bonanno, Joe Notaro, Charlie Battaglia, and a "Mickey"
Micky=Micky Zaffarano who headed Mirra's crew before he died of a heart attack?
They talk about Johnny Papalia at length in this transcript, so I don't think "Illiru' is him. Almost sounds like it could have been an early member of the Montreal Sicilian faction
I’m just spit-balling but here are my comments (some of which have already been made by others).
“Bill’ profile with page number.
-Probably Sicilian p 8, 15
-“He’s no longer in NY, he went to California” p 21 Implies Bill lives in NY/ not California
-“… it was from us in Montreal” p 41 Implies Bill is a member of the same crime family in Montreal, which is Bonanno.
-“I can do it” p 71 Bill puts his name forward to be boss of the Bonanno Family. Joseph and Bill Bonanno aside, only a NYC-area Bonanno member could hope to be boss of the family.
These details appear to show Bill was a senior Bonanno Crime Family member from the NYC-area.
“Dannarao”
-Deceased capo in charge of 10-12 other capos.
-Ordered the killing of his underboss (unclear if the hit happened)
-Magaddino calls Dannarao a “capodecina like them” which implies he was something less than a full boss
-Needs to answer to Magaddino (and the Commission) about the contract. If Dannarao was part of the Gambino Crime Family, it would suggest the meeting happened after Albert Anastasia was killed and before Carlo Gambino was appointed boss. That would be sometime between 1957 and 1960.
Armando Rava might fit the profile best.
After Anastasia was killed, the family splits into two factions: Carlo Gambino/Armando Rava. Rava initially thinks he can replace Anastasia. He actually might have the support of the majority (10-12) of capos/members, including Dellacroce and Johnny Robilotto.
But Gambino and his faction were in on the hit, and had already lined up the support of Genovese and Lucchese before it took place. Robilotto has friends and he is quickly set straight by Genovese/Strollo about what’s really going on and swings his support to Gambino. (This is supported by Intel from a high-ranking Gambino informant at Apalachin, and partially by Valachi) Rava issues a contract on Robilotto, that doesn’t get filled right away.
In the meantime, the Apalachin meeting is called and both men attend to represent their factions.
The contract reaches the ears of Magaddino and the Commission (who secretly support Gambino), and they tear into Rava at Apalachin. The Robilotto hit is called off; Rava loses the power struggle and is killed soon after. Gambino is made temporary boss and then official boss sometime about 1960.
If "Dannarao" is a Gambino Family member, I can’t see another timeline and opportunity that affords Magaddino a chance to reprimand a Gambino member (non-boss) in the scenario laid out in the transcript.
“Dannarao” could be a mangled version of Armando Rava.
“Bobo”
"Bobo" is probably a reference to Charles Battaglia, the sometime Bonanno Crime Family representative in Tucson. As I understand it, Battaglia transferred to the Bonanno Crime Family from the LA Family about this time, and seems to have regretted it and wanted to transfer back. Magaddino refers to the alleged affair between Charles Battaglia’s wife and brother. Before he’s interrupted, “Bill” seems to suggest that Bobo is the same guy whose wife had the affair.
“Lasaglia”
Magaddino comment about 500 miles vs. 3,000 miles suggests Frank lives in California. Roughly, LA is 500 miles from Tucson and 3,000 from east coast.
Frank seems to have gone to the Commission to resolve a problem with Joe Bonanno. I can’t imagine there are many people, other than a fellow boss, who could seek or want to seek redress for a problem from the Commission. So it sounds like Frank is a boss.
Frank appears to be ashamed he was so weak he had to get the Commission’s help.
Magaddino mentions it’s the job of the Commission to prevent “blood being spilled”.
In this context, these comments could be a reference to the time Joe Bonanno tried to set up in California and Frank DeSimone had to call on the Commission to order him out. Intel elsewhere on MF shows DeSimone was also embarrassed about calling on the Commission to sort it out.
DeSimone was a lawyer. “Lasaglie” could be a mangled reference to lawyer/legal.
You backed up my thoughts on "Bill Loffa" nicely. He is also described as sounding "elderly" and from some of his comments, it's clear he has a long history in NYC and in particular with the Bonannos. Aside from those general details matching Nick Alfano, I also recall that Alfano did some traveling during this period on behalf of the administration (to Montreal for example) and may have even been the consigliere for a time. It would make sense that he would be traveling with Paul Sciacca, who was stepping up as a leader. Finally, there could be a phonetic connection between "Bill Loffa" and "Alfano" as you have strong L and F sounds at the core of both names.
That theory about Rava and Appalachin also sounds very plausible. It's bound to sound a bit different through Magaddino's rambling filter, not to mention he's probably not getting the facts 100% right, but it at least gives us something.
-Deceased capo in charge of 10-12 other capos.
-Ordered the killing of his underboss (unclear if the hit happened)
-Magaddino calls Dannarao a “capodecina like them” which implies he was something less than a full boss
-Needs to answer to Magaddino (and the Commission) about the contract. If Dannarao was part of the Gambino Crime Family, it would suggest the meeting happened after Albert Anastasia was killed and before Carlo Gambino was appointed boss. That would be sometime between 1957 and 1960.
Armando Rava might fit the profile best.
After Anastasia was killed, the family splits into two factions: Carlo Gambino/Armando Rava. Rava initially thinks he can replace Anastasia. He actually might have the support of the majority (10-12) of capos/members, including Dellacroce and Johnny Robilotto.
But Gambino and his faction were in on the hit, and had already lined up the support of Genovese and Lucchese before it took place. Robilotto has friends and he is quickly set straight by Genovese/Strollo about what’s really going on and swings his support to Gambino. (This is supported by Intel from a high-ranking Gambino informant at Apalachin, and partially by Valachi) Rava issues a contract on Robilotto, that doesn’t get filled right away.
In the meantime, the Apalachin meeting is called and both men attend to represent their factions.
The contract reaches the ears of Magaddino and the Commission (who secretly support Gambino), and they tear into Rava at Apalachin. The Robilotto hit is called off; Rava loses the power struggle and is killed soon after. Gambino is made temporary boss and then official boss sometime about 1960.
If "Dannarao" is a Gambino Family member, I can’t see another timeline and opportunity that affords Magaddino a chance to reprimand a Gambino member (non-boss) in the scenario laid out in the transcript.
“Dannarao” could be a mangled version of Armando Rava.
Here´s the timeline (as we know it)
- Anastasia hit
- Commission meeting in NJ where the bosses decides to appoint Gambino as boss provisionally
- Apalachin meeting
- Rava killed
- Robilotto shot to death
If we assume that "Dannarao" is a Gambino member, and that "he ordered the hit on his underboss" went down as an actual hit, I can´t see "Dannarao" being anybody else but Johnny Roberts. Rava went missing right after the Apalachin meeting, and Roberts was killed close to a year after the meeting. Unless Rava was still alive when Roberts was killed, "Dannarao" must be Johnny Roberts. Phonetically, "Dannarao" doesn´t seem to fit with "Johnny Roberts" but who´s to say Magaddino didn´t refer to Johnny Roberts as Johnny Rob.
Good points. I probably should have said that Gambino went into Apalachin as provisional boss. And I agree my scenario doesn’t make sense if the hit went down.
But if Robilotto was the leader of Anastasia loyalists and Rava was something like an underboss, why did Rava join Gambino at Apalachin and not Robilotto? I always thought Rava attended as leader of the pro-Anastasia faction. Maybe I have that wrong.
As you know, Robilotto had trouble getting inducted into LCN. I thought he might have found it difficult to lead the Anastasia loyalists and vie to be boss, ahead of Rava and Dellacroce.
I think it's interesting that Magaddino accuses Bonanno of "fleeing" a borgata 45 years ago. How do you guys decode that comment? Presumably Magaddino is talking about the cosca in CDG. If my math is right we're talking about 1920. JB would have been rather young. Even if Stefano is talking about 1924, according to JB he left Sicily to a) get away from the Fascists and b) find more economic opportunities (and adventure) in America.
So is Stefano accusing JB of "fleeing" his responsibilities to the borgata? That doesn't make sense because Stefano left CDG too. Maybe there is a simpler explanation i'm overlooking.
I think it's interesting that Magaddino accuses Bonanno of "fleeing" a borgata 45 years ago. How do you guys decode that comment? Presumably Magaddino is talking about the cosca in CDG. If my math is right we're talking about 1920. JB would have been rather young. Even if Stefano is talking about 1924, according to JB he left Sicily to a) get away from the Fascists and b) find more economic opportunities (and adventure) in America.
So is Stefano accusing JB of "fleeing" his responsibilities to the borgata? That doesn't make sense because Stefano left CDG too. Maybe there is a simpler explanation i'm overlooking.
Oh yeah, that part stood out to me. Hard to say what he means, really.
If I remember Bonanno's book right, he mentions being made sometime after coming to America, but the ceremony more or less consisted of a dinner. If that was actually his making ceremony, I think he's covering up the fact that he went through the traditional "gun and knife" ceremony for whatever reason. However, I suppose it could be possible that he was made before he left Sicily and the dinner was more of a way to recognize his membership in NY, hence not going through the usual ritual. If that were the case, Stefano's comments would make more sense.
I mean, we know JB wasn't associated with another family when he came to the US. He joined his relatives and townfolk and had no reason to do anything else. It could be possible that Magaddino is saying Bonanno had a problem with another family and "fled" in response, but hard to say.
Maybe because Magaddino sent Willie Moretti to pick him up he expected him to join his borgata, but instead went to Brooklyn. If that scenario fits, then perhaps to Magaddino Bonanno "fled" his borgata.
As interesting this document is, it´s also confusing. I think we have to keep in mind Magaddino´s obvious hatred against Bonanno (and this was not a one way street) which tainted his view on events. Another thing to keep in mind is we don´t know the quality of the recording. If you put ten men in a line and ask the first guy to whisper (let´s say) "I´m a fan of Marilyn Monroe" in the second guy´s ear and before this line reaches the tenth guy, it would probably be changed into "I´d love to fuck Marilyn Manson". I´m sure the feds did the best work they could with the recording, but who´s to say they did not make fatal errors when A - translating what was said, and B - failing to hear the words correctly.
Antiliar wrote:Maybe because Magaddino sent Willie Moretti to pick him up he expected him to join his borgata, but instead went to Brooklyn. If that scenario fits, then perhaps to Magaddino Bonanno "fled" his borgata.
Yes, this could very well be what Magaddino meant by "Bonanno fleeing a borgata". Moretti was connected to the Buffalo Family before joining Masseria/Luciano.
I wish we knew more about Santo Sorge. According to some documents, Sorge was scheduled to take over the Bonanno Family but this never happened. Wasn´t Sorge a member who had presence in both NY and Cali? I think I read that somewhere but possibly I´m confusing him with somebody else (?). Doesn´t Sorge/Sorga kinda sound like "Loffa"?
I wish we knew more about Sorge. I don't think the name sounds anything like Loffa, though, and I'm not so sure he was a member of the Bonannos, though I know he's been listed with them before. Bill Bonanno mentions him as a member of the Sicilian mafia.I still don't think he matches very well with "Loffa" either way, who seems to be much more connected to what's been going on within the NYC Cosa Nostra since at least the 1930s.
toto wrote:Another suggestion for Bill Loffa could be Natale Evola.
Oh yeah, I could def see "Bill Loffa" being a mistranslation of "Evola".
Does anyone know the exact years that Evola was in prison during the 1960s? I believe he was away during the early part of the Bonanno war at least but I'm not sure when he got out. Never heard of him being involved at all.
toto wrote:Another suggestion for Bill Loffa could be Natale Evola.
Oh yeah, I could def see "Bill Loffa" being a mistranslation of "Evola".
Does anyone know the exact years that Evola was in prison during the 1960s? I believe he was away during the early part of the Bonanno war at least but I'm not sure when he got out. Never heard of him being involved at all.
Evola was given a mandatory release on March 21st 1966. Since the recording was made in Jan 1965, Evola can not have been "Loffa".
