Philly making ceremonies (1990's-present) and misc. research

[chin_gigante]

Regarding Michael Ciancaglini’s relationship with his father.

Natale and Scafidi testified that Ciancaglini was not seeing eye-to-eye with his brother Joseph and their imprisoned father at the start of the conflict with Stanfa.

Philadelphia Daily News 03 Apr 2001
Merlino trial hears details of mob hit
Kitty Caparella

Natale said Merlino told him that Joe Jr. was Stanfa's underboss and that "Michael was at odds with him and his father."

Philadelphia Daily News 28 Apr 2001
Mob defense: Who shot who?
Kitty Caparella

"If Joey Merlino would have asked me, that wouldn't have been so bad. But Michael was asking me to kill his brother," said Scafidi.
"Michael told me 'You're going to kill that greaseball [Stanfa] and my brother, and you're going to pull the trigger,'" he added.
"Michael hated his brother and he hated his father," said Scafidi, referring to mobster Joseph "Chickie" Ciancaglini, now serving 45 years in federal prison.
"If he would have talked to his brother, if he would've talked to his father…" the shooting would never have happened, he added.

Following the attempted murder of Joseph F Ciancaglini, Stanfa became convinced that the incarcerated Joseph Ciancaglini Sr, as well as Salvatore Merlino, was advising the 'Young Turks' faction (Anastasia, The Goodfella Tapes, p.131). The elder Ciancaglini's allegiance was also discussed by Piccolo and Avena.

FBI surveillance tape
21 Apr 1993

SALVATORE AVENA: They don't communicate at all, the two brothers?
ANTHONY PICCOLO: From what I understand.
AVENA: And the father's done nothing?
PICCOLO: He joined the other side.
AVENA: So he's against his one son.

Scafidi was also picked up on tape discussing the incarcerated Ciancaglini.

New Jersey State Police surveillance tape
15 Dec 1993

GAETANO SCAFIDI: Going to kill your brother. That's real nice.
JAMES LYNCH: That father must be pulling his hair the fuck out.
SCAFIDI: That's what I, that's what I was thinking. Even my brother said, I'd like to know what Chickie, you know…
LYNCH: Oh, he must be brokenhearted, man.

[B.]

Another big factor in Ciancaglini's role, in addition to everything else mentioned, was that he was on the street while Joey Merlino was in prison. Ciancaglini was responsible for initiating the move against the older members to take over South Philly while Anthony Piccolo was still acting boss, before Stanfa returned. One of the reasons Piccolo was so adamant about inducting a new crew of members in Newark and promoting Newark members to the administration was because he had little control in South Philadelphia where Ciancaglini's group was causing trouble. Of course Merlino was an important part of this early on as well, as the Scarfo Jr. shooting was a massive statement against the old regime.

Merlino also had less standing going into the situation, given his father and uncle had both been demoted and shelved and Merlino himself was chased in the mid-1980s. Ciancaglini Sr. was still an official captain in good standing and his sons had stayed involved prior to Ciancaglini/Merlino making their move. The Ciancaglini/Merlino faction may have been rebels, but these factors must have given Ciancaglini some initial momentum that Merlino wouldn't have had.

Merlino is one of the most marketable gangsters of his generation and like you said, he became the boss and Ciancaglini died, so there would naturally be some media revisionism that makes Merlino out to be the leader from the start (sort of like Joe Gallo getting more press than his brother Larry). Not that it takes anything away from his importance -- like those quotes you posted, it's clear he was at the center of the situation alongside Ciancaglini regardless of who the unofficial leader of a rebel faction was.

[chin_gigante]

Some notes from The Hit Man (Ralph Cipriano, John Veasey) [It’s a short read; not a lot of new information. Probably worth skimming through if you’re a Philadelphia completionist]

On being asked by Frank Martines to work for the Stanfa organisation (Veasey alleges this happened 02 Aug 1993, three days before the murder of Michael Ciancaglini):

Later that afternoon, Martines drove Veasey over to the Continental Foods warehouse in Southwest Philadelphia that was owned by John Stanfa.
[…]
“This is the new kid I told you about,” Martines said when he introduced Veasey to Stanfa. Martines explained how he was going to assign the new kid to work with a couple of roving assassins named Phil [Colletti] and Sal [Brunetti]. Stanfa nodded in agreement. “Good luck,” the mob boss told Veasey as he left.

On Michael Ciancaglini and Joseph Merlino:

Meanwhile, the mob hit on Joey Merlino and Michael Ciancaglini was big news. The press said the two hit men had missed their main target, Skinny Joey. But Veasey saw Merlino just as a figurehead, and believed that Michael Ciancaglini was far more dangerous. “My job was to kill Michael Ciancaglini,” Veasey said. “He was the muscle behind Joey. He died like a man.”

On Joey Chang:

Joey Chang was bitter about the wounds he had received in the hit ordered by his brother, Michael. So when the Stanfa gang met to plot strategy in the mob war, Joey Chang, left nearly deaf by the shooting, would scream, “Kill Michael!”
Stanfa got so tired of Joey Chang’s screaming that he bought him a blackboard and some chalk. Whenever Joey Chang started screaming about killing Michael, Stanfa would hand him the blackboard. And Joey Chang would write, “Kill Michael.”
[…]
The hatred between the Ciancaglini brothers was so bad that after Michael’s murder, Veasey said, Joey Chang would ride to the cemetery just to piss on his brother’s grave.

On being incarcerated with Sammy Gravano:

In prison, Sammy Gravano would officiate at “making” ceremonies where he inducted other inmates into the Mafia. “What are we, the fucking rat pack?” Veasey asked. But Gravano didn’t see himself as a rat. “They testified against me first,” he said.

Misc. info:

• After Vincent Filipelli secured footage of Ciancaglini’s funeral, Veasey watched it with Philip Colletti, Salvatore Brunetti and Frank Martines at Martines’ home to familiarise themselves with the faces of Merlino associates. Among those identified as targets in the footage were Steven Mazzone, Michael Avicolli, Michael Lancellotti, Salvatore Mazzone and Angelo Lutz.

• Veasey was promised $10,000 for the murder but instead was only receiving a weekly salary of $300 from Stanfa, which was less than the $350 a week he earned working construction after his release from prison. This prompted Veasey to complain to Martines, and he saw his pay rise to $500, with the promise of bigger money in the future. Because Veasey was earning so little he couldn’t afford to move out of his apartment, which was close to Merlino’s clubhouse, and he had heard a rumour that Merlino was trying to solicit locals to kill Veasey. Shortly after the murder of Ciancaglini, Veasey spoke with his brother Billy on the phone, who told him he’d been called in to see Merlino at the clubhouse. Veasey offered to go with him but was told not to because Merlino knew it was John who had shot him.

• The book identifies the shooting of Joseph Stanfa as taking place 06 Aug 1993, a day after the double-shooting of Merlino and Ciancaglini, when it actually took place on 31 Aug 1993.

• On 17 Sep 1993, Veasey and Martines were transporting guns to Giuseppe Gallara’s home when they spotted Frank Baldino’s car parked outside the Melrose Diner. Veasey claimed to have wanted to let Baldino go but was overruled. After Veasey and Gallara shot Baldino they ran down the street only to find their getaway car, driving by Thomas Rebbie and Stephen Weinstein, was late. So, instead they got into Martines’ car again after chasing him down as Martines had initially feared they were cops. This matches with Rebbie and Weinstein’s accounts of the murder. After spotting Baldino, Martines called Rebbie who got Weinstein to drive him to the diner. Gallara and Veasey waited for Baldino to get into his car, at which point they left Martines’ car and shot Baldino to death. As they ran away, they first got into Martines’ car, then got out and got into Rebbie and Weinstein’s car and were driven from the scene. Rebbie disposed of the guns in a pond and Veasey was dropped off first. Rebbie, Weinstein and Gallara then went to a bar for drinks. Veasey called Colletti to tell him about the murder and went to the hospital to inform Stanfa, who told him to tell the recovering Joe Stanfa to ‘make him feel better’.

[chin_gigante]

Veasey’s rank and some amendments to my previous post about inductions under the Stanfa era

Veasey on his rank in the organisation at the time of the attempt on his life:

“They [Martines and Pagano] will probably be dead before I get out,” Veasey wrote. “This should have never happen[ed] to me, I am capo,” he said, referring to his rank as a captain in the Stanfa gang.

Veasey talked with Kitty Caparella over the phone while in prison and told her that he had been made a capo in the family

Philadelphia Daily News 13 Jun 1994
Shooting star
Kitty Caparella

The two murders qualified Veasey for induction into the mob in late September. A few weeks later, he said he was promoted to capo – “unheard of in the mob.” It normally takes years before an associate becomes a “made” member, and even longer to be promoted to capo, a vice president position. Its infrastructure was in such turmoil, Stanfa’s mob only had eight to 10 members, a survey by the New York Times said.

Some thoughts I have on Veasey as a capo:

• Caparella consistently refers to Veasey as a capo whereas I cannot find an instance of George Anastasia doing so

• As Caparella noted in her article, it would be very strange for Veasey to be promoted given his incredibly short career in the mob (going from construction worker to associate to soldier to capo to government witness in 5 ½ months)

• Veasey’s success as a witness was due to his blunt and often brutal honesty about himself and those around him, so I don’t think he’d exaggerate his position unnecessarily

• Sergio Battaglia testified that Stanfa wanted to have Colletti and Veasey killed for the way the Michael Ciancaglini murder was carried out (specifically the use of a car rented under Colletti’s name, which is ironic considering it was Battaglia who recommended Colletti use a rental), so perhaps this promotion was to keep Veasey close while he was still useful as a killer

• I haven’t found reference to any soldiers being assigned to Veasey but if he had any made men under him Battaglia could have been one of them (if there's evidence of Battaglia reporting to any other capo – I’ve seen records of him talking direct to Stanfa and Martines – I’d like to see it). Veasey testified that he once gave Battaglia a beating while they were collecting street tax for disrespecting the victim’s mother, so I’d doubt Veasey would get away with that had he not outranked Battaglia in some way (but then again, Veasey was unfamiliar with mob protocol and got into trouble for not knowing that Sparacio was a capo)

• Given the relative size of the Stanfa family and the number of capos it had operating in Philadelphia in 1993 (first Tripodi, then Pagano and Veasey) it would seem that any crews they had were more likely to consist of associates or that the structure itself was more fluid

• By December 1993, with Lucibello and Turchi aligned with the Merlino faction, the only soldiers I have confirmation of being active with the Stanfa family in Philadelphia are Sergio Battaglia, Raymond Esposito, Vincent Filipelli, Giuseppe Gallara, Gaetano Scafidi, Joseph Stanfa and Ronald Previte; all new inductees. With Filipelli, Previte and Stanfa likely reporting direct to the boss, as two members of his ‘palace guard’ and his ‘paymaster’ respectively, that leaves four soldiers to report to three capos (which is why I think a more fluid structure is likely)

Veasey claiming that he (and Filipelli) was made in late Sep 1993 seems to add up. I’d written in my first post on this thread that Veasey was reportedly made with Joseph Stanfa in Dec 1993, but this appears to be inaccurate now. I say this based on the above passages I discussed and what Veasey has to say about Gaetano Scafidi’s initiation (which Scafidi testified occurred in Nov 1993).

On Gaetano Scafidi’s induction:

• “John [Stanfa] said ‘I’m gonna make a this kid over here, you know, this kid, Horsehead. If anybody’s got anything to say, you can speak up,” Veasey recalled. “Well naturally, he’s the boss and you ain’t supposed to speak up. But I told Mr. Martines I don’t think it’s right. We were supposed to kill him just, you know, two weeks ago. Now we gotta go hug and kiss him. I don’t understand what’s going on. But that’s the way it was.”
  The prosecutor asked Veasey if he went to Horsehead’s making ceremony.
  “I went to the location,” Veasey said. “I even brought the wine. But I didn’t go upstairs… Me and Sergio [Battaglia] stayed in the car.”
  After the ceremony, the mobsters went to an Italian restaurant.
  “What happened next?” the prosecutor asked.
  “Everybody hugged and kissed the new guy and introduced Horsehead as a ‘friend of ours,’” Veasey testified. “I didn’t hug the guy because I wasn’t about to hug him, you know, and my boss, John Stanfa, said, Hug the guy for me, you know, so I shook the guy’s hand. I never did hug him… The guy wanted to kill me, I wanted to kill him, and now he’s on our side.”

Based on the above passage it seems clear to me that Veasey was already a member by the time Scafidi was proposed and then made, with Stanfa wanting him to embrace Scafidi as a ‘friend of ours’.

So far, I’d amend my breakdown of the late 1993 making ceremonies to:

Late Sep 1993:
Vincent Filipelli
John Veasey

Nov 1993:
Gaetano Scafidi

(Informal initiation):
Ronald Previte

That leaves us with Gallara, Pagano and Joseph Stanfa.

Vincent Pagano returned to Philadelphia to assist Stanfa in the conflict against Merlino in Sep 1993. At trial, he claimed to have been in Florida in late Sep 1993, to contest his involvement in the Baldino murder, but failed to provide supporting evidence and conceded that he was in Philadelphia from 31 Aug to 12 Sep 1993. He was picked up on tape in Oct and Nov 1993 bragging about his role in the organisation and that he was ‘number-three’ in the family so it would seem that he was made by Nov 1993 at the latest. He was possibly made with Filipelli and Veasey but Veasey’s account of his initiation is quite in-depth and makes no mention of other inductees. It’s also possible that Pagano and Gallara were made with Scafidi in November or perhaps at a separate ceremony in c. October 1993. Veasey testified that Gallara was inducted ‘a few weeks’ after the Baldino murder. That would place the date of the ceremony in early-to-mid-October though there’s also the possibility that Veasey was roughly estimating. Overall, I think it’s more likely Pagano and Gallara were made with Scafidi but we know regardless that they were inducted between Sep and Nov 1993 (I’d be interested to find anything else Scafidi said about his ceremony).

Joseph Stanfa could have still been made in early Dec 1993 consistent with the report I cited previously. It was around the time of his father’s birthday and the elder Stanfa was fearing an indictment at that point (Battaglia testified that Joe Stanfa got made because John wanted him to have some stature on the street if he got indicted). Joe Stanfa was also on the street at that time (he had been hospitalised for about two weeks after his shooting and was hospitalised again later in December for a second emergency operation). I think he would have either been made at a December ceremony or with Scafidi in November.

[Pogo The Clown]

Great research Chin. It has really filled in some gaps and added a lot to our understanding of Philly.


Love the bit about Joey Chang going to the cementary to piss on his brother's grave. Yeah I'd say their hatred ran deep. Also got a chuckle out of Veasey saying he was making more money working construction than when he first started as a hitman for Stanfa.


Reading all this it is clear that Philly would have been much better off if Mike Chang had gotten hit by a car in 1987. So much blood shed, informants and general mayhem and attention would have been avoided.


Pogo

[chin_gigante]

Merlino's initiation, Joseph Ciancaglini, and Gerardo Fusella and Joseph Bellina

Found this article about Merlino's initiation. Says he was believed to have been inducted at the same ceremony as four others, another two being Biagio Adornetto and Michael Ciancaglini. I think this makes it almost certain now that Joseph Massimino and Gaeton Lucibello were made at this same ceremony.

Philadelphia Inquirer 16 Nov 1993
Feds say mob rite violated parole
George Anastasia, Joseph Slobodzian

Other sources have said that four other individuals, including the late Michael Ciancaglini, were inducted into the mob along with Merlino.

Another interesting piece of information on Joseph Ciancaglini Sr and his role in the Stanfa war.

Indiana Gazette 14 Sep 1993
Philly crime families in all-out war
Robert J Wagman

After Piccolo’s arrest, Joseph “Chickie” Ciancaglini, an old-line mobster serving 45 years for racketeering, sent word that – on behalf of the old-timers who had been close to Angelo Bruno before he was killed in 1980 – he was putting his son Joseph Jr. up for the post of acting boss, a kind of caretaker for the imprisoned Scarfo.
[…]
The guiding hand behind these young Turks appears to be Joseph “Chickie” Ciancaglini – from his jail cell.
[…]
The word on the street in Philadelphia is that Ciancaglini “reached out” for “Fat Tony” Salerno, the elderly boss of the Genovese crime family, also now in prison.

Some notes on North Jersey members Gerardo Fusella and Joseph Bellina:

• Fusella and Bellina were charged, along with associate William Layton, with the murders of Albert Meglia and David White Jul 1990 and detained with bail set at $500,000 each (I think higher for Layton)

• Layton flipped and testified that Antonio Caponigro had shot Meglia and David himself after they were kidnapped, I can't find reference to Bellina or Fusella however in connection with this case at trial

• On some charts here we have Bellina listed as dying in 1992 so that'd make sense as to why he's not mentioned again

• I can't find any reference to Fusella after his arrest

• Fusella died at 90 years old 04 Apr 2007 at West Caldwell Care Centre, so he was possibly inactive for a while before his death due to his age, living in a home and there being no reference to him after the early 90's

[chin_gigante]

More North Jersey stuff from the Stanfa regime

Attanasio and Cifelli’s health problems:

Philadelphia Inquirer 09 Sep 1993
Scarfo’s son pleads guilty
George Anastasia

Reputed mob soldiers Vincent Centorino, John Praino and Nicholas Olivieri also entered guilty pleas to conspiracy charges. All three admitted their involvement in illegal gambling operations ranging from card games to bookmaking and numbers writing. Each faces a maximum five-year prison sentence under the terms of the plea bargain.
[…]
Still awaiting trial are Anthony “Tony Buck” Piccolo, Joseph “Scoops” Licata and Nicholas Cifelli. Another defendant, Anthony Attanasio, has had his case separated from the others for medical reasons and will stand trial at a later date.
Cifelli, who suffers from cancer of the lungs and sternum, according to his lawyer, is also seeking a medical severance.

Cifelli and Licata plead guilty Sep 1993:

Philadelphia Inquirer 15 Sep 1993
Two plead guilty in alleged mob ring
Maureen Graham

Yesterday’s plea agreement was struck after Superior Court Judge Isaiah Steinberg denied a motion that Cifelli be tried separately for health reasons.
Cifelli, 71, suffers from cancer of the lungs and sternum and has about a year to live, his lawyer Brian Belson said yesterday. Belson said he would argue in court for a reduced sentence based on Cifelli’s condition.
Cifelli pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and faces seven years in prison. In exchange for his guilty plea, the state dropped five related gambling charges and an additional gambling charge that Cifelli faces in Essex County, according to Buckley.

Olivieri, Praino and Centorino sentenced 1993:

Philadelphia Daily News 20 Nov 1993
7 years for young Scarfo
Joseph R Daughen

Sentenced to four years each on the same charge as Scarfo were Nicholas A. Olivieri, 46, of Bloomfield, N.J., and John Praino, 58, of the Bronx, N.Y. All three were fined $2,500.
Sentenced to four years on Oct. 29 for his guilty plea in the same charges was Vincent “Beepsie” Centorino, 63, of Far Hills, N.J. Awaiting sentence are Joseph “Scoops” Licata, 52, of Florham Park, N.J., and Nicholas “Turk” Cifelli, 71, of Newark.

Plot to murder George Fresolone’s brother:

Philadelphia Inquirer 25 Jan 1994
Documents: mob wanted informant’s brother dead
George Anastasia

Licata, a member of the Nicodemo Scarfo organized-crime family, and Perna, a Lucchese crime-family soldier, plotted the murder of Fresolone’s brother, according to the affidavit, which is based on an interview Marchalonis conducted in October with mobster-turned-informant Thomas Ricciardi.
[…]
Ricciardi said that Perna said he and Licata were “going to whack Fresolone’s brother.” Ricciardi, however, said he told Perna that they “shouldn’t hurt someone who never did anything to hurt them,” according Marchalonis’ sworn statement.

Licata identified as a capo and sentenced on a gambling charge:

Philadelphia Inquirer 04 Feb 1994
Mob boss sentenced for bookmaking ring
George Anastasia

Admitted mob boss Joseph “Scoops” Licata, a captain in Nicodemo Scarfo’s crime family, was sentenced to 37 months in prison yesterday after having been convicted of running what authorities said was one of the largest bookmaking rings in the country.

Licata sentenced on racketeering charge:

Philadelphia Inquirer 11 Feb 1994
Mob boss sentenced to 14 years
George Anastasia

Mob leader Joseph Licata, who, authorities charge, headed the North Jersey branch of the Nicodemo Scarfo crime family, was sentenced to 14 years in prison yesterday.
Licata had admitted heading a loan-sharking and gambling ring for the Scarfo organization in the late 1980s.
Camden County Superior Court Judge Isaiah Steinberg imposed consecutive seven-year sentences on Licata, 52, who had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and to being a leader of organized crime.
Licata, who was sentenced to 37 months in prison on a federal gambling charge last week, was not in court yesterday. A court official said Licata was en route to a federal prison at the time.
Steinberg ordered that Licata’s state sentence run concurrently with his federal prison term.

By the end of the Stanfa era the North Jersey crew was really hammered by LE. Centorino, Praino, Olivieri, Cifelli (who also seemed close to death at the time, which would explain why we hear nothing from him after this - and clearly I was wrong when I assumed he was younger and died in 2014), Licata and Joseph Sodano (finishing up his two-year sentence) were all confirmed doing time. Attanasio was terminally ill, and likely inactive, and Ralph Napoli was retired after being taken down by Stanfa. Joseph Bellina and Fulvio Capozzi were either dead or soon to be dead (I haven’t found obituaries for either but I’ve seen reference to a ‘late’ Fulvio A Capozzi from 1996) and Gerardo Fusella was possibly locked up for the murders of Albert Meglia and David White, or other crimes. Dominick DiNorscio could have been possibly inactive as well due to his age and the lack of references to him after the Scarfo era. So, by Feb 1994 the only active members in North Jersey may have been Peter Caprio and Michael Ricciardi, a sharp contrast from the number of active members a few years earlier.

[chin_gigante]

Joseph F Ciancaglini’s initiation and promotion to underboss

Philadelphia Daily News 05 Mar 1992
Stanfa family eyes in hit try
Kitty Caparella, Joe O’Dowd

Joseph Ciancaglini, about 31, was inducted with four other new members by Stanfa into the crime family last November, sources said.

Philadelphia Daily News 29 Jun 1992
Mafia sons flex power
Kitty Caparella

Then last fall, Stanfa, in a move the sources said was a cleverly calculated effort to bring in new members loyal to him and begin bridging the chasm between he and the wannabes, “made” at least three new members at a traditional La Cosa Nostra initiation ceremony.
One of Stanfa’s new soldiers was Joseph F. Ciancaglini, 31, of Cherry Hill, N.J., the older brother of wannabe leader Michael Ciancaglini, 28, and the middle son of imprisoned Joseph “Chickie” A. Ciancaglini, 57, who was a capo (captain) for Nicodemo Scarfo.

Regarding the conflicting information on how many were made with Ciancaglini, I think the later “at least three” including Joey Chang figure is likely correct. As I’ve discussed before in this thread, I think it’s very likely that Luigi Tripodi and Ronald Turchi were made at the same ceremony as Ciancaglini and I can’t think of any other confirmed members who could have been inducted at that time.

The timeline for Ciancaglini’s promotion:

Philadelphia Daily News 03 Mar 1993
Violence puzzles watchers
Kitty Caparella, Joe O’Dowd

Ciancaglini became one of the “made” members during the first initiation ceremony Stanfa conducted in November 1991. He was named underboss last year, according to law enforcement sources.

Standard-Speaker 03 Mar 1993
Alleged mobster wounded in attack at restaurant
Bill Stieg (Associated Press)

Ciancaglini, of Cherry Hill, N.J., became second-in-command to Philadelphia-south New Jersey mob boss in the past six months, state officials in Pennsylvania and New Jersey said.

The Last Gangster
George Anastasia

On the day he was shot, Joe Ciancaglini arrived for work at 5:54:46 A.M.
[…]
Ciancaglini had been in the FBI’s sights for several months, ever since he was named underboss of the Philadelphia mob.

Based on the information from the above sources I think it’s possible that Ciancaglini was promoted to underboss at the making ceremony for Merlino, Mikey Chang, Biagio Adornetto et al. It happened six months before Ciancaglini was shot so it fits the timeline and making ceremonies have historically been used from time to time to announce promotions. Just an educated guess on my part though, nothing definitive.

[B.]

Re: Veasey. Fresolone says at the end of his book that Veasey was promoted to captain. He didn't have firsthand knowledge clearly and makes mistakes when talking about the Stanfa era, so I'd guess he got that from the same or similar sources as you posted.

Also, on the subject of Stanfa and making ceremonies, Fresolone says Stanfa was made in Italy and transferred to Philadelphia at the Gambino family's request, though not sure if he heard this directly or got it from elsewhere. An early 1980s report I've come across says Stanfa was a made member in Sicily prior to coming to the US, and his in-law Nino Giuffre also gave some information that would back this up, as Stanfa sponsored Giuffre into the Caccamo family when he was on the lam back in Sicily in the 1980s.

[dack2001]

Phil Leonetti told the FBI that John Stanfa was made into the Philadelphia family by Angelo Bruno. This would be consistent with the requirement that LCN members be made stateside. Also consistent with the Gambino family requesting a pass direct from Nicky Scarfo when Stanfa was released from federal prison in the 80's. Scarfo told them as long as he didn't cause any problems he would have no problems.

[B.]

That was a longtime belief but it appears to have been untrue or limited only to certain families without strong Sicilian ties, notably the Genovese family.

- In Felice's research he found that a modern Sicilian mafia member obtained permission to transfer his membership to the Gambino family with the support of Giuseppe Gambino. It appears some of the older Inzerillos and possibly others like Nino Napoli may have done the same in the 1970s when they came from Palermo and joined the Gambino family though I don't believe it has been explicitly confirmed.

- From the Violi wiretaps in the 1970s we also know the Bonanno family's Montreal crew allowed Sicilian mafia members to transfer membership to the Bonannos and they would have been following protocol established by the NYC leadership at that point. There are other indications that Sicilian mafia members may have transferred into the Bonanno group in NYC as well, though like with the Inzerillos it is more due to the circumstances/timing of their recognition as members than explicit confirmation.

- There is the account of Amodeo Indelicato, a Sicilian who was inducted into the Philadelphia family (another source says Gambino) and transferred back to a Sicilian mafia family, so he apparently did the opposite. I've seen nothing from Philly sources about him but there is def a Philly connection with him, as Bruno's cousin Calogero Sinatra had to introduce Indelicato to his Sicilian mafioso father as a member back in Sicily when Sinatra returned from his stay in Philly.

Leonetti may be right that Stanfa went through an additional ceremony, but he was recognized by the Sicilian mafia in Caccamo according to Giuffre and allowed to directly participate in the induction ceremony. No clue where investigators heard about Stanfa's Sicilian membership in the early 1980s, but later sources do give it some support. Would be curious if Leonetti had details of an actual ceremony, or if he was just aware of Stanfa being brought into the family by Bruno, which would be open for interpretation.

It's still a topic with conflicting info and it seems to depend on the given family, but some examples have def emerged of Sicily>US transfers. We know for sure that Sicilian mafia members were recognized as amico nostri in Philly, as Leonetti testified that Sicilian mafia member Rosario Gambino was introduced as a member to Nicky Scarfo by Angelo Bruno in the 1970s and of course there is the party Bruno held to introduce his Sicilian mafioso cousin Sinatra to the rest of the Philly family as a member. Bruno also traveled extensively in Sicily and met high-ranking mafiosi there according to both Calderone and Bruno himself via his office bugs. Formal recognition would obviously be a prerequisite for transfers, so there was a foundation for it to happen.

As always, it's cool to have other sources that directly confirm / conflict with other known info and the more we learn the more we know things aren't always one way or another.

[dack2001]

If we know anything its that rules are always being bent and broken. The Cherry Hill Gambinos, for example, have a different status than made members stateside and were under the protection and accountable to the Gambinos. Their made status certainly gave them special status but was it equal status to LCN? Seems they operate quasi-independently, spread some money around, but don't account to anyone for their business. That allows them to openly deal drugs. However, they are "with" and accountable to the Gambino family, which is why John Gotti had troubles getting them settled down.

Leonetti was being interviewed by the FBI around the time that Stanfa was having all of the problems with Joey Merlino and Mike Chang. The FBI was unsure about Stanfa's status. It was in that context that he confirmed Stanfa as a member in Philadelphia, inducted by Angelo Bruno. I suppose he could have transferred but i haven't seen anything that indicates he did and would be surprised he wouldn't have gone through a ceremony, espcially given Angelo sending two past members who were shelved back through a ceremony. It would be nice to know when he went through formal induction. I think there were two ceremonies, one in late 1969/early 70 where Frank Sindone got in and there was likely another ceremony in 1970 or soon thereafter where Joe Ciangcaglini got in. I think Sindone sponsored Joe Chang so likely would be separate ceremonies.

[Pete]

On the legitimacy of the 1990 North Jersey ceremony:

• In a 2001 interview with Scott Deitche (http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_162.html) Lenehan describes Nicholas Olivieri's membership as not being recognised because of his reputation as a 'fence jumper'

• I haven't found an instance of Anastasia, Schratwieser or Caparella reporting that the 1990 ceremony was invalidated or that anyone from that ceremony was "re-made" by Stanfa or the Natale/ Merlino regime. By contrary, every mention to their induction I have found from GA, DS or KC is about their taped 1990 initiation.

• To back up what B. said, GA describes Centorino as a member in The Last Gangster and in 2001 he is indicted as a soldier. In the Stefanelli tapes from 2010, Ligambi complains about how Centorino sat next to him at a Christmas party (likely the 2009 event because Ligambi described it as 'that Christmas party we had' or something along those lines, implying it was the latest one) and complained about how poor he was. This was part of the conversation where Licata said he wasn't making any money with Centorino and jokingly suggested having a benefit for him. This is interesting because I also recall a Caparella article from around the time of the Merlino RICO trial where she describes Centorino as a 'multimillionaire soldier' in the family

Was the 90 north jersey making the first since Scarfo last one in 86?

[chin_gigante]

Was the 90 north jersey making the first since Scarfo last one in 86?

Yes

[Pete]

Speaking of that does anyone have a pic of fresolone? Never been able to find one of him