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

[B.]

Natale claims that Felix DiTullio introduced him to Angelo Bruno around the age of 14 and that he showed Bruno respect as a boss (this would have taken place around 1949, before Bruno was even a member)

An informant reported a disagreement around that general period involving Angelo Bruno and DeTullio's group where Bruno deferred to DeTullio, as DeTullio was a senior member and essentially put Bruno in his place. However, it does appear Bruno was highly-regarded as an associate and came to know powerful leaders around the country, including Stefano Magaddino, who recalled knowing Angelo Bruno as an associate.

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Reginelli was the longtime "street boss" as underboss by all accounts and responsible for settling disputes and managing the day-to-day activities, but obviously never official boss.

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Philadelphia did have factions, particularly between the Calabrians/mainlanders and Sicilians, but it wasn't divided between South Jersey and Philadelphia. Reginelli and his closest associates were based in Camden and branched into Atlantic City but they were very active in Philadelphia and operated alongside everyone in the family. The Sicilians had equal representation in both Philly and South Jersey. The Calabrians had a strong presence in Philadelphia, Chester, and North Jersey. DiTullio was non-Sicilian and one of Reginelli's top men but described as close to the Barrale-Scafidi Sicilian group, so we can see that these South Jersey figures got along despite different backgrounds.

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Natale claims Testa murdered extortionist Pauly Tropea around the time he was inducted (he just says this was a year after Alfred Iezzi 'touted' him for membership so its unclear whether Testa was made at the time of the Tropea murder or still proposed) and that he was assigned to Bruno's crew (if I'm remembering correctly it's been established that Testa was made before Bruno and if Bruno was a capo it was during Antonio Pollina's brief stint as boss, so this is completely wrong)

Testa and Bruno were said to have been made in the same ceremony according to an informant and it was reported that Testa was inducted sometime after his father Salvatore's death in 1950. On his office bug, Bruno implies that his own induction took place in 1951 and other Philadelphia sources said he was made sometime between the early- and mid-1950s. Both Testa and Bruno were reportedly the shooters in the 1950 Joseph Sadia murder, so it would make sense that both of them were inducted following that murder, possibly together as the one informant said.

One source claimed Nicoletti was made in the 1930s, but Nicoletti's FBI file says he was made in 1952. He allegedly served as the driver in the Sadia murder, so it's possible he was also inducted with Bruno and Testa following the hit. Sadia was allegedly murdered for making disparaging comments about Nicoletti's wife (a former prostitute) and claiming that Salvatore Sabella had slept with her.

Bruno was also believed to have murdered associate Marshall Veneziale. Both of Veneziale's brothers were associates: Charles, on record with the DeTullio crew, and Edward, who cooperated following Marshall's murder in an attempt to bring down Bruno, who he blamed for the murder. Bruno was also suspected in at least two other murders.

Bruno is believed to have been sponsored by Michael Maggio, an influential member and relative by marriage. Never seen anything about Testa's sponsor and though he was close to Iezzi, Iezzi was an Abruzzese who was in the DiTullio crew while Testa was a soldier in the primarily Sicilian Gaetano Scafidi crew. Certainly not impossible for Iezzi to have been involved in Testa's induction but I wouldn't take Natale's word. Angelo Bruno was a soldier under captain Domenico Pollina.

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According to Bruno himself on the office bug, Pollina tried to promote him to capodecina but Bruno resisted and Pollina then asked him to be underboss, which he also refused. Bruno asked to move to Florida where he could be a captain without a crew, as at that time Bruno was active in Florida, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. There are sources who say Bruno was a captain but it's unclear if he ever actually took the position. Again on the office bug, Bruno was recorded saying he suggested that Pollina promote Testa to captain, which Pollina did. There doesn't appear to be any point in time where Testa could have been a soldier under Bruno.

Side note, but there is an interesting transcript of a conversation between Bruno and Pollina where they discuss the earlier conflict between them. Apparently it all stemmed from Pollina making a comment to other members, one being Ignazio Denaro, that he wanted to "cut Bruno's legs off" or something to that effect. As Pollina explained it, he simply meant Bruno was moving around too much and wanted to reel him in. Pollina claimed his comments were taken out of context and presented to the Commission as an attempt to hurt or kill Bruno.

In another recording Bruno discussed how as a soldier he had tried to gain Pollina's approval in some of his foreign casino interests, but Pollina shot it down as he was only interested in smaller local interests. Sicilian pentito also claimed that when Bruno stayed with him in Sicily, Bruno complained that Pollina nixed an opportunity Bruno had to help commit a murder in Cuba on behalf of Battista. Pollina and Bruno were very close and despite issues between them they remained friends until Bruno's death. When Celeste Morello interviewed Pollina in his final years, she learned that Angelo Bruno's son and his wife were Pollina's neighbors and helped take care of the elderly Pollina and his wife, including buying them a new TV. Bruno and Pollina's wives also continued to be close friends as neighbors.

[Eline2015]

I think that Bruno was made in mid 50s, along with scarfo

[chin_gigante]

Philadelphia pre-1980's is by no means my speciality but I found some excerpts relevant to the discussion:

On May 20, 1958, the informant identified the victim of one of these murders as JOSEPH SADIA, aka “Joseph Saia, Joseph Bruno (not the former leader of the organization), Pepelongo.” The victim was found in the street at 810 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, Pa., on April 5, 1950, dead of gun-shot wounds.
According to the informant, the victim had talked in a derogatory manner about the wife of FRANK NICOLETTI and had claimed that SALVATORE SABELLA had an affair with the victim’s wife. He also claimed that NICOLETTI’s wife had unnatural sexual relations with him.
The killing had been performed, the informant said, by ANGELO BRUNO and PHIL TESTA, while the car was driven by FRANK NICOLETTI.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 7&tab=page

The current boss of the Philadelphia family is ANGELO BRUNO. [Informant] was surprised when he learned that BRUNO had been made boss since BRUNO was only made recently. He is positive that BRUNO had not been made a member as of 1952 and was of the opinion that BRUNO was made approximately 1955 at which time he was sponsored by MICHAEL MAGGIO (deceased).

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 6&tab=page

As best [informant] could recall, in approximately 1952 there were six Caporegimas in the Philadelphia area. His recollection was that at that time the Caporegimas were as follows – and where he recalled members under the control of these Caporegimas they are being set forth under the name of that Caporegima:

1. GAETANO (BIG TOM) SCAFIDI (dead).
Members under SCAFIDI were as follows:
NINO CALIO (dead)
MICHAEL MAGGIO (dead)
HARRY RICCOBENE
PAUL SAVARESE (dead)
JOSEPH SCAFIDI
SALVATORE TESTA (dead)
SALVATORE SCAFIDI (regarding SALVATORE SCAFIDI, whom he identified as being the individual who resides in Pennsylvania, he said that it was a shame that this person had ever been made a member of the organization and that if his father had lived, and his wishes carried out, he would not have become a member.)

2. JOSEPH RUGNETTA – “JOE THE BOSS”
The following individuals were believed to be members under RUGNETTA:
VINCENZO AMATO, aka. “Upstate Jimmy” (possibly AMATO was directly under control of MARCO REGINELLI, then the under-boss).
EDUARDO CAMINITI, a long time member
ANGELO CILEONE (dead)
LOUIS ESPOSITO
FREDERICO LAGANA
LUIGI QUARENTO (identified as an old time member).

3. DOMENICO POLLINA, aka. MR. MIGO (a demoted boss)
Only member known as possibly being under DOMENICO POLLINA was furnished as his believed brother, FELIPPO POLLINA.

4. IGNAZIO DE NARO (reportedly current under-boss)
A possible member under DE NARO was identified as FRANK NICOLETTI. NICOLETTI was said to be an old time member, however, he was not positive he was under DE NARO.

5. “CHEECH” (dead)
The above name was said to be a nickname for a person with the first name FRANK. The last name of this Caporegima was unknown, however, he was said to control a group in the Bridgeton-Vineland area of New Jersey.
A member under “CHEECH” was identified as TONY PERELLA of Vineland, N.J.

6. DIMETRI PINESTRI (dead)
The above person was said to be in the Chester, Pa. area and was believed to have as members under his control:
ROCCO DI CONDINA
ANTONIO SCIGLITANO
JOSEPH SCIGLITANO
He was not positive that DI CONDINA was under the control of PINESTRI.

[…]

The informant pointed out in connection with identifying the various Caporegimas and some of the members that it has been the custom for a great many years that a boss in the organization inherits usually a certain number of soldiers from the prior boss. There is no set number of soldiers attached to a boss, and the number will vary according to the number that happened to exist in a particular area. These are usually individuals who for some reason the boss or prior boss has felt could not get along well under various Caporegimas, and they therefore were attached directly to the boss for convenience. This was also true in connection with under-bosses.

At the time of the above (approximately 1952), MARCO REGINELLI, of Camden, N.J. (deceased), was believed to have the following individuals directly under his control:
LOUIS CAMPBELL
PETER CASELLA
“SKUTCHIE” CHERICO (dead)
FELIX JOHN DE TULLIO
JOSEPH LANCIANO
PASQUALE MASSI
DOMINICK OLIVETTO (possibly later a Caporegima and later yet an acting under-boss).
SAMUEL ROMEO (dead)
JIMMY ROSE (dead)

The following individuals were identified by the informant as being members of this organization, however, he did not know the Caporegimas to whom they were assigned:
SAM GIOE
VINCENZO GIOE (informant stated that one of these individuals is dead, however he is not sure which person)
JOSEPH GIRGENTI (dead)
JOHN GIRGENTI
ALFREDO IEZZI
JOSEPH LAGANA
LEONARD NICOLETTI
JOHN JAMES SIMONE
PHILIP TESTA
JOHN CAPPELLO (heard this individual was a member but is not positive as he was not introduced to him as such). Stated CAPPELLO’s father was a very good man, however, the father is dead.
JOSEPH PICCOLO
SALVATORE SABELLA (dead – a former boss)

As of approximately the same time, the following individuals were to the best of the informant’s knowledge, not members of the organization:
FRANK DONNAINNI, aka. “Don Cheech”
ANTHONY MAGGIO
ALFONSO MAIORIELLO
FRANK MONTE
FRANK PALERMO (informant was amused at the thought that PALERMO could be a member and said that he could think of dozens of reasons why PALERMO could never become a member)
FRANK SANSONE (believed to be dead)
DOMINICK SPARAGNO (in the informant’s opinion DOMINICK SPARAGNO could never become a member of the organization)

The informant did not know if the following individuals are members. He pointed out that this does not mean that they are not members, or that they were not members, as of the date that he is discussing, namely approximately 1952, since he knew many members by either sight or by nicknames. The persons listed are as follows:
FRANK ALTADONNA
ANDREW JOHN AVELLINO
WILLIAM AVERONA
CARMEN BATTAGLIA
JOE BOOZA
MICHAEL CAMMAROTA
ANTONIO CAPONIGRO
JAMES CEREVALLO
CHARLES COSTELLO
PAUL D’AMATO
JOE DE BELLA
ADAM D’OLIO (this person could be a member as he is very close to ANGELO BRUNO – the reported current boss)
JOSEPH FUSCIE (not sure if FUSCIE is a member but said he appears to associate with all of the right people)
LEONARD GALANTE
JAMES GATTO (close associate of JOE RUGNETTA – could be a member)
FRANK GRECO
CARL IPPOLITO
DOMINICK LEPORE
“LIGHTNING” – TRENTON
FRANK NARDUCCI
JOSEPH MAGGIO
PETER MAGGIO
ALPHONSE MARCONI
MARK MARCONI
JOHN ORAPALLO
ERNIE PERRICONE (close to FELIX JOHN DE TULLIO, known to the informant as “Skinny Razor.” Informant said DE TULLIO uses PERRICONE a great deal and doubts if DE TULLIO would let PERRICONE be made a member as then he would not be able to use him.)
MICHAEL PICCOLO
NICHOLAS PICCOLO
SAM PUNGITORE
SANTO ROMEO
ROCCO SCAFIDI (doubts that ROCCO SCAFIDI would be acceptable as a member, however, this is possible since the current trend seems to be lower standards for admission.)
SALVATORE SCAFIDI (New Jersey)
NICHOLAS SCARFO
“ROCK” TOLEDO
MICHAEL TRAMANTANA
VINCENZO TURCO (said to be from New Jersey but he does not know if he is a member)
LOUIS VOLPE

[…]

The informant also commented concerning the following individuals who have been considered as possible members: FRANKIE CARBO according to some sources is a member, however, informant does not have positive information.
LORENZO D’AMORE is close to many members and used by members, however, in his opinion he is not a member.
FRANK IANNARELLA – if this individual has in the past used narcotics he is identical with the individual recalled by him, and if that is the case, he is not a member.
MARIO MAGGIO may be a member, however, he has no positive information and he does know that MARIO’s deceased father, MICHAEL, was against MARIO becoming a member.
RAYMOND MARTORANO was said to be definitely not a member and he said that HARRY RICCOBENE was opposed to his becoming a member.
JACK PARISI from upstate Pennsylvania, reportedly one time fugitive from New York City area, was said to be possibly a member although he did not have positive information. He added that if PARISI is a member, he was probably made in Europe prior to coming to this country.
MARIO RICCOBENE was said to be definitely not a member and that his half-brother, HARRY RICCOBENE, a member, is violently opposed to MARIO becoming a member.
FRANK SINDONE, who is said to be close to being a member, but to the best of the informant’s knowledge has not been “made.”
BENITO TEDESCO was not a member in 1952 and the informant doubts that he is currently a member.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 2&tab=page

[chin_gigante]

Got Blood Oath for Christmas so here's some notes:

• George Fresolone is convinced that Caponigro himself shot Angelo Bruno

• Following the Bruno murder, Caponigro presumed he would become boss, promote Pasquale Martirano to underboss, and then initiate Fresolone and make him the youngest capo in the family

• Frank Sindone and John Stanfa were called in by the Gambino family to argue the case that they weren't involved in the Bruno murder; Caponigro instructed Martirano and Fresolone to kill the two mobsters should they fail to convince Paul Castellano

• Caponigro was lured to his death by the Genovese family under the guise of attending a sit down over Alfred Salerno; Caponigro himself wished one day to kill Salerno for the trouble he caused him

• Upon Caponigro's death, the Newark crew effectively split into two factions: one loyal to Martirano and another loyal to Ralph Napoli

• Nicodemo Scarfo wanted to make Martirano capo of the Newark crew but had to instead promote Napoli at the behest of Louis Manna

• Napoli was eventually demoted and moved into semi-retirement, with Manna's blessing, after sending an associate to deliver important messages to the New York families

• Fresolone would have been initiated along with Anthony Attanasio and Joseph Licata had he not been incarcerated at the time; when Fresolone was released from prison, he was told he would effectively be treated as if he was made until a formal ceremony was held

• When Scarfo was arrested in 1987 he wanted Martirano to become acting boss, but Martirano, not wanting to effectively relocate to Philadelphia, refused, citing his failing health

• When Martirano fled to Argentina in 1988 he immediately left Fresolone, Attanasio and Licata in charge of the Newark crew

• Once it became clear that Martirano would not be returning to Newark anytime soon, Anthony Piccolo called a meeting of Fresolone, Attanasio and Licata to decide the formal arrangement: Attanasio and Licata would run the crew as first-among-equals, rather than official acting capos, while Fresolone served as the line of communication with Martirano

• Rumour spread in the Napoli faction that, due to Scarfo's arrest, the family would be split between other families: those operating in New York would be absorbed by the Lucheses; the Newark crew would come under the Genoveses; Philadelphia proper would become Gambino territory; and Atlantic City would be split up in an unspecified way

• To dispel these rumours, Piccolo called a meeting of the North Jersey crew where he was formally introduced as the acting boss

• Fresolone became a confidential source to New Jersey State Police out of resentment towards Licata, Attanasio and others, and also to ensure that law enforcement would not actively track down the fugitive Martirano or issue any warrants for his arrest on the condition that he not return to New Jersey

• Martirano flew to Italy, unhappy with the language barrier and health care in Argentina, and would travel to Fort Lauderdale, via Chicago, where he stayed at a home owned by John Praino; Martirano eventually began seeing doctors in Miami and in New York while staying at Praino's home in the Bronx

• While Attanasio was recovering from surgery to remove part of his lung, Licata complained about having to go through Fresolone to make decisions and how there was no capo in Newark; he flew down to Florida where Martirano officially promoted him to acting capo

• Martirano had wanted to make Fresolone acting capo, but he was not yet made and Scarfo wouldn't approve any new inductions as he believed allowing making ceremonies to take place while he was incarcerated would signify his losing control of the family

• Joseph Sodano stopped paying tribute, citing bad business, and insisted that he was operating under an arrangement where he was not obliged to kick up money but had done so in the past out of generosity

• When the younger Scarfo was shot in 1989, Licata believed it had been orchestrated by a faction loyal to Napoli in a bid to take over the family; Napoli would become boss and Salvatore Sparacio would be promoted to capo of the Newark crew

• Licata wanted to have Napoli killed but wasn't given permission by Piccolo

• Licata warned Fresolone that should Piccolo fail to asert his autonomy from Scarfo, specifically by appointing an underboss and new capos, the family would shortly be assigned new bosses by New York, turning the family effectively into surrogate crews until they were eventually officially absorbed by the five families or by Russell Bufalino

• After Scarfo Jr was moved up to Newark, State Police heard of two gunmen taking the train up to finish the job and had them arrested on a stop and search; Fresolone did not recognise the two men and believed Merlino had contracted the work outside of his group as no further attempts were made on Scarfo after Merlino went to prison

• The younger Scarfo believed Steven Vento had been involved in his attempted assassination with Joseph Merlino; the Scarfos wanted both Merlino and Vento killed

• By 1990, Sodano was still refusing to pay tribute, so Scarfo said to send Licata and Piccolo to see Gambino capo Joseph Corrao to find out how much Sodano was making in their joint ventures; Fresolone recalled word on the street was Corrao was lined up to be the new Gambino boss if John Gotti was sent to prison, and that he had more power in the family than acting consigliere Frank LoCascio

• Fresolone felt this was a bad idea as it would prove that Philadelphia had lost control of Sodano, and LoCascio and Corrao would not appreciate their matters with Sodano being looked into too much; instead it was decided to first approach Sodano, who was spending most of the year in Florida, directly to settle the matter

• There was a rumour on the street that a Luchese capo called 'Vince', who was incarcerated with Merlino, had promised to straighten him out into the Luchese family; as this would complicate their plans to kill him, the Scarfos had Fresolone reach out to Michael Perna, who confirmed the story was a fabrication, and that the Lucheses did not even have a 'Vince' in the same prison as Merlino

• By May 1990, Martirano was staying in the Bronx with the knowledge he had inoperable cancer and met with Piccolo in Manhattan, where he was offered the role of underboss

• Martirano discussed with Fresolone whether he should take the position and Fresolone recommended taking Licata down from acting capo, but Martirano rejected the idea

• On 23 May, Fresolone and Praino met with Martirano who told them Scarfo had decided to allow new members to be inducted in North Jersey but not in Philadelphia

• By the end of May, Martirano agreed to become underboss on the condition that he fulfil his role from New York or Florida, that Fresolone, Praino, Nicholas Cifelli and possibly Nicholas Olivieri be initiated as soon as possible, and that Licata have no part in it

• Martirano sponsored Fresolone and Praino himself but could not do the same for Olivieri as he was with Michael Mandaglio

• Martirano did not want to tell Licata about his promotion but after the younger Scarfo found out it was decided he wouldn't be able to keep it a secret, so in June a meeting was held in Queens where Martirano, Fresolone and Praino met with Licata and Attanasio to make them aware of the new underboss and that Fresolone et co. would soon be made

• Scarfo Jr wanted to have Steven Vento killed 'just for the sake of doing it', so he could have earn some respect, return to Atlantic City and get straightened out with his father's blessing, but Martirano instead went to Piccolo to talk Scarfo down, as he didn't want to have to oversee a war and wasn't sure that Vento was involved in Scarfo's shooting

• Martirano, Praino and Fresolone met with Licata and Sodano in the Bronx in July to settle the problem with Sodano; Martirano convinced Sodano to resume paying at least $1,000 a month in tribute starting in August

• Licata was not invited to Fresolone's induction

• After Fresolone, Praino, Cifelli, Olivieri and Vincent Centorino were made, Fresolone drove Piccolo to the train station where he was told he could have the position of underboss after Martirano died (Fresolone was never actually promoted to underboss before his work as a cooperating informant was revealed)

• Fresolone visited Martirano in the hospital the next morning where he was promoted to capo of a new crew consisting of his fellow inductees; Fresolone was also told that Piccolo was unhappy with Licata and was considering taking him down

• Scarfo Jr was put with Fresolone and it was Olivieri who called Fresolone to inform him that Martirano had died

• Licata was upset about not being invited to the ceremony and complained that a list of prospective members had not been circulated among the other families; as Philadelphia was not a New York family, this was not required but it was usually done as a courtesy if the guys being made were heavily active in New York (this had not been done as the ceremony was held last-minute to accomodate the dying Martirano)

• Licata wanted to circulate a list of the members who had been made to the other families; Fresolone interpreted this as an attempt to have him killed by planting the seed in other families that something was wrong with the ceremony (Fresolone insists in the book that he could not be 'unmade' but only instead killed)

• Licata went to John Riggi about there being no list and said Riggi was going to speak to Gotti; Licata also introduced Fresolone as a member to some Gambinos but said they did not have to recognise Fresolone or the other inductees as there was a 'problem' with the ceremony

• Fresolone claimed John Stanfa had 'Gee Gee' Cappello, a South Philly bookie, killed a couple of weeks after the 1993 murder of Rod Colombo for refusing to pay street tax

The amount of beef between Fresolone and Licata towards the end (as Fresolone recounts it anyway) is almost comical

20191227_223124.jpg

[B.]

- Fresolone's statement about Martirano being asked to step up as acting boss circa 1987 after Scarfo went away was also reported by contemporary investigators at the time, way before Fresolone flipped, so that appears to be true. Investigators also reported that Reds Pontani in Trenton and Joe Ligambi were candidates for acting boss before they ran into their own issues. Felice posted some info that Pontani was being supported by John Gambino for the position.

- Just a random note on Martirano's connections to Argentina. I believe Fresolone says a son-in-law of Martirano had family there, which might be true, but Pat Martirano's sister was married to a cousin (who also had the surname Martirano) that came from Argentina. These Martiranos lived in Buenos Aires via Reggio Calabria.

- Along the lines of the above, Fresolone said Martirano was looking to use his mafia connections in Reggio. I'd be curious if there was any truth to this. The Philly family had many members of Calabresi heritage and former boss Joe Ida had lived there after stepping down and apparently had tried recruiting a number of young men in the area. That was decades earlier, though, so what, if any, mafia connections Martirano could use in Calabria is a big question.

- Fresolone's description of Martirano's large home in NJ is very accurate if you've seen it. Interestingly, it is currently lived in by some Cifellis. Martirano was associate Alan Cifelli's baptismal godfather, so the Cifellis in his old house could very well be relatives of Alan, who became wealthy through the gaming machine busines. Nicholas "Turk" Cifelli was also one of Martirano's closest associates for decades. The earliest reports I've seen of Martirano's association with Turk Cifelli is 1972/1973, but Fresolone implies it goes back further. Haven't been able to connect Turk Cifelli to Alan Cifelli but I suspect there is a relation.

- Re: "Vince" the Lucchese figure in prison with Merlino. Despite Perna's denial, I believe Lucchese associate Vincent Zappola was in prison for a time with Merlino at McKean. Natale reported that he (Natale) attempted to use Zappola to gain support from Amuso. While the rumor reported by Fresolone that there was a Lucchese captain named "Vince" backing Merlino was wrong, I believe it had some basis in truth and was in reference to Lucchese associate Vincent Zappola, who the Natale/Merlino faction were attempting to use to gain Lucchese support.

[chin_gigante]

How the Philadelphia family was referred to by its members:

On August 1, 1966, NY T-86 advised that in 1920, GIUSEPPE TRAINA appointed SAM SABELLA (SALVATORE) now deceased as the first “boss” of the Philadelphia “family”. At this time, the organization was known as the “Black Hand”. Informant advised that he had been told that there was just a handful of original members in the organization in 1920.
When JOHN AVENA took over that “family” in approximately 1930, it was known as the “MAFIA” and was known as the MAFIA up until the time that ANGELO BRUNO took over as “boss”. It was in BRUNO’s era of time that the organization was to be known as La Cosa Nostra (LCN), which the informant has translated to mean “Our Thing”.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 9&tab=page

On August 24, 1964, PH T-4 advised that approximately 20 years ago the organization was called the Mafia. He recalled how JOSEPH IDA, who was then the boss of the Philadelphia Family, picked up the gun from the table used during his LCN induction ceremony, and while holding this gun said, “Chista representa la Mafia, Niatri semu tutti la Mafia.” (This represents the Mafia and we are all the Mafia.)
Subsequently during October [redacted] informant was [redacted] into LCN after a [redacted]. He recalled on October 24, 1964, that at this ceremony ANGELO BRUNO, who was the boss, took the gun from PETER MAGGIO who was holding it during the induction ceremony. BRUNO stated aloud while holding the gun, “Niatri representamu La Cosa Nostra. Sta famigghia e La Cosa Nostra.” (We represent La Cosa Nostra. This family is La Cosa Nostra.)
Bruno said aloud, “Sta famigghia si chiama La Cosa Nostra.” (This family is called La Cosa Nostra.)

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 6&tab=page

On September 2, 1964, PH T-3 advised that PH T-4 had a conversation with FRANK MONTE during which they discussed the possibility of the name LCN being changed. PH T-4 told Monte that he learned the name would possibly be changed from LCN member ERNEST PERRICONE.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 8&tab=page

[B.]

Philadelphia also used to be referred to as the "greaser gang" by its own members as well as outsiders. Would be curious how/why they felt they had to formally adopt "Cosa Nostra" over "mafia", but no doubt it came from NYC.

You might be interested in this article if you haven't seen it:
http://mafiahistory.us/rattrap/mafialacosanostra.html

At some point the Sicilian mafia adopted the term "Cosa Nostra" as well. Early Sicilian pentiti and sources never referred to it as "Cosa Nostra" and the Sicilian use of it coincides with it becoming popular in the US.

Families that used "outfit":
- Chicago
- Cleveland
- Detroit
- Kansas City
- Milwaukee
- St. Louis

Outfit was not a unique term to Chicago, but something all of the midwest groups used to refer to themselves. CI Augie Maniaci of the Milwaukee family said he had never heard Cosa Nostra used as a formal name for the organization and that it used to be called "mafia" until "outfit" began to be used, but they were the same organization.

The reality is, the name of the organization has always been in a state of change and it wasn't until the media and LE blitz of the 1960s and the need for outsiders to recognize a formal name that the organization itself started to care that much about the name of their own organization.

[chin_gigante]

Here’s the collation of info from every major source I could find on the Bruno assassination and the murders that took place in the immediate aftermath

Nicholas Caramandi (Blood and Honour):

• Bruno was falling out of favour for his laissez-faire approach to Atlantic City and his perceived hypocrisy on drugs (prohibiting his members from dealing while making money from meth with Raymond Martorano and heroin with the Gambinos)

• Antonio Caponigro recruited Frank Sindone, John Simone and Alfred Salerno as ‘willing participants’ in the murder (Sindone would become Caponigro’s underboss) before seeking permission from Frank Tieri

• Caramandi heard that the shooter was Salerno

• Following the murder, Raymond Martorano appeared visibly worried and paranoid

• Caponigro sent word to Caramandi and Dominick DeVito not to worry

• Caponigro and Testa both individually visited Anthony Salerno in New York

• Peter Casella used his connections in New York to set up Testa’s meetings with the Gambinos and Genoveses, and it was there that they found Caponigro ‘in a lie, in some kind of lie’

• Simone and Sindone met with Stanfa in hospital after the murder and spoke in a Sicilian dialect; the three men later were observed driving to Newark to meet with Caponigro

• About three weeks after the murder Caramandi met with Caponigro, Sindone and Ralph Napoli at Cous’ Little Italy; Caponigro told Caramandi that everything was alright, and he would soon be initiated into the family

• On 17 April, Caponigro and Salerno were picked up by members of Vincent Gigante’s crew in Manhattan and taken to a meeting where they were murdered

• Caponigro was ‘tortured, beaten, strangled, and repeatedly stabbed and shot, and his naked body was in a mortuary bag stuffed in the trunk of a car. Approximately three-hundred dollars in twenty-dollar bills was found stuffed in various parts of his body’; Salerno was ‘shot three times behind the right ear and once behind the left ear. Rope was tied around his neck; most of the bones in his face were broken’

• Sindone was picked up on tape a few years before complaining about Bruno’s leadership

• Caramandi identifies Simone, Sindone and Salerno as co-conspirators with Caponigro and that was why they were killed

• Caponigro and Sindone had a hit list that included Nicodemo Scarfo and Frank Narducci

• Testa, Casella and Scarfo called Joseph Ciancaglini in to see if he was involved in the conspiracy, but Ciancaglini convinced them he wasn’t; Caramandi believes Ciancaglini was used to set up Sindone for his murder

George Fresolone (Blood Oath):

• Bruno was opposed to drugs and wouldn’t profit personally from it, but wasn’t opposed to members of his organisation profiting from drugs; Bruno gave permission for the Gambino cousins to open their heroin trafficking fronts in Philadelphia and Delaware, and many of their sales were to Philadelphia members who would then sell it on to non-mob distributors, who sold it to dealers

• Many of the Philadelphia family members who were buying from the Gambinos were frustrated and felt they would be making two or three times as much money if they could enter the drug business in a more organised manner, using their own connections in Sicily

• Caponigro was upset with Bruno’s attitude towards drugs and his laissez-faire approach to Atlantic City, feeling Bruno had let the New York families into the city for too little in return

• Caponigro approached Tieri for permission to kill Bruno and planned on making Pasquale Martirano his underboss and then inducting George Fresolone and making him capo in Newark

• Raymond Martorano drove Bruno to Cous’ Little Italy on the night of his assassination, but had an appointment and could not drive him home; other individuals present at Bruno’s table said they couldn’t drive him as they wanted to go home to listen to a live opera broadcast

• Martorano went to find someone to take Bruno home and John Stanfa volunteered; Stanfa later told Fresolone that they were talking about Sicily in the car outside Bruno’s house when the shooter approached and opened fire

• Stanfa’s car did not have power windows so Bruno rolled it down himself and it was only down a few inches; Bruno had a habit of hooking his fingers over the top of an open window while driving so Fresolone believes this is what happened and that Stanfa was not in on the plot

• Stanfa and Frank Sindone were called up a couple of days after the murder to meet with Paul Castellano, who was upset about the killing

• Stanfa was suspected of being involved as he was the driver on the night and Sindone was suspected because he was close to Bruno and a popular choice to succeed him; Bruno had fallen out with Philip Testa and Sindone was considered the top choice to become boss if the Bruno loyalists won out against Testa

• Martirano told Fresolone that if Castellano didn’t believe Sindone and Stanfa they would be killed and Fresolone would do the work

• Sindone and Stanfa drove from Philadelphia to Newark where they met and had dinner with Martirano and Fresolone, Caponigro arrived and then he, Martirano, Sindone and Stanfa got into a car driven by another of Caponigro’s guys and they went to New York

• Fresolone got a couple of heavy tarps and then picked up a couple of guns from Joseph Bellina and waited for Martirano to call him at the 3-11 club; the rest of the group eventually arrived with Caponigro satisfied he had convinced Castellano of Sindone and Stanfa’s innocence

• Fresolone and Martirano were confused as to why Castellano would want to have Sindone and Stanfa killed if the hit on Bruno had been approved, why New York would want Bruno dead after he opened Atlantic City to them, and why the Commission would want to deal with the volatile Caponigro as boss of Philadelphia over Bruno

• The day of his murder, Caponigro asked Fresolone to drive him to the train because he had to go to New York; he was being lured in to settle a dispute over a jewellery booth operated by Alfred Salerno in the diamond district and expressed that he wanted to have Salerno killed one day for the trouble he constantly caused him (for this reason Fresolone believes Caponigro shot Bruno himself instead of using Salerno as the shooter)

• Fresolone claimed Caponigro’s undertaker told him ‘as many as half a dozen guys’ opened fire on Caponigro but that the initial shots didn’t stop him; the stab wounds and additional bullet holes came from Caponigro attempting to fight back against his attackers

• Still believing Caponigro had permission from New York to kill Bruno, Fresolone and Martirano interpreted Caponigro and Salerno’s murders as an attempt by one of the New York families to take over their territory and perhaps the entire Bruno family; most of the Newark crew went into hiding for a brief time

• About three weeks after Caponigro’s murder, Martirano was called to a meeting of all made members in the family at Cous’ Little Italy that was held by Bobby Manna, acting on behalf of the Commission; Manna told the group that Caponigro’s demise was a personal issue and no-one else had cause to worry, and that Testa was the new boss with the approval of the Commission

• Some old timers felt that it wasn’t right for New York to choose the new boss and preferred Sindone for the role, but reluctantly accepted the situation as it avoided a war

• Martirano and Fresolone later found out Caponigro had been tricked by Tieri who told him, ‘Take care of your problem’; Tieri later told the Commission he had told Caponigro to work things out with Bruno

• Tieri had wanted Caponigro dead as he viewed him as a threat but needed a reason to do so

• Sindone and Simone were not involved in the Bruno murder but were instead killed because they were Bruno loyalists and posed a threat to Testa’s leadership

Frank Friel (Breaking the Mob):

• Bruno opened up Philadelphia to Gambino heroin traffickers in the early 1960s; Bruno’s men bought heroin from the Gambinos and sold it to distributors, who then sold it to dealers (Bruno profited from this by loaning money to his men for the transactions who would then pay him back with interest)

• Bruno opened up Atlantic City to the New York families, specifically the Gambinos and Genoveses, because he knew he couldn’t keep them out anyway if they wanted in; for this reason Caponigro viewed Bruno as weak and was also upset that he wasn’t allowing the family to enter the heroin trade to its fullest extent

• On the night of his murder, Bruno was driven to Cous’ Little Italy by Martorano and had dinner with his lawyer Jake Cossman and others, including Mario Riccobene and Joseph Scalleat (Friel also says the bartender that night was likely Ronald DiCaprio)

• Martorano said he couldn’t drive Bruno home but didn’t explain why, so Riccobene volunteered but Kossman wanted to go home early to listen to an opera broadcast so Riccobene took him home instead (Friel also says Riccobene was very fond of Bruno and greatly regretted his decision that night)

• Stanfa had driven Bruno before and was asked to do so that night but Friel’s source wasn’t sure who asked him

• Stanfa drove Bruno home and then outside his house one of them rolled down the window; Bruno was then shot by the gunman and there are conflicting reports on whether he had an accomplice

• Some information pointed to Salerno being the shooter, but it was not substantiated

• Martorano told Riccobene he had participated in five murders and listed Bruno’s as one of them; Friel believes it was Martorano who phoned ahead from Cous’ Little Italy to inform the hit team that Bruno was on his way home

• An informant told Friel that Caponigro had been deceived by Tieri into thinking he had permission to kill Bruno

• Simone was killed on Testa’s orders and Sindone was killed because he was the choice of the capos, including Simone, to succeed Bruno

Crime commission report (https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-stat/ ... t-1992.pdf):

• As Bruno’s murder wasn’t sanctioned by the Commission, the Genovese family was given the task of investigating; Scarfo made several trips to New York to meet with Manna, Salerno and Gigante to discuss Bruno’s death and would tell Philip Leonetti about these meetings

• Manna told Scarfo that Caponigro and Alfred Salerno had been killed for the murder and that Simone had been identified as a co-conspirator and would also be killed

• Leonetti believes the only meeting Testa attended in New York concerning Bruno’s murder was in May when he was installed as the new boss (on the condition that he make Scarfo underboss or consigliere), as Testa was uncomfortable in New York and didn’t have connections there

• Scarfo continued meeting with Gigante about the Bruno murder and expressed the problems they were having as Simone was not coming in to meetings; it was also decided that Sindone should be killed for his role

• Scarfo met with Castellano, who told him that he would deal with Simone

• Salvatore Testa lured Sindone to a house owned by associate Virgil Mariutti where Salvatore Merlino and Frank Monte were waiting and while Sindone shook Monte’s hand, Merlino shot him; Merlino and Testa then met with Scarfo and Leonetti to tell them about the murder

Philip Leonetti (Mafia Prince):

• Caponigro was tricked into killing Bruno by Frank Tieri; Caponigro wanted Bruno dead over drugs and Atlantic City

• Caponigro was the shooter

• The morning after the murder Testa sent word through Salvie for Scarfo to go to New York and Scarfo sent word back that Testa, as underboss, was now in charge

• Scarfo sent Salvatore Merlino to New York to arrange a meeting with Manna instead of using Napoli to pass on the message as he didn’t know how much he could be trusted as a member of Caponigro’s crew

• Scarfo met with Manna the next day and relayed his findings to Leonetti, the Merlino brothers, and Phil and Salvie Testa (Scarfo informed them that Caponigro and Sindone were behind the murder)

• Caponigro and Salerno was called to the Triangle Social Club where they were met with Tieri, Manna, Gigante and Anthony Salerno; Manna reportedly told Leonetti and Scarfo that Caponigro met privately with the four heads of the Genovese family and was confronted over the Bruno murder before being beaten, tortured and killed at the direction of Gigante (Alfred Salerno was then brought in and shared the same fate)

• One of the hit men observed Salerno talking with a man they thought was Scarfo and another individual; the two men turned out to be Stanfa and Sindone, and they left after Salerno was called away

• Simone was sending messages to the Gambinos through Nicholas Russo that he wanted to kill Testa and take over

• Word of this got back to Scarfo, who mentioned it to Manna, who sent down Salvatore Gravano; Gravano told Scarfo and Leonetti that Castellano had given him the contract to kill Simone for his attempts to take over

• Sindone was killed for his role in the Bruno conspiracy and Leonetti believes Stanfa was also involved

Vincent Cafaro (testimony):

• Following Bruno’s murder there was expected to be a power struggle between Caponigro and Testa

• Testa came up to New York for a meeting with Castellano, Anthony Salerno, Anthony Corallo and Salvatore Santoro; a few hours later Caponigro met with the same group, and about a week later Testa returned for a second meeting, where Salerno introduced him to Cafaro as the underboss of Philadelphia and Testa told them he believed Caponigro was behind Bruno’s murder

• A couple of weeks later Caponigro returned to New York to discuss something with Salerno, but Salerno did not want to get involved and told Caponigro to go to Gigante instead

• A couple of weeks later Caponigro had an appointment with Gigante and Dominick Canterino picked him and Alfred Salerno up at the diamond exchange; Caponigro was then killed

• Salerno told Cafaro he was glad he hadn’t gotten involved, and that Caponigro was murdered for killing Bruno without permission

Salvatore Gravano:

• Castellano gave Gravano the contract to kill Simone as a favour to Testa, as Simone was planning to take over the family

Ralph Natale’s account largely consists of repetitions of previous sources and some other silly stuff (e.g. he recounts the details of the conversation between Caponigro and Tieri as if he would have any idea what went on there) but here’s some details:

• Natale claims Stanfa drove Bruno to Cous’ that night, which is clearly wrong and contradicts every other source

• Natale also believes Caponigro was the shooter and that Stanfa was involved, though he says the window was rolled down halfway instead of the couple of inches it actually was rolled down by

• Natale says Anthony Ferrante and Felix Bocchino provided the gun to Caponigro, which actually rings true as I recall Leonetti also said so somewhere but I can’t find it

Some things I found interesting from where the sources agree or diverge:

• The extent of Bruno’s involvement in narcotics and whether or not he actually prohibited his members from getting involved

• Every source apart from Cafaro (and Gravano, as he only discusses the Simone murder) mentions Caponigro being tricked by the Genoveses

• The extent of Salerno, Simone, Sindone and Stanfa’s involvement (if they were involved) and the alternate reasons for wanting Salerno, Simone and Sindone killed (Salerno simply as a way to lure Caponigro to the diamond district, Simone for attempting to take over the family and Sindone for being a more popular choice for boss than Testa)

• Whether Stanfa or Bruno rolled down the car window and for what reason

• Which individual wanted to go home early to listen to the opera (I’d be more inclined to believe Friel when he says it was Kossman and that’s why Riccobene couldn’t drive Bruno home)

• Martorano’s almost certain involvement in the murder (not giving a reason for being unable to drive Bruno home, the need for someone to phone ahead to let the killer(s) know Bruno was on his way and then admitting it to Riccobene later)

• Fresolone leaves out the torture in his version of the Caponigro murder though he does refer to the undertaker as a ‘friend of ours’ (I’m not sure whether this is to mean he was a member of a family or just a friend)

• Leonetti’s account differs somewhat as to how often Testa met with New York to discuss the murder, and I don’t believe his second-hand tale that Caponigro was killed in front of Gigante, Manna, Salerno and Tieri (that seems like a great way to have your entire administration arrested for murder)

• Whether the drive Stanfa, Sindone and Simone took to Newark in Blood and Honour is the same drive that Stanfa and Sindone took to go see Castellano in Blood Oath (I suspect it might), and if so, why Simone is only included in one version

[Cheech]

nice work, chin

[Ivan]

• Natale says Anthony Ferrante and Felix Bocchino provided the gun to Caponigro, which actually rings true as I recall Leonetti also said so somewhere but I can’t find it

I *think* in Mafia Prince, Leonetti says that about Bocchino but doesn't mention Ferrante. Natale also said those two got rid of the shotgun if I remember correctly (browsed it in a bookstore so my memory might be off; I don't have Mafia Prince right in front of me either).

Personally I think the fact that there's nothing exciting about the obscure Ferrante and Bocchino that would make Natale's book attractive to casual "true crime" readers is a good reason for the claim to have the ring of truth to it. There's no point in lying about those two. That, plus the Leonetti thing you mentioned, and also one of them was a Caponigro relative (forget which).

[chin_gigante]

• Natale says Anthony Ferrante and Felix Bocchino provided the gun to Caponigro, which actually rings true as I recall Leonetti also said so somewhere but I can’t find it

I *think* in Mafia Prince, Leonetti says that about Bocchino but doesn't mention Ferrante. Natale also said those two got rid of the shotgun if I remember correctly (browsed it in a bookstore so my memory might be off; I don't have Mafia Prince right in front of me either).

Personally I think the fact that there's nothing exciting about the obscure Ferrante and Bocchino that would make Natale's book attractive to casual "true crime" readers is a good reason for the claim to have the ring of truth to it. There's no point in lying about those two. That, plus the Leonetti thing you mentioned, and also one of them was a Caponigro relative (forget which).

That's true, Natale says Bocchino and Ferrante took the gun from Newark to Philadelphia and then dismantled it, dumping it in the river, after the murder.

There's no mention of Bocchino or Ferrante in relation to Bruno's murder in Mafia Prince, but in Blood and Honour Bocchino is said to have 'surrendered' to Testa after Caponigro's murder and turned over a share of his loan shark operation to appease the new boss.

[Ivan]

There's no mention of Bocchino or Ferrante in relation to Bruno's murder in Mafia Prince, but in Blood and Honour Bocchino is said to have 'surrendered' to Testa after Caponigro's murder and turned over a share of his loan shark operation to appease the new boss.

Ah gotcha. Didn't Leonetti also say that Blackie Napoli got the shotgun in the first place? Might be in his book, not sure.

[chin_gigante]

There's no mention of Bocchino or Ferrante in relation to Bruno's murder in Mafia Prince, but in Blood and Honour Bocchino is said to have 'surrendered' to Testa after Caponigro's murder and turned over a share of his loan shark operation to appease the new boss.

Ah gotcha. Didn't Leonetti also say that Blackie Napoli got the shotgun in the first place? Might be in his book, not sure.

Yeah, that was in his book

[B.]

Incredible job compiling that info! Shouldn't be a surprise that I have plenty to say...

Victor DeLuca

Victor DeLuca was allegedly spotted by three witnesses at the scene of the Bruno murder: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... 86,3174457

I've seen other information that identified him as a "prime suspect" in the murder according to police at the time of the murder but I can't remember the exact source or if it was based on more than the three witness reports alluded to in the article. From what I remember, it gave no specific information on why he was a suspect, but those witness reports alone are suspicious.

We know DeLuca was a willing hitman with the Riccobene faction and Martorano had a long history of association with the Riccobene group. Martorano's confession to Mario Riccobene lends itself to the idea that DeLuca may have been involved -- he clearly trusted the Riccobene group with this highly-sensitive matter and a short time later the Riccobene group were all involved in a war against another boss, Scarfo. DeLuca was involved in the unsanctioned murder of the consigliere (Monte) and the attempted murder of a top captain (S.Testa) during that time. Based on this, it's clear that he was open to the idea of unsanctioned murders of family leaders.

As for Martorano's motivation... despite being a top Angelo Bruno associate for decades, he had been blackballed from being made by Harry Riccobene (Riccobene told the FBI this himself in the 1960s) and Angelo Bruno honored this. Martorano was finally made a couple of years after the Bruno murder, so that alone suggests he was interested in rising in the organization and Bruno was an obstacle.

--

Harry Riccobene?

If we look at another unsanctioned murder of a boss, Castellano, we see that aside from the core conspirators, there were a number of important members who were included on the periphery of the conspiracy but did not directly participate. They did little more than go along with the program, then afterward helped smooth the politics out. Outside of the core conspirators, it seems likely there were others in the Bruno family who knew about the murder but were not directly involved in the planning. Based on Caramandi and Fresolone's information you mentioned, it seems that Mickey DeVito and Patty Martirano (both close to Caponigro) knew "something" about an upcoming regime change.

Riccobene would be a strong candidate in my opinion for someone else who gave his silent approval, especially if DeLuca was involved. In Harry Riccobene's interviews he makes it clear that he did not feel Bruno was qualified to become boss. There was also resentment stemming from Riccobene's narcotics sentence, which he discussed with the FBI: at the time Riccobene went to prison, Angelo Bruno was tasked with supervising Riccobene's illegal operations, including Riccobene's associates Mario Riccobene, Frank D'Alfonso, and Long John Martorano. While Riccobene was away, Bruno rose considerably in power and Riccobene felt that Bruno usurped his operations/interests.

Harry told the FBI that he knocked his brother Mario down from membership because the organization no longer was what it once had been, while I don't think he gave a specific reason for keeping Martorano down. He also unsuccesfully attempted to blackball Frank Sindone from membership. It is interesting that all three of these men had become extremely close to Angelo Bruno after Bruno became boss. I have to wonder if he blackballed Mario and Martorano because he could, and it would prevent Bruno from putting them to further use in the organization.

There's also the fact that Riccobene cooperated with the FBI and one of his motivations seemed to be to undermine the Bruno regime. He also went to war with an official boss (Scarfo). He had no issue breaking the most important rules, which should be taken into consideration, along with DeLuca's potential involvement.

--

John Stanfa

To add to the idea of Stanfa not being involved, he was hit with some of the buckshot and immediately ran out of the car to his nearby home, leaving his personal car behind, damaged, with Bruno's body in it. All of this is counter to what we see in a typical planned mob hit.

A big reason Stanfa seems to be suspected is that he was seen meeting with the alleged conspirators afterward and was called to meetings in NYC. For comparisons sake, if Tommy Billotti survived the Castellano hit, he would have attended meetings afterward with the Gambino leadership (including the conspirators) and the other NYC family leaders. If Billotti survived and Gravano didn't testify, there would always be lingering speculation that Billotti set Castellano up. Something to consider, re: Stanfa.

--

Genovese Deception

Manna's statement that Simone was involved is interesting, as I'm of the opinion presented by Gravano and others that Simone was not, but the Genovese leadership was untrustworthy in every aspect of this so it is difficult to trust Manna's take on Simone. They not only allegedly set up Caponigro, but they were attempting to install their allies Testa and Scarfo in power and Simone was said by other sources to be a rival to their leadership. It would be in line with the Genovese leadership's MO to claim Simone was in on the Bruno hit in order to clear the path for Testa/Scarfo.

It is widely accepted that Caponigro was tricked by Tieri, but I have never seen a direct source who heard this explicitly from Caponigro or another conspirator. It's been repeated so often that it's considered the truth, and I don't have any better theory, but it would be great if we had a source who heard it directly. That said, I have no problem believing this rumor given how many high-level sources repeated it.

Joseph Sullivan claims he was the one who killed Caponigro on behalf of the Genovese family. I don't believe it personally, though I don't know shit about Sullivan and what his true ties were to the Genovese family. According to investigators, the bodybag Caponigro was found in was from the same funeral home (?) as the bodybag that John DiGilio's body was later found in.

Vincent Gigante was not the boss yet in 1980, but he was described in the mid-1970s by a CI as being in charge of rule enforcement and the same source said Gigante was responsible for the murder of two men who had broken the drug rule. With this in mind, it stands out to me that Gigante and Canterino are believed to be responsible for carrying out the murders of Caponigro and A.Salerno for breaking the ultimate rule.

--

Anyway, thanks for all of the work you've done and for getting my wheels turning as usual.

[Ivan]

Victor DeLuca

Victor DeLuca was allegedly spotted by three witnesses at the scene of the Bruno murder: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... 86,3174457

I've seen other information that identified him as a "prime suspect" in the murder according to police at the time of the murder but I can't remember the exact source or if it was based on more than the three witness reports alluded to in the article. From what I remember, it gave no specific information on why he was a suspect, but those witness reports alone are suspicious.

We know DeLuca was a willing hitman with the Riccobene faction and Martorano had a long history of association with the Riccobene group. Martorano's confession to Mario Riccobene lends itself to the idea that DeLuca may have been involved -- he clearly trusted the Riccobene group with this highly-sensitive matter and a short time later the Riccobene group were all involved in a war against another boss, Scarfo. DeLuca was involved in the unsanctioned murder of the consigliere (Monte) and the attempted murder of a top captain (S.Testa) during that time. Based on this, it's clear that he was open to the idea of unsanctioned murders of family leaders.

Interestingly, DeLuca told Frank Friel that Angelo Bruno was his "hero" because he did things right. Of course that doesn't rule him out as the shooter. He might have liked Bruno but considered killing him just another job or something.

Friel's characterization of DeLuca and Pedulla both is kind of odd in his book. He clearly has some kind of strange respect and affection for both of them, though not in the retarded Bill Roemer hero-worship way.