Rockford LCN Roots - Aragona

[cavita]

The San Giuseppe Iato and Partinico mandamenti were combined into one mandamento at some point, so politically and geographically those mafia groups have close ties that could explain Musso's relationship to the Troia crowd. Musso may have known Troia by reputation given that Troia was boss of neighboring San Giuseppe Iato and a well-known figure. Interesting too that Troia was close to Maranzano, as San Giuseppe Iato is right next to the Camporeale, Partinico, and Castellammare triangle that formed the early Bonanno family and both Troia and Maranzano were Sicilian bosses at the same time.

Troia's close associate Antonio Riela from SGI would be under Musso in Rockford, follow Troia to NJ, then join the Bonanno family. I always thought it was strange Riela joined Bonanno given no other Newark members landed there, but it makes more sense when you look at where SGI is located and Troia's connection to the Castellammarese. Troia continued to be involved in Illinois after moving to NJ, but I'd be curious what his interactions were with the Bonanno family in NYC after Maranzano died and how much impact that had on Riela's membership and business parternship with Joe Bonanno.

Cavita --
What are your thoughts on Troia being called an underling of Musso?

All good points. As for Troia and Musso, both men were in Madison, Wisconsin in the early to mid 1920s and I have to wonder (as I've talked with Antiliar about this) if it was indeed possible that Troia was there as kind of a "set up man" to put things in place for a more structured LCN family. Troia, Musso and Antonio LoMonaco (another SGI native) came to Rockford at the same from Madison. I have to wonder if Troia arrived in Rockford to help "set up" a more structured family there, saw to it that Musso was the leader and acted as more of an advisor for a while. It is well known that Troia moved back and forth between Springfield and Rockford during this time, as Riela did, and perhaps Troia helped establish the LCN family there because- who was the first official boss of Springfield? Frank Zito, another SGI native. A couple of Frank's brothers I believe were already members in SGI before arriving in Springfield, so this is all very interesting if true.

[Angelo Santino]

Francesco Zammuto—S. S000, by Senator Douglas
The beneficiary of the bill is a 30-year-old native and citizen of Italy who presently resides in Aragona, Italy. He was married in 1949 to a United States citizen, and when she returned to the United States he was unable to accompany her because of two convictions for theft. In 1944, when the beneficiary was 19 years of age, he was charged with the theft of some carob tree leaves from his neighbor and the following year the neighbor made the same complaint. He was given suspended sentences on both occasions. The beneficiary's wife presently resides in Rockford, 111., where she is employed. They have no children. A letter, with attached memorandum, dated March 28, 1956, to the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary from the Com missioner of Immigration and Naturalization, with reference to the bill, reads as follows:
Department op Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Washington, D. C, March 28, 1956.

Hon. James 0. Eastland, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Washington, D. C.
Dear Senator: In response to your request for a report relative to the bill (S. 3000) for the relief of Francesco Zammuto, there is attached
18 IN BEHALF OF CERTAIN ALIENS
a memorandum of information concerning the beneficiary. This memorandum has been prepared from the Immigration and Natural ization Service files relating to the beneficiary by the Chicago, 111., office of this Service, which has custody of those files. The bill would waive the provisions of the Immigration and Nation ality Act which exclude from admission into the United States aliens who have been convicted of or admit having committed a crime involving moral turpitude, and would permit the beneficiary to eater the United States for permanent residence if he is found to be other wise admissible. The bill also provides that this exemption shall apply only to a ground for exclusion of which the Department of State or the Department of Justice has knowledge prior to the enact ment of this act. Sincerely,
J. M. Swing, Commissioner.

MEMORANDUM OF INFORMATION FROM IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE FILES RE FRANCESCO ZAMMUTO, BENEFICIARY OF PRIVATE BILL S. 3000
Information concerning this case was obtained from Mrs. Josephine Zammuto, the beneficiary's wife. The beneficiary, Francesco Zammuto, a native and citizen of Italy, was bora on November 2, 1925. He married Josephiue Zammuto, a United States citizen, in Italy on January 3, 1949. They have no children. The beneficiary resides at Aragona, Agriento, Italy. The beneficiary completed 3 years of school in Italy. He is employed as a farmworker aud has no assets. He has two uncles, an aunt, and a cousin residing in the United States. His parents reside in Italy. The beneficiary has never been in the United States. He was refused an immigrant visa by the American consul at Palermo, Italy, in September 1953, because of two convictions for crimes involving moral turpitude. The committee may desire lo request the Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs, Department of State, to furnish additional infor- mation concerning the beneficiary's convictions. The bene- ficiarv served in the Italian Army from January 1947, to June'1948. The beneficiary's wife, Josephine Zammuto, was born in the United States. She departed from the United States in 1924 for Italy and resided there until September 1953. She resides at 1227 South Church Street, Rockford, 111. and is employed as a presser. She earns $55 a week and has $1,500 in savings.

Senator Paul H. Douglas, the author of the bill, has submitted numerous letters and documents in connection with the case, among which are the following:
United States Senate, April 4, 1956. Re S. 3000, for the relief of Francesco Zammuto.
Hon. James O. Eastland, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Washington, D. C.
My Dear Senator Eastland: In order that your committee may be fully advised when consideration is given to the above-named bill, I am pleased to submit the attached documents in support of this measure. The beneficiary of S. 3000 is a national of Italy who has been found ineligible for an immigrant visa under section 212 (a) (9) of our immigration law, inasmuch as he had been convicted of theft. In 1944, when Mr. Zammuto was approximately 19 years of age, he was convicted for the attempted theft of "some carob-tree leaves" and bis sentence of 15 days and fine of 300 lire was suspended. In 1945 he was convicted for the theft of "some carob-tree leaves" and tha t penalty of 2 months' imprisonment and fine of 1,000 lire was also suspended. Both these penalties were later extinguished by an amnesty. I am told that the loaf of the carob tree has no value, and that Mr. Zammuto was prosecuted by a farmer who wanted to make an example of Mr. Zammuto to deter future trespassing on his land. The gravity of the offenses is indicated by the nominal suspended sentences and the amnesty declared by the Italian court. Mr. Zammuto is married to a United States-born citizen, and his wife has obtained an approved visa petition granting him nonquota
immigrant status. It is my sincere belief that this measure is worthy of your con sideration and I hope your committee will favorably report S. 3000 in the very near future. With kind regards, Sincerely yours, Paul H. Douglas.

The Foreign Service of the United States op America, American Consulate General, Palermo, May 24, 1954. Mr. Francesco Zammuto, Via Felice Cavallotti 49, Aragona (Agrigento):
You are informed that from a thorough examination of your pro ceeding it is determined that you are not qualified to have issued an immigration visa into the United States in conformity with article 212 (a) (9) of the immigration and nationality law; since you have been condemned for theft. The above-mentioned article prohibits the entry into the United States by persons who have been condemned for defaming crimes. The crime committed by you has been defined as such. In view of the above, therefore, your proceeding must be considered definitely closed. Distinct greetings. (Signed) C. T. Zawadski, American Consul (For the Consul General).
affidavit of true translation
State of Illinois, County of Winnebago, ss:

I, the undersigned Frank G. St. Angel, a notary public in and for the county of Winnebago, and State of Illinois, do hereby declare that I am conversant with the Italian language, that I read, write, and speak the Italian language fluently; that I am a qualified and experienced translator of documents in the Italian and English language, which knowledge is based upon at least 4 years of study of the Italian language at the University of Illinois; that I have trans lated from the Italian language into the English language the foregoing document; and I hereby certify that said translation is a just, true, literal, and correct translation into the English language of said document to the best of my knowledge and belief, said attached document purporting to be a letter from the American consulate general of Palermo, Italy, for one Francesco Zammuto.
Frank G. St. Angel.
Subscribed and sworn to before me a notary public in and for said county and State, this 7th day of December A. D. 1955.
[seal] Mabel Haynes, Notary Public.

prefecture of aragona
The chancellor of the Prefecture of Aragona certifies that Zammuto Francesco, son of Giuseppe and of Arena Francesca, born on Novem ber 16, 1925, at Valguarnera, resident of Aragona, has not expiated the penalty given him according to the sentence of this prefecture respectively on March 23, 1944, under which he was sentenced to 15 days of seclusion and to 300 lire fine for attempted theft of some carob-tree leaves, and on April 12, 1945, under which he was sentenced to the penalty of 2 months of seclusion and 1,000 lire fine for the theft of some carob-tree leaves, because he obtained for both of these sentences the benefit of conditional suspension of the penalty and because the above-mentioned penalties were declared extinguished by amnesty declared by this prefecture respectively on December 24, 1953, and October 23, 1946. Issued at the request of the interested person for emigration use.
(Signed) The Chancellor. [Seal, Prefecture of Aragona]
affidavit of true translation
State of Illinois, County of Winnebago, ss:

I, the undersigned Frank G. St. Angel, notary public in and for the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, do hereby declare that I
am conversant with the Italian language; that I read, write, and speak the Italian language fluently; that I am a qualified and experienced translator of documents in the Italian and English language, which knowledge is based upon at least 4 years of study of the Italian lan- fuage at the University of Illinois; that I have translated from the talian language into the English language the foregoing document; and I hereby certify that said translation is a just, true, literal, and correct translation into the English language of said document to the best of my knowledge and belief, said attached document purporting to be a certification of the Prefecture of Aragona.
Frank G. St. Angel.
Subscribed and sworn to before me, a notary public in and for said county and State, this 12th day of May A. D. 1955.
[seal] Morris Rosenbloom,
Notary Public.

[Angelo Santino]

zammuto.PNG

[Angelo Santino]

MATTER OF WACCARELLO
In Section 212(g) Proceedings
A–13825532
Decided by Officer in Charge November 27, 1964
In the absence of persuasive, appealing factors, application for waiver, pursuant to section 212(g), Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, of
excludability under sections 212(a) (9) and (10) of the Act, is denied, in the exercise of discretion, in the case of an alien who was convicted in Italy in 1948 of the crime of continued extortion, in association with 14 other men in an operation bearing strong resemblance to the activities of an organized criminal band.

The applicant is a male, native and citizen of Italy, born in Aragona, Agrigento, Italy, on June 14, 1902. He was married on April 23, 1924, in Aragona to Carmela Salamone, a fifty-seven year old native and citizen of Italy. They live together in Vittoria, Ragusa, Italy.

This is the first and only marriage for both the applicant and his spouse. Satisfactory documentary evidence of marital history and the naturalization of his son, Domenico Vaccarello, was presented.

The applicant has the following children, all born in Italy: (1) Maria, born January 25, 1925; (2) Vincenzo, born August 30, 1928; and (3) Domenico, born March 8, 1931. Maria was lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence three years ago and resides with her resident alien spouse in Chicago, Illinois. Vincenzo is married to a school teacher and resides in Vittoria, Ragusa, Italy. Domenico, married to a United
States citizen, was naturalized in 1963 and resides in Patterson, New Jersey.

The applicant, who has never been to the United States, was found by the consular officer to be eligible for a visa for permanent residence in all respects except for excludability under sections 212 (a) (9) and (10) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
In testimony before an officer of this Service on October 6, 1964, Interim Decision #1424 at Palermo, Italy, the applicant testified that the following record of conviction related to him:

On June 26, 1948, sentenced by the Court of Assizes of Ragusa to five years and four months' imprisonment and twenty-four thousand lire fine for
continued extortion.

According to the official court record, the applicant was accused of having written threatening letters for the purposes of extortion, and of attempted kidnapping, in association with fourteen other men in an operation bearing strong resemblance to the activities of an
organized criminal band. The depredations of this band caused wide-spread terror in the southeastern portion of the island of Sicily during 1945 and 1946. Fifteen members alleged to have been members of the band were arrested and eventually brought to trial on June 26, 1948, in the Court of Assizes, Ragusa. Among the crimes for which various defendants were convicted were, extortion letters, attempted kidnapping, destruction of property by means of military mines, dynamite, and hand grenades. The applicant was convicted of aggravated extortion, in that, he had been involved in the forwarding of threatening letters to the victims. The court noted in its decision that the applicant had received a sum of three hundred thousand lire from one of the victims and had kept, for his own use, a portion more than that to which he was entitled, thus
cheating his co-conspirators. The court record was replete with accounts of activities which are the mark of criminal conspirators, such as the bombing and dynamiting of homes of intended victims who were reluctant to accede to the demands of the extortionists.

Of the numerous crimes ascribed to the fifteen members of the band arrested and tried, the applicant was convicted of aggravated extor
tion. He was sentenced to five years and four months' imprisonment and a fine of twenty-four thousand lire.
In describing the circumstances surrounding the conviction, the applicant testified that, for business reasons and because he did not
enjoy “good relationship” with the local police, he had been the innocent victim of machinations by business associates and the
police. He emphatically denied any complicity in the crime for which he was convicted, or any association with the fourteen co
defendants in his trial. He testified further that he had never committed the crime for which he was convicted, nor any other act
or offense which might render him inadmissible to the United States, or subject him to criminal prosecution.

The applicant testified that he is a truck-farmer, operating his own small acreage of vegetables. In 1963 he earned a total of five
hundred thousand lire, plus the vegetables his own family consumed.

Interim Decision #1424
He stated that, in the event he is granted a waiver, his wife would accompany him to the United States. According to the applicant,
his son Vincenzo, who is married to a school teacher, intends to remain in the small town of Vittoria close to the home occupied by the
applicant and his spouse. He testified that since his son, Domenico, had been admitted to the United States, he had received nothing in
the way of financial support from him. He claimed, however, to be self-sufficient with his earnings.

The applicant's son, Domenico Vaccarello, was interviewed by a Service officer on March 30, 1964, at Newark, New Jersey, and corroborated his statements relative to their family history. He stated that he was aware of his father's ground of excludability, but that it was his desire that he be permitted to join him in the United States.

Domenico Vaccarello testified that he is steadily employed and has other substantial assets, and that he was willing and able to assume the financial obligation to support the subject in the event he is admitted to the United States. He testified further that the hardship he was suffering involved the age of the subject and the subject's spouse, and the difficulty that they were experiencing in sustaining themselves. He added that he would like to have the subject and his wife come to the United States so they could see their grand child. He also indicated it would be an additional financial burden to him if, in addition to supporting his own family, he might have to contribute to support his parents in Italy.

Records of other investigative agencies were checked with negative results regarding the applicant and his son. The ground of excludability which presently bars the applicant from admission was the result of a conviction of a crime stemming from activities of a group of individuals who evidently had banded together for the express purpose of planning and executing crimes of a nature peculiarly adapted to the gang concept. The methods commonly used by the gang to achieve its objectives were those extremely repugnant to men of good will, and familiar with democratic traditions. The vicious threat of physical injury, kidnapping, or damage to property, has been recognized for many years as the evil tool of this particularly despicable type of criminal. Manifestations of this type of criminality are all too evident today, unfortunately, both in Sicily and in the United States. In spite of the weight of evidence which led to the conviction of the applicant with his fourteen co-defendants, he stoutly maintained
that he had been innocent and that he was the victim of the ani mosity of individuals because of business and personal reasons. The Interim Decision #1424 official court record strongly contradicts this self-serving statement.

The applicant's intransigent attitude concerning his conviction, and his attempt to re-try his case before the interviewing officer would tend to invalidate an assumption of his reformation and rehabilitation.

In view of the type of criminal background relating to the applicant, it is not entirely certain that his admission to the United States would not be contrary to the national welfare, safety, and security of the nation. With regard to the hardship alleged by the applicant's son, it cannot be regarded as within the purview of the “extreme” hardship contemplated by the statute. The applicant resides adjacent to a son who has never actually been Seperated from him.

In view of the absence of persuasive, appealing factors and the presence of many that are derogatory, the application will be denied
as a matter of discretion.

ORDER: It is ordered that the application of Domenico Vaccarello for a waiver of excludability under paragraphs (9) and (10) of section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, be and is denied, pursuant to the authority contained under section 212(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

[cavita]

All very interesting bits of information. Yes, the Zammuto, Salamone and Vaccarello surnames are/were common in Rockford and without a doubt these men are related to the descendants living in Rockford today.

[Angelo Santino]

All very interesting bits of information. Yes, the Zammuto, Salamone and Vaccarello surnames are/were common in Rockford and without a doubt these men are related to the descendants living in Rockford today.

It points to a history of criminal involvement in these families. While not specifically stating the M word it refers to them being part of gangs. I'd call that highly suspect.

There's other earlier documents with people from Aragon with similar surnames but they aren't connected with oc and its hard to say what the connection is without further genealogy research.

[cavita]

If a made member of Chicago identified Saladino as boss that gives it some weight, doesn't it? Unless he was speaking in the context as the guy to see down there. I don't know either way but that would be interesting to investigate further. Even if there's a lack of organization under them, it didn't stop Joe Loose or Buffalino from being mafia bosses over their own respective areas. Rochester's another example. And a NJ acting boss extorted a pizza parlor meaning they don't always fit a high-level or white collar MO. You know this already. And I was just curious.

You do great research!

This got me thinking too....with Calabrese's word carrying weight as a made member. Wouldn't the same then have to hold true for Violi's comment about beating out 30 other guys for the spot? Just playing devil's advocate here. I, however, don't know which is true in either case though.

[Angelo Santino]

If a made member of Chicago identified Saladino as boss that gives it some weight, doesn't it? Unless he was speaking in the context as the guy to see down there. I don't know either way but that would be interesting to investigate further. Even if there's a lack of organization under them, it didn't stop Joe Loose or Buffalino from being mafia bosses over their own respective areas. Rochester's another example. And a NJ acting boss extorted a pizza parlor meaning they don't always fit a high-level or white collar MO. You know this already. And I was just curious.

You do great research!

This got me thinking too....with Calabrese's word carrying weight as a made member. Wouldn't the same then have to hold true for Violi's comment about beating out 30 other guys for the spot? Just playing devil's advocate here. I, however, don't know which is true in either case though.

It's like I keep emphasizing in other threads, it's their organization, I find it arrogant to dismiss that point when they don't adhere to our conventional beliefs... I have no idea about Saladino-Calabrese, would be good to ask for more clarification on that from the son maybe?

Buffalo speaks for itself, as does the Bonannos and Toronto who evidently recognize them as an entity.