Paul Castellano and Nenè Geraci meeting

[100100]

Kind of a side note question but did Castellano know how to speak Sicilian? Guess to communicate with Geraci or other old school mobsters.

[johnny_scootch]

Kind of a side note question but did Castellano know how to speak Sicilian? Guess to communicate with Geraci or other old school mobsters.

Yes. Him and Bilotti used to go into Ariemma's on Hylan Blvd all the time and talk to the owner in Italian. Castellano would always get the Castelvetrano olives and a sandwich, Bilotti would get a hero.

[B.]

Thanks for the info. So the PDR family wasn't terribly large on its own. Is it true the Santa Maria di Gesu family had close to 200 members or was that also a reference the mandamento?

As for Castellano, Bonanno "zip" associate Luigi Ronsisvalle had a dispute with a restaurant owner he worked for in the early 1970s and confronted the owner. He said Paul Castellano and two of the Sicilian Gambino brothers were hanging out at the restaurant bar and interceded in the dispute. Ronsisvalle later said it may have been Paolo Gambino with the Gambino brothers and not Paul Castellano. Either way, Castellano was born into a large clan of Sicilian immigrant mafiosi and operated in the inner circle of Palermo-born mafiosi his entire life. A lot of our image of Castellano comes from his murderers and antagonists and even then they're only describing the last 5 years of his life. He was the son of a butcher, committed robberies, and his father, uncle, and cousins were as much "zips" as anyone who came over in the 1960s/70s.

[bronx]

CASTELLANO'Swere here turn of century

[bronx]

CASTELLANO'Swere here turn of century he was born speaking sicilian

[CabriniGreen]

Thanks for the info. So the PDR family wasn't terribly large on its own. Is it true the Santa Maria di Gesu family had close to 200 members or was that also a reference the mandamento?

As for Castellano, Bonanno "zip" associate Luigi Ronsisvalle had a dispute with a restaurant owner he worked for in the early 1970s and confronted the owner. He said Paul Castellano and two of the Sicilian Gambino brothers were hanging out at the restaurant bar and interceded in the dispute. Ronsisvalle later said it may have been Paolo Gambino with the Gambino brothers and not Paul Castellano. Either way, Castellano was born into a large clan of Sicilian immigrant mafiosi and operated in the inner circle of Palermo-born mafiosi his entire life. A lot of our image of Castellano comes from his murderers and antagonists and even then they're only describing the last 5 years of his life. He was the son of a butcher, committed robberies, and his father, uncle, and cousins were as much "zips" as anyone who came over in the 1960s/70s.

According to Author Diego Gambetta, Santa Maria De Gesu, was at 50 members, and throughout the course of the 70s, it swelled to 150. This was apparently to accommodate the needs of the heroin business, or at least a by product of it.....

Funny thing, he actively tried to limit the influence of other mafiosi by limiting how many would be made, like with the Grado brothers.....


https://books.google.com/books?id=y3bv3 ... de&f=false

[CabriniGreen]

Eeh, 160 members I guess...

@felice

Assuming both these things occurred, the meeting with Geraci probably came first, right? Then Inzerillo goes to Sicily to garner support, and maybe they sent word back like, " Drug ban? You are dreaming"....

I mean, they were coming over to move the stuff, guys like Cefalu all the rest.... or no?

[scagghiuni]

Thanks for the info. So the PDR family wasn't terribly large on its own. Is it true the Santa Maria di Gesu family had close to 200 members or was that also a reference the mandamento?

it's the mandamento that has nearly 200 members

[felice]

Eeh, 160 members I guess...

@felice

Assuming both these things occurred, the meeting with Geraci probably came first, right? Then Inzerillo goes to Sicily to garner support, and maybe they sent word back like, " Drug ban? You are dreaming"....

I mean, they were coming over to move the stuff, guys like Cefalu all the rest.... or no?

the sicilians made in the gambino family shouldn't have moved heroin (at the end they were doing it), the sicilian outside the families could do whatever they want.

[felice]

Thanks for the info. So the PDR family wasn't terribly large on its own. Is it true the Santa Maria di Gesu family had close to 200 members or was that also a reference the mandamento?

As for Castellano, Bonanno "zip" associate Luigi Ronsisvalle had a dispute with a restaurant owner he worked for in the early 1970s and confronted the owner. He said Paul Castellano and two of the Sicilian Gambino brothers were hanging out at the restaurant bar and interceded in the dispute. Ronsisvalle later said it may have been Paolo Gambino with the Gambino brothers and not Paul Castellano. Either way, Castellano was born into a large clan of Sicilian immigrant mafiosi and operated in the inner circle of Palermo-born mafiosi his entire life. A lot of our image of Castellano comes from his murderers and antagonists and even then they're only describing the last 5 years of his life. He was the son of a butcher, committed robberies, and his father, uncle, and cousins were as much "zips" as anyone who came over in the 1960s/70s.

santa maria di gesù was one of the powerful mandamento under bontate years, at its peak the family of santa maria di gesù had something like 120 made members. the whole mandamento around 200. the mandamento was formed by santa maria di gesù, villagrazia, pagliarelli and borgo molara families

[JeremyTheJew]

It has been established that there were two Gambino Zip crews existed right?

Conte / Cefalu
And
Gambino crew / Inzerillo

And then Cali


So we have Conte of Gambinos who was a top player in the Pizza Connection coming to Naimo, so that would also make me think that the Bonanno Family would be similar.

Were Catalano and Sally Fruits who both reached top levels in Bonanno Family (some claim acting boss but English wasn't good) reporting to Naimo as well??

[scagghiuni]

santa maria di gesù was one of the powerful mandamento under bontate years, at its peak the family of santa maria di gesù had something like 120 made members. the whole mandamento around 200. the mandamento was formed by santa maria di gesù, villagrazia, pagliarelli and borgo molara families

pagliarelli was a different mandamento led by matteo motisi in the early 80s

[felice]

Conte coming to Naimo? what do you mean?

Nobody was reporting to Naimo, nobody. Naimo was just controlling the Inzerillo's had to stay in ny and not fly back to Italy. Pasquale Conte's boss was Paul Castellano and Ferruggia's boss was Rastelli.

[felice]

santa maria di gesù was one of the powerful mandamento under bontate years, at its peak the family of santa maria di gesù had something like 120 made members. the whole mandamento around 200. the mandamento was formed by santa maria di gesù, villagrazia, pagliarelli and borgo molara families

pagliarelli was a different mandamento led by matteo motisi in the early 80s

pagliarelli family was part of santa maria di gesù until the death of bontate. then the family was given it's own mandamento since santa maria di gesù was given to san giuseppe jato.

[scagghiuni]

santa maria di gesù was one of the powerful mandamento under bontate years, at its peak the family of santa maria di gesù had something like 120 made members. the whole mandamento around 200. the mandamento was formed by santa maria di gesù, villagrazia, pagliarelli and borgo molara families

pagliarelli was a different mandamento led by matteo motisi in the early 80s

pagliarelli family was part of santa maria di gesù until the death of bontate. then the family was given it's own mandamento since santa maria di gesù was given to san giuseppe jato.

maybe after the police repression of the 60s it was put under santa maria di gesù... in the 50s was a mandamento led by lorenzo motisi who was a member of the provincial commission; i didn't know santa maria di gesù was put under san giuseppe jato (i imagine bernardo brusca) at that time