The Consigliere Position (long read)

[Pogo The Clown]

Another good point.

That's kind of what I was getting at about them playing musical chairs in the last 20 years. Mazzone was consigliere, then allegedly underboss in the early 2000s, then it comes out definitely he's consigliere circa 2010, now he's underboss. Ligambi was underboss, acting boss, and now consigliere. Borgesi's name has been bounced around the administration for the last twenty years, consigliere and acting boss.

Sure seems like the admin spots are just a way to stuff the admin with their loyalists, but regardless of their duties those positions still represent power in Philly. I'd be curious if a modern member flipped what they might say about the specific duties of any given Philly leader. Even though the leadership positions all seem to run together, they do hold fast to the structure.

And if you'll notice nothing really changed for Mazzone and Borgesi when they got those slots. They were already the two top powers under Merlino post Stanfa when they were still Associates and Soldiers so they really didn't gain any extra status with those titles and when they got the titles they still continued to engage in the same type of activity as they had before they got them.


We see the same thing with Joe Ciancaglini Jr. and Frank Martines under Stanfa. Despite being the number 2 they were still doing the same things that the lower ranks were doing (hits, dealing with gamblers, personally going out and beating up and shaking down bookmakers, etc). Nothing really changed for them nor did they seem to gain anything from that promotion. Similar to even when Merlino was the UnderBoss and Acting Boss.


It backs up the statement about the titles being meaningless because there is nothing organized about them.


Pogo

[MightyDR]

Here is Gerry Angiulo and Raymond Patriarca talking about the consigliere as an advocate for the soldiers
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 4&tab=page

Angiulo told Patriarca that it is his understanding that when a "man" had some difficulty, he should go to his "caporegima". Patriarca agreed and said when the "caporegima" disagrees with the man, the man can then go to the "Consuleri". The "Consuleri" can only give advice, but cannot make a decision. The "Consuleri" can then sit down with the (unreadable) boss and they can iron the matter out or bring the "man" in.

[cavita]

@B.

When you post good information and it strikes a chord with me of course I have to compare it to Rockford as that is my knowledge and a good way for me to look at things differently.

Regarding the position of consigliere in your post, I use Rockford’s Joe Zito as my basis. I can’t say for any certainty when he became consigliere but he definitely was by 1961 when he was 57 years old. Given that Tony Musso was positively established as boss when he went away for his stretch in Leavenworth from 1931-1932 who was his underboss? It most likely wasn’t Zito as he has only been in Rockford since 1930 and at that time was only 26 years old.

I am left to wonder if Filippo Caltagerone was consigliere. In the 1960s when Milwaukee LCN member Augie Maniaci was informing for the FBI he stated that when Musso went to prison, Caltagerone was “acting boss” during that time. Perhaps the 37 year old Caltagerone tended to the Rockford family until Musso got out and then slipped back into the consigliere position? In the 1960s when Maniaci was informing he told the FBI who was in the “inner ring” of the Rockford family- Joe Zammuto, Frank Buscemi, Joe Zito, Lorenzo Buttice and Filippo Caltagerone. Caltagerone was the only one who didn’t have a ranking but he was a highly respected member, above that of soldier. I’m wondering if he was the onetime consigliere who retired perhaps in the late 1950s and then that position was turned over to Zito.

Then again, Maniaci also stated that in the 1930s George Saladino bossed a gang of men that included LCN members Phil Priola and Phil Cannella. He stated Joe Zito financed this gang’s activities lending to the supposition that perhaps Zito was indeed consigliere and Saladino was a capo. I believe I have heard of instances where this is done- the consigliere backing a capo’s activities for a cut.

By the 1960s when Zito was positively identified as consigliere, he was noted as being very powerful. FBI files stated how it was believed Rockford Disposal Service, Inc., utilized Zito in quieting labor disputes when Rockford Disposal first obtained the contract with the city of Rockford.
When there was talk in the late 1960s of the possibility of Joe Zammuto retiring as boss, Maniaci told the FBI that Zito did not want to be the boss, but would take it if it was forced upon him, and that as consigliere of the Rockford LCN family, he would carry considerable weight in determining who the new boss would be.

This is where my confusion is- it is assumed that the position of consigliere is a man who is older and experienced as a voice of reason and advice for the family’s interests but as far back as the late 1930s and early 1940s Zito was already very powerful. In 1943 sources indicated that there were “a number of Italians engaged in prostitution and gambling in Rockford, and that Joe Zito is the main spring and king pin of the group. Informant stated that it is Zito who finances and directs their activities.” It was also noted in 1946 police intelligence reports that boss Tony Musso and underboss Gaspare Calo along with Zito were forming a syndicate to control the leased wires and furnish news service to the area bookmakers and gamblers. Now Zito was the brother of Springfield boss Frank Zito and the brother-in-law of Calo and this gave him increased stature in the family but could it have given him the consigliere position as far back as 1932 at the age of twenty-eight? I don’t know enough about Caltagerone other than he was highly respected in the family and his criminal career stretched back to 1917 when he was convicted of murder, which was later overturned.

The smaller families are harder to figure out and I don’t know where to go with this so any help would be appreciated.

[B.]

When you post good information and it strikes a chord with me of course I have to compare it to Rockford as that is my knowledge and a good way for me to look at things differently.

I was hoping you'd have some good Rockford stuff to add.

- 26 def isn't too young for an underboss circa 1931-1932. Even bosses at the time were in their early- and mid-20s. His recent arrival makes it less likely.

- Looks like Caltagerone had a special role. Acting boss early on, then a member of their consiglio as a soldier. Wouldn't be a surprise if he had been a consigliere given we know they had one later and it was a significant position.

- What's clear is the consigliere position in Rockford had the capacity to be very powerful in its own right.

One guy who is interesting to me is Christie Tick Furnari.

Great addition to the thread. Definitely the faction leader style of consigliere and as you said these factions are still at play today.

Angiulo told Patriarca that it is his understanding that when a "man" had some difficulty, he should go to his "caporegima". Patriarca agreed and said when the "caporegima" disagrees with the man, the man can then go to the "Consuleri". The "Consuleri" can only give advice, but cannot make a decision. The "Consuleri" can then sit down with the (unreadable) boss and they can iron the matter out or bring the "man" in.

Another good one. So many of these accounts are similar but with certain differences. One of the other member sources said the consigliere could make a decision and it would be final, but here they say he couldn't make the decision himself.

[Stroccos]

would you all consider someone labeled cheif counselor as a consigliere ?

[B.]

Joe Bonanno said "capo consigliere" (chief counselor) was the way they originally referred to the capo dei capi (boss of bosses).

[Stroccos]

Joe Bonanno said "capo consigliere" (chief counselor) was the way they originally referred to the capo dei capi (boss of bosses).

interesting
there was a guy in Cleveland referred to as a cheif counselor by some informant tommaso argento

[B.]

And if you'll notice nothing really changed for Mazzone and Borgesi when they got those slots. They were already the two top powers under Merlino post Stanfa when they were still Associates and Soldiers so they really didn't gain any extra status with those titles and when they got the titles they still continued to engage in the same type of activity as they had before they got them.

Pogo

Natale seemed to feel that the underboss and consigliere had distinct roles while he was boss:

And when you rise to the position of a boss, you rule over everybody and every thing..The one directly beneath me would be the Underboss. That would be Joey Merlino. Whenever I wanted something done in the street, whether it was an extortion, whether it was a beating, or a murder, I would pass the order on to Joey Merlino, and then he would have to find the men within our Family to go ahead and do it. That is the Underboss. He's actually the street boss. He does the running around, and takes care of everything..Under him is the Consigliere, which was Stevie Mazzone, at that time. The Consigliere [if] there's a rift between the Family, will settle it. That's his position. Under the Consigliere are the Capos, or captains. They're the ones who have the Soldiers under them. They're given the direct orders from the Underboss to them to go out and follow these orders through."

https://lcnbios.blogspot.com/search?q=natale

So he says the chain of command goes boss->underboss->captains->soldiers, while the consigliere is a mediator.

Curious if there are any known examples of this in action during that period, i.e. Mazzone mediating a dispute or settling an issue in the family.

[Pogo The Clown]

In theory that is the way it is supposed to work but in practice it doesn't look like they operated that way.


During this time Merlino was the driver in the Milicia drive by shooting. Mazzone took part in the killing of Dutchie Avicoli. Ligambi, Mazzone and Borgesi took part in the Turchi murder despite being the administration. As Acting Boss Merlino was dealing with those two associates that were selling those stolen ceiling fans on the corner and was meeting that independent bookmaker that they were shaking down. As UnderBoss Mazzone was directly meeting with that undercover cop about selling that stolen car. Natale and Merlino were directly meeting with MIlicia and his partner about the street tax and I believe they also met with other independent bookies they were shaking down. It appears that even Natale was personally directing that drug dealing ring with those associates.


Seems there was very little delegation and almost no real insulation for the top guys. Contrast that to the previous decade where Scarfo, Sal Merlino and Leonetti where all far removed from that stuff.


Pogo

[B.]

Yeah, you make a strong point that in practice they didn't act like administration members.

I wonder if there are examples where the membership went to Mazzone to settle a dispute specifically because he was consigliere. We're missing a lot of data when it comes to everything that went on within the organization on a day-to-day basis. Was Mazzone also performing the duties of a consigliere while doing all of this street activity? They're not mutually exclusive even though it's strange to imagine a consigliere doing all of that.

Some of it is the mafia traditions changing/decaying, but like Piscopo said, these things also depend on the personalities involved. Anthony Casso and Gravano were directly participating in murders, sort of like Mazzone and Merlino being hands-on with street activity. That doesn't mean those positions are permanently changed, though. If Ligambi or Licata is the consigliere now, I imagine they are closer to a traditional-style consigliere given their age and experience. Two guys in their 30s like Merlino and Mazzone were going to act like young men regardless of their rank.

Though Natale wants to give the impression he was in control as boss, he is at least honest that Merlino was the street boss as underboss. I wonder if he felt Mazzone carried out the consigliere function he described. Too bad JD took hiatus, as he said he was going to do a follow-up with more info from Natale.

--

Was just thinking about how Rocco Scafidi initially told the FBI he didn't know if there was a consigliere and believed Joe Rugnetta and Ignazio Denaro were both underbosses of their respective factions. He believed the consigliere position was a committee consisting of Rugnetta, Denaro, and former consigliere Dominick Oliveto. Brings to mind the consiglio, though later Scafidi learned Rugnetta was consigliere.

Even though he was a multi-generation member of Sicilian heritage, I get the impression Scafidi's relatives didn't tell him as much as they could have. In one of his taped conversations, he talks about how his uncle and capodecina Joe Scafidi was adamant about the rules and as a result Scafidi couldn't away with anything. Seems during those years that Scafidi was on the shelf, he was truly ostracized and didn't receive much info on the organization. He was a made member, though, so his assumption that the consigliere could be a committee/panel could indicate there was precedent for this in the family (i.e. consiglio).

[Pogo The Clown]

This shows how directly involved Natale and Merlino were to the street crimes and just how little they insulated themselves.


From an articles during the Merlino trial.


The Boss and UnderBoss meeting directly with the independent bookies they were shaking down.

In early 1995, Natale said Merlino organized a "little banquet" for 40 to 50 bookmakers. At a table in the back of the banquet hall, the pair assigned each bookmaker to one of the eight or nine "La Cosa Nostra men" responsible for collecting a weekly "street tax."

Even after the attempt on Milicia they still met with him and took the street tax money directly from him.

Natale later met with Milicia, after he recovered, and Milicia and Procaccini willingly paid $1,000 each to Merlino and Natale.

Contrast this to the previous decade where Scarfo sent word to his UnderBoss Sal Merlino who then delegated it to Capo Joe Ciancaglini who then had his guys like Spirito, Iannece and Caramandi carrying out the extortions who then kicked the money upstairs.


Pogo

[B.]

About Allie Persico as consigliere in the 1970s. Echoes some of the informant/witness accounts I gave in the original post.

[davidf1989]

Frank Bompensiero was an FBI informant and the Consigliere for the Dragna family before the mob found out and killed him.

https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/02/arch ... i-fbi.html

[PolackTony]

- Frank Bompensiero, 1967 FBI informant report:

“Moceri and La Salle also indicated LCN boss Joe Zerilli of Detroit is considering retiring from active leadership. That Mike Polizzi, son-in-law of John Priziola, would take over Joe Zerilli’s job as Detroit LCN Family Boss ‘with a seat on the Commission’, that Zerilli would become a consigliere of power.

What’s interesting here is if Bompensiero’s info had panned out to be correct, it appears that there would’ve been some precedent for such a move deeper in Detroit’s history. In Vìnnitta, Waugh has Agostino Vitale as capofamiglia at 1901, and then years later as consigliere. This suggests that in the early mafia there may have been a model for consigliere as a former rappresentante (semi-retired boss/elder statesman), presumably with the attendant prestige and weight in organizational affairs. This also may point to the “Council” Consiglieri/elder statesmen that we see in families like Tampa, among others. Whether or not such individuals held a formal “Consigliere” position as outlined in this thread, I would imagine that they were held to embody the interests of the family and its membership in disputes and policy/protocol decisions.

On another note, I was reading some Italian material on Sicilian CN recently. It was claimed here that the capofamiglia appointed not just the sottocapo, but also the Consiglieri, which could be anywhere from 1 to 3 men (it stated that 3 specifically was the upper limit). It’s unclear where the info was originally sourced from, or what specific time period that it pertained to (the later 20th century, I suppose, given that it also mentions Mandamenti). Criteria for and responsibilities of the Consiglieri were not discussed. Is there other evidence of the Consigliere being an appointed position in Sicily, unlike the elected position that we see in at least some US families? Little info seems available on the specifics of the Consigliere position in Sicily, past or present. I’m aware that the SanGiorgi report mentioned the Consigliere, but was any other detail provided apart from it being an advisory role to the rappresentante?

[B.]

Not sure what's up with the Waugh book. He did a lot of research into real people and events, but the way he assigns ranks and talks about other organizational details from the early 1900s seems like guesswork stated as fact. There is one part where he says two guys were inducted into the Detroit mafia in summer 1907 and another guy was promoted as captain over them, but if you check the citation there's no evidence given. Not trying to call the guy out, but I have a hard time taking some of that info about the early 1900s as fact, so hard to say whether there were any patterns that played out in the hierarchy. If he does have obscure sources that say who the boss, consigliere, and captains were that early on, well I'd genuinely love to see them because that'd be an amazing find.

The Sicilian info you read could come from Calderone. He talks about the consiglio very closely to what you described.