stubbs wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 2:18 pmGuessing the DeCavs are intentionally very low-key, and involved mostly in some less flashy white collar rackets like construction to avoid the heat that drugs would bring. They’re also only dealing with other Sicilians from Ribera and don’t involve themselves with outside groups (ex: Perna or Merlino like Dante mentioned). The less they involve themselves in cross-family mafia politics, the less likely they’ll pop up on law enforcement radar or get caught on a wire.
With that Philly dinner meeting someone else posted about earlier in this thread, between the Philly guys and the Gambinos, when they said they had no idea what’s going on with the DeCavs, that’s how it’s supposed to be. It’s supposed to be a very secret society. Many made members in Sicily back in the day worked civilian day jobs. Michele Navara was a doctor.
Like I said, I’m just speculating. And I could be projecting a lot more competence onto the DeCavs than is warranted.
It actually seems to be the other way around. Since they lost control of LIUNA Local 394, they've had more cases with drugs, albeit on a limited, relatively small-time basis.
Isn't that just isolated to Stango? Who himself seems to be pretty isolated from the rest of the family?
Or are the DeCav Sicilians knee-deep in drugs too?
As someone else said I wouldn’t even call some of those Stango guys “associates” just guys connected to Stango jr selling coke to undercover agents. Probably some thing to add to a bust to look good like The “the Lion” guy from the Colombos just an independent loan shark that ended up getting indicted with them.
I’D think even though the DeCavs are decimated there’s some guys making some serious money and not resorting to selling small grams of coke to make money
Hope that new book by the FBI agent clears allot of our questions
stubbs wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 2:18 pmGuessing the DeCavs are intentionally very low-key, and involved mostly in some less flashy white collar rackets like construction to avoid the heat that drugs would bring. They’re also only dealing with other Sicilians from Ribera and don’t involve themselves with outside groups (ex: Perna or Merlino like Dante mentioned). The less they involve themselves in cross-family mafia politics, the less likely they’ll pop up on law enforcement radar or get caught on a wire.
With that Philly dinner meeting someone else posted about earlier in this thread, between the Philly guys and the Gambinos, when they said they had no idea what’s going on with the DeCavs, that’s how it’s supposed to be. It’s supposed to be a very secret society. Many made members in Sicily back in the day worked civilian day jobs. Michele Navara was a doctor.
Like I said, I’m just speculating. And I could be projecting a lot more competence onto the DeCavs than is warranted.
It actually seems to be the other way around. Since they lost control of LIUNA Local 394, they've had more cases with drugs, albeit on a limited, relatively small-time basis.
Isn't that just isolated to Stango? Who himself seems to be pretty isolated from the rest of the family?
Or are the DeCav Sicilians knee-deep in drugs too?
Like said, the family seems to have been running on fumes for the last 20 years. Even before Local 394 was officially taken over in 2006, there were reports a few years before that their control had been weakening. But the loss of the union, when the family already had a narrow niche, was huge.
Since then it seems that niche has gotten more narrow. An affiliated company (Mazzocchi Wrecking) was among the mobbed up companies that got contracts at the WTC clean up. In 2011, a couple of associates and their companies were among those listed in the New Jersey report on solid waste and recycling. They were companies that mainly hauled construction materials and debris. And in 2015, soldier James Castaldo and a Hudson County official were indicted for accepting bribes from contractors to be chosen to deliver soil, crushed stone, and fill material to a public golf course under construction. Compared to the past, when they could extort just about any contractor in the area, and the union rolls were filled with DeCavalcante people, there is an obvious downward trend there.
As for drugs, in 2005 soldier Jerry Balzano and a couple associates were indicted for cultivating and harvesting over 200 marijuana plants, as well as possession of "large quantities" of cocaine. In 2015, the Nigro, Stango, et al. bust included distribution of over half a kilo of cocaine. The couple associates busted in 2019 were also charged with distributing over a half kilo. Big time drug movers they are certainly not.
Yeah Jerry Balzano was popped back then in mid 2000s selling Marijuana here at shore in Toms River, if I am remembering correctly that crew had really good shit. That time period of my life back then I was a huge pot head, would smoke from the minute I woke up to right before I went to bed. Weed is now legal here in Jersey, I still hate Governor Murphy though and that cock sucking grin of his- plus he isn’t even really from Jersey so fuck him.
I think at least Stango tried to expand the family rackets over the Jersey and at was more active that this quiet Sicilians. The things went bad but at least its better to try that do nothing.
stubbs wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 2:18 pmGuessing the DeCavs are intentionally very low-key, and involved mostly in some less flashy white collar rackets like construction to avoid the heat that drugs would bring. They’re also only dealing with other Sicilians from Ribera and don’t involve themselves with outside groups (ex: Perna or Merlino like Dante mentioned). The less they involve themselves in cross-family mafia politics, the less likely they’ll pop up on law enforcement radar or get caught on a wire.
With that Philly dinner meeting someone else posted about earlier in this thread, between the Philly guys and the Gambinos, when they said they had no idea what’s going on with the DeCavs, that’s how it’s supposed to be. It’s supposed to be a very secret society. Many made members in Sicily back in the day worked civilian day jobs. Michele Navara was a doctor.
Like I said, I’m just speculating. And I could be projecting a lot more competence onto the DeCavs than is warranted.
It actually seems to be the other way around. Since they lost control of LIUNA Local 394, they've had more cases with drugs, albeit on a limited, relatively small-time basis.
Isn't that just isolated to Stango? Who himself seems to be pretty isolated from the rest of the family?
Or are the DeCav Sicilians knee-deep in drugs too?
Like said, the family seems to have been running on fumes for the last 20 years. Even before Local 394 was officially taken over in 2006, there were reports a few years before that their control had been weakening. But the loss of the union, when the family already had a narrow niche, was huge.
Since then it seems that niche has gotten more narrow. An affiliated company (Mazzocchi Wrecking) was among the mobbed up companies that got contracts at the WTC clean up. In 2011, a couple of associates and their companies were among those listed in the New Jersey report on solid waste and recycling. They were companies that mainly hauled construction materials and debris. And in 2015, soldier James Castaldo and a Hudson County official were indicted for accepting bribes from contractors to be chosen to deliver soil, crushed stone, and fill material to a public golf course under construction. Compared to the past, when they could extort just about any contractor in the area, and the union rolls were filled with DeCavalcante people, there is an obvious downward trend there.
As for drugs, in 2005 soldier Jerry Balzano and a couple associates were indicted for cultivating and harvesting over 200 marijuana plants, as well as possession of "large quantities" of cocaine. In 2015, the Nigro, Stango, et al. bust included distribution of over half a kilo of cocaine. The couple associates busted in 2019 were also charged with distributing over a half kilo. Big time drug movers they are certainly not.
One of the individuals convicted, New Jersey dirt broker James Castaldo, had a documented history as a member of the DeCavalcante crime family dating back to the early 1990s.
SCI: Illegal dirt dumpers posing as recyclers
Jeff Pillets | Staff Writer, @jpillets
New Jersey's corruption-prone waste industry has given rise to a new and growing threat, illegal dirt dumpers and self-styled soil brokers who pose as legitimate recyclers, the state reported Wednesday.
The dumpers exploit weak state regulations to import tainted construction debris and contaminated fill from New York and other out-of-state venues and dispose of it in unregulated sites across New Jersey.
Officials with the State Commission of Investigation, which authored the report, found that the "toxic trafficking" poses a danger to public health, as known carcinogens and other pollutants spread through riparian lands and waterways.
In some cases, mobsters and other criminals who were barred from the waste industry in New York were able to re-invent themselves as recycling entrepreneurs in Jersey, investigators found.
The investigators identified more than 30 individuals who had been debarred by New York but who nonetheless were actively engaged in commercial solid waste or recycling activities west of the Hudson.
"New Jersey has become a haven for criminally tainted garbage and recycling entrepreneurs who were kicked out of the business due to heightened vigilance and stronger rules elsewhere, most notably in neighboring New York,'' the report said.
Paterson mayor orders end of tire disposal at DPW yard
FBI subpoenas films of Paterson tire recycling yard
Glen Ridge gets $10,000 from state for recycling projects
The SCI, an independent agency created in 1968 to probe organized crime and government abuse, called for new licensing laws to close what it called this "glaring loophole" . While state law has long required trash haulers to disclose their ownership and background, recyclers were not subject to similar regulation.
In 2009, state investigators found that the actions of a self-styled soil broker played a role in the failure of EnCap, a $1 billion plan to build a luxury golf community on the old Meadowlands landfills.
The same broker, a politically-connected Essex County resident, had connections to an organized crime figure that federal investigators found sold dumpers access to EnCap at $40 a truckload. Leroy Robinson's company sent nearly 5,000 truckloads of construction debris into the Bergen County site where Overpeck Park was being created.
That material included unwanted debris from a power-plant demolition in Manhattan, soil from housing projects on the Hudson River shoreline and waste from a Staten Island recycling firm.
The state's new investigation revealed evidence that bulk amounts of tainted material from out of state was, in some cases, likely passed off for harmless topsoil.
In one case detailed by the SCI, tainted material was dumped in a residential area along the edge of Raritan Bay in Middlesex County as purported replacement for a hillside decimated by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
In another instance, contaminated dirt and debris were piled high and wide at an unregulated recycling yard in Palmyra, Burlington County, that drains into the nearby Pennsauken Creek and then into the Delaware River.
Publicly funded projects have proven to be profitable targets for unscrupulous soil vendors, the state found.
In Jersey City, for example, mob related entities connected to the soil recycling business thrived during the construction of a golf course financed by the Hudson County Improvement Authority.
The SCI's probe turned up information that resulted in the successful federal prosecution of two individuals charged in a scheme to extort thousands of dollars from companies doing business with the authority. One of the individuals convicted, New Jersey dirt broker James Castaldo, had a documented history as a member of the DeCavalcante crime family dating back to the early 1990s.
Castaldo, who last year was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for bribery and conspiracy, made tens of thousands in profit merely by accepting unwanted construction fill and debris, investigators said. But under current New Jersey law, he wasn't even subject to a background check before he set up shop recycling soil.
"Without at least this change in the statutory framework, criminal elements will continue to profit from polluting at will,'' investigators said.
The SCI report was based on interviews and sworn testimony from scores of individuals, eyewitness surveillance by SCI investigators and analysis of thousands of pages of evidence. Overall, more than 300 subpoenas were issued and more than 40 individuals were called to testify under oath before the commission.
NJShore4Life wrote: ↑Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:52 am
Yeah Jerry Balzano was popped back then in mid 2000s selling Marijuana here at shore in Toms River, if I am remembering correctly that crew had really good shit. That time period of my life back then I was a huge pot head, would smoke from the minute I woke up to right before I went to bed. Weed is now legal here in Jersey, I still hate Governor Murphy though and that cock sucking grin of his- plus he isn’t even really from Jersey so fuck him.
NJShore4Life wrote: ↑Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:52 am
Yeah Jerry Balzano was popped back then in mid 2000s selling Marijuana here at shore in Toms River, if I am remembering correctly that crew had really good shit. That time period of my life back then I was a huge pot head, would smoke from the minute I woke up to right before I went to bed. Weed is now legal here in Jersey, I still hate Governor Murphy though and that cock sucking grin of his- plus he isn’t even really from Jersey so fuck him.
Balzano still active?
Yes , you think he has any other valuable skills that he can transfer into legit gainful employment?
I don’t think the guy has any even semi-legit business interests.
I’m sure he hopped right back into the deep end. I haven’t seen him at all around here at the Shore in any recent times , maybe he went back to Brooklyn. At one point here he was living on the same street here as some absolute scumbag dirtbag pill pusher I always hated who I got into a fight with who is pure scum who also just happened to be from Brooklyn.
- It's more likely to me that "Milk" is Joe Merlo rather than his brother Mike. He is extremely close to his cousin Charlie Majuri and Merlo's former father-in-law is Pino Schifilliti. From the info I've seen, Joe Merlo was more active in DeCavalcante affairs than his brother Mike, though that doesn't prove anything.
- Given that "Milk" doesn't appear to be a random code word but actually a real nickname for the street boss taken from "Joe Milk" Merlo Sr., whose parents ran a dairy farm, it makes it likely "Horse" corresponds to a real nickname as well. Someone once suggested "Horse" could be a play on "Charlie Horse," which would make sense in light of the "Milk" nickname and Merlo's close relationship to Majuri.
- There is a 2004 report that says Charlie Majuri had been "acting boss" of the DeCavalcante family. Was this in reference to his previous role on the ruling panel, or was there a window of time where Majuri was actually the acting boss? Note that someone could be acting boss while incarcerated. Allie Boy Persico was identified by the FBI as the acting boss of the Colombo family from prison, while Andy Russo was identified as the street boss at the same time. Very similar language to the DeCavalcante family during the Stango bust, though in this case nobody was incarcerated. It could be an indication, though, that Majuri maintained some kind of power from prison via Merlo and this arrangement continued after his release. Speculation.
- Given the close relationship between Majuri and Merlo, it would make sense if Majuri was acting boss he would use Merlo to conduct his affairs as street boss. It's a unique arrangement that suggests a close relationship. We know at this time the DeCavalcantes had an official boss, an underboss, an acting boss, and a street boss -- all separate individals. I find it unlikely this was done to create some kind of "super-structure" within the small DeCavalcante family and it's more likely the street boss was simply someone close to the acting boss who could be trusted to handle his affairs. This is further indicated by the Stango indictment, which makes it clear the street boss was operating on behalf of the acting boss.
- JD shared info about how in the 1990s Charlie Majuri told the other family leaders that when John Riggi came home he (Majuri) would demand Riggi step down and if he did not, he would kill him. It appears from the Stango case that there was intense factionalism involving Riggi and the acting leadership, so this could be an indication Majuri was the acting boss and not in line with Riggi.
--
Other info on Joe Merlo:
- The old photos of Joe Merlo make him look unassuming as he was young and had completely red hair, but in recent years he dies his hair black and looks straight out of central casting with a big gold chain, rings, and track suits with his bare chest on display. That of course isn't evidence, but he is playing up the wiseguy role without question.
- Stango says "Milk's" family is the "root of the tree" and an older relative had been an underboss or consigliere. The Merlos were one of the first families to come from Ribera to Elizabeth in the early 1900s, where they ran the aforementioned dairy farm. They are interrelated with the Riggis, Majuris, and LaRassos in the DeCavalcante family, but records also show the LaRassos, Merlos, and Riggis were related earlier in Ribera. When Louis LaRasso's father Alfonso came to Elizabeth from Ribera his arrival contact was Michele Merlo, who I believe was an older cousin of Joe Merlo Sr. or his father. Either way, plenty of roots in this tree and we don't know who most of the early mafia members were.
---
Important to note: I am not married to the info that has come out since the early 2000s. Without informants or recordings, it is hard to know exactly who held what roles from the early 2000s to mid-2010s. There very well could have been an acting boss and street boss all along, which would make the Miranda, Guarracci, and other ranks more confusing. The factionalism could also play a role -- if Majuri did have an acting boss position like the 2004 report says (again, could just refer to the earlier ruling panel), he may have been directing one group of loyalists from prison through someone like Merlo while the other leaders directed another. Impossible to say without concrete info but can't rule it out.
The Stefanelli tapes are important, but it only gives us a small glimpse. Miranda was out of the picture and Riggi's sons were doing something. Were they running the whole family or just looking after their father's affairs? The factionalism that came out of the Stango indictment makes it possible the Riggi sons were looking after only one element of the family and the Philly Newark leadership's attitude toward the Riggi sons was no doubt shared by members of the DeCavalcante family, most likely the Majuri element.
NJShore4Life wrote: ↑Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:52 am
Yeah Jerry Balzano was popped back then in mid 2000s selling Marijuana here at shore in Toms River, if I am remembering correctly that crew had really good shit. That time period of my life back then I was a huge pot head, would smoke from the minute I woke up to right before I went to bed. Weed is now legal here in Jersey, I still hate Governor Murphy though and that cock sucking grin of his- plus he isn’t even really from Jersey so fuck him.
Balzano still active?
Yes , you think he has any other valuable skills that he can transfer into legit gainful employment?
I don’t think the guy has any even semi-legit business interests.
I’m sure he hopped right back into the deep end. I haven’t seen him at all around here at the Shore in any recent times , maybe he went back to Brooklyn. At one point here he was living on the same street here as some absolute scumbag dirtbag pill pusher I always hated who I got into a fight with who is pure scum who also just happened to be from Brooklyn.
Won’t ever be more then a soldier then ha, after that road rage incident
B. wrote: ↑Tue Mar 02, 2021 2:02 am
- There is a 2004 report that says Charlie Majuri had been "acting boss" of the DeCavalcante family. Was this in reference to his previous role on the ruling panel, or was there a window of time where Majuri was actually the acting boss?
Most likely. Riggi demoted Majuri to Soldier in April 2001 according to Anthony Rotondo.
- Given the close relationship between Majuri and Merlo, it would make sense if Majuri was acting boss he would use Merlo to conduct his affairs as street boss. It's a unique arrangement that suggests a close relationship. We know at this time the DeCavalcantes had an official boss, an underboss, an acting boss, and a street boss -- all separate individals. I find it unlikely this was done to create some kind of "super-structure" within the small DeCavalcante family and it's more likely the street boss was simply someone close to the acting boss who could be trusted to handle his affairs.
The UnderBoss and Acting Boss could be one and the same. In the past Riggi, John D'Amato, Jake Amari and Joe Miranda served the dual role.
Pogo
It's a new morning in America... fresh, vital. The old cynicism is gone. We have faith in our leaders. We're optimistic as to what becomes of it all. It really boils down to our ability to accept. We don't need pessimism. There are no limits.
NJShore4Life wrote: ↑Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:52 am
Yeah Jerry Balzano was popped back then in mid 2000s selling Marijuana here at shore in Toms River, if I am remembering correctly that crew had really good shit. That time period of my life back then I was a huge pot head, would smoke from the minute I woke up to right before I went to bed. Weed is now legal here in Jersey, I still hate Governor Murphy though and that cock sucking grin of his- plus he isn’t even really from Jersey so fuck him.
Balzano still active?
Yes , you think he has any other valuable skills that he can transfer into legit gainful employment?
I don’t think the guy has any even semi-legit business interests.
I’m sure he hopped right back into the deep end. I haven’t seen him at all around here at the Shore in any recent times , maybe he went back to Brooklyn. At one point here he was living on the same street here as some absolute scumbag dirtbag pill pusher I always hated who I got into a fight with who is pure scum who also just happened to be from Brooklyn.
Hey, shore. Ever seen stefano vitabile around? Almost never hear about him
Pogo The Clown wrote: ↑Tue Mar 02, 2021 11:50 am
The UnderBoss and Acting Boss could be one and the same. In the past Riggi, John D'Amato, Jake Amari and Joe Miranda served the dual role.
Pogo
That's true -- what I was thinking was there was at least a distinct boss, consigliere, acting boss, and street boss. I swapped underboss for consigliere. Point being, there were at least four individuals in administrative positions.
As for Majuri, anything is possible. Riggi's sons were shelved and here they were in 2010 said to be running the family.
