5 Family's Making Ceremonies

[Targenmantarian]

Bonnanos are the fastest to replenish ranks after every family crisis.

Maybe quantity over quality but they'll definitely be one of the last ones to die out.

They've been called dead as many times as the Colombos and are now back to near or at 90s levels.

And Mancuso being a hardass traditionalist will probably do the same thing.

Too bad there's like 3 Italians left in Harlem. If there were 50 of those guys he'd make em all. But that said he will probably induct as many Bronx Bonnanos as he can.

[dreww]

JoJo Corrazzo - Gambino Family?

[Targenmantarian]

Bout as Gambino as they get. Yeah.

[gohnjotti]

Cutolo was sponsored into the family by both John "Jackie" DeRoss and "Charlie Moose" LNU (obviously Panarella), according to Peggy Cutolo. She has no clue who Charlie Moose is/was so she has no reason to lie about the information. I am writing it here because I find it interesting that Cutolo's godfather, Tropiano, was not mentioned by Peggy at all.

[chin_gigante]

Found this piece in the NY Daily News from 5 Sep 1987 identifying Carmine Varriale as a Luchese member and that he was made in 1985

Varriale.jpg

[chin_gigante]

Some of the names on the lists found in Junior Gotti's possession and the members they replaced:

List 2.jpg

List.jpg

[chin_gigante]

Pennisi was inducted with Anthony Guzzo and a guy called Patty according to his testimony

[chin_gigante]

Information from Scarpa files on the Gambino induction ceremony at DeCicco's funeral:

On April 24, 1986, source advised that 14 new members were "made" in the Gambino family on April 17, 1986.

[Stroccos]

I don't know when he was made but Christopher Londonio was sponrosed by joe dinapoli

[chin_gigante]

1987:
Frank “Big Frank” Lastorino
Peter “Fat Pete” Chiodo - ?
George “Georgie Neck” Zappolla - ?

1988:
George “Georgie Goggles” Conte
Joseph D’Arco
-Separate Ceremony
Joseph “Testa” Testa
Anthony Senter

1989:
Joseph “Little Joe” Defede
Richard “The Toupee” Pagliarulo
Frank “Frankie Bones” Papagni
Frank “Frankie Pearls” Federico
Michael “Mike” DeSantis

1990:
James “Froggy” Galione
Frank “Fat Frankie” Giacobbe

March 1991:
Thomas “Tommy Red” Anzellotto

1991: (Most of these were probably in the March ceremony)
Patrick “Patty” Testa
Pasqual "Patty" DeLarosso
Peter "Petey" DelCioppo
Rocco Vitulli
Thomas “Tommy” Gelardo
Santo “Jay” Giampappa
Vincenzo “Enzo” Napoli
Gerry Del Sorbo


October 1991:
Frank “Spaghetti Man” Gioia Jr. (Sponsored by George Zappolla)
Joseph “Torty Jr” Tortorello (Sponsored by Anthony Tortorello)
Thomas “Fat Tommy” D’Ambrosio (Sponsored by Anthony Barratta)
Gregory “Whitey” Cappello (Sponsored by Richard Pagliarulo)
Jody Calabrese (Sponsored by Richard Pagliarulo)

I want to take a closer look at this period for the Luccheses. I've been looking through Mob Boss, Gaspipe, some old Gang Lands and a few other sources and the timeline I have is a bit different, so I'll lay everything out below. Just as a caveat, if I say anything that contradicts other sources (news reports, LE documents, etc) that I haven't come across in my research I'd be glad to hear about it.


1987

I've found stuff backing up both Chiodo and Lastorino's places in 1987 (whether that be in the same ceremony or separate ones).

Chiodo:

Chiodo testified that Amuso swore him in as a "made" member of the Luchese family in 1987, and promoted him to "captain" in 1988.

https://casetext.com/case/us-v-amuso

Lastorino:

FRANK LASTORINO

"Big Frank'

AGE - 59 (4-9-39)

INDUCTED - 1987

SPECIALTIES - gambling, loanshark, murder

Capeci, Jerry. "Dumb fellas: grads' dream of mob glory died behind prison bars". New York Daily News. 04 May 1998.

[The above quote is from an accompanying graphic that for some reason is not featured on the Gang Land News version of the article.]

I haven't found anything that firmly identifies Zappola as being inducted in 1987, though it would make sense. Both Zappola and Lastorino participated in the Dec. 1986 murder of Nicholas Guido. In Gaspipe, Philip Carlo talks about how Casso had to get permission to induct Zappola because the Genoveses had killed his father earlier:

[Casso] had a meeting with Genovese underboss Benny Eggs and he asked Eggs to petition the Chin to release George Jr. to the Luccheses as a personal favor. The Chin agreed and Casso had George Jr. inducted into the Lucchese family.

If I'm remembering correctly Mangano was the underboss in 1987 so the timing would line up.

So I'm curious about the logic for placing Zappola in 1987 with Chiodo and Lastorino. It seems like a reasonable educated guess, but if there's any law enforcement document or news report that identifies him as such I would very much be interested in seeing it.

1988

I have a different version of this that comes from Mob Boss:

Amuso and Casso were preparing to add to the ranks of the family’s membership. “Vic proposed that we make Joseph. I said fine.”

His son’s name was added to a list of a half dozen proposed new Luchese family members. The list was circulated and returned with no opposition. An induction ceremony was organized in the basement of another Canarsie home.

Most of the other men being inducted that evening were Joseph’s age. Three of them, George Conte, Anthony Senter, and Joseph Testa, were good friends. Joseph was thrilled to be joining the family with his pals.

The initiates waited upstairs to be called into the basement, where Amuso, Casso, and Al presided at a table.

Bobby Amuso had brought a large safety pin to do the honors. Al looked at it and shuddered. “It was this big, nasty-looking thing. He was using it to prick their fingers, but he was jabbing it in hard. He almost punched it right through. There was blood all over.”

As part of the formal mob liturgy, once Joseph’s induction was complete, Vic Amuso introduced him to his father. “This is your captain, Alfonso D’Arco. You will be with him.”

The father kissed the son on both cheeks. They were now together in two families.

So I have this as one ceremony rather than two separate ones. I also have it consisting of a total of 7 inductees (Joseph plus the list of half a dozen proposed members).

From later in the book:

Overseeing the family’s airport interests was Anthony Calagna, a gambler and horse racing enthusiast who had been inducted as a soldier in 1988 at the same ceremony as Joseph D’Arco.

So that puts this ceremony as D'Arco, Conte, Senter, Testa, Calagna, and two other unidentified inductees.

1989

What I've got is pretty much the same. Again, from Mob Boss:

That fall, the Luchese family leaders marked their harvest by inducting new members. The ceremony took place in November, just before Thanksgiving.

“We did it in the basement of Petey Vario’s nephew’s house in Canarsie.” Amuso and Casso presided. Most of the family’s captains were present, including Al, Sal Avellino, Pete Chiodo, and Bobby Amuso, despite his ill health. Anthony Baratta, a wealthy capo based in East Harlem, was present as well. Frank Lastorino, who was making his own small fortune handling Gaspipe Casso’s end of a massive scheme orchestrated by Russian mobsters to steal gasoline taxes, also showed up.

Five soldiers were inducted. Included were two of those who had helped carry out the messy execution of Sonny Morrissey a few weeks earlier. Richie Pagliarulo, whose nickname was “the Toupe” pronounced “toop” for the hairpiece he wore to make himself look years younger, got his reward. So did Mike DeSantis, the fumbling backhoe operator.

Another inductee, Al noted with interest, was a sixty-one-year-old heroin dealer from Pleasant Avenue in East Harlem. Frank Federico had been around the Luchese family for years. Al had run into him a few times, including in prison. Thanks to his steady drug dealing, dating back to the 1960s, Federico had never been viewed as soldier material. Everyone called him “Frankie Pearl.” He’d gone gray waiting to be made.

Al had never asked for details, but his understanding from Sal Avellino was that Frankie Pearl had been one of the gunmen who killed the two rebel carters on Long Island that summer. It was Federico who had suffered the deep gashes from Robert Kubecka’s nails as he fought for life. The mob didn’t give Purple Hearts. But it did award buttons.

A Gang Land article from 2003 confirms Joseph DeFede was the fourth individual at the ceremony:

Two months after the [Kubecka/ Barstow] slayings, in October 1989, Federico was “made” during a special initiation rite conducted by Amuso, who was then a fugitive “but showed up for the ceremony,” according to an account by former acting boss Joseph (Little Joe) DeFede contained in an FBI report.

The ceremony was held in a basement in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. Defede, who took his Mafia oath at the same time, said Federico was placed under capo Anthony (Bowat) Baratta, a heroin dealer and one of the family’s biggest money makers.

https://www.ganglandnews.com/members/column324.htm

There's a disparity there on the date. D'Arco has it in November 1989, while DeFede has it as October 1989.

Like Zappola, I haven't found anything concrete to put Papagni in this ceremony. Looking back at the graphic I mentioned for Lastorino, it says this about Papagni:

FRANK PAPAGNI

'Bones'

AGE - 40 (7-18-57)

INDUCTED - 1989

SPECIALITIES - marijuana, murder

So that would seem to place him in this 1989 ceremony, but it's important to note the graphic isn't 100% accurate. It incorrectly states George Conte was made in 1989 and places Pagliarulo and Thomas Anzeulotto in 1990. So maybe Papagni was the fifth inductee at the October/ November 1989 ceremony or maybe he was made with Conte et al in 1988.

(Again, if there's another source that places Papagni at the 1989 ceremony feel free to correct me).

1990

I haven't found anything concrete on Galione and Giacobbe and what I do have relates to the lists of proposed members from 1991 so it's probably best to move on to the next one.

March 1991

From Mob Boss:

A few days after Visconti’s murder, the Luchese family paused from combat to replenish its ranks. New recruits, individually approved by the absent Amuso and Casso, were initiated as soldiers. Most had played a role in the recent bloodletting. The generals were handing out battlefield commendations.

Jay Giampa, who had helped his brother Joey dispatch Mike Salerno, got his ticket. So did Tommy Red Anzeulotto, just as Al had predicted. Rocco Vitulli, who had helped Frankie Pearl Federico kill the rebel carters, was also initiated. So was Patty Testa, Amuso’s helpful messenger.

Even the two Bronx associates who had grievously fouled up the slaying of Johnny Petrucelli were on the list to be made. Unfortunately for Anthony Magana and Joey Cosentino, they couldn’t be there. They were in jail, soon to be sentenced to twenty-five years to life for the murder.

As acting boss, Al presided over the ceremony. His one recruit was the faithful if hapless Pete Del Cioppo. “I felt sorry for him. I figured otherwise he’s going to get killed for all his gambling debts. This way, no one could push him around anymore.”

Ever mindful of health problems, Al bought special sanitary surgery pins for the occasion. He remembered how the blood had flowed at the prior ceremony as Bobby Amuso had gouged away with a heavy safety pin. He wanted to be careful. “The AIDS was going around heavy then.” Best not to take a chance, he decided. “What are you gonna do? Make a guy and give him AIDS at the same time?” He also honored tradition, holding the ceremony in the basement of the Canarsie home of Peter “Rugsy” Vario, Paul’s son. Vario kept a coop of pigeons in his backyard. The cooing could be heard during the ceremony.

So to start with this ceremony consists of Giampa, Anzeulotto, Vitulli, Testa and Del Cioppo. Magana and Cosentino are supposed to be there but aren't.

Another thing to keep in mind here is the 1991 Lucchese list that was in Junior Gotti's possession before it got seized by the government:

List1.jpeg

Taking into account the rampant spelling errors it looks to me like, in addition to those who were identified above as being inducted, the others are Patrick Dello Russo (I'm just using that spelling because that's how his name appears on BOP), Frank Giacobbe and Thomas Gelardo. If Giacobbe was on a proposed list in 1991 it seems to me like he couldn't have been made in 1990.

Another part of Mob Boss confirms that Dello Russo was a member by July 1991:

A week later, Al was home on a Sunday when he got a page from Patty Testa. He was at Prince and Mott Streets. “I’ll come up and meet you,” Al said.

Testa was standing on the corner when he got there. “I hate to bring you bad news, Al,” Testa said. Al raised his eyebrows, waiting. “They’re transferring Patty over to Bowat,” he said. “You’ve got to tell him.”

“What?” yelled Al. It was something he never did on the street. Testa tried to calm him down. “Look, Al—” he began.

Al wouldn’t listen. He turned and started walking away. Testa followed. “All right,” Al said over his shoulder. “I’ll do it tomorrow. Just get away from me right now.”

Al was sure the bosses were needling him by the move. He had told Amuso what he thought about Baratta when he’d been made acting boss.

Still, he bit the bullet. He arranged to meet Baratta and Dellorusso the following afternoon on First Avenue near Bellevue Hospital. Bowat arrived in a small black sports car. He had Frank Lastorino with him. He probably heard about me popping my cork yesterday, Al thought.

He made a formal introduction. “Pat, this is your new captain,” Al said, gesturing to Baratta. Dellorusso seemed confused.

“Hey, congratulations,” Al added. “Now you’ll be able to wine and dine in all those fancy uptown places this guy goes to.”

So based on the date and his presence on the 1991 list it would seem he was either made at the March 1991 ceremony or shortly after.

Regarding Giacobbe's position in the family at the time of the attempt on Chiodo's life (May 1991), I have this:

Replacing [Joseph D'Arco] as the main shooter was a Luchese associate named Frank Giacobbe. Joseph had little faith in him. “Fat Frankie,” as he was called, was part of Zappola’s crew. He had taken part in several bank robberies, but he also had a heavy drug habit.

So it's possible that Giacobbe was still an associate and got made slightly later (maybe they held a ceremony after the attempt on Chiodo). Or, the associate label was a mistake. Either way, I think he was likely inducted in 1991, either at that March ceremony or sometime between March and October.

There's an extended list here (not the full thing), but it mentions how there were a total of 24 proposed Lucchese members:

https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipp ... aG5F1yxaAo

The two additional names that come from that are Galione and Peter Argentina. Again, like Giacobbe, if Galione's name was on a proposed list from 1991 I can't see how he could have been made in 1990.

I think comparing the two lists also is interesting in the case of Argentina. We know he was proposed but never made. On the first list I posted, it identified Del Cioppo as replacing Phil Alserti, whereas the link to the second list has Argentina replacing Alserti. Perhaps this could be one of the reasons why Argentina never got made, if the Luccheses were caught trying to re-use the same deceased member. We also know that Magana and Cosentino went to prison before they could be straightened out, so I'd be curious to find out how many of the 24 proposed names never got made.

20210407_213620.jpg

Above is testimony relating to the lists from Vinny Asaro's trial. So we can see that also part of the 24 in question were Del Sorbo, D'Ambrosia, Gioia, Tortorello, Napoli, Calabrese and Cappello. That brings the total up to 19 proposed members in 1991 with 5 remaining unidentified.

It would seem like all of the above (apart from Argentina, Magana and Cosentino) were therefore made in 1991.

---

The timeline I have then:

1987 (possibly different ceremonies):
Peter Chiodo
Frank Lastorino
George Zappola (possibly)
+ presumably others

1988:
Anthony Calagna
George Conte
Joseph D'Arco
Anthony Senter
Joseph Testa
+ 2 others

October/ November 1989 (5 made in total):
Joseph DeFede
Michael DeSantis
Frank Federico
Richard Pagliarulo
Frank Papagni (possibly 1988?)

March 1991:
Thomas Anzeulotto
Peter Del Cioppo
Santo Giampa
Patrick Testa
Rocco Vitulli

1991 (possibly above ceremony):
Patrick Dello Russo (made by July)
Gerald Del Sorbo
James Galione
Frank Giacobbe
Thomas Gelardo
Vincenzo Napoli
+ 5 other unidentified proposed members

October 1991:
Jody Calabrese
Gregory Cappello
Thomas D'Ambrosia
Frank Gioia Jr
Joseph Tortorello

[JohnnyS]

Great post!

[B.]

Yep, great post and analysis as usual.

[johnny_scootch]

From Mob Boss:

A few days after Visconti’s murder, the Luchese family paused from combat to replenish its ranks. New recruits, individually approved by the absent Amuso and Casso, were initiated as soldiers. Most had played a role in the recent bloodletting. The generals were handing out battlefield commendations.

Jay Giampa, who had helped his brother Joey dispatch Mike Salerno, got his ticket. So did Tommy Red Anzeulotto, just as Al had predicted. Rocco Vitulli, who had helped Frankie Pearl Federico kill the rebel carters, was also initiated. So was Patty Testa, Amuso’s helpful messenger.

Even the two Bronx associates who had grievously fouled up the slaying of Johnny Petrucelli were on the list to be made. Unfortunately for Anthony Magana and Joey Cosentino, they couldn’t be there. They were in jail, soon to be sentenced to twenty-five years to life for the murder.

As acting boss, Al presided over the ceremony. His one recruit was the faithful if hapless Pete Del Cioppo. “I felt sorry for him. I figured otherwise he’s going to get killed for all his gambling debts. This way, no one could push him around anymore.”

Ever mindful of health problems, Al bought special sanitary surgery pins for the occasion. He remembered how the blood had flowed at the prior ceremony as Bobby Amuso had gouged away with a heavy safety pin. He wanted to be careful. “The AIDS was going around heavy then.” Best not to take a chance, he decided. “What are you gonna do? Make a guy and give him AIDS at the same time?” He also honored tradition, holding the ceremony in the basement of the Canarsie home of Peter “Rugsy” Vario, Paul’s son. Vario kept a coop of pigeons in his backyard. The cooing could be heard during the ceremony.

Great post Chin!

Does anyone have an address for Rugsy? I'm 95% sure the house D'Arco is talking about here is 633 East 84 Street.

[MightyDR]

Mob lawyer Martin Light testified at the President’s Commission on Organized Crime.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id= ... 20light%22
Amongst plenty of other great info, he mentioned that in approximately 1981, Angelo De Fendis was initiated into the Lucchese Family. The ceremony happened at a club on 116th Street and Pleasant Avenue and his sponsor was Christopher Furnari.

[chin_gigante]

August 11, 2003: (At the Nebraska Steakhouse in the Bronx)
Anthony “Bingy” Arilotta
+3 more guys

In his latest interview with Bobby Luisi, Arillotta talks about the guys he was made with and says the following:

Me, this kid Ralphie, Danny Leo's nephew Charlie, and I don't know who the other guy was. Older guy.