Lucano (from Basilicata) LCN Members

[PolackTony]

(This was initially a post in another thread, but I thought that the topic merits its own thread)

A while back, I started a post about Pugliese/Barese LCN members, given that both Chicago and Boston have had some prominent members -- including bosses -- of Pugliese background. Basilicata is another Southern region that supplied many US migrants, and thus some LCN members, that has received little attention compared to the more notable regions of Sicily, Campagna, and Calabria. A saying that I've come across states that historically Basilicata was too poor to develop its own mafia (though that changed in more recent times of course). Thus, rather than bringing their own "mafia" traditions to their diaspora settlements, Lucani instead began to join the American mafia via recruitment pools drawing on an emerging Italian-American identity and community networks centered on Southern Italian regional origins and racket operations in the early 20th century. Having said that, the region had a long history of brigandage, which likely had some influence on the formation of Lucani criminals in Italian-American communities. I also wouldn’t be surprised if evidence ever turns up pointing to the old pan-Southern prison Camorra/Piccioteria taking root to some degree there. I this did occur, it may simply be lost to history, however.

Lucani -- in particular from the province of Potenza -- were a very important and prominent element in the Italian communities of Chicago. Lucani began arriving in Chicago in the late 19th century and I believe that some number have continued to settle in the Chicago metro region since the middle 20th century, likely drawing on longstanding familial/local networks. For example, so many migrants from the comune of Trivigno in Potenza settled in Chicago that they received the nickname of "Trivies" in the Italian communities around the city and suburbs. Unsurprisingly, Chicago has had a number of LCN members of Lucani birth and origin. In fact, Chicago -- so far as I know -- is the only LCN family to have had multiple bosses of Lucano ancestry — Tony Capezio (Potenza), Jack Cerone (parents from Potenza), and Phil Alderisio (family from Matera). There were also a number of other influential Lucano members, including capos.

Has any other family even had one Lucano boss? I don't have admin access to continually update this post, but it would be interesting to see how many Lucano members were inducted into other families (can include associates too).

Just to start:

Tony Capezio (Chicago)
Rocco Fanelli (Chicago)
Rocco DeGrazia (Chicago -- one of the famous "Trivies" from Trivigno, Potenza)
Paolo "Paul" Labriola, SR (Chicago)
Paul Labriola, JR (Chicago [Father's side])
William "Smokes" Aloisio (Chicago)
Frank "Skippy" Cerone (Chicago)
Jack Cerone (Chicago)
Phil Alderisio (Chicago)
Patsy Ricciardi (Chicago [Mother's side. Father's side seems to have been from Salerno. I've read before that Riccardi was Alderisio's cousin, and this appears to have been true, as both of them had the surname Materese on the mother's side, and both families lived in Yonkers])
James "Turk" Torello (Chicago)
Frank Aureli (Chicago [Mother's side])
Joseph Dominic "Joe Spa" Spadavecchio (Chicago [Mother's side])
Albert "Albie" Vena (Chicago [possibly on mother's side])
Giuseppe "Joe" and George Colucci (Chicago associates [?])
Dominic Joseph Senese (Chicago associate [?][Mother's side only])
William "Louie the Printer" Tenuta (Chicago associate [Mother's side])
Michael Swiatek (Chicago associate [Mother's side])
Fred Pascente (Chicago associate [Mother's side -- allegedly Swiatek's cousin])

Also warranting a mention here is the Serritella family, who had a number of personal and familial connections to the mob in Chicago, including Outfit-controlled IL state Senator Daniel Serritella. It's worth noting that the Serritella, Capezio, Aloisio (whose mother was also a Serritella), and Cerone families were all from the comune of Muro Lucano, Potenza.

(As always, any errors in fact and interpretation are my own)

[Villain]

Thanks for this. You can also add Tony and James Cerone?

[Moscone65]

Interesting post, thanks Tony

[PolackTony]

Looking into the history of Muro Lucano a bit and I note that Salvatore Capezio — famed opera/dance clothing and shoe designer — was also from there. Not exactly the image I would’ve had in mind for a cousin of “Tough Tony” Capezio lol (though of course even a psycho like Alderisio was also apparently an opera fanatic).
https://www.capezio.com/history

Today there also seems to be a Filomena Cerone from Muro Lucano, who Wikipedia tells me is some kind of celebrity, though I’m not sure if she’s an actress or what (“celebrity” nowadays could mean practically anything).

[PolackTony]

Interesting post, thanks Tony

Thanks. I don’t know much about settlement of Lucani in other cities, so I don’t know if the notable Lucano Outfit membership here is a productive more of a relatively large Chicago Lucano community, or the comparatively more “Americanized” Chicago recruitment networks from the Capone era forward (I suspect that both were factors).

“Trivies” from Trivigno, Potenza were already a well-established presence in Chicago from the 1880s/90s, so I would imagine that Lucani were in a position to establish strong community and racket/political ties to other Southern Italians.

From what I understand, Basilicata historically was exceptionally poor and isolated even by Mezzogiorno standards. For example, while the local dialects in Basilicata are classed by linguists as belonging to the wider Neapolitan group (in the broad sense, not the more narrow sense of the Napoli dialect), I’ve read that it was the case that hyper-local dialetti could by mutually unintelligible even from one neighboring comune to another, given the poverty and rugged topography. Apparently the local dialect in Muro Lucano (Murese) was considered particularly difficult for outsiders to comprehend.

[PolackTony]

Thanks for this. You can also add Tony and James Cerone?

Thanks, I’d add them but I don’t have edit privileges.

I’m sure there are more in Chicago, these are just those that I have confirmed and at hand.

IIRC correctly there were a number of Serritellas over the years who were active in rackets. I recall a Chris Serritella, who may have been working with narcotics?

Also, the family background helps to further explain Jack Cerone’s rise within the Grand/EP crew. Not only was he an Accardo protege, but a compaesan’ of Capezio.

[Villain]

Thanks for this. You can also add Tony and James Cerone?

Thanks, I’d add them but I don’t have edit privileges.

I’m sure there are more in Chicago, these are just those that I have confirmed and at hand.

IIRC correctly there were a number of Serritellas over the years who were active in rackets. I recall a Chris Serritella, who may have been working with narcotics?

Also, the family background helps to further explain Jack Cerone’s rise within the Grand/EP crew. Not only was he an Accardo protege, but a compaesan’ of Capezio.

Yup, the Capezios, the Cerones and the Aloisios always kept it tight. You can add James Capezio, Tonys bro and also Alosios bro George.

Btw there were also Dominick and Vito Colucci but im not 100% sure if they were related to Joe and George...

[Moscone65]

Interesting post, thanks Tony

Thanks. I don’t know much about settlement of Lucani in other cities, so I don’t know if the notable Lucano Outfit membership here is a productive more of a relatively large Chicago Lucano community, or the comparatively more “Americanized” Chicago recruitment networks from the Capone era forward (I suspect that both were factors).

“Trivies” from Trivigno, Potenza were already a well-established presence in Chicago from the 1880s/90s, so I would imagine that Lucani were in a position to establish strong community and racket/political ties to other Southern Italians.

From what I understand, Basilicata historically was exceptionally poor and isolated even by Mezzogiorno standards. For example, while the local dialects in Basilicata are classed by linguists as belonging to the wider Neapolitan group (in the broad sense, not the more narrow sense of the Napoli dialect), I’ve read that it was the case that hyper-local dialetti could by mutually unintelligible even from one neighboring comune to another, given the poverty and rugged topography. Apparently the local dialect in Muro Lucano (Murese) was considered particularly difficult for outsiders to comprehend.

I’m not sure from other parts of basicilicata, but I’ve heard the Materese dialect before and I’d say it’s very similar to Barese, especially the Barese in pugliese towns like Altamura