Gambino / Venezuela?

[B.]

Haven't ID'd the informant but he was a close associate of Gambino captain Joe Paterno (the one who said Paterno succeeded his father Antonio as captain in the 1950s). He's also someone who said the Gambinos had 52 captains, so take it with a grain of salt.

This report is from June 1966.



- Says he went there with Paterno, which might give his story more weight than if he just heard it. As an associate he likely wasn't included in any members-only conversations so we can assume he was recalling what Paterno told him.

- In the 1970s Paolo Violi tapes, Cuffaro says the Siculiana family had a capodecina in Venezuela (Caruana-Cuntera). Later two Sicilian mafia families were recognized in Venezuela, one of them the Caruana-Cuntera group.

- The Gambino-Inzerillos have property and close ties to Venezuala. I don't know if they had property there that early but none of them were known to be Gambino captains or even members yet.

- Gambino soldier Joe Corbi in Baltimore was recorded saying his brother went somewhere the FBI believed was Caracas during the 1960s. If the brother was Frank, that's another Gambino captain at least visiting Caracas.

--

We can be sure Carlo Gambino didn't have two captains in Venezuela with 20 members. Giving the informant the benefit of the doubt, maybe Paterno met with Sicilian mafia members and something got lost in translation depending on how explicit Paterno's explanation was. Maybe the Venezuelan crews were Sicilian mafia but allied with the Gambinos.

Paterno and a Corbi both going there in the 1960s shows two Gambino-connected figures did visit at the time.

[CabriniGreen]

Haven't ID'd the informant but he was a close associate of Gambino captain Joe Paterno (the one who said Paterno succeeded his father Antonio as captain in the 1950s). He's also someone who said the Gambinos had 52 captains, so take it with a grain of salt.

This report is from June 1966.




- In the 1970s Paolo Violi tapes, Cuffaro says the Siculiana family had a capodecina in Venezuela (Caruana-Cuntera). Later two Sicilian mafia families were recognized in Venezuela, one of them the Caruana-Cuntera group.

- The Gambino-Inzerillos have property and close ties to Venezuala. I don't know if they had property there that early but none of them were known to be Gambino captains or even members yet.

Two families huh? Any indication of the other one? Was it the Inzerillos? These two families were partners in several businesses....

[CabriniGreen]

If I had to pick two guys for regimes, its John Gambino and Antonio Napoli.

As far as the second Sicilian family, is that Salamone in Brazil? The hub for Buscettas heroin with Zippo?

[motorfab]

- In the 1970s Paolo Violi tapes, Cuffaro says the Siculiana family had a capodecina in Venezuela (Caruana-Cuntera). Later two Sicilian mafia families were recognized in Venezuela, one of them the Caruana-Cuntera group.

The capodecina for the Cuntrera-Caruana clan/Siculiana 's borgata was probably Santo Caldarella or Ignazio Fianacca I think. Both were very closed to Pasquale Cuntrera

Vito Genco who worked with (or for) the C-C's was from Partinico if I'm not mistaken, maybe the second Family there was Partinico guys

As far as the second Sicilian family, is that Salamone in Brazil? The hub for Buscettas heroin with Zippo?

Probably not since the Italian authorities recognized them as the Brazilian borgata

But for Napoli, wasn't he a Villabate made member or he was officialy transferred to the Gambinos later ?

[johnny_scootch]

Haven't ID'd the informant but he was a close associate of Gambino captain Joe Paterno (the one who said Paterno succeeded his father Antonio as captain in the 1950s). He's also someone who said the Gambinos had 52 captains, so take it with a grain of salt.

This report is from June 1966.




- In the 1970s Paolo Violi tapes, Cuffaro says the Siculiana family had a capodecina in Venezuela (Caruana-Cuntera). Later two Sicilian mafia families were recognized in Venezuela, one of them the Caruana-Cuntera group.

- The Gambino-Inzerillos have property and close ties to Venezuala. I don't know if they had property there that early but none of them were known to be Gambino captains or even members yet.

Two families huh? Any indication of the other one? Was it the Inzerillos? These two families were partners in several businesses....

You had the Caruana-Cuntrera family become recognized as separate from the Siculiana based family from which they derived.

And Felice identifies a Decina from the Santa Nifta family that became an independent family of it's own based in Valencia, Venezuela.

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=7050&hilit=venezuela+family

[felice]

yeah exactly, the informant is not wrong, Carlo Gambino was the one who had to allow these two families to be officially recognized, until then they were answering to both ny and sicily. one was based in caracas, the other one was based in valencia.

[Ed]

The report indicated the source was Leo Isaac Sagal. According to the FBI, he was a "notorious bond thief and swindler." Sagal was implicated in a bond swindle with Mike Scandifia in 1960.

Informer Harold Konigsberg told the FBI that Sagal was close to New Jersey Gambino faction members Joe Paterno and Demus Covello. He said Covello and Sagal might have committed a murder together.

When Sagal was in police custody in 1965 for a bond swindle, Konigsberg stated Sagal would likely flip if agents talked to him.

Presumably, if Sagal went to Caracas with Paterno, it's because it involved a stock or bond swindle, or he paid for the trip. Good work!

[CabriniGreen]

yeah exactly, the informant is not wrong, Carlo Gambino was the one who had to allow these two families to be officially recognized, until then they were answering to both ny and sicily. one was based in caracas, the other one was based in valencia.

Care to elaborate a little? Why would an American boss authorize a family in Venezuela, let alone 2, and why wouldnt it be the Sicilians to authorize it? Like, the decina didnt originate in NY, why would they be answering to NY?
I've never heard of a messenger between NY and Venezuela. Was there an official one? How did Venezuela come to be Gambino territory?


I know the Cupola was only reinstated in 1970? I think?
Is that why?



Didnt Leonardo Caruana get elected to head the Madamento? I mean, was the Siculiana madamento answering to the GAMBINO FAMILY? Is that right?
Lol, so where do the Bonnanos come in?

I'm ready for a deep dive on this one.....

[motorfab]

yeah exactly, the informant is not wrong, Carlo Gambino was the one who had to allow these two families to be officially recognized, until then they were answering to both ny and sicily. one was based in caracas, the other one was based in valencia.

Care to elaborate a little? Why would an American boss authorize a family in Venezuela, let alone 2, and why wouldnt it be the Sicilians to authorize it? Like, the decina didnt originate in NY, why would they be answering to NY?
I've never heard of a messenger between NY and Venezuela. Was there an official one? How did Venezuela come to be Gambino territory?


I know the Cupola was only reinstated in 1970? I think?
Is that why?



Didnt Leonardo Caruana get elected to head the Madamento? I mean, was the Siculiana madamento answering to the GAMBINO FAMILY? Is that right?
Lol, so where do the Bonnanos come in?

I'm ready for a deep dive on this one.....

The Cupola was reinstated in 1974 with Gaetano Badalamenti at its head

Leo Caruana is the boss of Siculiana from 78 to 81 (date of his murder) and he was certainly not responding to the Gambinos. I'm not quite sure that Siculiana was the head of a madamento, if they weren't, they were probably under Agrigento or Porto Empodocle, but like I said I'm not sure. What is certain is that they responded to Giuseppe Settecasi (also killed in 1981), the Capo Provinciale.

His successor, Pasquale Cuntrera, was boss from 1981 to 1992, and was based in Venezuela, but I guess you know that.

For the rest regarding the Carlo Gambino agreement, I don't know and Felice will surely answer you better than me on this subject. I guess maybe that means he allowed his men to join the Venezuelan family ?

[felice]

the venezuelan families were involved in narcotics in the usa, every time a new family is formed it takes the commission to authorize it or at least its prominent bosses, carlo gambino was one of the bosses who had to authorize the creation the family since venezuela was part of america. probably gambino had to speak with ny commission about it and was representing the american commission or probably he was just called for his opinion because was the sicilian mafia closest american boss

[felice]

ok I just found the document, all the info are coming from buscetta:
the venezuelan families were formed on input of giuseppe caruana which contacted both the sicilian mafia provincial commission plus carlo gambino to get the authorization of ny commission. everything happened in the mid 70s

[Grouchy Sinatra]

I'm not sure if Cuba was the norm at that time but they were at least one government in Latin America friendly to the mob, prior to the revolution. Not sure if Venezuela had a similar situation.

[cobra]

-antonio riela have some relative in valencia family
-later most of them arrive in america
-the relatives close to pippo bono when he live in venezuela

[B.]

Honestly didn't expect so many great responses to this. I wake up and the informant was identified by the master himself, aspects of his info were corroborated by Felice, and a great discussion is underway. You guys are great.

Sounds like Paterno did meet with Sicilian mafia capodecinas who had the support of Carlo Gambino and the informant simply didn't understand or wasn't explicitly told the full nature of the relationship, which makes sense given he was a non-Italian associate and it involved internal mafia politics (i.e. Sicilian mafia decinas "backed" by Gambino).

Felice, do you happen to know when the Gambino-Inzerillo group first established themselves in Venezuela?

Someone mentioned the Napolis -- my understanding is that Antonino Napoli was a man of honor in Villabate who transferred his membership to the Gambinos, while his brother Gaetano wasn't made in Sicily and was later inducted into the Gambino family. The other brother Vincenzo was a Gambino associate who was made into the Lucchese family which caused issues as the Gambinos hadn't formally released him.

[felice]

Nino Napoli lived in Venezuela for a very short time, John Gambino was going there to meet him and the caruana-cuntrera.