New Genovese book notes

[Chopper]

I started reading Destefano’s new book on Vito and I’m enjoying it so far, it’s better than his last one on Costello, imho. Anyway, I’ve only read the first 3 chapters but here’s some notes I found interesting.

- He claims Vito actually didn’t have his wife’s first husband, Gerardo Vernotico, killed. He was killed after he had already divorced Ana, by thugs who had no connection to Genovese

- Says Genovese also didn’t arrange Carlo Tresca’s dead in 1943 as a favor to Mussolini. Il Duce was on the run in ‘43 and had bigger problems to deal with.

- It mentions two of Vito’s kids are actually alive today, Nancy and Philip. They refused to be interviewed for the book.

- Genovese died penniless...on paper.

- Al Capone showed up at Donata Genovese’s (Vito’s first wife who died of tubercoloses) funeral in Brooklyn in 1931, lol.

- Vito was rumoured to have bought Donate a $50,000 casket, but it actually cost $575.

- Genovese was shot in the neck in 1926, then crawled to his home where his father called a ambulance.

- In 1919, Vito was actually running a brothel, in true Napolitano style, wich was frequented by Charlie Lucky. One source claims Lucky owned the place.

- The owner of the restaurant Masseria got killed in, Gerardo Scarpate, was found murdered himself in Brooklyn a year later, in 1932.

- The writer claims Vito was in fact present at Masseria’s final dinner with Lucky, and not one of the shooters.

[outfit guy]

Thank you. The Costello book was a real bummer. Hopefully, this, per your notes, is much better.

[OcSleeper]

- He claims Vito actually didn’t have his wife’s first husband, Gerardo Vernotico, killed. He was killed after he had already divorced Ana, by thugs who had no connection to Genovese

Either way he still married his cousin

[newera_212]

I remember seeing a doc on Genovese that said when he came to America he first landed in Queens and lived there for a few years before moving into the City? Anything in the book mention this? I'd be curious to know where in Queens he lived, if true

[Chopper]

Thank you. The Costello book was a real bummer. Hopefully, this, per your notes, is much better.

This was just the first couple of chapters. The Costello book was a bummer indeed, this one is much more entertaining. Will post some more this weekend when I have the time.

[Chopper]

I remember seeing a doc on Genovese that said when he came to America he first landed in Queens and lived there for a few years before moving into the City? Anything in the book mention this? I'd be curious to know where in Queens he lived, if true

The book doesn’t mention Queens, it’s not really clear on his first decade in the US, just that he started out as a pimp lol.

[Chopper]

- He claims Vito actually didn’t have his wife’s first husband, Gerardo Vernotico, killed. He was killed after he had already divorced Ana, by thugs who had no connection to Genovese

Either way he still married his cousin

Destefano says they where ‘distant cousins’, whatever the fuck that means

[Grouchy Sinatra]

Thank you. The Costello book was a real bummer. Hopefully, this, per your notes, is much better.

Costello surrounded himself with gambling czars and political lobbyists. He kept his interactions with other mobsters low key and violence minimal. The only way to write a book about him is to write about all of these middle men, many of which there's a lot known about. There stories can get a little boring though to someone who wants to hear mob tales. It's mostly business and lobbying. Vito was more of a gangster so clearly it makes for a better story.

[MightyDR]

Thanks for the summary Chopper

I remember seeing a doc on Genovese that said when he came to America he first landed in Queens and lived there for a few years before moving into the City? Anything in the book mention this? I'd be curious to know where in Queens he lived, if true

There's a great article in Informer magazine that covers his early days including his time in Queens:
https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/683292

[JeremyTheJew]

Was it destefano who did Natale book??

[chin_gigante]

Larry McShane and Dan Pearson did the Natale book

[newera_212]

Thanks for the summary Chopper

I remember seeing a doc on Genovese that said when he came to America he first landed in Queens and lived there for a few years before moving into the City? Anything in the book mention this? I'd be curious to know where in Queens he lived, if true

There's a great article in Informer magazine that covers his early days including his time in Queens:
https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/683292

Awesome thank you!

[Chopper]

Read some more chapters. It’s really more about Vito’s personal life, and his courtcases etc. Nothing about the year he got made, for example, or how and when he met Luciano.

- His mansion in New Jersey burned down in 1937, under ‘mysterious circumstances’ and Vito got a $80,000 insurance pay out.

- Vito went over to Italy the same year, carrying 750,000 in cash and 2 million worth of letters of credit.

- Mussolini loved Vito, palled around with him and awarded him the title of Commendatore del Rei.

- Destefano gives litte new facts about Vito’s time in Italy, just the same old stories that’s been written about in a dozen books

- He does claim Genovese fled to Italy because he was afraid of Dewey and sharing the same fate as Luciano, not because there were already murder charges pending.

- He tried to have one witness against him blinded in jail in the 40’s. The man, Rupolo, had one good eye and on Vito’s orders inmates tried to take it out.

- When Vito got back to the States after the war, he only had the support of 2 capo’s in the Luciano family: Miranda and Strollo. The rest of the family still supported Luciano and by extension Costello.

- In chapter 13 it’s mentioned that Lansky and Luciano went to the same school together, something I’ve never read before.

- Genovese was the first to arrive in Havana for the famous Havana conference in 1946, wanting to talk to Luciano privately before the other bosses arrived.

- There’s really nothing new on the Havana conference in the book, plus Destefano quotes the infamous Last Testament of Lucky Luciano a lot. That’s not good, lol.

[Antiliar]

Luciano was five years older than Lansky, came to the U.S. when he was almost 10 years old in October 1907 and lived on 13th Street at the border of Midtown Manhattan. Lansky arrived in 1911 and lived on Lewis Street on the Lower East Side before moving to Brooklyn. Luciano attended PS 19 on East 14th Street and later a reform school. Lansky later moved back to the Lower East Side and lived on Grand Street while attending PS 34 on Broome and Sheriff Streets. So at no time did they attend school together.

[Chopper]

Luciano was five years older than Lansky, came to the U.S. when he was almost 10 years old in October 1907 and lived on 13th Street at the border of Midtown Manhattan. Lansky arrived in 1911 and lived on Lewis Street on the Lower East Side before moving to Brooklyn. Luciano attended PS 19 on East 14th Street and later a reform school. Lansky later moved back to the Lower East Side and lived on Grand Street while attending PS 34 on Broome and Sheriff Streets. So at no time did they attend school together.

Yeah, I thought so. The book gets a lot of facts wrong. Using the Last Testament as a mayor source doesn’t help. Lacey never mentioned Lansky and Luciano being at school together neither, just the famous story of Luciano trying to shake Lansky down and Meyer putting up a fight. I think both Lansky and Luciano confirmed this version of them meeting in later life.

Destefano also mentions it could’ve been Lansky who tipped of Luciano being in Cuba to the US goverment, which is horseshit if you ask me.

I remember being impressed by Destefano’s book on Massino. It’s gone downhill since then.