Early Torretta->NYC connections?

[felice]

I am sorry, I made a mistake, it's not Francesco, it's Calogero Davì, charlie the zip. He has three brothers and one is named Francesco. All of the brothers were involved in narcotics, their headquarter was Cafè Commercio in Astoria. Cafè Commercio was run by a Giuseppe Gambino. The group answered to Francesco Gambino head of Torretta group in NY.

date of born: 1950 or 1955

[felice]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmU1-5gg3MA&t=7492s

Naimo explains he got close to the Lucchese family because of Paolo Lo Duca who was already a member of that family. In the USA Naimo started being under the wings of Domenico Coppola from Partinico who seemed to be the most charismatic sicilian mafia member living there. Coppola was very close to Carlo Gambino

[felice]

The Lucchese zips are the most mysterious... most of them "should" have belonged to the Gambino family and the Luccheses aren't known to have kept close ties to Sicily. Most of the Sicilians with the Bonanno and Gambino families make sense but I've had a hard time figuring the Luccheses out.

Some names:

Onofrio Milazzo -- from Trapani province, belived to be a Sicilian man of honor who transferred to the Luccheses circa late 1960s or early 1970s before leaving the country. His relatives were NJ Lucchese associates.

Leo Giammona -- Passo di Rigano mafia royalty, nephew to Carlo Gambino, son-in-law of Frank Castellana. Attended Bono wedding. Total mystery why he ended up with the Lucchese family. Both Gambino members and Lucchese leaders wanted him dead apparently for different reasons but never seen a clear reason he was killed.

Paolo LoDuca -- close to the Gancis who ran the Noce family and a compare to Rosario Naimo. Identified by Italian authorities as a Sicilian man of honor, so he may have transferred to the Luccheses. Close to members of the Gambino Sicilian faction, LoDuca's promotion to Lucchese captain coincides with the Sicilians taking power in the Gambino family, coincidence or not.

Rosario Naimo -- the top Sicilian man of honor in the US for a period but was under the authority of the Lucchese family. Did not transfer like his friend LoDuca, remaining with San Lorenzo.

Vincenzo Napoli -- brother Antonino was a man of honor in Villabate who joined the Gambino family, as did brother Gaetano. Enzo Napoli was still an associate of the Gambino family when he was brought into the Luccheses, which caused an issue. Who was his sponsor? Napoli was known to associate closely with the Sicilian factions of both the Bonanno and Gambino families.

Francesco Davi -- I'm not familiar with him but if he's from Torretta, that is yet another guy with ties to the Gambino network who mysteriously ends up with the Luccheses.

Giammona murder is incredible, it was an hit team of 10 guys circa. Sicilians accused him of stealing money, Amuso and Casso wanted to kill him for disrespecting the administration but they were scared because of his familiar relationship so when Naimo asked them the authorization to kill Giammona they were very happy about it

[CabriniGreen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmU1-5gg3MA&t=7492s

Naimo explains he got close to the Lucchese family because of Paolo Lo Duca who was already a member of that family. In the USA Naimo started being under the wings of Domenico Coppola from Partinico who seemed to be the most charismatic sicilian mafia member living there. Coppola was very close to Carlo Gambino

A Coppola from Partinico? So a relative of Three Fingers I'm assuming? And made with the Luchesse, the family that was supplied by Detroit people like Coppola. That's interesting.....

Wait, I might have misspoke. Was Domenico Coppola a Luchesse member? Or Sicilian mafia member?

This is why all this is interesting me. Where these guys were taking their cues from, NY or Sicily.

[CabriniGreen]

The Lucchese zips are the most mysterious... most of them "should" have belonged to the Gambino family and the Luccheses aren't known to have kept close ties to Sicily. Most of the Sicilians with the Bonanno and Gambino families make sense but I've had a hard time figuring the Luccheses out.

Some names:

Onofrio Milazzo -- from Trapani province, belived to be a Sicilian man of honor who transferred to the Luccheses circa late 1960s or early 1970s before leaving the country. His relatives were NJ Lucchese associates.

Leo Giammona -- Passo di Rigano mafia royalty, nephew to Carlo Gambino, son-in-law of Frank Castellana. Attended Bono wedding. Total mystery why he ended up with the Lucchese family. Both Gambino members and Lucchese leaders wanted him dead apparently for different reasons but never seen a clear reason he was killed.

Paolo LoDuca -- close to the Gancis who ran the Noce family and a compare to Rosario Naimo. Identified by Italian authorities as a Sicilian man of honor, so he may have transferred to the Luccheses. Close to members of the Gambino Sicilian faction, LoDuca's promotion to Lucchese captain coincides with the Sicilians taking power in the Gambino family, coincidence or not.

Rosario Naimo -- the top Sicilian man of honor in the US for a period but was under the authority of the Lucchese family. Did not transfer like his friend LoDuca, remaining with San Lorenzo.

Vincenzo Napoli -- brother Antonino was a man of honor in Villabate who joined the Gambino family, as did brother Gaetano. Enzo Napoli was still an associate of the Gambino family when he was brought into the Luccheses, which caused an issue. Who was his sponsor? Napoli was known to associate closely with the Sicilian factions of both the Bonanno and Gambino families.

Francesco Davi -- I'm not familiar with him but if he's from Torretta, that is yet another guy with ties to the Gambino network who mysteriously ends up with the Luccheses.

Giammona murder is incredible, it was an hit team of 10 guys circa. Sicilians accused him of stealing money, Amuso and Casso wanted to kill him for disrespecting the administration but they were scared because of his familiar relationship so when Naimo asked them the authorization to kill Giammona they were very happy about it

This is EXACTLY the type of situation I asked about in another thread. What's the protocol if the Americans have a beef with a Sicilian, and vice versa.

This is what I have been wondering, if Casso has a beef with a zip like Giammona, does he just up and kill him? Or does he have to take into consideration what Sicily thinks? Ask permission? Dont need it, but maybe, he pisses them off, and it simmers in the backround? The interesting thing to me is, WHY would that matter, if hes under the Luchesses?

I've been trying to explore the subtleties and nuances that MUST have existed between the 2 mafias operating in such close proximity. I'm wondering HOW they went about respecting each others authority. How they resolved conflicts.

If Naimo never said anything, how do you think they handle it?

[Eline2015]

So Naimo wasn’t a Lucchese member?

[CabriniGreen]

So Naimo wasn’t a Lucchese member?

No, he asked Riina permission to join an American family, and Riina said, " you must stay with us"... or something to that effect. It's one of the reasons why this intrigues me so much.

Because hes the Sicilian Mafias point man in the US, yet answers to the Luchesse? Or no? It seems like he answers to Riina. What if an order from the Americans conflicts with Riina, and vice versa? What's the protocol? Did Naimo report direct to the Admin? Did he have a capo he reported to? A crew under him? Was he in a position of authority over Luchesse affiliated Sicilian men of honor, or ALL the Sicilian men of honor reguardless of what American borgata? And how could he be in ANY position of authority if hes not made in an American family? Naimo seemed to be the converging point, the reference for Sicilian mafiosi in NY, was this an unofficial, but recognized position, kinda like Cali in the 2000s?

They had to coordinate all that narcotics action.....and it's all controlled by Riina in Sicily.... and tu he Americans are banned from touching it.

It's all very convoluted.....

[motorfab]

There have been several discussions about this here (or I read it somewhere else ?), but I believe that Naimo's main "mission" in America was to make sure that the Inzerillos did not come back to Italy. But yes, Naimo was above all a "man of honor" of Italy.

[CabriniGreen]

There have been several discussions about this here (or I read it somewhere else ?), but I believe that Naimo's main "mission" in America was to make sure that the Inzerillos did not come back to Italy. But yes, Naimo was above all a "man of honor" of Italy.

And this kinda ties into what I posted before, that the affiliation with the Luchesse was like a political compromise. Riina didnt trust the closeness of the Gambinos, to the Sicilians operating in NY. Didnt like the influence they could command within the Sicilian mafia.

I think this goes to B's point on why the Luchesse Sicilian faction developed, when they didnt have long standing ties to these Sicilian cosca....

[CabriniGreen]

There have been several discussions about this here (or I read it somewhere else ?), but I believe that Naimo's main "mission" in America was to make sure that the Inzerillos did not come back to Italy. But yes, Naimo was above all a "man of honor" of Italy.

And this kinda ties into what I posted before, that the affiliation with the Luchesse was like a political compromise. Riina didnt trust the closeness of the Gambinos, to the Sicilians operating in NY. Didnt like the influence they could command within the Sicilian mafia.

I think this goes to B's point on why the Luchesse Sicilian faction developed, when they didnt have long standing ties to these Sicilian cosca....

Forgot to add, my opinion only here.....

[motorfab]

There have been several discussions about this here (or I read it somewhere else ?), but I believe that Naimo's main "mission" in America was to make sure that the Inzerillos did not come back to Italy. But yes, Naimo was above all a "man of honor" of Italy.

And this kinda ties into what I posted before, that the affiliation with the Luchesse was like a political compromise. Riina didnt trust the closeness of the Gambinos, to the Sicilians operating in NY. Didnt like the influence they could command within the Sicilian mafia.

I think this goes to B's point on why the Luchesse Sicilian faction developed, when they didnt have long standing ties to these Sicilian cosca....

Forgot to add, my opinion only here.....

No prob CabriniGreen, my knowledge for the Luccheses is close to nothing and Naimo is for me a rather mysterious figure, so I do not claim to be right either

[B.]

Leaders like Riina were very authoritarian, but too much emphasis is placed on the idea that the mafia is constantly giving its members orders or commands. It's also a system of representation.

Rosario Gambino is a member of the Torretta family who was represented by the Gambino family. When a Philly member had a beef with him, Scarfo took it to John Gotti who said he was limited in what he could do because Gambino was with the Sicilian mafia, but you can see where the issue was still registered with the Gambino family and a meeting was held. We can presume Gotti sent word via Gambino's relatives to tone down his behavior in NJ, but Gotti didn't take total responsibility for him either.

A lot of it is going to depend on who the member is, what his relationship is to family leaders, and what the given issue is, but the Gambino issue gives you an idea.

[PolackTony]

The Lucchese zips are the most mysterious... most of them "should" have belonged to the Gambino family and the Luccheses aren't known to have kept close ties to Sicily. Most of the Sicilians with the Bonanno and Gambino families make sense but I've had a hard time figuring the Luccheses out.

Some names:

Onofrio Milazzo -- from Trapani province, belived to be a Sicilian man of honor who transferred to the Luccheses circa late 1960s or early 1970s before leaving the country. His relatives were NJ Lucchese associates.

Leo Giammona -- Passo di Rigano mafia royalty, nephew to Carlo Gambino, son-in-law of Frank Castellana. Attended Bono wedding. Total mystery why he ended up with the Lucchese family. Both Gambino members and Lucchese leaders wanted him dead apparently for different reasons but never seen a clear reason he was killed.

Paolo LoDuca -- close to the Gancis who ran the Noce family and a compare to Rosario Naimo. Identified by Italian authorities as a Sicilian man of honor, so he may have transferred to the Luccheses. Close to members of the Gambino Sicilian faction, LoDuca's promotion to Lucchese captain coincides with the Sicilians taking power in the Gambino family, coincidence or not.

Rosario Naimo -- the top Sicilian man of honor in the US for a period but was under the authority of the Lucchese family. Did not transfer like his friend LoDuca, remaining with San Lorenzo.

Vincenzo Napoli -- brother Antonino was a man of honor in Villabate who joined the Gambino family, as did brother Gaetano. Enzo Napoli was still an associate of the Gambino family when he was brought into the Luccheses, which caused an issue. Who was his sponsor? Napoli was known to associate closely with the Sicilian factions of both the Bonanno and Gambino families.

Francesco Davi -- I'm not familiar with him but if he's from Torretta, that is yet another guy with ties to the Gambino network who mysteriously ends up with the Luccheses.

Apart from Lo Duca, how involved in narcotics trafficking were the other Lucchese member/affiliate “zips”? My impression (admittedly superficial as the NYC families aren’t my area of focus) has been that rather than drawing on long-established compaesan’/familial links to Sicilian cosche, the Lucchese “zip” group was centered on narcotics trafficking, so I’ve assumed that those networks of operational connections were what brought these guys into the Lucchese orbit? I see this as similar to the sort of trafficking network connections that brought a guy like Frank Rappa (from Borgetto) into the orbit of Chicago (presumably, as I can’t completely rule out some deeper Chicago-Borgetto connection), where he was probably a liaison between Sicilian mafia traffickers and non-Sicilian Chicago guys like Infelise.

[B.]

Given Corallo's stance on drug trafficking (discussed on Jaguar tapes), can't imagine he would recruit Sicilian members through those relationships alone. Not a whole lot of evidence that drug trafficking by itself played a role in Sicilians' formal affiliation with US families, though so little is known about how/why the Luccheses recruited them I wouldn't rule anything out.

Onofrio Milazzo might be the biggest mystery of them all. He was a fairly recent emigrant from Sicily and by the late 1960s represented NJ Lucchese associates in a sitdown with Funzi Tieri and Patty Macchiarole. He was treated like a made member by Tieri, Macchiarole, and John DiGiglio. His cousin was Jimmy Sinatra, but would be strange if Milazzo was allowed to transfer to the Luccheses just because his cousin was an unpopular associate. The roots of the NJ Lucchese crew are heavily from Trapani, like Milazzo, so could have been a factor.

What's important is there seems to be no continuity between a zip like Milazzo and the Palermitani zips who joined the Luccheses in the years after Milazzo returned to Sicily. You do see continuity of some kind or another with the zips in other families.

[PolackTony]

Given Corallo's stance on drug trafficking (discussed on Jaguar tapes), can't imagine he would recruit Sicilian members through those relationships alone. Not a whole lot of evidence that drug trafficking by itself played a role in Sicilians' formal affiliation with US families, though so little is known about how/why the Luccheses recruited them I wouldn't rule anything out.

Given my lack of depth on the Luccheses, Lo Duca probably colored my assumptions for the whole “zip” group in that family. My understanding has been that Lo Duca was a major trafficker (IIRC with connections in this area to Chicago as well). How did Lo Duca’s activities square with Corrallo’s feelings about narcotics (I haven’t read the Tony Ducks Jaguar tapes transcripts, but I understand that he was vocal and explicit in his opposition to drugs)?