"Mafia Bloodlines: A Society Unto Themselves" articles

[craigs48]

My first post, and I have to say the podcast is like sitting in on a graduate class. Excellent presentation and great new insights. Perhaps someday you can swing over to the other side of Pennsylvania and explore the Pittsburgh scene. Thanks for all your hard work.

[richard_belding]

Excllent writing and podcasts. Some things that jumped out at me from the Silinonte article:

- Though Giuseppe Silinonte as you wrote claimed to have used the name Giuseppe DiGirolamo throughout his life, when arrested on the double murder he initially gave his name as Gilolomo (before giving his real name due to the Alien laws). Was curious if this name was used from association elsewhere, but i havent seen this name pop up anywhere else. Maybe a fake name semi-close to DiGirolamo.

- When the four men were arrested in the Van Cise murders, I found it fascinating that it was almost an afterthought that son Anthony had given up his father's name just like that, especially if the capable son was to become a member, as you suspect possible. Especially too, given who his cousins were. From an article on the arrests: "when the four were arrested they were placed in a room with a fifth man pretending to be under arrest. they spent hours in a room together but the unidentified man was able to gather nothing."Young Silinonte says You'd better see his father", the article quotes. 

- The bit about Mafia members and their illegitimate children was particularly interesting. One humorous example that jumps out is that of VInnie Asaro- as Valenti and Rosetti told prosecutors- in 2006, "Asaro tried to extort money from a maintenance worker employed at a building run by a woman whom prosecutors describe as Asaro's "illegitimate daughter." Her role in the extortion never came out, but its a good story nonetheless.

- I want to believe that it is Anthony Silinonte who Massino refers to later on in life, I just have a hard time believing it. Who knows.

[B.]

Thanks for the feedback, man. Exactly what I'm hoping for by doing this.

- I suspect the "Gilolomo" name was just a misspelling of DiGirolamo. He also used an alias like "Muffoletta/Muffoletto" but I couldn't figure out the significance. Another name he used was "Monte" which I'm guessing came phonetically from the end of Silinonte.

- I have questions about the confession as well, though with Anthony taking the brunt of a double capital murder charge and being newly married the pressure may have gotten to him in addition to whatever coercive "techniques" were used. I saw indication Anthony Silinonte was involved in other crime in Endicott so I don't think his father blindly recruited him against his will. He did recant, though it did him little good.

- Hopefully Massino does a Q&A or interview before he dies where he mentions the execution story in more detail. There's no indication Anthony was a Pittston/Endicott member based on available evidence, only thought I'd entertain the idea given the era he was in, his blood relation to a prominent mafia clan, and his brothers' eventual ID as Bonanno members. A while back Antiliar and I went through some names executed in New York State and nobody jumped out -- Silinonte is the only condemned person I've found who was directly connected to the Bonanno Family/family. With the way word-of-mouth stories get distorted spanning decades in these circles it would be one of the less egregious examples in my opinion.

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Re-reading Joe Bonanno's book recently, I notice he says when his father died in 1915 he asked that his "nephew Peppino" take over their mafia clan. Giuseppe Silinonte was living in the US at the time so I doubt it's him, plus Salvatore Bonanno's other brothers may have had sons named Giuseppe given it was the grandfather's name. It did cross my mind that Silinonte qualifies as a nephew who could be called Peppino but probably coincidental and as an illegitimate son he likely wouldn't have been asked to lead the clan.

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My first post, and I have to say the podcast is like sitting in on a graduate class. Excellent presentation and great new insights. Perhaps someday you can swing over to the other side of Pennsylvania and explore the Pittsburgh scene. Thanks for all your hard work.

Thanks a ton, Craig. Pretty much 100% of my Pittsburgh knowledge/research went into the Gallo article but I never thought I'd be writing about Wyoming or Colorado so you never know.

[moneyman]

As a long time fan of your posts on the forum, it's great to see that you've started a blog. I hope the podcast becomes a more frequent thing, a Black Hand Forum roundtable of researchers is something I'd definetly pay for.

[Wiseguy]

Good intro. A lot of inside baseball, so to speak. When you talk about "the bug," few outside this forum would understand.

[Hired_Goonz]

This is really great stuff. First Substack I ever subscribed to! Only LCN Bios can compete with this for mafia blog "content" that I know of. Not an apples to apples comparison obviously I just mean in terms of quality, readability and being something you could show someone who's a "normie" on the topic to make them both take LCN research seriously and find it interesting.

[B.]

Good intro. A lot of inside baseball, so to speak. When you talk about "the bug," few outside this forum would understand.

Means a lot coming from you. I'm not even going to bother trying to do "mafia 101" type stuff because it's everywhere anyway. Hoping to appeal to those of us with the obsession.

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Moneyman: one of my eventual goals is to bring some great minds onto the podcast for open conversation (opposed to a traditional "interview").

This is really great stuff. First Substack I ever subscribed to! Only LCN Bios can compete with this for mafia blog "content" that I know of. Not an apples to apples comparison obviously I just mean in terms of quality, readability and being something you could show someone who's a "normie" on the topic to make them both take LCN research seriously and find it interesting.

Thank you so much. Even being mentioned alongside LCNBios is a high compliment to me, he greatly influenced my approach to research along with guys like CC and Antiliar.

[eboli]

Oh! I finally found the time to listen to your work, and I've got to say it's an impressive effort. You have a great podcast voice. Since you want to provide content for mob enthusiasts hiring a d-list rapper to make an intro song is out of the question?

[B.]

Haha, maybe I'll do it myself.

"It all started in these little rural villages, invaders came to Sicily doin' crazy pillages / Men made their own little society, now you know how it really came to be"

[Pogo The Clown]

Haha, maybe I'll do it myself.

"It all started in these little rural villages, invaders came to Sicily doin' crazy pillages / Men made their own little society, now you know how it really came to be"

My man B. dropping rhymes on organized crime
It's about time he's goin prime time
Rapping about Cosa Nostra
Has you going psychedelic like MK Ultra
OC podcast is a blast from the past
It will last like the 5 families
Jamming to these mob melodies
Has him dropping bodies
Like his name was John Gotti
Rhyming on these crooks
Will have you hanging on a hook
Like you were Action Jackson
Tihs beat is funkier then Michael Jackson


Pogo Da Killer Klown.

[B.]

Hahaha, I've been blessed by a sick verse from Pogo. I'm honored.

[RickyBrown]

real good work there pal.

[B.]

New audio episode with a short write-up for context: "The Forgotten Democratic Bodies of American Cosa Nostra"

https://mafia.substack.com/p/the-forgot ... -bodies-of

Mainly discussing the obscure consiglio / ruling councils that were a part of so many early US Families but I also talk about some of the early national bodies (Gran Consiglio, Assemblea Generale) and go through examples of the consiglio. It's two hours so there are plenty of tangents.

Small error, I mentioned that a Pittston underworld trial was said to be attended by an odd-numbered group of men, but it was in fact even-numbered (the source didn't attend the meeting so difficult to say who and how many people actually attended). Minor detail but just wanted to correct it here. The other points about that underworld trial and parallels to the consiglio stand, though that is one of the more speculative examples.

Thank you!

[richard_belding]

Been refreshing for a new audio and write up, thanks man!

[B.]

Thanks, Richard!