What do We Know about the Newark Family?

[B.]

Another angle with Troia is that he was no stranger to Tunis. While Badami and Accardi came to the US from Tunis, Troia was described by investigators as accompanying stolen cattle from the port of Trapani to Tunis, where no doubt the cattle were received by mafia-connected people. This is during the period when the Accardis and Abates lived in Tunis and in the years after Troia came to the US the interprovincial cattle rustling operation was supervised by an Accardi who based his operations in the Salemi area.

Vincenzo Troia might well have been familiar with Badami and Accardi, or at least mutual associates, during his visits to Tunis and via his important role / travels in the "abigeatari" operation. Tunis appears to have played a large role in the Newark membership based on what's available.

[cavita]

1958 info on Riela.

[JoelTurner]

Troia was a boss with one of the small midwestern families, is this story about someone trying to take over one of those families from him? Something to keep in mind with Magaddino is that he jumped around chronologically in his conversations. He could be talking about the present then suddenly switch to events from 30 years ago, then 25 years ago. Let's say he took over Newark from Badami and that it was D'Amico who took it away from him. Then it would make sense.

That’s true. I don’t think that Troia took over from Badami but it’s within the realm of possibility.

“When he was at Montane, you see, Gavarino wanted to be the poppy himself. When I see people who are jealous and envious in this manner, I want to have nothing to do with it.”

This seems to be a key passage in deciphering what happened.

I wonder where’s Montane. There are two places named Mountain but neither really fit the bill.

Plus, I wonder who’s Gavarino. He’s the one who was trying to get Magaddino to accuse Troia.

[JoelTurner]

- I don't think LePore was Scalise's underboss, but a captain, and in Scalise's case he saved himself by turning on Maranzano if I remember right. Maybe Badami did something similar and like Scalise was able to save himself and simply step down.

Valachi wasn’t sure either, here’s what he had to say: “Then there was Frank Socolic and I'm not sure who was the underboss, could had been Jimmy Marino from Forham. Now he Maranzana named a Angelo Cruiso as his underboss.“

It doesn't seem Gagliano was officially recognized as boss that early, though it's open for interpretation due to the chaos of the war, but whereas Bonanno makes it clear Maranzano had the support of most of the Bonanno Family, Valachi says at that time the Gagliano faction had only a very small number of his Family aligned with him. We don't know when/how the rest of the Family fell under Gagliano.

They could have simply been officially leaderless from Pinzolo’s death till the end of the war. We know that Tommy Lucchese and Steve LaSalle were with him, the rest of the family probably fell in line after the war so summer ‘31.

[JoelTurner]

Troia's exact position pre-Newark is still open for debate. Cavita and I both suspect he was the boss of an Illinois Family and Gentile's account suggests he was a rappresentante in the US when he joined the peace committee but it's never stated explicitly. Giuseppe Traina was also on the committee and he was D'Aquila's consigliere and sostituto in the years leading up to the war, so not everyone on the committee was an official boss.

If he was a boss of one of the small midwestern families, the question becomes why would he move to Newark? What would motivate him to stop being boss, move to NJ, and become a group leader?

Personally, I don’t think that he was a boss in the US. He had been a boss in Sicily and probably had a lot of clout + had a relationship ship with Maranzano. That’s why he was chosen for the peace committee.

[B.]

- In the Commission days they refused to confirm an official boss when a Family was in a time of conflict which is one of the reasons they refused to ratify Magliocco as boss (i.e. Gallo war) and made Nick Delmore wait a year before becoming official. Carlo Gambino also apparently had to wait years before becoming official for the same reason.

- Bill Bonanno also said it was traditional for Families to go a significant period of time without a new official boss after the previous one died. When Angelo Bruno explained it to Magliocco, he used the example of Maranzano confirming an official boss in place of the Commission, suggesting the same process played out pre-1931.

- Any number of Families during 1930-1931 may have had no official boss after the previous ones were murdered or stepped down and even Maranzano probably wasn't recognized by Masseria/Mineo + their allies who formed the national leadership.

- Gavarino is probably Gasparino Messina, who was acting capo dei capi after Masseria. The "Poppy" could be the capo position. Gentile said Troia was elected capo dei capi after Messina stepped down.



- Since Troia was elected capo dei capi, I'd guess he had to be an official rappresentante as all known examples of the capo show him to also be capo of his own Family.

- Troia probably moved to NJ to be closer to the political power center. Same reason he and Marananzo spent their time in Palermo citta before they came to the US. He was already in NYC constantly during the Castellammarese War.

- The boss of neighboring San Cipirello also came to the US during the same period as Troia. Domenico Pardo, who Cavita said was active with the Rockford Family though he's largely a mystery. The top leaders of San Giuseppe / San Cipirello were both in Rockford at or around the same time.

- The previous boss of San Cipirello, Vito Todaro, came to the US in 1921 after surviving an assassination attempt and was on the same ship as Palermo boss Antonino Grillo and Ignazio Lupo who was appealing his death sentence. Todaro arrived to NYC boss Pecoraro who I believe was already killed while Todaro was on his voyage.

[B.]

- Troia may well have helped boost the Zito brothers. Two of their elder brothers and an uncle were involved with Troia in the San Giuseppe mafia. Later Frank Zito stayed the night at Tony Riela's hotel before Apalachin along with Pueblo boss Jim Colletti and the FBI believed Riela was responsible for taking Zito and Colletti to Apalachin. In an FBI interview Riela said Joe Colletti was his "goomba". Joe Colletti was Jim Colletti's cousin and a Bonanno captain in NJ.



- A question is if any of the mysterious Bonanno NJ members in the Joe Colletti / Caruso / Salvo crew were ever Newark members. Salvo was born in Southern Illinois where Troia / Riela were active but Salvo was no longer there at the time. Many of the Colletti crew were Agrigentini and close to the DeCavalcantes so you'd think if they were with an NJ Family it would be them, though as already discussed we don't know the exact arrangement as far as Newark and DeCavalcante went during that era, whether they were one or separate, etc.

[Antiliar]

Contrary to the FBI, Gentile didn't write that Troia was selected to be a Capo di Capi. "Some representatives...had proposed to elect to the office of Capo dei Capi a commission composed of six members. The selection, for the formation of it (the commission of six for the office of Capo dei Capi) fell on VINCENZO TROIA who had ended up with the sympathy of everyone. But, MARANZANO, cunning and ambitious, began to plot new [illegible] against TROIA. He managed to convene a limited commission which proved that TROIA had committed some peccadillo. In this manner there definitely came to an end the idea of a commission of six with TROIA as its Capo, head, toward the figure of MARANZANO." In other words, Troia would have been the chairman of this commission of six, but the idea was voted down and the members elected Maranzano as the new Capo di Capi.. This all took place during the general assembly in Chicago after Masseria was killed.

[B.]

That's right, should have checked the text. Can't blame the FBI for the confusion, though.

The description is very similar to what the capo dei capi was supposed to be according to Bonanno, sort of a chairman / consigliere / secretary. Gentile even said the capo dei capi presided over the Gran Consiglio, which sounds very similar to Troia as "capo" presiding over a Commission. Gentile clearly saw it as a change of some kind but it wasn't a huge one.

I'd say it's still an indication Troia was an official Family rappresentante somewhere given he'd be elected "capo" over the Commission. When they formed what we now know as the Commission everyone with an official seat was a boss (though they could send reps), so you'd expect the capo/chairman of this one to be a boss as well.

It seems like the Troia Commission idea was sort of a cross between the capo dei capo / Gran Consiglio system and the Commission. Probably an attempt to limit the power of the capo dei capi even further and give a council greater power without removing the capo idea entirely.

My hunch continues to be that Troia was Springfield boss.

[JoelTurner]

What do y’all think of Dr. Philip Noto?

There’s nothing really linking him to the Newark Family, but he really didn’t fit the Genovese Family paradigm at all.

Here’s his obituary: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2594867 ... -obituary/

- Born in 1903
- Finished medicine from UBologna Medical school in 1927
- Immigrated to the US in 1929
- Super community involved
- Was a member of the Gene Catena crew
- His brother Daniel was also a member but later transferred to the Decavs.

What would make a guy like that join the Genovese NJ crew? Most of their leadership were Americans who weren’t of Sicilian descent(Moretti, Boiardo, Catena,etc) so there couldn’t have been that many ties.

Did the Genovese even have any other members who were “civilians”?

There’s no sign of it, but it would make more sense if he joined up with a more traditional Newark Family and later wound up with the Genovese.

[JoelTurner]

- In the Commission days they refused to confirm an official boss when a Family was in a time of conflict

I never knew this, so in this case, the family would have been officially without a boss but Gagliano would have had the de facto loyalty of some leaders like Lucchese and Steve LaSalle.

Gavarino is probably Gasparino Messina, who was acting capo dei capi after Masseria. The "Poppy" could be the capo position. Gentile said Troia was elected capo dei capi after Messina stepped down.

This makes sense and would partially explain the plot that Magaddino was talking about.

[B.]

What do y’all think of Dr. Philip Noto?

There’s nothing really linking him to the Newark Family, but he really didn’t fit the Genovese Family paradigm at all.

Here’s his obituary: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2594867 ... -obituary/

- Born in 1903
- Finished medicine from UBologna Medical school in 1927
- Immigrated to the US in 1929
- Super community involved
- Was a member of the Gene Catena crew
- His brother Daniel was also a member but later transferred to the Decavs.

What would make a guy like that join the Genovese NJ crew? Most of their leadership were Americans who weren’t of Sicilian descent(Moretti, Boiardo, Catena,etc) so there couldn’t have been that many ties.

Did the Genovese even have any other members who were “civilians”?

There’s no sign of it, but it would make more sense if he joined up with a more traditional Newark Family and later wound up with the Genovese.

We don't really know who the early NJ Genovese members were since most of the big names were made in the 1940s. Did they have made members in NJ under Moretti while the Newark Family was still alive? John DeNoia was probably one but Valachi said Moretti had an army under him, though that doesn't necessarily mean a lot of made members pre-1940s, could mean associates.

An unknown is how many older traditional Sicilians may have been with the Genovese in NYC or NJ. Dr. Noto is a huge outlier and you'd expect him to have been an NJ Bonanno or DeCavalcante member based on his heritage and non-criminal identity, plus he was very close to the DeCavalcantes, but he also didn't live in DeCavalcante territory. His brother transferred to them, though.

Maybe there were more obscure Genovese members who fit the traditional mold or Noto was a Newark member that transferred. He operated in Passaic which is more associated with the Genovese so that might explain why he went with them. Given he was from Santo Stefano Quisquina and came to the US as an accomplished medical graduate his mafia connections probably began in Sicily.

[JoelTurner]

Contrary to the FBI, Gentile didn't write that Troia was selected to be a Capo di Capi. "Some representatives...had proposed to elect to the office of Capo dei Capi a commission composed of six members. The selection, for the formation of it (the commission of six for the office of Capo dei Capi) fell on VINCENZO TROIA who had ended up with the sympathy of everyone. But, MARANZANO, cunning and ambitious, began to plot new [illegible] against TROIA. He managed to convene a limited commission which proved that TROIA had committed some peccadillo. In this manner there definitely came to an end the idea of a commission of six with TROIA as its Capo, head, toward the figure of MARANZANO." In other words, Troia would have been the chairman of this commission of six, but the idea was voted down and the members elected Maranzano as the new Capo di Capi.. This all took place during the general assembly in Chicago after Masseria was killed.

This confirms the plot that Magaddino was talking about.

[B.]

Because Troia, Maranzano, and Riela entered the country illegally, would be good to know the route. When Joe Bonanno entered the US illegally he first went to Tunis then France. That may have been an ideal route for mafiosi looking to be smuggled in. Troia had already visited Tunis via Trapani and Maranzano could have used the same Trapani-Tunis network Bonanno used. Be interesting if all of these guys stopped in at Tunis in addition to the ones who passed through there legally.

[JoelTurner]

Did they have made members in NJ under Moretti while the Newark Family was still alive?

I’m pretty sure that Moretti had a crew in the 1931-37 era. This would be my guess:
- Joseph Bongiorno
- John Denoia
- Anthony Guarini
- Arthur Longano
- Salvatore “Solly Moore” Moretti
- Anthony Renni
- Anthony Sabio

There were members like Mike Lascari who operated in New Jersey, but I don’t think he was under Moretti.

———————————-

Maybe there were more obscure Genovese members who fit the traditional mold or Noto was a Newark member that transferred. He operated in Passaic which is more associated with the Genovese so that might explain why he went with them. Given he was from Santo Stefano Quisquina and came to the US as an accomplished medical graduate his mafia connections probably began in Sicily.

I can rationalize the existence of these types of members who were made in the pre-Masseria era and stayed on. But Noto came over in ‘29.

A) Noto comes to the US as a civilian and joins the Genovese Family while doing his residency at NYU.

B) Noto is member of the Sicilian mafia who transfers to the Genovese when he moves here

C) Noto is a member of the Sicilian mafia who transfer to Newark and winds up with the Genovese after the breakup.

D) Noto comes to the US as a civilian and joins the Newark Family and winds up with the Genovese after the breakup.

We’re not going to get a definitive answer, but “C” strikes me as the most likely path. I can’t think of another “civilian” in the Genovese Family.