Bonanno 1960s chart

[B.]

Is it possible DiMaria was the previous captain of LaBruzzo's crew? I know we weren't sure exactly when/how LaBruzzo was promoted.

[thekiduknow]

Another thing to consider is that it was strongly indicated through the wiretap that LaBruzzo was going to/in the process of taking over for Bonanno. Reports at that time make it seem like Bonanno was all but retired, and LaBruzzo was in effect in charge. The FBI even started referring to it as the LaBruzzo family for a time. So, could be that DiMaria was promoted to caporegime from LaBruzzo’s crew, but it does raise the question of what exactly LaBruzzo’s title was in early 1964. And then, why he was then acting for LaBruzzo later in the year?

Bill, despite pretty much saying the opposite on tape, says that LaBruzzo was not considered to be in line to be boss. I’m inclined to think that’s half true, as it seems like Bonanno’s plan all along was to ultimately install Bill as boss.

I also wonder, would it be possible for another captain to be acting captain for another crew? That might explain why DiMaria is referred to as a caporegime, and then later acting for LaBruzzo.

This all might be a little out there, I’m just thinking in circles while at work lol.

[thekiduknow]

Is it possible DiMaria was the previous captain of LaBruzzo's crew? I know we weren't sure exactly when/how LaBruzzo was promoted.

Definitely could be. I haven’t seen a transcript for the conversation where he’s referred to as a capodecina, so we’re missing a lot of context. At the time of the conversation, LaBruzzo was acting boss, so I assume he was still a captain.

[thekiduknow]

Anyone have any info on Ralph DeMeglio?



This source also identified Angelo Salvo and Nino Busciglio as New Jersey Bonanno members, so he seems to have been around the New Jersey members.

I don’t think I’ve seen him listed as a member anywhere else, so I’ll add him to suspected.

This was in 1974, so he left the New Jersey area around 1969.

[B.]

Random info -- Dr. Mario Tagliagambe's bro-in-law was best man at the wedding of one of Joe Barbara's sons. Not sure who the in-law is.

[thekiduknow]

Nice find.

Barbara went to Tagliagambe's wedding in the early 1950s, and Tagliagambe introduced Barbara to Anthony Riela:

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... agliagambe

[thekiduknow]

Mario Tagliagambe - father Giovanni Tagliagambe mother Anna - Bivona, Agrigento (family moved to Catania before US)

His father lists "Nicodia Obea", which seems like a corruption of Licodia Eubea, Catania, as his place of birth:



His mother lists Trapani as her place of birth, and says she last resided in CDG:



The Anna DiGregorio who was a witness to Anna Tagliagambe's naturalization turns out not to be related to our DiGregorios, although she did marry a Gaspare funny enough.

[thekiduknow]

Nice find.

Barbara went to Tagliagambe's wedding in the early 1950s, and Tagliagambe introduced Barbara to Anthony Riela:

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... agliagambe

He married Anthony Calandra's daughter, who I'm finding out was a big time mafia lawyer. Beside being Riela's lawyer, he represented Jerry Catena and Albert Anastasia.

[thekiduknow]

My bad B., you went over Mario's parents in the Agrigento network thread:

Another potential Agrigento connection to Umberto Valenti is Silvio Tagliagambe though Tagliagambe's affiliation and background has to be untangled quite a bit:

- Silvio claimed to be from Finale, Palermo, but his brothers came to the US from Bivona, Agrigento, and his brother Giovanni claimed to be born in Licodia Eubea, Catania, but had been living in Bivona at the time of his immigration. Many different records confirm they shared the same parents, but to add another strange twist, the parents also lived in Caltanissetta province for a time where another brother was born. I have to figure the Tagliagambes' father had a profession that caused him to move or travel, as it's rare to find a single Sicilian family with ties to so many completely separate towns/provinces (another example is the Cascio Ferros).

- Silvio Tagliagambe originally lived in Williamsburg and was best man to mafia member Paolo Palmeri from Castellammare del Golfo, likely a Schiro member then as he hadn't yet moved to Buffalo. Silvio's brother Giovanni Tagliagambe would marry a Palmeri from Castellammare Del Golfo (her mother being a DiFilippi -- a Bonanno name). Giovanni's son Dr. Mario Tagliagambe, Silvio's nephew, was a physician who became a made member of the Bonanno family.

- Silvio himself would marry a woman born in Godrano, a small village in Palermo province, but she was living in Menfi, Agrigento, when she came to the US. Her mother was a Ferrugia. Future Bonanno leader Salvatore Ferrugia's family came from Agrigento but could be a coincidence.

- Mafia member Giuseppe Trifiro appears to have arrived on the same ship as Mario Tagliagambe's mother and grandmother, both from Castellammare. Trifiro was from Monreale and lived in Brooklyn, then Cleveland, and ultimately ended up in San Francisco. Stefano Magaddino mentions Trifiro on one of his office tapes. I have suspected that Trifiro was with the Bonanno family in NYC and this Palmeri/Tagliagambe connection could be a coincidence or it could lend itself to that.

Based on the above, there is reason to suspect Silvio Tagliagambe was under the Schiro-Bonanno family, like his nephew would be, but his background is complex and muddy. His nephew may have ended up with the Bonannos due to his maternal relatives being well-known names from Castellammare, but Silvio had the Williamsburg and Palmeri connections himself. However, he was also involved with Umberto Valenti and other mafia figures so he def didn't operate in a vacuum (as few if any of these guys do).

Fantastic work.

[B.]

I don't even remember posting any of that so good reminder haha. Have to wonder if Mario's father was a member as well given his brother and son were mafiosi and he married a Palmeri/DiFilippi.

The Tagliagambe / Riela connection makes sense as Mario was Tony Riela's doctor. He was doctor to a number of Bonanno guys unsurprisingly. Why go to a random doc when you can go to a made member?

[thekiduknow]

It's certainly possible. Bill was the one to id Tagliagambe as a member, I wonder what info he gave. Might shed some light on him.

Tagliagambe also gave Frank DeSimone a referral right before Apalachin, apparently he served in the army with DeSimone's brother and that's how they knew each other.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... agliagambe

Reminds of me of the example you've given before of when a boss(Lima?) referred one of his members to Gregory Genovese for a tooth problem. Totally normal thing that everyone does, just along cosa nostra lines.

[thekiduknow]

Adding a Barney Gullota to the suspected members list.

This is from a Tucson source:



Barney Gullota owned Barney's Cantina, and was subpoenaed to appear before a Grand Jury. Seems a given that the source was talking about Barney’s Cantina.



Haven't tracked down any bio on him, there seem to be a few Barney Gullota/Gulota's in New York prior to the 1950s/1960s.

Edit: Forgot to add this next part:



Hopefully I can dig up who this is, sounds like it was a partner of Gullota. Note that the informant believed that the member had been made in the early 1960s.

[PolackTony]

Was discussing Joe Notaro with Kiduknow. I have Notaro as born ~1910 in NYC (I haven't been able to verify his actual birth record; his SSDI and some other documents state 1910, though the 1910 census states 1909. On his 1931 marriage document to Raffaela M. Magro of East Harlem, Notaro stated that he was born in 1908, which is impossible as his older brother Pietro/Peter Notaro was born in June 1908) to Giuseppe Notaro and Antonina Mogavero. Giuseppe was from Cerda and arrived in NYC in 1899, where he married Antonina in 1902. I haven't been able to verify Antonina's origins, though it is very likely that she was either from Cerda as well, or another comune in Eastern Palermo province where the Mogavero surname is concentrated (e.g., Montemaggiore Belsito, Isnello). One ancestry family tree has Antonina as born in Montemaggiore, though this conflated her with a Paulina Mogavero from Montemaggiore who wound up living in Detroit. Obviously, the Mogavero surname and the Eastern Palermo province origin could point to a connection to Saro Mogavero, but I was unable to confirm any such link. In 1910, the Notaros lived at 153 Cherry St in lower Manhattan. After Giuseppe died (I believe in 1927, IIRC), the Notaros were living in 1930 on West St in Gravesend, BK. Joe Notaro worked for several decades for the Works Progress Administration. After marrying his wife (who seems to have gone by Mary Notaro), Notaro lived on 49th St near 18th Ave in Boro Park. Then, in 1950, I have him living at 2885 Harrington Ave (near Edison Ave) in Pelham Bay in the Bronx. At the time, Notaro stated that he was occupied as a "trucking owner".

[B.]

So Notaro was Sicilian but more to the east. Great work, I always assumed Notaro was non-Sicilian and it bugged me that we could never figure it out.

[thekiduknow]

Great work man.

You also mentioned that the Lapis are from a neighboring town. Angelo Lapi was spotted attending Notaro’s funeral, and was partners with Hank Perrone, who worked at Peter Notaro’s trucking firm. Definitely a connection there. I wonder if Lapi/Perrone came up through Notaro, rather than Bill.