Castellammare Post-WWII

[JohnnyS]

Yeah that makes sense. Bosco could've succeeded DeCicco after he was indicted in 2007.

[B.]

The Bonannos have such a long history of splitting up crews and promoting guys to captain over brand new crews that direct succession might be hard to trace, especially given that was a period of intense reorganization.

[B.]

Sicilian info that came out more recently:

- Former Trapani boss Vincenzo Virgo's sons Francesco and Pietro are very active with the mafia in recent years. Francesco Virga is currently boss of the Trapani Family and may hold a higher regional rank.

- Francesco Orlando, Antonino Buzzitta, and Michele Martines are underlings of Francesco Virga who showed up in the investigation as well. Not sure if they're members but might be. Francesco Peralta appears to be a very important person close to Virga but it isn't said specifically what his rank/affiliation is.

- Castellammare boss Francesco Domingo has had close contact with Francesco Virga. This involved the Trapani Family led by the Virgas extorting Angelo Magaddino in a 2017 attempt to acquire land loaned to Magaddino in Marsala. Marsala Family member/leader Diego Angileri was working with Virga to try to get the land.

- The land in Marsala being managed by Magaddino was owned by two brothers from Trapani, Walter and Dario Burgarella. Presumably Virga made his claim to the land based on the owners' being from Trapani citta though it doesn't specify the motivation or say if the Burgarellas are "with" Virga.

- Angileri had also gone around collecting votes for the 2017 "regional elections" on behalf of Francesco Virga who was a candidate. I believe it's come out Virga sits on the mandamento so this fits. I'm under the impression Angileri is boss of Marsala but it's not said explicitly.

- Angelo Magaddino is the father-in-law of Castellammare Family associate Calogero Valenti, the son of deceased Castellammare Family member Antonino Valenti. Valenti represented Magaddino in meetings related to this affair.

- Virga and Angileri first reached out to Castellammare member Mariano Saracino who reached out to boss Domingo for help in extorting the land from Magaddino. Protocol required Virga to get Domingo's approval because Valenti and Magaddino were with Castellammare.

-Virga, Angileri, Francesco Peralta and Calogero Valenti met at the property in Marsala to discuss the matter. The men placed a photograph of Valenti's deceased father Antonino next to a lit candle inside a warehouse near the meeting while they talked.

- The same day as his meeting with Virga, Calogero Valenti went to Castellammare and met with Domingo, where Valenti relayed Virga's request: Magaddino should give them the land or pay them 10,000 lire.

- Francesco Virga attended the wedding of Marsala leader Diego Angileri's son and Virga and Angileri spent much of the wedding in private discussing the land they wanted in Marsala. They were upset with Castellammare member Mariano Saracino for the way he handled the issue.

- Domingo and Virga met three times between May and September 2017. Francesco Peralto attended the first meeting and Francesco Stabile attended the second which was held in Mario Letizia's car. The third meeting may have just been Domingo and Virga. Not sure who Stabile is exactly but he was arrested in the big bust that netted a lot of Castellammarese, including Domingo. Letizia is a businessman from Paceco who works with the mafia -- it appears he loaned them his car and wasn't at the meeting.

- Angelo Magaddino's response to Virga's demands was that he should be allowed to finish the harvest before giving up the land. Virga, Peralta, Angileri met and ultimately agreed to this. However, a meeting was recorded between Virga and Domingo where it was said Magaddino wanted 90,000 lire to leave the land to recoup expenses incurred during his time managing the land and to give him money for similar opportunities in the future. Mariano Saracino apparently screwed these discussions up, as when he relayed the request from Magaddino to Virga's associate Antonino Buzzitta he told them Magaddino wanted double that (180,000 lire).

- Other men who showed up in these investigations were Trapani Family member Giuseppe Costa, released from prison after serving 22 years for the Giuseppe DeMatteo murder, as well as sons of the Castellammarese Michele Mercadante. These sons were not Salvatore Mercadante, who was another of Michele's sons described as close to incarcerated Salemi Family member Sergio Gliglio. It's said Gliglio was concerned because Salvatore Mercadante admitted to attending some kind of mafia meeting but said he was there only by chance.

- Francesco Domingo said Salvatore Mercadante was only targeted by LE because his father Michele had been a past boss of the Castellammare Family.

- Giuseppe Russo was another guy involved in the negotiations for Angelo Magaddino's land. Not sure who he is but he apparently was lining someone up to buy the land.

---

Pretty great new intel, could just as well be the 1890s -- the mafia trying to gain control of farmland. Echoes the recent dispute in the Torretta Family over cattle grazing boundaries.

This investigation shows Castellammare, Trapani, and Marsala are still closely involved and the Virgas continue to be powerful in the province.

It's also a great look into overlapping jurisdictions:
- Magaddino/Valenti were from Castellammare and affiliated with that Family, but Magaddino was managing land in Marsala owned by men from Trapani.
- The Trapani Family made a claim to the land in Marsala, presumably because the owners came from Trapani.
- Because the land was in Marsala, Virga of Trapani got the support of the Marsala Family.
- Because Magaddino was with Castellammare, Virga reached out to a Castellammare member who included his boss in the matter.
- The result was a negotiation between three Families in the province.

You have to figure Domingo going along with this was a good way for him to make political allies with the powerful Virgas of Trapani as well as the Marsala Family. We've heard Domingo was controversial in the Castellammare Family for at least a time, so these relationships are valuable, especially given the investigation showed he doesn't trust the Alcamo Family and instructed his men not to discuss things with them.

[chin_gigante]

Wondering if this zip was Bosco now. Doesn't appear to be Montagna anyway.

Should have expanded here on why I think this may not have been Montagna but I got COVID and I'm feeling a little foggy. Here's more context from the article itself:

Wiseguy Slain in S.I. Is Linked To Plot To Murder Prosecutor
July 9, 2009
Jerry Capeci

The hard-working Staten Island mobster who was whacked in a pre-dawn hit last week as he waited for a bus to take him to his city construction job was allegedly thinking the unthinkable, Mafia-wise.

Sources tell Gang Land that Bonanno soldier Anthony (Little Anthony) Seccafico was being investigated for possible involvement in an imprisoned mob chieftain’s plan to kill Greg Andres, a top federal prosecutor who has plagued Seccafico’s Bonanno crime family.

Seccafico, 46, a member of Local 79 of the Laborers International Union of North America, was ambushed and shot to death at 4:15 AM last Thursday a few blocks from his Arden Heights home as he waited for an express bus to take him to a Manhattan job site where he worked.

Sources say Seccafico was recently overheard discussing an aborted 2005 plot to whack Andres with a member of the Bonanno family’s Sicilian faction. Little Anthony, and the second suspect, whose identity Gang Land could not immediately confirm, were part of a Bronx-based crew that is viewed as the power base for the battered Bonannos, sources say.

There is little doubt that Seccafico’s murder was a genuine mob rubout – one that was sanctioned by leaders of the Bonanno family. But it was unclear whether the rubout had anything to do with the ongoing investigation into Little Anthony and others by the FBI and the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office. Spokesmen for both offices declined to comment about their investigations into Seccafico, and the impact his murder has had on the probe.

Seccafico has long been aligned with Salvatore (Sal the Ironworker) Montagna, the Sicilian-born acting boss whom the feds deported to Canada three months ago. Back in 2002, they were among 20 defendants – including capo Patrick (Patty from the Bronx) DeFilippo – who were hit with state racketeering and other charges in a takedown by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

https://www.ganglandnews.com/members/column643.htm

I suppose a lot of this depends on how "recent" (in relation to the murder) the conversation was. If it took place in the three months leading up to the murder then it could not have been Montagna because of his deportation. If the conversation happened before that then I'd agree it was probably Montagna.

[B.]

Hope you bounce back quickly, man!

Yeah, makes more sense now why you're not sure if it's Montagna. Be very interesting if another Sicilian faction member was assigned to the Bronx.

Forgot to mention earlier, Jack Bonventre's grandfather was a made member of the Castellammare Family in Sicily, Vito Bonventre, who JimmyB had on his list of CDG members from a few decades ago. I assume Antonino "Nana" was born in Sicily which might explain why I've had trouble tracing his lineage and finding him in records.

Also we confirmed that Gioacchino Calabro of the Castellammare Family is Colombo CW Dino Calabro's cousin. Sal Vitale thought Calabro and Sal Montagna were cousins but it was later clarified (via JD) that their fathers were simply very close. I asked the source about a possible Calabro / Montagna relation and he wasn't aware of one.

[B.]

Something else from the Domingo investigation that was significant is he was recorded telling Sebastiano Stabile he still wants revenge against the Castellammare members who sided with the Corleonesi in the 1980s and how they need another war to kill these guys. One of these was Mariano Saracino who he said came from the rival faction. He said they gave Castellammare away to people who weren't "paesani" -- maybe this is in reference to when Castellammare was assigned to Alcamo for a period in the 1980s-1990s. As mentioned previously Domingo is still at odds with the Alcamo Family.

Domingo's family was on the anti-Corleonesi side and he talked about how his uncle was killed by the rival faction and his father was "posato" (literally "laid", which the Sicilian mafia uses for "shelved"). Vito and Antonino Domingo were ID'd as members on JimmyB's list so maybe those are the father/uncle, not sure.

[jimmyb]

Great stuff B. Thanks for sharing. More evidence that the old guard families don't carry as much weight anymore, in terms of extorting Angelo Magaddino.

[B.]

Yeah, I'd like to know who Magaddino was related to. Seems like he wasn't very involved, as he was represented by his son-in-law who was ID'd as an associate.

That part about them displaying a photograph of Antonino Valenti and burning a candle while they met with his son Calogero Valenti is chilling. Obviously it was ostensibly to honor Antonino who was a powerful "man of honor" in Castellammare, but there would also be an implied threat given they were negotiating for the land: your father was part of our brotherhood so you should do the right thing and do what we want as your father is watching.

Wouldn't be surprised if Calogero Valenti surfaces in the future as a member as he seems to be very involved and met with bosses when representing Magaddino. You never know what the politics are though.

I also wonder if there's a relation to Benito and Nicolo Valenti, ID'd as Bonanno associates in NYC about 10 years ago. They were close with Neil Messina, who is another I'm curious about as the Bonannos had a bunch of Messinas in the Family over the years but they came from another part of Trapani not CDG.

[jimmyb]

I'll double check my files when I get home, but I think Giuseppe Valenti is the soto capo now.

[jimmyb]

Something else from the Domingo investigation that was significant is he was recorded telling Sebastiano Stabile he still wants revenge against the Castellammare members who sided with the Corleonesi in the 1980s and how they need another war to kill these guys. One of these was Mariano Saracino who he said came from the rival faction. He said they gave Castellammare away to people who weren't "paesani" -- maybe this is in reference to when Castellammare was assigned to Alcamo for a period in the 1980s-1990s. As mentioned previously Domingo is still at odds with the Alcamo Family.

Domingo's family was on the anti-Corleonesi side and he talked about how his uncle was killed by the rival faction and his father was "posato" (literally "laid", which the Sicilian mafia uses for "shelved"). Vito and Antonino Domingo were ID'd as members on JimmyB's list so maybe those are the father/uncle, not sure.

This is interesting because I'm under the impression Domingo was close with Calabro. And Calabro was Toto Riina's hand picked choice to run things in CDG. Domingo is close with Denaro as well. Denaro was 100% in league with the Corleonesi. It's also interesting because im not sure how many decision makers from that era are around anymore. But there was a lot of double dealing during the early 80s. For example, Toto Riina convinced guys to turn on the old guard. But then Riina would end up having those guys killed too! Also, keep in mind a lot of those murders were instigated from below. In other words, guys close to Riina wanted to settle scores and would convince Riina it's better to whack so and so---even if so and so was ostensibly on the side of Corleone.

[B.]

Yeah, I'd guess Domingo fell in line with the Corleonesi for his own survival and made peace but the tapes showed he still harbors violent resentment nearly 40 years later. I think that's common, where these guys have to "eat it" (DiLeonardo's words) but they don't forget what happened. Domingo was also saying he was glad two Castellammare members had been recently arrested as they were from the rival faction and he thought he'd have to kill them. Not sure who those were but Mariano Saracino was brought up in context with them.

I'm also curious when Ciccio Domingo was made. He's not on the older lists you shared with me and the latest investigation mentioned he was sponsored into the Family by Antonino Montagna, Sal's father. The investigation used baptismal terminology but that's what the Sicilian mafia uses to refer to mafia sponsorship. Another question is when Antonino Montagna was made given he was bouncing between Canada, Sicily, and NYC.

It looks like Montagna's wife is from Alcamo and she has a surname tied to the mafia there so that adds another dimension given Montagna was close to Domingo but Domingo dislikes the Alcamo Family. Obviously he might have some allies/friends there but dislikes the leadership.

Given Dino Calabro has a brother named Anthony and his cousin is Gioacchino of CDG, it makes me curious about the Anthony Calabro who shows up on some older lists of Bonanno members.

[cobra]

Something else from the Domingo investigation that was significant is he was recorded telling Sebastiano Stabile he still wants revenge against the Castellammare members who sided with the Corleonesi in the 1980s and how they need another war to kill these guys. One of these was Mariano Saracino who he said came from the rival faction. He said they gave Castellammare away to people who weren't "paesani" -- maybe this is in reference to when Castellammare was assigned to Alcamo for a period in the 1980s-1990s. As mentioned previously Domingo is still at odds with the Alcamo Family.

Domingo's family was on the anti-Corleonesi side and he talked about how his uncle was killed by the rival faction and his father was "posato" (literally "laid", which the Sicilian mafia uses for "shelved"). Vito and Antonino Domingo were ID'd as members on JimmyB's list so maybe those are the father/uncle, not sure.

This is interesting because I'm under the impression Domingo was close with Calabro. And Calabro was Toto Riina's hand picked choice to run things in CDG. Domingo is close with Denaro as well. Denaro was 100% in league with the Corleonesi. It's also interesting because im not sure how many decision makers from that era are around anymore. But there was a lot of double dealing during the early 80s. For example, Toto Riina convinced guys to turn on the old guard. But then Riina would end up having those guys killed too! Also, keep in mind a lot of those murders were instigated from below. In other words, guys close to Riina wanted to settle scores and would convince Riina it's better to whack so and so---even if so and so was ostensibly on the side of Corleone.

-you said it well
-now they blame riina as a bloodthirsty but most killing suggested to riina
-riina not a complete crazy like they said
-when he want to kill giovanni brusca and salvatore biondino say "uncle, don't do so" and riina said "ok"

[B.]

Something else from the Domingo investigation that was significant is he was recorded telling Sebastiano Stabile he still wants revenge against the Castellammare members who sided with the Corleonesi in the 1980s and how they need another war to kill these guys. One of these was Mariano Saracino who he said came from the rival faction. He said they gave Castellammare away to people who weren't "paesani" -- maybe this is in reference to when Castellammare was assigned to Alcamo for a period in the 1980s-1990s. As mentioned previously Domingo is still at odds with the Alcamo Family.

Domingo's family was on the anti-Corleonesi side and he talked about how his uncle was killed by the rival faction and his father was "posato" (literally "laid", which the Sicilian mafia uses for "shelved"). Vito and Antonino Domingo were ID'd as members on JimmyB's list so maybe those are the father/uncle, not sure.

This is interesting because I'm under the impression Domingo was close with Calabro. And Calabro was Toto Riina's hand picked choice to run things in CDG. Domingo is close with Denaro as well. Denaro was 100% in league with the Corleonesi. It's also interesting because im not sure how many decision makers from that era are around anymore. But there was a lot of double dealing during the early 80s. For example, Toto Riina convinced guys to turn on the old guard. But then Riina would end up having those guys killed too! Also, keep in mind a lot of those murders were instigated from below. In other words, guys close to Riina wanted to settle scores and would convince Riina it's better to whack so and so---even if so and so was ostensibly on the side of Corleone.

-you said it well
-now they blame riina as a bloodthirsty but most killing suggested to riina
-riina not a complete crazy like they said
-when he want to kill giovanni brusca and salvatore biondino say "uncle, don't do so" and riina said "ok"

I appreciate your insight. I have a similar impression, that even though Riina was responsible for a ton of violence he was also an easy scapegoat after the fact.

We can see in Trapani and Agrigento they used the war / power shift in Palermo as an excuse to carry out their own internal purges. The Domingo tapes show he blamed his fellow Castellammarese for what happened in CDG.

[CabriniGreen]

Did you guys touch on Scarcella? From Canada?

[B.]

Did you guys touch on Scarcella? From Canada?

Nope, but I will keep that in mind next time.

Unsurprisingly, he said George Sciascia was the most respected and popular Sicilian in NYC, at least in the Bonannos. Michael DiLeonardo has made similar comments, as he attended at least one sitdown with Sciascia (and Graziano, funny enough) and had a very high opinion of the way he carried himself. True "Cosa Nostra" to everyone in that world which is again unsurprising.

Also talked about the Bonanno and Gambino zips and he said they were like one Family they were so close. They were partners in the gambling games on Knickerbocker Ave. He said Baldo Amato "changed" after he got out of prison (was that in the 1990s? Can't remember, but it was before he was sentenced to life obviously).