Visiting the West Side 1963

[JoelTurner]

Another confirmed member of Catena crew was Dom Ferraro. Gene Catena was recorded telling Tommy Pecora how Ferraro hadn't contacted him in 9 months and Pecora was in disbelief that a "friend of ours" wouldn't touch base with Catena. They also discuss how Ferraro cheated Catena out of money and on the tape Catena assigns Ferraro's murder to Pecora. Ferraro was disliked by Vito Genovese and Jimmy Alo.

Do you know anything else about this Dom Ferraro, like where his family was from?

—————

(https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3078285 ... -obituary/)

(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4RC-9WX)

I think this is his obituary and census information

I don't know anything more about this guy than what Bill Feather wrote about him. FWIW, Feather stated that he died in 1958. This matches a Dominic Rocco Ferraro, born in October of 1903 in NYC, who died in West New York in October of 1958. His parents were Domenico Ferrara and Anna Magretti (or Macretta; various spellings or misspellings across documents). In 1910, the family lived with her parents on 153rd St near Park Ave in the Melrose section of the South Bronx; in 1920, the family lived on E 115 St between 1st and Pleasant Ave in East Harlem (same block that decades later the Palma Boys club was located). By 1930, Dominic was living in West New York, married to his wife Lucille, and working as a pipefitting foreman (his parents both died in the Bx). As Ferrara/Ferraro are extremely common surnames across Italy/Sicily, and I'm not sure what his mother's correct surname was, I'm not sure where his parents were from (Magretti I'd bet was Napolitan', but that's just my best guess; if that was actually it, could also be Northern). There were like a dozen or two Domenico Ferraras who arrived in NYC who could match his father.

I think Bill Feather had the wrong guy. Here’s the bio that he wrote:

“ Record from 1924, including convictions for Robbery [NJ], and Bootlegging.
One of several millionaires in the Family, making his money from bootlegging, both during and after Prohibition. He owned a barber supply company, and converted legal denatured alcohol into illegal booze.
Lived in and operated out of New Jersey. Rich enough to do business with the likes of Howard Hughes, he once lent the US Equestrian team some of his horses.
Died at a relatively young age in 1958.”

(https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... lPageId=12)

According to this document, the incident with Catena took place in 1964.

Plus, the story about him dodging Catena over money seems like a far cry from business with Howard Hughes and US Equestrian team horses.

—————-

(https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3078285 ... -obituary/)

Also, the document refers to him as Dom J. Ferraro, similarly, this 1989 obituary is for a Dominic J. Ferraro.

If the obituary is for the right guy, it would be interesting to know when he moved to Rhode Island. It says he owned a restaurant before retiring in 1971

[PolackTony]

Another confirmed member of Catena crew was Dom Ferraro. Gene Catena was recorded telling Tommy Pecora how Ferraro hadn't contacted him in 9 months and Pecora was in disbelief that a "friend of ours" wouldn't touch base with Catena. They also discuss how Ferraro cheated Catena out of money and on the tape Catena assigns Ferraro's murder to Pecora. Ferraro was disliked by Vito Genovese and Jimmy Alo.

Do you know anything else about this Dom Ferraro, like where his family was from?

—————

(https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3078285 ... -obituary/)

(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4RC-9WX)

I think this is his obituary and census information

I don't know anything more about this guy than what Bill Feather wrote about him. FWIW, Feather stated that he died in 1958. This matches a Dominic Rocco Ferraro, born in October of 1903 in NYC, who died in West New York in October of 1958. His parents were Domenico Ferrara and Anna Magretti (or Macretta; various spellings or misspellings across documents). In 1910, the family lived with her parents on 153rd St near Park Ave in the Melrose section of the South Bronx; in 1920, the family lived on E 115 St between 1st and Pleasant Ave in East Harlem (same block that decades later the Palma Boys club was located). By 1930, Dominic was living in West New York, married to his wife Lucille, and working as a pipefitting foreman (his parents both died in the Bx). As Ferrara/Ferraro are extremely common surnames across Italy/Sicily, and I'm not sure what his mother's correct surname was, I'm not sure where his parents were from (Magretti I'd bet was Napolitan', but that's just my best guess; if that was actually it, could also be Northern). There were like a dozen or two Domenico Ferraras who arrived in NYC who could match his father.

I think Bill Feather had the wrong guy. Here’s the bio that he wrote:

“ Record from 1924, including convictions for Robbery [NJ], and Bootlegging.
One of several millionaires in the Family, making his money from bootlegging, both during and after Prohibition. He owned a barber supply company, and converted legal denatured alcohol into illegal booze.
Lived in and operated out of New Jersey. Rich enough to do business with the likes of Howard Hughes, he once lent the US Equestrian team some of his horses.
Died at a relatively young age in 1958.”

(https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... lPageId=12)

According to this document, the incident with Catena took place in 1964.

Plus, the story about him dodging Catena over money seems like a far cry from business with Howard Hughes and US Equestrian team horses.

—————-

(https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3078285 ... -obituary/)

Also, the document refers to him as Dom J. Ferraro, similarly, this 1989 obituary is for a Dominic J. Ferraro.

If the obituary is for the right guy, it would be interesting to know when he moved to Rhode Island. It says he owned a restaurant before retiring in 1971

Good points. Feather is often correct, but he covers a lot of guys so I’ve found a number of errors in his info previously.

[JoelTurner]

Completed the Catena crew with the exception of Anthony Nino who I'm having a hard time identifying.

(https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... elPageId=3)

Anthony Nino was Anthony Saita's nickname

--------

(https://www.ancestry.com/1940-census/us ... ita_4n1fjs)

This is his info from the 1940 census

[Angelo Santino]

Thanks. I really need to sink back into this, been on a break since middle of May.

[B.]

The 1989 obit Joel found might be the right guy. The Genovese member was alive in the 1960s as that's when they discussed murdering him. I don't know anything else about him though. If he moved to Rhode Island that could coincide with Ferraro breaking away from the Family.

[JoelTurner]

Barrasso was a Colombo who transferred to DeCavalcantes

Do you have the source for this? I’m pretty curious about him

[B.]

Barrasso was a Colombo who transferred to DeCavalcantes

Do you have the source for this? I’m pretty curious about him

It's from a 1985 FBI report. There are also reports from the 1970s that say he transferred from an NY Family but the 1985 one specifically says Colombos.

[JoelTurner]

Barrasso was a Colombo who transferred to DeCavalcantes

Do you have the source for this? I’m pretty curious about him

It's from a 1985 FBI report. There are also reports from the 1970s that say he transferred from an NY Family but the 1985 one specifically says Colombos.

Thanks, do you know where/how I can find this report? Barrasso's wife's family was very interesting but I don't want to derail this thread because it's not Genovese stuff.

[JoelTurner]

(https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... lPageId=28)

NK-T3 identified Pasqualino Merola as a Genovese member in New Jersey.

(https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-co ... 09272:2442)

This was Patrick Joseph Merola who was born in 1924. Weirdly, he's listed as a girl, but this was him. The address matches this document: (https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... elPageId=5)

[Pogo The Clown]

When did he die? Thanks.


Pogo

[Antiliar]

When did he die? Thanks.


Pogo

29 Jun 1988 Belleville Township, Essex, New Jersey, USA

[Pogo The Clown]

Thanks.


Pogo

[JoelTurner]

Was Angelo Sica a member of the Genovese family?

--------------

(https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... PageId=168)

Harold Konigsburg says that Angelo Sica is a part of the DeCavalcante family and was repped by Sam DeCavalcante at a sitdown. He also notes that Sica lives close to Richie Boiardo.

--------------

(https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... elPageId=4)

NK-T3 says that Angelo Sica is one of Anthony Dolasco's men, part of the Lucchese family

--------------

(https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... lPageId=26)

NK-T23 says that Angelo Sica is under Richie Boiardo.

--------------

My guess is that Angelo Sica was a Genovese member in the Boiardo crew.

Side note: There were a lot of Sicas, was Angelo Sica related to the Sica brothers of LA? I know they were originally from New Jersey and were related to Willie Moretti.

[B.]

Sica was recorded in the 1970s discussing inductions and promotions within the Genovese Family w/ Pussy Russo. It was the same conversation where Russo says Benny Lombardo was the real boss of the Family.

[Angelo Santino]

.

Thank you for all of your input. I went through the thread and tried to input your contributions.

For some of these maybes, we could put them in a suspected member category. If you want, DM me your gmail and I'll link you to the online spreadsheet of this. If you make any changes, just be sure to highlight the box so I see it. I do transfer this document infrequently to Excel where I can filter the information, names- A-Z, specific crew, finished names, unfinished names, it makes it simpler to work on and I wish google docs had that capability.

Question, what captain in 73 headed the Greenwich crew you spoke of.