Commission "Avugad" Representatives

[B.]

As suggested by Kiduknow, we should have a thread about Commission members who represented other Families nationally.

Notes:

- This was a formal arrangement, where certain Families were assigned to a certain Commission member who they consulted with, both with regard to national matters as well as for issues/changes within that Family.

- All Families technically had a vote in national matters, but it was cast through the avugad. I don't know of any instances where a Family cast a different vote from their avugad, so we can presume the avugad essentially influenced/controlled the votes of the Families under him. This is similar to boss and consigliere elections, where we know the capodecina met with the members of his crew and cast vote(s) on their behalf -- the captain heavily influenced if not controlled the vote, much like the avugad seems to have done nationally.

- I previously believed the term "avugad" (avvocato / advocate) referred to any Commission member, but now I'm unsure if it referred to anyone with a Commission seat or only Commission members who represented other Families (i.e. "advocated" for them). If every Commission member represented at least one other Family then this question is null as it would mean every Commission seat was an avugad. However if not every Commission member represented another Family it raises the question over whether they too were regarded as "avugad".

- Whatever the answer to the above question, the vast majority of sources (there are many) used "avugad" exclusively refer to Commission members. The exception is Chicago, where the leadership was recorded calling Meyer Lansky an "avugad" for the Jews, member Joe Costello referred to official boss Sam Giancana as his "avugad" (even if a boss sat on the Commission, we don't have examples in other cities where the boss was called "avugad" over his own men), and Ross Prio and one of his soldiers were recorded whispering about two soldiers being named "avugads". It appears Chicago used it in a general sense to refer to anyone who had the authority to represent someone, from soldier up to boss and even including influential associates (Lansky).

- There's no indication "avugad" was a formal term / rank even when it referred to Commission members, so even though most Families used it only to refer to the Commission they weren't necessarily using it formally. Their representation over other Families was 100% formal even if the term was not.

- These avugad relationships were often based on longstanding ties between organizations and sometimes individuals, with these relationships / spheres of influence / networks predating the Commission. Other times they appear somewhat arbitrary, though we don't have any sources (that I know of) who detailed the exact process for assigning a Family to an avugad. Sometimes these arrangements are obviously practical (i.e. geographic proximity), while other times they are incredibly impractical.

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Now onto who represented who.

Lucchese Family
- Represented Los Angeles during the Dragna era. Dragna came from Corleone like many early Lucchese members and got his start with the Morello Family (which the Luccheses split off from).
- Pittston? Some sources believed Pittston answered to Tommy Lucchese (at least one even believing Pittston was not its own Family but a faction of the Lucchese Family) and the two Families were heavy in the garment industry. However we know Bufalino had a close relationship with the Genovese as well.
- Bill Bonanno said Tom Gagliano was responsible for the Alabama Family members after they disbanded, which could indicate they were initially represented by him on the Commission.

Bonanno Family
- San Francisco. This relationship predates the Commission, with Nicolo Schiro having a great deal of influence over early boss Francesco Lanza, who was likely a Bonanno member in NYC before moving to SF.
- San Jose. While there is some confusion over who represented San Jose, it now appears Joe Bonanno also represented them before he was deposed.
- No confirmation but there's indication they may have represented Colorado, with Jim Colletti being an ex-Bonanno member. Joe Bonanno was also business partner with Colletti in Colorado Cheese and through the 1970s Bonanno was still trying to recruit Colorado's support to get himself recognized again, much as he did with the Bay Area, perhaps indicating he was seeking support from Families he previously represented.
- The Bonannos were closely tied to Detroit and Bonanno regarded them as part of the national "conservative faction" though it's unclear if this was ever formal. Gaspare Milazzo predated the Commission but his time as boss is an indication the Schiro/Bonanno Family had significant influence early on.

Genovese Family
- Represented the DeCavalcante Family through the 1960s and maybe into the 1980s.
- Represented Buffalo after Stefano Magaddino's death through the mid-1980s.
- Represented Cleveland, presumably beginning when they lost their Commission seat circa 1930s or 40s. Lasted through mid-1980s. The Porrellos were close to the Genovese Family and Joe Masseria had relatives in that Family, so there is definitely history between them even though the Lonardo faction was loyal to the D'Aquila/Gambino Family.
- Represented New England possibly before and definitely after Ray Patriarca's brief time on the Commission in the late 1950s. Lasted through mid-1980s -- when Ray Patriarca died they immediately contacted Vincent Gigante.
- Pittsburgh? The Genovese Family was heavily involved with the John Bazzano / Volpe brothers affair and influenced Bazzano's 1932 murder shortly after the formation of the Commission. I haven't seen explicit confirmation, but there were strong ties between the Neapolitan faction in Pittsburgh and the Genovese, with Vito having a close relationship to the "real" power in the Family, Frank Amato, and Genovese consigliere Sandino Pandfolo living in Pittsburgh for a time.
- It appears they replaced the Gambino Family as Philadelphia's avugad after the death of Angelo Bruno, with Testa and then Scarfo taking direction from Bobby Manna and Vincent Gigante. However, the Gambino Family looks to have regained influence over them by the late 1980s and early 1990s though the existence of the traditional / official Commission is questionable at this stage.

Colombo Family
- Complete speculation, but could have represented Detroit before Zerilli gained a seat given their close relationship.
- Some info suggests the Colombos represented San Jose, but it now appears this was an informal arrangement and they simply had strong influence.
- Likely represented the Newark Family, as Joe Profaci was said to have influenced and managed the disbandment of the group. His compaesano D'Amico was the boss and many members joined his Family.
- Though Tampa was later represented by the Gambinos (may have always been), Joe Profaci was very close to the early leadership and influential in the pre-Trafficante years.

Gambino Family
- Tampa. The Gambino Family's Agrigento faction had strong ties and a lot of crossover with them.
- They appear to have replaced the Genovese Family as the DeCavalcante Family's avuguad, however this was in the late 1980s when Joe Massino says the official Commission no longer existed, therefore we don't really know the formalities of this arrangement. The influence continues today, as evidenced by the Stango case. As with Tampa, the DeCavalcante Agrigentini were very close to the Gambinos.
- May have represented the Colombos after Joe Profaci's 1962 death until Joe Colombo was elected boss and given a Commission seat. Carlo Gambino exercised massive influence over them and rebel Colombo members were assigned to him during the conflict.
- May have represented the Bonanno Family in the late-1970s and 1980s.
- Represented Philadelphia during the periods when Philly didn't have a seat. Giuseppe Traina was the defacto avugad for Philly and had extensive compaesani in the Philly Family. Like the Bonannos and San Fran, this predates the Commission as Traina was said to have influenced the election of Salvatore Sabella as boss circa 1919/1920.
- A Dallas source indicated the Dallas Family was represented by Albert Anastasia until his murder, at which point they were represented by the Genovese Family. Rocco Pellegrino was an alleged cousin of a powerful Calabrian member and exerted influence in the Family. While the bosses were all Sicilian, Anastasia and Pellegrino indicate the Calabrians had massive political clout there. Early bosses were Corleonese, which could play into the Genovese connection too.

Chicago Family
- Milwaukee
- Madison
- Likely Rockford, though I haven't seen explicit confirmation.
- Likely Kansas City as well.
- Maybe Springfield though very little is known about their politics.
- Sources indicate they may have represented St. Louis during the Pasquale Miceli era (he was ex-Chicago).
- Some sources state Chicago represented the "midwest" (they didn't rep Cleveland) and later the West Coast, though definitive evidence is lacking.
- I believe one source thought Chicago represented Colorado for a time.

Detroit Family
- Detroit appears to have represented St. Louis after Joe Zerilli gained a Commission seat in the late 1950s. Tony Giordano and other members were paesani with close ties and relatives in Detroit and sources state during the Giordano era he deferred to Zerilli.
- After the death of Tommy Lucchese, Detroit begins massively influencing Los Angeles and multiple leaders during this period were ex-Detroit. It may not have been formal, though.

Buffalo Family
- Kiduknow found a doc from Anthony Lima stating Buffalo represented San Francisco after Joe Bonanno was deposed. Given San Francisco's roots with Schiro, it makes sense Magaddino (a Schiro protege) would be relevant to their politics.
- Indications they may have initially represented the Bonannos after Joe Bonanno was deposed which makes sense given Magaddino was a former Bonanno member, his brother-in-law took over the Family, and he shared heritage with much of the Family. The Bonanno Family was recorded consulting with Magaddino in January 1965 about their upcoming boss election, seeking advice on the process, and Magaddino was also said to represent the Bonanno Montreal faction during this period.
- Several sources state Magaddino was something of a senior chairman on the Commission, but there isn't a lot of info beyond the above examples about who he may have represented in the early years of the Commission.

Philadelphia Family
- Joe Ida and then Angelo Bruno served on the Commission but I'm not aware of any Families under them.

Cleveland Family
- Gentile states they were on the original Commission formed in 1931, no indication who they represented if anyone.

New Orleans is the only Family that did not have a Commission seat nor an avugad. Joe Colombo told Greg Scarpa in 1968 that New Orleans was given a special honor as the first US Family by not having to report to the Commission. New Orleans nonetheless consulted with the Commission as a gesture of respect and when they needed external mediation, though they did so with the Commission as a whole, not through a specific avugad.

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Please let me know if I'm mistaken on any of the above details and of course feel free to provide other information related to this. While we are 100% sure of this system and know of many of the formal arrangements, a lot of it is speculative. I'm sure teamwork can clarify some details I'm missing or mistaken on.

[Snakes]

This was from Angelo Lonardo's testimony. I don't think Lonardo intended to suggest that Chicago *represented* all of the western families, but he intimated they had some overall control over LCN families in the "West" (sans Cleveland).

There is a separate Commission in Chicago. Chicago has control of all of the Western families, including Detroit. The Chicago Commission makes and enforces the rules for those families and settles inter-family "beefs." If there was a beef or problem that included New York families with Chicago on Chicago-controlled families, that dispute would be settled by members of both Commissions having a sit-down and working out the dispute. Up to 1983, when I went to jail, I knew that Tony Accardo was head of the Chicago family and, therefore, the head of the Chicago Commission.

[B.]

Thanks for the info, Snakes. Given Cleveland didn't report to Chicago, I'm curious who filled Lonardo in on the arrangement.

I think we can discount the idea of a separate "Commission" under Chicago, but no doubt they represented quite a few Families and these relationships were heavily informed by geography rather than some of the influences that informed other avugad arrangements.

[B.]

Curious what people know about Pittsburgh.

- We can see the Genovese representing Cleveland and New England follows ethnic patterns, with those three organizations shaking off a lot of their Sicilian influence earlier than most Families. We have the NE source who specifically said Frank Costello wanted to peacefully depose Phil Buccola because he was Sicilian and wanted Patriarca in the spot because he was a "Neapolitan", so I don't believe any of this is coincidental. Just as some of the avugad relationships were formed along Sicilian compaesani lines, it looks like the non-Sicilians had similar arrangements.

- Pittsburgh was very similar to Cleveland, New England, and the Genovese in this regard so if they were repped by the Genovese it would make sense. Had Chicago been less nationally powerful without their own seat, I think we all know who would have represented them, too.

- Scarfo's relationship to the Genovese also makes sense. Leonetti says Scarfo was obsessed with his Calabrian heritage and hated Sicilians, plus he already had a close relationship to the Genovese. I don't think Leonetti or anyone has said exactly how they arranged for the Genovese to represent them (assuming it was formal) but it fits the above patterns with Cleveland, NE, and Pittsburgh. Philly had a massive "Calabrian" / non-Sicilian faction with their own political base.

What's strange is the DeCavalcantes and Buffalo reporting to the Genovese.

- Nick Delmore was inducted in a Genovese ceremony and we don't know how far back the Corleonesi element in Elizabeth goes -- the Majuris are believed to have been tied to the Morellos in East Harlem / Bronx before they moved and they are of course related to the Bellomos, so there is a Corleone connection between the Families. Rotondo thought there was a "Corleonesi faction" under the Majuris in the DeCavalcantes but outside of the Majuris I don't think anyone has been ID'd. He did believe Stefano Badami was a DeCavalcante boss but this is questionable and Badami was tied to Tom Gagliano and Maranzano, not Masseria and Morello. There were other Corleonese "civilian" families in Elizabeth, though, including Stefano Badami's cousin Luigi and the Rennas (Peterstown Paper guy). The recent book that talks about the NJ Riberesi says Corleonesi were among the founders of the Ribera club, too. Ribera and Corleone aren't far from each other.

- Buffalo seems to have been a totally arbitrary arrangement unless I'm missing something. They are assigned to the Genovese Family in 1974 at the earliest, though, when the relationships that formed the original avugad system were dwindling if not gone. This may have had more to do with the instability in the Buffalo Family at the time (they had been in political conflict since the 1960s) and the Genovese's political dominance -- maybe they were trusted to stabilize the Buffalo Family given their immense power.

[thekiduknow]

Thanks B. for making this thread and putting the information together.

I posted this in the Bonanno Question thread, but I'll repost it here:

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... lPageId=11

Pretty sure this comes from Frank Bompenserio. He says that the Lucchese Family represented LA under Dragna, but when DeSimone took over he was told to report to Bonanno to "maintain lines of communication" with the Commission. Instead, DeSimone would report to Angelo Bruno, which "infuriated Bonanno", and Bonanno then tried to have DeSimone killed. Since Bonanno was depose, all the West Coast families were to report to Chicago.

He reported this in 1967, so could be that at some point between then and 1970 Magaddino represented San Francisco on the Commission.

[B.]

Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning that offline. If LA was assigned to Joe Bonanno circa mid-1950s that makes the takeover attempts that much more interesting -- Bonanno had national authority over LA and may have used that to justify some of his actions. There's also that Magaddino tape where he talks about Desimone having some kind of problem and says Desimone should have contacted Bonanno since he was closer, being in Arizona. I always assumed that was just out of practicality but maybe it was also because Bonanno represented LA at that time.

It also fits what I'm saying about many of these relationships being older. Bonanno was in Arizona and it would make sense to assign LA to him for that reason, but the Desimones were from the House of Schiro "coaching tree" -- despite not having been part of the Bonanno Family in NYC, the Desimones were from Trapani and Nicolo Schiro was very close to the Desimones and witnessed the Lanza-Desimone marriage. Antiliar has also said Rosario Desimone used the alias "Schiro".

Regarding West Coast Families reporting to Chicago, I'm curious what all is available on this. It's believable given their presence in California and Arizona but I haven't seen many specifics. Also curious how it matches up with Magaddino representing San Francisco.

[B.]

There's also Bomp's info about how the Roselli/Bomp/Fratianno takeover plot would face opposition from Detroit due to their influence over the LA leadership. He doesn't say Detroit was LA's avugad but clearly their political influence was enough to concern the plotters.

Not sure what to make of Desimone reporting to Angelo Bruno instead of Bonanno. This was something he did himself, or did someone tell him to?

Desimone was also used as something of a messaggero for the Commission, where he was invited to a Commission meeting and then traveled to other cities to update the bosses, including his cousin Civello in Dallas.

[Wiseguy]

From the 1994 LIUNA RICO Complaint.


9. The LCN Commission : The affairs of the LCN are governed by a "commission" (hereafter "the Commission") which is composed of the bosses of the most significant families. The bosses of four of the five families in the New York City area - the Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Luchese families - have been members of the Commission since its creation. At various times bosses, or representatives, from the LCN families in Chicago, Illinois, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cleveland, Ohio; Buffalo, New York; and Detroit, Michigan, have been members of the Commission. The Commission serves as the national ruling council of the LCN families. Among other matters, the Commission has regulated, facilitated and controlled relationships and settled disputes between and among the LCN families. The Commission also has approved the admission of new members to the various LCN families and the selection of the bosses of the families. To frustrate enforcement scrutiny, the Commission meets infrequently.

10. LCN Families : Each family of La Cosa Nostra is identified by the name of its boss, the name of a former boss, or by the city in which it is located. The families of the LCN include, among others, the following:

a. The BONNANO family which is headquartered in New York City and operates in various other locations in the United States. The Bonnano family is the one New York City LCN family whose boss is not a member of the Commission;

b. The BUFALINO family which is headquartered in the area of Pittston, Pennsylvania and operates in Northeastern Pennsylvania and New York State;

c. The BUFFALO family which is headquartered in the area of Buffalo, New York and operates there and in various other locations;

d. The CHICAGO family which is headquartered and operates in the area of Chicago, Illinois, in the Eastern Division of the Northern District of Illinois, in other areas of Illinois, and in various locations in Florida and the western part of the Unites States. The Chicago family is commonly referred to as "the outfit." The boss of the Chicago family is a member of the Commission. Often the views of the Chicago family are presented to the Commission by the Genovese family, which is identified in subparagraph j. below;

e. The CLEVELAND family which is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and operates there. The Cleveland family is represented on the Commission by the Genovese family, which is identified in subparagraph j. below;

f. The COLOMBO family which is headquartered in New York City and operates there and in various other locations. The boss of the Colombo family is a member of the Commission;

g. The DECAVALCANTE family which is headquartered in northern New Jersey and operates there and in various other locations. The boss of the DeCavalcante family answers to the boss of the Genovese family;

h. The DETROIT family which is headquartered in Detroit Michigan and operates there and in various other locations. The Detroit family is represented on the Commission by the Genovese family;

. The GAMBINO family which is headquartered in New York and in various other locations. The boss of the Gambino family is a member of the Commission;

j. The GENOVESE family which is headquartered in New York City and operates there and in various other locations. The boss of the Genovese family is a member of the Commission;

k. The KANSAS CITY family which is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri and operates there and in various other locations. The Kansas City family is represented on the Commission by the Chicago family;

1. The LOS ANGELES family which is headquartered and operates in Los Angeles California. The Los Angeles family is represented on the Commission by the Chicago Family;

m. The LUCHESE family which is headquartered and operates in New York City and various other locations. The boss of the Luchese Family is a member of the Commission;

n. The MILWAUKEE family which is headquartered and operates in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Milwaukee family is represented on the Commission by the Chicago Family;

o. The NEW ENGLAND or PATRIARCA family which is headquartered in the areas of both Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island and operates there and in various other locations. The New England family is represented on the Commission by the Genovese family;

p. The NEW ORLEANS family which is headquartered and operates in New Orleans, Louisiana. The New Orleans family has close relationships with both the Chicago and Genovese families;

q. The PHILADELPHIA or BRUNO/SCARFO family which is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Philadelphia family is represented on the Commission by the Genovese family and is sometimes referred to by the last names of former bosses, Angelo Bruno and Nicodemo Scarfo;

r. The PITTSBURGH family which is headquartered and operates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh family is represented on the Commission by the Genovese family;

s. The ST. LOUIS family which is headquartered and operates in area of St. Louis, Missouri. The ST. Louis family operates under the supervision of the Chicago family; and

t. The TRAFFICANTE family which is headquartered and operates in the area of Tampa, Florida. The Trafficante family is represented on the Commission by the Chicago family.

https://jimmcgough.tripod.com/ricocomplaint.htm

[B.]

Excellent info, Wiseguy. Thanks for sharing. I'm guessing a lot of that info is from the 1980s.

Confirms Pittsburgh reported to the Genovese, as suspected.

Never heard that about Tampa being represented by Chicago, though Bomp said Tampa and Chicago were two Families they expected to support their LA coup and Trafficante had ongoing contact with Chicago. I've seen earlier info about them reporting to Carlo Gambino and they stayed close to the Gambinos into the 1980s so curious what led to that change.

I also notice it says the DeCavalcantes were repped by the Genovese -- we know that was true through Sam's reign, though in the late 1980s Gotti told John Riggi he'd be reporting to him, made them re-do their ceremonies, the CWs talked about the Gambino influence, Stango saying "now we run under the Gambinos", etc. Part of that may have come about because the traditional Commission fell apart after 1985 and Gotti took an opportunity, but you have to wonder what the Genovese Family thought.

What's wild is how many were represented by the Genovese Family later on. It's like they picked up all of the pieces left behind by the earlier arrangements.

[Wiseguy]

I'm guessing a lot of that info is from the 1980s.

That's my thinking as well.

What's wild is how many were represented by the Genovese Family later on. It's like they picked up all of the pieces left behind by the earlier arrangements.

Yeah, it seems like they were the go-to for the eastern families by a certain point. The Outfit did the same for the families west of Chicago. And the Genovese apparently presented the Outfit's views to the Commission, which was basically New York by that point. This ties into what Al D'Arco testified regarding the Genovese having a "messaggero" (or something like that) position at one time, who's duties (at least in part) were a liason to Chicago.

[CabriniGreen]

Is there any truth to Chicago ( Giancana), New Orleans ( Marcello), and Trafficante being politically aligned?

[PolackTony]

Is there any truth to Chicago ( Giancana), New Orleans ( Marcello), and Trafficante being politically aligned?

Not sure about NOLA (which I would assume probably had very longstanding connections to the mafia in Chicago, based on migration patterns and paesani group settlement), but there was a CI in the 60s (Frank Bomp? I forget at the moment whinier was and don’t have my notes handy) who claimed that Tampa backed Chicago’s plan to consolidate the CA families into one family (presumably a counter-project to contest Bonanno’s plan to do the same under his influence). Frank Culotta also specifically stated on one video that Chicago was over the Tampa and NOLA “outfits”, but he obviously wasn’t a made guy and this could just have been based on his impressions from working in Vegas that Chicago had influence over the non-NYC families.

[Antiliar]

There's quite a bit of evidence that Carlos Marcello and Santo Trafficante were close, but not much for Marcello and Giancana. The two items below are all I could find in Mary Ferrell.org. Haven't seen anything in Giancana's file to see if the issue mentioned below was resolved nor how they got along before and after their friction.

This doc mentions a juke box venture where Marcello was angry at Giancana for shorting him: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 20giancana. So they did do business together, but lack details.

Another doc has an informant in trouble with Marcello asking Charlie White to ask Giancana to intervene for him: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 20giancana. This suggests that at that time there were lines of communication open between Marcello and Giancana, and perhaps there was a friendship or sufficient respect for Giancana to sway his opinion.

[sdeitche]

From the 1994 LIUNA RICO Complaint.



t. The TRAFFICANTE family which is headquartered and operates in the area of Tampa, Florida. The Trafficante family is represented on the Commission by the Chicago family.

https://jimmcgough.tripod.com/ricocomplaint.htm

Have seen this before, but I have not seen much evidence to support this. Assuming this is from the 1980s, post-Trafficatne's death, you already had Gambino-tied men involved with the Trafficantes. I was told by an FDLE special agent and a Tampa PD detective that by the early/mid- 1990s the Gambinos were definitely wielding some influence over Tampa, so it stands to reason they were their representatives on the Commission.

There are ties between Tampa and Chicago- Trafficante's relationship with Giancana and the Fischettis- but by the time of santo's demise in 1987, I did not come across a lot of interconnected activity between Chi-town and Cigar City.

[sdeitche]

Is there any truth to Chicago ( Giancana), New Orleans ( Marcello), and Trafficante being politically aligned?

Marello and Trafficante were very much aligned. Even moreso JOe Marcello and Tampa figures like Augustine Primo Lazzara and Vincent LoScalzo.

Trafficante and Gianacan obviously were aligned in the early 1960 with the CIA_Mafia Castro plots, but after Giancana's star fades, there isn't a lot of evidence the two men interacted. At least not that I have come across.