Visiting Los Angeles 1963

[Angelo Santino]

Bill Feather has Antonio "Tony Bruno" Bartolotta (b. 1896) as Sam's brother but we know there are occasional errors on his lists. Sam Bruno definitely came from Cinisi but no idea about his brother or whether this Tony Bruno is the same guy.

A FamilySearch tree only lists one brother for Rosalino "Sam Bruno" Bartolotta named Matteo though those are sometimes incomplete.

FWIW, it seems possible that Rosolino could've had a brother named Antonino. When Rosolino first arrived to Detroit, he listed his contact there as his brother, Salvatore Bartolotta. A guy who seems to match him listed a brother named Vito on another passenger manifest, and in turn a Vito Bartolotta listed a brother named Antonino. Rosolino Bartolotta stated that his father back in Cinisi was named Matteo Bartolotta; just based on traditional naming conventions, if that were his father's name, you'd expect that he would not have also had a brother named Matteo, but who knows.

Feather also lists Tsidora [sic] "Syd Bruno" Bartolotta and Domiano [sic] "Danny Bruno" Bartolotta as LA members during the period in question for this chart. But then Feather seemed to think that their father was a "Salvatore". These were in fact sons of Rosolino Bartolotta and wife Anna Rubino (b. 1898 in Terrasini): Dominic Bartolotta, AKA Dominic Bruno (b. 1919 in Detroit), and Isidoro Bartolotta, AKA Sidney Bruno (b. 1928 in LA).

I have no idea myself if the sons were ever positively ID'd as actual members but thought it worth adding them here for discussion.

The Bartolottas/Brunos were "with" Detroit at this time as associates of the Polizzi crew. Some of them were later made with LA. They were related, I think, to John Priziola.

[Antiliar]

Tony Bruno's parents were Domiano Bruno and Prudence (probably Providencia) LaPuma, and he was born in San Giuseppe Jato, about 20 miles inland of Cinisi. It's still possible they were related, possibly cousins, but without genealogical research on the Italian side we won't be able to confirm it.

[Antiliar]

Here is a chart I put together from the information Ed discovered in his write up of LA.

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

Deceased Members:
Girolamo "Momo" Adamo (1956) (Suicide)
Frank Borgia (1951) (Killed)
Salvatore “Charlie Dip” Dippolito (1960)
Jack Dragna (1956)
Calogero Finocchio (1940s)
Peter Gregorio
Victor Pepitone (San Diego)
Antonio “Tony” Mirabile (1958) (Killed)
"Phil Unstada" (ph)


Pogo

I'm not finding Peter Gregorio in Mary Farrell or Ed's piece on Salvatore Piscopo. Is there any information about him or a source?

[Pogo The Clown]

Turns out that name was provided by B. The info looks to be from Bompensiero as Gregorio was a San Diego based member.


viewtopic.php?f=29&t=4143&p=96586&hilit=Gregorio#p96586

[B.]

I'll see if I can find the original document when I have a chance as that was 4 years ago. I don't think there was any other identifying info beyond him being mentioned as a dead San Diego member.

A source in Italy named Fabio DeGregorio also provided info on the San Diego decina which was given to the FBI, not sure if there might be a connection. He knew about the Adamos so he may have been from that part of Trapani.

[CornerBoy]

Wow B. you know so much! Thanks

[PolackTony]

- Not an LA member but haven't seen this shelved Milwaukee member mentioned before, interesting story:

Looked this guy up and he came from Piedmont right on the French border. Seems very unlikely he was made into Cosa Nostra in Italy/Sicily. Also questionable if he would have joined the Camorra in Italy.

They ID him as a Milwaukee member and that Family was almost entirely Sicilian. Says he spent time in Chicago, so maybe he was initially made there. He was in San Diego by 1941.

Wonder what the story is.

Minetto Clementi Oliveri was from Altavilla Milicia. He arrived in Boston in 1922 bound for Chicago, which is exactly where you’d expect him to go as Chicago is basically Nuova Altavilla (lots of other Oliveris from Altavilla in Chicago as well).

Interesting to me that he was apparently a Milwaukee member, as he lived first in Chicago and then Racine, and Racine seems to have basically been Chicago territory (the big 1930 bootlegging case involving Salvatore LoVerde and the Argentos had lots of activity in Racine, for example).

[B.]

Yep, that makes way more sense.

There was a "Meonatto Olivero" from Piedmont I mixed him up with. So he wasn't an anomaly in Milwaukee at all and could definitely have been made in Sicily.

[PolackTony]

Yep, that makes way more sense.

There was a "Meonatto Olivero" from Piedmont I mixed him up with. So he wasn't an anomaly in Milwaukee at all and could definitely have been made in Sicily.

Gavin Schmitt stated that in 1931, Johnny Masina (also from Altavilla) was the main guy in Racine. He was killed that year in a restaurant owned by Domenico Zizzo of Racine, who was from Santa Flavia. After Masina, Angelo LaMantia (like Oliveri also from Altavilla by way of Chicago) took over and was partnered with Zizzo and “Michele Oliveri”. Schmitt states that Oliveri (clearly the same guy we’re talking about) had previously been with Joe Aiello in Chicago and fled to Racine (we’ve seen that Chicago had a big presence in Racine though, so if Oliveri was safe there it’s likely that he was shielded by transferring membership to Milwaukee at that time). In 1931, Oliveri got pinched on an illegal alcohol charge and after his release relocated to Racine. Zizzo seems to have been chased out of Racine around 1934, after two men attempted to burn and dynamite his home. In the early 40s, Oliveri was living with the Zizzos in SD; Domenico Zizzo died there in 1945, and based on the SD CI intel it seems that Oliveri shacked up with Zizzo’s widow, Francesca LaLicata after that.

Schmitt also believes that these Racine guys above were tied to the Giovingo faction In Rockford, which he states was tied to Aiello, as opposed to the Musso group in Rockford which Schmitt states was tied to Capone (Musso was of course Tony Lombardo’s BIL, so that would make sense).

[Antiliar]

The 1923 marriage record for Nicholas Licata in Detroit includes the witnesses Gaspare "Majardino" and Caroline "Majardino." There was a Gaspare Magaddino born in Castellammare on 3/25/1888 married to Caroline Galante (or Arena) Magaddino living in Chicago (2513 Monroe Street) in 1930. Later they moved to Niagara Falls. Gaspare's father was probably Martino Magaddino and he was probably a cousin of Steve. Newspaper articles they used the surname "Magardino." Interesting also that Nick Licata's parents came to America in 1914 and stayed with two of their sons living at 437 Marcy Ave in Brooklyn and across the street from Cola Schiro who lived at 432 Marcy. Rosario Tarantola lived at 437 in 1920.

[B.]

Great find there. Licata was also partners with SF boss Frank Lanza in a property in Southern California when he first moved to CA. Don't know if his father was a member but he had trouble with one of the older Orlando Sciortinos at one point. Member or not, the elder Licata was def tied into the Bonanno Camporeale network.

[Antiliar]

According to one informant Nick Licata's father was a member. Interestingly he died in Cheyenne, Wyoming (if it's the same person).

[PolackTony]

The 1923 marriage record for Nicholas Licata in Detroit includes the witnesses Gaspare "Majardino" and Caroline "Majardino." There was a Gaspare Magaddino born in Castellammare on 3/25/1888 married to Caroline Galante (or Arena) Magaddino living in Chicago (2513 Monroe Street) in 1930. Later they moved to Niagara Falls. Gaspare's father was probably Martino Magaddino and he was probably a cousin of Steve. Newspaper articles they used the surname "Magardino." Interesting also that Nick Licata's parents came to America in 1914 and stayed with two of their sons living at 437 Marcy Ave in Brooklyn and across the street from Cola Schiro who lived at 432 Marcy. Rosario Tarantola lived at 437 in 1920.

Very interesting stuff. Gaspare Maggadino married Carolina Galante in 1912 in Pueblo. 1917 they’re living at 117 Roebling St in Williamsburg BK, where Gaspare worked at one of the Brooklyn piers. In 1930 they’re in Chicago, where Gaspare stated that he worked as a food products salesmen (likely cheese/olive oil etc). By 1933 they were in Binghamton (one of their sons later remained in Endicott) and by 1940 they were living in Niagara Falls. Who knows why they were in Chicago; would be good to know who he worked for there. But there was a small but definite group of Castellammaresi there, so perhaps he had links to them (no other Maggadinos that I’ve seen, but there were Galantes).

[davidf1989]

Bompensiero said the guy made in Sicily from Detroit named Jack Pace/Pollina may have been from Trapani. Alcamo is a good guess given how many of the Detroit/San Diego guys were Alcamese.

Was Bompensiero close to Jack Dragna and his relatives? This article https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/199 ... ied-tight/ is about Frank's ties to the dragna family such as being in business with Louis Tom Dragna.

[MightyDR]

Bompensiero said the guy made in Sicily from Detroit named Jack Pace/Pollina may have been from Trapani. Alcamo is a good guess given how many of the Detroit/San Diego guys were Alcamese.

Was Bompensiero close to Jack Dragna and his relatives? This article https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/199 ... ied-tight/ is about Frank's ties to the dragna family such as being in business with Louis Tom Dragna.

I'm reading "Niputi" by Frank Bompensiero's nephew at the moment. He says that when Frank was a young man, he got in trouble in Milwaukee and went to his uncle for help. His uncle was close to Jack Dragna from back in Sicily and told Frank to go to California and get help from Dragna. That's about as far as I've got in the book but it looks like Dragna took Bompensiero under his wing from then on.