Early members of non-NYC families

[JCB1977]

Thanks to research from a number of people, including some of our fellow Black Handers, we know a decent number of NYC area members who were active before the 1920s and even before the 20th century in some cases.

Some of this spills out into other parts of the US and people like Nicola Gentile have given us names and starting points for other parts of the US.

Kind of like the list of murdered members topic, I'm looking to plant the idea here and anyone who wants to throw out names can feel free. Just list the city and whoever you believe may have been active in the "early days"... I don't want to list a specific range of years because it will vary based on the city and what info is available. I also understand we can't confirm that certain people were members or even if they were confirmed members, when they were made. I trust your judgment either way and this can be a discussion not just a list...

If you do know the years they were first active it would be great to include that with their name. Maybe include the city in Sicily/Italy they came from as well if you know it.

Early days such as? 1900's, 1920's, 1930's etc?

[JCB1977]

Michele D'Angelo-Columbus, OH (Cleveland Family)

Vincenzo "James" Tripodi- Steubenville, OH (Pittsburgh Family)

Cosmo Quattrone- Steubenville, OH (Pittsburgh Family)

Dominic Anzalone- Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Family)

Stefano Randazzo- Originally Cleveland (Moved to Tampa with traficante)

[B.]

That came from one informant who we've been unable to verify. Opinions are like assholes, true then and true now. Some of his things we cannot verify. But just didn't we can't doesn't mean that they didn't happen. I think once I rediscover those references i'll email them to you and you can form your own opinion. If you see something different I'm all ears.

Masseria, like Luciano, grew up on the Lower East Side where the Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno families were rubbing elbows. This was a mafia metropolis as opposed to Gen dominant Harlem, Gambino Red Hook and Bonanno Williamsburgh. By the 1920's these guys could have gone with any which one. Masseria was affiliated with Bonanno members in his early career, connected indirectly to 1909-1912 Boss DiGaetano. Luciano was close to Gambino members like Joe Biondo and I believe even once shared a room.

The Genovese Family was a renegade family built on the foundations of New World Italian combines and old world Morello capo dei capi contacts. It was at first "boycotted" cast out from the Fratellanza to by 1924 "everyone is coming together" which implies that the Masseria-Morello-Pollacia-Yale combine HAD TO BE recognized as part of the element. That came through force and criminal ingenuity in that they brought in a close perhaps previously overlooked membership potential of New World Italian criminals outside of the traditional Sicilian Mafia recruitment of the day, 1920's. That can be largely attributed to Joe Masseria. Everything Luciano gets credit for Joe earned his nickname as "The Boss" for accomplishing all that 10 years prior, at a time when the Palermitan' Family and their politics were dominant. Masseria needs a serious re-evaluation. "Old school mustache" he was anything but!

The second paragraph makes me think of what I was saying in the Montreal topic, where in the old days LE had a tendency to group guys together based on where they lived, mutual rackets, and general association. Was Masseria formally affiliated with the Bonannos when he was coming up, or does it just seem that way because he did business and hung around with them? Based on his background it would make sense for him to have started with them and I know we don't have enough info, so really just saying this for the sake of it.

It's the same reason we end up with up with Caponigro on Genovese charts and Evola on Lucchese charts. Those guys were absolutely involved in criminal enterprises with members of those families and hell, they may have even associated with those people more than their own families, but that's what sets this organization apart from other organized crime groups. The formal affiliation isn't always based on practicality, but other connections.

And this just plays into what you were saying about how hard it is to even guess who the early members are. At least in non-NYC areas it is easier to guess because there was only one family they could have been affiliated with... i.e. if a guy in Philadelphia or Detroit seems to have had a certain level of influence, we don't have to wonder if he was actually with one of five different families like in NYC.

[Angelo Santino]

That came from one informant who we've been unable to verify. Opinions are like assholes, true then and true now. Some of his things we cannot verify. But just didn't we can't doesn't mean that they didn't happen. I think once I rediscover those references i'll email them to you and you can form your own opinion. If you see something different I'm all ears.

Masseria, like Luciano, grew up on the Lower East Side where the Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno families were rubbing elbows. This was a mafia metropolis as opposed to Gen dominant Harlem, Gambino Red Hook and Bonanno Williamsburgh. By the 1920's these guys could have gone with any which one. Masseria was affiliated with Bonanno members in his early career, connected indirectly to 1909-1912 Boss DiGaetano. Luciano was close to Gambino members like Joe Biondo and I believe even once shared a room.

The Genovese Family was a renegade family built on the foundations of New World Italian combines and old world Morello capo dei capi contacts. It was at first "boycotted" cast out from the Fratellanza to by 1924 "everyone is coming together" which implies that the Masseria-Morello-Pollacia-Yale combine HAD TO BE recognized as part of the element. That came through force and criminal ingenuity in that they brought in a close perhaps previously overlooked membership potential of New World Italian criminals outside of the traditional Sicilian Mafia recruitment of the day, 1920's. That can be largely attributed to Joe Masseria. Everything Luciano gets credit for Joe earned his nickname as "The Boss" for accomplishing all that 10 years prior, at a time when the Palermitan' Family and their politics were dominant. Masseria needs a serious re-evaluation. "Old school mustache" he was anything but!

The second paragraph makes me think of what I was saying in the Montreal topic, where in the old days LE had a tendency to group guys together based on where they lived, mutual rackets, and general association. Was Masseria formally affiliated with the Bonannos when he was coming up, or does it just seem that way because he did business and hung around with them? Based on his background it would make sense for him to have started with them and I know we don't have enough info, so really just saying this for the sake of it.

It's the same reason we end up with up with Caponigro on Genovese charts and Evola on Lucchese charts. Those guys were absolutely involved in criminal enterprises with members of those families and hell, they may have even associated with those people more than their own families, but that's what sets this organization apart from other organized crime groups. The formal affiliation isn't always based on practicality, but other connections.

And this just plays into what you were saying about how hard it is to even guess who the early members are. At least in non-NYC areas it is easier to guess because there was only one family they could have been affiliated with... i.e. if a guy in Philadelphia or Detroit seems to have had a certain level of influence, we don't have to wonder if he was actually with one of five different families like in NYC.

With Masseria it's hard to say. His family is from Menfi, not far from Licata. His Cleveland relatives were members of the Licatesi-dominant Family there. where there were also Palermitan Sicilian members. Lonardo was implied by Gentile to be an ally of D'Aquila. How all these cross-state alliances and connections affected things is up for debate.

He was arrested with some Bonanno associates, and we know how members like to mingle. By 1920 (allegedly before he was made) he was already a millionaire, he really didn't need membership to move up financially. 10 years prior, a Sicilian millionaire criminal was just unheard of, 3000 a year was a decent living in those days just to provide an example.

He's one of the most interesting figures, in my opinion.

[Pogo The Clown]

By 1920 (allegedly before he was made) he was already a millionaire, he really didn't need membership to move up financially. 10 years prior, a Sicilian millionaire criminal was just unheard of, 3000 a year was a decent living in those days just to provide an example.

He must have made some major moves to make that money since he was still doing burglaries only a few years before. His rise to the top and reign is really interesting for sure.


He is still a fat pig though.


Pogo

[Angelo Santino]

Re-reading this I guess I went off on a Masseria tangent, the question was early members of non-NYC.

Antilliar would be able to answer better than myself, he is an early expert on New Orleans 1850-1940 as well as NYC 1850-1940. His take on this would be interesting.

[B.]

No worries on the Masseria tangent, I def learned some things from it. You gotta embrace the chaos sometimes.

What's the story on Masseria's connection to Marsala? I know he lived there before coming to the US, but was he born in Menfi then grew up in Marsala? Could have factored into his association with others from Trapani.

[jimmyb]

I have to say, this thread gives me another opportunity to shamelessly promote my book "Early Organized Crime in Detroit" http://jbuccellato.com/

The first few chapters identify a number of early Detroit mafiosi. Governor Christie is right though, considering the unevenness in quality of existing sources, it's difficult to state with certainty that all these guys were 'made.'

I have some candidates though:

In 1905, Joe Moceri was known in the community as "King of the Italians." This was not the Joe "Misery" Moceri that emerged during the Prohibition era and was part of the River Gang. They could have been related though. Anyhow, 'King' Moceri was implicated in a voter fraud and illegal immigration scandal. Because I can't say for sure if he was mafioso, I describe him as a leading padrone in the Italian Colony.

A better case can be made for Salvatore D'Anna being one of the first high profile mafiosi in Detroit. Newspapers describe him as a criminal big shot as early as 1908. I describe him as the "Giannola viceroy" in Detroit (the Giannola brothers lived outside the city).

Francesco Paolo D'Anna is another interesting candidate. He was definitely one of the leading padroni in the community. He was a convicted embezzler in Sicily and brought Raffaele Palizzolo to Detroit.

I would put Pietro Mirabile on the list. Felice Buccellato too (not to be confused with his first cousin don Felice Buccellato in CDG).

I make an argument that the Adamo Brothers were mafiosi. I know not everyone is convinced, but look at the evidence. They were definitively involved in the rackets. Both men had lengthy arrest records (including murder) and Salvatore was known on the streets as a shooter. The brothers worked closely with mafiosi like the Buccellato and Mirabile families. Lastly, they were gunned down in a gangland hit. I realize that being an important underworld figure doesn't necessarily mean you're mafiosi. Local law enforcement and the newspapers were convinced, however, that the Adamo brothers were top of the food chain in the Italian underworld. That kind of status and the other evidence leads me to believe they were uomini di rispetto.

[Antiliar]

No worries on the Masseria tangent, I def learned some things from it. You gotta embrace the chaos sometimes.

What's the story on Masseria's connection to Marsala? I know he lived there before coming to the US, but was he born in Menfi then grew up in Marsala? Could have factored into his association with others from Trapani.

I don't see any evidence that Masseria or his relatives maintained any connections to Marsala or Menfi. Not saying that there weren't connections, just that there's no evidence for it that I'm aware of, so I doubt that he maintained those cross-continental connections.

[Antiliar]

Re-reading this I guess I went off on a Masseria tangent, the question was early members of non-NYC.

Antilliar would be able to answer better than myself, he is an early expert on New Orleans 1850-1940 as well as NYC 1850-1940. His take on this would be interesting.

A few names come to mind, such as Charlie Matranga, Pietro Monastero (both were victims of the 1891 massacre; Matranga escaped and Monstero didn't; Monastero was the father of Steve and Sam Monastero, who were leaders of the Pittsburgh Mafia in the 1920s), Francesco Motisi (a Palermo Mafia boss who became a New Orleans boss in the early 1900s under the name Francesco Genova, then returned), Vito Di Giorgio (who left to become the boss of Los Angeles), Rosario De Simone (who became a leader in the Pueblo, Colorado, Mafia, then became Vito Di Giorgio's underboss and successor in Los Angeles, and was the father of Frank Desimone). Sylvester Carollo, Leoluca Trombatore and Corrado Giacona would have been made in before 1930.

[Angelo Santino]

Was this the same Genova who was part of the Lupo/Gambino Family in 02 or his brother?

We havn't spoken on this awhile but didn't we come to the conclusion that New Orleans was up and runnin by the 1850's, St Louis and San Francisco in the 1870's and NYC (while having members there since the 50's) and Philly up and running in the 1880's with Chicago, New England in the 1890's? Pittsburgh, Pueblo, LA, Tampa 1900's. Buffalo, Cleveland, while having a sizable enough Sicilian population to warrant it, got started late (mid to late 1900's).

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Antiliar]

Was this the same Genova who was part of the Lupo/Gambino Family in 02 or his brother?

We havn't spoken on this awhile but didn't we come to the conclusion that New Orleans was up and runnin by the 1850's, St Louis and San Francisco in the 1870's and NYC (while having members there since the 50's) and Philly up and running in the 1880's with Chicago, New England in the 1890's? Pittsburgh, Pueblo, LA, Tampa 1900's. Buffalo, Cleveland, while having a sizable enough Sicilian population to warrant it, got started late (mid to late 1900's).

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Antonio Genova was Francesco Motisi's brother.

Yes, those years are approximately correct. JimmyB's research seems to indicate that Detroit was active earlier than I thought, which just proves that there's so much that we don't know.