Visiting Buffalo 1963

[Newyorkempire]

What I've got on the Bordonaros:

NAME: Calogero Bordonaro
ALIAS:
DOB: 8/20/1891; POB: Racalmuto, Agrigento, Sicily, Italy
DOD: 10/16/1971; POD:
FATHER: Giuseppe Bordonaro; MOTHER: Giovanna Puma
SPOUSE: Grazia Alaima Diloro
OCCUPATION:
ORIGINS: Racalmuto, Agrigento, Sicily
RESIDENCE: 388 McNab Street, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
FBI:

NAME: Harold Bordonaro
ALIAS: Ignazio, Harry
DOB: abt. 1927; POB: Ontario, Canada
DOD: 3/4/1991 (age 64); POD: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
FATHER: Calogero Bordonaro; MOTHER: Grazia Alaima Diloro
SPOUSE:
OCCUPATION: Lawyer
ORIGINS: Racalmuto, Agrigento, Sicily
RESIDENCE: 388 MacNab Street, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
FBI:

Any info regarding Harold's son? Giuseppe I believe

[antimafia]

[snip]

Updated membership list:

[snip]

Suspected members

[snip]

Canada:

Charles Cipolla
Daniel Gasbarrini
Anthony Iati
Louis Innazella
Giacomo Luppino
Albert Volpe
Eugene Volpe
Frank Volpe
John Volpe
Paul Volpe

I'm going to post very shortly in the "Paul Volpe" thread I first started in April 2021 (viewtopic.php?p=192059#p192059).

When I first posted a link in the defunct RealDeal Forum to Rob Lamberti's July 10, 2010 Toronto Sun article about Volpe's murder still being a cold case 27 years later -- I posted the link on the same day or shortly after -- I'm not sure whether one sentence/paragraph that stands out quite a lot in that article even generated any discussion. For the article, Lamberti interviewed one retired law-enforcement officer who worked for Toronto's police service for decades, Ron Sandelli -- if you follow the Canadian mob, you know who Sandelli is. In short, Sandelli declared that Volpe was never a made man but nevertheless answered to the Buffalo Family.

If true that Volpe was never made, it does not necessarily follow that none of his brothers were. Nor does it follow that people who were in Volpe's circle, such as bodyguard Anthony Iati ("Tony"), were never eventually made.

To make sure we don't derail this thread of chin's, let's reserve in the "Paul Volpe" thread any discussion about this wrinkle in the Volpes' timeline. Thanks.

[PolackTony]

Great work here, Chin.

- Cassaro's origins were in Ravanusa.

As we’ve discussed before, both the Carlisi brothers and Al Tornabene’s mothers were Cassaros, sisters who were originally from Ravanusa (Tornabene was also a cousin of Gambino captain Al Tornabe/Tornabene).

Misspoke here. Chicago Al Tornabene’s mother wasn’t a Cassaro. Rather, his father Carmelo Tornabene’s mother was Concetta Cassaro of Ravanusa. So she obviously wasn’t a sister of Roy and Sam Carlisi’s mother Calogera Cassaro, though possibly an aunt or older cousin. Al Tornabene’s mother, Maria Carlisi, was the sister of Giuseppe Carlisi, Roy and Sam’s father. Calogera Carlisi was born in Canicattì but I believe that her parents were probably from Ravanusa. Now, when Calogera Cassaro arrived in the US in 1907, it was recorded that she had a brother-in-law named Salvatore Monachino; where were the Monachino’s in Rochester from?

[B.]

The Monachinos were from Realmonte and lived in Auburn, father named Giuseppe. Not positive if they were with the Rochester crew or Utica as they were close to the Falcones. Member Pasquale Sciortino lived in Auburn like them and was from Cattolica Eraclea but his family lived in Realmonte too. Gentile was involved with these guys when he lived in Finger Lakes and as we know he was an on-and-off resident of Realmonte.

[PolackTony]

The Monachinos were from Realmonte and lived in Auburn, father named Giuseppe. Not positive if they were with the Rochester crew or Utica as they were close to the Falcones. Member Pasquale Sciortino lived in Auburn like them and was from Cattolica Eraclea but his family lived in Realmonte too. Gentile was involved with these guys when he lived in Finger Lakes and as we know he was an on-and-off resident of Realmonte.

Ok, good to know. Don’t know if this Monachino was from Realmonte, but it could be another connection.

[B.]

Both Saverio and Pasquale Monachino were on the same ship as Vincenzo Callea's wife and kids when they arrived from Sicily in the 1920s. The Calleas were very close to the Carlisis, with Joe and Roy questioned by police when the Callea brothers were killed. Roy's father-in-law Romano also provided bail for one of the Calleas on an earlier bootlegging charge. Odd coincidence if nothing else that the family of a known Carlisi associate arrived w/ the Monachino brothers.

Interestingly the Monachinos were going to Montreal at the time while Callea's family was joining him in Ontario. So these Buffalo guys got around between Canada and WNY even back then. We know from the Magaddino tapes that Calogero Bordonaro in Hamilton was already involved with the Buffalo Family by the 1920s.

[PolackTony]

Both Saverio and Pasquale Monachino were on the same ship as Vincenzo Callea's wife and kids when they arrived from Sicily in the 1920s. The Calleas were very close to the Carlisis, with Joe and Roy questioned by police when the Callea brothers were killed. Roy's father-in-law Romano also provided bail for one of the Calleas on an earlier bootlegging charge. Odd coincidence if nothing else that the family of a known Carlisi associate arrived w/ the Monachino brothers.

Interestingly the Monachinos were going to Montreal at the time while Callea's family was joining him in Ontario. So these Buffalo guys got around between Canada and WNY even back then. We know from the Magaddino tapes that Calogero Bordonaro in Hamilton was already involved with the Buffalo Family by the 1920s.

It would be an odd coincidence if nothing else, especially given the familial Monachino connection that I noted above. Could be evidence of ties going back to Agrigento, despite Canicatti and Realmonte not being super close geographically.

[B.]

Yeah Gentile said he knew the Cleveland guys from Licata when he was growing up in Sicily. Realmonte is slightly closer to these Eastern AG villages than Siculiana so no doubt people mingled over there.

[chin_gigante]

NAME: Felix Joseph Borelli
ALIAS: Felix Borrelli, Chief
DOB: 5/14/1910; POB: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
DOD: 1999; POD:
FATHER: Natale Borelli; MOTHER: Antonia Grande
SPOUSE: Betty
OCCUPATION: Proprietor
ORIGINS: Nicastro, Catanzaro, Calabria (Grande)
RESIDENCE: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
FBI:

NAME: Paul A. Briandi
ALIAS: Bobby Ross, Paul Brandel, Paul N. Briandi
DOB: 4/9/1907; POB: Buffalo, NY
DOD: 11/1992; POD: Buffalo, NY
FATHER: Antonio (Anthony) Briandi; MOTHER: Rosalie Raffa
SPOUSE: Irene Badaczewski
OCCUPATION:
ORIGINS: Oliveri, Messina, Sicily
RESIDENCE: 37 Virgil Place, Buffalo, NY
FBI: 375990; BPD: 15247

NAME: Thomas S. Callea
ALIAS: Thomas J. Callea
DOB: 10/26/1921; POB: NY
DOD: 1/22/1967; POD: Buffalo, NY
FATHER: Salvatore Callea; MOTHER: Carmela Tomasulo
SPOUSE: Teresa Mary Inzinna
OCCUPATION:
ORIGINS: Licata, Agrigento, Sicily (Callea)
RESIDENCE: 92 Clearfield Drive, Amherst, NY
FBI:

[faffy444]

Chin, very glad to see you have the Felix Borelli info exactly correct.

[antimafia]

^^^^
chin,

The cemetery entry for Felix Borelli to which I’ve linked below has several details that will help flesh out your bio of him: place of burial (Niagara Falls, Ontario), date of burial, and middle initial for his wife.

https://niagarafalls.ca/city-hall/munic ... 2af850.cem

[antimafia]

^^^^
I’ve just added to the following thread a photo of Borelli:

http://www.theblackhand.club/forum/view ... &start=165

[motorfab]

Great find antimafia

I don't see him listed, but Santo Scibetta was very likely a member of the Buffalo borgata. I saw him listed as member during this period, but unfortunately I can't find the link right now. Or he's mentioned here : https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... o_scibetta

NAME: Santo Scibetta
ALIAS:
DOB: 04/20/1910; POB: Italy
DOD: 03/07/1985; POD: Hamilton or Burlington I'm not sure. He's buried at Burlington but lived in Hamilton ...
FATHER:
MOTHER:
SPOUSE:
OCCUPATION: Store operator
ORIGINS: Racalmuto, Agrigento, Sicily
RESIDENCE: Dundurn Street, Hamilton, Ontario
FBI:

Photo of his grave https://zupimages.net/up/21/12/dq7p.jpg or here if you have an account https://billiongraves.com/grave/Santo-Scibetta/20574535

To stay with Canada, do we consider Giacomo Luppino as part of the borgata ? The way I see things is that he was rather a 'ndrangheta operating under Magaddino's flag

[B.]

Luppino was almost certainly an 'ndranghetista who was inducted into the Buffalo Family like we see in other cities and even Sicily.

Santo Scibetta was carried as a suspected member and I'm sure he was one much like his paesans the Bordonaros.

[antimafia]

[snip]
I don't see him listed, but Santo Scibetta was very likely a member of the Buffalo borgata. I saw him listed as member during this period, but unfortunately I can't find the link right now. Or he's mentioned here : https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... o_scibetta

NAME: Santo Scibetta
ALIAS:
DOB: 04/20/1910; POB: Italy
DOD: 03/07/1985; POD: Hamilton or Burlington I'm not sure. He's buried at Burlington but lived in Hamilton ...
FATHER:
MOTHER:
SPOUSE:
OCCUPATION: Store operator
ORIGINS: Racalmuto, Agrigento, Sicily
RESIDENCE: Dundurn Street, Hamilton, Ontario
FBI:

Photo of his grave https://zupimages.net/up/21/12/dq7p.jpg or here if you have an account https://billiongraves.com/grave/Santo-Scibetta/20574535
[snip]

I agree about Santo Scibetta being a likely Buffalo Family member. What we can't figure out is why he, Calogero Bordonaro, and Tony Sylvestro (of Guelph, Ontario) have been depicted by some Canadian writers as "dons," suggesting that those three had a rank higher than soldier -- that's a discussion for another thread, though.


Fab,

Nice bio details for Scibetta.

The Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Burlington (Ontario), where he is buried, has a lot of "illustrious" decedents. He was living at 317 Dundurn Street South in both 1965 and 1972, and very probably in between; and the way Adrian Humphreys wrote of him in The Enforcer, Scibetta was likely living in this residence toward the very end.

I am almost certain Santo's parents are Calogero Scibetta and Raffaela Tirone but I haven't quite yet verified.

I'm not finding evidence that Santo ever married.

I'm trying to confirm that Santo's middle name is Edoardo.
___________

If Santo's brother Joseph is another possible suspected member, then I have the following details for him at this point, a few of which I want to confirm:

NAME: Giovanni Giuseppe Scibetta (also went by the first names Joseph and Bill)
ALIAS:
DOB: June 24, 1896; POB: Italy
DOD: July 31, 1974; POD: Buffalo, Erie County
FATHER: Calogero Scibetta
MOTHER: Raffaela Tirone
SPOUSE: Maria S. Petruzzella (Mary)
OCCUPATION:
ORIGINS: Racalmuto, Agrigento, Sicily
RESIDENCE: neighbourhood: Grant Ferry/Westside, Buffalo, Erie County (zip code: 14213)
FBI:

The family tree for the Scibettas is interesting. A son of Joseph Scibetta, who predeceased him by a year, lived in Bay Beach, a neighbourhood in Fort Erie, Ontario. At the time of Joseph Scibetta's death, his living siblings Santo, Salvatore, Carrie (married to a Russo), Lucia (Lucy married a Calogero Criminisi) were all in Hamilton save one (Concetta Scibetta resided somewhere in Italy), and he was predeceased by brother Calogero of Hamilton (likely the oldest brother).

The Scibetta-Criminisi connection is more than interesting. The Criminisis also have ancestry from Racalmuto. In the mid-1980s, Ralph Criminisi and Ralph Scibetta (nickname: Jilly) got caught together for smuggling coke into Ontario; they were eventually convicted and sentenced. Pat and Angelo Musitano's aunt Beatrice (née Musitano) is married to a Ralph Criminisi -- this Ralph might very well be the same person who was working with Jilly Scibetta.