The Tunis Family

[B.]

Sorry B., the thread has drifted a bit on something else

Have you seen the way I destroy threads with unrelated tangents? Please, keep it coming haha. I find these Sicilian mafia families based outside of Sicily incredibly interesting and relevant to Tunis.

What stands out to me about what you've said about the Neapolitans who joined Cosa Nostra, is the US mafia appears to have done something similar between 1915-1931. They didn't merge into "hybrid organizations", but men affiliated with mainland groups in the early US received separate recognition as Cosa Nostra members, which ended up displacing their previous group for various reasons.

The difference is with the members living in Naples, there was no displacing the Camorra as it is all around them, so they maintainted their Camorra identity and could go back to it. However, if that's true I wonder what kind of decision Cosa Nostra made. You can't unmake someone, so I wonder if they officially shelved them or if they did nothing and just let the relationships wither.

[cobra]

-buscetta gotted disturbed because should be only 1 family in naples
-it is contrary to mafia rules to be 3 familys
-in that time the mafia is not recognizing camorra and ndrangheta the same
-so they starting to make some bosses in mafia
-zaza nuvoletta bardellino in naples
-some bosses in calabria
-after that time they recognizing them the same

[JoelTurner]

Tunisia, during its time as a French colony, had a mafia presence. Though pretty obscure, it comes up occasionally. I’m making this post to organize what’s known.



Who lived there?

There was a family in Tunis but I don’t much about it beyond that it existed pre-Tunisian independence.

Members:

Bonanno Family:

-Paolo Orlando - Camporeale
-Vincenzo Morsellino - Calatafimi

Lucchese Family:

-Onofrio Abate - Vita
-Settimo Accardi - Vita

Newark Family
-Stefano Badami - Corleone

Sam José Family:
-Joseph Chiana Sr. - Campobello di Mazara
-Joseph Chiana Jr. - Campobello di Mazara

New Orleans Family:
-Carlos Marcello

Relatives:

-Fay Labruzzo - Joe Bonanno wife - Camporeale
-Giovanni Bonanno - Joe Bonanno uncle (didn’t move to US) - Castellammare del Golfo
-Jenny Pellerito - John Misuraca wife - Terrasini
-Salvatore Pennino - Tom Gagliano BIL - Corleone

Note: Chiana Sr. and Accardi were also Newark members initially. Abate was Accardi’s BIL and Moresellino was his cousin.

Pennino and Badami travelled together same as Moresellino and Accardi.


When were they there?

Late 1800s to post WW2. This matches the larger Italian-Tunisian community (72.5% were Sicilian per Wikipedia). Orlando appears to be the earliest there while Abate was the last to leave in 1946.

Where were they?

They all appear to have lived in Tunis. Abate’s son’s passenger information mentions an aunt in Beja suggesting a possible community there.

If you know anything about the Mafia in Tunisia, you can share it in this thread.

[motorfab]

Great breakdown.

B. did an excellent thread about the Tunis Family, it should interest you viewtopic.php?f=29&t=7451

If you can read it, in Antonino Calderone's memoirs "Man of Dishonor", there is a chapter devoted to Tunis

[PolackTony]

Another one was Chicago member Vincenzo “Jimmy” Franzone, who was apparently born in 1901 in Tunis to parents from Borgetto (a couple of documents instead state that he was born in Chicago, but I suspect these were doctored to conceal his immigration status). Relatively little is known about Franzone, who seems to have had narcotics ties to the Antinoris in Tampa also; he relocated to SF in the 1940s but returned to Chicago in his later years. While it’s been suspected that Franzone may have transferred to the SF Family, in his book Fratianno referred to “John Franzone” [sic] as a capodecina in the Chicago Family residing in SF.

[B.]

Couple details in the old thread have since been corrected but overall tried to compile as much known info about it as possible.

[B.]

Another one was Chicago member Vincenzo “Jimmy” Franzone, who was apparently born in 1901 in Tunis to parents from Borgetto (a couple of documents instead state that he was born in Chicago, but I suspect these were doctored to conceal his immigration status). Relatively little is known about Franzone, who seems to have had narcotics ties to the Antinoris in Tampa also; he relocated to SF in the 1940s but returned to Chicago in his later years. While it’s been suspected that Franzone may have transferred to the SF Family, in his book Fratianno referred to “John Franzone” [sic] as a capodecina in the Chicago Family residing in SF.

Leonard Franzone was said to be a cousin of his associate Phil Rizzuto, who was a New Orleans-based Kansas City member. Rizzuto's family was from Camporeale and related to Paolo Orlando, boss of Tunis pre-NYC.

[johnny_scootch]

Probably a good idea to combine this thread with the one B. made 2 years ago.

[B.]

Couple corrections since then are that the Giuseppe Accardi who arrived with Accursio Dimino was likely a cousin of Settimo Accardi and not Settimo's mafioso brother but it does suggest this Giuseppe Accardi was involved with the mafia as well based on his traveling companion.

Another one is that Onofrio Abate didn't go by "Joseph", Joe Abate being a different member who became the capodecina. Other than that the info on Onofrio Abate and Tunis is correct.

[PolackTony]

Couple corrections since then are that the Giuseppe Accardi who arrived with Accursio Dimino was likely a cousin of Settimo Accardi and not Settimo's mafioso brother but it does suggest this Giuseppe Accardi was involved with the mafia as well based on his traveling companion.

Another one is that Onofrio Abate didn't go by "Joseph", Joe Abate being a different member who became the capodecina. Other than that the info on Onofrio Abate and Tunis is correct.

Yup, thanks to JoelTurner we now know that Joe Abate could’ve well have been a Marsala->Chicago->Lucchese transfer.

[JoelTurner]

Great breakdown.

B. did an excellent thread about the Tunis Family, it should interest you viewtopic.php?f=29&t=7451

If you can read it, in Antonino Calderone's memoirs "Man of Dishonor", there is a chapter devoted to Tunis

Well that thread was basically what I was looking for ahah

[JoelTurner]

Probably a good idea to combine this thread with the one B. made 2 years ago.

I agree but idk how to do that

[JoelTurner]

Does anyone know where Carlos Marcelo’s mother was from? His father was from Palermo per Findagrave

[B.]

From the other thread:

- A 1956 article clears up Carlos Marcello's background. It states his father Giuseppe Minacore was born in Ravanusa, Agrigento, and moved to Tunis with his family while Giuseppe was still a child. It states Marcello's mother Luigia Farruggia/Ferruggia was born in Roccamena but moved to Tunis when she was a baby. Giuseppe Minacore moved to the US at age 18, but returned to Tunis to marry Luigia, which is where Calogero "Carlos" was conceived and born.

[Antiliar]

I don't know if there's any connections, but in Chicago there was an associate of Chuckie English named Sam Farrugia, and I think there was a Bonanno soldier named Natale Farrugia.