Evolution of US Mafia Families + More Families Discussion

[Antiliar]

Lucky grew up in the East Village area on East 10th Street and East 14th Street where Saverio Virzi was the dominant power, and he was friends with Joe Biondo and Steve Armone. So he could have easily gone the Gambinos back when D'Aquila was in charge. But he ended up apparently forming his own crew there under Masseria.

I wonder/speculate if the Gambinos were harder to "get into" at the time. I base that on Palermo being a port city and hence membership from Palermo flowed into the Gambinos, 20 streams into one lake.

The genovese, may have been more open to those without a mafia pedigree- snobs VS the slobs, and as long as rules were followed, personal character (Lucianos involvement w hookers) might have been less of a factor with the newly formed Gens.

Not saying any of this in the definitive, just speculating.

Very possible. After all, Al Capone had a reputation as a pimp.

[B.]

Detroit source said until the late 1920s or early 1930s there were "three separate groups" in the area: the Giannolas (Cinisi), the Zerilli-Tocco-Corrados (Terrasini), and the Ruggirellos (Monte san Giuliano, Trapani). They were later consolidated under Zerilli's leadership.

While the framing is as if these were "gangs", it's really only a debate over whether these were factions of one Family or three separate Families as the "gang" POV is antiquated outsider nonsense. The Ruggirellos later represented Flint for the Detroit Family and as this thread discusses, there was a significant Trapanese group in Flint and Saginaw from Monte San Guliano / San Vito lo Capo who also intersected with Detroit but show evidence of being distinct. Tony Cusenza was the leader until his 1928 murder according to Pete Misuraca, whose relatives were members of this group.

Because Families were originally formed around compaesani identity, it would make sense that the "three separate groups" were divided between Cinisi, Terrasini, and Monte San Giuliano / San Vito. The source linked the Melis (San Cataldo) with the Zerilli group, so the small but powerful Caltanissetta element may have been part of the Terrasini group originally. Coincidentally there is a frazione of Terrasini called San Cataldo but the Melis and Polizzis are confirmed to be from Caltanissetta and were tied to their paesans near Pittston.

The Partinicesi aren't mentioned by this source and neither are important men from towns like Alcamo / Castellammare so there would be question whether they were part of the three groups outlined above or had their own Families. A very interesting Detroit informant later outlined the compaesani factions of the 1960s and was clear that Partinico was a powerful semi-autonomous faction within the Family and also described factions from various other hometowns, which to me indicates these factions always had a strong political distinction that may trace back to multiple Families in the area. It's mainly a question to me of when they were officially consolidated and how many there once were.

[B.]

Detroit source said until the late 1920s or early 1930s there were "three separate groups" in the area: the Giannolas (Cinisi), the Zerilli-Tocco-Corrados (Terrasini), and the Ruggirellos (Monte san Giuliano, Trapani). They were later consolidated under Zerilli's leadership.

While the framing is as if these were "gangs", it's really only a debate over whether these were factions of one Family or three separate Families as the "gang" POV is antiquated outsider nonsense. The Ruggirellos later represented Flint for the Detroit Family and as this thread discusses, there was a significant Trapanese group in Flint and Saginaw from Monte San Guliano / San Vito lo Capo who also intersected with Detroit but show evidence of being distinct. Tony Cusenza was the leader until his 1928 murder according to Pete Misuraca, whose relatives were members of this group.

Because Families were originally formed around compaesani identity, it would make sense that the "three separate groups" were divided between Cinisi, Terrasini, and Monte San Giuliano / San Vito. The source linked the Melis (San Cataldo) with the Zerilli group, so the small but powerful Caltanissetta element may have been part of the Terrasini group originally. Coincidentally there is a frazione of Terrasini called San Cataldo but the Melis and Polizzis are confirmed to be from Caltanissetta and were tied to their paesans near Pittston.

The Partinicesi aren't mentioned by this source and neither are important men from towns like Alcamo / Castellammare so there would be question whether they were part of the three groups outlined above or had their own Families. A very interesting Detroit informant later outlined the compaesani factions of the 1960s and was clear that Partinico was a powerful semi-autonomous faction within the Family and also described factions from various other hometowns, which to me indicates these factions always had a strong political distinction that may trace back to multiple Families in the area. It's mainly a question to me of when they were officially consolidated and how many there once were.

Correction... I guess these Giannolas were from Terrasini. Goes against the theory that these groups were separated at all based on hometown.

[PolackTony]

Detroit source said until the late 1920s or early 1930s there were "three separate groups" in the area: the Giannolas (Cinisi), the Zerilli-Tocco-Corrados (Terrasini), and the Ruggirellos (Monte san Giuliano, Trapani). They were later consolidated under Zerilli's leadership.

While the framing is as if these were "gangs", it's really only a debate over whether these were factions of one Family or three separate Families as the "gang" POV is antiquated outsider nonsense. The Ruggirellos later represented Flint for the Detroit Family and as this thread discusses, there was a significant Trapanese group in Flint and Saginaw from Monte San Guliano / San Vito lo Capo who also intersected with Detroit but show evidence of being distinct. Tony Cusenza was the leader until his 1928 murder according to Pete Misuraca, whose relatives were members of this group.

Because Families were originally formed around compaesani identity, it would make sense that the "three separate groups" were divided between Cinisi, Terrasini, and Monte San Giuliano / San Vito. The source linked the Melis (San Cataldo) with the Zerilli group, so the small but powerful Caltanissetta element may have been part of the Terrasini group originally. Coincidentally there is a frazione of Terrasini called San Cataldo but the Melis and Polizzis are confirmed to be from Caltanissetta and were tied to their paesans near Pittston.

The Partinicesi aren't mentioned by this source and neither are important men from towns like Alcamo / Castellammare so there would be question whether they were part of the three groups outlined above or had their own Families. A very interesting Detroit informant later outlined the compaesani factions of the 1960s and was clear that Partinico was a powerful semi-autonomous faction within the Family and also described factions from various other hometowns, which to me indicates these factions always had a strong political distinction that may trace back to multiple Families in the area. It's mainly a question to me of when they were officially consolidated and how many there once were.

Correction... I guess these Giannolas were from Terrasini. Goes against the theory that these groups were separated at all based on hometown.

My impression is that at least with the Giannola group as opposed to the East Side-based Terrasinese group, this was more of a geographic distinction. As you note, the Giannolas were also from Terrasini, but they were based in Wyandotte/Ford City (annexed to Wyandotte in the ‘20s) in the Downriver region of Wayne county south of Detroit itself. LaMare was also from Wyandotte, and my guess is that if this had been its own Family in the past, it was more akin to the geographic distinction between the Chicago Heights/Chicago Families than a paesani-based distinction like early Philly. Downriver had a major concentration of heavy industry, and much like Chicago Heights it thus had its own local economy and immigrant communities that were not simply secondary settlements or bedroom communities of the city. So it would make sense if this area developed its own initial colony Family, distinct from the East Side Detroit group.

[quadtree]

Enea and Cascio Ferro performed the LСN initiation ceremonies together. If we know the Enea's LСN Family, we will know the same about Cascio Ferro.

The natives of Caltanisetta tended to settle close to their paesani. Rosario Bufalino is from Caltanisetta. Rosario Bufalino's brother lived in Buffalo, as did Rosario himself at one time. There are many natives of Caltanisetta in Buffalo. Possible Morello family member Tommaso Petto fled to a location near Pittston. Petto may have been a member of the early Pittston family.

It was previously mentioned that Enea may have come from Toretta. Torretta is closer to Carini in Western Palermo, so it is plausible to consider Enea a member of the Palermitani family. But it was to Enea’s house that his relative from Caltanisetta, Giuseppe DiCarlo, came.

I believe it was DiCarlo who contributed greatly to the Caltanissetian/Eastern Palermitani migration to Buffalo. Enea and DiCarlo lived together at 66 Oliver St., New York, on the Lower East Side. On Elizabeth Street on the Lower East Side lived Rosario Bufalino. Loiacano and Vincenzo Generoso also lived in Elizabeth Street, and Cecala kept a store there. Tommaso Petto was also in Elizabeth Street. The LoCascio brothers of the Lucchese family lived on Elizabeth Street. Thomas Pennacchio sold illegal alcohol on Elizabeth Street and was closely associated with Masseria, who lived nearby.

Cascio Ferro was close to the Sciacchitani, and Oliver Street was home to many possible mafiosi from Agrigento. Morello and Cascio Ferro always hung out together on Elizabeth Street. Masseria was able to connect with the East Palermo/Caltanisetta cluster by living together on the Lower East Side.

Interestingly, it is Masseria who is suspected of murdering two other influential figures from the area, Salvatore Mauro and Umberto Valenti. Mauro and Valenti were business partners, and Gentile claims that Valenti came to Sicily with Morello to convince the Palermo bosses to support Morello in the fight against D'Aquila. It is unclear then why Masseria, supposedly an ally of Morello, would kill Valenti. On Gangrule it is stated that D'Aquila reconciled with Valenti and gave him the task of killing Masseria, the source is Gentile's memoirs.

Another supposed D'Aquila captain, Accursio DiMino, was killed by D'Aquila's men. There is another version of who killed Salvatore Mauro, an informant from Good Killers said that the Schiro family did it. This doesn't really contradict the idea that Masseria did it because he could have been part of that family. Biondo and Dongarra were suspected of murdering Umberto Valenti, so it is not certain that he was killed on the orders of Masseria.

Also confusing are the connections between Masseria and the Trapani cluster. He himself is from Trapani, and the Schiro family is considered an ally of LoMonte-Mineo against D'Aquila. This tangle is impossible to unravel. Valenti's bodyguard was allegedly Schiro family member Silvio Tagliagambe. He was either from Agrigento or from Finale, which is located in the east of the province of Palermo. If Tagliagambe was from East Palermo, and was Umberti's bodyguard, this is suggestive, and B. reported that Tagliagambe's parents lived in Caltanisetta.

Members of all the Mafia families lived together on the Lower East Side, so all of the above may not mean anything. However, I wonder how often the Lower East Side comes up when talking about natives of Caltanisetta and East Palermo. It's also interesting how many connections there are between Chicago and the Morello family. My notes mention that Moretti was the messenger between the Chicago and Genovese families. Moretti was everywhere where the natives of East Palermo and Caltanissetta were, he was closely associated with the Buffalo family, was in Philadelphia, where there is a significant Enna faction, was appointed capodecina in New Jersey, where there was a whole crowd of natives of East Palermo and Caltanissetta. And now he's the liaison to Chicago, where a lot of the members are from East Palermo. Maybe it's a coincidence.

Even Morello himself, according to Magaddino's wiretaps, could have been added to the Buffalo family. This didn't happen, but it's interesting that it was planned. If Morello had joined Buffalo, where there were multiple Paesani from East Palermo, it would have been a logical step. Benedetto Madonia of Lercara Friddi also lived in Buffalo, as did many people associated with Morello. It seems that Salvatore Clemente had a lot of dealings with people from Buffalo, and was also in Toronto, Canada, not far from Buffalo. He also seems to have been a member of the Chicago family, which is also closely connected to this network.

A gang of counterfeiters, which included Corleone native Stella Frauto, operated in New York as early as the 1890s. If they were in the Mafia, it would be interesting to know what family they were in. Clemente was subsequently firmly in the Morello family, but was this family actually founded in 1899/1900 by Giuseppe Morello? Previously it was thought that this was mainly a Corleonesi family, but there is increasing evidence that natives of East Palermo and Caltanisetta/Enna formed a significant part. Perhaps the Agrigentines also entered. After all, the Lucchese family had an old crew from Brooklyn, in which there were many Agrigentos, and the Genovese family had Masseria, Vincenzo Generoso with his mysterious crew, and the Masseria-Morello allies were also connected with Agrigento.

A member of the Buffalo was Salvatore Lagattuta, I wonder if there is a connection with Angelo Lagattuta, who was assassinated along with Saverio Pollaccia and with Pietro Lagattuta, who was an accomplice of Masseria in the 1910s.

[quadtree]

Angelo LaGattuta, who was killed while walking along with Pollaccia, was probably a relative of Salvatore LaGattuta. All of the LaGattutas who migrated to the US via Ellis Island were from Mezzojuso, with only one from nearby Baucina and one from the mainland.

Masseria's brother Salvatore was married to Josephine Lagattuta, an interesting surname. Pietro Lagattuta was an accomplice of Masseria, Giuseppe and Salvatore Ruffino in a robbery in 1913. With a high degree of probability, almost all LaGattuta in New York are from Mezzojuso. Masseria could have been connected to the Morello family even then. Alleged members of the Schiro family also took part in the robbery; it is not uncommon for the mafia to involve representatives of other families in crimes, but Masseria's trapanian origins could have influenced the choice of accomplices. The Ruffinos lived in Brooklyn, a stronghold of the Schiro family. Interestingly, there is evidence that Ippolito Greco, the supposed boss of the Morello family (?) was from Castellammare del Golfo.

Given his Cerda roots, Michael Russo, who attended the Cleveland conference, could be a distant member of the Buffalo family. Magaddino mentions the split of the Buffalo family into two factions. And Rousseau was placed under the protection of the commission, isn’t this connected with this split?

[B.]

Western NY had a lot of migration from the Eastern Palermo / Caltanissetta area. The DiCarlos' paternal line was originally from Valledolmo (like Chicago boss Antonino D'Andrea, who once lived in Buffalo) in Palermo but it is right on the border w/ Caltanissetta where the DiCarlos ended up. The Castelammaresi seem to have been a minority and I suspect the Family was formed by people from Eastern Palermo and Caltanissetta rather than CDG. As this thread may have hit on, there are also references that suggest Buffalo once had multiple Families so that's something to consider.

Silvio Tagliagambe lived in Williamsburg and was the uncle of Bonanno member Dr. Mario Tagliagambe, whose mother was Castellammarese. Silvio was also very close to the Castellammarese, particularly Paolo Palmeri who moved to Buffalo. I'm confident Silvio was a Bonanno member.

I wish Clemente had given info (or the SS had asked/reported it) about the Morello Family's status before Giueppe Morello came into power. Also the exact circumstances of his Chicago transfer as it's not clear he ever lived or stayed there and it raises the question of whether he transferred to Chicago while serving his Canadian prison term as he was a Chicago member when he got out.

[38specialed]

What other members are you aware of involved between 1905 to 1940’s out of Mulberry, Redhook and Coney Island. You hear about the Black Hand and how there were gangs that connected to it, but I get confused as to how an individuals descendants transitioned from a black hand ancestry into modern day LCN. Can anyone explain it?

[The Greek]

What other members are you aware of involved between 1905 to 1940’s out of Mulberry, Redhook and Coney Island. You hear about the Black Hand and how there were gangs that connected to it, but I get confused as to how an individuals descendants transitioned from a black hand ancestry into modern day LCN. Can anyone explain it?

I highly suggest buying the May 2014 issue of Informer. It will answer A LOT of your questions.

https://informer-journal.blogspot.com/2 ... =email&m=1