What do We Know about Willie Moretti?

[JoelTurner]

Willie Moretti is a pretty famous gangster and comes up in a lot of discussions. I'm making this post to share what I know and organize the information that's readily available. I think a clear timeline, crew list, and operations is the best way to go about this.


Willie Moretti's Timeline:

Jun 4 1894 - Born in NYC, NY to Gennaro Moretti and Maria Toscana

Jun 8 1900 - Census: living at 332 E 109th St, NYC, NY

1910 - Census: living at 2319 1st Ave, NYC, NY

Feb 26 1913 - Sentenced to 5 years in prison for robbing a barber

Mar 19 1914 - Released from prison

Jun 11 1914 - Arrested for robbery, discharged

Oct 13 1915 - Arrested on gun charge

Mar 12 1916 - Gun charge sentence suspended

June 5 1917 - WW1 draft: living at 347 E 119th St, NYC, NY

1918 - Arrested for highway robbery in Philadelphia, PA as John Moretti

Jul 7 1919 - Arrested in Mt Vernon, NY for assault and robbery. Claims he bounced between Buffalo, NYC, and Newburgh, NY between 1919-30

1924 - Picked up a young Joe Bonanno on behalf of Buffalo boss Steve Magaddino

Dec 9 1926 - Married Angelina Morena in Manhattan, NY

25 May 1928 - Daughter Marie is born in NY. Frank Costello stands as godfather.

4 May 1929 - Daughter Rose is born in the Bronx, NY.

Apr 11 1930 - Census - Living at 1 Obal Ave, East Paterson, NJ. Next door to Angelo LaPadura

Jan 16 1931 - Killed gangster Bill Brady. Arrested with Joe Bongiorno, Tony Sabio, brother Salvatore Moretti, and Angelo Alba

Jun 20 1934 - Arrested for numbers with a large group, notably his driver Pete LaPlaca

Jan 20 1935 - Fined $3K for conspiracy in Paterson, NJ

1937 - May have briefly served as boss

1937 - Becomes acting underboss. John “Duke” Denoia likely served as his acting capo

Apr 18 1940 - Census: living at 301 Roosevelt Ave, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ

June 1943 - Had an illness that made him grandiose and delusional. Recuperated at 23021 8th St, Newhall, CA. From this point, he would regularly visit CA, exact dates unknown

Jun 12 1947 - Daughter Marie marries Paul Palmeri’s son Frank

Sep 20 1947 - Daughter Rose marries Pete LaPlaca’s son Dominick

Jul 17 1948 - Had Jewish mobster Charles Yanowski killed

Apr 14 1950 - Census: living at 201 Bell Ave, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ

Dec 13 1950 - Had his infamous testimony at the Kefauver hearings

1951 - May have informed Col. George White of Frank Bompensiero’s promotion to Capo

Oct 4 1951 - Killed by John Robilotto and Joseph LiCalsi

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Willie Moretti's crew:

Bergen/Passaic County:

-Angelo LaPadura
-Anthony Guarini
-Anthony Renni
-Anthony Sabio (moved to Italy 1947)
-Anthony Saita
-Arthur Longano
-Ernest Lazzara (made ~1950)
-John Denoia
-Joseph Bongiorno (moved to Iowa 1934)
-Paul Palmeri - (moved to NJ 1941)
-Pete LaPlaca (made 1946)
-Philip Noto
-Ralph Belvedere
-Salvatore Moretti

Essex County:

Former Newark Family - 1937:
-Carmine Battaglia
-Pietro Campisi (d.1940)

Made in the 1940s:
-Angelo DeCarlo - Jun 1944
-Anthony Russo - between 1947-51
-Charles Tourine - 1947
-Dominic Ferraro - Jul 1948
-Eugene Catena - 1946
-Jerry Catena - Dec 1943
-John Russo - between 1947-51
-Louie DeBenedetto - 1949
-Peter Cavanna - 1949
-Richie Boiardo - Dec 1943
-William Cardinale - between 1947-51
-William Rega - Jun 1944

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Willie Moretti's Operations & Locations:

Official employment: U.S Linen Supply Business (113-137 N 1st, Paterson, NJ)

Main headquarters: Duke’s Restaurant (783 Palisade Ave, Cliffside Park, NJ)

Owner/part owner - Underground Casinos:

-Aristocrat Baby Carriage Co. (2075 Lemoine Ave, Fort Lee, NJ)
-Costa’s Barn (Route 6, Lodi, NJ)
-Haye’s Garage (224 Union St, Lodi, NJ)
-Marine Room at Riviera Club (Hudson Tr, Coytesville, NJ)
-The Studio (1010 Palisade Ave, Fort Lee, NJ)
-West Paterson Lawn and Tennis Club (1205 McBride Ave, Woodland Park, NJ)

Owner/part owner - Nightlife:

-Charlie’s Bar and Grill (771 Main Ave, Passaic, NJ) [Frank Sinatra supposedly got his start here]
-Club Bali (2303 Hudson Tr, Fort Lee, NJ)

Bookmaking:

-Business Equipment Co. - 1 bookie [Joseph Pecora] (71 Main St, Hackensack, NJ)
-Essex Market - 2 bookies (9 Fair St, Hackensack, NJ)
-Frank Sicorelli’s Barbershop (145 Marshall Ave, Little Ferry, NJ)
-Garfield Taxi Co. (25 Terhune Ave, Lodi, NJ)
-John’s Meat Market (62 Grand Ave, Little Ferry, NJ)
-Moonachie Tavern - 2 bookies (35 Moonachie Rd, Moonachie, NJ)
-Star Motors (Rte 6, Little Ferry, NJ)

Slot Machines:
Said to be involved in the Clifton/Little Falls area, couldn't find any exact locations

Numbers:
-Lincoln Press (663 Main Ave, Passaic, NJ)

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Miscellaneous Information:
-Aliases: Guarino (true name), Quarico, William Moore, Willie Marty, Willie Ward, Baby-Face, Chick Myers, Guglielmo, Guillermo
-Was a member of the "Combaneesh" and was "sneaked in" the mafia
-Wikipedia says he was born in Bari, Apulia; actually born in NYC. I don’t where exactly his family was from.

His activities in the 1920s need to be researched further. He was a Buffalo associate in 1924, but Newburgh, NY points towards the Bonanno family. Similarly, his supposed dementia and California visits also need to be explored further.

[chin_gigante]

Great work, solid foundation for future research

[motorfab]

Great job JoelTurner, thanks

I also always wondered if he was Calabrian, as he once claimed, or if he was from Puglia...

[JoelTurner]

Great job JoelTurner, thanks

I also always wondered if he was Calabrian, as he once claimed, or if he was from Puglia...

During the Kefauver hearings, he said that Frank Milano “comes in the same part of Italy my people come from”.



Frank Milano was from San Roberto, Reggio Calabria, Calabria



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I’d say he was Calabrian, though not necessarily from San Roberto or Reggio Calabria.

[B.]

On one of the Magaddino tapes, Stefano says his brother (probably Gaspare) taught Moretti how to speak Italian. With how close Moretti was to the Magaddinos, including sending him to pick up Bonanno, I've wondered if he was initially made with Buffalo and transferred.

It's been discussed in other threads over the years, but along with Bompensiero saying he suspected Moretti told White about his promotion, the issue was taken to Tommy Lucchese and Joe Zerilli who reported it to the Commission and the investigation was launched into Moretti that led to his murder.

I had a long thread years ago about Pussy Russo and the Boiardos that had some interesting bits of info about Moretti: viewtopic.php?p=100254

The reports mentions that Camorra groups throughout the US merged with Cosa Nostra between 1915 and 1931 and that the FBI planned to ask an unspecified individual what year the Camorra merged with Cosa Nostra in the Newark area. The redacted name might be Boiardo himself and the report indicates that other members who had been part of the Joe Masseria family who were believed to have been Camorra members before joining Masseria were: Al Capone, Vito Genovese, Angelo DeCarlo, and Willie Moretti.

- Following Boiardo's ongoing dispute with Longie Zwillman, which was still unresolved after intervention from Al Capone (via Capone's cousin) at an Atlantic City meeting, an attempt on Boiardo's life was believed to have been carried out in 1930 by men working for New Jersey Genovese leader Willie Moretti. While Boiardo served a prison sentence in the 1930s, his group, which was led by Ralph Russo, Jerry Rullo, and Joseph Juliano in alliance with Angelo DeCarlo, made peace with the Zwillman group.

^^^ Capone's cousin was Tommy Tato.

On page 22 they talk about Willie Moretti confronting Boiardo about having killed so many of his own men, telling Boiardo he might as well gather the rest of his men together and kill them. Keep in mind this is a few years before Boiardo killed even more of his long-time crew members in the early 1970s. They discuss Boiardo killing 5 men at one point but it's not clear who they were. They mention some early names, some of which phonetically match a couple of early Boiardo associates (pre-Genovese family) who were killed and a few pages earlier discussed the murder of Billy Cardinale, a Boiardo soldier killed in the 1950s.

[B.]

Regarding Moretti's heritage, Joe Bonanno said in his book that Moretti was Calabrian. He says Moretti and Anastasia were "paesani from Calabria" who nonetheless "admired the Sicilian Tradition".

So we have Bonanno believing Moretti to be Calabrian like Anastasia and Moretti himself saying he came from the same part of Italy as Frank Milano, who was as Calabrian as it gets.

The Calabrians were much more amenable to Cosa Nostra -- we know of examples like Capone where the Sicilians were upset about the entry of Neapolitans into the org but we don't hear the same level of concern about the Calabresi. That goes back to the Morello counterfeiting case where Comito was told by member "Zu Vincenzo" that "we like you Calabrians" and tried to appease Comito with the prospect of becoming a member. There was an FBI source too who said initially US-based members had to be born in Sicily, then they allowed US-born Sicilians, followed by Calabrians then Neapolitans and other Italians.

[B.]

The Calabrian faction in Philadelphia was also apparently close to Moretti. The Calabrian CI who couldn't be made because he had worked for the Carabinieri in Italy told the FBI that he went to a get together at Moretti's house and the governor of New Jersey was in attendance.

[JoelTurner]

On one of the Magaddino tapes, Stefano says his brother (probably Gaspare) taught Moretti how to speak Italian. With how close Moretti was to the Magaddinos, including sending him to pick up Bonanno, I've wondered if he was initially made with Buffalo and transferred.

I buy this theory. In addition to what you mentioned, he was also probably close to Palmeri who would have been an influential member at the time.

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On page 22 they talk about Willie Moretti confronting Boiardo about having killed so many of his own men, telling Boiardo he might as well gather the rest of his men together and kill them. Keep in mind this is a few years before Boiardo killed even more of his long-time crew members in the early 1970s. They discuss Boiardo killing 5 men at one point but it's not clear who they were.

The “five kids down in South River” were Isadore Gutman, Henry Teel, Peter Georgiana, and Victor Ploskon. They were a hold-up gang who supposedly graduated to hijacking liquor trucks. They were killed in June 1934.

DeCarlo is quoting Willie Moretti in the previous sentence. Maybe the “bawling out” took place later, but it indicates that Boiardo answered to Moretti during this period, possibly as early as 1934.

the murder of Billy Cardinale, a Boiardo soldier killed in the 1950s.

Crucially, while Moretti was alive, DeCarlo says that Cardinale was going to ask to be transferred to Jerry Catena. I’ve always heard that Catena inherited Moretti’s crew. However, this implies that he could have been a captain concurrently.

Could Catena have had a crew while Moretti was alive and absorbed the remnants of his crew after Boiardo and DeCarlo split in 1951?

I don’t know who’s Mike (Mike Miranda ? He was said to be close to Boiardo) or what the Wilkes-Barre part was about. Cardinale went missing in Jan 1951.

[B.]

Is he not saying Cardinale was under Boiardo and Willie Moretti was going to move him to Catena? It's not clear to me exactly what happened with the Newark crews. Moretti was never an official part of the administration but had been acting and assisting the admin for a long time by the time he died so I wouldn't be surprised if Boiardo and Catena both became captains in the preceding years. But since Moretti had only been "acting" for the admin, was he still an official captain when he died?

In addition to their kids intermarrying, Palmeri's son later became an influential Genovese associate with the LaPlaca crew. I suspect Paul Palmeri transferred to the Genovese Family under Moretti when he fell out with Buffalo and moved to Paterson.

[JoelTurner]

Willie Moretti and his brother Solly were involved in North Jersey while they lived in NYC:

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Willie Moretti's wife and Salvatore "Solly" Moretti were in Charles D'Arrigo's wedding party. At the time, per the following articles, both were living in the Bronx.


Mrs. William Moore Moretta [sic], of the Bronx, attended as maid of honor in spangled gown arranged in a jacket effect.





Sal Moretta [sic] of the Bronx acted as best man.


Charles D'Arrigo was a member of the Moretti gang. He generally used the alias Richard Wallace. Largely involved in gambling, in 1934, he was arrested and identified as Willie's chauffeur.

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Both Willie and Solly were involved in the June 26 1929 kidnapping of bank president Willard H. Elliott. This article calls him Joseph, but other ones correctly identify him as Salvatore.



Important to note that Angelo LaPadura was also arrested for this kidnapping.

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It's really interesting that they were living in the Bronx and working/associating with the Bergen/Passaic group.

I can't help but wonder if the crew started out as a part of NYC-based crew and broke off.

[Antiliar]

Great finds

[JoelTurner]

Willie Moretti may have been involved with the Genovese family WAY earlier than previously thought:

On Oct 13 1915, Moretti was arrested on a weapons charge.

In his famous Kefauver Committee testimony, he explains that he heard a shooting at 116th St. in East Harlem. Since he knew the victim, he helped him to a hospital. When a gun fell from the victims clothes, Moretti put it in his own pocket which led to his pinch. He then adds that the killer was caught that day and later executed.

On Oct 13 1915, Thomas LoMonte was shot on 116th St. in East Harlem. Though he passed away at a nearby hospital, his killer Antonio Impoluzzo was caught that day and executed on May 17 1917.

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I don't think that this was a random coincidence.

Gaetano "Thomas" LoMonte was part of the Morello group. His brother, Fortunato "Charles" LoMonte had been the leader at the time of his murder the year prior (May 29 1914).

Moretti was fairly young but wasn't a kid. By this time, he had multiple robbery charges and had spent over a year in prison. I don't think that he was made, but he could have been an associate.

I think that it's really interesting because it shows that he was interacting with important mafia figures way earlier than previously thought.

[quadtree]

Great find! This doesn't necessarily mean he was a mafia associate, but it sounds plausible. By this point, non-Sicilians like Frankie Yale could already be made men, so why shouldn't Moretti be with this family already at this time, at least he moved in these circles.

[B.]

Yeah that is an excellent find.

[JoelTurner]

Here's an interesting connection that predated Moretti:

In Rosario "Robert" Garioto's bio on reddit, it says that he was a member of the Pittsburgh family who fled to Lodi, CA after the Jan 1928 murder of John Daniele. Another figure who was pinched in the Daniele case, in addtion to Charles Sparlino, and who left the area was Peter Curatolo.

In 1929, Peter Curatolo (Apr 13 1889 - San Cataldo, Caltanissetta, Sicily) turned up in Passaic County, NJ and was partnered with his paisan Angelo LaPadura in a bar known as Venetian Gardens/International Inn. At the time, the latter was part of a group that was at war with a rival gang led by an Anthony "Sparky" Wilda. They had struck several times notably killing Frank Logioco (Oct 18 1887 - San Mauro Castelverde, Palermo, Sicily) and Frank LoVullo (55 at death in 1930 - From Serradifalco per LCNBios).

On May 30 1930, immediately after the LoVullo shooting, Curatolo "evened the score". Wilda and his partner William 'Wild Bill' Schlessinger were tortured and killed; their bodies were found the next day by a farmer. He hardly lasted the summer, being put on the spot on Aug 3 1930.

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I think that this is more evidence that the group that LaPadura was a part of was more than just an Italian gang and was a part of the mafia. Curatolo looks to have moved seamlessly from Pittsburgh to NJ. He looks to have been a very serious figure in Pittsburgh, a report following his murder says that he was responsible for a dozen homicides in that city. One of his accomplices in the Daniele murder, Charles Sparlino/Spalino, was cast into the spotlight a few years later when he was arrested for the John Bazzano affair.

Another interesting aspect is that Willie Moretti is said to have "led the charge" after the Wilda/Schlessinger slaying. I'd speculate that the could have taken over following LoVullo's demise. Their gang was generally seen as being led by Jim Profita but the press really wouldn't have known their inner workings. Additionally, Profita was around during Moretti's era and wasn't a major figure.