What was the Combaneesh?

[Angelo Santino]

In 1910. Mauro was living with a "Ralph Alberte," who was 50. I wonder if that was an alias that might have been one of the guys in the Sambiase case.

Right, in 1910, Ferdinando Mauro was recorded as living as a boarder in the apartment of a “Ralph Alberte” in the Hill district of Pittsburgh. “Alberte” had stated that he was an English speaker, worked as a book keeper at a bank, was born in 1853 in Italy, and had entered the US in 1907. Given the first name, we’d want to know if there is any possibility that he was Raffaele Amendola, the reputed caposocietà of Sambiase alleged to have fled to the US prior to the 1896 trial. The only possible match I was able to find was a Raffaele Alberto who entered the US at Boston in 1906 bound for Chenango County, NY. He was a Northerner, however, and said that he was born in 1869. Neither of us were able to confirm Amendola’s arrival in the US, but if he used in alias or assumed identity it may not be possible to confirm it. As one prominent example, look at Felice De Lucia, who also fled justice in Italy and then lived prominently for decades in Chicago as “Paolo Ricca”, a stolen identity, until his true identity was uncovered by the Feds.

Mainlanders and their alias after committing crimes. Worse then Sicilians. As a researcher they are some deceptive mofos.

The boss of Braddock was arrested and claimed he was from Mola di Bari. He was actually from Vazzano. But there was someone of the same name from MDB who landed in LA. As far as I can tell he had no connection. But the fact that the Braddock Boss knew of this individual and used that to hide who he was indicates his knowledge. And case in point, the modern 'ndrangeta has no (known) association with Vazzano, yet the early Camorra did. On the macro, an Italian wrote about her growing in Braddock and going to Vazzano and surprised to learn that people there know of that small town in PA. The Braddock's boss protégé was none other than Frank Amato, the longtime UB of Pittsburgh.

[B.]

Something to note -- even though Camorristi began joining Cosa Nostra as early as the mid-late 1910s, it wasn't one single moment where they all fell together even within a single Family. The Genovese had been bringing in Camorristi for many years yet Richie Boiardo resisted the mafia through the Castellammarese War and wasn't made until the 1940s even though his contemporaries had been made pre-1931.

It wasn't as if the mafia or the Camorristi were like "Okay, we're joining forces and our members become your members." Camorristi were made into Cosa Nostra selectively and at different times, plus some Camorristi never joined Cosa Nostra at all.

Moretti being a confirmed Camorrista is particularly interesting given he was welcomed into Magaddino's orbit in Buffalo before becoming a force within the Genovese Family. Buffalo though as we know wasn't opposed to bringing Calabrian Camorristi/'ndranghetisti in and around the Family during Magaddino's reign so Moretti could have been an early example whether he was made or simply an associate of Buffalo.

Yep. You're right, you always are.

But for further discussion, according to Gentile, Capone was made a member and immediate capodecina with the power to bring in ten members of his decina. We might want to assume the same thing happened with Rocco Pellegrino and my own personal take is: we don't know. The members surnames of the 1910s Westchester Camorra which had Rocco Pellegrino as the Camorra society's 1st lieut. don't match the 1960s list of Rocco as Gen capodecina. Alot can change in half a century and maybe by the 1960's if there were any camorristi brought in to Pellegrino's decina were deceased by then. We don't know.

Yeah exactly, the inclusion of Camorristi as Cosa Nostra members was selective. Pittsburgh is a good example, as Gentile said the Camorra was huge before being absorbed by the mafia but about 15 years later in 1932 he said the Pittsburgh Cosa Nostra Family had 70 members. Even if half of them were former Camorra affiliates, there were still many Camorristi and minor society affiliates who never officially made the jump into Cosa Nostra as members and we know an overlapping Camorra group still existed in some capacity.

In Boiardo's case, he was an established Camorrista if not part of the group's leadership but was a Genovese "associate" by the 1930s until he was made around 1943. However once he was made he became a capodecina in a matter of years and many of his associates were made who had been associated with him going back to the 1920s and 30s when he was a Camorrista. Though DeCarlo had been pulled away from Boiardo in the early 1930s, he seems to have been a picciotto in the same Camorra group as Boiardo and some of these other tenured associates of Boiardo who joined the Genovese under him must have been picciotti or giovinotti onorati.

In general though I don't believe most of these guys simply formed entire decine of ex-Camorra affiliates. You also have other dynamics like Pellegrino's kid marrying the kid of Rosario Mogavero who came from the Eastern Palermo Genovese network I recently posted about. You also have someone like Tony Ripepi, almost certainly a Camorra affiliate in the Pittsburgh Family, whose daughter married the Western Sicilian Stan Valenti in an arranged marriage even though Ripepi's son married into the Calabrese network via Gambino member Jimmy Macri. These guys were proud Calabrians and key figures in the Camorra-influenced mainland network across the US but were nonetheless mixing in with Sicilians.

Some of the most intriguing figures are those like Carmine Franzese. Very likely a Camorrista and by all accounts he remained respected and influential in Cosa Nostra circles in NYC but according to grandson Michael he was never a member of Cosa Nostra.

The Braddock's boss protégé was none other than Frank Amato, the longtime UB of Pittsburgh.

Good to know. Amato himself was Neapolitan.

[PolackTony]

In 1910. Mauro was living with a "Ralph Alberte," who was 50. I wonder if that was an alias that might have been one of the guys in the Sambiase case.

Right, in 1910, Ferdinando Mauro was recorded as living as a boarder in the apartment of a “Ralph Alberte” in the Hill district of Pittsburgh. “Alberte” had stated that he was an English speaker, worked as a book keeper at a bank, was born in 1853 in Italy, and had entered the US in 1907. Given the first name, we’d want to know if there is any possibility that he was Raffaele Amendola, the reputed caposocietà of Sambiase alleged to have fled to the US prior to the 1896 trial. The only possible match I was able to find was a Raffaele Alberto who entered the US at Boston in 1906 bound for Chenango County, NY. He was a Northerner, however, and said that he was born in 1869. Neither of us were able to confirm Amendola’s arrival in the US, but if he used in alias or assumed identity it may not be possible to confirm it. As one prominent example, look at Felice De Lucia, who also fled justice in Italy and then lived prominently for decades in Chicago as “Paolo Ricca”, a stolen identity, until his true identity was uncovered by the Feds.

Mainlanders and their alias after committing crimes. Worse then Sicilians. As a researcher they are some deceptive mofos.

The boss of Braddock was arrested and claimed he was from Mola di Bari. He was actually from Vazzano. But there was someone of the same name from MDB who landed in LA. As far as I can tell he had no connection. But the fact that the Braddock Boss knew of this individual and used that to hide who he was indicates his knowledge. And case in point, the modern 'ndrangeta has no (known) association with Vazzano, yet the early Camorra did. On the macro, an Italian wrote about her growing in Braddock and going to Vazzano and surprised to learn that people there know of that small town in PA. The Braddock's boss protégé was none other than Frank Amato, the longtime UB of Pittsburgh.

The modern ‘Ndrangheta has had a presence in Vazzano though (unsurprising, as the town is in Vibo Valentia province, which is rife with ‘Ndrangheta activity). That’s a side note, however, as the ‘Ndrangheta as we know it today had apparently not yet developed during the time period that we’re talking about. Also worth noting that the town of Simbarío borders Vazzano. Simbarío had an important colony in Chicago, including well known LCN connected names such as Roti, Bertucci, Andriacchi, and Spina. Bruno Roti emigrated from Simbarìo to the Near Southside of Chicago, where he was reported to have headed a “Black Hand” organization as well as the San Rocco di Simbarìo fraternal society prior to joining LCN and becoming a capodecina. Of course, the infamous Anastasia brothers of Brooklyn were from Tropea, Vibo Valentia (on the Tyrrhenian coast, unlike Vazzano and Simbarío, which are in the interior of the province).

For the reader, and to underscore that the Honored Society phenomenon was present across the region of Calabria, an apparent Honored Society was documented in the city of Vibo Valentia (the city was called Monteleone di Calabria until it was renamed in 1928 under Mussolini) in 1903 when a group of 13 men, including the alleged leader, Vincenzo Mancuso, were convicted of belonging to a “criminal association”. This was an active year for the authorities in Calabria, as trials were brought against affiliates of Societies in Cosenza, Catanzaro, San Luca, Africo, Palmi, and Reggio city in 1903 as well.

[B.]

A Camorra group was also found in Seminara in 1897. Philadelphia capidecine the Sciglitano brothers were from there and their decina was 100% Calabrian and closely tied to Albert Anastasia's Calabrian circle in Brooklyn.

[PolackTony]

A Camorra group was also found in Seminara in 1897. Philadelphia capidecine the Sciglitano brothers were from there and their decina was 100% Calabrian and closely tied to Albert Anastasia's Calabrian circle in Brooklyn.

This is an important connection to emphasize with the Sciglitanos.

The Seminara trial in 1897 was held in the neighboring town of Palmi, where the local court was. Between 1890 and 1895, there had already been 5 trials of “criminal associations” active in this area. From 1898 to 1906, there were 21 trials of “criminal associations” at Palmi, including three in 1903 alone. Palmi abuts the coastal plain around Gioia Tauro, which was one of the main economic centers of Calabria in the 19th century, with a citrus export sector and other agricultural production ripe for extortion and control by Camorristi, of course. The Gioia Tauro area, as many might be aware, remained a hotbed of the ‘Ndrangheta as it developed over the 20th Century.

[Eline2015]

And what about this guy? He was a Neapolitan gangster in Queen, and Vito Genovese worked for him as a bodyguard/driver and, even I remember correctly, was shot.

[Angelo Santino]

In 1910. Mauro was living with a "Ralph Alberte," who was 50. I wonder if that was an alias that might have been one of the guys in the Sambiase case.

Right, in 1910, Ferdinando Mauro was recorded as living as a boarder in the apartment of a “Ralph Alberte” in the Hill district of Pittsburgh. “Alberte” had stated that he was an English speaker, worked as a book keeper at a bank, was born in 1853 in Italy, and had entered the US in 1907. Given the first name, we’d want to know if there is any possibility that he was Raffaele Amendola, the reputed caposocietà of Sambiase alleged to have fled to the US prior to the 1896 trial. The only possible match I was able to find was a Raffaele Alberto who entered the US at Boston in 1906 bound for Chenango County, NY. He was a Northerner, however, and said that he was born in 1869. Neither of us were able to confirm Amendola’s arrival in the US, but if he used in alias or assumed identity it may not be possible to confirm it. As one prominent example, look at Felice De Lucia, who also fled justice in Italy and then lived prominently for decades in Chicago as “Paolo Ricca”, a stolen identity, until his true identity was uncovered by the Feds.

Mainlanders and their alias after committing crimes. Worse then Sicilians. As a researcher they are some deceptive mofos.

The boss of Braddock was arrested and claimed he was from Mola di Bari. He was actually from Vazzano. But there was someone of the same name from MDB who landed in LA. As far as I can tell he had no connection. But the fact that the Braddock Boss knew of this individual and used that to hide who he was indicates his knowledge. And case in point, the modern 'ndrangeta has no (known) association with Vazzano, yet the early Camorra did. On the macro, an Italian wrote about her growing in Braddock and going to Vazzano and surprised to learn that people there know of that small town in PA. The Braddock's boss protégé was none other than Frank Amato, the longtime UB of Pittsburgh.

The modern ‘Ndrangheta has had a presence in Vazzano though (unsurprising, as the town is in Vibo Valentia province, which is rife with ‘Ndrangheta activity). That’s a side note, however, as the ‘Ndrangheta as we know it today had apparently not yet developed during the time period that we’re talking about. Also worth noting that the town of Simbarío borders Vazzano. Simbarío had an important colony in Chicago, including well known LCN connected names such as Roti, Bertucci, Andriacchi, and Spina. Bruno Roti emigrated from Simbarìo to the Near Southside of Chicago, where he was reported to have headed a “Black Hand” organization as well as the San Rocco di Simbarìo fraternal society prior to joining LCN and becoming a capodecina. Of course, the infamous Anastasia brothers of Brooklyn were from Tropea, Vibo Valentia (on the Tyrrhenian coast, unlike Vazzano and Simbarío, which are in the interior of the province).

For the reader, and to underscore that the Honored Society phenomenon was present across the region of Calabria, an apparent Honored Society was documented in the city of Vibo Valentia (the city was called Monteleone di Calabria until it was renamed in 1928 under Mussolini) in 1903 when a group of 13 men, including the alleged leader, Vincenzo Mancuso, were convicted of belonging to a “criminal association”. This was an active year for the authorities in Calabria, as trials were brought against affiliates of Societies in Cosenza, Catanzaro, San Luca, Africo, Palmi, and Reggio city in 1903 as well.

Does it? The Vibo Valentia province is (or was) one of the least infested provinces as per Antonio Nicastro. But Braddock had no shortage of Vazzano gangsters which puts it in the same box as about a dozen towns in southern Italy that spawned gangster networks in the US. There's no available evidence to confirm that there was an organization in those towns but as we know now, there's certainly potential. Anastasia is slightly different as I've seen no contingent of Tropea members, in fact, he seemed to have gotten his start around people from Gallico who was part of a larger cluster of people from Villa San Giovanni (Westchester).

[PolackTony]

There is a Crimine in VV, though its existence wasn’t revealed by a pentitto until 2019, I believe. ‘Ndrangheta seems to have not taken off until like the 70s and 80s in VV, IIRC. From what I have seen there are either 5 or 7 locali in VV province. Vazzano doesn’t have its own ‘ndrina based there, but it’s a tiny comune of like 1000 people. It was noted in a trial in 2017 as being part of the sphere of influence of the Ariola (Altamura) ‘ndrina, based i believe in nearby Soriano Calabro, since the 1980s at least.

And yeah, we don’t see many Vibesi involved in the US. Offhand, the names noted above are the only ones I can think of. As you note, the Anastasias were involved with a network mainly composed of men from RC province, so the Braddock and Chicago Vibese networks are interesting as they were from neighboring towns and the only examples I’ve seen thus far of apparent Vibese criminal networks in the US.

[B.]

Yeah, despite Anastasia coming from Tropea his early circle was mostly from Gallico and Catona along the coast just north of Reggio citta. You also had Parisi from Bagnara Calabra and he first arrived to Central New York where there were apparent Calabrian Camorristi early on, a few of which fed into the Utica decina and Parisi had ties to the Utica decina according to the FBI. Parisi fled NYC and joined the Philly Family's Chester decina through his so-called "cousin" Joe Perugino but Perugino came from Catanzaro. Riccobene told the FBI he thought Parisi was originally "made in Europe" which if true would mean he was originally with the Camorra.

Anastasia's Brooklyn Calabrian circle that fed into the Gambinos can be linked to the strong Calabrian factions in Philadelphia as well as Pittsburgh. Whereas in Pittsburgh we know for a fact that this was originally a Camorra element, in Philadelphia we don't have a smoking gun but plenty of circumstantial evidence suggesting they too began as Camorra. For one, Angelo Bruno was recorded saying that he let Joe Rugnetta serve as the "rappresentante" over the Calabrians because "that's how they do it in Italy" and the towns some of the main Philly Calabrians came from were Seminara, Sinopoli, Mammola, Reggio citta, Fiumara, Bagnara, etc. and some of them continued to visit and maintain contact there. There is that old newspaper article too that says cousins of the Scarfos were 'ndranghetisti with the Siderno group. As Tony and I discussed on here a while back, Phil Leonetti's paternal side may have been Neapolitan Camorristi themselves.

Pittsburgh Camorra leader Mauro was on his way to Philadelphia when he was arrested and although he was Neapolitan we know he was partnered with Calabro who headed the Johnstown Calabrian Camorra as well as Gregorio Conti of the Pittsburgh Family. Philly had relatively few Neapolitans but it wouldn't be surprising if Mauro was connected to the Calabrians there and it wouldn't blow my mind either if he knew Philly Sicilians as well given his relationship to a figure like Conti. And that speaks to another point, that there were relationships and close interactions between the Camorristi and Cosa Nostra before Camorristi began joining the mafia.

[B.]

Correction to the above -- Mauro was not Neapoltian but from Sambiase as the other guys mentioned earlier. Important as his travel to Philadelphia raises better questions.

[Angelo Santino]

Correction to the above -- Mauro was not Neapoltian but from Sambiase as the other guys mentioned earlier. Important as his travel to Philadelphia raises better questions.

Mauro came from a prestigious family and attended Naples Military Academy so no worries.

Philly is interesting, we have almost no documentation of the society being there but looking at other cities like Westchester and Pittsburgh it's obvious something most certainly there as well as Chester and Bridgeton and Camden. Our available info starts at the 1920 mark and that's pretty late in the game. In this area it appears the Reggesi and Messinese (who fell in with them) were something. We just don't have any more info. When Rocco Racco fell out of favor in Hillsville and went on the run, one place he went to was Philly but didn't elaborate what was there.

[B.]

The Calabrian Camorristi in Pittsburgh developing these close relationships to Cosa Nostra and being among the early mainlanders inducted into the mafia plays into a couple of things, one being Comito's testimony where "Zu Vincenzo" told him "We like you Calabrians" and allegedly even offered him the possibility of membership. The other being an FBI informant who said US mafia recruitment started with Sicilian-born Sicilians then opened to American-born Sicilians followed by Calabrians then Neapolitans and other Italians, in that order.

We have some accounts where Capone's Neapolitan heritage was considered controversial but I'm not aware of Calabresi being singled out as unworthy of membership. We have people like Magaddino using "Calabrese" as a pejorative but there seems to have been far less stigma about bringing them in.

Are there records confirming that Moretti was from Puglia as said in the original post in this thread and your substack introduction? Moretti testified that he knew Frank Milano of Cleveland because they came from the same part of Italy (Milano was from San Roberto) and Joe Bonanno wrote about the dynamic between Moretti and Anastasia because they were both Calabrians. I haven't dug in so I don't know where the Puglia reference comes from but we have an anecdote from Moretti himself suggesting he was from Calabria and Bonanno says that explicitly. Then there is Moretti's close relationship to the Calabrese Costello, who in turn formed an alliance with Anastasia.

Moretti was close to the Philly Calabrian faction as well although there is limited info. The ex-Carabinieri officer from Calabria who served as a close associate of the Philly Calabrian faction told the FBI that he accompanied Philly members to a party at Moretti's house on one occasion where the governor of NJ was present. Seems Moretti had a close relationship to the Philly leaders in New Brunswick too given DeCarlo said that he and Rega were first inducted by Joe Bruno Dovi then transferred to Moretti. Dovi was Messinese but he was in with the Calabrian faction and I'm sure Moretti interacted with the Calabrese Joe Ida in North Jersey, Ida being close to Albert Anastasia also.

[B.]

Maniaci in Milwaukee referred to both Neapolitans and Calabrian groups as the Camorra / Camorristi:



Before the emergence of the modern 'ndrangheta, its roots as a Calabrian Camorra don't seem to have been a novel concept to those in the know. Maniaci, Gentile, Lima, and Magaddino all referred to the Calabrian groups as the Camorra.

[PolackTony]

Maniaci in Milwaukee referred to both Neapolitans and Calabrian groups as the Camorra / Camorristi:



Before the emergence of the modern 'ndrangheta, its roots as a Calabrian Camorra don't seem to have been a novel concept to those in the know. Maniaci, Gentile, Lima, and Magaddino all referred to the Calabrian groups as the Camorra.

Chicago associate Teddy DeRose also evidently saw the Camorra as pan-regional, denoting Capone (Campanian) as originally a Camorrista who worked for Colosimo (Calabrese) and Torrio (Barese). For later years, DeRose saw Ricca (Campanian) and Buccieri (Calabrese) as “Camorra”, meaning Chicago members whose faction within the Family had originated with the Camorra before it was absorbed into the mafia, which DeRose claimed occurred during Tony Lombardo’s time. Interestingly, DeRose also denoted Tony Lombardo as originally being “Camorra”. We’ve discussed this privately at some length, but for the moment it’s worth pointing out that Lombardo may well have had ties to the Camorra given his Messinese origins and time in Ohio before moving to Chicago.

[B.]

The Birmingham Calabrian who worked with a mafioso in "Black Hand" extortion was Vito Polero who looks to have been from San Vito sullo Ionio in Catanzaro. He and "Black Hand leader" Francesco Giovino from Campofranco, Caltanissetta, were shaking down a Northern Italian who helped set up a sting operation with police.

Self-professed "Camorra" member Jimmy Rosana told police about the local Birmingham "Camorra" only a year later though none of the limited public info linked Giovino or Polero to this group, the only two alleged members who were publicly identified being Rosana from Syracuse province and Girolamo Messina from Gibellina, Trapani.

Rosana did provide the PD with a list of 16 total "Camorra" members spread throughout the Birmingham metro area which is more of what we'd expect from a Cosa Nostra Family's size, especially one that was dwindling like Birmingham, but if there was a Birmingham Camorra they would have been limited in terms of mainland recruitment given the 90% Sicilian population of the area so if it existed it likely would have recruited some Sicilians.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a small Camorra cell there given Rosana not only referred to it as the Camorra but also stated it had "degrees" and a series of "initiation fees" which are distinctly Camorra-like and unlike Cosa Nostra, but the question would be why Sicilians like Rosana and especially Messina joined a Camorra group in Birmingham when there was a confirmed Cosa Nostra Family already there.

This brings to mind Johnstown, PA, where there was not only a distinct Cosa Nostra Family separate from Pittsburgh but also a Calabrian Camorra society under Calabro who partnered in extortion with Sicilian mafiosi throughout Western PA. Still, this is much different from Birmingham given Western PA had an extensive mainland population and was central to the Camorra network. Gentile indicates that a Sicilian may have been a Camorra affiliate under Calabro, as when Gentile advocated for his friend LaMantia, one of the extortionists who arrived with Calabro for the meeting was a Sicilian. Johnstown was also a key location linked to the "Banana Society" which showed evidence of Cosa Nostra / Camorra crossover a few years earlier.

Going back to Vito Polero, are there any known figures from San Vito sullo Ionio and/or is there any documented Camorra / 'ndrangheta presence there? He may have simply been an associate of the local mafia Family but if there was a Birmingham Camorra too he could be a candidate.

I see there were Polero/Poleras from San Vito in White Plains. Rocco Pellegrino was closely connected and possibly related to Calabrians the Iannis in the Dallas Family who first lived in New Orleans. There's reason to believe the Dallas and Houston Calabrians were originally Camorristi so if there was a Birmingham Camorra it could have had ties to other Southern US Camorra groups.