Guys who "seemed" made but weren't

[B.]

With the deeper history we have to do a certain amount of guesswork when suspecting someone of membership and in many cases we are likely right but it's interesting when someone has all the signs of membership only to find out they were never made. Stresses the importance of inside sources who can confirm these details.

Keeping this to Italians since this is about guys we'd otherwise assume were made.

--

Joseph "Whitey" Danzo
- Very close to Genovese captain Frank Celano, said to be his cousin
- Daughter married Colombo member Sal Profaci Jr.
- Sonny Franzese was baptismal godfather to Danzo's kid(s)
- Operated like a peer of Sam DeCavalcante, though their relationship was hot and cold
- Powerful labor racketeer in mafia-linked union circles

If he was someone from the 1920s we'd easily assume he was made but he was "just" a Genovese associate on record with Celano. He made a comment later that indicated he had the backing of the Colombo's through the Profaci marriage but as far as I know he remained with the Genovese and along with Celano he was close to the Boiardo crew, being represented in a sit-down by John Russo at one point.

--

Gandolfo "Buddy" Sciandra
- Carlo Gambino's personal confidant and driver
- Liaison between Gambino and Joe Colombo
- Son was made with Tommy Gambino's crew and later became the captain
- Carried as a suspected member by the FBI
- Active in racketeering with members
- Family from Montedoro like the Pittston Sciandras*

For whatever reason though he was never made.

* - Pittston leader Edward Sciandra lived in NYC and associated closely with the Gambinos, including a boxing partnership with JoJo Corozzo. Don't know if a relation to Buddy can be substantiated but very possible.

--

Calogero LaBruzzo
- From Camporeale like the early Bonanno leadership and Rick/Angelo/Lennert even confirmed he was an extended relative
- Socialized with mafiosi
- Daughter married Joe Bonanno after being introduced through member Pietro Bonventre, Bonanno's uncle
- His son Frank became a captain and his grandson Bill Bonanno became a captain/consigliere

Bill however confirmed LaBruzzo was never made. He did say LaBruzzo was proposed but turned it down when he found out a certain guy he didn't like was a member.

--

Carmine Franzese
- Described by an informant as an old time underworld "Don"
- Son became a high-ranking Colombo member
- Two grandsons were important Colombo members, including Michael who was a captain
- Associated in mainland/Camorra circles that produced LCN members
- Michael said he was a friend of Charlie Luciano and Vito Genovese who visited his store

Michael Franzese was aware of his grandfather's stature in the Italian underworld but confirmed he was never made. However it's likely he was a Camorrista who simply never made the jump over to Cosa Nostra like some of his peers.

--

Some of the smaller Families who rarely inducted new members of course had guys like this around.

[johnny_scootch]

Angelo Ponte & Carmine Franco.

[Ivan]

Allie Calabrese and Eugene Ciasullo in Cleveland never actually got straightened out from what I understand, even though most people seem to think they were.

[Newyorkempire]

Allie Calabrese and Eugene Ciasullo in Cleveland never actually got straightened out from what I understand, even though most people seem to think they were.

Wasnt it confirmed Iaobacci made a bunch of guys in the 90s and 2000s and they were in those groups?

[Snakes]

A lot of guys in Chicago. Joseph "Shorty" LaMantia and Marco D'Amico come to mind. They were even carried by the FBI as LCN members (post-membership ID reform) but later information showed them to probably not be made.

[Ivan]

Allie Calabrese and Eugene Ciasullo in Cleveland never actually got straightened out from what I understand, even though most people seem to think they were.

Wasnt it confirmed Iaobacci made a bunch of guys in the 90s and 2000s and they were in those groups?

That was never confirmed, it was just made up internet charts really. There's no real evidence that those two or Iorillo, Sanzo, DiLeno, DeNova, Bucci, Oliverio, etc. were ever made.

It's true that Iacobacci made an attempt to rebuild in the 90s but the feds shot it down in like five minutes. The "California Swing" case.

[Newyorkempire]

Allie Calabrese and Eugene Ciasullo in Cleveland never actually got straightened out from what I understand, even though most people seem to think they were.

Wasnt it confirmed Iaobacci made a bunch of guys in the 90s and 2000s and they were in those groups?

That was never confirmed, it was just made up internet charts really. There's no real evidence that those two or Iorillo, Sanzo, DiLeno, DeNova, Bucci, Oliverio, etc. were ever made.

It's true that Iacobacci made an attempt to rebuild in the 90s but the feds shot it down in like five minutes. The "California Swing" case.

Ok. Several reads said he ran the family after his release from that California Swing case. So he was just overseeing associates from that release until the 2010 proclaimed retirement?

[Ivan]

Ok. Several reads said he ran the family after his release from that California Swing case. So he was just overseeing associates from that release until the 2010 proclaimed retirement?

No one really knows, he might have made some guys but it's never been confirmed.

[Newyorkempire]

Ok. Several reads said he ran the family after his release from that California Swing case. So he was just overseeing associates from that release until the 2010 proclaimed retirement?

No one really knows, he might have made some guys but it's never been confirmed.

Well never get a confirmation on a situation like that, as we can consider it the death years i guess. Any current status on the other "non made" guys you listed by chance?

[Ivan]

Ok. Several reads said he ran the family after his release from that California Swing case. So he was just overseeing associates from that release until the 2010 proclaimed retirement?

No one really knows, he might have made some guys but it's never been confirmed.

Well never get a confirmation on a situation like that, as we can consider it the death years i guess. Any current status on the other "non made" guys you listed by chance?

Most are dead. Bucci is still alive and I hear still a gangster, running things like dice games. Oliverio helps run the Minute Men operations which Papalardo is still involved in according to my source. Everyone left is old. Papalardo is like 80, Bucci and Olivieri are I think in their 70s. Most of the others dead. All the younger gangsters on the street are not really organized and are Arabs, Eastern Europeans, etc.

What was once the Cleveland Mafia has largely evolved into a network of shady but more or less legit guys centered around the Minute Men companies, some of whom run the occasional illegal racket. No one kicks up to anyone.

Ohio legalized sports betting recently. Big money in gambling now is from what I hear the kind of "skill games" type legal-loophole gambling machines that are big in Chicago, but I've never personally seen anything.

[Pogo The Clown]

Frankie “Flowers” D’Alfonso in Philly. In the early 1980s the local press speculated he could become the new Boss but he wasn’t even made.


Pogo

[Newyorkempire]

Ok. Several reads said he ran the family after his release from that California Swing case. So he was just overseeing associates from that release until the 2010 proclaimed retirement?

No one really knows, he might have made some guys but it's never been confirmed.

Well never get a confirmation on a situation like that, as we can consider it the death years i guess. Any current status on the other "non made" guys you listed by chance?

Most are dead. Bucci is still alive and I hear still a gangster, running things like dice games. Oliverio helps run the Minute Men operations which Papalardo is still involved in according to my source. Everyone left is old. Papalardo is like 80, Bucci and Olivieri are I think in their 70s. Most of the others dead. All the younger gangsters on the street are not really organized and are Arabs, Eastern Europeans, etc.

What was once the Cleveland Mafia has largely evolved into a network of shady but more or less legit guys centered around the Minute Men companies, some of whom run the occasional illegal racket. No one kicks up to anyone.

Ohio legalized sports betting recently. Big money in gambling now is from what I hear the kind of "skill games" type legal-loophole gambling machines that are big in Chicago, but I've never personally seen anything.

Thanks Ivan

[Stroccos]

Babe Triscaro cleveland
Union powerhouse and close to boss Johnny scalish,

[Proletarian187]

John Nardi from Cleveland.

Big name in mob history who definitely "should" have been made. I know his status has been disputed back and forth but no solid evidence on him being made iirc?

[NothingNew44]

John Nardi from Cleveland.

Big name in mob history who definitely "should" have been made. I know his status has been disputed back and forth but no solid evidence on him being made iirc?

Good one. What was the reason for him being passed over again?