Gambino Family Succession Highlights

[Angelo Santino]

I am working on a small Gambino-focused project which requires a summary /overview of bosses, this goes past the 60s ergo outside of my area. There are people here who specialize in this era and I'd appreciate any guidance or corrections or additions. This project isn't meant to be a year-by-year biography, but more of a very summary. This project starts in 1860 and concludes in 2020, I've gotten up to 1930 and hope to have this portion of the project finished later on this week (which means in 2-3 weeks lol)

Mangano:
1 Commission Chairman
2 Relationship with Anastasia (30+ years, friends until they weren't)

Anastasia:
1 First Non-Sicilian Boss
2 Fierce reputation confirmed by Bonanno, Valachi and stories DiLeonardo heard
3 His "takeover" was backed by Palermitani as seen by who took administration slots
4 Scalice and selling of memberships
5 The real culprits behind his murder.

Gambino:
1 Dispelling the myth that he was behind the murder of Anastasia
2 The cliffnotes behind his elevation: he was consig seen as a neutralist in a family with 2 factions
3 Part of the first generation of bosses to face the intense scrutiny of the FBI, Castellano was street boss for 7-9 years during Gambino's tenure.

Castellano
1 Dispelling the myth that Castellano's elevation to boss was controversial.
2 Reenforcing that Castellano had already been street boss.

Gotti
1 Detail how the "take over" occurred through the formal process following his murder.
2 Gotti's political prowess and understanding of the different factions
3 Coalition of allies from different factions

Panel
1 Jr Gotti wasn't AB but he was the conduit to his father which unofficially gave him more power.

P Gotti
1 First Family boss to have succeeded his brother.

Squiteri (acting)
I have to look into him, no idea. I just remember Capeci's article that came out when Schwarzenegger was running for Governer: "Mob Arnold Eyes Gotti Recall."

Cefalu-Cali-Mannino
1 The Gambinos fall back under the Sicilians.
2 I could go into the Cali murder but I'm not sure that's relevant.
(I really want to avoid delving too much into current people).

This is what I'm going by.

GAMBINOlineage pecor.png

[Brovelli]

Who were the two factions when gambino was seen as neutral? I would assume there was a Calabrian/mainland faction and a Palermo Sicilian one but if the Palermo guys backed anastasia then what were the factions? Interesting

[Angelo Santino]

Who were the two factions when gambino was seen as neutral? I would assume there was a Calabrian/mainland faction and a Palermo Sicilian one but if the Palermo guys backed anastasia then what were the factions? Interesting

Good question. Rava was one and there was another one.

I've tried using the search function and... *sigh... are there any required reading threads on Mangano-Anastasia-Gambino succession anyone can direct me to? I need to freshen up.

[motorfab]

Tiny remark, I think the photo of Philip Mangano you used is the Philip Mangano from Chicago

Here is Phil Mangano from NY

[Angelo Santino]

Tiny remark, I think the photo of Philip Mangano you used is the Philip Mangano from Chicago

Here is Phil Mangano from NY

Good looking out, brother. Thank you!!

[motorfab]

No prob amigo

[quadtree]

Regarding Gambino's participation in the plot to kill Anastasia. It is believed that Gambino has nothing to do with it. But supposedly there is an Intel file where Gambino is directly named as one of the organizers of Anastasia’s murder. This is indirectly confirmed by the fact that it was Carlo Gambino who explained at a meeting in New Jersey why Anastasia was killed.

[quadtree]

Taranto is interesting because he is a native of Messina, which is surprising for such an early Mafia figure.

A certain Salvatore Brancaccio was present at a dinner in honor of Vito Cascio Ferro, was it Salvatore Brancato?

Domenico Pecoraro was from Bagheria, what evidence is there that he was in Lupo's house?

"Mambrao" was most likely Manfredi Mineo.

LePore is an interesting example of an early non-Sicilian captain in the Palermitani family. It seems that Anastasia was not particularly close to him, since he did not know that Frank Luciano was with LePore. I wonder if LePore is also a Camorristi?

[Angelo Santino]

Taranto is interesting because he is a native of Messina, which is surprising for such an early Mafia figure.

A certain Salvatore Brancaccio was present at a dinner in honor of Vito Cascio Ferro, was it Salvatore Brancato?

Domenico Pecoraro was from Bagheria, what evidence is there that he was in Lupo's house?

"Mambrao" was most likely Manfredi Mineo.

LePore is an interesting example of an early non-Sicilian captain in the Palermitani family. It seems that Anastasia was not particularly close to him, since he did not know that Frank Luciano was with LePore. I wonder if LePore is also a Camorristi?

1 Yes, who knows what he was.
2 Could have been, I lean towards it being yes.
3 None. Others from Bagheria appeared to be with Lupo, Pecoraro seemed more with Morello.
4 Maybe
5 Yes, I know next to nothing about LePore.

[Brovelli]

Who were the two factions when gambino was seen as neutral? I would assume there was a Calabrian/mainland faction and a Palermo Sicilian one but if the Palermo guys backed anastasia then what were the factions? Interesting

Good question. Rava was one and there was another one.

I've tried using the search function and... *sigh... are there any required reading threads on Mangano-Anastasia-Gambino succession anyone can direct me to? I need to freshen up.

I always associated rava as being part of the “mainland” faction, is that accurate?

[Brovelli]

Regarding Gambino's participation in the plot to kill Anastasia. It is believed that Gambino has nothing to do with it. But supposedly there is an Intel file where Gambino is directly named as one of the organizers of Anastasia’s murder. This is indirectly confirmed by the fact that it was Carlo Gambino who explained at a meeting in New Jersey why Anastasia was killed.

I think I am forever going to find it hard to believe gambino had nothing to do with it. The murder of mangano from Palermo, murder of scalise, Anastasia takes over who is somewhat insane. I can’t believe it was not a Sicilian faction led thing and with gambino ultimately becoming the leader and having rava murdered after how could he have no part? Even if in typical Carlo gambino fashion he influenced others to do it, surely bare minimum he knew it was going to happen

[Angelo Santino]

Who were the two factions when gambino was seen as neutral? I would assume there was a Calabrian/mainland faction and a Palermo Sicilian one but if the Palermo guys backed anastasia then what were the factions? Interesting

Good question. Rava was one and there was another one.

I've tried using the search function and... *sigh... are there any required reading threads on Mangano-Anastasia-Gambino succession anyone can direct me to? I need to freshen up.

I always associated rava as being part of the “mainland” faction, is that accurate?

He was mainland but I'm not sure that there was a mainland faction per se.
1 Seems like the mainlanders in that family were brought in on an individual basis and placed in Sicilian-Dominant crews. Perhaps this changed after the 1960s?
2 Anastasia appears to have always been with Mangano, some say he got his state in his crew. These men had a 30 year long relationship and all we really know about it could fill half a page.
3 Surprisingly, by the 60's the Family was 60% Sicilian, 30% Nap, and only 10% Calabrese which I expected there to be more of due to Anastasia. They either all died before 1963 or he never had a "mainland" faction behind him. When you look at who benefited from Mangano's disappearance, aside from Anastasia, it was Sicilians who filled the #2 and 3 slots. Anastasia like Gotti after him, likely had a keen prowess and understanding of the compaesani political climate within the family which is why they filled slots with members from other factions. Murdering the Palermo-born Boss of a Palermitan/Sicilian-dominant Family is pretty brazen. And as an under there's no guarantee you'll be elected Boss. But Anastasia checked both boxes.

One thing to note- Carmine Lombardozzi became capodecina of a Sciaccatani-based crew in Little Italy that was Sciacca-based before and after him right up to Joe Corrao. I don't get the sense that he was "installed," instead he had the respect of that crew despite not being from Agrigento or Sicily. NonSicilians have to jump alot more hoops but once they prove they can, they're just as entitled to the same respect and just as eligible as any Sicilian to hold offices.

[Brovelli]

Awesome info Angelo. As always with these things they’re never as black and white as I may initially presume. Anastasia possibly taking over manganos crew does make sense also. Do we know who the first Italian group/mob figure was that got involved with the Brooklyn waterfront? Probably wrongly I always assumed the Anastasia’s were the first

[Angelo Santino]

Awesome info Angelo. As always with these things they’re never as black and white as I may initially presume. Anastasia possibly taking over manganos crew does make sense also. Do we know who the first Italian group/mob figure was that got involved with the Brooklyn waterfront? Probably wrongly I always assumed the Anastasia’s were the first

Thanks. I'm still learning stuff as well.

I don't know if Anastasia took over Mangano's crew, seemed like they both were elevated within a short time of each other. I have no idea who were the first ones on the waterfront.

[quadtree]

Anastasia and Mangano both served as captains at the same time in the 1920s. The origins of Anastasia's crew are unknown.

I'm guessing that Anastasia's crew and Mangano's crew both ultimately come from Giuseppe Trovato's crew.

Subsequently, it is logical to assume that Vincent Mangano's former crew was headed by his brother Philip, and Anastasia's crew was headed by Vincent Macri, Rava's possible predecessor. It is curious that after the murder of Philip, the boss puts his brother Anthony Anastasia at the head of Mangano’s crew.

I think the Calabrian faction already existed in the early 1920s, because figures such as Annibale Stilo, Biagio Giordano, Carmelo LiConti, Giovanni Giustra, Gregorio Lagana seem at least connected to the family, if not already members of it. Anastasia fits well into this paesani circle.

Apparently, all of these above-mentioned Calabrian gangsters were influential in the criminal world, at least one of them could be the heart of this cluster, who led the rest into the mafia.

The infusion of Calabrians and Napolitans into the family could occur gradually and selectively, diluting the Sicilian crews with “one-off specimens”, such as Lombardozzi or LePore. But there could also be an option like in the Masseria family, where an influential Cammorist was initiated into the mafia and a whole crew was created around him, like Al Capone.