They were East Harlem guys early on. Joel found that Moretti was connected with early Morello Family leaders the LoMonte brothers and was at the scene when Gaetano LoMonte was killed in 1915:
JoelTurner wrote: ↑Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:49 pm
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.
I'd assume Costello came up around the same people given his longstanding relationship to Moretti. Magaddino said he knew Costello before he was made so Costello was meeting rising stars in other Families before being a member. Nicolo Schiro sided with the LoMontes in the 1913 war and Magaddino indicated he was made around this time, being told about LoMonte by Schiro. Magaddino seemed to have a favorable opinion of LoMonte as he says "God rest his soul", something he says about other people he liked (one being Gaspare Milazzo) and contrasts with the harsh way he talks about people he didn't like. It's possible Magaddino met the young Costello through those circles.
Appreciate the info. Were the lomontes corleone origin? Once moretti/costello had their own crew, was that separate from other Harlem crews? Did they become a jersey crew? I’ve never been able to figure out where they fit in
LoMontes were from Villafrati which is one of the other interior towns near Corleone.
Moretti and Costello may have started around the same people / crew but Moretti spent time living in Niagara Falls where he was affiliated with the Buffalo Family before moving to NJ and his crew at that point looks to have been mostly if not entirely NJ-based. I've never seen any substantial info on whether Costello was a captain before he became consigliere, though it's likely, but it should have been a separate NYC crew from the NJ one Moretti took over.
Funny little detail, but Frank Bompensiero told the FBI Costello was unqualified for membership because he was weak and had never committed a murder. Bomp said he attended a Commission meeting with Jack Dragna where they stood up for Frank Coppola of New Orleans as Frank Costello was trying to have Coppola killed over a busines disagreement and Bomp claims that he (Bomp) was thrown out of the meeting for insulting Costello. Magaddino also had a very low opinion of Costello.
Willie Moretti lived in NYC from ~1926-1930. His first two daughters were born there; Frank Costello stood godfather to his eldest daughter Marie in May 1928.
By 1929, while he was still living in NYC, Moretti was heavily involved with the Bergen-Passaic group. My personal theory is that the early NJ members were a part of an East Harlem/Bronx based crew before forming their own once Moretti moved there in 1930.
Great info. Have any of you seen/noticed direct paths of a Costello or moretti crew through to today? Are that jersey fiumara waterfront crew direct lineage to moretti for example? Costello “crew” sounds largely unknown
That's right, Moretti did spend time in NYC again after Niagara Falls. Could well point to Moretti being an NYC-based captain first. Based on circumstantial reports, I believe Moretti was already a captain by 1930. Historic reports from Boiardo's FBI file strongly point this way.
It doesn't get mentioned much but Giuseppe Morello was living in the Ft. Lee-Palisades area when he was killed and we know that area attracted even more Genovese and Gambino members later. Morello's in-law Giovanni Lupo and his relatives were also in NJ early and a mysterious group of armed NJ members came to a meeting in NYC to discuss Family affairs after Ignazio Lupo's incarceration. Lot of questions about formal arrangements in NJ before Newark was disbanded as even though Newark was absorbed by NYC there is reason to believe the Genovese and Gambinos already had members or crews there independent of Newark.
B. wrote: ↑Tue Jun 25, 2024 9:04 am
LoMontes were from Villafrati which is one of the other interior towns near Corleone.
Moretti and Costello may have started around the same people / crew but Moretti spent time living in Niagara Falls where he was affiliated with the Buffalo Family before moving to NJ and his crew at that point looks to have been mostly if not entirely NJ-based. I've never seen any substantial info on whether Costello was a captain before he became consigliere, though it's likely, but it should have been a separate NYC crew from the NJ one Moretti took over.
Funny little detail, but Frank Bompensiero told the FBI Costello was unqualified for membership because he was weak and had never committed a murder. Bomp said he attended a Commission meeting with Jack Dragna where they stood up for Frank Coppola of New Orleans as Frank Costello was trying to have Coppola killed over a busines disagreement and Bomp claims that he (Bomp) was thrown out of the meeting for insulting Costello. Magaddino also had a very low opinion of Costello.
Brovelli wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2024 1:58 pm
Great info. Have any of you seen/noticed direct paths of a Costello or moretti crew through to today? Are that jersey fiumara waterfront crew direct lineage to moretti for example? Costello “crew” sounds largely unknown
Lidwig “Ninny” Bruschi traces his crew back to the original Moretti group.
I don’t know if any info is out there on Costello’s crew (or if he had one) so tracing back a current crew would be tough.
B. wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2024 2:10 pm Morello's in-law Giovanni Lupo and his relatives were also in NJ early and a mysterious group of armed NJ members came to a meeting in NYC to discuss Family affairs after Ignazio Lupo's incarceration. Lot of questions about formal arrangements in NJ before Newark was disbanded as even though Newark was absorbed by NYC there is reason to believe the Genovese and Gambinos already had members or crews there independent of Newark.
John Lupo initially lived at 241 Jefferson St, Hoboken, NJ and later at 160 Grand Ave, North Bergen Twp, NJ. Interestingly, the 2nd address would have been pretty close to where John Cappello lived (521 12th St, Union City, NJ); both were there in the 1930 census.
Was Giuseppe "Joe Adonis" Doto in charge of Lucky Luciano's rackets in New York while he was in exile? In the Bumpy Johnson Biography, they state that when Bumpy got out of prison in 1947, he had a meeting to discuss his reentry into the numbers business (and probably narcotics as well). The meeting took place at Palma Boys social club with Fat Tony, Trigger Mike, Joe Adonis and several others.
Brovelli wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2024 1:58 pm
Great info. Have any of you seen/noticed direct paths of a Costello or moretti crew through to today? Are that jersey fiumara waterfront crew direct lineage to moretti for example? Costello “crew” sounds largely unknown
Lidwig “Ninny” Bruschi traces his crew back to the original Moretti group.
I don’t know if any info is out there on Costello’s crew (or if he had one) so tracing back a current crew would be tough.
As I recall the Fiumara crew and the Gatto crew both came from Pete Laplaca and are basically just one crew again today.
Brovelli wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2024 1:58 pm
Great info. Have any of you seen/noticed direct paths of a Costello or moretti crew through to today? Are that jersey fiumara waterfront crew direct lineage to moretti for example? Costello “crew” sounds largely unknown
Lidwig “Ninny” Bruschi traces his crew back to the original Moretti group.
I don’t know if any info is out there on Costello’s crew (or if he had one) so tracing back a current crew would be tough.
As I recall the Fiumara crew and the Gatto crew both came from Pete Laplaca and are basically just one crew again today.
That seems to be the only Genovese crew left that's based in New Jersey, currently run by Stephen DePiro.
Brovelli wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2024 1:58 pm
Great info. Have any of you seen/noticed direct paths of a Costello or moretti crew through to today? Are that jersey fiumara waterfront crew direct lineage to moretti for example? Costello “crew” sounds largely unknown
Lidwig “Ninny” Bruschi traces his crew back to the original Moretti group.
I don’t know if any info is out there on Costello’s crew (or if he had one) so tracing back a current crew would be tough.
As I recall the Fiumara crew and the Gatto crew both came from Pete Laplaca and are basically just one crew again today.
That seems to be the only Genovese crew left that's based in New Jersey, currently run by Stephen DePiro.
Probably true. Laplaca has obvious ties to Moretti - so maybe you can make the case all previous NJ based Genovese crews have direct ties to Moretti.
Ive generallly concluded they have two crews traditionally in jersey. Modern day “waterfront” crew potentially led by depiro or Coppola and then the “Newark” crew, maybe led by palombo today would be my guess. I don’t have any good documented research into that but just my general conclusions from reading around
