axx wrote: ↑Fri Aug 09, 2024 7:16 am
+1
I made the mistake reading this years after reading Valachi Papers.
Some things that I never quite understood when I was reading his memoirs:
1. He mentions Lucchese giving him a cold shoulder on one occasion while they were on dinner or sth. What was that all about? Otherwise he seems to have been fond of him.
2. He also mentions one of his relatives being locked up for life partly due to Valachi's own fault (?) Did Valachi have any brothers involved in crime? The movie Valachi papers refers to him having several brothers either locked up or in mental institutions but I'm not sure the movie gets that right.
3. Was Gap planning to kill Valachi when he returned from Italy?
1. Don't remember that exact incident with Lucchese but in his book he talks about a murder or beating of a Lucchese associate he was ordered to do by Strollo and after that he said Lucchese members treated him more coldly. He felt Strollo had him do it to hurt his relationship to them.
2. His brother was in a mental institution at Danemora, this is the one he visited, and he had other immediate relatives who were mentally ill. It's pretty clear his father was mentally ill as beyond the drinking his behavior was bizarre.
3. Valachi was told that Petrilli was cooperating and trying to set him up on a drug pinch. Valachi himself believed it after meeting with him.
Despite his ties to the Riccobono/Armone people, I think that he would have been with the Prince St. crew, even possibly their capo. He had even lived a block away at 222 Chrystie St, NYC, NY during his black hand days.
Whatever feelings that the Gagliano/Lucchese group had about him, they weren’t showing it openly. Pinzolo felt comfortable enough to be in Lucchese’s office when he was hit. The Castellammarese War was in full swing at the time; Giuseppe Morello had been killed a few weeks earlier.
This is probably why they were leaning so heavily on guys like Valachi or out-of-town characters like Buster Domingo. Unlike Maranzano, Bonanno, and the Boys of the First Day; they hadn’t hit the mattresses.
2) Some sources reported that the May 30 1931 attack on Joe Rao, which resulted in the deaths of Frank “Big Dick” Amato & Dominick “Louie Slats” Bologna, was retaliation for the Tommy Reina killing. It was probably speculation but still interesting nonetheless considering that Vincent Rao was involved in that hit. This could have been a part of their war with Coll.
3) Steve Rannelli was there when Salvatore Maranzano was murdered. Others present were James Alascia who owned the office, Felix Mule(future AZ-Bonanno member), Bobby Doyle Santuccio, and Tommy Lucchese.
- A matter of confusion is that the Valachi Papers says "Vincent" Rao confronted Valachi and accused him of driving the Irishmen who shot at the Italians and also says it was Vincent Rao who wanted him to set the Irish guys up, but later Maas writes that it was Joe Rao who accused Valachi of collaborating with the Irish during a segment on the attempted murder of Joe Rao later on.
- In the Real Thing, Valachi also confirms it was Joe Rao involved in the Irish conflict, nothing about Vinnie Rao that I can see. Very possible Maas confused the two Raos as he also says Valachi had problems with Terranova and "Vincent" Rao who were both with 116th street, which we know to be the Terranova-Coppola Genovese crew, while the real Vincent Rao was associated with 107th. Possible too that both Raos were involved in the Irish issue as Vinnie Rao was friendly with the 116th street crew and Joe Rao. However I think it's more likely Maas mixed up his Raos.
- Valachi is very clearly referring to Vincent Rao in the Real Thing segment the original post refers to, though. Valachi had been told about a contract on Vinnie Rao in retaliation for Rao's involvement in the Reina murder and Valachi didn't want to stay with the Gagliano Family because Vinnie Rao was slated to become capodecina and Valachi was worried about being assigned to him. Because it looks like it was actually Joe Rao who confronted Valachi during the Irish-Italian conflict, it again makes Valachi's concerns about Vinnie Rao more vague unless the concern stemmed from the nixed murder contract.
Rannelli's Trajectory
- I checked the Valachi Papers and Valachi does say Rannelli raised his hand to stay with Maranzano's Family so this detail is consistent with the Real Thing but in both cases nothing else is said of it. There must have been more to this as Rannelli was firmly established in the Lucchese Family and described by Bonanno as one of the faction's leaders along with Gagliano and Lucchese. Santuccio was already made with them too but was seemingly a newcomer and lower in stature so his decision to go with the Bonannos is less surprising. Why did Rannelli opt to stay with Maranzano and for that matter did he stay with the Bonannos after Maranzano's murder or did he use the opportunity to return to the Luccheses?
- In the Real Thing, Valachi says Buster Domingo told him Steve Rannelli knew Maranzano before the war and it was Rannelli who brokered the alliance with Maranzano's group once they realized they were both fighting Masseria. An existing relationship apparently existed already between Rannelli and Maranzano which played a crucial role in uniting the anti-Masseria factions in NYC. Valachi is consistent on this, saying the same about Rannelli in his testimony.
- Rannelli was arrested as a suspect in the 1922 attempt on Joe Masseria's life. Guy was trying to kill Masseria before it was cool. Since Rannelli was a diehard Reina loyalist seeking revenge against Masseria/Morello in 1930, the 1922 attempt shows he had a history of involvement in conflicts with the same people.
- Rannelli's mother in Palermo was a Riccobono. Not sure if she was related to the Gambino Riccobonos but recall that Joe Pinzolo married into the Gambino Riccobonos. Rannelli also came to the US under an alias, Vincenzo Briguglia, and claimed to be from Cinisi, even using this alias while living in the US. He was from Palermo citta so I'm not sure where he picked up the other identity. His arrival under an alias suggests he was already involved in the underworld as a young man in Sicily.
Rannelli's Rank
- Rannelli would seem to be someone of rank, maybe a captain. Maas refers to Gagliano, Lucchese, and Dominick Petrilli as having been "lieutenants" under Tom Reina but it isn't a direct passage from Valachi himself and it isn't clear if Maas is just adding context on his own or if Valachi specifically told him those three were "lieutenants". Valachi uses "lieutenant" as a synonym for capodecina and explains this in his testimony, so if Valachi used it that's a solid indication Gagliano, Lucchese, and Petrilli were captains. If it was Maas on his own, he was probably using it the same way many writers used to use it, i.e. "lieutenant" = important guy. Those three might well have been captains but I'd place Rannelli as more likely than Petrilli.
- In Dave Critchley's book, he says Rannelli was "demoted" for the attempt on pro-Maranzano spy Paolo Gambino but nothing I've seen from Valachi says there was any kind of formal organizational reprimand, only that after the Gambino attempt Maranzano pulled Rannelli off the front line and sent him to stay on a farm for the duration of the war. You could call that a "demotion" in the sense that Rannelli was no longer directing hit teams and participating directly in violence but nothing organizational can be inferred from that alone.
- The Paolo Gambino attempt shows that Rannelli, despite being one of the leaders of the alliance, had not been told the identities of Maranzano's Gambino spies. I'd otherwise assume Rannelli, a well-connected Palermitan, was one of the guys who forged the partnership with Scalise's group much as he played this role with Maranzano but him firing blindly at Paolo Gambino (thinking he was Carlo) tells us Maranzano hadn't clued him in. Rannelli trying to kill Carlo Gambino of all people tells us he was looking to kill anyone even vaguely connected with the other side and had little idea who their Gambino allies were.
- Valachi didn't believe there were any captains during the war but he was made during wartime and stuck on the mattresses the entire time which might have given him a warped take. In Bonanno's story, a meeting was held of the Family captains after Vito Bonventre's July 1930 murder where Maranzano was chosen as their leader and afterward Maranzano divided them up into squads for the war. He adds that only the "group leaders" (a term he exclusively uses as a synonym for capodecina) knew who the other "group leaders" were and where they were located. The added secrecy probably contributed to Valachi's view as he simply may not have been told any of the formal arrangements. Bonanno was also aware of capidecine in other Families during the war, like Luciano.
- Valachi was technically with the Lucchese group which looks to have been a smaller and more rogue faction within their Family so even though Bonanno says Maranzano used captains we can't say for sure how the Lucchese group was set up, how they formally overlapped with Maranzano's guys, etc. Buster Domingo saw the Gagliano and Maranzano groups as different Families even during the height of the war as he told Valachi "your boss is Tom Gagliano". Established members or even new guys who were better schooled would have understood the lay of the land much differently from Valachi or noticed/heard things that he didn't, Joe Bonanno being our best example.
Rannelli's Murder
- Valachi apparently claimed to have participated in Rannelli's November 1936 murder. He said Rannelli was plotting to go to war with Luciano and tried to recruit Valachi who in turn told Bobby Santuccio. Santuccio said "we" already know about the plot and that Valachi saved his own life by coming to him. Valachi then met with Vito Genovese's crew where his men watched porn movies and afterward Genovese told Valachi to kill Rannelli on sight, even if Valachi has to invite him over to his home and get his wife to help. Rannelli was killed outside of Vincent Rao's apartment and Rao's wife found the body; Rannelli was either entering or leaving Rao's apartment.
- Valachi never said what Rannelli's affiliation was after 1931 that I know of. He seemingly went with Valachi from the Lucchese to the Bonannos but this info about Rannelli plotting against Luciano and trying to recruit Valachi could suggest he was a Genovese member. I'm not so sure, though, as Rannelli wasn't mentioned as one of the four other Bonanno members who transferred to the Genovese with Valachi and he never otherwise gives any indication Rannelli was Genovese. Neither does Joe Bonanno ever suggest Rannelli was a member of his own Family after taking over, only referring to Rannelli as a prominent Lucchese during the war. The Luccheses offered Valachi a transfer back to their Family after Maranzano was killed so maybe the same was given to Rannelli and he took it.
- Terry Didato was killed in August 1936 a few months before Rannelli for similar reasons: attempting to take over as boss or acting boss after Luciano went away. Vito Genovese also ordered this murder and in this case used friends in the Gambino Family to carry it out. It's possible Rannelli was supporting an ally in the Genovese Family even if he wasn't a member of that Family himself, the timing indicating Rannelli was aligned with Didato. Didato had strong ties to the Luccheses, including his namesake cousin being a Lucchese member killed in 1933. A plausible theory is that Rannelli returned to the Luccheses and was backing Didato's powerplay in the Genovese.
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- When Valachi was "loaned" to the Newark Family to go after Richie Boiardo, he says the local guys he met were "Tom Bell", Settimo Accardi, Sam Monaco, Stefano Badami, and someone called "Joe". Joe could be Joe Accardi or any number of people but wondering about "Tom Bell" as that's a more specific name. Steve Rannelli shot Richie Boiardo in the head but Boiardo survived. Rannelli was familiar with Newark already though as his brother Salvatore lived in Newark in the 1920s and was involved in robberies there, though he was serving a prison term during the Castellammarese War; Stefano's in-laws also lived in Newark. Gagliano's close relationship to Stefano Badami no doubt played the biggest role in Rannelli and Valachi being loaned out to Newark but Rannelli's familiarity with the area could have been a factor in him being selected for the job.
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Random:
Valachi says John Montana in Buffalo was a "lieutenant" and wanted to step down after Apalachin. Valachi knew Montana and many of the Buffalo members, having spent time staying there, so this is an indication Montana's rank was in fact captain.
B. wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2024 6:30 pm
Joe Rao wasn't related even though he operated in the same Harlem circles. I don't think he was even Sicilian.
Joseph Rao was not Sicilian. Total coincidence that him and Vincenzo Rao had the same surname; I guess if you were a Rao, any Rao, Harlem was the place to be lol. I can also add based on accounts from friends of mine who grew up back in the day in East Harlem and who knew them, that both Raos also socialized together at neighborhood/familial events.
Joseph Rao was born in 1901 in East Harlem to Carmine “Charles” Rao and Francesca Mangione. Carmine Rao was from the comune of Polla in Salerno province (near the border with Potenza), and the same year that he married Francesca he opened up a restaurant at 114 and Pleasant Ave with his brother Giuseppe Rao — they were the Raos who founded the restaurant, in other words. In 1910, Carmine and his family lived at 453 E 114, in the brownstone next to Rao’s. Later, Joey Rao’s youngest brother, Vincent, born in 1907, took over the operation of Rao’s along with his wife, Anna Pellegrino. And then in later decades it went to Anna’s nephew, Frank Pellegrino, the guy who was in The Sopranos.
Funny anecdote, but someone I know very well attended many get-togethers as a kid where Joey Rao was present and recalls him as always looking like an “angry mushroom”.
I believe Coppola was Salernitan too. Didn't know Joe Rao was actually Pellegrino's marital uncle.
Joey Rao was in with the Schultz-Coll group very early on. Valachi actually said Schultz was "with" Terranova and later Coll broke from them which may explain why Maranzano was able to reach out to him to kill the Genovese leaders.
On the topic of early Luccheses, in Dave's book he says Kefauver investigators were told by a "very reliable informant" in 1950 that Joseph LaPorta organized the "Unione Siciliana" over thirty years earlier (so 1920 or earlier) and was said to be part of the Unione's "inner council" which they quoted was "comparable to the Grand Council of the Mafia." Dave says LaPorta was interviewed by the FBI in 1960 and cites a September 11, 1955 Washington Post article that says he was partners with Tommy Lucchese in a fabrics company.
LaPorta was born in 1889 and living on East 107th (Lucchese ground zero) where he worked as a railroad conductor and listed his hometown as "Caltanissetta". He eventually ended up in Connecticut and died in 1987. Bill Feather has LaPorta coming from Piazza Armerina, which is today in Enna province, but the only Giuseppe LaPorta I see from Piazza Armerina was in Milwaukee and not the same guy. LaPorta's naturalization said he'd been in NYC since 1912 and that a son was born in Italy in 1912 -- I may have overlooked it but I didn't see a candidate who came to the US in 1912, though there was one who would fit who came to NYC years earlier from Nicosia. Either way LaPorta was from historic Caltanissetta and likely an area that is today Enna province.
In 1930, Giovanni DioGuardi from Baucina and Natale Durso were killed. DioGuardi, believed to be related to the famous DioGuardis, lived near them and Jimmy Plumeri on Forsyth Street in Little Italy.
Durso was a partner of Gaetano Reina and John Gaudio in extorting the ice industry. Durso and Gaudio were questioned by police after Reina's murder, and Durso himself was killed shortly thereafter. This is unlikely to be a coincidence. Given that in Mafia conflicts, the targets are usually important members, these two could also have been early Lucchese figures, but there is no evidence to support this.
Thanks for pointing that out. As I said earlier, Valachi did say Gagliano and Lucchese replaced Pinzolo and an unidentified underboss he believed was murdered during the war. Makes me wonder if it was one of them. DioGuardi's murder was August 1930 which would lend itself more to him being Pinzolo's underboss if Valachi's impression was accurate.
We've long speculated that Gagliano had been an underboss but I can't recall if that was ever stated by anyone. If Maas's description of him as a Reina "lieutenant" came from Valachi it would mean he was a captain and even if he had been Reina's underboss it wouldn't mean he held the same title under Pinzolo given underbosses lose their rank under a new boss unless they are reappointed.
- Valachi recommended Ettore Coco
I'm little confused. I'm think, that he was originally made in Maranzano crime family after Mineo/Ferrigno hit. And he recommended guy to membership in other family
Eline2015 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2024 6:42 pm
- Valachi recommended Ettore Coco
I'm little confused. I'm think, that he was originally made in Maranzano crime family after Mineo/Ferrigno hit. And he recommended guy to membership in other family
Valachi was originally proposed by the Lucchese Family while Pinzolo was boss and before the war officially broke out, being sponsored by a Lucchese member. The other guys he was made with ended up staying with the Luccheses. Like Buster Domingo's comment to Valachi suggests ("your boss is Tom Gagliano"), it seems to have been formally understood Valachi was made into the Luccheses (or at least a rogue faction of them) even though Maranzano presided over the ceremony and they were operating more or less as one at the time.
Not sure when/how Coco was actually made. It was news to me that Valachi recruited him into the fold. This would imply Coco was made after Valachi and he's confirmed as made before the war is over.
Eline2015 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2024 6:42 pm
- Valachi recommended Ettore Coco
I'm little confused. I'm think, that he was originally made in Maranzano crime family after Mineo/Ferrigno hit. And he recommended guy to membership in other family
Valachi was originally proposed by the Lucchese Family while Pinzolo was boss and before the war officially broke out, being sponsored by a Lucchese member. The other guys he was made with ended up staying with the Luccheses. Like Buster Domingo's comment to Valachi suggests ("your boss is Tom Gagliano"), it seems to have been formally understood Valachi was made into the Luccheses (or at least a rogue faction of them) even though Maranzano presided over the ceremony and they were operating more or less as one at the time.
Not sure when/how Coco was actually made. It was news to me that Valachi recruited him into the fold. This would imply Coco was made after Valachi and he's confirmed as made before the war is over.
Interestingly, despite being a member of the Gagliano family, Valachi's gomba at the initiation ceremony was Maranzano family member Joe Bonanno. He was chosen by lot when the 50 people present at the ceremony (apparently almost the entire Maranzano-Gagliano group in full) showed their fingers.
Despite the fact that Bonanno was supposed to be Valachi's cumpari and mentor him in the Mafia, Valachi does not mention any contacts with Bonanno afterwards. Obviously, this is a formality of the ceremony, but it is still noteworthy. It is funny, if Valachi had stayed with the Maranzano family and become a confidant of Bonanno, imagine what consequences this could have led to in the 1960s...
CornerBoy wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2024 8:26 am
seems like valachi was close w many powerful gangster. hardly seems like the low level soldier that history portrays him as. have a nice day all
Valachi had a dizzying career in the mafia for a Neapolitan with no connection to tradition.
Judge for yourself. Valachi was closely acquainted with the bosses Maranzano, Gagliano and Lucchese, was close to Vito Genovese. He became related to the respected Reina family, with these introductory information, if he had stayed in the Gagliano family, he could have risen to the rank of captain. In Maranzano's retinue, he played an important role, was appointed a soldier personally under the boss, which is a great honor. In the mafia, it is very honorable to be under the boss, such people are often more influential than captains.
In the Genovese family, Valachi's status fell sharply, but even there he was connected to very influential people. He had a long history of relations with Vito Genovese, a very influential figure. Since the crew was huge, Valachi was essentially a sub-captain at one time, helping capo Anthony Strollo manage part of the crew. All of the above makes Valachi more than just your average soldier.
Eline2015 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2024 6:42 pm
- Valachi recommended Ettore Coco
I'm little confused. I'm think, that he was originally made in Maranzano crime family after Mineo/Ferrigno hit. And he recommended guy to membership in other family
Valachi was originally proposed by the Lucchese Family while Pinzolo was boss and before the war officially broke out, being sponsored by a Lucchese member. The other guys he was made with ended up staying with the Luccheses. Like Buster Domingo's comment to Valachi suggests ("your boss is Tom Gagliano"), it seems to have been formally understood Valachi was made into the Luccheses (or at least a rogue faction of them) even though Maranzano presided over the ceremony and they were operating more or less as one at the time.
Not sure when/how Coco was actually made. It was news to me that Valachi recruited him into the fold. This would imply Coco was made after Valachi and he's confirmed as made before the war is over.
Thanks, Eric. What do you think bonanno was really a sponsor of Valachi on his induction ceremony?
B. wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2024 4:03 pm
Thanks for pointing that out. As I said earlier, Valachi did say Gagliano and Lucchese replaced Pinzolo and an unidentified underboss he believed was murdered during the war. Makes me wonder if it was one of them. DioGuardi's murder was August 1930 which would lend itself more to him being Pinzolo's underboss if Valachi's impression was accurate.
We've long speculated that Gagliano had been an underboss but I can't recall if that was ever stated by anyone. If Maas's description of him as a Reina "lieutenant" came from Valachi it would mean he was a captain and even if he had been Reina's underboss it wouldn't mean he held the same title under Pinzolo given underbosses lose their rank under a new boss unless they are reappointed.
Wasn't Valachi given a contract by Tony Bender to hit Eugeno Giannini? I think that Giannini was a soldier in the Lucchese family who was thought to have informed on Luciano. Here is the video of Giannini's murder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLyLC66mM4c and what did happen to Tony Bender?
