Who are some Gambino guys that were rumored to have bought their button?

[Nasabeak]

As we all know, supposedly Frank Scalise, and possibly Albert Anastasia were selling memberships in the middle to late 1950s.

Supposedly, this was done by Anastasia to cover his immense gambling debts, at a price of $50,000 per button, and supposedly also, Scalise just ended up being the fall guy for it.

After Anastasia was murdered, it was apparently used as part of the justification for his murder. Or, at least was made part of the reasoning after the fact, when the primary reason seems to be the three Captains (Staten Island Joe, Joe Biondo, Charlie Dongarra) moving on Albert to save themselves from an unjust execution.

That being said, are there any guys who we either KNOW bought their button, or, who it was surmised, or were rumored to have bought theirs?

[johnny_scootch]

Pretty sure this was a myth and it’s more like what the families are doing with businessmen who get made these days. Guys who don’t do killings and really aren’t tough guys just earners. It was seen as an egregious sin in the old days when it was thought you had to partake in a murder to be made even though that wasn’t true 100% of the time. If you got straightened out off the strength of earning potential alone with no work put in you bought your button.

I do remember something about Scalise making himself a partner in guys businesses and making them afterwards tho. I could be wrong hopefully someone will chime in who knows more.

[chin_gigante]

Joe Valachi wrote about this subject quite extensively in his manuscript The Real Thing (available to read on The American Mafia https://mafiahistory.us/a023/therealthing.htm). He specifically states that Frank Scalise proposed about 18 individuals between 1953 and 1954, many of whom were from the Fordham section of the Bronx and 106th Street. Vincent Squillante was one of these new members and several of the others were assigned to his decina. Squillante had previously made hundreds of thousands of dollars for Anastasia by organising waste haulage businesses. Valachi writes,

Scalice took many sums of money by making himself partner with these individuals and actually never returning their share of the operation. In many instances he obtained sums in the amount of forty thousand to fifty thousand dollars from these individuals to make them mob members. They were brought in solely for the money making abilities. The older element of the cosa nostra were displeased with these new men and felt they were not qualified and were misfits by the old rules.

Valachi eventually sat down with Scalise over an issue he was having with some of these new members. Scalise told him,

The boys bring me their names and they tell me that they are good fellows and I put them on the list...Joe when are you going to wake up these are not the old days, people want to be important so we make them important, do you understand?

Scalise reassured Valachi that if the new members didn't behave he would 'slap them right in the face in front of everyone'. Scalice also told Valachi that he had another list of guys to propose but wasn't going to go ahead with it because the guys he had made were giving him too much trouble to begin with.

Valachi told the FBI that Anastasia had Scalise killed because he feared the power that Scalise had amassed due to the 'many buttons he had made'. It was Squillante who actually 'instigated' the plot to kill Scalise. Valachi described Squillante as a 'pervert' who abused the wives of his members and used them to clean up the blood after the murder of Joe Scalise. He said Squillante's behaviour was indicative of 'the type of member made during this period'.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... lPageId=17

[Nasabeak]

Joe Valachi wrote about this subject quite extensively in his manuscript The Real Thing (available to read on The American Mafia https://mafiahistory.us/a023/therealthing.htm). He specifically states that Frank Scalise proposed about 18 individuals between 1953 and 1954, many of whom were from the Fordham section of the Bronx and 106th Street. Vincent Squillante was one of these new members and several of the others were assigned to his decina. Squillante had previously made hundreds of thousands of dollars for Anastasia by organising waste haulage businesses. Valachi writes,

Scalice took many sums of money by making himself partner with these individuals and actually never returning their share of the operation. In many instances he obtained sums in the amount of forty thousand to fifty thousand dollars from these individuals to make them mob members. They were brought in solely for the money making abilities. The older element of the cosa nostra were displeased with these new men and felt they were not qualified and were misfits by the old rules.

Valachi eventually sat down with Scalise over an issue he was having with some of these new members. Scalise told him,

The boys bring me their names and they tell me that they are good fellows and I put them on the list...Joe when are you going to wake up these are not the old days, people want to be important so we make them important, do you understand?

Scalise reassured Valachi that if the new members didn't behave he would 'slap them right in the face in front of everyone'. Scalice also told Valachi that he had another list of guys to propose but wasn't going to go ahead with it because the guys he had made were giving him too much trouble to begin with.

Valachi told the FBI that Anastasia had Scalise killed because he feared the power that Scalise had amassed due to the 'many buttons he had made'. It was Squillante who actually 'instigated' the plot to kill Scalise. Valachi described Squillante as a 'pervert' who abused the wives of his members and used them to clean up the blood after the murder of Joe Scalise. He said Squillante's behaviour was indicative of 'the type of member made during this period'.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... lPageId=17

Thanks.

[Juice Terry]

William Bentvena? ("He bought his button! That fake old tough guy!..."

[Pogo The Clown]

Originally posted by MightyDR.

Valachi lists several members who were initiated by Scalice. These include Jimmy Squillante, Jerry Mancuso, Aniello "Wahoo" Mancuso, "ch*nk" Leo, Frank Rocci, Tony the Geep, Mike the Geep, Carmine Camarado, Jimmy Ward, Salvatore Bonfrisco, Jojo and Dudu. Valachi indicates they all paid $40,000 to become members. He also says that some paid with their business and then never saw their business again.

Philip LoScalzo, John Daniello, John DiMatteo, Joseph Mamfredi and Patsy Conte are other members who have been listed as buying their membership.


Pogo

[SonnyBlackstein]

Pretty sure this was a myth and it’s more like what the families are doing with businessmen who get made these days. Guys who don’t do killings and really aren’t tough guys just earners. It was seen as an egregious sin in the old days when it was thought you had to partake in a murder to be made even though that wasn’t true 100% of the time. If you got straightened out off the strength of earning potential alone with no work put in you bought your button.

I do remember something about Scalise making himself a partner in guys businesses and making them afterwards tho. I could be wrong hopefully someone will chime in who knows more.

Just listen to this guy and ignore everything else. Seriously.

[RickyBrown]

patsy conte

[Proletarian187]

Fucking slander you ask me!

[B.]

I've posted about it before but Scootch and Chin covered it well.

Historically, it doesn't seem members were made for being "earners", with factors like blood/marital relation and/or participation in murder being the biggest deciding factors for membership. By the 1950s, it appears more guys were being inducted for "earning" and naturally this was controversial to some members. Take Valachi for example, who was not an "earner" or an impressive criminal or businessman in any respect before being made but was inducted for his participation in an important double murder -- it makes sense he would be flippant about what the Gambinos were doing, seeing these guys as having "bought" their buttons. But as he broke down in more detail in his Senate testimony, what was actually taking place was closer to what we would now see as "earners" being rewarded with membership simply for the financial benefits they brought to the org. They weren't literally paying a sum of money in exchange for membership, they were being rewarded with membership for business partnerships and earning ability.

I don't believe Freddy Santantonio ever commented on members "buying" membership but when he broke down the different types of members and reasons they are inducted, he said guys who were made for being earners mingled within their own element and weren't really accepted by the other types of members, something to that affect.

[Pmac2]

in boston newspaper kinda started a rumor Imo gerry anguilo bought his button. it's dumb. back in the 50tys he was the biggest bookie in boston. a made guy I believe larry baione has him kicking up to him. gerry meets Ray patriarca around that time, gives him a monthly tribute then him and 4 5 of his brothers get made. those guys killed alot of guys or orderd it. the press had a infatuation with whitey. in the end he wasn't a pimple on the anguilo brothers ass and was a fbi informant or he partner was and he was well aware. the end. I will add I think gerry brother Donato was on tape saying his brother gerry was a killer like he was, not a tough guy. Lotta bravado but end of day gerry was the underboss for 20 years in boston made millions. gerry pissed ray p off alot throwing his weight around. at other made guys. Ray was caught on tape bashing him alot almost ready to kill him. but gerry was a golden goose for 20+ years. he was also a ww2 vet in combat. that means something, whitey wasnt...

[B.]

in boston newspaper kinda started a rumor Imo gerry anguilo bought his button. it's dumb. back in the 50tys he was the biggest bookie in boston. a made guy I believe larry baione has him kicking up to him. gerry meets Ray patriarca around that time, gives him a monthly tribute then him and 4 5 of his brothers get made. those guys killed alot of guys or orderd it. the press had a infatuation with whitey. in the end he wasn't a pimple on the anguilo brothers ass and was a fbi informant or he partner was and he was well aware. the end. I will add I think gerry brother Donato was on tape saying his brother gerry was a killer like he was, not a tough guy. Lotta bravado but end of day gerry was the underboss for 20 years in boston made millions. gerry pissed ray p off alot throwing his weight around. at other made guys. Ray was caught on tape bashing him alot almost ready to kill him. but gerry was a golden goose for 20+ years. he was also a ww2 vet in combat. that means something, whitey wasnt...

If there was a rumor that Angiulo "bought" his membership, it was likely along the same lines as the Gambino rumors.

An informant said Angiulo was made for being a good earner:

[Laughmatics]

Most of the guys who were rumoured to have bought their buttons didn't turn rat, but many serious killers did. You can do whatever you want with that information you want.

[Pmac2]

it was a narrative by a certain written in boston. and the fbi Like fed it to him gerry anguilo bought his button. gerry hated the fbi he was like 15yrs off the street doing his 30yr bid and the fbi were still floating the narrative. then all the shit came out about whitey and Steve being informants then the corrupt agents. the narrative turn. gerry was a gangster who did 30yrs never flipped died at home made so much money like generational. was a ww2 hero. it's a weird story look back at it. he was definitely in a different stratosphere then whitey in steve. it's similar to patsy conte buying his button. guys where just eager huge money, makers.

[Joeyboy1982]

I had heard Larry Baione was shaking down Gerry and he ran to Ray Sr for protection, got a button after giving like 50 or 100k(ala Bobby Luisi) and then was tapped to lead boston as UB