What do We Know about Willie Moretti?

[JoelTurner]

Anthony “Tony Nino” Saita was involved in bombing poultry magnet Barnet Baff.

This was not really successful. Later, on Nov 24 1914, he was murdered in a complex operation orchestrated by Ippolito Greco. It also had some very big future players, Lucchese boss Tom Reina & LA boss Jack Dragna.

Saita wasn’t the focus of the investigation following this affair, by then, he had already absconded to Buffalo, NY. However, he was identified by rat Joseph Sorro by his name, nickname, and address:



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Saita was very close to Moretti early on. Considering that he had essentially the same path of East Harlem -> Buffalo -> New Jersey, this makes sense.

Saita was a Sicilian (later claimed to be born in NJ) and would have fit in with the Morello group. He was probably an associate; Greco/Reina/Dragna would have been made.

[B.]

Good connection.

Fratianno said Dragna told him he was made in 1914. Same year as the Baff murder so maybe it was how Dragna "made his bones" if he was made shortly after the murder or he was a recent inductee. 1914 was also when he returned to the US from Corleone. Big year for the guy.

[JoelTurner]

Good connection.

Fratianno said Dragna told him he was made in 1914. Same year as the Baff murder so maybe it was how Dragna "made his bones" if he was made shortly after the murder or he was a recent inductee. 1914 was also when he returned to the US from Corleone. Big year for the guy.

Is it known if he was made here or “on the other side”?

[B.]

No clue. It was either shortly before he left Sicily or shortly after he returned which are both interesting.

[PolackTony]

No clue. It was either shortly before he left Sicily or shortly after he returned which are both interesting.

In terms of the timeline, Baff was hit in November of 1914, while Dragna had arrived in the US in the spring of that year. If he was made in Sicily, then he was already made by the time the Baff thing went down, and, conversely, if it were actually the case that he made his bones on the Baff thing than obviously he wasn’t made over there.

I don’t recall that any of the LA member sources stated where he was made, unless I’m forgetting something.

[JoelTurner]

Here’s a possible member: Frank Failla

- 12 Mar 1899 (Geraci Siculo, Palermo, Sicily) - 22 Dec 1975 (Clifton, NJ)

- Parents were Giuseppe Failla & Maria Baldanza. Married Nicolina “Nellie” Leonte.

He’s listed as a member whose affiliation is unknown:


He was also on the Apalachin meeting lists as a Miami delegate but doesn’t appear to have actually attended.

While he may have moved to Florida by the late ‘50s, he was a longtime member of Moretti’s gang and had a bunch of arrests in the Bergen/Passaic area.

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In Jan 1946, His daughter had a bridal shower that was very well attended:



Notable attendees (or families of):

- Willie Moretti
- Solly Moretti
- Pete LaPlaca
- Paul Palmeri
- Robert Tarantino
- Anthony Guarini

John Cannariato was a cousin-once removed to both Dr. Philip Noto & Anthony Scoma

Richard Wallace was Charles D'Arrigo. Not made, but a part of Moretti’s gang

[davidf1989]

Bomp basically took responsibility for initiating the murder given he and Dragna took their suspicions to Lucchese and Zerilli who reported it to the Commission and an investigation was launched that determined Moretti was talking. It's definitely suspicious Colonel White was the one who congratulated Bomp on his recent promotion given the known relationship between White and Moretti, combined with Moretti spending time in California. It's been said Moretti was simply getting loose with his tongue because of his mental condition but if he told White about Bomp's promotion that is crossing a different line and makes sense it would be a contributing factor to his murder.

Another interesting angle in this is Moretti's close relationship to Costello, as Bomp (and likely Dragna) absolutely hated Costello. A decade earlier, Bomp and Dragna attended a Commission meeting to mediate a conflict between Costello and Frank Coppola of New Orleans as Costello was seeking to have Coppola killed. Bomp said he himself was forced to leave the meeting as he started openly disparaging Costello in the meeting and he made additional comments to the FBI about his low opinion of Costello. Bomp and Dragna were clearly there to advocate for their old friend Coppola who had spent time in California earlier and took issue with Costello.

Valachi felt Vito Genovese was pivotal in pushing for the Moretti murder to undermine Costello's power and we know from Bonanno that Genovese and Lucchese formed an alliance to make a powerplay in the 1950s, so it is intriging that Lucchese's close friends in LA provided a convenient story that, in Bomp's telling, led to Moretti's murder. Whatever the true story is (I lean toward elements of each story), Moretti's murder weakened Costello in the process and gave the Genovese-Lucchese alliance more influence.

Thanks for your detailed analysis and was Moretti believed to be an informant of Colonel White? as this report on p.6 makes the case that Moretti was believed to be https://www.archives.gov/files/research ... 306064.pdf

[JoelTurner]

In Jan 1922, Angelo LaPadura and three others torched a macaroni factory for insurance money. His companions were: Antonio Graceffo, Faustino Sammaritono, and Pasquale Casa.



Graceffo seems to have been an interesting figure:

- Born Sep 21 1889 in Favara, Agrigento, Sicily

- Married to Maria Zambito (likely from Cattolica Eraclea, Agrigento, Sicily)

- Had multiple arrests in Pennsylvania, notably for the murder of labor insurgents Peter Reilley & Alexander Campbell. They were feuding with United Mine Workers; possible NE Pennsylvania member Concetto “Frank” Agati was involved in this affair before being killed in 1928

- Brother Salvatore “Sam” Graceffo had a bunch of gambling charges

- Passed away Nov 29 1934 after an operation

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1) This whole group was super close to the NE Pennsylvania family. Graceffo used the same excuse as LaPadura, that he was selling cheese & olive oil in the area, as a cover for his bootlegging.

2) Pasquale Casa (Jul 16 1897 - Favara) lived in Little Falls, NJ and didn’t have any other arrests.

Favara wasn’t a common hometown among the North Jersey mafia groups. In fact, I can’t think of anyone else who was from there.

[PolackTony]

In Jan 1922, Angelo LaPadura and three others torched a macaroni factory for insurance money. His companions were: Antonio Graceffo, Faustino Sammaritono, and Pasquale Casa.



Graceffo seems to have been an interesting figure:

- Born Sep 21 1889 in Favara, Agrigento, Sicily

- Married to Maria Zambito (likely from Cattolica Eraclea, Agrigento, Sicily)

- Had multiple arrests in Pennsylvania, notably for the murder of labor insurgents Peter Reilley & Alexander Campbell. They were feuding with United Mine Workers; possible NE Pennsylvania member Concetto “Frank” Agati was involved in this affair before being killed in 1928

- Brother Salvatore “Sam” Graceffo had a bunch of gambling charges

- Passed away Nov 29 1934 after an operation

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1) This whole group was super close to the NE Pennsylvania family. Graceffo used the same excuse as LaPadura, that he was selling cheese & olive oil in the area, as a cover for his bootlegging.

2) Pasquale Casa (Jul 16 1897 - Favara) lived in Little Falls, NJ and didn’t have any other arrests.

Favara wasn’t a common hometown among the North Jersey mafia groups. In fact, I can’t think of anyone else who was from there.

Interesting case, especially given this little group of guys from Favara, which was the center of a well-documented network of mafiosi in the sulphur-mining hill country surrounding the city of Agrigento in the 1880s. It’s not just that we don’t see Favaresi in the North Jersey mob — we don’t really see them at all, to my knowledge, in the American mob in general, so it’s notable to document this apparent little cluster.

The other guy from the 1922 incident was Agostino Faustino Sammaritano, born ~1882 in Favara. Died in NYC in 1929. He lived for decades at that address on E 45th St, which I note was also given as Pasquale Casa’s address when he was arrested in 1922. This Eastside location could be of note that the Agrigentino Gambino Arcuri crew was based a bit farther up.

[B.]

^ A few years ago I asked DiLeonardo if he ever heard of any NYC guys with heritage in Favara and he thought there may have been some people involved with the Arcuri crew from there. Of course the Arcuri crew is largely a mystery even to insiders but they did have members from Naro which is near Favara, among them Calogero Marsala and I believe Arcuri in-laws the Francos trace back there.

Good find, Joel. Not surprising Favaresi would associate with guys from Caltanissetta as that part of Agrigento runs into Caltanissetta and there are strong regional links.

[JoelTurner]

It’s not just that we don’t see Favaresi in the North Jersey mob — we don’t really see them at all, to my knowledge, in the American mob in general

This Eastside location could be of note that the Agrigentino Gambino Arcuri crew was based a bit farther up.

Of course the Arcuri crew is largely a mystery even to insiders but they did have members from Naro which is near Favara

Really interesting, I hadn’t realized that they were that uncommon.

On the topic of UES Gambinos, Naro, and NJ; John Alu needs to be mentioned. Family from Naro, he grew up at 236 E 96th St, NYC, NY. Weirdly, he started out on the Jersey City docks and was involved with Morris Manna/Tony Marchitto takeover there.

Idk he linked up with them. There were Alus in LaPadura’s family but they were from San Cataldo

[JoelTurner]

John Cannariato was a cousin-once removed to both Dr. Philip Noto & Anthony Scoma

The John Cannariato who was with Moretti’s gang was not their cousin but was pretty interesting nonetheless.

Born Nov 9 1893 in Corleone, his connection to that city was matrilineal as his mother Maria was from there (Apr 17 1878). However, his father Giuseppe Cannariato was from Prizzi (May 12 1862).

While I wasn’t able to connect his father’s family to the Cannariatos that were related to Scoma & Noto; he didn’t lack for family ties:

He was married to Christine Lazzara, sister of Genovese member Ernest Lazzara. Their family (from Petralia Sottana) owned a very prominent bakery and were major political figures. Their uncle Cosimo Lazzara was the alderman for the Paterson’s 7th Ward and cousin Joseph Lazzara was the highest paid figure in Passaic County in the ‘70s.

His brother Charles Cannariato was part of Pete LaPlaca’s gang. This was a rough crowd; in addition to hold-ups, they had assaulted several women.

Beyond his family background, he was an active criminal. He was arrested several times:

- In June 1933, he was arrested alongside Genovese member Joe “Kid Steech” Bongiorno & Angelo Alba after a shootout at a speakeasy

- In 1934, he was pinched for slot machines alongside Jim Profita, Frank Failla, and Henry Kuller

- In 1950, he was arrested at a Ziginette game with Paul Palmeri

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Looking at his heavy ties to the Genovese Passaic crew, he was likely a member. He had long faded out of view by the time he passed away in Jan 1971

[B.]

LaPlaca had heritage in Petralia Sottana as well so they were tied to two guys with a background there. Never heard of the Cannariatos. Some of the few Corleonesi active in NJ along with Badami and the Majuris, wonder if he was connected to them at all.

[JoelTurner]

LaPlaca had heritage in Petralia Sottana as well so they were tied to two guys with a background there

Their families would have known each other. Both Domenico LaPlaca & Emideo Lazzara were members of the Humbert Political Club named for King Umberto I of Italy.

[JoelTurner]

On Feb 7 1964, Gene Catena was informed that a member of his crew, a ~76 year old Patsy, had passed away.



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Two days earlier, on Feb 5 1964, Pasquale Dolcemascolo passed away. This 81-yr old grocer was a rough match in both name & age. Here’s a better look at him:

Born Oct 8 1882 in Lercara Friddi to Salvatore Dolcemascolo & Antonina Giordano, he was married to Vincenza Tringale (22 August 1889 - Messina, Sicily) and lived in NYC from ~1903-25.

On Feb 15 1930, he was picked up alongside John Cannariato & Victor Guarnieri. This trio was looking to ambush Archie “The Bearded Wonder” Senville.

A member of Anthony "Sparky" Wilda’s holdup gang, he barely lasted a month longer before being riddled with bullets on Mar 17 1930. Dolcemascolo & Bartolo “Frank” Failla were arrested (but not charged) following the Senville murder.

On Jan 4 1932, he was injured in a shootout with Vincent DeFranco at a liquor still (128 Market St, Garfield, NJ).

Going by his age & activities, he was probably a member before Willie Moretti showed up.

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Despite sharing a surname & hometown as NYC Genovese members Pietro, Frank, and Ralph Dolcemascolo; I didn’t find a connection. Patsy’s siblings lived in Bergen County, NJ.