Russel Buffalino

[Rocco]

The Bufalino family also had people in Florida and a piece of the garment center in NYC in addition to their members in upstate NY. A pretty well connected small family.


Pogo

This is true. Makes you wonder why the family died off so quickly. I know they are small but the influence and joint rackets they had with other families out of NY should have allowed them to continue on. I guess they just didn't have enough of young recruits they trusted to make them? D'Elia was pretty much the only made member left and even he didn't make anyone to build the family up. Bufalino had control over both legal and illegal landfills thru-out PA and the Genovese family used these land fills and surely paid Bufalino.

[Rocco]

Here is Russell Bufalino's Obitaury:

http://archives.timesleader.com/1994_03 ... _WAS_.html

Thanks JCB, this quote from his obit says a lot about Bufalino's power and influence.


Bufalino's influence stretched into Binghamton and possibly Rochester, N.Y. He was a powerful figure in New York City because of his association with the Genovese family. In the 1960s and 1970s, Bufalino was temporarily head of the family, according to John Philip Jenkins, a criminal justice professor at Penn State. His notoriety went beyond the Eastern Seaboard; nationally, he was one of the most important Mafia bosses.
"There's a theory that the Mafia in the United States is run by a `National Commission,' made up of New York's five families and five or six members from other cities. Bufalino was one of the most important on that commission for 30 or 40 years," Jenkins said.

There is allot of "fluff" in that article. For one Vic Amuso was not under Bufalino's protection. Had he reached out to Bufalino he would have been at risk of being arrested sooner then he did. When Amuso and Casso went on the lam they were intouch with very few people and all of those people were from Brooklyn NY. Anyone is PA. Nor did they even know anyone from PA. They were a different Generation then Bufalino. Had is been Tony Ducks on the lam..he might have reached out to Bufalino. But then again Tony Ducks wouldn't run...he would have turned himself in.

[UTC]

Pogo, I found the garment industry reference very interesting. Could you supply more detail on that? Thanks

[UTC]

Are Bufalino guys Insalaco and Scalleat still alive? Wasn't the story that the Commission made Bufalino some kind of "trustee" of the Genovese family when there was leadership uncertainty, rather than acting boss?

[OlBlueEyesClub]

Thats a story . But there isnt anything to support the story being true.

[UTC]

I'm saying I thought it was THE story, as opposed to the claim that he was the acting boss. I know there's no support for either.

[JCB1977]

The Bufalino family also had people in Florida and a piece of the garment center in NYC in addition to their members in upstate NY. A pretty well connected small family.


Pogo

Correct. Bufalino, John LaRocca, Kelly/Sam Mannarino, Charlie Imburgia, Anthony Guarnieri and Joe Regino spent quite a bit of time in Florida at Joe Sonken's Gold Coast Restaurant. LaRocca, Regino, Bufalino all had places down in the Pompano Beach area. FBI surveillance has quite a few pictures of them throughout the years. Benjamin Musso, Florida pointman, was an associate of Family capo Anthony Guarnieri, he was also associated with acting boss Edward Sciandra. Musso was involved in narcotics trafficking which was financed, in part, by Guarnieri; he also sold counterfeit goods on Guarnieri's behalf. He had been seen on surveillance footage with Joseph Todaro, Sr., boss of the Buffalo LCN. Musso had been involved in narcotics deals which were financed by Bufalino capo, Anthony Guarnieri, to whom he then paid a portion of his profits. The Todaro Family figured in an enterprise furthered by Anthony Guarnieri. During a Broward County undercover investigation, Guarnieri took the undercover officer to Buffalo to meet Charlie Sterniola, who was to make silencers for firearms and then sell them to the agent. Todaro, apparently, became upset that Guarnieri had brought an outsider into his turf without his approval. This disagreement was mediated by acting boss Sciandra.

Many of the dress manufacturing companies that were suppliers to the NYC garment district were located in Pittston, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Bufalino happened to have a territory where 75% of the NYC garment district was supplied by companies in his region. Call it luck or whatever, he had a major piece.

Also, In 1988, John Edward Francis. Bufalino LCN associate, was indicted and charged in U.S. District Court of Southern Florida with being part of an enterprise which was importing and distributing substantial quantities of marijuana and hashish. Francis was charged with laundering money for the enterprise. He subsequently pled guilty to two tax violations; and on May 26, 1989, was sentenced to 18 months' incarceration and was fined $12,500.

[UTC]

That connected DeNaples guy was absolutely rolling in money out there too. I guess he still is.

[JCB1977]

That connected DeNaples guy was absolutely rolling in money out there too. I guess he still is.

He's worth over $100 million, well connected to the Zappala family who are political powerhouses in Pennsylvania politics going back 80 years.

[UTC]

Also perceived as connected to D'Elia.

[JCB1977]

Also perceived as connected to D'Elia.

They rubbed elbows for sure

[davidf1989]

Where did the rumor about him and the Genovese come from?

Was his Family prominent in anything big? I don't knowing about Scranton Fam. Howany members at their peak?

Hi and what do you make of these articles about Russell Bufalino?

https://www.newspapers.com/article/ariz ... 124286603/ this one mentions that members of the Bufalino family were involved with Fat Tony Ciulla and the former head of the Winter Hill Gang which was Howie Winter in the race fixing case, which was the case that Bulger and Flemmi were removed from by their FBI handlers. It also mentions that the Bufalino family were believed to be have been involved in sports bribery and extortion from upstate new York to Western Pennsylvania.

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the- ... 124780256/ this one is about Bufalino's power in the Mafia and that he could overrule Angelo Bruno.

[johnny_scootch]

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the- ... 124780256/ this one is about Bufalino's power in the Mafia and that he could overrule Angelo Bruno.

It’s possible that Bufalino could overrule Bruno in regards to a murder even if it was to take place in Bruno’s own territory but without context it’s hard to say how or why but the bit about Bufalino controlling the Magaddino and Genovese families is just wild unsubstantiated garbage.

[davidf1989]

Thanks for your reply Johnny scootch and here is an article which explains more about Russell Bufalino interceding with Bruno about a murder. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the- ... 124787409/ the article also mentions Frank Sindone and Sheeran

[CornerBoy]

Was his Family prominent in anything big? I don't knowing about Scranton Fam. Howany members at their peak?

They were involved in the garbage business in their area and I believe they had a small piece of the garment center in NYC.


At their peak they had maybe 30 or so members. They were never a big family. A report from 1991 had them down to 11 made members.


Pogo

Actually a big cash cow for this family was brokering illegal and legal landfills from the Poconos to Scranton area and beyond. Allot of the NY families brought their waste out to PA thru the 70s and early 80s when the heat came down on them in nj and NY. Buffalino made allot of money doing this. I am sure there are allot of illegal dumps thru out PA that are yet to be discovered.

The Bufalino's worked very closely with Pittsburgh as well as the Youngstown faction, as Joey Naples and Lenny Strollo owned dump sites and had a partnership with Russell going back to the 1970's when Big Dom Mallamo
and his nephew Jimmy Prato were in charge. Billy D'Elia came to Youngstown often, check out this article in the local Youngstown newspaper.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=32 ... town&hl=en

wasnt there something about mallamo that was interesting? like he was a secret boss or someone on here was relatedd to hom?