Vincenzo Troia thread

[cavita]

Per Antiliar’s suggestion I was thinking of starting a thread about someone LCN-related, in this example Vincenzo Troia, and if others have any information they could add to it or correct it and perhaps add a supporting reference if available. With adding Troia, I’m hoping others can add where he was on a given day and time to nail down his movements and/or associations as I am shaky on what Troia did before coming to the Midwest and afterwards. Anyone else can start threads about anyone they’re looking for information on and others can contribute info. It could go something like this:

Vincenzo “Big Vince” Troia:

October 27, 1887 born in San Giuseppe Iato, Sicily to Benedetto Troia and Rosalia Costanza according to San Giuseppe birth records.

July 28, 1907 married Rosaria Ruffino in San Giuseppe Iato, Sicily according to San Giuseppe marriage records.

1925 allegedly entered the U.S. illegally while disguised as a monk according to the May 31, 1934 Rockford Register Republic who quoted immigration authorities.

October 8, 1927 was arrested after arriving at the Paul Scamardo home at 709 Morgan Street for kidnapping Ezra Duffy, a Dixon, Illinois bootlegger. Troia was found to have a revolver in his possession.

1930 was listed as a macaroni maker at Liberty Macaroni Company in Rockford according to the city directory.

August 16, 1930 the rooming house at 1501 Clifton Avenue that Troia was staying at was shot up by allies of the Giovingo brothers. The Rockford newspapers reported that sources said Troia had fled Rockford two days before. Minutes before the Clifton Avenue shooting, Troia’s sugar store at 411 Lincoln Avenue was shot up. The rooming house at Clifton was owned by Mrs. Anna DeMarco and two other tenants were staying there at the time- Tony LaPuma and Tony Riela, who later became a New Jersey LCN member.

April 15, 1931 was present at a meeting with Charles “Lucky” Luciano in Luciano’s Manhattan residence.

May 3, 1934 was arrested on Longwood Street in Rockford along with Frank Longo of Springfield, Illinois and Phil Picciuro of Beloit, Wisconsin. A .22 caliber rifle was found in the vehicle. Troia had been under a $50,000 bond from a warrant issued four years earlier when he went missing after the Joe Giovingo murder. According to the Rockford Register Republic, the bond for Troia was posted by four Rockford and Streator men though they were never identified. When arrested, Troia gave his address as 365 N. 7th St., Newark, New Jersey.

August 22, 1935 murdered in Anthony Cangelosi’s candy shop at 317 S. 6th Street in Newark, NJ for reportedly trying to muscle in on the lottery racket in that city according to FBI files. He was killed along with his son Joe Troia and bodyguard Frank Longo. Also present was Jerome Benveneto and Antonio Sunsaro.

Used the alias Lorenzo Salvatore, Elia Costanza, Salvatore Ruffino.

[Antiliar]

We could add that he was the boss of San Giuseppe Jato before he came to America. Nick Gentile said that Troia was part of a commission to put an end to the war between Masseria and Maranzano in either late 1930 or early 1931.

[bronx]

Any truth he may have been on daquila hit Anti? was he in nj or ny at that time?

[cavita]

We could add that he was the boss of San Giuseppe Jato before he came to America. Nick Gentile said that Troia was part of a commission to put an end to the war between Masseria and Maranzano in either late 1930 or early 1931.

Correct! I can't remember the name of the book I think you referenced previously, but I believe it stated Troia was mafia boss of San Giuseppe Iato, Sicily from 1918-1925 and that he was possibly involved in the 1920 murder of Salvatore Mineo, the mayor of San Giuseppe Iato.

[cavita]

1934 photo of Troia

[Antiliar]

Any truth he may have been on daquila hit Anti? was he in nj or ny at that time?

There's no evidence connecting him with the D'Aquila hit. We don't know who the shooters were, but it was arranged by Joe Masseria, Giuseppe Morello, Manfredi Mineo, and probably some insiders. Vincenzo Mangano or Frank Scalise could have been in on it, but that's only a guess.

[B.]

We could add that he was the boss of San Giuseppe Jato before he came to America. Nick Gentile said that Troia was part of a commission to put an end to the war between Masseria and Maranzano in either late 1930 or early 1931.

Correct! I can't remember the name of the book I think you referenced previously, but I believe it stated Troia was mafia boss of San Giuseppe Iato, Sicily from 1918-1925 and that he was possibly involved in the 1920 murder of Salvatore Mineo, the mayor of San Giuseppe Iato.

There was a lot of great discussion on him a while back and I know you and Antiliar were a part of it, but it also looks like Troia had two brothers who were leading figures in SGI, with one of them possibly running things for him when he absconded to the US. Those Italian documents also implied that Troia may have left Sicily for the US due to heat from the Mineo murder. Seems the Troia brothers were very powerful in the area.

[cavita]

We could add that he was the boss of San Giuseppe Jato before he came to America. Nick Gentile said that Troia was part of a commission to put an end to the war between Masseria and Maranzano in either late 1930 or early 1931.

Correct! I can't remember the name of the book I think you referenced previously, but I believe it stated Troia was mafia boss of San Giuseppe Iato, Sicily from 1918-1925 and that he was possibly involved in the 1920 murder of Salvatore Mineo, the mayor of San Giuseppe Iato.

There was a lot of great discussion on him a while back and I know you and Antiliar were a part of it, but it also looks like Troia had two brothers who were leading figures in SGI, with one of them possibly running things for him when he absconded to the US. Those Italian documents also implied that Troia may have left Sicily for the US due to heat from the Mineo murder. Seems the Troia brothers were very powerful in the area.

I have to believe Troia had relatives in Madison, Wisconsin as every Troia family there has roots from SGI. He was living there right before moving to Rockford. Some day when I get enough time I will have to look into his family tree on this matter.

[B.]

I remember we also speculated that he may have been a boss in Springfield briefly before settling in NJ after the Castellammarese war, given his status/position in the negotiations during the war. It's also possible his rank as boss of SGI was still recognized in the US when it came to political matters. We have examples of bosses in Sicily losing their rank when they came to the US (Maranzano), but if Troia's brothers were running the show in SGI, this may have allowed him to keep his rank remotely for a time.

[cavita]

I remember we also speculated that he may have been a boss in Springfield briefly before settling in NJ after the Castellammarese war, given his status/position in the negotiations during the war. It's also possible his rank as boss of SGI was still recognized in the US when it came to political matters. We have examples of bosses in Sicily losing their rank when they came to the US (Maranzano), but if Troia's brothers were running the show in SGI, this may have allowed him to keep his rank remotely for a time.

The more I think about this the more I come to believe in the strong likelihood that Troia was perhaps a "floating boss" and was the boss of Springfield for a short time. Around the time Troia fled Rockford due to the murder of Joe Giovingo (August 1930), Frank Zito had begun taking control of the rackets in Springfield but he and some associates had found themselves arrested that summer on liquor conspiracy warrants. They were all ultimately convicted in March 1931. Along with Zito being convicted were future made member Vincent Salvo and future Rockford LCN underboss Gaspare Calo. During the time Zito was imprisoned, Troia could very well have led the Springfield group until Zito was released and assumed control of the family from his countryman Troia.

[B.]

I remember we also speculated that he may have been a boss in Springfield briefly before settling in NJ after the Castellammarese war, given his status/position in the negotiations during the war. It's also possible his rank as boss of SGI was still recognized in the US when it came to political matters. We have examples of bosses in Sicily losing their rank when they came to the US (Maranzano), but if Troia's brothers were running the show in SGI, this may have allowed him to keep his rank remotely for a time.

The more I think about this the more I come to believe in the strong likelihood that Troia was perhaps a "floating boss" and was the boss of Springfield for a short time. Around the time Troia fled Rockford due to the murder of Joe Giovingo (August 1930), Frank Zito had begun taking control of the rackets in Springfield but he and some associates had found themselves arrested that summer on liquor conspiracy warrants. They were all ultimately convicted in March 1931. Along with Zito being convicted were future made member Vincent Salvo and future Rockford LCN underboss Gaspare Calo. During the time Zito was imprisoned, Troia could very well have led the Springfield group until Zito was released and assumed control of the family from his countryman Troia.

That would make sense.

We know from Nick Gentile's personal experience and info on some other leaders (assuming he was telling the truth, and it should be noted nothing conflicts with this info) that it wasn't a big deal for a respected mafioso to move to a new city and assume a top leadership position for a time. Seems more than reasonable that Troia, having been a boss in Sicily, could have been a boss or administration member in one or more of the cities he lived in during his travels, especially the ones with his paesani. This might also explain why he had trouble adjusting to a lesser rank in Newark under D'Amico, though for all we know he still held some kind of rank there though he was not boss.

Have you found anything else out about Francesco Longo? Stefano Magaddino talks about other mafia-connected Longos from SGI in one of the transcripts from his office. One report says those killed with Troia were relatives and of course Joseph Troia is obvious (though there is conflicting info about whether he is son/step-son) but Troia seems to have recruited Longo from Illinois which may indicate a relation given that Longo was also from SGI.

[Antiliar]

As a point of speculation, if Troia was indeed a member of the Newark Family, it would make sense that he was killed by the five New York Families that wanted to destroy it. Maybe he wanted to hold Newark together but was overruled by the Commission, and fought back in a losing war.

[cavita]

I remember we also speculated that he may have been a boss in Springfield briefly before settling in NJ after the Castellammarese war, given his status/position in the negotiations during the war. It's also possible his rank as boss of SGI was still recognized in the US when it came to political matters. We have examples of bosses in Sicily losing their rank when they came to the US (Maranzano), but if Troia's brothers were running the show in SGI, this may have allowed him to keep his rank remotely for a time.

The more I think about this the more I come to believe in the strong likelihood that Troia was perhaps a "floating boss" and was the boss of Springfield for a short time. Around the time Troia fled Rockford due to the murder of Joe Giovingo (August 1930), Frank Zito had begun taking control of the rackets in Springfield but he and some associates had found themselves arrested that summer on liquor conspiracy warrants. They were all ultimately convicted in March 1931. Along with Zito being convicted were future made member Vincent Salvo and future Rockford LCN underboss Gaspare Calo. During the time Zito was imprisoned, Troia could very well have led the Springfield group until Zito was released and assumed control of the family from his countryman Troia.

That would make sense.

We know from Nick Gentile's personal experience and info on some other leaders (assuming he was telling the truth, and it should be noted nothing conflicts with this info) that it wasn't a big deal for a respected mafioso to move to a new city and assume a top leadership position for a time. Seems more than reasonable that Troia, having been a boss in Sicily, could have been a boss or administration member in one or more of the cities he lived in during his travels, especially the ones with his paesani. This might also explain why he had trouble adjusting to a lesser rank in Newark under D'Amico, though for all we know he still held some kind of rank there though he was not boss.

Have you found anything else out about Francesco Longo? Stefano Magaddino talks about other mafia-connected Longos from SGI in one of the transcripts from his office. One report says those killed with Troia were relatives and of course Joseph Troia is obvious (though there is conflicting info about whether he is son/step-son) but Troia seems to have recruited Longo from Illinois which may indicate a relation given that Longo was also from SGI.

I've included what I have on Frank Longo in a new thread on him

[B.]

As a point of speculation, if Troia was indeed a member of the Newark Family, it would make sense that he was killed by the five New York Families that wanted to destroy it. Maybe he wanted to hold Newark together but was overruled by the Commission, and fought back in a losing war.

It's tricky because in FBI files on MF Gentile makes some mistakes, but here is what stands out offhand about his info and the info from others like Bill Bonanno:

- He claims that D'Amico was the rappresentante of a "New York-New Jersey family", the wording of which is very interesting. This implies that the Newark family included a New York element, which matches the DeCavalcante family, who had a large NYC faction. However, Villabatesi and other members from Newark joined the Profaci family after Newark was disbanded, including a direct relative of D'Amico, and according to Angelo Bruno wiretaps and other pieces we have, Newark members were spread out into at least several of the NYC families, so we can't assume the "New York-New Jersey" description implies continuity with the DeCavalcantes, only that Newark may have been similar to the DeCavs in that they had members in NYC as well as NJ. Sure, it could mean the DeCavs were a faction of Newark, but it could be just as likely that any NJ group would have a presence in NYC by default given how close it is. Many NJ crews from NY families have had operations in NYC, for example (read Fresolone's book for some good examples of this).

- Gentile claims that Troia was a member of the Newark family and DID usurp D'Amico as boss, in turn making a lot of money by taking over Newark's lottery racket. However, he incorrectly says that Troia was responsible for the attempted murder of D'Amico that killed D'Amico's father and that this was the reason for Troia's own murder -- this event happened a significant amount of time after Troia's death, so he could not have been involved though I suppose it's possible that Troia set the wheels in motion for the murder and his loyalists carried it out, who knows. Gentile knew Troia very well, though, and I think he could be right that Troia did become boss of the Newark family for a period before his death. There was a significant period of time between Troia's death and the attempted murder of D'Amico, though, so if Troia was the boss at the time of his death, who was running the Newark family between 1935-1937? Did D'Amico resume control, or was the family disbanded around 1935 and D'Amico was supposed to be killed later for not accepting this or perhaps other reasons?

- Profaci is said to have been involved in disbanding the Newark family, which makes sense as his cousin Cammarata was a likely member, boss/former boss D'Amico and his relatives were Villabatesi Newark members, and a number of other prominent Newark members like the Lombardinos ended up with Profaci. However, this does not mean that Profaci supported D'Amico, as it is just as common, if not more common, for paesani to be at odds with each other even though the assumption is that they are natural allies.

- Side note, but Toto Lombardino, though not from Villabate, seems to have been an important Newark member by 1928, as he had lived in Newark for quite a while before that and his presence at the Cleveland meeting with his nephew as an "assistant" implies some importance (many people talk about how leaders would bring an assistant to Commission/assembly meetings and looking at the Cleveland meeting, we see Profaci/Magliocco, Traina/Mangano, Lolordo/Bacino, and probably other relationships we don't know, so Lombardino/Lombardino would fit this arrangement, implying the elder Lombardino was representing the Newark family with his nephew as his assistant).

Back to Troia -- if he did become boss of Newark, as Gentile says, he was already dead by 1937 and could not have been killed for the attempt on D'Amico in 1937, as Gentile incorrectly says. If Gentile was slightly mixed up but not completely, it could mean that Troia was killed by the Commission for simply usurping the Newark family, or it could mean he was killed by D'Amico's loyalists, which could also mean that the attempt on D'Amico was somehow in response to the murder of Troia. It's too hard to make sense of, but these are some possibilities.

From the limited amount of info we have on Troia, particularly during the Castellammarese war, he seems to have been seen as more of a peacemaker, hence his prominent position on the peace committee and his being proposed as the new boss of bosses during a time when diplomacy was favored over tyrannical leaders like Maranzano and Masseria. However, he did supposedly kill the mayor of SGI (an outsider to the mafia, who may or may not have been corrupt himself) and these guys are not exactly known for their moral consistency, instead being opportunists more than anything. It stands though that he does not seem to have made any attempt on D'Amico if he did usurp him and there are no other known murders/attempted murders of Newark members before Troia's death except the Monaco/Russo murders (which were years earlier and connected to Maranzano's murder), so it doesn't seem Troia violently took over in Newark if he did become boss and may have done it through his experience in mafia politics and extensive national/international connections. He may very well have been more popular than D'Amico, who was usurped, almost killed, and had his family disbanded before permanently fleeing the USA. Troia in contrast rose to prominence in just about every city he lived in, both in Sicily and the USA, and survived many tricky situations except the surprise massacre in 1935.

[B.]

Another thought on Troia:

He is made out to be a hardline Maranzano loyalist by some, including Dave C, but in my own interpretation of the same sources (and some others I don't believe he saw, i.e. Magaddino transcripts), Troia seems to have been an ally of Maranzano but was not an unquestioning stooge at all. In fact, Troia drew Maranzano's ire during the peace negotiations by pushing for a peaceful resolution with Masseria rather than wiping him out like Maranzano wanted and was influential along with Gentile in delaying the vote for Masseria's death. Maranzano seems to have calmed down after the war, as Troia was said to have again been a confidant of Maranzano around the time of the post-war banquet, but Troia and co. definitely angered Maranzano initially.

As for their relationship, Troia and Maranzano were both bosses in Sicily during the same period and Maranzano was living in Palermo, so they would have crossed paths most likely on a regular basis. I don't think we can assume they were necessarily close friends, either -- mafia bosses, even rivals, tend to be amicable on the surface and rarely do we see them act out toward each other on the surface. Even the meeting between Maranzano and Morello/Masseria by Bonanno was sort of a coy exchange in subtle threats that led Masseria to call Morello and Maranzano "jokers". It does seem that Maranzano and Troia were close, but Troia seems to have held his own and was not simply doing Maranzano's bidding, hence his chairing the peace committee, challenging the death sentence on Masseria, and being a candidate for boss of bosses.

Troia's decision to move to Newark is interesting, too. There doesn't seem to have been a stronghold of SGI paesani there, as the ones we know about came over from Illinois around the same time or after Troia (likely because of him). He was in the NYC area frequently if not constantly by the time of the war due to his position on the committee and other political matters, so my guess is he preferred being near the USA's "Palermo". Maybe he chose Jersey instead of NYC proper because he could gain more leverage in the smaller NJ family, or some other reason.