Arrests in NY, induction ceremony taped

[Wiseguy]

Do you think there is a Todaro crime family?

No. When the feds refer to the Todaro crime family, or some of those charged being members, I don't think it's any different than when they referred to D'Elia as the boss of the "Bufalino crime family," or when members of the "Marcello crime family" were charged back in the 1990s, or when "Trafficante crime family" members and associates were charged in the early 2000s. These individuals were still formally inducted members even if they were essentially only remnants of their respective crime families.

[B.]

Regarding Domenico and Giuseppe Violi's being present at a Bonanno making ceremony, recall that their maternal grandfather, Giacomo Luppino, and at least one other son of Luppino were reported to have been at the making ceremony for Paul Volpe of the Buffalo Family. I've quoted below from a book review of James Dubro's Mob rule, which was published in 1985:

That Volpe ever managed to become an initiated member of southern Ontario's Italian Mafia is a feat in itself. He spoke no Italian and had no family members in the organization, but, through selective socializing, managed to gain the confidence of various mafiosi including Hamilton's Luppino crime family, Volpe's sponsors at his Mafia swearing-in ceremony in 1961.

Source: By DAN BURKE Special to The Gazette. The Gazette [Montreal, Que] 16 Nov 1985: J4.
_______________

Dubro has been careful to distinguish between sponsors who were present at Volpe's induction ceremony and sponsors who faciliated Volpe's entrée into the American LCN. One such facilitating sponsor was Vincenzo "Jimmy" Luppino, who may very well have been in attendance for Volpe's ceremony. An early facilitating sponsor was Vito De Filippo of the Bonanno Family in New York.

That further points to the Luppinos being Buffalo members. A sponsor at a making ceremony is part of the same organization as the inductee; in almost every case this form of "sponsor" is reserved in the mob lexicon to refer to this formal relationship. A "sponsor" as it's used for DeFilippo is informal, like calling him a mentor or supporter of Volpe. I read Mob Rule many years ago and should revisit it, thanks for sharing.

On one of the Magaddino tape transcripts he seems to refer to the elder Luppino as a Camorrista. There is reason to believe Camorra / 'ndrangheta members don't share the same strict rule about dual membership like the Sicilian mafia, so can't rule out the possibility that some of these guys were originally formal members of Calabrian groups but nonetheless recognized as members of a family like Buffalo through some process.

Do you think there is a Todaro crime family?

No. When the feds refer to the Todaro crime family, or some of those charged being members, I don't think it's any different than when they referred to D'Elia as the boss of the "Bufalino crime family," or when members of the "Marcello crime family" were charged back in the 1990s, or when "Trafficante crime family" members and associates were charged in the early 2000s. These individuals were still formally inducted members even if they were essentially only remnants of their respective crime families.

Going back to what I said about recognition, an organization exists if it is recognized by other mafia organizations, not because it is criminally viable or significant to law enforcement. A group could have fairly significant operations and a solid crew of members/associates and not be a family if they're not recognized by other mafia groups (i.e. the Gallo group's splinter faction in the 1960s), just as one member with limited operations and few associates can still be a family if recognized by other families (the D'Elia/Bufalino example -- he met with other Cosa Nostra members where his position was recognized and helped mediate a dispute involving two different crime families). This is basically semantics conversation but this is how the organization is designed and just about every witness and informant who has explained the organization supports this view.

If the Violis are members of the Buffalo family, the logical reason to include them in the ceremony would be to familiarize them with a Bonanno member operating near them. Why they would need to be part of the ceremony and not just introduced to him as a member later as is typical with mafia introductions would be another question. We'll have to wait and see but it seems clear the Violis are at least Cosa Nostra members, whatever the circumstances of the ceremony were.

[B.]

I haven't thought about the prospect of Sal making guys in Canada but it's certainly possible.

Anyone have any guesses on who this 'John' was that also attended the ceremony????



“The reason why we’re here is from this day forward, you’re gonna be an official member of the Bonanno family,” Zummo says, according to a transcript of the ceremony.

“It’s already — from this guy, this guy, this guy — everybody approved it, so from this day forward, you’re a member of the Bonanno family. Congratulations,” said Zummo.

“Thank you,” the recruit said.

The new member was then formally introduced to other members using the traditional Mafia code of calling a made man a “friend of ours,” and then old the internal hierarchy of he reports to, called a captain or skipper.

“And now I want to introduce you to John. John, friend of ours with the Bonanno. John, (name of agent deleted), friend of ours with the Bonanno. Now, your captain is (name deleted.)”

“Okay,” said the recruit.

“He’s our skipper. (Nickname of Bonanno member deleted), is our acting… You’re gonna be in our regime,” Zummo allegedly said.

“Okay.”

“You only answer to the Bonanno family.”


From the way I read this Zummo tells Morena who their captain is and who their acting captain is......What does that make Zummo?

This might explain it, somewhat. From the detention memo:

Based on information provided by CW-1, Zummo had for several months served as an acting captain of the Bonanno crime family. As an acting captain, Zummo had a “crew” of members and associates to conduct crimes on his behalf. CW-1’s information about Zummo’s rank in the Bonanno crime family is corroborated by, among other things, consensual recordings of Zummo acknowledging his standing. For example, on August 23, 2017, in a recorded conversation, Zummo explained to CW-1 that Zummo was “keeping the seat warm” but that it is “now official.” These references appear to mean that Zummo had been operating in an unofficial capacity as acting captain but was now officially an acting captain of the Bonanno crime family.

With this in mind, it might be worth looking into whether there was an official captain we know of in prison or acting with the administration who had an acting captain that had just been arrested or otherwise in trouble. It's possible Zummo was filling in due to a situation like this and simply hadn't been formally confirmed. Families are supposed to formally introduce captains / acting captains with their new title so it's possible something happened that necessitated Zummo filling in and they simply hadn't had a chance to introduce him. If that's the case it's strange he would be conducting a ceremony out of town, though, unless he had some prior relationship with the informant or Canada that would make him a natural choice, including simply far enough off LE's radar to travel in that capacity. Too many unfilled blanks.

[Wiseguy]

Going back to what I said about recognition, an organization exists if it is recognized by other mafia organizations, not because it is criminally viable or significant to law enforcement. A group could have fairly significant operations and a solid crew of members/associates and not be a family if they're not recognized by other mafia groups (i.e. the Gallo group's splinter faction in the 1960s), just as one member with limited operations and few associates can still be a family if recognized by other families (the D'Elia/Bufalino example -- he met with other Cosa Nostra members where his position was recognized and helped mediate a dispute involving two different crime families). This is basically semantics conversation but this is how the organization is designed and just about every witness and informant who has explained the organization supports this view.

If the Violis are members of the Buffalo family, the logical reason to include them in the ceremony would be to familiarize them with a Bonanno member operating near them. Why they would need to be part of the ceremony and not just introduced to him as a member later as is typical with mafia introductions would be another question. We'll have to wait and see but it seems clear the Violis are at least Cosa Nostra members, whatever the circumstances of the ceremony were.

I understand what you're saying but, for example, other families dealing with D'Elia and recognizing him as a fellow Cosa Nostra member doesn't mean the family he belonged to was being recognized. Natale reportedly said D'Elia was the last member so, as far as they were concerned, there was no family left to recognize.

[gohnjotti]

I haven't thought about the prospect of Sal making guys in Canada but it's certainly possible.

Anyone have any guesses on who this 'John' was that also attended the ceremony????



“The reason why we’re here is from this day forward, you’re gonna be an official member of the Bonanno family,” Zummo says, according to a transcript of the ceremony.

“It’s already — from this guy, this guy, this guy — everybody approved it, so from this day forward, you’re a member of the Bonanno family. Congratulations,” said Zummo.

“Thank you,” the recruit said.

The new member was then formally introduced to other members using the traditional Mafia code of calling a made man a “friend of ours,” and then old the internal hierarchy of he reports to, called a captain or skipper.

“And now I want to introduce you to John. John, friend of ours with the Bonanno. John, (name of agent deleted), friend of ours with the Bonanno. Now, your captain is (name deleted.)”

“Okay,” said the recruit.

“He’s our skipper. (Nickname of Bonanno member deleted), is our acting… You’re gonna be in our regime,” Zummo allegedly said.

“Okay.”

“You only answer to the Bonanno family.”


From the way I read this Zummo tells Morena who their captain is and who their acting captain is......What does that make Zummo?

This might explain it, somewhat. From the detention memo:

Based on information provided by CW-1, Zummo had for several months served as an acting captain of the Bonanno crime family. As an acting captain, Zummo had a “crew” of members and associates to conduct crimes on his behalf. CW-1’s information about Zummo’s rank in the Bonanno crime family is corroborated by, among other things, consensual recordings of Zummo acknowledging his standing. For example, on August 23, 2017, in a recorded conversation, Zummo explained to CW-1 that Zummo was “keeping the seat warm” but that it is “now official.” These references appear to mean that Zummo had been operating in an unofficial capacity as acting captain but was now officially an acting captain of the Bonanno crime family.

With this in mind, it might be worth looking into whether there was an official captain we know of in prison or acting with the administration who had an acting captain that had just been arrested or otherwise in trouble. It's possible Zummo was filling in due to a situation like this and simply hadn't been formally confirmed. Families are supposed to formally introduce captains / acting captains with their new title so it's possible something happened that necessitated Zummo filling in and they simply hadn't had a chance to introduce him. If that's the case it's strange he would be conducting a ceremony out of town, though, unless he had some prior relationship with the informant or Canada that would make him a natural choice, including simply far enough off LE's radar to travel in that capacity. Too many unfilled blanks.

Regarding Zummo:
Zummo lives in Roslyn Heights but websites like Instant Checkmate and White Pages have linked him to Queens (Jamaica, Maspeth, Elmont, Ozone Park, Middle Village).
All we know about his operations is that he did a coke deal in Manhattan.
The person he inducted, however, was Queens-based before his deportation and maintained strong links to the Queens-based Giannini crew, such as Paul Ragusa.
If we're talking Queens, some notable gaps in the administration came when Ronnie Giallanzo (of Howard Beach, Queens) was indicted. That timeframe seems to match up with when Damiano Zummo took over. Giallanzo was indicted in March 2017, and in August 2017 Damiano Zummo was quoted as saying he was “keeping the seat warm” but that it is “now official.”

[B.]

This might explain it, somewhat. From the detention memo:

Based on information provided by CW-1, Zummo had for several months served as an acting captain of the Bonanno crime family. As an acting captain, Zummo had a “crew” of members and associates to conduct crimes on his behalf. CW-1’s information about Zummo’s rank in the Bonanno crime family is corroborated by, among other things, consensual recordings of Zummo acknowledging his standing. For example, on August 23, 2017, in a recorded conversation, Zummo explained to CW-1 that Zummo was “keeping the seat warm” but that it is “now official.” These references appear to mean that Zummo had been operating in an unofficial capacity as acting captain but was now officially an acting captain of the Bonanno crime family.

With this in mind, it might be worth looking into whether there was an official captain we know of in prison or acting with the administration who had an acting captain that had just been arrested or otherwise in trouble. It's possible Zummo was filling in due to a situation like this and simply hadn't been formally confirmed. Families are supposed to formally introduce captains / acting captains with their new title so it's possible something happened that necessitated Zummo filling in and they simply hadn't had a chance to introduce him. If that's the case it's strange he would be conducting a ceremony out of town, though, unless he had some prior relationship with the informant or Canada that would make him a natural choice, including simply far enough off LE's radar to travel in that capacity. Too many unfilled blanks.

Regarding Zummo:
Zummo lives in Roslyn Heights but websites like Instant Checkmate and White Pages have linked him to Queens (Jamaica, Maspeth, Elmont, Ozone Park, Middle Village).
All we know about his operations is that he did a coke deal in Manhattan.
The person he inducted, however, was Queens-based before his deportation and maintained strong links to the Queens-based Giannini crew, such as Paul Ragusa.
If we're talking Queens, some notable gaps in the administration came when Ronnie Giallanzo (of Howard Beach, Queens) was indicted. That timeframe seems to match up with when Damiano Zummo took over. Giallanzo was indicted in March 2017, and in August 2017 Damiano Zummo was quoted as saying he was “keeping the seat warm” but that it is “now official.”

That timeline would make sense with the info we have, especially with him operating in that capacity for "a few months" before being confirmed as acting. Of course it could be something totally different and non-linear as is often the case with this stuff, but that's a good lead. Thanks for looking into it.

Montagna was a good example of how these guys aren't necessarily focused on one neighborhood: he lived on Long Island, ran a business in Bushwick, was said to hang out near there in Middle Village, and was part of a Bronx-based crew after formerly being with a Bronx/Montreal crew. Side note, but Montagna had links to the Giannini crowd through Baldo Amato and I believe in Cicale's little book he makes some mention of Montagna socializing in those circles. With a former Giannini guy (Morena) moving to Canada and associate Paul Ragusa showing up in this as well, it makes me curious when some of these movements first went into motion. Baldo Amato also had longstanding ties to the Sicilians in Canada. This whole network could be deeper than we realize.

edit: Should be worth mentioning that Montagna was moved to the crew of a captain who had early ties to Montreal and Canada. There is no evidence that Pat DeFilippo had maintained ties to Montreal since his arrest there in the 1960s, but as antimafia mentioned above Vito DeFilippo had a strong presence there. On one of the Magaddino transcripts, reference is made to a "Vito" who is likely DeFilippo and it's stated that "Vito" goes back and forth between the US and Canada and that when he is in the US he sends his "tall son" (Pat DeFilippo was quite tall) to represent him in Canada. Following Carmine Galante's arrest, info points to Vito DeFilippo being the Bonanno family's main liasion to Canada. So it's interesting that Montagna was placed with that crew after Sciascia's murder given his own strong ties to Montreal.

[gohnjotti]

This might explain it, somewhat. From the detention memo:

Based on information provided by CW-1, Zummo had for several months served as an acting captain of the Bonanno crime family. As an acting captain, Zummo had a “crew” of members and associates to conduct crimes on his behalf. CW-1’s information about Zummo’s rank in the Bonanno crime family is corroborated by, among other things, consensual recordings of Zummo acknowledging his standing. For example, on August 23, 2017, in a recorded conversation, Zummo explained to CW-1 that Zummo was “keeping the seat warm” but that it is “now official.” These references appear to mean that Zummo had been operating in an unofficial capacity as acting captain but was now officially an acting captain of the Bonanno crime family.

With this in mind, it might be worth looking into whether there was an official captain we know of in prison or acting with the administration who had an acting captain that had just been arrested or otherwise in trouble. It's possible Zummo was filling in due to a situation like this and simply hadn't been formally confirmed. Families are supposed to formally introduce captains / acting captains with their new title so it's possible something happened that necessitated Zummo filling in and they simply hadn't had a chance to introduce him. If that's the case it's strange he would be conducting a ceremony out of town, though, unless he had some prior relationship with the informant or Canada that would make him a natural choice, including simply far enough off LE's radar to travel in that capacity. Too many unfilled blanks.

Regarding Zummo:
Zummo lives in Roslyn Heights but websites like Instant Checkmate and White Pages have linked him to Queens (Jamaica, Maspeth, Elmont, Ozone Park, Middle Village).
All we know about his operations is that he did a coke deal in Manhattan.
The person he inducted, however, was Queens-based before his deportation and maintained strong links to the Queens-based Giannini crew, such as Paul Ragusa.
If we're talking Queens, some notable gaps in the administration came when Ronnie Giallanzo (of Howard Beach, Queens) was indicted. That timeframe seems to match up with when Damiano Zummo took over. Giallanzo was indicted in March 2017, and in August 2017 Damiano Zummo was quoted as saying he was “keeping the seat warm” but that it is “now official.”

That timeline would make sense with the info we have, especially with him operating in that capacity for "a few months" before being confirmed as acting. Of course it could be something totally different and non-linear as is often the case with this stuff, but that's a good lead. Thanks for looking into it.

Montagna was a good example of how these guys aren't necessarily focused on one neighborhood: he lived on Long Island, ran a business in Bushwick, was said to hang out near there in Middle Village, and was part of a Bronx-based crew after formerly being with a Bronx/Montreal crew. Side note, but Montagna had links to the Giannini crowd through Baldo Amato and I believe in Cicale's little book he makes some mention of Montagna socializing in those circles. With a former Giannini guy (Morena) moving to Canada and associate Paul Ragusa showing up in this as well, it makes me curious when some of these movements first went into motion. Baldo Amato also had longstanding ties to the Sicilians in Canada. This whole network could be deeper than we realize.

edit: Should be worth mentioning that Montagna was moved to the crew of a captain who had early ties to Montreal and Canada. There is no evidence that Pat DeFilippo had maintained ties to Montreal since his arrest there in the 1960s, but as antimafia mentioned above Vito DeFilippo had a strong presence there. On one of the Magaddino transcripts, reference is made to a "Vito" who is likely DeFilippo and it's stated that "Vito" goes back and forth between the US and Canada and that when he is in the US he sends his "tall son" (Pat DeFilippo was quite tall) to represent him in Canada. Following Carmine Galante's arrest, info points to Vito DeFilippo being the Bonanno family's main liasion to Canada. So it's interesting that Montagna was placed with that crew after Sciascia's murder given his own strong ties to Montreal.

Excellent info B. I think there's no doubt this whole network goes much deeper than we realize.

[B.]

Anyone have any guesses on who this 'John' was that also attended the ceremony????

If Zummo is in fact from the Asaro/Giallanzo crew, this could be John Carlucci. JD has Carlucci listed in that crew circa 2002. edit: John Ragano also is with that crew though I believe he would have been unable to travel for legal reasons.

[CabriniGreen]

@B.

I dont necessarily disagree, but I'm still a little foggy here.....

I kinda get what you mean when you say, it takes a mafia group to acknowledge- legitimize a mafia group.

But I think you take this a little too literal....

The way you explain it, it would be like saying the cartels dont exist until the mafia acknowledges them.

I'll give an example......
Forget the Rizzutos " Bonnano crew". The entire Bonnano family technically wasnt recognized by the Commision.

But what did this mean in reality?
It didn't mean Bonnano made men were suddenly, unmade.
It didnt mean gamblers were banned from betting with them. It didnt mean Bonnano bookies were banned from taking bets.

Didnt mean their shylocks couldn't make loans, nor did it mean their customers no longer had to pay or were free pickings, right? Didnt stop the Pizza connection, didn't stop the Gambinos, ( one faction, anyway) from doing business with them.

In short, it didnt stop them from operating as a family. Ultimately, it served as a political tool for the Commision to exclude them from certain criminal contacts and markets. Mostly in the construction industry. Its actually pretty similar to the Piromallis inventing the flowers, to exclude the narcotics trafficking Macri clan from the development package surrounding the ports over there.

The Vioils are interesting, to me. Because whether or not they are LCN, their strengths lie OUTSIDE the control of LCN. Meaning their connections to the Calabrian drug network. ( Even the opioids were through the Chinese, if I'm reading correctly..)

Notice the indictment mentions, cigarettes from the Commisos, the Luppinos and Buffalo, a Bonnano making ceremony, and mentions of their " international reach". It's almost like THEY arnt even sure where their actual affiliation lies, but they are sure that they ARE large scale narcotics traffickers, and its narcotics that's the common operation linking these organizations together.

I dont know if the Bonnanos are seeking a deeper relationship with Buffalo. ( I could see it if it were about a Alternative routes from the Montreal one..) I think they see the Violis narcotics connections as attractive, plus they have mutual enemies. That was long winded, basically I think they were recruited for their drug connects first, mafia affiliation second. ( Not much different from the reasons the Rizzutos were made actually... ) I also dont yhink it a stretch that they would be included in a ceremony, their dad was LCN after all, they arnt REALLY outsiders like that....


This is just some thoughts, in truth I don't really disagree much....


Another REAL good thread here, the Violis might need one of their own...

[Pogo The Clown]

The Bonannos were always recognized. They just lost their seat on the Commission.


Pogo

[B.]

The way you explain it, it would be like saying the cartels dont exist until the mafia acknowledges them.

Well you're talking about two completely different ethnic/criminal groups there whose only connection is business. What I'm saying is a mafia group is not Cosa Nostra without other Cosa Nostra groups acknowledging them as part of Cosa Nostra. There are Italian organized crime groups with mafia ties who may operate like a mafia group, but having that recognition as a Cosa Nostra family is like being certified as an LLC. It's why we have rarely seen groups split off and form new families even after they go to war and why guys continue to get made. Whether or not being a "certified" Cosa Nostra member/group is important in modern Canada is another question I can't answer, but I also haven't seen any valid info from anyone else that can answer it. That core question still stands: if people are being made in Montreal, what is the organization they're being made into and who is recognizing their membership outside of that group?

What you said about the Bonannos and the Commission actually reinforces the importance of this. Like Pogo said, the Bonannos simply lost their seat on the Commission and lost standing, with some families like the Genovese spreading word to avoid doing business with them. But even though the Bonannos were still an active Cosa Nostra organization with plenty of members and rackets to earn from (including large-scale drug trafficking), they were eager to gain their standing back. The Bonannos didn't say "our acting boss is one of the most important Sicilian drug traffickers in the US and we're just going to be a powerful drug organization from now on", they sought to re-gain the respect of the other families because that was more valuable in the bigger picture.

I definitely understand the other perspectives on this that you and others have shared and honestly all of the possibilities and unanswered questions are fascinating to me, so hopefully I don't sound like I'm trying to monopolize the view on this. What I do know though is that these unanswered questions haven't been answered in a substantial way by anyone in my opinion and a lot of speculation and outsider views are taken as fact when we don't have a single member source in the history of Montreal who can tell us what's what. We do have information from Bonanno members and Sicilian mafiosi who at least have given us a historical picture of the affiliations and set-up there, though.

[Uncle Pete]

The link farther below is to the recently published article by Dr. Anna Sergi, the Calabrian-born academic teaching at the University of Essex (UK), that discusses collaboration between American LCN groups in NYC, 'ndrangheta groups in NYC and upstate New York, and Canadian-based 'ndrangheta groups. Mention is made of Project OTremens. The article can be saved as a PDF.

There are some minor factual errors--for example, "Long Island, Brooklyn"--and probably some errors that the American posters on here will be able to spot that I could not. There is also the odd sentence that raises eyebrows--for example, "Some of those arrested [in Project OTremens] were connected to a Buffalo-based family, the Todaro syndicate, which had once belonged to La Cosa Nostra (LCN)."

https://www.academia.edu/36827024/New_Y ... ollaborate

Thanks for posting this article Antimafia! Really great stuff here and agreed with fellow posters that this article alone could warrant its own thread.

Interesting to note that the article talks about the 5 family’s still being a factor in New York; however they say local and federal law enforcement are still conducting Survailance on the five families- who have re emerged as threats- with the exception of the Colombo crime family.

Is this the reason why we haven’t seen a major bust with this family since mob takedown day in 2011? This is the first official article I’ve read that really separates them from the rest of the NYC families.

[Wiseguy]

The link farther below is to the recently published article by Dr. Anna Sergi, the Calabrian-born academic teaching at the University of Essex (UK), that discusses collaboration between American LCN groups in NYC, 'ndrangheta groups in NYC and upstate New York, and Canadian-based 'ndrangheta groups. Mention is made of Project OTremens. The article can be saved as a PDF.

There are some minor factual errors--for example, "Long Island, Brooklyn"--and probably some errors that the American posters on here will be able to spot that I could not. There is also the odd sentence that raises eyebrows--for example, "Some of those arrested [in Project OTremens] were connected to a Buffalo-based family, the Todaro syndicate, which had once belonged to La Cosa Nostra (LCN)."

https://www.academia.edu/36827024/New_Y ... ollaborate

Thanks for posting this article Antimafia! Really great stuff here and agreed with fellow posters that this article alone could warrant its own thread.

Interesting to note that the article talks about the 5 family’s still being a factor in New York; however they say local and federal law enforcement are still conducting Survailance on the five families- who have re emerged as threats- with the exception of the Colombo crime family.

Is this the reason why we haven’t seen a major bust with this family since mob takedown day in 2011? This is the first official article I’ve read that really separates them from the rest of the NYC families.

While it is an interesting read, keep in mind it's an academic paper. Not "official" in the sense that the FBI SAC in New York is saying it.

[antimafia]

The link farther below is to the recently published article by Dr. Anna Sergi, the Calabrian-born academic teaching at the University of Essex (UK), that discusses collaboration between American LCN groups in NYC, 'ndrangheta groups in NYC and upstate New York, and Canadian-based 'ndrangheta groups. Mention is made of Project OTremens. The article can be saved as a PDF.

There are some minor factual errors--for example, "Long Island, Brooklyn"--and probably some errors that the American posters on here will be able to spot that I could not. There is also the odd sentence that raises eyebrows--for example, "Some of those arrested [in Project OTremens] were connected to a Buffalo-based family, the Todaro syndicate, which had once belonged to La Cosa Nostra (LCN)."

https://www.academia.edu/36827024/New_Y ... ollaborate

Thanks for posting this article Antimafia! Really great stuff here and agreed with fellow posters that this article alone could warrant its own thread.

Interesting to note that the article talks about the 5 family’s still being a factor in New York; however they say local and federal law enforcement are still conducting Survailance on the five families- who have re emerged as threats- with the exception of the Colombo crime family.

Is this the reason why we haven’t seen a major bust with this family since mob takedown day in 2011? This is the first official article I’ve read that really separates them from the rest of the NYC families.

While it is an interesting read, keep in mind it's an academic paper. Not "official" in the sense that the FBI SAC in New York is saying it.

Wiseguy:

Jane's Intelligence Review is not a peer-reviewed journal; it's a paid-subscription monthly online/print magazine.

Dr. Sergi has indeed had her academic papers published in numerous scholarly peer-reviewed journals. She writes prolifically. Apart from the papers, she is also constantly writing books. We are fortunate that she makes available, to read for free, both her articles and academic papers by her voluntarily uploading them to a site like academia.edu; otherwise, we would have to subscribe to the various magazines and scholarly journals in which her articles are published, i.e., we would have to pay to read her work.

For the magazine article in question, her sources--or the magazine's sources, depending on how we read "told Jane's" in a number of places--were the NYPD, the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor (WCNYH), and a senior agent in the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agent. She is well known for her field work. I suspect, based on her other articles or academic papers published in the last year and that I've read, that she was in New York when talking to the above sources. She was a Program Affiliate Scholar at the New York School of Law, Center for Research in Crime and Justice in the fall of 2013. I agree with you that her magazine article is not by any means official. I will be e-mailing her soon to ask whether she or the magazine spoke to people in the FBI, as well as to ask whether it is the magazine's assessment, not hers, that the Buffalo Family is no longer part of the LCN. I hope to meet up with her when I am in the UK next month.

What impressed me the most about the magazine article is that either she or the magazine were able to obtain the Project OTremens court filings. (I do not think she is aware of the implications of the presence of Domenico and Giuseppe Violi at a Bonanno Family induction ceremony. She may be of the belief that these Violis have a double affiliation but may not be able to prove this.) I was not at Giuseppe Violi's sentencing. My understanding is that the legal proceedings would have been a short sentencing. Does she have contacts with Canadian law enforcement?

Well, when she was doing field work in Canada last year, she spoke with law enforcement officials in both Toronto and Montreal, and she also found time to give a presentation at the Université de Montréal about the 'ndrangheta, courtesy of the university's Centre international de criminologie comparée/International Centre for Comparative Criminology. As a result of her field work here, she put together an academic paper that she submitted to the Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, which is a peer-reviewed journal. She sent me an ahead-of-print version back in April. For the paper, she conducted an interview at Concordia University (Montreal) with a lawyer who in the past had represented the Rizzutos, an interview with the RCMP's Criminal Operations Team in Montreal, an interview with a detective in the York Regional Police (York Region is immediately north of Toronto and is home to many Canadian and Italian 'ndrangheta members), and a focus-group interview with the RCMP's Serious Organized Crime and Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit in Toronto.

She researches the Australian 'ndrangheta a lot. Her list of law-enforcement contacts in Australia is extensive. For her most recent article, published in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, below is what she wrote with respect to her research methods.

Interviews and focus groups have been conducted with specialist law enforcement agencies, thanks to the support of the Australian Federal Police, as project partner. Meetings (interviews and focus groups) have been arranged in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Griffith (NSW), Perth, Adelaide and Mildura (VIC); agencies successfully contacted include: Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), New South Wales Police, Griffith (NSW) Police, Mildura (Vic) Police, Victoria Police, South Australia Police, Queensland Police, Western Australia Police, New South Wales Crime Commission, Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission, Independent Board of Anti Corruption for Victoria. While individual interviews (8) have lasted approximately 45 minutes, focus groups (10) have lasted up to 2 hours each.

When she's writing about organized crime and crime groups, I think she not only understands the importance of citing academic works written by her peers but also of interviewing those who work in law enforcement.

[antimafia]

One thing that's clear is that the Violis seem to have attended a Cosa Nostra making ceremony, which indicates that they are formally affiliated with Cosa Nostra.

However unlikely it seems there is still a chance the Violi brothers are members of the Todaro family. If they aren't Bonannos it makes more sense that they are Todaro family then 'Ndrangheta.

Yep, that's what I meant by that line. If this ceremony info is true, it's clear the Violis recognize Cosa Nostra and are recognized as Cosa Nostra themselves otherwise they would not be at that ceremony. The only two Cosa Nostra families they could conceivably fall under are the Buffalo and Bonanno families unless the Gambino connection goes way beyond anything we imagined. There seem to be some satellite crews of Sicilian mafia families operating in Canada but the idea of them inducting Canadian-born Calabrians into organizations based in Sicily and to have those members then attend a Bonanno ceremony is getting a bit "far out".

Again, we have this press release from U.S. authorities -

In a coordinated operation, Canadian law enforcement authorities today arrested nine organized crime members and associates in Canada, including members of the Todaro organized crime family, who are charged with, among other crimes, narcotics trafficking.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/me ... s-arrested

The 9 that were arrested were -

1. Domenico Paolo Violi, Hamilton
2. Adriano Valentino Scolieri, Richmond Hill
3. Bernardo Luke Rotolo, Woodbridge;
4. Dimitar Dimitrov, Stoney Creek
5. Tran Giang Tang, Markham
6. Kam Tim Tong, Markham
7. Nicholas Valentine, Vaughan
8. Anthony James Arroyo, Waterloo
9. James Lincoln Jablonski, Mississauga.

Then you had these ones captured later -

Giuseppe Violi, Burlington
Massimigliano Carfagna, Burlington
Yin Yun Leong, Markham
Witton Luu, Toronto
Wojciech Grezesiowski, Innisfill


The "members of the Todaro crime family" seems to be in reference to some of the 9 arrested originally, though perhaps it's possible that other ones captured later were among those the feds were talking about. Either way, if the feds were correct, at least 2 of those names in bold are members of the Buffalo family.

The way that I have read the US Attorney's Office press release to which you've linked is that of the nine Canadians arrested last November 9, some are organized-crime members who are or were considered made members of the Buffalo Family, some of those arrested are or were associates of made members of the Buffalo Family, or at least some of those arrested are organized-crime members who are not considered made members of the Buffalo Family. It's possible that Domenico Violi is or was considered a made member of the Buffalo Family but that Scolieri and Rotolo, just like the six remaining individuals on the list of those arrested, are or were merely associates.

If Scolieri and Rotolo were or are made Buffalo Family members, this might be significant because it shows that the Buffalo Family had or has had a presence in Toronto and the surrounding area in, let's say, the last 10 years. Scolieri was 31 years old when he was sentenced in January of this year in relation to the Project OTremens investigation. His relatively young age probably means he was not a made member of any American LCN Family. I have not yet seen an age for Rotolo.

My first reaction to the hypothesis that Domenico and Giuseppe Violi were inducted into an American LCN family would be to argue that they were made into the Buffalo Family, given the history of some of their relatives on their mother's side, i.e., their grandfather and some uncles. But the Violis' presence at the Bonanno induction ceremony has really thrown me for a loop. And is it possible that the Violis were made in the Buffalo Family and then transferred to the Bonanno Family as a result of interaction with Sal Montagna?

What I don't quite get about the US Attorney's Office press release is why the associates who were among the nine arrested seem to be considered associates of current made members of the Buffalo Family. I do understand why a made member of a defunct American LCN family would still be identified in a press release, indictment, or court filing as a member of the family into which he was made, but why not use the past tense to identify associates of such a made member?