Chris Christie wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2017 4:06 pm
- Ignazio Lupo's brother Giovanni, a leading figure in the family, lived in New Jersey for some period, indicating the family may have had some kind of presence there early on.
Lupo had contacts in New Jersey since at least 1902. After Lupo went to prison in 1910, a meeting was held for that Family with people from Jersey and was chaired by a "Don Sebastiano" (not DiGaetano). NOTE: The information is very ambiguous. It doesn't say where this "Don Sebastiano" lived- NY or NJ- or what his rank/significance was. Only that the men from Jersey were apparently well armed, on high alert and made the NY members uncomfortable. The issue of murdering Flynn out of retribution for 'our Dear Lupo' was discussed.
- Can anyone think of anything else that might connect the roots of NJ operations to the Lupo/D'Aquila family?
I got the names and addresses of Lupo's NJ contacts (as well as nationally). I don't know where they are. I want to say one name for Jersey City (1902) and two for Newark (1909). I'm quite certain there was nothing for the city of Elizabeth.
This stands out to me more now that we know that a number of alleged Newark members (as well as older relatives of Riberesi DeCavalcantes who may have been members) were in NJ shortly after the turn of the century and grew up in the area. I believe it's likely the Newark family was active by the early 1900s, or that it was at least a recognized decina/faction of an NYC family, and this bit about NJ mafia figures attending a meeting with Lupo members in 1910 gives that some weight. If you ever find the names of those Lupo NJ contacts definitely share them here.
Some other info on Sam Monaco I've found:
- The C.Mangiaracina described as a business partner of Sam Monaco might be a Calogero Mangiaracina (b.1880 or 1881) who lived in Belleville. He was from Camporeale. Not enough info to know if he was a mafia figure but as mentioned before, Mangiaracina is a surname that is mentioned by Gentile as being part of a committee during the Castellammarese War -- will have to check if he mentions a first name. The only other mafia-connected Mangiaracinas I've come across were members of the Kansas City family active a little bit later.
- Sam Monaco came to the US as a boy in 1906 and his father Francesco (same as brother Francesco/Frank) was already in the country. By 1907 one of his siblings was born in New Jersey, so the Monacos were settled in NJ very quickly after immigrating.
- The father Francesco Monaco had a brother Vito Monaco and both families lived together at the same address in NJ circa 1919/1920. Next door was a family named the Gruppusos who were intermarried with the Monacos, and next door to the Gruppusos on the other side was Sam Monaco, who by then had started his own family. Sam was operating his clothing business at this time.
- The Gruppusos mentioned above as in-laws of the Monacos were from Vita as well. Interestingly, there was an early Bonanno member named Nicola Gruppuso (b. 1896) who also came from Vita. Gruppuso was one of the men detained by police with Joseph Barbera outside of Bonanno member Santo Vultaggio's home on their way to Maranzano's Coney Island banquet following Joe Masseria's murder. Gruppuso was later murdered in a restaurant in 1935 but I haven't found any details on why it took place or who was involved. I'm not able to connect him to the NJ Gruppusos from Vita, but given the NJ Grupposos ties to the Monacos and Sam Monaco's rumored ties to Maranzano, it's interesting this Nicola Grupposo was a Maranzano/Bonanno member. It should be noted too that Monaco's business partner Mangiaracina was possibly the one from Camporeale which is an area associated with the earliest days of the Bonanno family, so some of this could point to why Monaco was rumored to be close to Maranzano but it's kind of a reach.