Genovese Leadership 1997-Present

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Creating this thread to gather all sources I have on the Genovese administration over the past 20 years. Members I've seen listed as holding leadership positions are:

John 'Johnny Sausage' Barbato
Liborio 'Barney' Bellomo
Dominick 'Quiet Dom' Cirillo
Pasquale 'Scop' DeLuca
Lawrence 'Larry Fab' Dentico
Peter 'Petey Red' DiChiara
Tino 'The Greek' Fiumara
Albert 'Kid Blast' Gallo
Mario Gigante
Matthew 'Matty the Horse' Ianniello
Frank 'Punchy' Illiano
Danny 'The Lion' Leo
Alan 'Baldy' Longo
Venero 'Benny Eggs' Mangano
Ernest 'Ernie' Muscarella
Arthur 'Artie' Nigro
Frank 'Farby' Serpico

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Baltimore Sun:

‘Still, hours of FBI tapes leave little question that Chin Gigante is actively engaged as head of the highly disciplined mob clan. In an Oct. 18 chat at the Manhattan Cafe on the upper East Side, for example, Genovese capo Alan “Baldie” Longo was heard openly discussing the renewed strength of the family founded in the 1950s by the late Vito Genovese. “Don't let anyone tell you we're dead,” Longo said. “We're not. Because Vito [Genovese] ain't here no more, Vincent [Gigante] is. We're here.” […] Genovese soldier Paul Geraci told Durso the man he thought was the boss - Frank “Farby” Serpico - wasn't really the boss. As was often the case with Gigante, gangsters did not mention Gigante by name but referred to him simply by rubbing their chins. The action was caught on videotape. “He's [Serpico's] still there, but he ain't the guy,” Geraci said. “He never was the guy. This guy is the guy,” he says, touching his chin to signify Gigante.’ [Footnote of article identifies Serpico and Longo as ‘ruling panel members’]. (Greg Smith, 31 August 2001).

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CNN.com:

‘Twenty people, including reputed members of the Genovese organized crime family, have been arrested and charged with wide-ranging racketeering counts, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan announced Thursday. Among the arrested were Matthew Ianniello, an acting Genovese family boss nicknamed “Matty the Horse,” and Ciro Perrone, a Genovese capo, said David Kelley, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.’ (Marissa Muller, 28 July 2005).

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Making Jack Falcone: An Undercover FBI Agent Takes Down a Mafia Family:

Jack Garcia identifies Pasquale ‘Scop’ DeLuca as ‘acting street boss’ of the Genoveses, during his three years of undercover work as an associate of the Gambino family. (2008, p.256).

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Masslive.com:

‘[John] Bologna continued to feed the FBI about new bosses and underbosses in the Gambino and Genovese crime families, plus a shady group of “Albanians” in 2005 and 2006. Danny Leo became the new Genovese boss in 2006, according to Bologna, with Mario Gigante as his acting underboss.’ (Stephanie Barry, 23 May 2017).

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State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation, The Changing Face of Organised Crime in New Jersey: A Status Report:

‘Law enforcement officials believe that the top hierarchy of the Genovese family has adopted a less formally structured organization than it had in the past. The family is being managed discretely by a core group of individuals with a high degree of allegiance to Vincent Gigante. Gigante’s brother, Mario R. Gigante, a New York-based capo, is currently an acting boss and caretaker of the organisation […] Another acting boss is consigliere Dentico. The street boss is John Barbato, a Staten Island resident and long-time capo in the Genovese organization. Barbato formerly served as chauffeur and bodyguard for former Genovese underboss Venero F. “Benny Eggs” Mangano. Barbato’s name appears on the New Jersey Casino Control Commission’s Exclusion List. New York-based captain Dominick “Quiet Dom” Cirillo is also believed to play a managing role. The low-keyed Cirillo is a close ally of Vincent Gigante and served as acting boss in the late 1990s and as the street boss for several decades […] Some law enforcement officials believe John Barbato is the façade boss. In the past, key captains Liborio S. “Barney” Bellomo, Matthew “Matty the Horse” Ianniello, and Ernest Muscarella have been façade bosses.’ (May 2004, pp.108-109).

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA against DOMINICK CIRILLO, also known as “Quiet Dom,” LAWRENCE DENTICO, also known as “Little Larry,” JOHN BARBATO, also known as “Johnny Sausage,” and ANTHONY ANTICO, also known as “Tico”:

‘In 1997, Gigante was convicted of racketeering and related offenses and began serving a prison term later that same year. Although Gigante remained the boss of the Genovese family, responsibility for the day-to-day leadership of the Genovese family passed to a committee of members of the Genovese family, also known as the “Administration.” […] At various times, the defendant DOMINICK CIRILLO, also known as “Quiet Dom,” was a captain or a soldier within the Genovese family and a member of the Genovese family Administration. At various times, the defendant LAWRENCE DENTICO, also known as “Little Larry,” was a captain or a soldier within the Genovese family and a member of the Genovese family Administration.’

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U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York:

‘PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that an Acting Boss of the Genovese Organised Crime Family, DANIEL LEO, a/k/a “The Lion,” and his nephew and primary lieutenant, JOSEPH LEO, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges today in Manhattan federal court. According to the Indictment filed in Manhattan federal court: Beginning in about 2005, DANIEL LEO became the Acting Boss of the Genovese Organised Crime Family, from his previous post as a member of the Family’s ruling panel. During the time DANIEL LEO served as Acting Boss, he continued to supervise a “crew” of Genovese Organised Crime Family members and associates, including JOSEPH LEO and others, who committed loansharking, extortion, and illegal gambling offences under DANIEL LEO's direction.’ (27 January 2010).

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The Wall Street Journal:

‘As the ranks of organized-crime investigators decreased, the mafia adapted to law enforcement's investigative techniques. Unlike the in-your-face approach that media mob star John Gotti adopted in the 1980s, today's mafia has reverted to its roots and tried to become as invisible as possible, officials and experts say. For instance, the Genovese family, which has traditionally been the largest, most powerful and most secretive, now likely uses a rotating panel of leaders to run day-to-day affairs to avoid any one boss from being targeted by prosecutors, Mr. Buretta said. Other crime families use a ‘street boss’ model where lesser-known mobsters carry out the orders of imprisoned leaders, he said.’ (Sean Gardiner and Pervaiz Shallwai, 18 February 2014).

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New York:

‘The Genovese clan, long considered the Ivy League of organized crime, is the only family whose heir apparent and official boss seem to be one and the same. Vincent “Chin” Gigante took over around 1982. He’s been in federal prison since 1997. The Oddfather, whose crazy-man strolls in Greenwich Village in his pyjamas kept him out of prison for decades, is scheduled for release at age 82, in 2010— if he lives that long. His genes give him a good shot. His brother Mario, believed by some to function as Chin’s acting boss, is active at 81. Their mom, whose calls of “Cinzini” out her Greenwich Village apartment window gave Vincent his nickname, lived to 95. Until then, he has a committee of three serving as his eyes and ears: Mario, who ended three years of supervised release in June following a 42-month term for labour racketeering, and two long-time allies who hail from his downtown, or West Side, base: Lawrence “Little Larry” Dentico, 81, and Dominick “Quiet Dom” Cirillo, 75.’ (Jerry Capeci, 17 January 2005).

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New York Times:

‘State and Federal investigators say Mr. Gigante appointed Mr. [Dominick] Cirillo as the family's acting boss last year, pending the outcome of his Federal trial, and has sanctioned Mr. Cirillo's takeover of the top spot.’ (Selwyn Raab, 15 September 1997).

‘Based on intelligence gleaned from court-authorised electronic eavesdropping and from informers, the officials identified Lawrence J. Dentico and Frank J. Illiano as the family's interim street bosses. The officials said they believe that Mr. Gigante authorised the leadership change after Dominick V. Cirillo, who had been running the family for more than a year, had a heart attack in May.’ (Selwyn Raab, 26 July 1998).

‘A senior law enforcement official said Mr [Tino] Fiumara now sits on a three-person ruling panel that oversees the Genovese family, which has not had an official boss since the death of Vincent Gigante in 2005.’ (David M Halbfinger and David Kocieniewski, 23 September 2009).

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New York Daily News:

‘The nation's most powerful mob clan already rocked by a series of prosecutions that jailed its leadership suffered another blow last week when its street boss was felled by a massive heart attack. Reputed Genovese family mobster Dominic (Quiet Dom) Cirillo, a 69-year-old former drug dealer from East Harlem, was stricken Friday and remained in critical condition last night at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital […] Another law enforcement official who follows the family said he believes they have resisted appointing an acting underboss and consigliere to replace the jailed members. “I believe they're not maintaining any rigid hierarchy,” said the official. Before he fell ill, Cirillo was “moving and shaking very active,” said one source, who noted that Cirillo kept a low profile. Among the names mentioned as possible power players in the family with Cirillo's departure were John (Johnny Sausages) Barbato, 63; Lawrence (Larry Fab) Dentico, 74; Matthew (Matty the Horse) Ianniello, 77, and Pasquale (Patty Pig) Parrillo, 53.’ [The ‘Parrillo’ referenced in the article is likely a misspelling of Pasquale ‘Patsy’ Parrello]. (William K Rashbaum, New York Daily News, 12 May 1998).

‘Legendary mobster Venero “Benny Eggs” Mangano, the hard-boiled underboss of the Genovese crime family under Vincent (The Chin) Gigante, died Friday. He was 95 […] The made man kept his mouth shut across more than 13 years in prison before his Nov. 2, 2006, release. He reportedly returned to serve as part of a rotating panel of veterans overseeing the Genovese family once released.’ (Larry McShane, New York Daily News, 18 August 2017).

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‘Currently the family relies on a rotating panel of veterans who have finished prison stints, including the aging Venero (Benny Eggs) Mangano, Ernest Muscarella, Liborio (Barney) Bellomo and Lawrence (Little Larry) Dentico, sources say.’ (Greg B. Smith, New York Daily News, 7 June 2009).

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New York Post:

‘Thirty-three of the men arrested yesterday are allegedly Genovese family members or associates, including former acting Genovese family boss Frank “Farby” Serpico, who prosecutors said carried out the orders from Vincent “Chin” Gigante.’ (Christopher Francescani, 26 April 2001).

‘A little-known, 50-year- old mob boss from Staten Island has the reins of the Genovese crime family, the nation’s most powerful. Al “Baldy” Longo has been running the sprawling Genovese crime syndicate, having slowly taken over the daily operations from a troika. Law-enforcement sources say Longo has gathered power from the three-member committee of Dominic “Quiet Dom” Cirillo, 72, John “Fab” Dentico, 78, and Ernest Muscarella, 58. The trio was running the multibillion-dollar concerns of the family since Vincent “Chin” Gigante was convicted and sent to jail several years ago. Longo and dozens of other mobsters were arrested recently on a racketeering indictment.’ (Murray Weiss, 13 August 2001).

‘Vitale, a former mob honcho testifying against his Bonanno-boss brother-in-law, Joseph Massino, said he accompanied the godfather to the meeting, held in 1999 or 2000 at the home of a trusted aide, but wasn’t permitted inside. Only the bosses of the families or their surrogates were in on in the confab, he told jurors at Massino’s murder and racketeering trial in Brooklyn federal court.
Peter Gotti, acting boss of the Gambinos was there, as were Louis “Louie Bagel” Daidone, acting consigliere of the Lucheses; Lawrence “Little Larry” Dentico, acting consigliere for the Genoveses; and Joel “Joe Waverly” Cacace, consigliere for the Colombos.’ (Kati Cornell Smith, 1 July 2004).

‘When Dominick Cirillo was charged with racketeering this month, prosecutors were armed with tapes of capo Alan “Baldie” Longo blabbing to a wired-up turncoat, FBI documents obtained by The Post show. “He severely damaged – if not destroyed – the family,” a law-enforcement source said. Longo, 55, was on a panel Cirillo, 75, allegedly convened to insulate himself after taking over for the jailed Vincent “Chin” Gigante. But Longo spilled details of top-secret meetings to Genovese associate Michael “Cookie” D’Urso – who was wired.’ (Kati Cornell Smith, 18 April 2005).

‘Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Snyder identified [Danny] Leo as the family “boss” and implicated him in two violent extortion schemes during an arraignment for the reputed mob big’s burly “right-hand man.” Snyder told Manhattan federal Magistrate Ronald Ellis that Leo is “boss of the Genovese crime family, the most organized, most powerful, largest organised crime family existing today.”’ (Jeane MacIntosh, 1 December 2006).

‘The powerful reputed Genovese boss Daniel “The Lion” Leo has been caged by the feds in two violent shakedown schemes after more than 25 years of dodging the spotlight and the law. An old-fashioned alleged mobster who quietly succeeded Mafia don Vincent “The Chin” Gigante, Leo, 65, was nabbed by the FBI at his secluded $2 million home in historic Rockleigh, N.J., early yesterday and hauled into Manhattan federal court. The girthy reputed gangster was denied bail on four counts of extortion and loan-sharking conspiracy. “At trial, the government would prove he is the current boss of the Genovese crime family, perhaps the largest and most violent crime family that exists,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Snyder. “Two hundred or so members of this violent, ruthless criminal organization can only commit acts of violence with the approval of the acting boss, and that’s the type of power he holds,” the prosecutor said.’ (Kati Cornell Smith, 31 May 2007).

‘The Gambinos took a major hit when they lost their acting boss, underboss and consigliere in a federal sweep in 2008. The Colombos’ street boss, Tommy “Tommy Shots” Gioeli, was picked up on murder charges last year. The Bonannos’ 38-year-old Sicilian street boss was deported earlier this year, and the small Luchese family, with only about 100 members, has never recovered from its trigger-happy underboss, Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso, who went on a paranoid killing spree within the family. In contrast, the Genoveses are likely ruled by a panel of elder statesmen who divide power and keep low profiles. Investigators are never sure who wields power in the family, sources said.
Current wisdom holds that Liborio “Barney” Bellomo, Ernest “Ernie” Muscarella, Dominick “Quiet Dom” Cirillo, Tino Fiumara and Lawrence “Little Larry” Dentico are all in charge to some degree.’ (Stefanie Cohen, 18 October 2009).

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Gangland News:

‘Trial of Gigante and seven others, including son Andrew, and current and former acting bosses, Ernest Muscarella and Liborio (Barney) Bellomo, is likely to take place early next year.’ (Jerry Capeci, 11 April 2002).

‘During his heyday, when Gigante ran his crime family out of the Triangle Social Club on Sullivan Street, he was closely attended by four wiseguys named Dominick – Fat Dom Alongi, Baldy Dom Cantarino, Dom The Sailor DiQuarto and Quiet Dom Cirillo. Today, only Quiet Dom, 73, survives, and sources on both sides of the law say Cirillo, like Gigante, a former professional boxer who was convicted of drug dealing in the 1950s, is the Genovese crime family’s go-to guy or “street boss.” His name came up frequently during the three-year probe that led to racketeering charges against three capos who served as an acting family boss – two who pleaded guilty the same day as Gigante, Liborio (Barney) Bellomo and Ernest Muscarella – and a third who died of cancer following his indictment, Frank (Farby) Serpico.’ (Jerry Capeci, 10 April 2003).

‘Mario Gigante is 80 – an age at which most still surviving wiseguys are winding down. But sources say that next month he’ll step up to serve as his brother’s keeper, when he completes the “supervised release” provisions of his latest federal conviction […] Two weeks ago, in a comprehensive report about organised crime in New Jersey, the State Commission of Investigation (SCI) listed Mario as acting family boss, but Gang Land sources say he won’t begin to handle the responsibilities until he can meet more freely with other top mobsters. The SCI report, and other sources, say Lawrence (Larry Fab) Dentico, Dominick (Quiet Dom) Cirillo and John (Johnny Sausage) Barbato are a “strong” core group of top gangsters currently serving as a committee doing Chin Gigante’s bidding.’ (Jerry Capeci, 20 May 2004).

‘[Dominick] Cirillo, 75, has been a stand-in for the family’s imprisoned boss Vincent (Chin) Gigante since the mid-1990s and five years ago he convened a panel of top gangsters to determine whether an associate who had crossed the family should be killed, the prosecutors said. Two members of the panel, capos Lawrence (Little Larry) Dentico, 81, and John (Johnny Sausage) Barbato, 70, allegedly decided that the associate should be killed and were hit with murder conspiracy charges in addition to extortion and loansharking.’ (Jerry Capeci, 7 April 2005).

‘During the prior six months, the bugs had picked up [John] Ardito and several associates, in particular mob lawyer Peter Peluso, discussing loansharking, labour racketeering, fraud, extortion and other crimes that they and family leaders were allegedly involved in. Five of them – Liborio (Barney) Bellomo, Dominick (Quiet Dom) Cirillo, Ernest Muscarella, Lawrence (Little Larry) Dentico) and Mario Gigante – have reputedly served as acting bosses.’ (Jerry Capeci, 22 June 2006).

‘For nearly a week in the spring of 2004, Genovese wiseguys were abuzz about our exclusive report on May 20 that Mario Gigante would take over the following month as acting boss for his then-incarcerated brother, Vincent (Chin) Gigante, who died last year […] During one talk, long-time lawyer/ associate Peter Peluso raved that the column reported “word for word” what Mario Gigante had recently told capo John (Buster) Ardito – “that Mario would take control of the family once his supervised release term was completed.” After Peluso speculated that Gang Land’s source was “the guy driving Quiet Dom (Cirillo) around,” Ardito said that “the big guy” (whom the feds believe to be capo Ernest Muscarella) “wanted to hit” Quiet Dom’s driver for his assumed transgression.’ (Jerry Capeci, 13 July 2006).

‘Less than a year after the passing of legendary Mafia boss Vincent (Chin) Gigante, a cagy, virtually unknown wiseguy who understands the wisdom of keeping a low profile has taken the reins of the powerful Genovese crime family, Gang Land has learned. Meet Daniel Leo, 65, a onetime reputed member of the violent, East Harlem-based Purple Gang during the 1970s who now resides in a $2 million home in Rockleigh, N.J., an historic town on the Palisades that boasts the highest median household income in the state, according to the 2000 census […] “We're carrying him as the acting boss,” said one law enforcement official who has been involved in several major investigations into the family's sophisticated labour racketeering schemes […] In October 1999, the FBI secretly listened in as Genovese capo Salvatore (Sammy Meatballs) Aparo described Leo's role in a Mafia induction ceremony a day or two earlier that included Aparo's son, Vincent, and 14 other inductees. Leo assisted Lawrence (Little Larry) Dentico and Ernest Muscarella, who like Sammy Meatballs, are currently serving federal prison terms for racketeering. Aparo stated: “Larry, Ernie and Danny conducted the induction. Danny was the individual who pricked the fingers and told them what to say during the ceremony,” according to an FBI summary of the tape-recorded conversation that was obtained by Gang Land. A year later, in October 2000, another capo, Alan (Baldy) Longo, glowingly described Leo and Dentico as close associates of Gigante who were running the family following Chin’s racketeering conviction in 1997, according to an FBI report on that conversation. “You got Danny Leo, you got Larry… a few other guys,” said Longo. “That guy (Chin) loves them. They’re gentlemen. They got money. They’re men and a half.”’ (Jerry Capeci, 30 November 2006).

‘Genovese crime family member Arthur Nigro still goes by the nicknames “Little Guy” or “Short Guy,” thanks to his modest stature. But his standing in his outfit has gone straight up. Nigro, 65, was charged last week in a murder and racketeering case and prosecutors gave him deep bows, claiming that he had served for a time as acting boss of the powerful Genovese clan.’ (Tom Robbins, 25 February 2010).

Arillotta remembered the day well. It was August 12, 2003, the day before his daughter was born, Arillotta testified […] There were only two men in the room, [Arthur] Nigro, 66, and elderly capo Pasquale (Scop) DeLuca, now 79. Sources on both sides of the law say a two-man induction team is not unusual for today’s super-secret Genoveses […] “Artie told me that I belonged to him. Pat DeLuca got up. He said, ‘Hello friend,’ and shook my hand and kissed me on the cheek. And that’s how it ended. I was a member.”’ (Jerry Capeci, 24 March 2011).

‘Illiano prospered in his new family, rising to capo. Sources say he served on several committees that alternated as ruling panels for the Genoveses during the late 1990s and early 2000s when Gigante — and other top family leaders — were being prosecuted and imprisoned by the feds.’ (Jerry Capeci, 16 July 2014).

‘Along with many crew members, [Peter] DiChiara was nailed on extortion, gambling, money laundering and other crimes in 2001 following an FBI undercover investigation in which turncoat Genovese associate Michael (Cookie) D'Urso wore a wire for three years. The club was a “ghost town” while Petey Red, along with crew members and other wiseguys who were stung by D'Urso, including cousins Salvatore (Sally D) DeMeo and Frank (Frankie Machines) DeMeo, Salvatore (Sammy Meatballs) Aparo, his son Vincent, and Rosario (Ross) Gangi were doing their time behind bars, said one source. But the affidavits, and sources on both sides of the law, say the social club has been a hotbed of wiseguy activity since DiChiara returned home. Sources say that since last year, all of the above mobsters have been spotted at or around the club. Other high-level Genovese wiseguys, including capo Daniel Pagano, who was hit with racketeering charges last month, have also been spotted at the corner of Market and Cherry streets.’ (Jerry Capeci, 4 September 2014).

‘While facing indictment in the late 1980s, the late and legendary Mafia boss Vincent (Chin) Gigante selected Liborio (Barney) Bellomo as acting boss of the powerful Genovese crime family. Now, more than 25 years later and after his own convictions, the Bronx-based college-educated wiseguy has made it to the top on his own and now rules the crime family, Gang Land has learned. That's according to authoritative law enforcement officials and other reliable sources who tell Gang Land that the 59-year-old mobster is calling the shots in the time-honoured tradition of the sophisticated crime family that is often referred to as the Ivy League of organized crime — quietly and without calling any attention to himself for the last few years. “Barney's smart, he's tough, he's low-key, and everybody respects him,” said one reliable Gang Land source. He also appears to have learned from the master: Sources say Bellomo is using long-time Lower East Side capo Peter (Petey Red) DiChiara to relay orders and information to Genovese family members. DiChiara, the sources, say is serving as, "street boss" or acting boss for Bellomo, relaying messages to and from capos and important family soldiers […] DiChiara, 73, the sources say, may wear an additional hat as well, that of the family’s consigliere. Gang Land's sources declined to explain exactly how Barney's directives get relayed to Petey Red — perhaps they're not so sure themselves. But they insist that Bellomo has been behind the increased activity in and around Petey Red's social club at Market and Cherry Streets. “Barney's the boss,” said one law enforcement official. “He's the reason why people from Brooklyn and the Bronx have been showing up in lower Manhattan in the last few years.” (Jerry Capeci, 4 February 2016).

‘Unlike [Frank] Illiano, who died in 2014, and 87-year-old Albert Gallo, who has been on several committees that ran the Genovese family over the years, Steve and Bobby Borriello gravitated to the Gambino family.’ (Jerry Capeci, 1 March 2018).

‘[Peter] DiChiara, a powerful Genovese crime capo who sources say served in recent years as a “street boss” and as a consigliere for family boss Liborio (Barney) Bellomo, died Friday morning after a months-long battle with a host of ailments stemming from heart disease he had suffered with for decades. He was 75.’ (Jerry Capeci, 8 March 2018).