My understanding is John Misuraca actually sponsored Sal Costanza, Alex Camarata (Misuraca's son-in-law) and his brother Peter Misuraca into the LCN. Meaning, the three individuals became inducted members on the "word" of Misuraca. He identified them as suitable candidates and "schooled" them on the ins and outs. In the case of Costanza, his actually "godfather" was an individual he met for the first time at the induction ceremony. I think Misuraca's power shows the influence the Profaci/Colombo Crime Family had in San Jose at the time. (Bill Feather does a good job showing the overlap between the two crime families.) It also shows how weak the San Jose Crime Family was by then.
Thanks for the follow-up to my questions.
The bit about Costanza meeting his "godfather" at the ceremony brings to mind the number game that Valachi and Scafidi both described from their making ceremonies, where Joe Bonanno and Antonino Pollina were randomly selected as their respective godfathers. Did Constanza say how his guy was selected or anything else about it? I made a topic about this "godfather" role a couple years ago or so but can't remember what became of the discussion or if there were other examples.
As for Misuraca sponsoring/recommending those guys as members, it doesn't seem that strange when you consider the early US mafia had members from out of town recommending new members to the local family (at least for transfers, but probably for new members as well), often through letter. No doubt that San Jose was weak, but it doesn't seem that far off from a situation like that, especially when you factor in how Sicilian San Jose still was at that point.
The bit about Costanza meeting his "godfather" at the ceremony brings to mind the number game that Valachi and Scafidi both described from their making ceremonies, where Joe Bonanno and Antonino Pollina were randomly selected as their respective godfathers.
That whole incident sounds suspicious to me. Why would an initiated member need to have a godfather?
Stroccos wrote: ↑Tue Oct 09, 2018 10:38 am
Good article Ed , anything on Cleveland in the pipeline ?
Thanks.
Cleveland has a couple of member-informants circa 1967 but I can't quite pin them down.
You might find this report about Guiseppe Pindelli interesting. Pindelli was an old time mobster from Ohio who was deported in 1940s for drug trafficking. His son Benny Pindelli began to cooperate with federal agents, in part, in an effort to allow him back into the US. Benny Pindelli was, I believe, a low-level hoodlum who was accused of being a pimp. He shared some worthwhile Intel about his father's associates in Ohio and Pennsylvania. I don't think his father knew what he was up to.
The bit about Costanza meeting his "godfather" at the ceremony brings to mind the number game that Valachi and Scafidi both described from their making ceremonies, where Joe Bonanno and Antonino Pollina were randomly selected as their respective godfathers.
That whole incident sounds suspicious to me. Why would an initiated member need to have a godfather?
In Scafidi's case, it was someone he could consult with who wasn't his captain or direct sponsor. (edit: sort of like a "personal consigliere"). Pollina helped him out financially on at least one occasion, too. I've never come across another Philly member who had this arrangement so it may have only been in place in 1950 (when the induction took place) and earlier. In Valachi's case, the wartime confusion and him transferring soon after make it difficult to know what the relationship was meant to be.
I always thought it was Cosa Nostra, and La was simply added by the feds to sound it more interesting. La Cosa Nostra isn't a proper sentence. But Frank Nicoletti was heard using La Cosa Nostra?
