Question on the second NYC mafia war

[likethewatch]

I thought that Gaetano Reina split from the Morello-Terranova gang years earlier, around the same time D'Aquila split. Here, it seems that Reina didn't leave Morello until at least 1920. But I am still confused as to his faction's relationship to Lo Jacono's. Both Reina and Lo Jacono are credited with running the predecessor organization to the Lucchese Family. Can you help me understand this?

[B.]

We lack clarification on all of the finer details but this is my read based on the evidence we do have:

- There was one continuous Morello Family possibly as late as 1923 although factionalism and conflict make some of the formalities confusing.
- Morello was no longer official boss by 1912 but remained influential in the Family even after Fortunato LoMonte's and Salvatore LoIacano's elections.
- We have evidence LoMonte and Giovanni Pecoraro were part of the 1910s admin (LoMonte was boss; Pecoraro's exact rank is unclear although circumstantial info suggests he was on admin level by the early 1910s when he approved Clemente's transfer from Chicago).
- The immediate leadership following LoMonte's murder isn't confirmed but LoIacano eventually becomes official boss by the end of the decade, likely with capo D'Aquila's blessing.
- Tensions begin to intensify as Morello's release nears, with Morello looking to maintain his control of the Family and possibly become boss again. Morello sent word from prison asking the LoIacano/Pecoraro leadership to accomodate him and they refused.
- D'Aquila issues death sentences on the Morello-Terranova-Lupo clan and their allies. Warfare breaks out and a rogue faction led by Joe Masseria (apparently a relatively new member) and the Morello-Terranovas fights against the official Family leadership, which is backed by Salvatore D'Aquila and the national mafia leadership. Various murders take place, victims seemingly being from both factions, including official Family leaders LoIacano and Pecoraro.
- The Sicilian mafia helps mediate and Ignazio Lupo is able to get his death sentence lifted before the others, likely through his close relationship to Resuttana boss and Manfredi Mineo's brother-in-law Antonino Grillo, who in turn is close to Lupo's in-laws the Motisis who lead the Pagliarelli Family. Lupo probably falls in as a soldier of the future Gambino or Colombo Family.
- Peace is established by late 1923 and two Families emerge in the war's wake, the Lucchese and Genovese Families. Both Families showed a core from the eastern side of the Palermo interior, with the Luccheses taking most of the Corleonesi. Both Families also look to have incorporated a diverse selection of recruits though the Genovese took in an even greater number of non-Sicilians and grew to an immense size.
- Giuseppe Morello and his surviving brother become members of what is now called the Genovese Family under Joe Masseria. At some point Morello becomes underboss or consigliere and Ciro Terranova becomes a capodecina.
- We have no concrete evidence Reina was the first boss of the newly-constituted Lucchese Family. He's the first one we know about but we truly have no idea whether or not there was another boss in the interrim between 1923 and the end of the decade.

Some other points:
- Clemente named four bosses in 1913 as follows: D'Aquila of Harlem (Gambino), Mineo of Brooklyn (Colombo?), Schiro of Brooklyn (Bonanno), and LoMonte of Harlem (Lucchese/Genovese). He gives no indication there was any separation between the future Luccheses and Genovese at this time.
- When a boss dies or is deposed, the borgata is technically "broken", meaning they don't have full autonomy and aren't fully recognized as a Family so they must run all major affairs by the national leadership. There are examples of this in the Commission era but it appears to go back further, as after Morello went to prison the Family was without a boss and reported to capo dei capi Sebastiano DiGaetano until LoMonte's election. This does not mean the former Morello Family belonged to DiGaetano's Family (the future Bonannos), as we see in the Commission era that Families in these exact circumstances answer to the Commission or an avugad when it comes to major decisions but are still their own organization even though it's temporarily broken and limitations are placed on them. This also occurs in the Sicilian mafia.

[bronx]

great work B

[B.]

Thank you, my friend.

--

Another interesting detail is the SS was told in August 1923 that Salvatore Mangiapane was defying an edict from D'Aquila by going into business with Frankie Yale. SS reports indicate Yale was already a Morello Family member back then so D'Aquila probably issued an edict that nobody was to do business with Morello members, or at least the rogue ones. Same thing we see decades later in the Bonanno war where the Commission sent word that other Families couldn't do business with Bonanno members until they fell in line.

[Brovelli]

No value from me whatsoever but wanted to say this conversation and info is awesome, lots of detail I was not clear on, thank you.

[B.]

In the post above my wording was confusing but I should have stated more clearly that Giovanni Pecoraro looks to have been a Morello loyalist or at least neutral. He's carrying out admin duties like approving transfers in the years immediately following Morello's incarceration which suggests he may have been Morello's acting boss or otherwise part of Morello's admin, then he's the one Morello allegedly meets with before his release requesting that LoIacano step down, and during the war he travels to Sicily with Ciro Terranova and Ciro also serves as witness on Pecoraro's passport application during the war.

Interestingly his son joins neither the Genovese nor Lucchese, instead becoming a Gambino member. His nephew / son-in-law LiMandri may have been a Gambino member before his LA transfer but LiMandri was close to Lucchese and Newark figures too and his son married into the former Lucchese associate Dippolitos but I've never seen confirmation of his NYC affiliation.

Maybe even more interesting is that Joe LoIacano ends up a Genovese member even though that was the faction that opposed Salvatore LoIacano.

[Camo]

In the post above my wording was confusing but I should have stated more clearly that Giovanni Pecoraro looks to have been a Morello loyalist or at least neutral. He's carrying out admin duties like approving transfers in the years immediately following Morello's incarceration which suggests he may have been Morello's acting boss or otherwise part of Morello's admin, then he's the one Morello allegedly meets with before his release requesting that LoIacano step down, and during the war he travels to Sicily with Ciro Terranova and Ciro also serves as witness on Pecoraro's passport application during the war.

Interestingly his son joins neither the Genovese nor Lucchese, instead becoming a Gambino member. His nephew / son-in-law LiMandri may have been a Gambino member before his LA transfer but LiMandri was close to Lucchese and Newark figures too and his son married into the former Lucchese associate Dippolitos but I've never seen confirmation of his NYC affiliation.

Maybe even more interesting is that Joe LoIacano ends up a Genovese member even though that was the faction that opposed Salvatore LoIacano.

In your earlier post you mentioned Lupo's in-law's being the Motisi's is that Giovanni Motisi's family, the current most wanted Sicilian fugitive?

[B.]

Yeah it's all the same neverending Motisi clan running the Pagliarelli Family.

[B.]

This could go in the Beliefs Without Evidence thread but it relates here. Given Schiro was allegedly a secret supporter of LoMonte and Mineo in 1913 then the Good Killers case suggested Schiro was again allied with the Morello faction, I wonder if Pecoraro was instrumental in this relationship.

Gioacchino DiMartino was an early NYC mafioso from San Cipirello (where the Pecoraros lived before the US) who listed Pecoraro as his cousin on one arrival manifest. DiMartino also lived with the Pecoraros earlier on under the name "Jacob DeMartino" which adds more substance to the relationship. DiMartino also attended the 1901 welcome banquet for Cascio Ferro, showing his stature at the time and one could assume DiMartino was a member of the Morello Family like Pecoraro, however on one occasion DiMartino arrived to Nicolo Schiro and DiMartino himself spent a period living in Williamsburg. San Cipirello / San Giuseppe Jato also show up in the Bonannos spanning decades and is near Camporeale and Partinico so it's also possible DiMartino was a Bonanno member.

DiMartino is a definitive link between Pecoraro and Schiro and given Pecoraro's leadership role in the Morello Family during the periods Schiro aligned with them I suspect Pecoraro himself was close to Schiro.

[quadtree]

Maybe even more interesting is that Joe LoIacano ends up a Genovese member even though that was the faction that opposed Salvatore LoIacano.

Has the blood relationship between them been confirmed?

[B.]

I don't remember if it was confirmed but when we looked into him it seemed he was a possible nephew with heritage in Marineo. He was part of the Greco crew in Lower Manhattan which would also fit Salvatore's area of operation. Maybe someone can confirm for sure.

There was also Lucchese member Angelo LoIacano though he was Corleonese and from East Harlem.

[JoelTurner]

This could go in the Beliefs Without Evidence thread but it relates here. Given Schiro was allegedly a secret supporter of LoMonte and Mineo in 1913 then the Good Killers case suggested Schiro was again allied with the Morello faction, I wonder if Pecoraro was instrumental in this relationship.

Even if Pecoraro was their link, it’s interesting that their relationship deteriorated from being allies to Schiro being removed as boss and taxed.

[Camo]

This could go in the Beliefs Without Evidence thread but it relates here. Given Schiro was allegedly a secret supporter of LoMonte and Mineo in 1913 then the Good Killers case suggested Schiro was again allied with the Morello faction, I wonder if Pecoraro was instrumental in this relationship.

Even if Pecoraro was their link, it’s interesting that their relationship deteriorated from being allies to Schiro being removed as boss and taxed.

Someone posted a file about that here and it read very weird to me as if he was treated like your average soldier at a sitdown not a Boss. I feel there most have been more behind it and that was an excuse, also for the beliefs without evidence thread.

[JoelTurner]

This could go in the Beliefs Without Evidence thread but it relates here. Given Schiro was allegedly a secret supporter of LoMonte and Mineo in 1913 then the Good Killers case suggested Schiro was again allied with the Morello faction, I wonder if Pecoraro was instrumental in this relationship.

Even if Pecoraro was their link, it’s interesting that their relationship deteriorated from being allies to Schiro being removed as boss and taxed.

Someone posted a file about that here and it read very weird to me as if he was treated like your average soldier at a sitdown not a Boss. I feel there most have been more behind it and that was an excuse, also for the beliefs without evidence thread.

Maybe he had been losing respect before being broken down in 1930.

There was an informant who said that was removed for warning Frank Lanza that he was going to be kidnapped:



I don’t buy the ransom part but the rest of his info was very specific so it was probably someone in the know

[Camo]

This could go in the Beliefs Without Evidence thread but it relates here. Given Schiro was allegedly a secret supporter of LoMonte and Mineo in 1913 then the Good Killers case suggested Schiro was again allied with the Morello faction, I wonder if Pecoraro was instrumental in this relationship.

Even if Pecoraro was their link, it’s interesting that their relationship deteriorated from being allies to Schiro being removed as boss and taxed.

Someone posted a file about that here and it read very weird to me as if he was treated like your average soldier at a sitdown not a Boss. I feel there most have been more behind it and that was an excuse, also for the beliefs without evidence thread.

Maybe he had been losing respect before being broken down in 1930.

There was an informant who said that was removed for warning Frank Lanza that he was going to be kidnapped:



I don’t buy the ransom part but the rest of his info was very specific so it was probably someone in the know

That makes sense. I thought i read something about him losing some other unnamed guys money on a business deal. I believe that's what the document said unless i'm conflating it with something else and that sounded flimsy and like surprising treatment of someone who was Boss for nearly 20 years.

It's interesting that Maggadino speaks of Schiro like a major mentor and he also didn't get on with Maranzano apparently. I think there probably was a proper split among the CDG guys and that's mostly what it was about.