What Family did Joe Valachi REALLY belong to?

[Stroccos]

Vito Genovese was Valachis best man at his wedding ,

Do you think Valachi told everything? Didnt some of his testimony not get recoreded because he wanted to protect certain people?

[johnny_scootch]

Some truly great posts. Seems to me that maybe when Valachi was made Gagliano wasn't a full fledged boss yet and even if he was he didn't outrank Maranzano in their little alliance so thats why he took a back seat to Maranzano when making new members.

[willychichi]

Gaetano Reina´s brother Antonino may have been a made guy and an early crew leader. In 1913 he was arrested for planting a bomb at Barnet Baff´s house. Baff was kosher poultry dealer who was killed a year later. No evidence of Antonino Reina ever being made but he was no choir boy.

HK wasn't Reina and his brother at one time part of a gang that was the forerunner of the Genovese family?

[Slumpy]

Man, I've read dozens of books on the mob, but when I came here I feel like I know next to nothing. You guys are great, but it's also why I never post, I never have anything to add.

Really interesting thread. Valachi always been a bit of an enigma to me, but I've also never read the Valachi Papers.

[B.]

That's a very good point about Gagliano possibly (I would say LIKELY) not being an official boss at the time Valachi was made. I believe Valachi also said there was only a small faction of ~20 (could be wrong on that number) members who wanted revenge for the Reina murder, and this group didn't trust the rest of the former Reina family, so Gagliano wasn't even representing the entire family.

There was also something about how the Maranzano and Gagliano factions initially communicated through an intermediary and each sent the name of a different Masseria loyalist to be killed, and when these two murders were carried out by each side they earned each others' trust. Nobody has figured out who these targets were that I know of, and maybe it's not what actually happened, but it makes more sense than the story we've heard about the two factions suddenly "realizing" they were on the same side. As we know with Maranzano's relationship with the former D'Aquila family, there were a lot of secret relationships and intermediaries between factions in different families at this time and that's how alliances were formed. Sounds like Profaci secretly represented an anti-Masseria faction in his family as well.

I tend to assume that as soon as Pinzolo died, Gagliano was immediately the official boss of that family. But really it seems he was just a faction leader though he was the heir apparent as underboss. Mineo's family didn't seem to have an official boss after his murder, either. With the Profacis it's hard to say since so much is still a mystery... i.e. when did Salvatore DiBella step down/get deposed, when did Profaci become the official boss, etc. But either way we can say at least two of the families likely didn't have an official boss until the war was over.

I can see why it would seem like Valachi was made into the Bonannos, as Maranzano conducted the ceremony and Joe Bonanno was his compare, but I also think the organization as a whole was originally more fluid despite always being divided into families. When you throw the war into it, it becomes even more fluid. There are examples in Sicily of bosses of other families inducting members of other families (Brusca was made this way I believe). If we're to believe Bill Bonanno, he claims that heads of other families were at this induction, but this may have been him trying to build up his importance. Maybe there are other examples of this, but I can't think of any. Either way, I believe Maranzano conducted this ceremony because he was the highest ranking member within the anti-Masseria alliance and he likely stepped up to officiate the ceremonies much like he stepped up and proclaimed himself acting boss -- he was a very grandiose, entitled person by all accounts.

Also note that the Commission wasn't created because of Maranzano alone -- a very similar if not EXACT same Commission was supposed to be set up after Masseria's death, but Maranzano opposed it and asserted himself as the boss of bosses. When he was killed it finally sealed the deal on retiring the position.

[johnny_scootch]

I'm sure that once Maranzano decided he was going to go to war with the Masseria family which out numbered and out gunned his own he immediately started to think about who would be his allies. Realizing Masseria had Reina killed it was almost a guarantee some of his closer associates would want revenge.

The reason Gagliano recruited Valachi was because he knew Valachi had a beef with Ciro Terranova.

[Angelo Santino]

I'm sure that once Maranzano decided he was going to go to war with the Masseria family which out numbered and out gunned his own he immediately started to think about who would be his allies. Realizing Masseria had Reina killed it was almost a guarantee some of his closer associates would want revenge.

The reason Gagliano recruited Valachi was because he knew Valachi had a beef with Ciro Terranova.

Maranzano lived in Palermo (and thus involved in Mafia Politics there, the same city where a plethora of Gambinos and Colombos came from) and allegedly had the backing of Mangano, Traina et al after Mineo's murder. But again, this "war" consisted of strategic hits on influential members on the opposing factions. It wasn't open warfare in the sense that the streets were lit with gunfire. Even the St Valentines Massacre by today's standards is an ordinary drive-by.

Masseria having Reina killed is odd since he and Morello were in legit business holdings together, clearly there's more to the story than we'll ever know. But even Bonanno said he "toed the Masseria line."

One thing I'm curious about- and these are just my thoughts- I'd like to get the death cert. of Gaspart Milazzo and compare that with the story JB claims Maranzano related to him. It's only through this narration do we hear that Masseria was ever responsible for Milazzo's death, but it's plausible that Milazzo was killed in a local Detroit mob matter and Maranzano blamed it on Masseria. I try not and rewrite history but it's a question that should be raised if only to be knocked down. Antiliar and jimmyB's take would be good.

[johnny_scootch]

Masseria was meddling in mob politics in Chicago so it's not a stretch to think he was instigating beefs in Detroit also. Seems to me this guy simply wanted to show his own superiority by putting people he was close to as bosses around the country and even taxing other NY bosses just to show he could shit on them.

[B.]

There are a lot of gaps in Masseria's story, that's for sure. For one, he was only the boss of bosses by the end of 1928 yet seemingly had a significant amount of national influence building before that. Morello is one potential reason why he was able to build that kind of influence, but Morello was also on the outs with the US mafia at the time he hooked up with Masseria and we don't know how much clout he would have had nationally. How was Masseria able to go from being a street-level guy, to boss of a large new(?) family, to a boss of bosses and shake up the entire scene in less than a decade?

If you look at most of the other bosses from that era, they make sense:
Reina - Well-connected Corleone native who took over Corleonesi-dominated family.
Gagliano - Same as above.
Maranzano - Top Castellammarese boss in Sicily who took over Castellammaresi-dominated family.
Bonanno - Castellammare native with deep blood ties to US and Sicilian mafia, takes over Castellammaresi-dominated family.
Salvatore DiBella - Seemingly from Palermo area, takes over small Palermitani-dominated family.
Profaci - From Palermo area with relatives in Sicilian mafia, takes over small Palermitani-dominated family.
Mineo - Mafioso in Palermo and boss of small Palermitani-dominiated family, takes over large Palermitani-dominated family when its Palermo-born boss is killed.
Scalise - From Palermo and takes over large Palermitani-dominated family.
Mangano - Same as above.

There is a clear pattern above. Then you have this:

Masseria - "Random Sicilian" takes over new family made up of former Corleonesi family members, mainlanders, and random Sicilians.
Luciano - "Random Sicilian" who takes over family that is now completely dominated by Mainlanders and some random Sicilians.

[johnny_scootch]

Masseria had the most money because he controlled the curb exchange. Morello lends him legitimacy in mob world and their willingness to initiate mainlanders gave them unprecedented manpower.

[B.]

Masseria had the most money because he controlled the curb exchange. Morello lends him legitimacy in mob world and their willingness to initiate mainlanders gave them unprecedented manpower.

His money and willingness to work with different groups (not just the mainlanders but also other ethnicities) was a big thing for sure, but on a political level it's amazing he was able to lead a diverse family that would not only be recognized as Cosa Nostra, but also quickly became one of the largest and most powerful groups in New York and the whole country.

Whether Morello gave him legitimacy or not is one of the questions.

On one hand, Morello was the boss of bosses during a crucial time in the development of the US mafia and he would have maintained relationships and unofficial influence even after he lost power and was blacklisted, but we don't really know how he hooked up with Masseria or what their connection truly was.

- Did Morello attach himself to Masseria because he (Morello) had lost power and other organizations were a dead end, with Masseria offering him protection and a road back to power? After his release from prison, Morello and his allies were blacklisted in NYC and had death sentences passed down from D'Aquila that nobody in the US or Sicily could help lift.

- Or did Masseria attach himself to Morello because Masseria was seeking legitimacy as a mafia leader and he got an old timer with extensive connections to back him up? Morello and his allies did seemingly make peace at some point with D'Aquila and the US leadership and as far as we know were allowed to enter the fold. As Christie has mentioned Morello was a business partner with some of his old allies/now rivals in the Reina family.

- Or both? This seems more likely to me. Masseria wouldn't have promoted Morello to the administration if Morello was just an old has-been who needed protection and that was it. We also know that up until his death that he was an aggressive figure in the NY mob who wasn't afraid to confront Maranzano, etc. However, Morello would have put himself in danger if he had joined up with one of the other families (if they would even accept him), which included his rivals/enemies, so I think we can assume he needed Masseria in order to maintain some level of safety while he re-established himself.

I've noticed that Masseria's name doesn't come up all that much on wiretaps of bosses talking from the 1960s. Other obscure figures come up constantly, even when discussing the Castellammarese War, but Masseria of all people is left out in most conversations. Thinking mostly of Magaddino here, but not limited to that.

[Antiliar]

I don't think Masseria brought Morello into the borgata, but the other way around. If Morello resumed his role as a boss he would have been killed, so instead he brought in Masseria to be the boss and he served as the underboss. At first I suspect Morello was the "power behind the throne," but as Masseria gained in experience Morello let him make the decisions and just advised. Before that Masseria appeared to have been associated with the Schiro Family.

[Pogo The Clown]

Can you guy's refresh my memory on why Morello was so hated and ostracized during this period? Seems a bit excessive.


Pogo

[johnny_scootch]

On January 17, 1920 the entire landscape of the NY Mafia changed forever whether the mafiosi knew it or not. I think Masseria owes much of his rise to the powerful position prohibition put him in. Combined the right place right time with the right moves and he was unstoppable for a time.

[Lupara]

Can you guy's refresh my memory on why Morello was so hated and ostracized during this period? Seems a bit excessive.


Pogo

I'll echo this.