What’s left of the mob nationally?

[scagghiuni]

What's happened with the Buffalo family (on the Canadian side of the border anyway) isn't all that different from what we've seen elsewhere in the past. In 2010, there was a bookmaking bust in Kansas City that had at least one member and several other guys with familiar names from the past. But that doesn't mean there's a viable family left there.

so violi lied in the wiretaps? i doubt it... the point is that buffalo is not active in the united states but it is in canada, that's why fbi said it was not viable

[maxiestern11]

Buffalo for me (IMO) is a question mark! Because clearly those guys who were busted were active, some originally from the LI-NY area. Plus there were some guys still up there; Todaro, a few more..... so they may have been hoping on one leg, but they’re still a “presence” for lack of a better term?

[maxiestern11]

Buffalo for me (IMO) is a question mark! Because clearly those guys who were busted were active, some originally from the LI-NY area. Plus there were some guys still up there; Todaro, a few more..... so they may have been hoping on one leg, but they’re still a “presence” for lack of a better term?.... on both sides of the border. Because wasn’t Todaro and a few around him from Buffalo. The father, son, etc..... they backed up, have a wheel barrel of cash from pizzerias. But I believe they “are” some guys. If they cross the border back and forth, doesn’t mean they’re still not “Buffalo based”?

[TommyGambino]

The wiretaps proved Buffalo are still active...

[NickleCity]

Buffalo for me (IMO) is a question mark! Because clearly those guys who were busted were active, some originally from the LI-NY area. Plus there were some guys still up there; Todaro, a few more..... so they may have been hoping on one leg, but they’re still a “presence” for lack of a better term?.... on both sides of the border. Because wasn’t Todaro and a few around him from Buffalo. The father, son, etc..... they backed up, have a wheel barrel of cash from pizzerias. But I believe they “are” some guys. If they cross the border back and forth, doesn’t mean they’re still not “Buffalo based”?

At least one reporter indicated you are right and Buffalo is active on both sides of the border. Here is a translation of the French language article:

Domenico Violi had just received a promotion that took him to the top of the criminal organization. For the first time, a Canadian was going to run the activities of an American mafia family, Buffalo.

As number two in the organization, some 30 Mafiosi are now under his command, mainly in the United States, but also in Hamilton, says Domenico Violi."

Here is the link: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/11 ... ppe-drogue

[maxiestern11]

Buffalo for me (IMO) is a question mark! Because clearly those guys who were busted were active, some originally from the LI-NY area. Plus there were some guys still up there; Todaro, a few more..... so they may have been hoping on one leg, but they’re still a “presence” for lack of a better term?.... on both sides of the border. Because wasn’t Todaro and a few around him from Buffalo. The father, son, etc..... they backed up, have a wheel barrel of cash from pizzerias. But I believe they “are” some guys. If they cross the border back and forth, doesn’t mean they’re still not “Buffalo based”?

At least one reporter indicated you are right and Buffalo is active on both sides of the border. Here is a translation of the French language article:

Domenico Violi had just received a promotion that took him to the top of the criminal organization. For the first time, a Canadian was going to run the activities of an American mafia family, Buffalo.

As number two in the organization, some 30 Mafiosi are now under his command, mainly in the United States, but also in Hamilton, says Domenico Violi."

Here is the link: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/11 ... ppe-drogue

..... good info Nickle, thanks for the post!

[Pogo The Clown]

Question for the forum!..... I’d like to know everyone’s thoughts on what’s left! ......of families throughout the country. I know there have been plenty of discussions in past years on this topic. But as of today, July 9, 2019, what is the “REAL” state of affairs on LCN in America!

The Five Families, NJ, NE, Philly, Chicago is what's left. The Outfit on death watch since The Family Secrets and Sarno trials. Probably some activity in Detroit and Buffalo, but a far cry from fully functioning families. I know there was info about Buffalo coming out recently, but I would be extremely surprised if they managed to rebuild after being considered a defunct organization for more than a decade. In 20-30 years we might see only NY+NJ left standing.

Good Summary, that's pretty much it. It will end up being the New York 5 which will then eventually become the New York 2 (Genovese & Gambino) but that will be maybe 30-40 years from now and who knows what this Country will be like at that point.

It is already happening. Chicago has pretty much withered away. NE has withered away to the point where they are now essentially a Boston organization with remnants in Providence and nothing in Connecticut (the last Patriarca related bust in Conn was in 2005 and involved a member from Providence). From all accounts Philly has started to slow down. Same with activity in Florida. We are even seeing the Luccheses and Colombos starting to downsize in terms of the number of crews they can field.


Buffalo lives on on the Internet. The FBI hasn't recognized them for at least 15 years. The local prosecutors in Buffalo have recently said they are gone. Even the local Buffalo press looked into the supposed "Buffalo resurgence" talk and concluded there was nothing to it and it is still dead. What we have here is one made member being indicted in 17 years and people on the Internet running with it and turning it into something it's not.


Pogo

[Mason_dixon]

Chicago isn’t what they used to be but they did just whack their own underboss in 2006....something to be considered. They are still serious dudes there in the outfit.

[scagghiuni]

What we have here is one made member being indicted in 17 years and people on the Internet running with it and turning it into something it's not.


Pogo

we have the violi wiretaps and even murders (cece luppino, iavarone etc.), i wouldn't call it nothing, they maybe are not active in buffalo anymore or just involved in gambling and stuff like that, but in canada it seems to be active

[Snakes]

Chicago Outfit activity since 2000:

22 November 2001: Outfit member Anthony Chiaramonti murdered outside Brown's Chicken & Pasta in Lyons, IL. Robert Cooper later admitted to being the getaway driver and fingered Anthony Calabrese as the shooter. A motive was never established but Chiaramonti was believed to be involved in a power struggle over territory once controlled by former Outfit boss John Monteleone, who had died earlier in the year.

Spring 2002: A series of cases brought against Outfit figures and Cicero town officials resulted in the conviction of Outfit members James Inendino and Michael Spano, Sr., as well as former Cicero town president Betty Loren-Maltese. Inendino and Spano respectively received 6½ and 6 year sentences, while Loren-Maltese received a 33-month term. A number of other public officials were also convicted. More than $10 million dollars was fraudulently obtained by the conspirators from the town's healthcare plan.

31 August 2006: Outfit member Anthony Zizzo disappeared after leaving his home. His car was later found in the parking lot of a Melrose Park restaurant. Zizzo was alleged to have been feuding with fellow Outfit member Michael Sarno over video poker routes and it is highly suspected that Sarno arranged to have Zizzo murdered. Zizzo's body has never been found.

10 September 2007: Outfit members Frank Calabrese, Sr., James Marcello, and Joseph Lombardo were convicted of numerous raceketeering charges, including over a dozen Outfit-related murders or attempted murders. All three received life sentences. Former Outfit member Nicholas Calabrese, Frank's brother, as well as Frank Calabrese, Jr., his son and namesake, cooperated with the government and testified at trial. Outfit associates Paul Schiro and Anthony Doyle were also convicted. Several others pleaded guilty. Frank Schweihs, a feared Outfit enforcer, was severed for health reasons but died before making it to trial.

February 2008: Outfit associate Anthony Calabrese was convicted of running an armed robbery crew and sentenced to 62 years in prison. Calabrese (no relation to Frank or Nicholas) was also alleged to have been the triggerman behind the 2001 murder of Outfit member Anthony Chiaramonti.

27 October 2009: Former Deputy U.S. Marshal John Ambrose was sentenced to four years in prison for providing Outfit figures with information on Nicholas Calabrese's cooperation with the federal government in relation to the Operation Family Secrets investigation.

October 2011: Outfit member Rudolph Fratto pleaded guilty in a bid-rigging to scheme to award forklift contracts for two separate trade exhibition shows. Fratto had already served a year in prison for tax evasion and would be sentenced to one more for his involvement in the bid rigging conspiracy.

26 January 2012: Joseph "Jerry" Scalise, Arthur Rachel and Robert Pullia were convicted of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and conspiracy to burglarize the Bridgeport home of deceased Outfit power Angelo LaPietra. Scalise, the leader of the crew and a longtime Outfit associate, had allegedly obtained permission from James Inendino to break into the LaPietra residence.

9 February 2012: Outfit member Michael Sarno, at one time reputed to be the acting boss of the Outfit, was sentenced to 25 years for a number of racketeering offenses, including gambling, arson, and dealing in stolen goods. Convicted with Sarno were Mark Polchan, leader of the Outlaw motorcycle gang, Samuel Volpendesto, Anthony Volpendesto, and Casey Szflarski, son-in-law of Outfit member Frank "Toots" Caruso.

July 2014: Outfit associate Robert Panozzo was charged with running a burglary and armed robbery crew which reported to the Outfit's Grand Avenue crew, led by Albert Vena. Panozzo and members of his crew would pose as law enforcement officers and rob drug stash houses. He and his crew also staked out and burglarized numerous residences in the Chicago area. Panozzo was convicted and later sentenced to 18 years on the charges.

2014-2015: Numerous chargers were brought against several Outfit associates, most prominent being Paul Carparelli and Michael "Mickey" Davis, for extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion. Both men were alleged to have worked under Outfit figure Salvatore DeLaurentis and Davis's associations extended to John DiFronzo, alleged to have been the top boss of the Outfit for many years.

May 2017: Outfit member John Matassa, Jr. was charged with embezzlement for creating a sham union and falsifying records, including the creation of a bogus union position for his wife in order to draw social security benefits. Matassa pleaded guilty in February, 2019 but has yet to be sentenced due to health concerns.

Significant Outfit Deaths since 2000:

Donald Angelini (2000)
Carmine Bastone (2002)
Frank Calabrese, Sr. (2012, in prison)
Michael Castaldo (2005)
Anthony Centracchio (2001)
Anthony Chiaramonti (2001) (Murdered)
James Vincent Cozzo (2007)
James DiForti (2000)
John DiFronzo (2018)
Joseph Grieco (2013)
Ernest Rocco Infelise (2005, in prison)
Louis Marino (2017)
William Messino (2002)
John Monteleone (2001)
Dominick Palermo (2005, in prison)
Albert Tocco (2005, in prison)
Alfonso Tornabene (2009)
Anthony Zizzo (2006) (Disappeared/Presumed Murdered)

[NickleCity]

Question for the forum!..... I’d like to know everyone’s thoughts on what’s left! ......of families throughout the country. I know there have been plenty of discussions in past years on this topic. But as of today, July 9, 2019, what is the “REAL” state of affairs on LCN in America!

The Five Families, NJ, NE, Philly, Chicago is what's left. The Outfit on death watch since The Family Secrets and Sarno trials. Probably some activity in Detroit and Buffalo, but a far cry from fully functioning families. I know there was info about Buffalo coming out recently, but I would be extremely surprised if they managed to rebuild after being considered a defunct organization for more than a decade. In 20-30 years we might see only NY+NJ left standing.

Good Summary, that's pretty much it. It will end up being the New York 5 which will then eventually become the New York 2 (Genovese & Gambino) but that will be maybe 30-40 years from now and who knows what this Country will be like at that point.

It is already happening. Chicago has pretty much withered away. NE has withered away to the point where they are now essentially a Boston organization with remnants in Providence and nothing in Connecticut (the last Patriarca related bust in Conn was in 2005 and involved a member from Providence). From all accounts Philly has started to slow down. Same with activity in Florida. We are even seeing the Luccheses and Colombos starting to downsize in terms of the number of crews they can field.


Buffalo lives on on the Internet. The FBI hasn't recognized them for at least 15 years. The local prosecutors in Buffalo have recently said they are gone. Even the local Buffalo press looked into the supposed "Buffalo resurgence" talk and concluded there was nothing to it and it is still dead. What we have here is one made member being indicted in 17 years and people on the Internet running with it and turning it into something it's not.


Pogo

Not my take on the most recent article in the Buffalo news from April 19. IMHO it leaves the question open. Here is the relevant quote. Phil Fairbanks writes:

If the mob is again up and running in Buffalo and involved in the Hamilton murders, it might be rooted in the relationships that started with Stefano Magaddino, the Lewiston funeral home operator who oversaw the Mafia here in the 1950s and 1960s.

Magaddino, one of the longest-tenured and most powerful mob leaders in the country, controlled a territory that extended beyond Western New York into Pennsylvania, Ohio and Ontario.

The FBI says the Todaros took over from Magaddino at some point, an allegation Joseph Todaro Jr. has repeatedly denied.

I could be wrong. So here is the link to the rest of the article so the reader can make their own judgment based on the context of the whole article.
https://buffalonews.com/2019/04/30/in-c ... -and-well/

I will point out that the text in the article link indicates the way the reporter understood what his contacts and sources in Canada believed--"in-canada-the-buffalo-mob-is-viewed-as-alive-and-well."

[NickleCity]

^^^^^
Sorry the actual article date is April 30, 2019. Also this is the most recent article where the FBI makes not comment about the status of the Buffalo crime family.

The FBI says the Todaros took over from Magaddino at some point, an allegation Joseph Todaro Jr. has repeatedly denied.

When asked to comment on allegations that organized crime has resurfaced in Buffalo, the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment.

[Moscone65]

The FBI - forever blindly ignorant, or fully blown idiots

[Moscone65]

Some of you guys have no clue how close Hamilton and buffalo are, literally less than an hour drive. To say that there aren’t wiseguys less than an hour away, over in the American side is just nonsense. Niagara Falls and buffalo are even closer, like half an hour or less. I drive there all the time. Lots of guys in Hamilton and Niagara Falls. Buffalo is to Niagara Falls is almost like Windsor to Detroit in terms of proximity.

[Pogo The Clown]

Now the "I live here" card gets played. Haven't seen that one used in a while.


Pogo