Maxie's Lucchese Profiles

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.....Part Two of the Joe Babes Bendenelli profile to come.
He was an interesting guy, and I just found more of my notes on him. So stay tuned fella’s!

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“JOE BABES” BENDENELLI.....Part 2.
....originally from East Harlem, born and raised at (442 E. 115th Street). By a teenager he was already pulling armed robberies. By 1930, he had been picked up and arrested 7 times on robbery and theft charges. In 1930 he was arrested for the robbery of an A&P at 1258 Madison Avenue. In 1931, he was one of three young men picked up for a daytime shooting in front of a pool hall in which a baby was shot to death, and four additional innocent civilians were injured. It was front page news for weeks, and the public outcry forced police to crack down on the prohibition liquor racketeers and narcotics dealers. The killers were alleged to be (Tigger Mike) Coppola, Bendenelli and third man driving the death car only known as Paul. Police said it was a gang war between the Dutch Schultz mob and Vincent (Mad Dog) Coll, for control of the East Harlem drug rackets and speakeasy’s. The intended target was said to be Anthony Trobino. The
prevailing theory was that the war started when (Tough Joey) Rao and (One Eyed) Tocco broke away from the Coll gang and challenged Coll for supremacy. Bendenelli and his associates were badly beaten during questioning by the cops, but no charges stuck. By 1939, Joe Babes was already an inducted member of the Lucchese mob. On that year he was one of several men grabbed by detectives at a pastry shop at 2246 First Ave., and charged with vagrancy and consorting with criminals (each other). Among the men were several top figures in the underworld; (Tough Joey) Rao, Joseph (Joe Stretch) Stracci, Charles Argurola, Carmine Peduto and Bendenelli. In 1956, US Treasury agents raided an after-hours “bottle club” and arrested forty men at the “44 Club” at (126 E. 44 St.), alleging that the club was a den for top narcotics traffickers and hoodlums. Raiders found Bendenelli seated at a table with John (Buster) Ardito, Angelo (Cheesecake) Urgitano and John (Jumbo) Maiorino. The papers referred to Bendenelli as “Joe the Book”, and claimed him to have been Rao’s bodyguard. By this time, Joe Babes had racked up over 11 arrests since 1930, but never convicted. By the early 1960’s, he was living in the wealthy enclave of Malba, Queens (144–17 south drive), had a partnership in a large profitable crap game, and dealt in wholesale quantities of heroin. In 1962, while betting the ponies one evening at Yonkers Racetrack, Joe collapsed at a table at the tracks clubhouse and died almost immediately of a massive heart attack. Joe Babes was 52 years old!
I imagine he got too excited watching his horses performance in a race...... I wonder if his pick won or lost? 1962.... Joe Babes had his career cut short but at least he was doing what he most enjoyed.... gambling on games of chance!
PS: a little known mob fact, “Joe Babes” got his nickname from the shooting incident in which the “baby” was killed.

[bert]

“JOE BABES” BENDENELLI.....Part 2.
....originally from East Harlem, born and raised at (442 E. 115th Street). By a teenager he was already pulling armed robberies. By 1930, he had been picked up and arrested 7 times on robbery and theft charges. In 1930 he was arrested for the robbery of an A&P at 1258 Madison Avenue. In 1931, he was one of three young men picked up for a daytime shooting in front of a pool hall in which a baby was shot to death, and four additional innocent civilians were injured. It was front page news for weeks, and the public outcry forced police to crack down on the prohibition liquor racketeers and narcotics dealers. The killers were alleged to be (Tigger Mike) Coppola, Bendenelli and third man driving the death car only known as Paul. Police said it was a gang war between the Dutch Schultz mob and Vincent (Mad Dog) Coll, for control of the East Harlem drug rackets and speakeasy’s. The intended target was said to be Anthony Trobino. The
prevailing theory was that the war started when (Tough Joey) Rao and (One Eyed) Tocco broke away from the Coll gang and challenged Coll for supremacy. Bendenelli and his associates were badly beaten during questioning by the cops, but no charges stuck. By 1939, Joe Babes was already an inducted member of the Lucchese mob. On that year he was one of several men grabbed by detectives at a pastry shop at 2246 First Ave., and charged with vagrancy and consorting with criminals (each other). Among the men were several top figures in the underworld; (Tough Joey) Rao, Joseph (Joe Stretch) Stracci, Charles Argurola, Carmine Peduto and Bendenelli. In 1956, US Treasury agents raided an after-hours “bottle club” and arrested forty men at the “44 Club” at (126 E. 44 St.), alleging that the club was a den for top narcotics traffickers and hoodlums. Raiders found Bendenelli seated at a table with John (Buster) Ardito, Angelo (Cheesecake) Urgitano and John (Jumbo) Maiorino. The papers referred to Bendenelli as “Joe the Book”, and claimed him to have been Rao’s bodyguard. By this time, Joe Babes had racked up over 11 arrests since 1930, but never convicted. By the early 1960’s, he was living in the wealthy enclave of Malba, Queens (144–17 south drive), had a partnership in a large profitable crap game, and dealt in wholesale quantities of heroin. In 1962, while betting the ponies one evening at Yonkers Racetrack, Joe collapsed at a table at the tracks clubhouse and died almost immediately of a massive heart attack. Joe Babes was 52 years old!
I imagine he got too excited watching his horses performance in a race...... I wonder if his pick won or lost? 1962.... Joe Babes had his career cut short but at least he was doing what he most enjoyed.... gambling on games of chance!
PS: a little known mob fact, “Joe Babes” got his nickname from the shooting incident in which the “baby” was killed.

I doubt the nickname came from a baby shooting, unless it was given to him by reporters and cops. No way his associates would call him that.

[AlexfromSouth]

Them lucchese guys had hundreds of good quality men

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Yes, The old Lucchese mob had a lot of “quality guys”... today not so much. Like everybody else, the pool has been weakened

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JOHN (JOHNNY DIO) DIOGUARDI - born 1914, on the LES (170 Forsythe Street). Resided for many years at
108 Freeport Avenue, Point Lookout, LI. FBI #665273, NYPD #B-114267. The brother of Thomas Dioguardi and Frank Dioguardi, nephew of Vincenzo (Jimmy Doyle) Plumeri, and cousin of Thomas (Tommy Flowers) Plumeri - all affiliates of the Lucchese Family. Originally hanging out as a youth on the mean streets of the LES, his haunts included the Forsythe Street Boy Social Club, Delaney St., Ludlow St., Rivington St., Ridge St., Stanton St., Forsythe St., Houston St., Norfolk St., before expanding into the NYC garment district and beyond. Johnny Dio was arguably the most venerable labor racketeer, not only in the NYC area, but in the nation. His exploits in the labor union and management field were unparalleled in scope and breath. He was a Lucchese Family “star” and heir apparent to Tommy Lucchese. Starting in his teens with his uncle, notorious garment racketeer (Jimmy Doyle) Plumeri, they took over a garment truckmen’s assn., and then utilized it to “shakedown” dress makers and garment truckers alike. Charged and convicted in 1937 for extortion, he served a 3-5 year term. Upon being paroled he dove head first deeper into all facets of labor union rackets;.......
Teamsters Joint Council of NY/NJ
Local #295 Air-Freight Union (IBT)
Local #805 Vending Machines (IBT)
Local #102 Ladies Garment Workers
Union (ILGWU)
Local #172 Butchers Union (AFL)
Local #405 Retail Clerks Assn.
United Auto Workers Union
The United Federation of Labor
Bakery-Confectionery Workers Union (AFL-CIO)
Master Truckmen of America -
(controls garment district truckers)
Appx 20 dress factories including:
a shoulder pad-garment contractor
Mary-Anna Sportswear Co.
Dio Garment Mfg., Co.
.....to list but a very few of the unions and industries Dio controlled.
Dioguardi was the vice president of
Equitable Research Associates, Inc.
257 W. 57th Street, NYC. (a labor relations consulting firm utilized to extort money and form sweetheart contracts for victim companies).
He had an arrests record from 1932;
1932 coercion
1933 felony assault, conspiracy and
coercion,
1936 vagrancy
1936 forgery
1937 extortion (twice)
1937 malicious mischief, assault,
conspiracy (3-5 years) sing sing
1944 conspiracy to violate alcohol
tax laws (bootlegging)
1953 tax law violations (60 days)
1956 reckless driving
1956 conspiracy to obstruct justice
(15-30 years)
1967 criminal contempt of court
1968 bankruptcy fraud, conspiracy
(5 years)
1971 stock fraud, wire & mail fraud
and conspiracy (9 years). An intimate of Teamsters President James R. Hoffa, Johnny Dio’s associates also included:
Thomas (Tommy Brown) Lucchese
James (Jimmy Doyle) Plumeri
Thomas (Tommy Dio) Dioguardi
Vito Genovese
Carmine Lombardozzi
Paul (Paulie Ham) Correale
Antonio (Tony Ducks) Corallo
Carmine (Gribbs) Tramunti
Joseph (Joe Brown) Lucchese
Ettore (Eddie) Coco
Charles (Charlie Woppie) Carlino
Gandolfo (Shiekie) Miranti
Charlie Tuso
Theodore (Teddy) Rae
Joseph (Joe Pilo)Carlino
Domenico (Nicky) Bando
Abe Telvi
Harry (Little Gangy) Davidoff
Samuel Goldstein
George Baker
Abe Gordon
Moe Klemis
Joe Berger
Samuel Berger
Sam Sobel
Sam Smith
Max Block
among many, many others. Many of the above names were in his crew. Dioguardi was a longtime soldier and eventually elevated to a capo (regardless of official status he was always a mob powerhouse). From the 1950’s forward Dioguardi was almost constantly in the news. Very handsome, dapperly dressed, Dio looked like he stepped out of “central casting”, the prototype of what the public thought a mafioso and racketeer should look like! He was almost always under indictment. In 1956 arrested for the acid attack on labor columnist Victor Riesel. - who was blinded for life. Dio was held at The Tombs. Then he was indicted in a large bankruptcy fraud scam defrauding several kosher meat firms that he had infiltrated. In the early 1970’s he was again indicted with Carmine Tramunti, Vincent Aloi, Ralph Lombardo and several others in a stock fraud conspiracy. Convicted of several major cases, Dio was sentenced to multiple prison terms. His exploits and rackets were too voluminous for me to fully explain and enumerate here, but suffice it to say if not for his “career” being cut short by prison, John Dioguardi would most likely have been chosen to head the Lucchese crime Family!
........Johnny Dio died in 1979.

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Hello guys, if you are enjoying these profiles I’ve been writing, please give me a few suggestions for additional subjects for future profiles. I may not be able to always comply with your name choices, but where I can, I will
develop a profile for the suggested name. I still have a list to write on all 5 families. But I thought I’d offer this to whoever is interested. And although I posted this notice here, it applies to any of the 5 crews

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Steven Oddo and Cosmo Rosado profile to follow....

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STEPHEN ODDO - born 1910 in Brooklyn. (East New York). Resided for many years in exclusive Atlantic Beach, LI (1970 Bay Blvd.). He was a Lucchese associate and aide to mob capo Paul Vario Sr. He was the wealthy owner-operator of the Oddo & Stephens Funeral Homes of Brooklyn. Boyhood friend of Paul Vario Sr., he testified for the defense of Paul Vario, during a trial that had accused Vario of rape as a young man. He allowed Vario to utilize his home and luxury boat for gambling operations. In 1968, Oddo had been subpoenaed before both local and federal grand juries investigating the Paul Vario and organized crime. Oddo had one arrest and conviction for conspiracy, but had never been jailed. No dod available.

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LOUIS (LOUIE BEANS) FOCERI - born 1922 in East Harlem. FBI #2614144, NYPD #B-189802. Born and raised in Harlem, relocated in the early 1950’s to Queens, living in the Jackson Heights-Corona section of the boro (23-70 93rd St.), before moving to the Whitestone section by the early 1960’s. By the mid-1960’s Foceri had moved out to LI (11 Hurtin Blvd., Smithtown). Frequented the area around 117th and Pleasant Ave, and the “Royalites” Social Club (314 E. 119th St.). Also known as Anthony Falco. Arrested 17 times since 1940 for; rape, grand larceny, burglary, felonious assault, policy (5 times), robbery, possession of guns, dice games (4 times), forgery, heroin conspiracy. Convicted of policy (3 times), dice (3 times), robbery (2.5-5 years). Had a brother Vincent (Vinny Beans) of Levittown, who rose to become a capo, then served as consigliere for a short time during the early 1970’s. Along with his brother Vinny served in the regime of Samuel (Big Sam) Cavalieri. Also had served under Paul Correale before his death in Florida in 1962. Considered a aide to Cavalieri in the Harlem policy rackets (numbers). By the 1970’s, he became active in a Laborers union local, holding a job to show legitimate income. Foceri was never known to hold legitimate employment. Close associates included Nathan Behrman, Vincent (Jimmy East) Ciraulo, Correale, Cavalieri, Sam Monastersky, Daniel and Nicholas Lessa and Joseph (Joey Narrows) Laratro. “Louie Beans” was considered a respected member of the Mafia engaged in the numbers racket and narcotics (heroin) trade. In the early 1980’s he was one of many indicted in a major heroin import and distribution ring. He was convicted and sentenced to a long federal prison term, dying behind bars in 1989.

[johnny_scootch]

Hello guys, if you are enjoying these profiles I’ve been writing, please give me a few suggestions for additional subjects for future profiles. I may not be able to always comply with your name choices, but where I can, I will
develop a profile for the suggested name. I still have a list to write on all 5 families. But I thought I’d offer this to whoever is interested. And although I posted this notice here, it applies to any of the 5 crews

Salvatore "Blackie" Graffagnino
Bruno Facciolo
Domenico "Danny" Cutaia
Rosario Sacco
Louis "Brother" Scida

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Ok Scootch....

[Super]

joe brown lucchese

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Ok super

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COSMO (CASEY) ROSADO - born 1930 (of Cuban and Spanish heritage). Resided in Massapequa, LI (74 Leonard Drive). Identified by the FBI as an “associate” of the Lucchese Family. He was the longtime president of the (1,200 member) Local #71 -Transportation, Terminal, Interplant and Commissary Food Employee’s Union & Welfare Fund (AFL-CIO) at Kennedy Airport. Activities: extortion, frauds, con man, labor racketeering. Back in Tampa, Florida, he was known as a con artist and nearly killed by a Cosa Nostra soldier whom, police said, Rosado had cheated by selling him barrels of frozen chicken that turned out to be more ice than chicken. A close associate of mob boss Paul Vario, starting in 1966, Rosado was jailed five times in three years on contempt charges (four times 30-days each and 10-months on the fifth) for refusing to answer questions before a Nassau grand jury investigating a $30,000,000. a year bookmaking-policy gambling ring controlled by mob boss Paul Vario Sr. The court wanted Rosado to testify about bets he made and money Rosado owed in gambling debts of $50,000. to bookmaker Milton (Milty) Wekar, a major mob gambler in the Lucchese Family.
He had been arrested on charges of: passing fraudulent checks (5 times), assault, contempt of court (6 times), breaking and entering, extortion (twice). During a union strike against the Marriott Hotel Corp. (who was non-union) operating at Kennedy Airport, when Marriott cancelled the contract and fired 100 employees (who were union members), at the restaurants operating at the Eastern, National and Pan American airline terminals.
Rosado and Local #71, was accused by Marriott officials of using strong-arm tactics; attempted bombing (pipe bombs, firebombs, and stink bombs), threats against suppliers, illegal pickets, attempted robbery and assault of a Marriott food supplier, and assaults on employees in an attempt to unionize the firm. Rosado was fined $75,000. and his union $25,000. by Federal Judge Jacob Mishler for acts of sabotage and vandalism against the now closed Restaurants America Corp., at the International Arrivals building. Associates included; Vario, James (Jimmy the Gent) Burke, Harry Davidoff, Luis Perez. He was arrested in Florida on federal extortion (of gambling debts) charges with his union business agent Luis Perez, and James Burke for flying down to Florida and beating Gasper Ciaccio (to a pulp) for welching on a $60,000. baseball bet he made on the American League-National League All-Star game. They were previously acquitted of similar state charges.
After his second criminal trial for contempt of a grand jury, in 1968, Rosado was hospitalized after he suffered a heart seizure. He had another one again in 1971 which he didn’t survive. Rosado suddenly died of a massive heart attack in his kitchen, at his home in Massapqua, Long Island.....loved by his union membership, Casey certainly was a character and a half! As Sinatra used to sing “he did it his way”!