Salvatore Piscopo: The man who betrayed Johnny Roselli

[Ed]

Hey guys,

Here's a new article about Los Angeles Crime Family member informant Sal Piscopo.

http://mafiahistory.us/rattrap/salvatorepiscopo.html

It bears repeating how much the FBI really knew about La Cosa Nostra from multiple informants by the time Joseph Valachi testified at the McClellan Hearings.

For the most part, like SF and SJ, there wasn't much going on in Los Angeles by the 1960s. I've included some good photos and I identify a couple more informants like Happy Meltzer.

Jimmy Fratianno's memoir revealed a ton of new information about the Los Angeles Crime Family but it's interesting how much the FBI already knew about certain mob murders through Piscopo long before Fratianno cooperated.

[Stroccos]

Hey guys,

Here's a new article about Los Angeles Crime Family member informant Sal Piscopo.

http://mafiahistory.us/rattrap/salvatorepiscopo.html

It bears repeating how much the FBI really knew about La Cosa Nostra from multiple informants by the time Joseph Valachi testified at the McClellan Hearings.

For the most part, like SF and SJ, there wasn't much going on in Los Angeles by the 1960s. I've included some good photos and I identify a couple more informants like Happy Meltzer.

Jimmy Fratianno's memoir revealed a ton of new information about the Los Angeles Crime Family but it's interesting how much the FBI already knew about certain mob murders through Piscopo long before Fratianno cooperated.

Good one ed

[aleksandrored]

Great article, there are several interesting things like a retired boss at age 65, Apalachin meeting, LCN initially called "Situation" and another statement that Paul Ricca was Al Capone's true successor, plus great information about the family of Los Angeles.

[Antiliar]

Great article, Ed!

[B.]

Another mandatory article.

Here are my thoughts reading it:

- The Sica brothers who you mentioned were originally from New Jersey were apparently relatives of some kind to Willie Moretti. In the thread about his murder, I mention his ties to Southern California and it was apparently through the Sicas. Interestingly in an FBI report from the 1960s they list a number of informants, a number of which are ID'd as made members of the LA family, but they also list a member informant said to be with the "New Jersey family". I am pretty sure the entire doc was about California so that stood out to me -- I don't think the informant was necessarily with the DeCavs, but could have been an NJ-based member of an NYC family. Moretti and the non-member Sicas came to mind but probably no connection.

- I had come across a similar but slightly differently worded bit about Neapolitans not being able to rise to the same stature in the organization but it probably came from Piscopo as well; I wonder if he meant the administration, as we know Fratianno was promoted to capodecina prior to Piscopo's cooperation.

- In the Real Thing excerpts that are online (through the same site as Rat Trap), Valachi also says bosses were supposed to retire at 65. So that is two sources.

- I believe an induction ceremony is mentioned in Dave Critchley's book (or another source on early years) that involved sucking of the blood/wound. Pretty sure this was an early Camorra induction the US, would have to check, but there was some kind of early induction that described this same process.

- The bit about Costello and Genovese is great. Along the same lines as the info pointing to Moretti's murder having less (or nothing) to do with Genovese conspiring against Costello/Anastasia and instead originating from Bomepensiero/Dragna's suspicions, it also looks like Genovese may not have been out to get Costello on his own to the degree that "diabolical Don Vito" hype has suggested. A lot of info I've seen on Tony Strollo points to him being a troublemaker in the organization, including his alliance with Augie Carfagno, so this isn't terribly surprising to hear he may have instigated problems.

- Curious if the "peace meeting" in Chicago supposedly attended by Bompensiero, Dragna, Ardizzone, and Al Capone, as mentioned to Bompensiero by St. Louis member John Mirabella (also in attendance) was after Ardizzone stepped down. I incorrectly thought the shooting with Basile was when Ardizzone himself was killed, but I suppose this info about Ardizzone's disappearance opens up the possibility that he was in fact ambushed getting off the train if it's true he was killed after leaving Chicago.

- Interesting too that he backs up the idea that Anastasia was killed because of the Frank Scalise murder.

- The boss being promoted from capodecina rather than underboss makes sense when you figure that the underboss was historically appointed by the boss and not elected like the boss or consigliere, meaning he may not have been someone popular with the membership.

[Pogo The Clown]

- Interesting too that he backs up the idea that Anastasia was killed because of the Frank Scalise murder.

Also interesting how it said Anastasia killed Scalise without Commission approval. Since when did a Boss need Commission approval to kill a member of his family (albeit a high ranking one)?


Another good tidbit is Frank DeSimone being the cousin of Dallas Boss Joe Civello. Amazing how many of these guy's across the country were related or connected in some way.


Great write up Ed. Lots of good info.


Pogo

[B.]

- Interesting too that he backs up the idea that Anastasia was killed because of the Frank Scalise murder.

Also interesting how it said Anastasia killed Scalise without Commission approval. Since when did a Boss need Commission approval to kill a member of his family (albeit a high ranking one)?

It sounds like in this case Anastasia was already on "probation" for the Mangano murders, so this was a violation of that. Ed's article says he "broke his promise" to the Commission after coming to an agreement after the Mangano murders.

[Villain]

Nice one Ed, thanks

[Ed]

Thanks guys for reading the article and the feedback.

Piscopo didn't have the best reputation according to some. I ordered Fiato's "Animal in Hollywood" but haven't received it yet. (postal strike in Canada). From what I've seen Fiato's says that Piscopo was a knucklehead and had killed a couple of guys back in Naples. (I'll update the article if necessary.)

Alek,

Piscopo makes it fairly clear that Ricca was over Nitti at least by the early 1940s but likely earlier too. Mind you, I don't see a scenario where Nitti was the "boss" after Capone and Ricca somehow pulled supporters away from Nitti until Ricca was made boss. If Ricca usurped Nitti somehow over time, wouldn't you expect a shooting war between their two sides?

B,

I found it interesting that Piscopo mentioned the blood sucking ritual but Fratianno, who was made at the same ceremony, didn't. Perhaps Piscopo was "made" a member of the Camorra back in Naples before he immigrated to the US. Dragna was obviously Sicilian and probably wouldn't have used it. Perhaps Piscopo misremembered and was confusing the two ceremonies?

I think the idea of a forced retirement at 65 has some benefits but I can also see a situation where the anticipated "next" boss is murdered just before the reigning boss resigns. Kind of like what happened to Buddy Longo when Amuso killed him just as Corallo went off to prison so he could take the top spot for himself.

Vito Genovese got poor "press" in the history books as a relentless schemer but his underlings seem to have generally liked him and he put some quality mobsters in positions of leadership. He wasn't afraid to promote strong men around him unlike Gotti and Massino.

As for that New Jersey member in Los Angeles, I took it to mean what you said, he was made in NYC and moved west. I had my eye on Giammona.

Pogo,

If my memory serves, Desimone and James Lanza of San Francisco were also cousins through marriage.

best regards, Ed

[Snakes]

Nice article, Ed. Thanks for posting! I don't know much about L.A. so it basically read like a history of that family to me.

[Pogo The Clown]

It sounds like in this case Anastasia was already on "probation" for the Mangano murders, so this was a violation of that. Ed's article says he "broke his promise" to the Commission after coming to an agreement after the Mangano murders.

Good pick up. It is surprising that they would have had a problem with Scalise getting clipped. You'd figure they would have wanted his head for selling memberships. Also interesting how Bonanno made no mention of this as a motive for Anastasia's murder. He lays it all on the power play by Lucchese-Genovese-Gambino. If I rememebr right he also claimed that if he had been in the US at the time Anastasia never would have been killed. So it sounds like his murder was not a true Commission OKed hit since evidently Bonanno was not consulted about it.

Pogo,

If my memory serves, Desimone and James Lanza of San Francisco were also cousins through marriage.

Good stuff. Thanks.


Pogo

[OmarSantista]

Probably not the best thread for this but I've been looking for a Lanza LA SF connection. So I came across an old Italian restaurant in Lake Tahoe called Lanza's and I've been trying to connect any dots there might be because It's been bugging me but I don't mean to reach. On the establishments website there's no "about" page or anything on their origins. Looking at their yelp pictures I came across an article which has an interview from Geraldine Lanza: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/lanzas- ... 0AXXUpkEKQ

What is interesting to me here is her Sicilian Connecticut roots, her husband Sebastian Lanza being born in the US but raised in Italy until 17, moving with her husband to Los Angeles in 1958 where 11 years later her Husband would pass from cancer then leaving in 74 to join her son Joe Lanza who seemed to already be in northern Ca. 74 Is the year I believe they opened.

On a side note I found it interesting thet her father was a cook in the Italian army, (which made me come across another article which is probably unrelated to her but just points out related or not the Lanza name comes from a long line of cooks) https://www.villagepreservation.org/201 ... n-the-mob/

After reading the New LCN Bios post about Fillipo Maita where a CI stated that Maita and James Lanza went to Sacramento in 1962 for a funeral of a man named Mannina who owned a grocery store and how Mannina used to buy olive oil and wine from Lanza. After the funeral they went to see Mariano Prisinzano who was a Lanza relative and then up north about 2.5 hours to Lake Tahoe for a few hours before returning to San Francisco. I feel like it's not far fetched to think Lanza may have been looking into business ventures in Tahoe since he was already selling to at least one friend with a grocery store. Obviously the time lines don't line up in terms of when I suspect Lanza's opened in 74 but I really don't know when it opened. Like I said I don't mean to reach but I find this interesting and don't necessarily doubt connections to the Lanza Crime Family. The son of Geraldine, Joe was depicted as a man with many restaurants. As of 2023 it's under new ownership (Michael Sansone) and previously owned for 32-35 years by a Chris Corda. I assume the Hacienda's were at one point owned or founded or just franchised by Joe Lanza because the article says he planned to open a Lanza's in Folsom which is where the Hacienda del Rio's are located.