The Lucchese crime family is an organized crime family based out of New York that is a part of the Mafia or Cosa Nostra. Congress. [31] In 1981, Cavalieri was found guilty of criminal contempt and sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison. After Balagula acceded to his demands, Reznikov told him, "Fuck with me and you're dead, you and your whole fucking family; I swear I'll fuck and kill your wife as you watch, you understand?"[94]. Michele Metych Fact-checked by It has been asserted that he sealed the body in an oil drum and buried it underneath Giants Stadium, however no evidence has ever been found to substantiate this claim. By Gunmen Waiting Outside Home", "United States of America, Appellee, v. Andimo Pappadio, Defendant-appellant, 346 F.2d 5 (2d Cir. In 1972, Coco, his brother-in-law James Michael Falco, and Louis "Louis Nash" Nakaladski were indicted in Miami on extortion and loansharking charges. [190] During the second trial both Thomas Ricciardi and Anthony Accetturo agreed to become Government witnesses; they testified against Perna and Taccetta. He decided to plead guilty in return for a lighter sentence. On July 6, 1942, Santoro received six months to two years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to import narcotics from Mexico. [138] In 1965, Pappadio was sentenced to two years in prison for refusing to answer questions before a Federal grand jury in Manhattan about meeting with Tommy Lucchese. [43] Coco later stepped down as acting boss and Carmine Tramunti became the new boss. Both Thomas and his brother Daniel were associated with the Lucchese family's New Jersey faction before becoming government informants. When asked what prompted this transformation, Chiodo replied "I was shot 12 times". mobster who planned to whack witness gets 14 years in prison", "On Pleasant Avenue, a Mobbed-Up History Is Hard to Live Down", "Strip club owner who ratted out mobsters won't go into hiding", "FBI Picture Takedown at Rao's Tied to 1990 Brooklyn Murder Authorities are closing in on a Colombo family capo for a 1990 murder. The Gambino Crime Family was founded by Salvatore "Toto" D'Aquila, who took over a gang of newly transplanted Mafiosi from Sicily after leaders Lupo Saietta and Giuseppe Morello were handed a 30 . [54], Former Lucchese capo turned government informant Peter Chiodo, admitted that he ordered soldiers Pagliarulo and Michael "Baldy Mike" Spinelli to murder Lucchese associate Sarecho "Sammy the Arab" Nalo. After Reznikov left the nightclub, Balagula suffered a massive heart attack. [156] He was recruited into the Lucchese family by capo Joseph Laratro, who controlled illegal gambling operations in Corona, Queens. FLAGSTAFF. Pinzolo may have been responsible for Reina's murder, although the most widely suspected culprit for that crime was Vito Genovese. The Five Families emerged at the end of the Castellammarese War, a Mafia power struggle in the early 1930s named for the Sicilian hometown of many of the participants. He began his criminal career working for the Gaglianos in East Harlem. The Lucchese family controlled the trucking industry (which it sometimes used to manipulate other businesses by limiting their shipping options) and the garment industry in New York, often in association with Carlo Gambino. On March 10, 1992, Lucchese associate Michael Spinelli shot Patricia Capozallo, Chiodo's sister, while she was driving in Bensonhurst. FBI surveillance recorded Corallo conducting business with Furnari and other family leaders. [68], Paul "Paulie Ham" Correale (April 25, 1911 died 1962) was a capo in the Lucchese family. [30][31] On November 4, 1987 Cavalieri died of natural causes.[29]. Furnari was the only defendant to be granted early release by the U.S. Parole Commission, most likely relating to the weak evidence behind his murder conviction. [124] In 1929, he was arrested on bootlegging, narcotics and robbery. He lived in Beverly Hills and was a narcotics dealer active in Los Angeles and the West Coast. [189] On April 18, 1991, Ricciardi was indicted, along with Michael Taccetta, Anthony Accetturo, and Michael Perna, on corruption charges. [57][64] On October 25, 2009, Cutaia was sentenced to 39 months in federal prison for bank fraud. [93], On June 12, 1986, one of Balagula's rivals, Russian-American gangster Vladimir Reznikov, entered Balagula's nightclub in Brighton Beach. The Lucchese crime family is one the "Five Families," of the nationwide phenomena known as La Cosa Nostra, that dominates the city of New York and the surrounding areas. In 1962, at age 38, Furnari became a made man in the Lucchese family. In the early 1970s the Five Families of New York organized crime decided to "open the books', allowing a new generation of mob associates to become made men. [106] He was sponsored by George Conte, who was filling in for his real sponsor George Zappola. In 1989, Chiodo became a caporegime in charge of funneling payoffs from Local 580 of the Ironworkers' Union to the Lucchese leadership. [108][109] In April 1991, Lastorino was ordered by Anthony Casso to murder Gambino family capo Bartholomew Boriello, who was a former bodyguard of John Gotti. The Luccheses and three other New York families had participated in a window replacement scheme that stole millions of dollars from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). [82] His son Anthony DiSimone served seven years in prison before the conviction was overturned; he later pled guilty to manslaughter in 2010, and served no additional time. [115][106][116] Some time after, Lastorino was appointed consigliere of the family. Since 2015, Capri and his company have been accused in multiple lawsuits for failing to pay rent and contractors and misappropriating funds meant to pay for construction. [19], Robert "Bucky the Boss" Caravaggio (1939 July 28, 2017) was a soldier and leader of the New Jersey faction. [60] During the early 1990s he was a member of a ruling panel along with Steven Crea and Joseph DeFede running the crime family. [3] He moved to Margate, New Jersey and served as a liaison between families in New Jersey until 1989 when he retired from Mafia affairs. [285], Burton Kaplan was an associate and government informant. Joseph "Little Joe" DeFede (1934 July 15, 2012) was a former New York City mobster and acting boss of the Lucchese crime family who eventually turned informant. Luongo was a longtime protg of Lucchese Underboss Salvatore "Tom Mix" Santoro and would meet him weekly at Santoro Beverage Company on Morris Park Ave in the Bronx. As US law enforcement undertook a concerted effort to crush organized crime activities in New York City during the mid-1980s, they put eleven top members of the Five Families, including the entire leadership of the Lucchese crime family, Corallo, Santoro and consigliere Christopher "Christie Tick" Furnari, on trial, called the Mafia Commission Trial or the Commission Case. [249], An associate of DiCarlo from Canarsie, Scott Cafaro, was also murdered by the DeMeo crew in February or March 1979 when the crew was hired by a rape victim's father to kill Cafaro, who had been acquitted of the rape in court. On February 5, 2002, DeFede was released from a Lexington, Kentucky prison medical center. [6] In 1994, Joseph Abate died of natural causes. [190] On September 20, 1993, Perna and Michael Taccetta pled guilty to federal racketeering. [190] On August 13, 1993, they were all convicted of racketeering and both Thomas Ricciardi and Anthony Accetturo agreed to become government witnesses and testified against Taccetta and Perna. [284] The indictment charged Capri with the financial failure of Toby Keith and Rascal Flatts branded restaurants. [115][106][116] Tortorello sponsored his son Joseph "Torty Jr." during the ceremony. Salvatore D'Aquila was the first recognized boss of what is now called the Gambino Family, leading a large Palermitani faction in New York City as they emigrated. [124] In 1935, he was arrested on illegal alcohol trafficking and narcotic trafficking. Docket Number: 88-1464", "United States v. Vincent DiNapoli Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Filed: November 1st, 1993. [303], This article is about past and inactive members who have been killed, died or became informants of the, List of past Lucchese crime family mobsters, "Graziano Breaks A Sports Scandal". In July 1908, Pinzolo was arrested for trying to bomb 314 East 11th Street in an effort to force owner Francisco Spinelli to pay Black Hand extortion demands. [74] He also worked with Thomas Gambino, the son of Carlo Gambino and son-in-law of Thomas Lucchese, in extorting businesses in the Garment District. [97] On January 13, 1987, Furnari was sentenced to 100 years in prison without parole and fined $240,000.[98][99]. [255], Vincent Zito (December 18, 1940 October 26, 2018)[256] was a former associate to the Lucchese family. Another rare photo from the wedding of John (Junior) Gotti shows (l. to r.) Joseph Albanese, John (Junior) Gotti, Carmine Agnello, Jackie D'Amico and Peter Gotti in 1990. [9] On January 22, 1945, he became a naturalized US citizen. If anyone does bother you, come to us and Anthony will take care of it.[90]. [289] The testimony from Pennisi stated that if the Bronx faction refused to step aside, imprisoned boss Amuso had approved of a hit list that included a captain and several members of the Bronx faction. Amuso continued to lead the family into the 21st century, making him one of the longest-serving family leaders, with several men filling in as acting boss on the outside. [20] During the trial Cataldo was listed as a member supervising numbers and loansharking operations in New Jersey. Both Upper and Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx supported a large group of Palermo-bred and Palermo-oriented mafiosi. [286] In 2006, Kaplan was released from federal custody and his remaining 18-year sentence for marijuana trafficking was dropped in return for cooperating in the case against Eppolito and Caracappa. In 1952, Joseph Valachi and others murdered Eugenio Giannini near Correale's club. Police Record A Mafia Funeral Mourners at Services for Luchese Are Photographed, "11 PLEAD NOT GUILTY TO RULING ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK", "U.S. JURY CONVICTS EIGHT AS MEMBERS OF MOB COMMISSION", "JUDGE SENTENCES 8 MAFIA LEADERS TO PRISON TERMS", "Frank Lastorino Obituary (2022) Brooklyn, NY", Mob boss Said to Have Fled Over Botched Assassination, "Declaration of Alphonse D'Arco in Mason Tenders RICO Suit", "Dumb Fellas Grads' Dream of Mob Glory Died Behind Prison Bars", "Surveillance video: Luchese capo's son caught on tape in hit attempt, before he's shot dead by cops", "NARCOTICS ARRESTS SHOW SHARP RISE New York Leads All Districts in U. S. Marijuana Seizures Increase in Volume", "Fugitive Is Tied to a Drug Theft From the Police", "Tramunti Is Charged; 43 are indicted in drug dealing", "2 Mob Fugitives Hiding In New York, Police Say", "Feds Cite Mob Role In Eatery 27 Named in Racket Tied to Freeport Restaurant", "Federal Bureau of Prisons: Inmate Locator "Vincent Mancione", "Jimmy McBratney a Footnote to Mob History", "Crime at Kennedy: Scams, Drugs and the Mob", "How the Mafia Loots JFK Airport: more than $59 billion of freight and 27 million passengers a year are irresistible pickings for mobsters, who have made it a hotbed of stealing, smuggling, and extortion", "Metro Datelines: 5 Plead Guilty in Airport Trial", "New Jersey Casino Commission: Frank Manzo", "Federal Bureau of Prisons: Inmate Locator "Frank Manzo", "Frank Manzo, Luchese Family Labor Racketeer Dies At 88", "11 Are Indicted on Bribes For Queens Gambling Ring", "Corruption and Racketeering in the New York City Construction Industry", "Reputed Mob Leader Among 15 Indicted on Racketeering Counts", "Company Owner Described as Fearful of Rejecting Mobs", "United States v. Anthony Salerno Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Filed: September 24th, 1991. [181] Papa grew up in Astoria, Queens and owned a tire company in the neighborhood. During his younger days, Michael Russo reportedly work as an "enforcer". [98], In January 2000, Santoro died at age 87 of natural causes [217] at a medical center for federal prisoners. [30], Frank Manzo (February 2, 1925 October 23, 2012), also known as "Francesco Manzo", "Frank Manse", and "Frankie the Wop", was a soldier in the Vario Crew who oversaw the family's interests at John F. Kennedy International Airport ("JFK") in Queens, New York. [124] On August 15, 1962, Carmine LoCascio along with Lucchese mobster Angelo Loicano and Genovese family members Rosario and Joseph Mogavero were charged with transporting around 400 kilograms of heroin between January 1950 to August 1962 in the United States. [54], According to investigator Robert Anglen, a Phoenix, Arizona real estate developer, the individual known as Frank Capri is really former mob informant Frank Gioia Jr. [124] He worked with his brother Peter LoCascio, John Ormento, Sam Accardi, brothers Joseph and John Amici, Charles DeStefano, Charles Bracco, Salvatore Santoro, Joseph Marone and Charles Albero in various criminal rackets. [115] Pagliarulo was imprisoned on the information and testimony of Frank Gioia Jr. who stated that Pagliarulo helped Louis Daidone plan the murder Bruno Facciola. [170][171] Migliore held an on-the-book job as a sales representative with a traprock supplier in the concrete business. [22] Caravaggio was overseeing operations in Northern Jersey, especially in Morris County. [184] On September 24, 1976, Pappadio was shot and killed outside his home in Lido Beach, Long Island. Casso was captured in 1993. In early 1990, Vic Amuso and Anthony Casso ordered D'Arco to kill Anthony DiLapi, a soldier who was in hiding. [63] On February 28, 2008, Cutaia, his son Salvatore, his son-in-law John Baudanza, and former acting capo Michael Corcione were indicted on federal racketeering charges that included loansharking, extortionate collection of credit, extortion, marijuana distribution conspiracy, illegal gambling, bank fraud, and mail fraud for activities dating back to the 1980s. [104] LaSalle served as underboss to Thomas Lucchese and later Carmine Tramunti, until he retired in the 1970s. [190] The second indictment charged Perna, along with Michael Taccetta, Anthony Accetturo and Tommy Ricciardi, with corruption. [273], Donald "Tony the Greek" George Frankos, (born November 10, 1938 Hackensack, New Jersey died March 30, 2011 Dannemora, New York), was a Greek-Italian contract killer and mob associate of the Lucchese family, who later became a government witness.
