The DeCavalcante crime family, also known as the North Jersey crime family or the North Jersey Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family that operates mainly in northern New Jersey, particularly in Elizabeth,[2] Newark, West New York[4] and the surrounding areas. The family is part of the nationwide criminal network known as the American Mafia.
 Family namesake Simone DeCavalcante | |
| Founded | c. 1900s |
|---|---|
| Founder | Phil Amari |
| Named after | Simone DeCavalcante |
| Founding location | Elizabeth and Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Years active | c. 1900s–present |
| Territory | Primarily North Jersey, with additional territory in Central Jersey, New York City, Connecticut and South Florida[1] |
| Ethnicity | Italians as "made men" and other ethnicities as associates |
| Membership (est.) | 40 made members and 50+ associates (2004)[2] |
| Activities | Bookmaking, bootlegging, corruption, drug trafficking, extortion, fencing, fraud, hijacking, illegal gambling, loan-sharking, money laundering, murder, theft, pornography, prostitution, racketeering[3] |
| Allies | |
| Rivals | Various gangs in New Jersey, including their allies |
The DeCavalcante family operates on the opposite side of the Hudson River from the Five Families of New York City, and maintains strong relations with each of the New York families, especially the Gambino family, as well as with the Philadelphia crime family and the Patriarca crime family of New England.[5][6] The organization is considered by some to be the "Sixth Family".[5][7] The family's illicit activities include bookmaking; bootlegging; corruption; drug trafficking; extortion; fencing; fraud; hijacking; illegal gambling; money laundering; murder; prostitution; racketeering; and cement, construction and waste management violations.[5][8][9]
History
Early Newark family
In the city of Newark, New Jersey, the Italian criminals were divided into two ethnic factions; the "Sicilians" and the "Neapolitans". The Sicilian Mafia faction was headed by Stefano "Don Steven" Badami, while the Neapolitan faction was led by Ruggiero "the Boot" Boiardo. In 1920, Prohibition began in the United States and it presented many gangs with the opportunity to make a lot of money through bootlegging, the selling and transportations of illegal alcohol. With large amounts of money to be earned violence reputed throughout cities and towns in New Jersey as criminals fought for territory and dominance to control illegal bootlegging rackets. Violence erupted in Newark as criminals fought to control bootlegging rackets, but the two most powerful bosses in the city were Neapolitan faction boss Richard Boiardo and Jewish gangster Abner "Longie" Zwillman. The Neapolitan boss Boiardo secured control of the First Ward, which was known as Newark's Little Italy and operated a large bootlegging operation in Newark and throughout New Jersey.[10] While Jewish gangster Zwillman, was based out of the Third Ward where he controlled one of the largest bootlegging operations in New Jersey.[11]
In 1930, a bloody Mafia war, known as the Castellammarese War started as Sicilian Castellammarese Mafia boss Salvatore Maranzano challenged New York City Mafia boss Joe "The Boss" Masseria for the position of capo dei capi. In Newark, the Sicilian boss Badami joined Maranzano's alliance, while Neapolitan boss Boiardo sided with Masseria.[12] On April 15, 1931, Masseria was murdered, leaving Maranzano the most powerful mobster in America. Maranzano appointed Badami the boss and Sam Monaco the underboss of the Newark family.[12] On September 10, 1931, Maranzano was murdered leaving Badami without protection from his enemies. Days later on September 13, 1931, Badami's underboss Sam Monaco and top member Louis Russo were discovered dead after their bodies were found floating in Newark Bay.[13] The loss of Monaco and Russo caused Badami to flee Newark, leaving the family without leadership.[13][12] The Newark family broke apart, as many members joined the Gagliano family's Jersey crew, while the remaining members stayed with Gaspare D'Amico.
D'Amico had moved to Newark during the early 1920s, settling in the Northeastern neighborhood of Woodside.[12] When D'Amico took over as boss, he faced a number of rebellions against his leadership.[12] In 1935, D'Amico was challenged by Vincenzo Troia for control of the Newark family, but he acted quickly and ordered Troia and his associates murdered.[12][14][15] The second challenge against D'Amico leadership occurred in 1937, when Salvatore Lombardino and others attempted to murder him but failed.[12] During the assassination attempt D'Amico's father was murdered, fearing for his own life D'Amico fled the United States and relocated to Puerto Rico where he later died in October 1975.[12] It was later discovered by the Commission that Profaci family boss Joseph Profaci, had backed Lombardino and had ordered the assassination attempt on D'Amico.[12]
The Commission decided to disband the Newark family, while declaring Newark an open city and dividing the family's territory among the Five Families of New York.[16] The Luciano-Genovese family's New Jersey faction grew in power as Richard Boiardo became the family's caporegime of the Newark crew and powerful New Jersey mobster Willie Moretti became the family's underboss while also controlling operations in Bergen county. The Gagliano family's Jersey crew caporegime was Settimo "Big Sam" Accardi, a former member of Badami's Newark family, he controlled operations in Newark and northern New Jersey. While the Mangano family's Newark crew was controlled by Antonio Paterno, a former member of the Newark family and the Profaci family's New Jersey crew was led by Salvatore Lombardino, the man behind the attempted murder of Newark boss D'Amico. The Bonanno family's Newark crew was led by Antonio Riela.[17][18] The city of Newark also had other gangsters fighting for dominance and territory which included Abner Zwillman a Jewish gangster, the Philadelphia crime family which formed their North Jersey crew, and former Newark boss Badami with his own small group.
Early Elizabeth family
In the city Elizabeth, New Jersey the Mafia faction was made up of mostly immigrants from Ribera, Sicily.[2][9] The Mafia group was based out of the Peterstown section of Elizabeth.[19] The earliest known boss the Elizabeth Mafia faction was Filippo "Big Phil" Amari.[19] He was born in Ribera, Sicily and arrived in Elizabeth in the early 1920s.[19] During Amari's time as boss he recruited Emmanuel Riggi, Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso and Frank Majuri into his Mafia faction.[19] Over the years Amari continued to grow in power and was recognized by US law enforcement as being heavily involved in extortion, labor racketeering, loansharking, and narcotics activities in Elizabeth and Newark.
After fleeing Newark Stefano "Don Steven" Badami relocated in Orange, New Jersey.[19] Badami continued operating a small Mafia group while working alongside with other Mafia families. Badami was unsuccessful in taking over the Elizabeth Ribera Mafia faction because he was born in Corleone, Sicily and they didn't trust him.[19] On March 31, 1955, Badami went to a restaurant in Newark and was murdered being stabbed 40 times.[19] The police held Frank Monaco as a witness in the murder and he confirmed that he was the brother of Sam Monaco, a former associate to Badami who was murdered in 1931.[19]
In 1956, Nicholas "Nick" Delmore became as boss after Amari retired and moved back to Sicily. Delmore was a longtime member of the Elizabeth faction, going back to the prohibition era when he owned the Maple Shade Inn in Berkeley Heights and worked with Abner Zwillman in some brewery operations.[20] In September 1930, Delmore was a fugitive related to a gun permit and murder of a federal dry agent.[21] Delmore was arrested in 1933, and charged with murder he was later acquitted of murder at the end of the trail.[20] In 1957, Delmore attended the infamous 1957 Apalachin Convention to represent the Elizabeth family of New Jersey, with his underboss Frank Majuri and capo Louis LaRasso.[22] Delmore ran the Elizabeth family until the early 1960s, when he became ill. In 1964, Delmore died and his nephew Sam DeCavalcante was installed as new boss of the Elizabeth family.[22] Under DeCavalcante's regime the Commission began to recognize the Elizabeth family as an autonomous crime family and officially recognized it as the "DeCavalcante crime family" of North Jersey.
Simone DeCavalcante
The official criminal organization began with Simone DeCavalcante, known as "Sam the Plumber" and "The Count". He was born in 1913 and was involved in illegal gambling, murder, and racketeering for most of his life. He died of a heart attack in 1997 at age 84. He rose to power in 1964, and he was incarcerated in 1969. He doubled the number of made men within his family during the 1960s.
He owned Kenilworth Heating and Air Conditioning in Kenilworth, New Jersey as a legal front and source of taxable income, for which he gained the nickname "Sam the Plumber". He also claimed to be of Italian royal lineage, earning him the nickname "The Count". He gained much respect because he held a place on the infamous Commission, a governing body for the American Mafia which included the Five Families of New York, as well as mobsters from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Florida.
DeCavalcante and 54 associates were charged and tried in 1969. He pleaded guilty to operating a gambling racket turning over $20 million a year. At the same time, a New York State report indicated that he and another Mafia family controlled 90 percent of the pornography stores in New York City. DeCavalcante was sentenced to five years in prison. In the early 1980s, DeCavalcante retired to Florida leaving capo Giovanni Riggi as acting boss of the family.[22] He largely stayed out of Mafia business, although the FBI believed that he was still advising the family into the early 1990s.
John Riggi
After DeCavalcante left prison in the mid-1970s, he appointed Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi as acting boss of the family while he stayed semi-retired in Florida. DeCavalcante stepped down as boss officially in 1980, passing leadership to Riggi,[23] who had been a business agent of the International Association of Laborers and Hod Carriers in New Jersey for years. Riggi was promoted to the position of official boss, and he reaped the enormous benefits of large labor and construction racketeering,[23] loansharking, illegal gambling, and extortion activities. Riggi also had the family maintain their old traditions, which Sam DeCavalcante saw as unnecessary. In 1981, bosses and underbosses of the DeCavalcante and Colombo families attended a conclave in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, to divide territory in Miami.[24]
Riggi used his power and influence to place subcontractors and workers at various construction projects around the state, and the DeCavalcantes were able to steal from union welfare and pension funds. Riggi continued to run the family throughout the 1980s, with underboss Girolamo "Jimmy" Palermo and Stefano Vitabile as consigliere,[25] after Frank Majuri died of health problems. It was around the mid-1980s that Riggi fell increasingly under the influence of Gambino crime family boss John Gotti.[26]
After Riggi's conviction for racketeering, he appointed John D'Amato as acting boss of the family in 1990. D'Amato was later alleged to have participated in homosexual acts and was murdered in 1992.[27] Riggi continued to run the family from his jail cell, but he appointed Giacomo "Jake" Amari as his new acting boss. All was seemingly settled until Amari became ill and died slowly of stomach cancer in 1997. This caused a massive power vacuum within the family, with high-ranking members pushing to become the next boss of the DeCavalcante crime family.
The Ruling Panel
After acting boss Amari's death, Riggi organized a three-man ruling panel in 1998 to run the day-to-day business of the crime family,[28] consisting of Girolamo Palermo, Vincent Palermo (no relation), and Charles Majuri,[29] with Stefano Vitabile as the reputed consigliere and adviser to the three.
The Panel infuriated longtime captain Charles Majuri, who had been a hardworking member of the family since his teens and felt that he was wronged when he was not selected as the only acting boss.[29] To gain complete control of the DeCavalcante family, Majuri decided that he should murder Vincent Palermo, leaving himself in charge of the family.[29] Majuri contracted soldier James Gallo to murder Vincent Palermo. Gallo was a strong ally and friend of Vincent Palermo's, and told him about Majuri's plans.[29] In retaliation, Vincent Palermo decided to have Majuri murdered. After one plot fell through, the murder was eventually called off.[29]
Informants and convictions
Toward the late 1990s, the Ruling Panel kept running the DeCavalcante crime family with Giovanni Riggi still behind bars as the boss. The downfall of the DeCavalcante family was precipitated in 1998, when an associate named Ralph Guarino became an FBI informant, in an effort to avoid a long prison sentence in connection with taking part with two others in a heist of $1.6 million from the World Trade Center.[29] Guarino spent ten years undercover working for the FBI. He wore a listening device and recorded conversations that mobsters would have about criminal business. During Guarino's time as an informant, fellow mobster Joseph Masella was gunned down on the orders of Vincent Palermo.[29]
Using information provided by Guarino, US law enforcement launched a large scale arrest on December 2, 1999, of over 30 members and associates of the DeCavalcante crime family.[30] Palermo realized they would likely spend the rest of their lives behind bars and decided to cooperate with the FBI in exchange for a lenient sentence.[30] This resulted in the arrest of 12 more men less than a year later,[30] decimating the crime family's hierarchy and putting it on the brink of extinction.[30] Other top members, like Anthony Rotondo and Anthony Capo, also agreed to become government witnesses.[31]
In 2001, 20 mobsters were charged with racketeering, seven murders, 14 murder conspiracies, attempted murder, extortion in the construction industry, and stock fraud.[30] This was the fourth indictment of the family since 1999. Since then, several other top mobsters agreed to become government witnesses in exchange for being given lenient or no sentences at all. US law enforcement even put Giovanni Riggi on trial, who was hoping to be released in 2003, and he was sentenced to 10 additional years in prison.[23]
Current position and leadership
Between 1999 and 2005, about 45 men were imprisoned, including the family's consigliere and seven capos.[32] With the decline of the DeCavalcante family, New York's Five Families have taken over many of the rackets in northern New Jersey.[29] Riggi was in jail until November 27, 2012, and he died in 2015.[33] Longtime acting boss Francesco Guarraci died of cancer in 2016.[34]
In March 2015, the FBI arrested 10 members and associates of the crime family on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and distribution of drugs, including 71 year-old captain Charles "Beeps" Stango and 72 year-old consigliere Frank Nigro.[35][36] Associates Rosario Pali and Nicholas DeGidio were convicted on April 4, 2017, after pleading guilty to distributing more than 500 grams of cocaine. DeGidio was sentenced to 1½ years in prison, and Pali was sentenced to over 6 years.[37][38][39] Luigi Oliveri was charged with the possession of contraband cigarettes.[40]
In March 2017, Stango was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit murder.[41][42] Stango reportedly wanted Nigro and associate Paul Colella to get permission from the New Jersey hierarchy to kill Luigi Oliveri, but the murder was not committed because Stango did not get an answer. Prosecutors claimed that Stango and his son had plans to open a high-end escort service in Toms River, New Jersey.[43]
In 2016, Anthony Stango Jr. was sentenced to 6 years in prison after pleading guilty to using a telephone in interstate commerce to conduct a prostitution operation, conspiring to distribute five grams or more of cocaine, distributing more than $70,000 worth of cocaine, and possessing a shotgun as a convicted felon.[43]
In 2016, longtime member Charles "Big Ears" Majuri became the new official boss of the family.[44]
In July 2022, capo Charlie Stango was released from federal prison and went into a New York halfway house.[45]
On January 2, 2023, longtime family member and former influential capo Paolo "Paul" Farina died of natural causes at the age of 96.[46]
Historical leadership
Boss (official and acting)
Excluding: Stefano Badami the of boss of the Newark family late 1920s–1931, when he fled[47] and Gaspare D'Amico the boss of Newark family late 1931–1937, when he fled[48]
- 1920s–1956 – Filippo "Phil" Amari – retired Elizabeth[19]
- 1956–1964 – Nicholas "Nick Delmore" Amoruso Elizabeth
- Acting 1962–1964 – Sam DeCavalcante – became boss Elizabeth
- 1964–1982 – Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante – retired Elizabeth
- Acting 1970s–1982 – Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi – became boss Elizabeth
- 1982–2015 – Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi – died of prostate cancer on August 3, 2015 Elizabeth
- Acting 1989–1990 – Gaetano "Corky" Vastola – imprisoned
- Acting 1990–1992 – John "Johnny Boy" D'Amato – murdered January 1992 Elizabeth
- Acting 1992–1997 – Giacomo "Jake" Amari – died of stomach cancer in 1997 Elizabeth
- Ruling panel – 1997-1999 – Girolamo Palermo, Vincent Palermo and Charles Majuri – members arrested
- Ruling panel – 2000-2004 – Girolamo Palermo, Stefano Vitabile and Giuseppe "Pino" Schifilliti
- Acting 2005–2007 – Joseph "Joe the Old Man" Miranda – stepped down Elizabeth
- Acting 2007–2015 – Francesco "Frank" Guarraci – became street boss; died on April 14, 2016[34] Elizabeth
- 2016–present – Charles "Big Ears" Majuri[44] Newark[49][50]
Street boss
A "street boss" will sometimes run several crews at once.[51]
Underboss (official and acting)
Excluding: Sam Monaco the of underboss of the Newark family late 1920s–1931, until he was murdered on September 10, 1931[53]
- 1920s–1956 – Nicholas "Nick Delmore" Amoruso – promoted to boss Elizabeth
- 1956–1957 – Francesco "Fat Frank" Majuri – stepped down and became consigliere Elizabeth
- 1957–1964 – Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante – became boss Elizabeth
- 1964–1982 – Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso – demoted, murdered in 1991 Elizabeth
- Acting 1970s – Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi – became acting boss Elizabeth
- Acting 1970s–1982 – Girolamo "Jimmy" Palermo – became official underboss
- 1982–2004 – Girolamo "Jimmy" Palermo
- Acting 1991–1992 – Giacomo "Jake" Amari – became acting boss
- Acting 2003–2005 – Joseph "Joe the Old Man" Miranda – became acting boss
- 2007–2014 – Joseph "Joe the Old Man" Miranda – died in 2014
- 2016–2024 – Joseph "Little Joe" Giacobbe, Jr.[50]
- 2024–present – Charles "Beeps" Stango[54]
Consigliere (official and acting)
- 1920s–1957 – Unknown
- 1957–1983 – Francesco "Fat Frank" Majuri – died in 1983 Elizabeth
- Acting 1982–1983 – Stefano "Steve the Truck Driver" Vitabile – held most of the power, became official consigliere
- 1983–2006 – Stefano "Steve the Truck Driver" Vitabile – sentenced to life in 2006, overturned in 2008, released in 2013
- Acting 2002–2003 – Frank D'Amato – arrested[55]
- 2006–2016 – Frank "Goombah Frankie/Shipe" Nigro – arrested 2015[56][49]
- 2016–present – Giuseppe "Pino" Schifilliti[50]
Current family members
Administration
- Boss – Charles "Big Ears" Majuri – is the current boss.[50] Majuri is the son of former consigliere Frank Majuri. Upon Giacomo Amari's death, Giovanni Riggi appointed Majuri as one of the members of the Ruling Panel, along with Girolamo Palermo and Vincent Palermo. In 2000, Majuri was indicted on multiple charges including racketeering, loansharking, extortion, and conspiracy to commit murder. He was released from prison on April 28, 2009.[57] Majuri's position in the family was confirmed in 2021.[44]
- Underboss – Charles "Beeps" Stango – is current Underboss.[54] Stango is a former caporegime who operated a crew in Elizabeth, New Jersey.[50] On March 12, 2015, Stango was indicted with Paul Colella, his son Anthony Stango, on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, drug trafficking, and prostitution.[36][58][59][60] On March 28, 2017, Stango was sentenced to 120 months after being convicted.[61] In July 2022, Stango was released from federal prison and went into a New York halfway house.[45] In 2024, Stango was promoted to Underboss for the family.[54]
- Consigliere – Giuseppe "Pino" Schifilliti – is the current consigliere.[50] In 2003, he was indicted for racketeering, as well as the murders of Louis LaRasso and John D'Amato. In 2006, he was sentenced to life in prison, but that sentence was turned over in 2008.[62]
Caporegimes
- Gregory "Georgie Bayonne" Rago – caporegime operating in New Jersey.[50] In 2000, Rago was indicted along with Louis Consalvo and charged with the 1991, murder of former underboss Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso.[63] Rago was released from prison November 14, 2014.[64]
- Louis "Louie Eggs" Consalvo – caporegime of his brother-in-law Philip Abramo's "New York City-New Jersey crew".[50] In June 1999, Consalvo along with Philip Abramo, Philip Gurian, Glen Vittor and Barry Gesser were charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, securities fraud, interference with commerce by extortion, conspiracy to commit money laundering and witness tampering.[65] In 2004, Consalvo pleaded mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud and received a 27-month jail sentence.[65] In 2000, Consalvo was indicted and charged with murdering former underboss Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso in 1991 along with Gregory Rago.[63][66] The indictment also charged Consalvo with selling 8,000 shares of stock in a company called SC&T International. In 2002, Consalvo accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison. In February 2012, he was released from prison.[67]
- Luigi "Lou the Dog" Oliveri – caporegime operating Elizabeth in New Jersey.[50] In 2015, Oliveri was charged with possession of contraband cigarettes.[59]
Soldiers
- Philip "Lou Metzer" Abramo – senior advisor and former caporegime of the "New York City-New Jersey crew", operating in Wall Street, New Jersey and Florida. His brother-in-law Louis Consalvo has been a longtime member of his crew.[65] Abramo was a former associate of John Gotti. In June 1999, Abramo, Philip Gurian, Glen Vittor, Louis Consalvo and Barry Gesser were charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, securities fraud, interference with commerce by extortion, conspiracy to commit money laundering and witness tampering.[65] In 2004, Abramo pleaded mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud and received a 70-month jail sentence and forfeited $1.1 million previously seized by the government in the Bahamas.[65] In 2006, Abramo was sentenced to life in prison for racketeering and the murders of Fred Weiss and John D'Amato. In 2008, the sentence was overturned and he was released in 2018.[68][69][70]
- Jerry Balzano – served 2 years after being convicted of racketeering conspiracy in 2011; other charges were selling untaxed cigarettes and the theft of a $15,000 tax refund check.[71] His first release violation was the possession of a handgun and ammunition. While on supervised release in November 2016, he engaged in a road rage incident after another driver cut him off, assaulting and hurling verbal abuses at the other driver. He received 11 months in prison and 21 months of supervised release.[citation needed]
- Frank D'Amato[55]
- Joseph "Little Joe" Giacobbe, Jr. – the former underboss of the family.[50]
- Anthony "Tony Marshmallow" Mannarino – senor member operating from Florida.[50][72]
- Bernard NiCastro[73]
- Frank "Goombah Frankie" Nigro – senor advisor and former consigliere. On March 12, 2015, Nigro was indicted along with other members on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, drug trafficking and prostitution.[58]
- Gaetano "Corky" Vastola – former caporegime.[74]
Associates
- Paul "Knuckles" Colella – associate of Stango crew. In 2015, Colella was indicted along with Charles Stango and charged with plots to commit murder.[59]
- Anthony "Whitey" Stango – associate of his father Charles Stango's crew. In 2015, Stango was indicted and charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and run a prostitution business.[59]
- John "Johnny Balls" Capozzi – associate of Stango crew. In 2015, Capozzi was charged with cocaine distribution.[59]
- Nicholas Degidio – associate of Stango crew. In 2015, he was charged with cocaine distribution.[59]
- Mario Galli – associate of Stango crew. In 2015, he was charged with cocaine distribution.[59]
Former family members
- Joseph "Joe Pitts" Conigliaro – former associate. In the 1970s, Conigliaro was paralyzed when he and James Gallo attempted to shoot a loanshark victim who they suspected was an informant but accidentally shot one another. He was involved in extortion, loansharking, and drug dealing. Conigliaro was ineligible to become a "made" member of the family due to his disability but was "treated ... as a made guy", according to Anthony Capo.[75] In July 1992, Conigliaro shot and killed a rival drug dealer, Ralph Hernandez, from his wheelchair after having Hernandez lured to a social club that he owned in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.[76][77] He then had members of his crew dispose of Hernandez's body in a nearby vacant lot, where it was discovered over a year later.[78] On January 23, 1998, Conigliaro was fatally shot in a contract killing organized by members of his own crew, including Joseph "Big Joey" Brideson, who accused Conigliaro of demanding too much in tribute and of becoming unstable due to cocaine use.[75][79][80]
- Francesco "Frank" Guarraci – died on April 14, 2016.[34]
- Paolo "Paul" Farina – soldier and former capo, Farina died on January 2, 2023, at the age of 96.[81]
- James "Jimmy" Gallo[82]
- Rudolph "Tootsie" Farone
- Joseph "Joey O" Masella
- Joseph "Joe Red" Merlo Jr. – former made member and go between for Charles Majuri. His father Joe Merlo Sr. was a soldier under DeCalvacante family boss John Riggi hailing from the family's Elizabeth faction. He owned Joey's Pizza on South Elmora Ave in Elizabeth. Merlo Jr. died June 3, 2021.[83]
- Frank Polizzi
- Vincent "Jimmy the Gent" Rotondo
- Salvatore "Little Sal" Timpani
Government informants and witnesses
- Anthony "Tony" Capo – former soldier and hitman for the DeCavalcante crime family. He served as the driver during the murder of Fred Weiss on September 11, 1989. In late 1991, Capo received information that DeCavalcante acting boss John D'Amato was a closet homosexual. He testified in court that consigliere, Stefano Vitabile, ordered D'Amato's murder. D'Amato was lured to a parked car in Brooklyn and allegedly sat in the back of the car, Capo turned around from the passenger seat and shot him 4 times.[84] During one incident in the mid-1990s, he stabbed Gambino associate Renee "Remy" Sierra in his face and eye, for disrespecting him in front of a female in a Staten Island bar. Another assault occurred in the late 1990s which consisted of him beating a parking lot attendant with a steel baton, a pipe and a baseball bat, after spraying him in the face with mace, as the attendant was accused of having a fistfight with DeCavalcante captain Rudy Ferrone. In 1999, he became a government witness. He pleaded guilty to 11 murder conspiracies, participating in 2 murders, several assaults and many other crimes.[85] He also testified against the New York Colombo and Genovese mafia families. Capo died in 2012 at the age of 52 from a heart attack.[86]
- Victor DiChiara – family associate who supposedly served as one of John D'Amato's shooters in 1992.[87] DiChiara served as an associate in the crew of Philip Abramo and testified to the crew's dealings, including the beating of a union member and the murder plot on Frank D'Amato, John D'Amato's brother. DiChiara and Joseph Sclafani plotted to stab D'Amato with a hypodermic needle.[88]
- Ralph "Ralphie" Guarino – former associate of the family, Guarino was one of the masterminds behind the 1998 Bank of America robbery which took place at 1 World Trade Center. Guarino and WTC worker Salvatore Calciano planned the heist, employing three gunmen to carry it out: Richard Gillette, Melvin Folk and Mike Reed. All three were arrested shortly after the robbery, and Guarino was arrested by FBI agents on Staten Island. Guarino became an informant following his arrest.
- Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo – former acting boss during the 1990s. He married the niece of Sam DeCavalcante during the early 1960s. He was inducted into the DeCavalcante family in 1989. As a favour for Gambino crime family boss John Gotti, DeCavalcante boss Giovanni Riggi "ordered a contract" on Fred Weiss (arranged for him to be murdered) on September 11, 1989. Palermo and Jimmy Gallo shot Weiss 7 times.[89] Palermo allegedly orchestrated the October 1998 murder of his bodyguard and DeCavalcante associate Joseph Masella, who was found shot several times at a golf course in Marine Park, Brooklyn.[90] In December 1999, he was arrested on murder, extortion, bookmaking, loansharking, illegal gambling, robbery, the sale of stolen property and counterfeit goods, and mail fraud charges, alongside 38 other mobsters from the DeCavalcante and New York crime families, including 2 DeCavalcante captain's, Joseph Giacobbe and Anthony Rotondo. He allegedly oversaw an illegal bookmaking operation with the New York Gambino and Colombo crime families.[91][92] He agreed to become a government witness in 1999, several weeks after his arrest.[93] In October 2000, Palermo pleaded guilty to 4 murders, 7 murder conspiracies, extortion, loansharking, gambling and obstruction of justice charges.[94]
- Anthony Rotondo – former captain. His father, Vincent Rotondo, was also a DeCavalcante member and had ties to the Colombo and Bonanno crime families in New York, including to former Bonanno boss Rusty Rastelli. He was proposed for membership in 1978 by his father and it is believed that he was inducted in 1982 by Sam DeCavalcante. In 1988, his father was killed and shot 6 times.[95][96] He became an informant in early 2003. In November 2004, he testified against high-ranking Gambino members, Thomas "Huck" Carbonaro and Peter Gotti. He admitted to participation in the murders of Fred Weiss in 1989, a DeCavalcante associate, captain and acting boss John D'Amato's execution in 1992.[97]
- Frank "Franky the Beast" Scarabino – former soldier. In late 1999, captain Giuseppe Schifilliti was tasked to kill Scarabino after Vincent Palermo suspected him of being an informer.[98]
Factions and territories
The DeCavalcante family operates primarily in North Jersey, with additional territory in Toms River on the Jersey Shore, and in New York City, Connecticut and Florida.[2][8][99] The family also has links to Ribera in Sicily, from where many of the organizations's members have origins.[2][9]
- New Jersey – Headquartered in the Peterstown neighborhood of Elizabeth, the DeCavalcante family operates extensively in Union, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Essex counties.[2][8][100]
- New York City – The DeCavalcante family operates in Staten Island and South Brooklyn.[8][99]
- Connecticut – The DeCavalcante family operates in Waterbury.[2][8]
- Florida – The DeCavalcante family operates in South Florida, including Broward County.[2][101]
List of murders committed by the DeCavalcante crime family
| Name | Date | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Billy Mann | October 16, 1980 | Mann, a 44-year-old DeCavalcante associate, was in debt to DeCavalcante administrators and had allegedly scammed a member of Genovese family capo Tino Fiumara's crew in a drug deal. He was shot by DeCavalcante associate Charles Stango and Genovese associate Raymond Tango in the parking lot of a Sheraton hotel in Elizabeth, New Jersey after being lured to a purported meeting. Lou Pasquarosa was also present during the killing.[102] |
| Frederick E. Weiss | September 11, 1989 | 50-year-old DeCavalcante associate Weiss was prosecuted along with members of the Gambino family for illegal waste dumping.[103][104] Suspecting Weiss of becoming a cooperating witness, Gambino boss John Gotti requested that John Riggi have Weiss eliminated. On Riggi's orders, Weiss was shot outside his home in New Springville, Staten Island by Vincent Palermo and James Gallo.[105][106] Anthony Capo was a getaway driver in the killing.[107] |
| Joseph Garofano | September 1989 | Garofano, a DeCavalcante associate, had been present during the Weiss murder under order to crash his vehicle into any police cars should they arrive on the scene.[107] Out of concern that Garofano may cooperate with authorities if arrested, the DeCavalcante leadership ordered his killing.[103] He was lured by Anthony Rotondo to the home of capo Rudy Farone in Mill Basin, Brooklyn and shot.[108] Garofano's body was allegedly buried on the property of soldier Philip LaMella in Newburgh, New York.[109] |
| Louis LaRasso | November 11, 1991 | The family administration voted to kill 64-year-old DeCavalcante capo LaRusso after he was deemed a threat to imprisoned boss John Riggi and acting boss John D'Amato. LaRusso was lured by Giuseppe Schifilliti to the home of a soldier, where he was killed by members of Philip Abramo's crew.[103] His car was then left in the parking lot of Kennedy Airport to give the impression that he had fled the area.[110] LaRusso's remains were never recovered; he was allegedly buried at a farm in upstate New York.[111] |
| John D'Amato | January 1992 | DeCavalcante consigliere Stefano Vitabile approved the killing of acting boss D'Amato after he was accused of usurpation, stealing from the family, and homosexual activity.[103] D'Amato was picked up in a car by Anthony Capo and Victor DiChiara from his girlfriend's home in Mill Basin, Brooklyn and then shot by Capo.[112] He was buried by Vincent Palermo and Rudy Ferrone at a property in Newburgh, New York.[113] |
| Ralph Hernandez | July 1992 | Drug dealer Hernandez was lured by Michael Squicciarini and others to a social club in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, where he was shot by DeCavalcvante associate Joseph Conigliaro.[76][77] Hernandez's body was disposed of in a nearby vacant lot.[78] |
In popular culture
The DeCavalcante crime family is partly the inspiration for the fictional DiMeo crime family of the HBO television series The Sopranos.[114][115] The family was the subject of the CNBC program Mob Money, which aired on June 23, 2010,[116] and The Real Sopranos TV documentary directed by Thomas Viner for the UK production company Class Films.[117]
The Pegorino Crime Family are a fictionalized version of the DeCavalcante Crime Family in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV.
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
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