[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. Furnari now enjoyed enormous influence both within his own family, the other New York families, and crime families from other US cities. [153], Manzo was released from prison in 1994. [201] In 1930, Reina was murdered, and boss of bosses Joe Masseria appointed his ally Joe Pinzolo as the new boss of the Reina 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. [52] In 1969, he was convicted of drug trafficking after being found with 50 pounds of heroin. [228], Anthony "Torty" Tortorello was a former capo of the "Prince Street crew". [80][81] In 2005, the FBI revealed that DiSimone and Lucchese soldier Daniel Latella had meetings in doctors' offices with Gambino family capo Greg DePalma. Loria, along with his longtime partner Vincent Papa and his crew, are known as "The Men who Stole The French Connection". [48] Coco later resigned and continued to operate in New York and Florida. He wanted Casso to take over as capo of the 19th Hole crew, but Casso declined and endorsed Amuso instead. [71], Anthony "Ham" Delasco (sometimes spelled Dolasco) was a former boxer and capo in New Jersey. [33] In the 1940s, Coco worked with James Plumeri, Frank Palermo, Harry Segal and Felix Bocchicchio for soldier Frankie Carbo, in a group known as "The Combination", an arm of Murder, Inc.[32] which acted as boxing promoters; the group was accused of fixing matches. Chiodo realized that the government's case was so solid that he would likely die in prison if convicted. [181] Papa was arrested on February 3, 1972, in a car parked on Bronxdale Avenue with Joseph DiNapoli in the back seat. Anthony (Tony Ducks) Corallo, Luccheses handpicked successor, was one of the targets of a 1985 FBI investigation that led to his conviction, along with those of the bosses of the Genovese and Colombo families, on charges that included racketeering, extortion, loan-sharking, and murder. On December 2, 1992, Testa was murdered, shot in the back of the head nine times. A Russian-American crime family based in Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, run by Ukrainian immigrant Marat Balagula, had started to bootleg gasoline. Lucchese Family For years, this family operated as a model organization under the fists of Tommy Gagliano and then Tommy Lucchese, longtime colleagues who paid their dues during the. He was sentenced to 100 years in prison before being released in 2014 after serving almost 28 years. [221] On January 7, 1952, after pleading guilty to narcotics charges, a judge labeled Santoro as a "bad fellow" and sentenced him to four years in prison.[222]. [300] In 1993, Suppa was indicted along with others on charges that they conspired to distribute up to 1,650 pounds of cocaine in the United States. Here are Mafia Family Leadership charts for most of the Mafia families that are still active across the United States. The order shocked D'Arco, who knew that Chiodo had been a close confidant of Casso for years. [209] During the early 1970s, Rao retired. [197] His promotion angered Tommaso Gagliano, Tommy Lucchese and Dominick Petrilli, who formed a splinter group within the family and planned his murder. The Lucchese crime family is one of New York Citys Five Families, along with the Gambino, Bonanno, Genovese, and Colombo organizations. [159] The next day on November 15, 1957, Migliore was in a car accident while driving through Binghamton, New York leading to more suspicion that he was supposed to attend the Apalachin Meeting. [172], On April 3, 1992, Migliore was celebrating the birthday of a friend's granddaughter at Tesoro's Restaurant in Westbury, Long Island. [2] In June 1976, Abate attended Anthony Accetturo's induction ceremony into the Lucchese family. [62][57] In 2002, Cutaia was indicted on loan sharking charges; he pled guilty and was sentenced to two years and three years of supervised probation upon his release. Unlike some of the other families, whose ranks were wracked by turnovers in leadership and internal wars, the Lucchese family remained profitable, stable, and relatively peaceful until the 1980s. John Junior. [53] In 1995, Cuomo was arrested and charged with operating a drug network out of Ray's Pizza on Prince Street in New York. [190] During the second trial both Thomas Ricciardi and Anthony Accetturo agreed to become Government witnesses; they testified against Perna and Taccetta. During this period, Brocchini relocated to the affluent town of Harrison in Westchester County. On March 10, 1992, Lucchese associate Michael Spinelli shot Patricia Capozallo, Chiodo's sister, while she was driving in Bensonhurst. Furnari became an associate of Gaetano "Tommy Three-Finger Brown" Lucchese's crime family through Furnari's connection with mobster Anthony Corallo. [70] Correale ran a Lucchese family gambling club between Second Avenue and East 112th Street in East Harlem. 80, is charged with racketeering, murder and other crimes linked to his time in the Bonanno crime . Joseph "Joe" Abate (July 8, 1902 1994) was a capo in the family's New Jersey faction. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. He was born in Leonia, New Jersey to Antonio and Teresa Bargio. In 1995, Furnari started challenging the "no parole" stipulation of his sentence in court. [224] On January 13, 1987, Santoro was sentenced to 100 years in prison and fined $250,000. [254] In 1956, Telvi was ordered by Dio to throw acid on New York journalist Victor Riesel for making radio and television broadcasts about labor union corruption. What we must avoid is trouble between us and the other families. In 1965, Rao was convicted on perjury charges and was sentenced to five years in prison. Balagula's days were numbered. The Lucchese Family is one of the notorious "five families" of the Italian-American Mafia, each with its own territory, set up to control criminal activities in New York City. [293] Ricciardi was a member of Michael Taccetta's inner circle and controlled the group's illegal gambling operations. [119] During the May 16, 1994, trial, the prosecution planned to use government witnesses and former Lucchese mobsters Alphonse D'Arco, Peter Chiodo, and associate Corrado Marino to testify against Lastorino. Fear City: New York vs The Mafia tells the story of how the FBI managed to arrest the leaders of the "Five Families," the Mafia bosses who controlled organized crime in NYC. The Lucchese powerbase was traditionally in Manhattan and the Bronx, the family's birthplace; the family's first three bosses, Gaetano "Tom" Reina, Tommaso "Tommy" Gagliano, and Thomas Lucchese, were all from this area. Lucchese soldier Joseph Testa confronted Reznikov and fatally shot him. The case was never solved: none of the perpetrators ever confessed to the heist and only a diamond necklace valued at $780,000 was recovered. When they made DArco himself one of their targets, he became the first acting boss of a family to become a government informant. [3] In the 1950s, he took over The Jersey Crew after Settimo Accardi was deported. On April 8, 1987, Manzo was banned from New Jersey casinos due to his history of involvement with organized crime. Eugenio Giannini a former soldier who became an informant to the Bureau of Narcotics. [183] He worked closely with mobsters Anthony Loria and Virgil Alessi.[183]. [128], Joseph "Joe Brown" Lucchese was a capo and brother to Tommy Lucchese, the boss of the Lucchese crime family. [93], On June 12, 1986, one of Balagula's rivals, Russian-American gangster Vladimir Reznikov, entered Balagula's nightclub in Brighton Beach. [20] During the trial Cataldo was listed as a member supervising numbers and loansharking operations in New Jersey. [195] Pinzolo served 2 years and 8 months to 5 years after refusing to testify against Costabile. [184] In the 1960s, Pappadio became partners with Lucchese mobster Mariano Macaluso in Ideal Trucking and in Garment Carriers Corporation. Salvatore T. "Tom Mix" Santoro, Sr. (November 18, 1915 [216] January 2000)[217] served as underboss in the Lucchese crime family during the 1980s before being convicted in the Mafia Commission Trial and sentenced to 100 years in federal prison. [9] On January 22, 1945, he became a naturalized US citizen. Docket Number: 90-1311", "United States v. Migliore Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Filed: November 4th, 1996. Furnari managed the Council through the union secretary and treasurer, James Bishop, and Bishop's associate, Frank Arnold. [190] He was released from prison on July 31, 2015. 15 murders since 1981 unsolved. Furnari reigned as one of New York's top Mafia bosses throughout the early 1980s until his 1985 racketeering indictment. Domenico (Danny) Cutaia,suffering from Alzheimer's, given lighter sentence", "BOP: Federal Bureau of Prisons Web Site", Danny Cutaia Memorials Colonial Funeral Home SI, "A Detective Story Alleging Hit Men in Blue: Details of Hollywood Killing Helped Indict 2 Former NYPD Cops Long Suspected of Mob Ties", "Wife blames Pirro for murder case against DiSimone", "The mob murder at Rao's that was sparked by a song", "Mobbed up: Lower Hudson Valley's historical ties to La Cosa Nostra", "Big Mike DeSantis Makes A Big Time Move To The Top Of The Charts", "Supreme court of State of New York County of Westchester v Dominick Capelli", "Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos", L.I. The Arizona Supreme Court affirmed the convictions, but remanded the case for resentencing pursuant to State v. [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. The Commissions purpose was to democratically mediate between members and serve as judges and executioners. Migliore was a close associate of family bosses Tommy Lucchese and Anthony Corallo. Lastorino was formally inducted into the crime family in 1987. He opted to break his blood oath and become a government witness, by his own account, to protect his family. Petrilli met Joseph Valachi in Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York. While in Italy he formed a connection to Charles Luciano and began informing on Luciano to the Bureau of Narcotics. [51] In 1959, Cuomo opened the first "Ray's Pizza"; he later opened another in the Upper East Side. [137] In the 1960s, Macaluso became partners with Lucchese mobster Andimo "Tony Noto" Pappadio in Ideal Trucking and in Garment Carriers Corporation. [286] In July 2009, Kaplan died from prostate cancer. [156] On November 14, 1957, Migliore was suspected of driving boss Tommy Lucchese and underboss Steve LaSalle to the famous Apalachin Meeting, a national Cosa Nostra summit in Apalachin, New York that was broken up by law enforcement. [49] In December 1991, Coco died while awaiting trial on money laundering. [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. If anyone does bother you, come to us and Anthony will take care of it.[90]. [280] He moved to Europe in 1950, and began smuggling U.S. medical supplies into Italy. [179] Migliore died on September 11, 2019. Loria was known to federal agents and the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs as a major drug trafficker within the Lucchese Crime Family. Born in 1934, DeFede grew up in the Queens borough of New York City. [35][36] In the late 1940s, Coco was suspected of placing wagers and taking bets on fights while Graziano was accused of taking bribes. [141] Mancione was released from prison on August 2, 2006. [27] On August 21, 2013, Cataldo died of natural causes. Crimes that the Lucchese Crime Family are known for involve gambling, extortion, drug trafficking, aircraft hijacking, murder, and many others. [20] In August 1997, Caravaggio, along with other members of the Lucchese family's New Jersey faction, was indicted and charged with racketeering, loan-sharking and gambling. Papa's infamous theft became famous after the movie French Connection II. [156] He was recruited into the Lucchese family by capo Joseph Laratro, who controlled illegal gambling operations in Corona, Queens. The Lucchese family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as the first Boss until his death in 1930. Tramunti served as acting boss, even after Corallo was released from prison in 1970. [54], Domenico "Danny" Cutaia (November 22, 1936 August 14, 2018), born in East New York Brooklyn, was the capo of the Vario Crew operating from Brooklyn. In 1962, at age 38, Furnari became a made man in the Lucchese family. [79] On December 22, 2003, a soldier in his crew Albert J. Circelli Jr. was shot and killed inside Rao's, an Italian restaurant located in Harlem by mafia associate Louis "Louie Lump Lump" Barone. Tony Soprano. [254] On July 28, 1956, Telvi was found dead on Mulberry Street with a bullet in his head. [183] In 1977, Papa was stabbed to death in prison. "[95] Casso also requested a photograph of Reznikov and a description of his car. [233] In September 2002, Truscello and Steven Crea were indicted on information supplied by Joseph Defede, who became a government witness in February. Furnari's lawyers insisted that Casso's court testimony against Furnari was tainted. Peter "Fat Pete" Chiodo took over Furnari's Bensonhurst crew. Stefano "Steve" LaSalle (real name LaSala[103]) was an early member of the Morello family; he later joined Reina's family. [49] The mobsters used Bingo World, a company operating bingo halls in several states, to launder the money. Santoro went into hiding and allegedly spent time in Europe before returning to Oyster Bay, New York. When Carl tried to escape, he was shot to death by police in an apparent suicide-by-cop. [201] This allowed Gaetano Gagliano to become boss of the family. [19], Robert "Bucky the Boss" Caravaggio (1939 July 28, 2017) was a soldier and leader of the New Jersey faction. The State Investigation Commission charged in 1970 that his pornography businesses had grossed $1.5 million a year. He decided to plead guilty in return for a lighter sentence. The Lucchese family originally bore the name Gagliano for Thomas (Tommy) Gagliano, who was named the boss of one of the Five Families. His uncle, Salvatore Santoro, was a former underboss in the Lucchese family. Reina's murder was one of the . [126] LoCascio would frequent been seen in the Lower East Side and Little Italy in Manhattan. He and his wife reportedly lived on $30,000 a year and a modest annuity provided by the U.S. [151] In 1986, Manzo pled guilty to racketeering[152] and was sentenced to twelve years in prison and fined $325,000. Meanwhile, we will send word out that from now on you and your people are with the Lucchese family. His chance to become the new boss never came to fruition due to his trials. He was a cousin to gangster Joseph Rao. [257] His elder brother Anthony Zito, who had been arrested in 1971 for extortion, was also linked to the Lucchese family. [36][38][39] During the 1963 McClellan hearings, government witness Joseph Valachi identified Coco as a capo in Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese's crime family. At a meeting in Furnari's home, Furnari, Amuso and Casso all agreed that Amuso should succeed Corallo as boss. Past member(s) Joseph Abate. [91] According to one former associate, The LCN reminded Marat of the apparatchiks in the Soviet Union. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [56] Cuomo's pizzeria "Ray's Pizza" was later sold for almost $6 million. They were at the height of their power at the beginning of the 1950s. In 1955, Accardi was arrested on a federal narcotics charge in Newark, New Jersey. [71] Valachi later revealed he recruited brothers Joseph and Pasquale Pagano and Fiore Siano to carry out the hit. The Lucchese crime family is an organized crime family based out of New York that is a part of the Mafia or Cosa Nostra. [255] In the morning of April 5, 1956, Telvi attacked Victor Riesel as he was leaving Lindy's, a Broadway restaurant, throwing sulfuric acid onto his face, leaving him permanently blind. Origins. At home, Balagula asked Casso to come help him. After Reznikov left the nightclub, Balagula suffered a massive heart attack. [287], John Pennisi is a former soldier who is currently in witness protection. [65] In October 2012, Cutaia was sentenced to one year in prison for loan sharking. [201], Vincenzo "Vincent" John Rao (June 21, 1898 Palermo, Sicily September 25, 1988),[202] also known as Vincent or Vinny, was a former Consigliere in the family. [288] In October 2018, Pennisi started cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. [203] In the 1950s, boss Gaetano Lucchese promoted Rao to Consigliere in the family. On November 19, 1986, Santoro and the other defendants were convicted on all counts. [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. Casso opted to become Furnari's aide; a consigliere is allowed to have one soldier work directly for him. [57] His daughter Danielle married John Baudanza, who later became a member of the Lucchese family. In 1980, Furnari was promoted to consigliere in the Lucchese family. [285], Burton Kaplan was an associate and government informant. Alfonso T. "Tic" Cataldo (April 18, 1942 August 21, 2013) was a soldier in the New Jersey faction. [105], Carmine "Willie the Wop" LoCascio (September 23, 1911 March 13, 1983) was a New York mobster who was involved in drug trafficking along with his brother Peter LoCascio. Jacobs, James B., Christopher Panarella and Jay Worthington. Bread" LoCascio (June 10, 1916 September 2, 1997) was a New York mobster involved in drug trafficker along with his older brother Carmine LoCascio. The charges included extortion and labor racketeering within the construction industry and murder for hire of former Bonanno crime family boss Carmine "Lilo" Galante. DeFede's rise and fall in the New York mob can all be attributed to Amuso. [124] In 1935, he was arrested on illegal alcohol trafficking and narcotic trafficking.