Angelo Bruno- well loved but who was loyal?

Just read in Mouthpiece- Ang's lawyer Bobby Simone saying Ang was very well
loved and respected- hundreds and hundreds came
to pay their respects including many prominent judges

So he still had a lot of power and connections but I'm guessing he didn't have many real
loyalists on the streets that were willing to go to bat for him?

ie you whack Chicken man Testa, u would have his son Salvi, Scarfo to deal with

Whack Scarfo, u have the Merlino brothers and Leonetti to worry about.... Maybe Nick the blade too and Scarfo's blood relatives Picolo's etc

Simone says Ang was always surrounded by Long John Mortorana, Chickie Narduci & Frank Sindone. According to Nicky Crow, Long John was crapping it after the murder as opposed to getting even. Sindone had some role in it since he was close to Tony Bananas. Testa his underboss according to Leonetti was feuding with Bruno around that time

So just like Castellano, Bruno didn't have many loyal guys around him which made him an easy target seeing the killing part is easy, getting away with it is another (yes the Genovese acted but we all know they had their motives)

Bruno's protector was Carlo Gambino. The Genovese would have never made that move.

The gambinos and genoveses wanted that Atlantic City as an open city after the casinos become legal.
Even if Don Carlo would be alive Bruno would die because the money go first the friendship.

No furio, I believe that if carlo remained alive ,he would have guided bruno into a more open minded way of thinking,,that (MY BROTHER ANGELO..THERE IS PLENTY OF WATER FOR OUR OTHER FRIENDS TO WET OUR BEAKS..WON'T YOU PLEASE SEE IT OUR WAY SO WE WON'T ALL STARVE.& THERE IS PLENTY OF LIQUID FOR U TO HAVE A SENIORITY INGROUND POOL..WE GO BACK A LONG WAYS MY CUMPARE..LET'S SPARE US THE TROUBLE OF EMBARRASSMENT & ALL REMAIN "FRIENDS".....

Bruno was killed because of Tieri and that had nothing to do with Bruno. If any of the other families wanted Bruno dead, Tieri wouldn't of had to trick Caponigro into thinking he had the Commission's backing.

@Ted

True, but one could also argue that the only reason Tieri was successful was Bruno didn't keep the guys in his family happy enough, giving Tieri the opening..

THAT was Bruno's fault....


@ Furio


I think hoodlum is right, if Carlo was alive, the Gambinos woulda got all of AC, giving up a taste to BRUNO SPECIFICALLY' probably at the expense of the other soldiers, kinda like the Cherry Hill Gambino deal.
If a family like the Genovese woulda made a stink, it goes to the table and basically goes like this; Bruno says' "It's my territory, I gave Carlo permission to operate", the Genovese object, they say okay let's vote. The other bosses back Carlo, thus they back Bruno. The Genovese ( probably Tieri) are seething silently, plotting, lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acVXAhOSIHo

Nicodemo Scarfo testifies with attorney Bobby Simone 6/22/82. What's everyone's opinion on declining to answer questions by the subcommittee?

" I decline to answer DA question on DA grounds that it may incriminate me"..same answer sir..same answer sir...same..

Jail time is my opinion!

Old school cosa nostra wiseguy he didnt talk at all, a real wiseguy but crazy ass hell

A real cosa nostra freak if there ever was one...would die on the cross for this this thing of thiers..fuckin' nutball.

U really are a funny guy, hehehehe either would of went to war over it, did he let them wet there beak i wonder

Bruno was loved by the masses and Philly but held his boys back for the good of the family and his pocket.Bruno was concerned about the attention that the casinos would have on crime. He was happy not having to deal with all that .(other then union)

The state was all over Philly mob by this point so you had the state offices and the Casino Control Commission, then you had the Feds, and the internal revenue service all with there hand out Bruno knew this and was fine with other families with there hand in the pot that would drawl attention from his family.

He wanted local 54 all to himself and all those little things like that stopped his guys from becoming rich or earning .

The ones that were rich in the family were already rich or had a monopoly on his racket and Bruno was at the top of that also.

No doubt with his close confidant Gambino out he was done !!!!

The best thing he could've done was retire at the end of the 70's and have a peaceful transition of power to Phil Testa, don't you agree Serp?

He had all the money in the world and he should have seen the many writings on the wall, like you said the FBI were starting to get all over LCN and his protector Gambino was dead and rank and file were unhappy. Plus he had the right age to take a step back and enjoy his grandchildren and stuff..

Carlo dies in what 76 ? He was very tight with Big Paul, I read somewhere that they dined together a lot and that Philly would proxy their commission votes through the Gambino's so Paul had two votes to start every meeting.

True, that is why the Genovese family started all those intrigues. They wanted that Philly proxy vote so they would have the upper hand in the Commission. We have to remember that all this was quite some time before 1985, when the Commission still had tremendous power.

Also ironic is how towards the end of Bruno's tenure,P.Testa & Nicky Sr. started siding more & more w/ Bobby Manna even though scarfo was since way back..they were both having discretions w/ Bruno ,even provoking Bruno to ask Nicky 2 side w/him..I'm certain they knew the hammer was dropping & from where, maybe not Phil ,but surely nicky..IMO.

Yeah Billy that would of been the best thing for Bruno to do.

He was lucky Nick and Phil were stand up guys cos they would have gotten to him sooner.(Caponigro and company)

Even though Phil T and him were not seeing eye to eye Testa was still doing the right thing and still keeping his guys eating.

Bruno was on Georgia ave more in the late 70's like 78-80 then ever and he had a house on the island .

And just so you know all that bullshit about Nick being banished to Atlantic City was bullshit and from what I ever seen or herd Bruno knew Nick was stand up.

Now don't get me wrong he may have given Bruno a couple things to cover up but Bruno always did including doing all he could in the death of the longshoremen.

So when Anastasia says that he just says that shit all the time ,(Nicks son Chris goes crazy when he says that and the stuff about Chris divorcing his family ) he has these little tidbits to go with each guy that he said through the years .

And he grew up in Ducktown( Anastasia ) in the summers also just like Chuckie Merlino and Lawrence did for a short time there parents lived in AC full time with cousins and siblings but moved back to Philly later.

Up until the eighties, things were very stable for bosses. I mean, Galante obviously had it coming, but who would've thought back then that Bruno or Castellano could've been clipped? And by rivals within their own families at that?

As others have said, Bruno was in tight with the Gambinos, so who could've seen that Castellano couldn't have protected him? Bruno was obviously weak, but Castellano was super powerful and was respected by Gigante and Fat Tony.

It makes me wonder if Gigante approved of the hit on Bruno, if it was Funzi by himself plotting or all of the West Side was on board. If the whole West Side was behind it, maybe they didnt think Big Paul was smart enough to figure it out or strong enough to do anything about it. Anyway, just thinking out loud.

Stubbs: It's like these guys hold grudges forever and Funzi wanted that huge North Jersey book and as soon as Gambino died I am sure he started plotting and if the Chin was the boss then he let it happen if Funzi was the man then it was done.

All it takes is for someone to lose a sit down 15 years before and that guy remembers and comes after everything he can get when he moves up .

And you back in the day all they had to fear was each other!!!

New Bruno movie... His daughter Jean talks about it for a few minutes sort of interesting...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt0oxKj2Iis

Hoodlum: I guess it was years and years of Testa covering for him and then when Bruno was putting the clamps on the guys earning for years.

Testa was truly a underboss he actually ran the family back in late 50's maybe early 60's while Bruno was down in the Caribbean setting up rackets with other families and you can bet that was not being shared. The Philly family was not very structured back then Bruno ran it lose and lose is not $$$ for the guys.

Many don't know Bruno wanted to be a skipper only and he wanted to be in south Florida, he was pushed to run Philly (I guess pushed not to hard cos he took it)and was a kinda of a outsider.

That's from the 1984 documentary "Crime Inc", the 1st episode. It's a little funny to hear though, when the narrator says "Perhaps Bruno was killed because he opposed drugs. Perhaps younger men simply wanted to take over". "YOUNGER"....Tieri was not only older than Bruno, he was in a worse health shape even, since he died only a year after the hit. And Caponigro was younger...By 2 years, really a HUGE difference A "generational conflict"!

They didn't know yet who killed him when the documentary was made though, but still, now when it's known, defining Tieri as a "younger man" compared to Bruno, when he even had to attend his RICO trial in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank....He barely made it in time to authorize the hit, but could never enjoy the profit he could get out of it...

Think chin was the boss or maybe the underboss for that guy benny squint. It was probaly a group effort. Tieri was under indictmemt and probaly on trial in 1980 fat tony just got out of jail for 6 months gambling. So i bet chin was the shot caller. He almost killed frank Costello his boss so he wasnt afraid. Bobby manna became consig rite about 1980 probalys chins call to.

I remember watching the crime inc docs on pbs in the early 90tys probaly 1992 ish i was about 10 them shits were fascinating to a young pup.

Fish cafaro said it was all chin and that guy johnny keys simone said to gravano it was all chin.

In tommy dels book he says frank sindone had the votes of the capos to become boss i think over testa or was it over scarfo. So he had to go. Tommy del also says sindone wanted to retire but bruno wouldnt let him he made so much cash. He had a horse farm out west. That guy frankie flowers had joint gambling rackets over in england he shared with the new england guys ive never found out who but frankie flowers was aspotted in boston n prov.

Would not doubt it came from Chin - Manna - Scarfo , who knows what Nick and Manna put together with endless hours in the joint.

I don't think Nick was in for killing Bruno because he was a rules guy but he may have let on about how unhappy all the soldiers and most of the skippers were with Bruno and stirring the pot is just as affective sometimes .

Was Testa getting boss all a ploy or was Nick truly loyal to the life . I think he spoke about how it could go down to Bobby and Bobby and Westside put it motion with Nick eventually becoming the one getting all the spoils .


Pmac: regardless if they had the capos , they all knew that taking out a sitting boss was punishable by death !!!! What in the hell were they thinking besides Manna and Westside twisting them to where they wanted them.

Very good post on this thread.Ol Bruno was just a dead man walking.Scarfo knew he was about to be taken out and was feuding with him as ya'll said over 54.Sindone had sided with Capinigro.He and Testa were feuding then on top of that this poor fucker had Gigante,Manna and Funzi with sights on him.I guess Narducci was loyal but Leonetti said he was just rich.No power.

I agree about nick Serp, he was a rules guy but did def rock the boat & knew that the end result would benefit him & he had Phil Testas ear & gave some direction as to how things will turn (i.e.) told Phil what 2 do after bruno was hit..

Don't think Scarfo had any involvement (as others have said) but he definitely had troubles with Bruno. From Phil's book, he mentions when Bruno sent down the big Irish guy from Northeast Philly looking for Nicky and Nicky said he would cut him up and send him back in garbage bags. I mean for soldier to say that to a boss with no retribution he must have known Bruno was losing his power.

Scarfo definetly had a lot of balls or he was just crazy. He also basically told Joe Rugnetta that his daughter was ugly after Rugnetta offered to arrange a courtship between them. Rugnetta wanted him dead but somehow Bruno saved his ass and banished him to AC which ended up working out well for scarfo

I always felt that the "big irish guy" was Frank Sheeran..he & bruno had some ties (buffalino).

Agreed, Hoodlum. Frank Sheeran attended Phil Testa's funeral so definitely a connection there.

See,the thing is Baldo,if FranIf Frank Sheeran so much as knocked on Nicky's door,that whole compound was full of gunmen,ie:larry merlino,vince falcone,bobby lumio,as well as crazy phil were there on guard...I dont know if Frank would have made it out of the city alive ,plus u had Nick the blade in that crew in that certain time period..Frank was only on a mission from Bruno..unless he had a bunch of henchmen w/ him..I kinda like(d) Frank & his book,although i'm not a fan either...but the guy was good @ what he did..dude was a 1 man army..

I never understood how Tony Bananas actually thought he would get away with this.
Caponigro was actually listed on the 1963 Valachi Charts as a Genovese soldier, (so it's possible that Caponigro believed they would really back him) His ties with the jersey Genoves's went back awhile but he had territory beefs with Tieri.
you'd think a guy so close to NY and being a Consiglieri, would have a better handle on mob politics.
He got no assurance from any other family.
He made no strong allies in the family (Scarfo, Testa were not involved)
and had the audacity to pull the trigger himself
Caponigro deserved his fate imo

In his book, George Fresolone wrote that Frank Sindone and John Simone were not involved in the plot to kill Bruno but were instead murdered because they were Bruno loyalists and thus posed a threat to the new Testa-Casella-Scarfo administration. Fresolone stated that Sindone was the popular choice to take over the family and Frank Friel added that Simone was trying to get Sindone installed as boss.
The frustration with Bruno among his family seems to have stemmed from:
1. His falling out with Phil Testa over their differing approaches to LCN
2. Appearing to give the New York families too large a share of Atlantic City rackets
3. Refusing to allow his family to enter the drug trade in a more organised fashion
4. His reluctance to induct new members

What rackets did Bruno have?
How powerful was Testa under Bruno? why didn't Caponigro either include or kill him?

Testa was a very powerful captain under Bruno in the 1960s and, it could be argued, he was functioning more as a de facto underboss. Then, when he finally got the number 2 spot officially, he fell out with Bruno over their differing views on LCN (Testa was more prone to violence, he was involved in heroin, etc). From the late-1970s on, Testa was the head of his own faction in the family that was against Bruno.
Caponigro likely didn't kill Testa because, in his mind, he had only received permission to kill Bruno. They weren't on the same side and there did appear to be a struggle in the aftermath (with both going to seperate meetings with the New York families) so that's likely why he wasn't included eituer. And, as we all know, Testa won out in the end.

Joe Bonanno in his autobiography called Angelo Bruno a "novice" (when it came to being a boss) and that he pretty much needed guidance from Gambino on running a family.
I'd say that's a pretty novice move to make two drug dealers apart of my administration when i am opposed to against my members being involved.
It seems the Philly mob was never really unified.

Why was Tony Caponigro made Consiglieri?

Seems like Bananas had more balls than brains. Not stupid mind you, but maybe shouldn't have been so ballsy. If he was afraid to make a move he would have lived to fight another day.

3 and 4 sounds exactly how John Scalish did things in
Cleveland.
Only differece is Scalish never had enemies within the family.
Did Bruno give the NYC families shares of AC thinking
They would protect him from a potential uprising ?

Theory is he gave them a piece of AC because he knew he couldn't keep them out if he wanted to

Historically, there was something of a divide in the family between the Sicilians and the Calabrians. When Joe Rugnetta was consigliere he didn't just function as a mediator but as the head of the Calabrians in the family (in the late 1960s, Rugnetta and other figures refused to go to New Jersey for a making ceremony because none of the proposed members were Calabrians).
Caponigro was the choice of the Calabrian faction to replace Rugnetta, hence why he got the position

True ... and that rift ran deep.

what Tony Bananas did (allegedly do the hit himself, with a shotgun in front of the guys house, a boss mind you. who for intents and purposes didn't deserve to go out like that.) was flat-out disrespectful and he deserved what he got in the end.

So were does Natz Denaro fall into the equation? what was his relationship with Bruno? and what caused the transition from Denaro to Testa?

Now that it's a zillion yrs. later ...can u tell us where exactly where did Bruno have a house on the island??..& Anastasia lived part time in Ducktown???

Bruno sealed his fate once the Cherry Gambino's were encroaching on his territory with drugs without any retaliation.

That was it for Bruno..

Ujust gave away ur age..pmac.I always thought w/ ur knowledge u were older..my hats off 2 u ur a good dude even though u claim ur drunk half a the time..lol..I love u & ur posts.

Denaro was Sicilian (like Bruno and Testa) and he was a captain under Joe Ida. It was Denaro who warned Bruno about Pollina, which factored into him becoming underboss in the new regime. After Bruno became boss Denaro had a problem with him at one point and tried to go behind his back to New York. Bruno found out about this and admonished him for it, so it seems the relationship deteriorated pretty soon into Bruno's reign, coinciding with Testa's rise to the de facto no. 2 position. There was also talk at one point about a contract being put on Denaro over concerns that he wouldn't be able to do time behind bars, but that obviously never panned out.
Another thing that could factor into Bruno and Testa's relationship was the fact that they had been involved in a hit together in 1950. Joseph Sadia was killed for spreading rumours that Salvatore Sabella (the former boss) had been sleeping with Frank Nicoletti's wife. Nicoletti was the driver in the hit, while Bruno and Testa were the shooters.
When Harry Riccobene was a confidential informant for the FBI, he told them that Nicoletti had possibly been a soldier in Denaro's crew by 1952.
Bruno was also caught on a bug once saying he had suggested to Pollina that he make Testa a captain, which Pollina did (Pollina promoted Testa, John Cappello and John Simone to capos during his brief run as head of the family).

The Cherry Hill Gambinos definitely didn't enroach on Bruno's territory in Pa and NJ without his permission. He allowed them to operate there and made money, directly or otherwise, from their presence. Members of Bruno's family were buying heroin from the Sicilians and selling it on to non-mob distributors. Bruno didn't allow his brugad to enter the drug trade in an organised fashion but he didn't prohibit his underlings from working with the Cherry Hill Gambinos - he would actually lend these heroin traffickers money. It very well may have been the straw that broke the camel's back for Caponigro (who knew he could be making two or three times as much in heroin without Bruno's restrictions), but the Zips definitely weren't ENROACHING in Bruno's territory and there was nothing to retaliate for.

@Chin_Gigante

Your'e right.

you are very knowledgeable, my friend 😄
How did Harry the Hunchback get so much leeway with Bruno? What was his role in the landscape during the transition from Ida/Pollina to Bruno?
Lastly, what was Riccobene's relationship with Testa?

How in God's Name do u know these assumptoins...when I was a little boy(circa 1973}..my old man had Angie over 2 our house during the holidays & they talked about union shit..I had no idea what was going on till I got older...Daddy used 2 bring home free coupons 4 the Thunderbird Motel in Wildwood 4 free & I later that all my dads vacations were "takin care of"...on behalf of the bakers union that he was in & MORE @ Keebler Co..back then, it was @ G & Hunting Park..& he was a dock foreman...Mr. Bruno 4 all that is said & done..what little I can remember..was a nice man.

Yeah, he really poked a stick into a hornet's nest.

Definitely blunt disrespect on Caponigro's end. To be honest; I've read he didn't want to be boss either; Just wanted Bruno removed from the top of the family.

I believe it was his bro in law Alfred Salerno who pulled the trigger..

My info comes mostly from FBI files - specificially using info from CIs Rocco Scafidi and Harry Riccobene

George Fresolone was pretty adamantly against the theory that Alfred Salerno pulled the trigger on Bruno, citing how he and Caponigro really didn't get along. Caponigro was annoyed at having to constantly settle beefs with Salerno in New York and vented about wanting to kill him one day. Fresolone subscribed to the idea that Caponigro would have personally been the shooter. Salerno getting killed, in Fresolone's view, was just a way to lure Caponigro to the diamond district (thinking he was going there to settle a beef over Salerno's jewellery business) and meet with Dom Canterino and Chin Gigante

Riccobene was behind bars for heroin trafficking at the time that Bruno took over and he told the FBI he was surprised at the decision because Bruno had only been a member for a short period of time before becoming boss. Riccobene said that he'd been offered the position of boss in the 1950s and could've been boss instead of Bruno if he wanted it. (Should also be noted I saw an FBI file describe how Pat Massi had been offered the role of boss before Bruno). He later said that Bruno had imposed too many restrictions during his time as boss (likely a reference to narcotics).
As of 1952 Riccobene was a soldier under Gaetano 'Big Tom' Scafidi and when he got out of prison in the 1970s, though it hasn't been confirmed, I strongly suspect that Riccobene was reporting direct to the administration (either to Bruno or Testa). Riccobene was part of a discussion with Testa, Scarfo and Narducci about the death of Joe Rugnetta and who to appoint as consigliere where they complained about the process (specifically how, in the past, every member got a say but now only a select few do). Riccobene's leeway under Bruno likely stemmed from his status as a long-time member. To a much lesser extent that can be observed with Antonio Pollina as well. Pollina lost a great deal of influence following Bruno's rise to boss and complained about being ignored by other members but he was still around. He asked to be made consigliere in 1977 but Bruno politely declined. In 1982 Pollina started verbally abusing Nick Caramandi at Pat Spirito's clubhouse on Bancroft over a loan Caramandi had co-signed on with Mickey Diamond (after Diamond's death, Pollina held Caramandi responsible for repayment). Spirito couldn't intervene because he hadn't been introduced to Pollina as a member so Chickie Ciancaglini had to come down to calm the situation.
There isn't as much on Riccobene's relationship with Testa but we know of his very unfavourable view of Scarfo becoming boss. Riccobene campaigned to get the top spot in the aftermath of Testa's death but failed to gather support from any of the captains.

i was under the impression that Pollina was shelved and considered persona-non-grata. Was he. allowed to keep his button or just respected for being an old timer?

No I cant ....

But I am pretty sure it was on AC - Ventnor border and I only remember that because my father told me once before I was 17 and still driving with him .

Bruno's wife was living in house in Ventnor. Beach block I think . When she passed away about 15 yrs ago.

They had since the 60’s that I remember

It's pretty well known as soon as Gambino died Brunos days were numbered. His power was based on his relationship to Don Carlo.

who were the major players for the Angelo Bruno Family in the 1960s?
what were the main rackets and territory?
here's what i got:

Boss: Angelo Bruno
Underboss: Natz Denaro
Consiglieri: Joe Rugnetta

Caporegime: Phil Testa, Skinny Razor Detulio, Patsy Massi, Nicky buck Piccolo, Alfred Iezzi (missing anybody)

Soldiers:Tony Caponigro, Scarfo(of course), who are the other major players

Bruno family capos in the 1960s

John Cappello
Felix DiTullio (died 1966, crew split up)
Alfred Iezzi
Pasquale Massi (demoted 1967)
Nicholas Piccolo
Joseph Scafidi
Joseph Sciglitano
John Simone
Philip Testa

Peter Maggio (replaced Iezzi from the late-60's through early-70's)
Dominick Oliveto (may have been acting for Massi)
Joseph Lanciano (acted for Massi, then replaced him)
Demetrio Pennestri (died in the early-60's, may have been capo until his death)
Carl Ippolito (possibly acting for Simone at different times)
Charles Costello (possibly acting for Simone at different times)

What capo/crew was the most dangerous?
Which crew was the most powerful?
Why did Patsy Massi get demoted?
Who was close to Bruno, if any?

Out of all of the captains, DiTullio had the biggest reputation for being a hitter. I remember reading info from one CI who claimed that DiTullio was exempt from paying tribute because of the amount of work he did. He taught Scarfo how to kill.
Testa was Bruno's closest ally in the 60's, after his falling out with Denaro. Similar to the Ligambi/ Staino situation in the 2000s.
Massi was caught having sexual relations with a young black guy and being the 'passive partner'.

Wow, and Massi didn't get clipped? Bruno really was the Gentile Don

There was speculation that he would be killed or told to commit suicide but neither happened

Bruno had 2 crews in North jersey back then

What boss/family was more powerful as a whole, Angelo Bruno/philly or Sam Decalvacante/jersey?
Could North Jersey compete financially?
Which Family during this period was more deadly?

Do you mean two different crews in the Philly family had members operating in North Jersey?

Because North Jersey didn't become its own crew until the 1970s. Some sources have Caponigro becoming capo in the early 1970s but Fresolone wrote that Caponigro was bumped straight up from soldier to consigliere in 1978, at which point the North Jersey members began officially reporting to him. Prior to that they had been working for him in a de facto sense but actually belonged to John Simone's crew.

And even then, the Philly guys in North Jersey were one crew until Fresolone was briefly a captain in 1990. Then you had two captains in Newark - Fresolone in charge of Centorino, Cifelli, Olivieri and Praino, while Licata was in charge of DiNorscio, Napoli, Caprio, Capozzi, Sodano, Ricciardi, Bellina, Fusella and Attanasio.

The two-crews situation in Newark may have continued during the 1990s, with Licata and Blackie Napoli both reported to be capos for Stanfa in 1991. Then Napoli was taken down, and Licata and Sodano were observed going down to Philly together to meet with Stanfa until Sodano was locked up in 1992, at which point Licata continued going down to Philly alone until he was jailed in 1994.
Licata gets out in 1997, by which point Pete Caprio has been upped to capo after arranging the murder of his predecessor Sodano. But then in 1998 Licata is charged again with being a captain in the family.

So it's possible that in the 90s, they had 2 crews in North Jersey (Fresolone/ Licata, then Napoli/ Licata, then Sodano/ Licata and finally Caprio/ Licata) but I haven't read anything to suggest there was more than one Philly crew in Newark before then or that there was even an official Newark-based Philly crew before the 1970s.

There was one crew based in North New Jersey. It can be traced all the way back to former Newark crime family member Riccardo Biondi. John Simone took over Biondi crew in the early 1960s but lived in Trenton, so he used Charles Costello and Carl Ippolito as his acting capos most of the time in Newark. Bruno had one crew based in North New Jersey, and two in Southern New Jersey. I believe that is where you saying that Philly had two Northern New Jersey crews, as both Costello and Ippolito had their own people but they were all part of the same crew.

chin-gigante is right, Newark only had one crew from Biondi until 1990 when Licata and Fresolone, first took it up with Pasquale Martirano and Anthony Piccolo about Napoli being incarcerated and needed an official capo on the streets. They felt they weren't getting anywhere with those two guys and decided to go see John Stanfa the other contender for the boss spot and boom, there are now two crews. Stanfa had the Gambinos backing, but if he did not create those two crews, he would not have much family support. George Fresolone was already cooperating with New Jersey State Police since 1988 and there is recordings showing what the family structure was shaping up to be. Caprio also verifies this, and I believe it is save to say that since Caprio flipped, there has only been one Newark crew for the family.

Both of you guys are right, I got the era mixed up

That's not quite right. There were concerns in the family over not having a capo on the streets but it wasn't to do with Napoli being incarerated. When Martirano fled to avoid prosecution in 1988, he left Licata, Attanasio and Fresolone (even though he was only an associate) jointly in charge of running the crew. Piccolo then shortly after changed this relationship so that Licata and Attanasio would be in charge of the crew while Fresolone would be in charge of passing messages to and from Martirano.

After a while there were concerns over not having an official acting capo in place. Martirano wanted Fresolone to do it and he was already treating him as a de facto made member, but Piccolo wouldn't allow it. Martirano pushed for Fresolone to be inducted but again Piccolo refused, saying that Scarfo wasn't approving any making ceremonies while he was incarcerated as he felt it would be like admitting he wasn't coming home anytime soon (Scarfo also didn't authorise any inductions during his incarceration from 1982-1984). When Martirano snuck back into Florida for medical treatment, Licata flew down to see him and was formally made acting capo.

In 1990, Piccolo eventually names Martirano (now living in New York as a fugitive) as his underboss and receives permission from Scarfo to induct new members, but only prospects from North Jersey. (This decision was influenced by the fact that Martirano was dying and kept pushing for Fresolone to be inducted). A day after he was made, Fresolone was upped to capo and given his own crew, which consisted of the guys he was made with. That's when the 2 Newark crews emerged - under Scarfo and Piccolo. Martirano then dies and Fresolone is whisked off into witness protection.

In 1991, Licata and Ralph Napoli are described as both being capos in North Jersey but they aren't getting along. Licata was paranoid in the late-1980s that Napoli was planning on taking over the family and had suspected him of being behind the Nicky Scarfo Jr attempted hit. Napoli was refusing to meet with Licata and was reportedly getting senile. In late 1991, Licata and Joe Sodano travelled to Philly to meet with Stanfa (now the boss), where they complained about Napoli and Stanfa agreed to take him down (this was recorded in wiretaps).

It was at this point, presumably, that Sodano was upped to capo and both he and Licata would continue going down to Philly together. Sodano was sent to prison in May 1992 and Licata continued going to Philly alone. At the time that Licata was sent to prison in early 1994, he was described as a capo.

Sodano gets out in 1994 and is killed in December 1996. In January 1997, Caprio is upped to capo to replace him. Later in 1997 Licata is released and in September 1998 he's indicted as a capo. So that's the last instance I can find of two North Jersey capos being out on the street at the same time. Licata goes away in 1999, leaving Caprio by himself.

After Caprio flips in 2000, Centorino was identified as briefly serving as acting capo. Then Licata was released from prison in 2003 and, for all we know, has been running the Newark crew by himself since then.

The initial split of Newark into 2 crews in 1990 makes sense as at that point they consisted of over a dozen members. But, to the best of our knowledge, no North Jersey guys were made from 1990 until 2007 and that, combined with the attrition from deaths and defections, explains how the 2 crews would naturally form back into 1 again by the end of the decade.

Fersolone was made a capo a day after being made. This pissed off Licata. Fersolone and Licata had some history but it was not until Fersolone was locked up that he started to despise AA and Scoops. Licata went to the Gambino and Genovese about the ceremony as no list was passed around to veto members. If someone had a problem with a member being made and their was a good enough reason, that person would be killed, that was Licatas plan. Cifelli another guy in the crew was close to Licata and was pretty much reporting what Fersolone was doing. It was either the Lucchese crime family finding out that Philadelphia had an informant in Newark, or that Pasquale Martirano passed away that caused Fersolone to finally leave. Centorino was actually remade at the behest of a few Gambino guys as insure if Licata tried anything. Licata was following the rules about the list, but Philly only had to pass a list the last time cause 1986 was the Commission trial in New York and New York wanted to straighten things out with Philadelphia and New Jersey, so new leadership would known who is who in New Jersey and not make any mistakes, also so both Gambino and Genovese families could make sure they had prospective allies on Philadelphia and New Jersey. 1986 was a huge making ceremony for Philadelphia and last one that was made while Scarfo was out on the streets.

I disagree with a couple of things.

I know the idea that guys like Centorino and Olivieri were made again at a later date is thrown about a lot on forums, but I've seen no supporting evidence to suggest that they ever were, or that they ever had to be. Indeed, Licata went around saying there was a problem with the ceremony, and that other families didn't necessarily have to recognise the members, but nothing else reliable has come out to say that the ceremony was itself invalidated and had to be redone. Centorino, Olivieri and John Praino all have been identified as members since then, but I've seen no evidence saying they were made again. Lenehan said the ceremony was invalidated, but his information is far from reliable and it contradicts with other things he said - including that Olivieri wasn't recognised but only because of reasons relating to him alone. Members of the Colombo family were picked up on tape discussing Praino's status as a member of the Philly family in the 2000s, so that's further evidence that those guys continued to be recognised. Licata tried to undermine the validity of the ceremony for sure, but I've seen nothing to suggest anyone had to be re-made. Fresolone himself said that he could not be 'un-made' due to Licata's attempts and that the only way to remove his membership would have been to kill him.
This also isn't comparable to the situation with the DeCavalcante's in the 1980s when Gotti ordered them to re-make guys because they had been initiated through a verbal oath only. Firstly, Philadelphia was not under the same level of influence from New York as the DeCavalcantes were and are. Secondly, there wasn't anything technically wrong with the ceremony. Philly would pass on a list of North Jersey members to the New York families as a courtesy (especially when the Newark members were active in New York), but they were not obliged to. By 2010, Licata himself was caught on tape saying he'd only pass a list of prospective members to the Gambinos and Genoveses - not the other three New York families. (And Fresolone quotes Martirano in the book saying that Licata's name wasn't passed around the other families).

I also don't entirely agree with you that the 1986 ceremony was 'huge'. They inducted 6 guys at that one (Attanasio, Licata, Ligambi, Pungitore Jr, Tory Scafidi, Junior Staino), which is more than most ceremonies we know about since then but only just. There's been plenty of ceremonies for 5 inductees at a time since then and, in either 1998 or 1999, Borgesi and Luisi went up to Boston to make 6 or 7 of Luisi's guys there. It also wasn't huge compared to other ceremonies that took place in the 80s. There was the 1980 ceremony held by Testa where 9 guys were inducted and Scarfo held a ceremony in early 1982 where he made 11 guys (including 4 Newark guys).

Your right cg, I was thinking of 1982 for some reason. Actually Bobby Manna had alot of subtle influence in Philadelphia. Which is the way the Genovese crime family wanted it so they could take over lucrative enterprises in Atlantic City and New Jersey. Keep Scarfo as boss, they essentially control the Philadelphia family. Gambinos had Stanfa in charge from 1991 to 1995. Merlino pretty much tells New York to suck his ****, and the families lose influence in Philadelphia.

How was Joe Ida as Boss?
What was the Dynamic between Ida, Dominic Pollina and Marco Reginelli?
With so much presence in South jersey, why did the puwerbase shift to Philly?

Ida as boss was not bad, he had one of best administration from 1946 to 1956. In that ten year span, he and Reginelli finished what Joe Dovi had started. Three of of the four heavy hitters for the family at the time in the 1940s were Harry Riccobono, Antonio Pollina, and Felix DeTullio, the fourth member is probably lost to history. The Philadelphia family took over territories in Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey from the Irish and Jewish mobsters and made alliances with them. Ida and Reginelli got along great. I can only think of one time Joe Ida did along with someone was with Pollina and that was due to how Ida had handled narcotics on Philadelphia and New Jesey.
Once Reginelli died in Maryland in 1956, is when the family was weakened. Dominick Olivetto became underboss and retired, some say so Antonio Pollina could become underboss. Pollina came from the Maggio crew. Olivetto served as an adviser to Pollina once he retired. One of Marco Reginelli proteges was Angelo Bruno. Pollina was just waiting for his moment at the top spot.
I find Giuseppe Rugnetta the most interesting members of the time, he was Consigliere from 1946 till his death.

In the 1960s, Harry Riccobene was asked to describe the hierarchy as it was in 1952 - the last time he was on the street. He was relying on his recollection but he identified Ida as boss, Reginelli as underboss and six capos - Antonio Pollina, Joseph Rugnetta, Gaetano Scafidi, Ignazio Denaro, Frank Barrale and Demetrio Pennestri (Riccobene was assigned to Scafidi at the time and identified Mike Maggio as also being a member of that crew).
Reginelli, who functioned effectively as Ida's street boss, had a crew reporting direct to him and Riccobene believed that Felix DiTullio, Pat Massi, Joseph Lanciano and Dominick Oliveto were some of the members of that crew - though he said Oliveto may have been a capo at some point.
Oliveto was also identified in other reports as being the family's consigliere in the 1950s - making him the first member we have evidence of holding the position before Rugnetta. In 1956, Reginelli died and Oliveto became acting underboss (possibly official later) though no sources have identified if a new consigliere was elected after Oliveto until Rugnetta got the job under Bruno.
Things are a little hazy when Ida flees in late-1958 or early-1959. Some accounts have Oliveto briefly taking over before being replaced by Rugnetta as acting boss and then Pollina. Another account has Rugnetta taking over immediately after Ida but then being voted down by the family at a meeting in September 1959 (which may have been Peter Maggio's making ceremony) and put in the position of underboss. Oliveto was selected to take over and then replaced by Pollina. When Bruno took over, he made Denaro underboss and Rugnetta was put in as consigliere.

Yes, the Genoveses did have a degree of influence over Scarfo. This was most notably seen in Scarfo giving them a piece of AC and making Blackie Napoli capo in Newark at their request (and having to receive permission to take him down in favour of Martirano) - but my point was more about how they were much less under the control of New York than the DeCavalcantes. Of course, as an East Coast family, Philly is influenced and and impacted by NY decisions (e.g., appointing bosses and other administration figures - Scarfo sought the blessing of New York to take Chuckie Merlino down and replace him with Phil Leonetti).

I don't entirely agree with the point about Merlino and NY losing their influence. When Natale took over he had the backing of figures in the Gambino and Genovese families and used Billy D'Elia to set up a meeting with the Colombos in New York (they weren't recognised by the Lucheses though as a result of the Scarfo beef). Natale used Pete Caprio as his conduit to the New York families and, when Natale went to prison, Merlino started using Caprio for the same purpose.

When Merlino took over, I agree, the relationship got strained. Merlino asked New York, through Caprio, for permission to make Luisi in Boston. The New York families said no but Merlino did it anyway. When Natale flipped, things really went south because NY was not recognising Merlino and Ligambi - that prompted Caprio to conspire to take over the family. Members of the Gambino family were instructed not to recognise Philly at this point for various reasons - including the fact that they had inducted an ex-cop (Previte).

Clearly, however, the relationship with NY wasn't destroyed irreparably. You still had tensions with the Lucheses through the 2000s but that possibly was resolved when Scarfo Jr went away and Sam Piccolo and Anthony Persiano started reporting to Dom Grande. New York figures attending the weddings of Eric Esposito and Anthony Staino, the Colombo family still recognised John Praino as a Philly member, the Gambinos dined with Philly leadership in 2010 and Merlino started associating with Genovese capos after his release from prison, taking Lancellotti and Grande with him to his 'going away' party in New York in 2014 before surrendering to do his time for parole violation.

Who did Ida/Regnelli associate with from New York?
Any info on Joe Rugnetta? I know he represented the Calabrian faction but any thing else interesting?

Do you think the current Philly guys have read all the info given by riccobene, scafidi (the one who was a proper ci in the 50/60s before being brought back off the shelf)?

And do you think they have as much of an understanding of the history of that family like demonstrated above? I wonder..

Also I love the merlino/ny story - wasn’t he like f*ck that tell them to come here. “Underrated” mob guy merlino - how he rolled the dice and isn’t lifed off or dead is insane. Feds want this guy sooo much.

@Serpiente
what I don't get is that Bruno 'banished ' Scarfo to Atlantic City, but isn't that where he was based anyway? ?

Also, how did Scarfo get caught up in that SCI contempt case? all the other guys I've seen mentioned were mob big shots, Bruno,Catena etc
didn't think Scarfo was big name 1973 ish??

O.K...How do I get access??..Thanx

DSD : The only one that said that was Anastasia and he spent summers right around the corner in Ducktown all his life also in south Philly was his neighborhood , he also seemed to have a dislike for Nick or Nick did something to someone in his family, but for sure Nick didn’t do nothing to anyone in Ducktown so had to be Philly. ( other then Muck )

G.A. Repeats it and repeats it to the extent that it was used often.

All Brunos actions before Nick shot him down with Testa , Bruno was behind Nick and was giving the okay for murders on people that was going to bring major heat on family and he still stood up for Nick with those hits.Also would visit in summer spring ect. often. If there was any indication that Nick was sent to AC as punishment “ Bruno sure never acted like it till years later when Nick sided with P. Testa and Bruno tried to fuck him with local 54 union .

I don’t know how he ended up in that case .

If you go on the Mary Ferrell database you can have a look through them, but the site can be quite difficult to navigate if you don't know what you're looking for. Ricconene's symbol code was "PH 599-C-TE", so if you search for that you'll find files discussing his information. Scafidi's is "PH 672-C-TE".

Another good place to start would be to check out this page (http://mafiahistory.us/rattrap/philadelphiainf.html) that gives an overview of Riccobene and Scafidi's work as informants.

it seems the whole family was plotting on bruno after carlo died and atlantic city becoming the east coast vegas. guess he didnt see the writting on the wall. but at the same time he make tony bannassa his consig and the the guy kills him thats some treachery shit. the boss makes you almost a equal to him and you kill him. dog eat dog world. its like at work when someone tells on you to the boss and you almost get fired. actually not alike cause they killed there boss

@Pmac

Yea; Caponigro really did betray Bruno; You have any insight on their relationship? I've heard that Caponigro didn't want to be boss tbh... Frank Sindone had a capo vote and everyone wanted him; but NYC wanted Testa.

Was Ange ever involved in the Carmine Galante hit?

Given that Bruno was close to Gambino and Castellano, but had poor relations with Funzi Tieri, what was his relationship with the other three NYC bosses (Phil Rastelli, Tony Corallo, Persico) like?

Why didn't Castellano say anything when Bruno was whacked? Thought they were close?

Bruno was told by Simone who got back from Newark that the sicilians have turned on Galante and it would only be a matter of time. As to Bruno known about the hit, anything is possible, Newark crew just knew which way the wind was blowing. Simone was a dangerous and sharp mobster, with dozens of kills under his belt over fifty maybe more. Simone knew the life inside and out, plus he had made social calls to the Gambino and Campisi brothers at least twice a month so they either told him what was up, or he knew enough to know that Galante would have to go.

If Bruno and Castellano were close, there would not have been six months wait between Caponigro, Salerno, and Simone followed shortly by Sidone being killed. They would all have been killed fast unless Frank and John were hiding which they were not. Plus the Gambino brother mainly Joe sent Stanfa into hiding, with Big Paul cooling the Westside from looking for Stanfa. Bottomline, it was business for Big Paul, cause once Angelo was dead, the Gambino and Genovese families were getting alot more business in Atlantic City. Castellano was satisfied with Caponigro and Salerno paying the price and figured it was back to business.

Bruno and Corallo got along almost well, it was when Atlantic City came up or a Philly member and Lucchese New Jersey member had sitdowns, by the way Bruno won a sitdown for Caponigro against Tieri years earlier, is when there was any tension. The sitdowns were more peaceful than Atlantic City. Persico never had time enough on the streets. Rastelli there were a couple of meetings after Rastelli became boss. Bruno used Gambino as his proxy vote so he did not have to come to New York City all the time. Whatever Gambinos vote was going to be, Bruno's vote count for Gambino.

Caponigro just wanted Bruno out of the way so he could deal drugs along with other members of the family. He was going to back up Frank Sindone since Sindone was well liked and lived in Philadelphia, as to not move the family boss to New Jersey. Sindone and Simone had other issues with Bruno, as did other members in his family.

Anyone believe that Bruno was cheap and greedy like Paul Castellano? Reaping profits from the Cherry Hill Gambino's and Zips but not allowing his own family to deal?? Sounds similar to how the Bergin Hunt crew and Paul situation played out.

Also anyone think Bruno was gunna have Caponigro murdered?? So Caponigro struck first???

Strange given the fact Sindone actually talked about retiring from that life altogether. Also I was under the impression Caponigro was the overly ambitious one in that duo and was hungry for the throne, why else would he seek backing from the Commision? To appoint Sindone?

Bruno was cheap and favored white collar guys over blue collar guys, never turned down an envelope, same with how Castellano was. Kept his family members out of narcotics but allowed the zips to distribute and pay tribute to him. Not just narcotics, but there are instances where guys committed crimes for the family get caught and Bruno would not shell out money for lawyers, retainers, or help out the mobsters family. It would be Caponigro and Testa that would argue with Bruno over this, which in most cases he reluctantly paid out the cash.

Caponigro committed a couple of protocol violations, for one, he was caught loaning out money for a drug deal, which he was remanded for by Bruno, then he was caught badmouthing Bruno to the Colombo New Jersey crew, and Frank Tieri. The Colombos reported it, but Tieri did not. Bruno told Simone that he was thinking of breaking down a couple of capos and pressure Piccolo to become Consigliere for the family, so Caponigro and Testa would not have a leg to stand on. Frank Sindone was thinking of stepping down, Bruno felt Frank Narducci should be given his own crew instead of just being only a capo. Bruno was thinking of hitting Caponigro and had Harry Riccobono and a New Jersey member shadow Caponigro. The plans changed and Caponigro would have to be installed by the commission as temporary boss of the family until the family had a enough time to calm down and vote for a new boss. Many point out that Caponigro did not give his full attention and kept his back to Bruno who was speaking at a gathering, but that was after the fact Caponigro had spoke with Tieri. Caponigro and the rest struck first. Sindone was still in his prime and was tired of the headaches from Bruno, that he was thinking of stepping down.

Say what you want about Scarfo; If you argued with him or plotted against him; You would earn a quick; swift death. No one would have dared go against him.

Bruno lost control there at the end; He should have retired once Carlo died.

Just for the record G.A. was born in South Philly but didn't grow up there. He grew up in Westville NJ and went to Gloucester Catholic. Reason I know this is a relative of mine on the non South Philly side lived right across them street from them on Olive St. So maybe Scarfo did something to family member?

Never knew that always thought he was a Philly guy , his blood here was S Florida ave & Bellevue ave , so many S Philly folks had summer house’s or blood to spend summer with it was great , boardwalk was like a carnival all spring summer and fall ... not a better place to run the streets as a kid .

Thanx Chin,

turns out tony bananas was tricked into killing bruno. he was told he had the okay but didn't so tony bananas was killed. at this point atlantic city was nothing and nicky scarfo was sent there as punishment. who knew he would be in the drivers seat when atlantic city became popular.

Caponigro should have stayed in the position he was in; I've read a few times he didn't want the boss position; Just wanted Bruno gone. He was greedy.... He was lucky to have even been in the Consigliere position because he was into drugs. Why did Bruno have him as his #3 anyway?

The Calabrian faction supported him since Nick Piccolo, Santo Idone, and Joe Lanciano declined that position.

Yea Old Man Sam was happy flying under the radar in Chester. Taking a higher spot would have taken him away from the good money he was making that the higher ups had no clue about, and he could control LE way easier in Chester at the time as well

Lawyer that seemed to represent Philly has died.

https://aboutthemafia.com/philadelphia-mafia-attorney-joe-santaguida-dead-at-81

That was Merlinos original lawyer before Jacobs. I think one case the feds the feds got him off Joeys case

scarfo was sent there as punishment. scarfo went into a diner and demanded a guy give up his seat. they guy said no and scarfo stabbed him through the heart killing him. fortunately the guy killed was not made.