Over the last year or two a lot of guys from the Bronx have been branded as capos now, examples being balsamo, hippy, pagano, can’t think the guys name who got arrested with balsamo, Falcetti and there may be more. Do we think the Bronx part of the family has branched out to take over other crews? Eg is hippy over tough Tony’s old crew? Have they broken down the family into more crews than they traditionally had, therefore more capos? Or is this all just false reporting? Thoughts…

Nicholas calisi is the one I couldn’t think of.

And excuse my “crewsi” typo

Ralph Balsamo is only a Acting Captain of Nicholas Calisi's crew and Pasquale Falcetti is no longer a Captain. The Families crews stay pretty consistent so I would say guys have just been take down and others replaced them.

Those indictments are usually pretty specific to acting captain / captain and balsamo went to calisi to request permission to use one of his guys to communicate so would appear to me they are separate captains? Just based on that communication. Calisi is over the old “Harlem” crew? Or is that parellos former crew? I am inclined to believe reports parello is consigliere as that sounds likely to me

The actual indictment and followup court filings weren't that clear on Ralph Balsamo's position originally using phrases such as was a Captain or Acting Captain during these times. Later on it clarified that Ralph Balsamo became the Acting Captain of the crew when Nicholas Calisi moved to Florida.

Ralph Balsamo asked Nicholas Calisi to introduce John Campanella to Ernest Aiello because he was their Captain.

Their crew is Bronx based.

Ok interesting that makes more sense

Interesting.

Made guys from different families introduce each other all the time. Why would a made guy asked a capo the permission to introduce a made guy to another one ?

The Genovese always had their own way to do things I guess.

It does seem strange. Maybe balsamo never met him officially? Or because aiello is a capo there’s some formality that a capo should do the introduction? I’ve never heard that before but fuck do I know lol

I know it may be comparing apples to oranges a little bit here but in New York, each family is pretty much a crew of the New York mob as a whole. So yes guys can jump ship from family to family.

anyone know how this guy got the name "hippy" ?

What are you talking about?




Malavita and Brovelli I don't know if they explained it or if there was a reason given. I do remember that they wanted John Campanella to be a go between for them. Ralph Balsamo was the one who did the introduction.