He's only known for his disastrous reign as boss of the Genovese Family, but he was an extremely powerful and well-traveled mobster long before he was the don. He's even been said to be the killer of the 1st Lucchese boss, Gaetano Reina. He was there throughout the Castellammarese War, and had power in Mafia circles from coast to coast and even in Italy. But he will forever be known for his stupidity in his actions in taking over the Genovese Family and the few years afterwards.

I agree regarding today, meaning back in the days or more then 10 years ago many guys were interested in Vito's career and told incredible stories. I love reading about Vito's stay in Italy, for example.

Genovese when fled to Italy become friend with Galeazzo Ciano the son in law of mussolini and rumors say that Genovese become the Ciano cocaine supplier.
After donate 100K dollars to the fascista party and help build the Casa of Fascio in Nola his hometown was made commendatore by Mussolini.
During the 1943 he did profitable business on the black market and with bribes to the allied governor Poletti for whom he was officially the interpreter.

Fun fact

My university had a branch office in Nola where I did my first 3 years of university and the office was actually the former Casa del Fascio built by Genovese.

Thats right and thanks for the info about the building Fur.

Btw, several years ago I went to Napoli and I saw one street which was named Genovese with huge letters, and when i googled it, i couldnt find the street on maps but instead it gave me the famous "alla Genovese food" and reminded me that I saw many taverns and restaurants in that same area.

When he came up Vito was close to the Navy Street Gang (Camorra). The Neapolitans, based in Brooklyn and Coney Island, fought for control of the New York rackets. Eventually decimated when it’s own members turned against them.
Anthony Paretti was electrocuted under the jurisdiction of the state of New York on 17th February, 1927 at the age of 35. One of the last men to visit Paretti before his death was a young Genovese.

Thanks for the remind @H regarding that alleged Camorra leader.

Truth be told, during his time as Lucky's #2 man, Vito Genovese was arguably the most important "underboss" NYC had ever seen.

Yes and him being Neapolitan also helped the Sicilian family.

Agreed.

It made the former Masseria Family even stronger and more influential because aside from their Sicilian roots, the future Luciano/Genovese Family was viewed and widely accepted as the "voice" for the Napolitani and Calabrese factions as well. Not only in NY, but throughout the entire country.

Perhaps it is via Antonio Genovesi, an Enlightenment philosopher of the 1700s.
Genovese and Genovesi is spelled in the same way in english.

Thanks again bud.

@NYM any info on his brothers Michael and Carmine who were also made guys?
In 1980s a nephew was shot dead in Naples he was the son of?

I wrote a very extensive and in-depth biography about Vito's brother Michael, who was a goodfella. Its on our ButtonGuys website, under the link for the Genovese Family.

They called him "Compare Mike" or "Goomba Mike" in corrupted street slang. I wrote his bio because I had never seen one done on him before and I thought he would be a very interesting subject.

As far as Carmine goes, he also was affiliated with Vito, but I do not believe he was an inducted member.

Thanks NYM !

Mafia Leader Killed Near Naples

June 16, 1981

New York Times
Vincenzo Genovese, the nephew of the late American crime figure Vito Genovese and the most powerful Mafia leader in the area south of Naples, was shot to death today as he was driving a sports car near this southern Italian city, the police reported. Mr. Genovese, 43, headed an extortion racket linked with the Raffaele Cutolo family of Naples, the police said.

Wow so his nephew was part of the Camorra. Still to this day the Genovese Family has members from that part of Italy.

Yes Vincent Gigante had also ties to Naples.
After finishing school, Gigante began working as a professional boxer, fighting a total of 25 matches between 1944 and 1947; following physical injuries Gigante ends his boxing career early and joins Lucky Luciano 's mafia family . Gigante is the fifth of five brothers: Mario, Pasquale, Ralph and Luigi, all, with the exception of the latter, enlisted as men of the Genovese family. Absorbed in the role of Vito Genovese 's personal driver ,he will be entrusted with the task of killing Frank Costello , who however fails. After serving a sentence for heroin trafficking, during which he also shares a cell with former boss Vito Genovese , Gigante becomes caporegime of the same Genovese family, running their own mobster group in the Greenwich Village area .

That's also why they are considered cousins of the Chicago Outfit the boss Felice De Lucia, known as Paul Ricca was married to Nancy Gigante.

Didn't Vito Genovese and Paul Ricca team up to kill Saverio Pollaccia in Chicago? And didn’t Genovese kill that Pittsburgh boss as well? The man's a legend, period. And a prolific killer.

Good finds TD

https://nl.findagrave.com/memorial/146153118/nancy-delucia

Thanks. Do we have something regarding Clarence A. Gigante who was also connected to Ricca (according to old time author Ovid Demaris)?

Vito Genovese with Vincent Gigante behind him.

Gigante looks like a lumberjack lol

Was he still boxing or already retired?

\

I think he was retired from boxing in the pic with Vito, obviously because Gigante already gained a lot of weight. You can clearly see it in these pics....

He was retired and start building the story of his mental insanity blaming the boxe that damaged his brain.

There used to be many mobsters in the past who used the crazy act only during trials, like constantly screaming or came to the courtroom completely naked. But it seems that Gigante played the crazy act constantly, especially in public. So I have two questions...

1. Which year or decade Gigante started his crazy act?

2. Was Gigante the first and only American made member or boss who did the crazy act on daily basis?

---
1. He started his crazy act during the 1960s in NJ. I believe he checked into a hospital for his first "tune up" around 1969 or so. Possibly earlier.

2. Yes, to my knowledge, he was the only top member or boss to ever pull a "crazy act" on a daily or constant basis.

Thanks a lot bud.

I wonder how he developed the idea regarding the crazy act? I mean he was with Vito who in turn never did such a thing, including Catena, Miranda or Lombardo. Except for Costello who allegedly went to a psychiatrist.

Speaking frankly, on review, Gigante's crazy act did not serve him well....at all.

Because, essentially, he implemented a 'self-imposed' exile on himself into the shadows, where he was forced to live like a virtual recluse...a stumble bum if you will, on a 24/7 basis, for many decades.

If you wanna walk around in a bathrobe all day, every day, with your hair disheveled, unshaved, unbathed, and have to travel in car trunks for appointments, etc. Then have at it. Lol

I, for one, could never, would never, stoop to such ridiculous levels for anything! You really gotta stop and ask yourself, what kind of life was that? Was it worth it?

And the answer to that question is an unequivocal no! It was NOT worth it.

He couldn't go out in public to restaurants and clubs, couldn't go on vacation with his wife and kids, couldn't even be seen dressed nicely or driving a car. He had to act like an unhinged "brain dead" zombie 99% of the time.

Because, at the end of the day, he ended up going to prison anyway and dying behind bars. WTF?

What kind of a life was that? He entire charade and life was a waste.

I'd rather just do my bid and hit the street again and go live my life. Lol

I disagree with you, his ruse allowed him to rule as boss for decades, free and on the streets. And to him the Mafia was his life. He lived and breathed it. And he was chauffeured around in a limousine. I'm sure he enjoyed life a bit more than what we're allowed to believe, though not as much as he could've. And in the grand scheme of things, his 12-year sentence he received in 1997 was a mere pittance. 12 years for decades of ordering multiple murders and racketeering??? I'll take that lol. The only reason he died behind bars was because he was already old as fuck, and by then I'm sure he was ready to go. Less stress than the streets.

Great find, never saw the second file. Genovese was also present at the John Bazzano murder in 1932 along with other high ranking members.

Nicely said and I agree with you 100%.

Although it somehow reminds me to an extent regarding similar situation when Italian bosses like Riina or Provenzano acted as simple villagers. I mean, look at where they found Provenzano?! Was it worth it? Obviously not. But we must not forget that some of those guys were fanatics when it came down to Cosa Nostra and its ideology. When Buscetta was confronted with Riina, the only thing which Riina said was that he didnt want to talk to someone who had too many wives and allegedly had no morals, while Buscetta answered that Riina didnt care about anything except for the control over whole CN with his fanatic ideas. Buscetta allegedly once stated that some CN capos died penniless only because of their "true" belief in the rules of the organization.

So my point is that Gigante mightve been the prime example of a "hardcore" or fanatic believer in the Cosa Nostra ideology.

Dude, if you honestly believe that Bernardo Provenzano spent 4 decades on that island you're crazy. They found evidence that Matteo Messina Denaro traveled extensively during his 3 decades on the run, and with Provenzano being loose a decade longer I'm sure the same could be said of him. First of all if you have the power, money, and resources to remain a fugitive for a virtual lifetime then you also have the means to travel nationally and internationally if need be.

Oh, no doubt about it. Chin Gigante was. And thats a good analogy you gave about Provenzano, Riina, and so many others that live like hermits or slugs as cave dwellers for decades at a time.

Truth be told, its simply nuts! lol

I get you but i think theres a difference between Provenzano's and Denaro's situations.

+1

No way he stayed in that farmhouse for 40 whole years lol. Wasn't a whole lot of difference, both were wanted for attacks on the State and for being the boss of bosses. If you mean a difference in old-school vs new-school, I'll agree with you. I don't think Provenzano traveled to the extent that Messina Denaro did, but no way he spent 40 years never leaving Sicily. This is not to say that either one of their lives are ones to envy, either, quite the opposite. Still a shitty life no matter how you look at it.

That was my point and thanks for understanding. Even when they were still "freely" active, Riina and Provenzano lived almost like villagers and didnt move around much. And when they became prime targets of the government, they still continued living like that. Again, Im not saying they didnt move around but their mentality was different then Denaro's who in turn grew up differently and also saw the situation from a different point of view then the old timers.

Also keep in mind that only the part of the government that's not in the Mafia's pockets were truly after them, the other part protected them.

Again, I completely agree.

IDK in the US but in 2017 the last Italian judicial psychiatric hospitals which housed mafia bosses were emptied.

Italian judicial psychiatric hospitals are to be completely emptied. Yesterday the forensic inpatient unit of Montelupo Fiorentino was definitely closed. In Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, the former largest judicial psychiatric hospital in Italy, there are only 13 internee left, who in the coming days will be sent to therapeutic communities.

The complex, located in the Sicily region, 40 kilometers from Messina, housed in the past over 600 internees. When it was a judicial psychiatric hospital it received also mafia bosses who pretended to be mentally ill, in order to obtain reductions in their sentences.

I think it's hilarious that Gigante walked around in his pajamas, checking himself into the psyche ward, and ordering murders all at the same time.

Too many people on these forums looking at life through the eyes of a regular person. In Gigante's mind he WAS living the dream, he was Cosa Nostra to the core.