6: 1928-1931
Philip Tattaglia and Carmine Cuneo were capo’s under Joe Maresia. They controlled all of Maresia’s businesses, and did it so well they became the biggest Family. They especially had back-up from Chicago from the Capone’s, which did in fact harm the Capone’s relationship with the Corleone smuggling ring. Both the Corleone clan, backed up by Maranzala, as the Capone side inducted by Maresia lost some men and businesses in that time. The killings never got out of control, but a war was inevitable.

Meanwhile, Vito had to act as a peacekeeper in another war himself. His youngest son, Michael, 8 years old, was always bullied by Giovanni Tattaglia, Phil’s youngest son. Giovanni was very enthousiastically helped by much older Bruno, who was eleven. This schoolyard fights seemed harmless to Vito at first, until Sonny got involved. He wanted to protect his younger brothers (Fredo was victim a couple of times too). He was so mad at Bruno that he went to him and broke his ribs. Tattaglia’s oldest of sons, John, challenged Santino to a fight in Central Park. Altough John was two years older and slightly bigger than Sonny, he feared him not. He showed up with Tommy Hagen, Johnny Fontane, Nino Valenti and Dickie Clemenza. Santino proceeded to beat the bigger John Tattaglia, while the others cheered him on and held Tattaglia’s friends back. Philip Tattaglia found out and had Chief O’Malley arrest Santino for Assault. Vito’s previous payroll allowed for O’Malley to release Santino the next day. Vito met with Philip Tattaglia and persuaded him to drop the charges and offered his friendship. Tattaglia spit on the floor and said he’d piss on Vito’s friendship.

By 1929, Governor Rudy Jackson had been elected in Nevada. He had legalized Gambling, Alcohol, and Prostitution just like he said. Gianni Prodi opened the first legal Casino, Lady Luck, in Carson City in 1930. Moe Green was at the Grand Opening for the 4th of July, as well as the Rothsteins, Ola, Vito Corleone, Al Fontane, Peter Clemenza, Dutch Saietta, Phil Volpe, Caesar Malare, and Louis Bocchicchio. Volpe was a friend of Hyman Rothstein and was Don of Pennsylvania. Fontane was a bartender at the Casino and introduced Vito to his new friend, Salvatore Maritato. Maritato was the husband of Gianni’s sister, Victoria. Vito wished both of them good luck. The Casino was a success and Prodi opened Lady Luck’s Hotel soon after. Hyman introduced Vito and Clemenza to Anthony Molinari. He was the Don of San Francisco. He introduced Vito to his nephew Francesco Valliere who was to be his Capo in charge of Nevada. His other Capo Frank Falcone was in charge of Los Angeles.

Clemenza had a drinking contest with a man named Joeseph Zaluchi. When they found that neither could drink the other under the table, they congratulated each other. Joeseph introduced himself as the Underboss to Don Malare in Detroit. Zaluchi told Clemenza that Malare was in big with Ralph Capone, and Joe Maresia, and that they were Moustache Petes who weren’t in favor of new business ventures. He had to twist Malare’s arm to invest in Governor O’Malley’s Campaign. Saietta was celebrating with Moe Greene and Johnny Ola when Ola brought up the fact that Thomas Dewey was running for Governor of New York. If he was elected he would crack down on Organized Crime and chances of Legalization were very slim. Saietta was drunk and said that if Dewey got elected he’d kill the F*cker himself. After the Grand Opening, Vito, Clemenza, and Hyman Rothstein returned to New York together. Rothstein told Vito that Greene had overheard Saietta say he’d kill Dewey. Vito was worried, that Maresia would side with Saietta because he was in favor of Legalization in New York, and Dewey was an obstacle that could be overcome.

The next February, Richie Pelley was shot dead walking out of a Jewish tabernacle. He collapsed in a snow bank, and stained it blood red. The next day, a GPOC driver, Mario Nippi, was walking home from work when he was shotgunned by Philip Tattaglia.

Vito suspected Maresia’s involvement in both hits due to Tattaglia, and Maresia’s hate of the Jewish Religion. Vito retaliated by sending Bruno DeSapio to Buffalo hidden in a delivery truck met by Alfredo Mangano. After the shipment was delivered, Bruno followed Alfredo home. He ran up the fire escape and hid outside Mangano’s window. Alfredo was met at the door by his brother, Hector. When they were together, Bruno drew his gun and blasted three shots through the open apartment window. Both brothers died and Bruno fled the scene reappearing in Little Italy the next day.

After kissing his wife goodbye, Davide Ferrano, Christophe Ferrano’s brother, was shot dead outside of his home. The shooter was identified as Buster McGurn, an old friend of Ralph Capone. He fled New York before the Police could find him.

Now that Ralph Capone was involved, Vito called Hyman Rothstein who delivered a message from Vito to Anthony Molinari. On Independence Day in Detroit, 1930, Ceasar Malare was in his home with his Underboss, Joe Zaluchi, and Frank Falcone, Francesco Valliere, and Victor Stracci from the Molinari Family. Malare asked the men if Anthony Molinari would participate in a hit on Don Vito Corleone. They agreed, and as Malare poured some drinks, Joe Zaluchi rose and said he had a message from Vito Corleone. Stracci, Valliere, Falcone, and Joe then proceeded to Tommy-Gun the Don in his own home. They fled his home and disappeared into the parade outside. They reconvened across town, and the men kissed Joeseph’s hand, calling him Don Zaluchi. Soon after, Don Molinari and Don Zaluchi met with Don Corleone in Buffalo under the protection of Louis Bocchicchio. They planned a hit on Don Maresia. Soon after, Frank Pentangeli, a man recruited by Peter Clemenza, shot and killed Ciro Tattaglia, brother of Maresian lieutenant Philip Tattaglia. Salvatore Ormenta, a man who had roomed with Vito Corleone on Ellis Island in 1902 when he was just a boy, was shot and killed by Carmine Cuneo in Early August.

In late April 1931, Salvatore Tessio and Giuseppe Maresia were having dinner at Scarpato’s Restaurant on Coney Island. Tessio excused himself to go to the bathroom. Shortly after he left the room, Moe Greene, Dutch Saietta, Sam Rothstein, and Victor Stracci burst into the restaurant and fired at Maresia for a full minute. They fled the restaurant to where Tessio was waiting with a getaway car. Gerardo Scarpato robbed Maresia before calling the police. He testified to the Police that it was a robbery gone wrong. They didn’t believe him, and he was called in for questioning. On the morning of the day he was supposed to be questioned, he was found dead in a trunk. Soon after, Sal Maranzala called a meeting at Grand Concourse in the Bronx. Christophe Ferrano, Gaetano DiGiorgio, Paul Gagliese, Dutch Saietta, the Rothsteins, Moe Greene, Johnny Ola, Gianni Rizzi, Don Zaluchi, Don Molinari, Victor Stracci, Gaetano Isabella, Louis Bocchicchio, Philip Tattaglia, Carmine Cuneo, Ralph Capone, Vito Corleone, Salvatore Tessio, Peter Clemenza, and Benito Parri, Underboss to Isabella, were there. Also Maranzala’s own underboss, Tommy DeBono was there. Hyman Rothstein named the men in the room the Commission. Sal Maranzala gave Ferrano, DiGiorgio, Isabella, DeBono and Gagliese their own Families, of which he would be the Capo Di Tutti Capi. Victor Stracci joined with Ferrano, who was like himself original from the Westcoast. Gaetano DiGiorgio was an old friend of Vito, but he was practically friends with everybody. He took Maresian capo Cuneo, once an employee of Oreste Abbandando, on as his most important capo, and the fact he got a Family proved his friendship with Maranzala. DiGiorgio was a well respected man, much like Vito was. Paul Gagliese, who arrived at the meeting with his cousin Sandro Carachi, got control over the horsetracks, the smallest of businesses runned by the mafia. Gagliese was an expert on this area, and was rarely ever seen with any of the other men. Tommy DeBono was Maranzala’s right hand man, and his Family would be the strongest. Philip Tattaglia, once at Maresia’s side, joined the Isabella crew. Isabella was a personal friend of Vito’s and he suspected Tattaglia’s move. Tessio was named DeBono’s underboss, a ‘gift’ from Maranzala for arranging Maresia’s death. For the same reason, Clemenza, Rothstein, Greene and Vito were much appreciated by Maranzala, now the king of the mafia.

Soon after the big meeting, Vito Corleone met again with Zaluchi, Molinari, and Hyman Rothstein. Thomas Dewey had been investigating the War of organized crime, and Vito feared that Saietta would eliminate him. Vito was angered that Maranzala didn’t think enough of him to give him his own Family. On Labor Day, Dutch Saietta was celebrating at the Chophouse in Newark, New Jersey, with his friends Moe Greene, Louis Bocchicchio, Hyman Rothstein, Sam Rothstein, Johnny Ola, Phil Volpe, and some other bodyguards. When Saietta lost $5,000 playing poker, he knocked the table over, and stormed into the bathroom. Rothstein had expected this and his men got up to leave but all turned and fired killing most of Saietta’s bodyguards. The loud shootout startled Saietta and he tired to escape out of the bathroom window. Louis Bocchicchio ran into the bathroom and fired three shots into Saietta’s back. After Rothstein’s men fled, one of Saietta’s surviving bodyguards called for a doctor. Saietta survived for two days, when Captain McCluskey came to interview him all he could mumble was something about Louis Bocchicchio and a $5,000 card game.

That same night, Bruno deSapio, Parri, Isabella, and Frank Pentangeli, disguised as police officers, stormed up the stairs of Maranzala’s Office Building. They found Maranzala in his office with Philip Tattaglia. Tattaglia jumped up and stabbed Maranzala in the chest, and ran out of the room as the four men opened fire, killing Maranzala. Tattaglia was about to avenge the death of Maresia, who was always believed to be ordered by Maranzala.
Other Corleone members gunned down Tommy DeBono in the same night, with about 40 of his crew members.

Vito had almost the entire DeBono Family massacred in the same night, and took over the large group of soldiers and lower ranked lieutenants, and appointed himself as the new Don of the Family. He made sure the other Families would know about this. Also he said that there would no longer be a capo di tutti capi. Together with his friends DiGiorgio and Isabella, the business man Gagliese and the other Don, Ferrano, they changed the structure a little bit. From now on, each Family would have their own territory and own responsibility. The Dons, together with the Dons from other major cities in the US, would form The Commission. Each Family would get an underboss and a consiglieri, at least that’s what Vito wanted for his own syndicat. The Chicago organisation was out. The Families would work together, and share bribed cops and politicians, but run themselves. Vito made Genco Abbandando his consiglieri and appointed Clemenza and Tessio back as capo regimes.

Shortly after, Buster McGurn and Frank Capone, arrived at a Train Station in Brooklyn. Luca Brasi met them and drove them to a warehouse, where he told them Vito Corleone would arrive shortly. As the men got out of the car, Luca attacked them. McGurn went for his suitcase, but Luca put his head through the windshield. Luca beat Capone and dragged both men over to an assembly line. He tied them both to the assembly line and stuffed their mouths with bath towels. Luca proceeded to hack Capone up with an axe. By the time he went to hack McGurn he discovered he had swallowed the towel in sheer terror. Luca dumped McGurn in a dumpster, and boxed the body parts of Frank Capone. Shortly after, Ralph Capone received the remains of his brother, Frank, and a note from Vito Corleone telling him to keep out of NY business. When the Police found the body of McGurn they found the bath towel deep inside of his stomach, nearly into his anus.

The war was over. Vito Corleone arranged the murder of Maresia, after which he got a lot of respect from Maranzala, but not a Family. Maranzala’s idea of him being the capo di tuti capi, Vito didn’t like. He also thought it would never work, and to prevent another war over control of New York, he was the one who ordered Maranzala dead too. He took out Tommy DeBono and named himself the new boss of the Family. Vito thought to have created the perfect structure. He was one of five heads, the other four being personal friends of him. He had by far the biggest Family, and the most powerfull, but was willing to work together with the others in a peaceful way.

This peace would never truly come, though...