Originally Posted by Zavattoni

Didn't Chickie Ciangalini keep his position of captain? Even when he was jailed?? Also is there a list of captains during the Scarfo reign?


Ciancaglini kept his rank but his crew was reassigned.

At the time Scarfo became boss the family capos were John Cappello, Santo Idone, Alfred Iezzi, Frank Monte, Fank Narducci, Nicholas Piccolo and Joseph Scafidi. After becoming boss he made Monte consigliere and promoted Joseph Ciancaglini to capo of that crew, he also promoted Ralph Napoli to capo of the Newark crew, which had been officially leaderless since Tony Caponigro's murder.

Later in 1981 Scarfo demoted John Cappello and Joseph Scafidi and promoted Philip Leonetti and Lawrence Merlino (though whether they took over Cappello and Scafidi's crews or had new ones formed, I think the latter is most likely, is unclear. Sam Scafidi was reporting to Leonetti anyway during his stint as capo). Tommy DelGiorno testified that Scafidi was demoted in January 1982 and then Merlino was promoted though it's unclear how accurate this is as it conflicts with Leonetti's information from the period. In his book, conflicting with his previous info, Leonetti claims Scafidi lasted longer than Cappello into Scarfo's reign.

In January 1982 Narducci was killed and Salvatore Testa promoted (again, likely as leader of a newly formed or rearranged crew). Before Scarfo went to prison in mid-1982 he promoted Piccolo to consigliere following Monte's murder and his crew reassigned - Anthony Piccolo was later reporting to DelGiorno (in his book, Leonetti claimed conflictingly that Piccolo was promoted after Scarfo was released in 1984).

In 1983 Ciancaglini went to jail, retaining his rank while his crew was reassigned to Testa. In 1984 Testa was killed and his crew split between acting capos Thomas DelGiorno and Francis Iannarella. Napoli was also taken down and replaced as capo of Newark by Pasquale Martirano.

In February 1986 DelGiorno and Iannarella were made official capos, Lawrence Merlino was shelved and Leonetti was promoted to underboss to replace Salvatore Merlino who was also shelved and sent to prison. Leonetti retained control of his crew as underboss. Later in 1986 DelGiorno was demoted and he and his crew were assigned to Iannarella, who was now the de facto street boss in Philadelphia while Scarfo and Leonetti were in Atlantic City.

In 1987 Iannarella is arrested with Scarfo, Leonetti et al. and held without bail to await trial for murder and racketeering.

In 1988 Martirano goes on the lam to avoid being indicted, leaving Anthony Attanasio and Joseph Licata in charge of his crew as 'first among equals' rather than official acting capos. In early 1989 Idone is arrested and charged and is convicted in 1990. Alfred Iezzi dies of natural causes 1989.

By 1990 Martirano is the acting underboss and Licata is reported to be an acting capo. George Fresolone is inducted and either made capo or promised to be made capo but flips shortly after and then Martirano dies of natural causes. In December 1990 I think Licata and Joseph Sodano go down to see the soon-to-be boss John Stanfa to complain about Ralph Napoli, saying he should be demoted from capo, indicating Scarfo bumped him back up, possibly after Martirano's death.

By this point (just before Stanfa's promotion to official boss) the family hierarchy consists of Scarfo as the incarcerated boss; Ciancaglini, Iannarella and Idone as incarcerated capos; Anthony Piccolo as acting boss; Licata and Napoli possibly as co-capos of North Jersey; and in Philadelphia and South Jersey key soldiers, rather than official capos, like Stanfa, Salvatore Sparacio and Felix Bocchino are running things (while the Michael Ciancaglini crew of associates are doing their own thing).