I was thinking the same thing. D'Arco said that Bruno had "20 guys with him" and Bruno wasnt even a capo. They had been headquartered at the Brooklyn Terminal Market which in the 1990's was still adjacent to italian communities (Canarsie, Gerittsen Beach, Marine Park,Mill Basin). So I believe that Bruno was strong and thatmaybe Casso feared him as a newcomer and rival.

If D'Arco is correct, Bruno had a bigger crew than the Bath Ave Bonannos or the Colombo farm team on 20th Ave in Bensonhurst during that era.

No it was nice to think about some of the old posters. And don’t take my word for it but I believe that’s what I was told.

like most of us i also miss pizzaboy's posts.. i've def gone back and searched for posts of his whenever i find a new topic of interest just in case he dropped gems on it in the past..

so with that said i'm inclined to believe PB about d'arco not being totally honest, he didn't strike me as a bullshitter and it only makes sense that d'arco would try to play himself up in his own autobiography. i simply don't believe that al's buddy put his hands on benny eggs and nothing happened because they also say the guy grew up in that life, so he knew there would be consequences for that. makes me take a lot of what al says with a grain of salt, but at the same time the book is good for all it's smaller details on little italy at the time..

If this has been brought up in the past I apologize, what's the status of the Vario crew now? is it active or extinct? Its one of the more interesting crews I believe.

Ya know Al, I'm gonna buy a house and invite 10 guys and have a drink and then we're gonna kill them all !! Lol

The crew is still active. Sal C and Johnny B are acting capos of the crew since the big bust of the Lucchese administration.

Revis_Island, are you talking about Gotti and them going through back channels to get unofficial approval to hit Castellano? This is when all the bosses were caught up in the Commission case, and they went to the strongest candidates who will likely take over their own families. They did not approach Gigante of the Genovese, only the Colombos, Lucchese and Gotti said that Joe Massino in the Bonanno family was behind him. Salvatore Gravano and Frank DeCicco went to Casso to get approval, but Anthony said he did not care what they did. Casso was being cagey according to Gravano, and both him and Frank decided to tell Gotti that they got tactic approval from the Lucchese family, which was smart on Casso part which helped him give deniability. The only thing I can think of is you might he confusing John Gotti meeting with Amuso and Casso. Gotti and the Lucchese administration did not meet until the three families came together in Manhattan to discuss making new members, Persico making Orena acting boss of the Colombo family, admitting both the Bonanno and Colombo families back on the commission, which only the Colombo family was given their seat again, and to cool off the Genovese family from making attempts on Gottis life which was the man reason that Commission meeting was called for. Up till that time Gotti never met with the 19th Hole crew, with the exception of an old soldier who I can not think of who went way back with Dellacroce through the Rava crew.

Yeah Flushing, I am pretty sure you are right about Casso fearing Facciolo and his crew. That they could or would make a move.Again,I don't remember if he was actually talking.But D'Arco talked how strong Facciolo was.And Henry Hill also spoke about him being a power.He probally should have been the capo had Casso not had him in his sights.

I never heard of Facciolo. Casso was really afraid of him and his crew? Casso was killing everybody lol

I do not believe Casso was afraid of him why would he be?

He needs blood, Casso had plenty of shooters and he simply disposed of him.

He was the uncle of o e if the mob wives.

I don't think Casso feared anyone just perceived threats and if someone was a perceived threat they were exterminated.

Casso had the family behind him he could have taken out anyone he choose to and he did.

I mean he tried to whack the whole N.J. CREW.

Caso did not fear any one:

He tried to kill Gotti, he killed Decicco, he killed Lino, he killed Boriello, he killed Roy Demeo amount others....

Fucken wild a pure Predator and the other mass killers in the life they mingled when crossed paths or had anything in common business or otherwise.

I guess when you are like that you must think others are constantly looking at you and I am sure they feel more comfortable In each other’s company a kind of sick respect.

They would often cross family lines and socialize together even having family mingle . I know Carmine and Casso did it all together from business to family functions even vacations.

Did Bruno Facciolo actually rat or did Casso make that up just to kill him?

D’Arco didn’t seem to believe that he was a rat.

Bruno was not a rat. Someone in his crew of associates was an informant, but Caracappa and Eppolito mistakenly said that Facciolo was an informant. I am pretty sure this was one of the killing the detectives did for the Lucchese. I know some say Salvatore Visconti was the informant, but Salvatore did not become an informant until after his brother Albert was killed a year after Bruno.

In fairness to Amuso and Casso, isn't it in D'Arco, Accetturo and Ricciardi's best interests to put forth claims that guys like Facciola weren't rats?

I mean it legitimises their decisions to rat by saying stuff like this.

Portray Amuso and Casso as batshit insane and make it look like they had no decision but to rat, as opposed to them just wanting to save their bacon and avoid prison themselves.

All of these guys didn't want to send money up the chain like you're supposed to do. Guys like Accetturo and Ricciardi wanted all the benefits of having the Lucchese family behind them while acting with autonomy themselves.

Some of D'Arco's claims are just outlandish. Casso crying to him when he told him he was going on the run. Casso's "Whack Jersey" directive. Casso telling him he wanted to invite dozens of mobsters to his home under the guise of having a meal so he could whack all of them at the same time. D'Arco's paranoia over being whacked at the Kimberly Hotel. Amuso being afraid to look him in the eye. It's not for the reasons you think, Al. It's because you're a rat and you make him sick. What, you think you're tougher than Greg Scarpa Jr.? Amuso took him on.

D'Arco acted like he was a big shot in prison. And then someone, I think it was Sal Miciotta, came out and said that he used to bully younger prisoners who weren't connected.

The man also raised a dope fiend for a son and had him screwing up hits left, right and center.

You always have to take whatever any rat says with a grain of salt. Every rat, from Joe Valachi to Sammy Gravano, became a rat for one of two reasons. Either he was afraid of being killed or he couldn't do his time. None of these rats turned for any other reason than self preservation. D'Arco had no problem with Casso's and Amuso's murderous rampage when it benefited him. It was only when they turned on him and he felt that he was in danger that he suddenly developed a conscience. Same with Leonetti, he had no problem with Scarfo's blood lust and lunacy when he was riding his coat tails to the under boss position. It was only when he faced doing some serious time that he suddenly began to think that his uncle was a bad guy. Gravano had no problem killing Castellano and his own business partners when he got the power with John Gotti, He only started to think that Gotti was a bad guy when he was staring a long sentence in the face. While what Casso and Amuso did with the attack on his sister was over the line, Fat Pete had no problem with those guys and he had no problem bullying and killing people himself until he and his family had the tables turned on them.

That's why as much as they were deplorable humans in their own right, you have to respect guys like Scarfo, Gotti, and Sonny Black who took what was coming to them, either dying in jail or getting killed, as a consequence of the life that they led. These rats all did the same things that those guys did and enjoyed the benefits of mob life when times were good but then weren't strong enough to accept the consequences of the way that they chose to live their lives. Having made a very self interested choice in saving themselves, it follows that what they right or what they say will be framed to justify their actions and demonize the others who were down in the dirt with them.

Good posts JC and Moe. ..and to be fair, he was crying in that 60 minutes interview as well. I think Casso was just so far gone, so whacked out mentally from the mafia cult that nothing surprises me. Maybe Al was lying or exaggerating, but it’s not like Casso was a model of mental and emotional stability in the first place to where people would say to Al,.. “Nah, Gaspipe would never do that”. It’s more like, “That sounds about right”.

I think the Salerno hit severed the Brooklyn faction from the rest of the Luchesse and ultimately the Genovese. And even after the highly unpopular Salerno hit, why would Chin want to keep Casso alive after also usng him for the Decicco bombing? Chin had his own guys, and the NY families rarely use bombs as a means of aggression. That was always a midwest thing. Between Mike Salerno and DeCicco he was running out of friends.

Anyway, Salerno ran white plains road all the way from parkchester up to yonkers and mount vernon. His former crew is the modern upper echelon of the Lucheses. Hooks, DiFiore, Migliore, Crea - all came up under Salerno. And the Prince Street crew hated Casso as well.

Even though Casso had a huge cache of henchmen in Canarsie and southern Brooklyn, he had cornered himself - literally- into a small corner of the borough. He had three crews - canarsie, 19th hole and mcdonald avenue versus everyone else. And he even killed Bruno Facciola, who would likely have been a great ally.

His actions speak of increasing paranoia.

The guy was definitely FRENCH TOAST at the time of the interview.
However, he did get FUCT, by the FEDS,

Did he deserve it ?from a KARMA perspective absolutely.

He over estimated his worth and though that if he could serve the feds really DIRTY DIRT they would eat it up.
Like the MAFIA COPS...

He did not realize that he had no JOHN GOTTI to give them like Gravano did.

He couldn't understand that.

The same thing with Scarpa Jr.
He gave them the WTC bomber and got nothing in return.

Because the info he had was mainly a FED and feds had no interest in taking down a Fed and all his cases along with it.

So they shipped both of them off the SUPER-MAX

The guy that I think got fucked the most all time was Frankie LOC, they had ZERO evidence on him the guy said two words on those tapes and got LIFE.

Even in his 60 minute interview he seemed like a pretty intimidating figure. Definitely straight out of central casting. Casso might have been one of the most feared mobsters ever based on the way people talk about him. Dellacroce, Gravano, Greg Scarpa, Galante and I’m sure many other names are up there too. And what about Carmine Lombardozzi? I’m not including him on that list but what role did he play in the stock market rackets exactly?