Philadelphia Confidential Informant PH T-13 advised SA J. ROBERT PEARCE on December 12, 1957, that ANTHONY MINERVA formerly operated a small business selling cottage cheese in the South New Jersey area. He sold this business to MICHAEL MAGGIO (now deceased) for a reported price of $25,000 prior to MINERVA’s entrance into the military service.
In 1948 MINERVA was discharged from military service and began calling on customers with whom he had previously had business connections. Informant said that MICHAEL MAGGIO, whom he alleged to be a member of the “original Mafia and allied with the Greaser Gang in Philadelphia” had warned MINERVA to stop calling on these customers inasmuch as the customers and business had been purchased by MAGGIO.
MINERVA did not do this and in July 1948 MINERVA was invited to attend boxing matches in Philadelphia where he allegedly rendezuous with unknown individuals at the Ticket Grill, 13th and Wharton Street, Philadelphia, which was then owned by PETER CASELLA. After this meeting, MINERVA was found murdered in South Philadelphia on July 13, 1948. Informant said he believed ANGELO BRUNO and a person named ANGELO MARTEL actually committed this murder. He believed that PETER CASELLA arranged for the murder of MINERVA as a favor to MICHAEL MAGGIO. He claimed that a former Police Lieutenant FRANK MAYO actually dated MINERVA’s sister, obtaining information from her and thereafter turned it over to PETER CASELLA. As noted elsewhere in this report, ANGELO BRUNO’s sister, LINA, is married to PETER MAGGIO, the son of the late MICHAEL MAGGIO. The informant’s beliefs as to BRUNO’s murdering MINERVA were based on information he had received from criminal associates. This information is known to the Philadelphia Police Department.

On May 20, 1958, the informant identified the victim of one of these murders as JOSEPH SADIA, aka “Joseph Saia, Joseph Bruno (not the former leader of the organization), Pepelongo.” The victim was found in the street at 810 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, Pa., on April 5, 1950, dead of gunshot wounds.
According to the informant, the victim had talked in a derogatory manner about the wife of FRANK NICOLETTI and had claimed that SALVATORE SABELLI had an affair with the victim’s wife. He also claimed that NICOLETTI’s wife had unnatural sexual relations with him.
The killing had been performed, the informant said, by ANGELO BRUNO and PHIL TESTA, while the car was driven by FRANK NICOLETTI.
Captain DAVID H. ROBERTS, Commanding Officer of the Homicide Squad, Philadelphia Police Department, advised that SADIA was more commonly known as SAIA and had been involved in loan shark activities in South Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Confidential Informant T-13 advised SA J. ROBERT PEARCE on December 12, 1957, that MARSHALL VENEZIALE, aka MUTT, was murdered on December 6, 1954. Informant furnished the following regarding this murder:
During 1948 PETER CASELLA with his brother ANTHONY CASELLA and MARSHALL VENEZIALE had a store in operation at an unknown location as a partnership. During this operation the price of alcohol, which was then $20.00 per five gallon can, began to decline. These persons held a meeting with NATCHY ESPOSITO in an endeavor to reach an agreement to maintain the price level at not under $16.00 per five gallon can. VENEZIALE after this meeting sold his illicit alcohol under the agreed upon price. PETER CASELLA, who was then definitely boss of the Greaser Gang at Philadelphia, started having alcohol delivered into Philadelphia by “TONY BANANAS” (true name ANTHONY CAPONIGRO, subject of Anti-Racketeering investigation by the Newark division). This imported alcohol was sold at a cheaper price with PETER CASELLA receiving $.50 or $1.00 rake off per can. The informant, who was thoroughly familiar with this operation, expressed an opinion that CASELLA’s objective was to lower the price to an extent that would enable CASELLA to buy VENEZIALE’s output at a much lower price. VENEZIALE, who had by this time withdrawn from the above partnership, began selling whiskey in wholesale lots of 200 and 300 cans to an individual known as “JIMMY THE TURK.” VENEZIALE’s endeavor was to keep his supply of alcohol from CASELLA resulting in CASELLA and VENEZIALE becoming enemies.
Still in 1948 PETER CASELLA turned to MICHAEL MATTEO, aka MIKE MENDEL, brother of FRANK MATTEO, mentioned above as original partners with ANGELO BRUNO, against MUTT VENEZIALE. During 1948 MICHAEL MATTEO and HERMAN (LNU) were beaten by MUTT VENEZIALE. After this beating, HERMAN and MICHAEL went directly to 739 South 9th Street, a store run by the CASELLA family. VENEZIALE, during 1946 – 1950, operated a still as partners with CARL GREENFIELD, commonly known as SPIKE. This operation ceased and VENEZIALE later operated a still as a lone wolf.
Informant said that in 1954 JAMES GATTI, commonly referred to as LEFTIE GATTI, began frequenting VENEZIALE’s neighborhood of 723 South 9th Street, Philadelphia, and questioned VENEZIALE’s wife, JULIE, as to her husband’s activities. Late in 1954 a messenger brought word to VENEZIALE’s home saying that ANTHONY CASELLA, 2938 South Juniper Street, said that VENEZIALE had to contribute $200 per week for operating his still. VENEZIALE would not do this. Two weeks after this visit the messenger told VENEZIALE he did not have to give a “cut” to ANTHONY CASELLA. The informant believed it was at this time that it had been decided that VENEZIALE would be executed. JAMES LEFTIE GATTI is an employee of JOSEPH RUGNETTA, who the informant said was known as “Joe the Boss” and operated the South Philadelphia Grill, 12th and Mercy Streets, Philadelphia, residence 2030 South 15th Street, Philadelphia, and purchased a new Cadillac each year. He characterized “Joe the Boss” as an arbitrator or referee among the Greaser Gang in such matters as territorial disputes such as areas allotted to certain individuals for numbers business or customers allotted for sales of illegal alcohol.
During November 1954, GATTI insisted that VENEZIALE meet GATTI’s boss. On December 4, 1954, in the afternoon, a neighborhood imbecile delivered a message to MUTT VENEZIALE that LEFTIE wanted to meet VENEZIALE on the corner. Informant believed that this meeting was to arrange a date for MUTT’s execution. He believed this because on Monday, December 6, 1954, MUTT borrowed his brother’s car, a 1954 Plymouth sedan, and nine days afterwards was found with a bullet wound in the back of his head in the trunk of this brother’s car.
Philadelphia Confidential Informant PH T-13 advised SAS J. ROBERT PEARCE and JOHN L. ADAMS on March 7, 1958, that ANGELO BRUNO’s top lieutenant in Philadelphia was PHILIP TESTA who handled BRUNO’s numbers pickups. The informant said that he had been told that BRUNO attended a meeting the night VENEZIALE disappeared, which was held at the South Philadelphia Grill, owned by JOSEPH RUGNETTA. It was alleged that quite an argument took place at the meeting, supposedly with BRUNO, VENEZIALE and JAMES LEFTIE GATTI. It was said that BRUNO was seen leaving this meeting holding a handkerchief over his eye. Informant explained that VENEZIALE had quite a temper and it was quite possible that he hit BRUNO and that this led to his murder. Informant related that he had been told that JAMES GATTI was supposed to have killed VENEZIALE but at the last minute got cold feet and that BRUNO did the job. The above information is known to the Philadelphia Police Department.

Philadelphia Confidential Informant T-5 advised SA DAVID E. WALKER on January 20, 1958, that ANGELO BRUNO been involved in at least one gangland style murder in the past two years. He identified one victim known only to this informant as “Peppelongo”, described as being 51 years of age. This informant said that the execution had been committed in the vicinity of South 10th Street, Philadelphia. The victim was described as being of no importance to the underworld but when drunk very often called many of the “organizations” fouls names and this resulted in his death. The informant said the killing was alleged to have been done by ANGELO BRUNO and PHILIP TESTA with the car having been driven by FRANK NICOLETTI.
On January 31, 1958, Captain DAVID H. ROBERTS, Homicide Squad, Philadelphia Police Department, advised SA ROBERT M. GRANT of the age and location of the above-described murder but that the victim appeared to be ALPHONSE LANATTO, who was known as SNAKE EYES. Captain ROBERTS related that both ANGELO BRUNO and PHILIP TESTA were suspects in this investigation but that his Department could locate no evidence or proof that they had committed the murder, which he said was on September 26, 1957. The body was discovered near a sewage works in Southwest Philadelphia.

About this time, which [HAROLD KONIGSBERG] believed was probably in January or February, 1963, [JOSEPH] STASSI killed four people in Florida. STASSI told KONIGSBERG that he went to Florida to kill a man who was an accountant for STASSI in Cuba. This accountant was also the accountant for ANGELO BRUNO as BRUNO and STASSI were partners in a casino in Cuba. From what STASSI told KONIGSBERG, they went to the home of this man in Florida and there were three women present.
STASSI had been joined by one man who was supplied by SANTO TRAFFICANTE and two other men who were supplied by ANGELO BRUNO. The four of them went into the home and they killed this accountant and three women who, unfortunately, happened to be there. According to what STASSI told KONIGSBERG, they buried all four in a spot supplied by SANTO TRAFFICANTE.

Caruso was killed because he showed disrespect to Joseph “Joe The Boss” Rugnetta, who was the consigliere of the Family. Caruso tried to shake down Rugnetta for money and also slapped him. Until his death in the 1970s, Rugnetta lived near 12th Street and Snyder Avenue in south Philadelphia. After Caruso showed Rugnetta disrespect, Angelo Bruno ordered his murder.
The conspiracy to kill Caruso involved Family members and associates, including Scarfo, Santo Idone, Santo Romeo, Anthony Casella and Salvatore Merlino, as well as others, whom Leonetti did not know, but who helped dispose of the body. Scarfo, Romeo, Casella and Merlino lived in south Philadelphia at the time and Idone lived in the Chester, Pennsylvania, area.
Scarfo, who was already friendly with Caruso, started to “romance” him in order to set him up. On the day of the murder, Salvatore Merlino went to Caruso’s house in south Philadelphia and told Caruso that Scarfo was waiting for Caruso in a nearby car. Scarfo then gave Caruso a fabricated story about how he needed Caruso to go with him to a bar in Vineland. Caruso agreed to go.
Because the bar was closed on the day that Caruso was killed, those involved in the murder got the keys from its owner. The plan was for Scarfo to bring Caruso to the bar and for Anthony Casella and Santo Romeo to hold him while Santo Idone choked him to death. Angelo Bruno wanted Caruso choked. However, Idone arrived late and Scarfo had to shoot Caruso instead. Scarfo shot him five times with a handgun that was wrapped in a scarf and concealed in his coat pocket. Scarfo thought Caruso was dead, but Caruso said, “You got me, Nick.” Scarfo then took an ice pick and kept stabbing him in the back. The ice pick got stuck in Caruso’s back and Scarfo had to break it off.
After Caruso was dead, there was a knock at the door and the killers got scared because they thought it was a police officer who used to stop at the bar at about that time of day to pick up beer. It turned out to be Santo Idone. After Idone arrived, they put a rope around Caruso’s neck to make it look like he had been choked. This was done to satisfy Bruno because of his instruction that Caruso was to be choked. Caruso’s body was then wrapped in blankets or plastic and put in the back of a pick-up truck. The body was driven to a grave that had already been dug somewhere in the Vineland area.
Bruno gave instructions that Caruso’s body was to be left next to the grave site because others who had been assigned to dig the grave would then return to bury the body after it had been dropped off. Bruno set it up so that those involved in murdering Caruso and those involved in digging the grave and burying Caruso did not know each other’s assignment.
Scarfo later found out that those who had dug the grave, later filled it in and buried Caruso’s body in a grave that they had dug elsewhere. Bruno did that as a safeguard in case one of those involved in killing Caruso at the bar decided to cooperate with law enforcement authorities. If someone took the police to the original grave to dig up the body and it wasn’t there, that person would look like a liar.
After Caruso’s body was dropped off at the original grave, Scarfo drove the pick-up truck to his parents’ apartment building in Atlantic City where Leonetti lived. Leonetti was about nine years old at the time. Scarfo picked up Leonetti and took him for a ride to Philadelphia to use him as a decoy. Scarfo figured that if anybody saw the killers using the truck in the murder and reported it to the police, the police would never think that a truck with a little kid in it had been used in a murder. Scarfo told Leonetti on the day of the murder that he had just “killed a very bad man” and explained to Leonetti why he wanted Leonetti to ride with him to Philadelphia. Scarfo drove the truck to Philadelphia for it to be destroyed so that it could never be used as evidence.
The bar where Caruso was murdered was owned by either a member of the Family named Anthony “King Kong” Perella or a relative of his. Perella was from the Vineland area. He died in an auto accident sometime around the mid-1960s.
[...]
Dominick “Reds” Caruso was reported missing by his wife on January 30, 1962. As of this date, Caruso’s body has not been found.

Asked about his second victim, the late Joey McGreal, slain in 1973 after trying to re-take the bartenders union from Natale, Natale said, “I did that also.”
McGreal, another rival gangster, had been shot three times in the back of the head at close range inside a car on Christmas night, outside a South Jersey eatery.
“Angelo Bruno and I talked it over and we decided to do what I had to do,” Natale said.

[Nicodemo] Scarfo was in Yardville for about two years. During that time, he was housed in the same section of the prison as Angelo Bruno. Bruno was also at Yardville for refusing to testify before the State Commission of Investigation. While they were there, Scarfo constantly complained to Bruno about Feldman and asked Bruno to have Feldman killed. Bruno agreed.
Feldman was murdered in 1974 after a long delay. The hold-up occurred because Feldman had borrowed about $60,000 from Carl “Pappy” Ippolito and it took awhile for Ippolito to get his money back. Ippolito, who was a member of the Family from the Trenton, N.J., area, wanted to make certain that he got his money before Feldman was killed.
Feldman was murdered by Santo Idone, Joseph Scalleat, Frank “Chickie” Narducci and Joseph “Chickie” Ciancaglini. All were La Cosa Nostra members in the Family at the time except for Ciancaglini who was made later. Scalleat set up Feldman by telling him that he wanted Feldman to look over a warehouse that he wanted torched. Scalleat used that excuse because it seemed like a logical request since Feldman was an arsonist. Feldman was picked up by Scalleat at a location where Feldman was living with a girlfriend named Rene. Idone, Narducci and Ciancaglini were waiting at the warehouse for Feldman and Scalleat to arrive. Once Feldman and Scalleat got there, Idone grabbed and held Feldman while Narducci started stabbing him with an ice pick. Narducci stabbed Idone accidently in the arm and Idone couldn’t hold onto Feldman. When Feldman broke free, he started to run away, but Ciancaglini caught him and Narducci finished stabbing him. Feldman’s body was buried and, as far as Leonetti knew, has never been found. Leonetti didn’t know where the warehouse was located or where Feldman was buried.
Right after Feldman was killed, Frank Sindone took Scarfo and Leonetti aside at Frank’s Cabana Steaks at 10th Street and Moyamensing Avenue in south Philadelphia and told them about Feldman’s murder. Sindone was a member of the Family who was involved in loansharking and gambling. He used Frank’s Caban Steaks as his headquarters to conduct illegal activities. Sindone knew that Scarfo would be happy to hear about Feldman’s death. Sindone learned about Feldman’s murder from Joseph “Chickie” Ciancaglini, who was under Sindone at the time. Even though Leonetti wasn’t made then, Sindone described Feldman’s murder to Scarfo in Leonetti’s presence because Sindone knew how close Leonetti was with Scarfo and that Leonetti could be trusted. As time went on, Leonetti learned more about the Feldman murder from Scarfo.

This kid Louie DeMarco was robbing Chickie Narducci’s crap games in Philadelphia. Chickie Narducci was one of Angelo Bruno’s top guys. Hs crap games brought in a lot of money for the family. So Chickie Narducci goes and sees Phil Testa and Angelo Bruno and makes a beef about what is going on. Bruno and Testa tell Narducci they are gonna find Louie DeMarco and have him killed. Disrespecting a made guy is against the rules and Chickie Narducci was a made guy.
So what happens is, Phil Testa waits a week before calling [Nicodemo Scarfo] and telling him that he wants us to kill Louie DeMarco for robbing Chickie Narducci. Phil Testa and Chickie Narducci had a kind of love/ hate relationship. There were always on again, off again, and at the time they were having real problems, so Phil Testa was kind of dogging it. My uncle was unhappy because Phil Testa waited a week and didn’t tell him right away. My uncle wanted people to know what kind of people we were and that if we were asked to kill someone, we would do it right away, without any hesitation. Our philosophy was Bang! Bang! And that was that. So my uncle assigns the killing to me and Vince Falcone so we can prove to my uncle and guys like Ange and Phil Testa that we were killers and that we were serious men like my uncle.
So we put some feelers out on the street to see if anyone has a line on where this Louie DeMarco might be hiding out at. We hear that he is staying at the Ensign Motel on Pacific Avenue. So I go see a guy I know named Harry the Hat who had a coffee shop on Missouri Avenue. It was like a hangout; everybody would hang there. Harry the Hat was Skinny Razor’s brother-in-law, and he knew everybody in Atlantic City. So I ask him if he knows who Louie DeMarco is and Harry the Hat pointed him out to me – he was actually sitting right there in the coffee shop playing cards. So I have Vince Falcone meet with me and we stay for a little while and when Louie DeMarco leaves, we follow him to the Ensign Motel. He has no idea who we are or that we are following him. There was a local bartender who was with us who had a room at the Ensign, and he gave us the keys to his room so that we could wait until DeMarco came out of his room – so that we could get him.
[…]
Louie DeMarco was getting ready to leave his room at the Ensign Motel and he had no idea what was coming.
So we see him walking out and Vince had masks and gloves on. We were behind him; he never saw us coming.
I was the first one to shoot and I blasted him right in the back of the head. After I shot him I thought he was running away, but it was the force of the bullet that made him fly forward and he landed face down. Then me and Vince just emptied our guns into him. I think the first shot killed him. We did it right in the parking lot, right on Pacific Avenue in broad daylight.
[…]
My uncle had me and Vince go over an escape route a few days before the killing. We walked that route several times to make sure we knew where we were going. My uncle told us that after we killed him, he wanted us to throw the guns on the roof of a nearby building, which we did. We then followed the route that we had planned and my uncle was waiting there in a car to pick us up. We get in the car and no one says a word, we just drive to the apartment on Georgia Avenue.

In the summer of 1977, Leonetti used the My Way Lounge to create an alibi to show that he was not at the murder scene of a person that the Family had killed. Leonetti made his presence known at the My Way Lounge so that everyone could see him at the time that an Atlantic City tailor, named Guiseppi “Pepe” Leva, was murdered. Leva was shot to death near a dump in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., by Alfredo Ferraro, an associate of the Family at the time. Scarfo, Leonetti, Ferraro, Lawrence Merlino and Vincent Falcone took part in the conspiracy to murder Leva. Leonetti used the My Way Lounge as an alibi because he had beaten Leva about a week earlier and had been arrested for it after Leva reported the incident to the police. Leonetti beat Leva outside the Flamingo Motel in Atlantic City, where Leva had been drinking. Leonetti figured that if he had an alibi, he would not be suspected of being the triggerman. On the night that Leva was killed, Ferraro and Leva went to the My Way Lounge for some drinks. When Ferraro and Leva arrived, Leonetti was already there socializing with Salvatore “Salvie” Testa and Vincent Falcone to set up his alibi. While at the My Way Lounge, Leonetti, Testa and Falcone discussed that Ferraro was going to kill Leva later that night.
Leonetti was indicted for Leva’s murder, but the charges were later dismissed. The Leva murder was a sanctioned “hit.” Scarfo got permission from the Family boss, Angelo Bruno, to kill Leva because Leva was shaking down old Italian people from Scarfo’s neighborhood for money. Also, Leva had borrowed money from Vincent Bancheri and didn’t pay Bancheri back. Bancheri was Scarfo’s and Leonetti’s partner in Scarf, Inc., when they first started the business. The reason why Leonetti beat Leva shortly before his murder was because Leva wasn’t paying Bancheri the money he owed him.

[Nicodemo] Scarfo decided to wait to have [Edwin] Helfant killed until after “Nick the Blade” Virgilio was released from prison so that Virgilio could have the personal satisfaction of murdering him, since he double-crossed Virgilio. Virgilio was released from prison in approximately 1977.
Helfant was murdered in early 1978, about a year after Virgilio was released from prison. Scarfo, Virgilio and Leonetti were involved in the murder and its planning. Virgilio shot Helfant to death in the bar of a motel that Helfant owned. Helfant’s motel was known as the Flamingo Motel, which was located on Pacific Avenue, near Chelsea Avenue, in Atlantic City. Virgilio wore a ski mask and carried a snow shovel when he shot Helfant. He used the ski mask and shovel to disguise himself and blend into the area. There had been a large snow storm just before the murder. After Virgilio shot Helfant, he ran to a get-away car driven by Scarfo and they left the area. Leonetti provided the snow shovel to Virgilio. Leonetti also helped plan the route that Virgilio used to and from the murder scene, which they took a dry run of prior to the murder. The Flamingo Motel was used because they knew that Helfant was at the bar every night and also because they knew the area and felt safe killing him there. John “Johnny” Palumbo, who was an associate of the Family, provided them with the handgun that Virgilio used to shoot Helfant.
Scarfo asked Angelo Bruno for permission to kill Helfant only about a week before he was killed. Scarfo did that because he liked to show Bruno that when he had a job to do, he got it done quickly. Scarfo did the same thing when he got Bruno’s permission to murder Guiseppi “Pepe” Leva and Louis DeMarco.

In 1979, Salvatore “Chuckie” Merlino, Salvatore Testa, [Robert] Lumio and [Nicodemo] Scarfo all took part in the murder of Michael “Coco” Cifelli. He was killed because he was selling drugs to the son of Frank Monte, a member of the Family. The murder was approved by Angelo Bruno. Cifelli was killed while he was talking on a telephone just inside the front door of a south Philadelphia bar, known as Priori’s, at 10th and Wolf Streets. Merlino and Testa were the shooters and Scarfo drove the getaway car. Lumio set up Cifelli by calling him on the telephone at the bar and talking to him. This made it easier for Merlino and Testa to locate Cifelli to shoot him.

2. I excluded the North Jersey murders I knew about (Louis Luciano, Albert Meglia and David White, Edward Snee) because of the relative disconnect between Newark and South Philly, in the same way that I wouldn't attribute all the murders committed by Pete Caprio and Philip Casale in the 1990's to the Stanfa or Natale regimes. (Though I think that if any of the North Jersey hits were sanctioned by Bruno the murder of Luciano is the most likely as he was a member)