Rochester Organized Crime

Hello everyone as promised I will now give a breakdown of who among the defunct Rochester CN Family is still operating in Rochester and what they are into. Before I give a breakdown of each member I would like to give a little background. The A and B War splintered the family and even to this day there is some hostility. When I say hostility I just mean there is some trash talking that goes on over dinner lol.

In terms of the guys that are still operating you have two groups. You have what I will call the Piccarretto-Gingello Group (PG Group) and on the other side I will just call them the Others. Furthermore, I will list the guys who are not active and two guys that are either high ranking associates or made members. In my opinion, one of the main reasons that these guys still make money through bookmaking is that they cater to a specific local market that bets on minor league baseball, high school sports, local college sports, and the local professional soccer team. By providing bettors the opportunity to bet on these local sports, the family has a built in market that they have all to themselves.
PG Group

Rene Piccaretto- He is the leader of what is left of the family. What I mean by this is that he receives money from all the other members who still operate. His son Loren looks over day to day operations. This is mainly bookmaking, but there are a few floating card games and a few juice loans the Piccarretos have on the street. I know this is not one of the best sources to back up my claims, but in Kenji’s book he briefly mentions that Rene still had guys on the street operating when he talked to Rene in prison. Rene is a living legend in Rochester. Anytime he shows up to eat dinner it is always big news. However, Rene is really old and really has no hands on involvement in any business “ventures.”

Loren Piccarreto-He is his father’s eyes and ears. He has a few card games that belong to him and a decent size sports book. There were rumors that in the early 2000s that some of his associates were selling drugs, but nothing ever came of this.

Anthony “Tony G” Gingello- Salvatore “Sammy” Gingello’s brother. Anthony I would say has equal status with Loren. He runs a floating card game that is frequented by many local business owners and a certain local radio legend. He also has some money on the street and he has a decent size sports book. What is most interesting is that through his cousin, who is also named Anthony Gingello, who was a local labor leader. I have heard allegations that some of the fellas and their family members receive no show jobs, or favorable contracts. I cannot confirm this I am just repeating what I have heard. I would equate the Gingellos to being like the Difronzos in Chicago. They have a lot of legitimate businesses and local influence even though Tony G and Sammy G were two of the most famous gangsters ever in upstate NY.

The other guys that are active work for both the PG Group as agents for the sports books and collectors are Donald Paone (he was actually released in 1998), Anthony Colombo, Joseph LaDolce and Joseph Trieste. I do not know as much about these guys other than they work with the PG Group.


Others

Frank Frassetto and his sons are the most active guys in this group. They do a little sports booking along with some guys from Buffalo, and his sons sell marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. I would call them mid-level dealers. They also are involved in check cashing, credit card, and computer fraud. We all know he and his sons were busted for heroin about 7 years ago (Jerry Capeci mentions this in his Idiot’s Guide to the Mafia). He was also arrested about 7 years ago for a fraud scheme he had going with Celestino and a few other shady characters. Here is the article. http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080124/NEWS01/801240356/1002/NEWS

Dominic Celestino- He is still active working with the Frassettos in their various endeavors. He has a small sports book that he maintains with the Frassettos.

Anthony Chirico- Anthony works with Celestino and the Frassettos in their sports book.

Retired Guys

Joseph Rossi- He is retired and living in Rochester.

Charles Indovino- He is retired and living in Florida, last time I heard.

Thomas Marotta- He is retired and living in Perinton, NY down the street from my parents lol.

Associates/ Possible Made Members

Anthony Gingello, Jr. - This is another guy named Anthony Gingello. This is Sammy G’s nephew and Tony G’s son. He was arrested for running an illegal card game in the 1990s and he actually posted Tommy Marotta’s bail when he got in trouble. I do not think he is made but he is definitely well respected and he is the eyes and ears for his dad’s operations. Here is an article that mentions him. http://www.rochesterhomepage.net/story/does-the-mob-exist-today/d/story/CnqKgqEuRUCRZOq1fsPh3g

Dominic Taddeo- He is still in prison, but I have heard rumors that Rene made him before he went away. When you think about all the people Taddeo killed and how he was basically a one man army for Rene it is actually believable. This guy was and still is nuts. Here is an interesting article on how he tried to help Carlos Lehder escape from Marion.
http://articles.mcall.com/1990-08-02/news/2759500_1_indicted-grand-jury-organized

I have heard rumors that there are a few Buffalo associates in the areas that are active. I met them once when I was a waiter at the Woodcliff Lodge and Spa’s restaurant Horizons. Their first names were Carmine and Mike, but I do not know anything about them other than they like to present themselves as gangsters. If anyone has any information to add I would appreciate it. Later, I will compile a list of the most active and influential organized crime groups in Rochester and how the fellas match up.

One last note the chart showing the Rochester Family has many errors. For one Rene is not dead. Second, there are no more official made members who are still behind bars. Donald Paone got out in 1998 and Anthony Colombo got out in the early 2000s. Anyone who wants some more specific information in regards to the sports books, etc. please PM me. I have tried my best to provide what documentation I can but a lot of the information comes from first and second hand knowledge from local law enforcement and underworld sources. PM me and I can give some details. I do not expect everyone to believe me, but I still hope you all might still want to discuss the topic.

Nice job.

Great info thanks for the post Gingello.

Love reading about the Rochester mob , great post . Thanks

Thanks guys. On a side note I know JCB and some of you other guys will find this interesting, my fiend lives in the same house where Frank Valenti met with Joe Todaro about Rochester becoming its own family. I can upload some pictures if anyone is interested.

Growing up, I worked at some bars/restaurants in Rochester.

One thing is for sure, and it's that a lot of the legit business owners or drug dealers that frequent East Avenue/Alexander Street and back in the day, parts of East Rochester, want to appear as mobsters, even when they aren't. I never bothered trying to figure out who was for real.

I have no idea what it's like present day, but when I was a teen, you couldn't walk into a bar in Greece, Gates or Webster and swing a dead cat without hitting someone willing to take a bet.

Interesting that the present book revolves around local teams. I've never heard that. Seems like a good way to beat out the big competition from websites.

It's my understanding that some of Rene's grandkids (or maybe just kid?) are involved in the bar scene there. Who knows if that's true.

I've heard of some non-made construction guys who went away over the years for drugs...this was probably 20 years ago.

Joe LoDolce pleaded guilty to touching a 15-year-old boy a few years back. Not sure if he did any time.

Tony Leonardo is now out of Federal Custody. He was a local lawyer linked to the Brinks job. I think for money laundering. He just got out this week.

I've lived all over the place, and pockets of Rochester, and I mean VERY small pockets, are still like you'd imagine in the movies. Restaurants by the lake and on Jay Street that haven't been updated in 35 years, late night card games, sports slips at the remaining factories.

There's no reason for me to go back now, though.

Gingello upload those pics bro I would love to check it out.

Thanks.

Hey SharpieOne thanks for the input. Lodolce never did any time over this. He still hangs around the old guys but he is a junkie now. Rocky's is the only old restaurant left on Jay Street now. Thanks for the update on Leonardo. I think they let him go on parole because a few years ago he had a heart attack and fractured his skull when he fell. I think his family got a settlement for the feds as he was left bleeding in his cell for several hours.

You took me back with that mention about the drug bust. I knew some of those guys, they claimed at the time they worked for Angelo Amico (RIP), which was not true but people still believe them.

As for Rene's grand kids, they do sell a little coke and weed but they are not involved in any gambling or traditional family stuff.

Antonetta's on Jay Street isn't open any more? What about Mr. Dominick's near the lake? Maybe I just heard that Rene's grandkids just drink in bars, not run them. Lol.

I forgot about antonetta's lol. I was thinking about Jay Street as it goes towards Lake Avenue which has become a ghetto. Dominik's is till open too. Those old school East Rochester restaurants the North Side and Perlo's are still around. Northside has gone down in quality but Perlo's has not.

Great info Gingello thx man, I'm from around Ithaca so it's good to hear about the 'local' mob. Does Buffalo still control 'cuse?

Awesome stuff . Thanks a lot. Looking forward to you posting more. I'm down in nyc but have family and friends up there and I visit frequently so I always like reading about the old rochester family. I was at Antoinette's over the holidays actually. I remember a long time ago it was "the place to be" for local politicians , cops, and ppl like that. Also, there's Roncones over on Lyell ave still open. It's funny those places do most or all of their biz during lunch and all the old timers who drive in from the suburbs to eat there every day. Definitely a time warp .

Where do the Picarettos live btw?

Hey guys thanks for the responses. If you can believe it the Piccaretos still live in Irondequoit. It’s weird they are surrounded by African Americans and Puerto Ricans but thethere still are a couple blocks on Brower Road and the surrounding streets inhabited by old Italians. Everyone knows the only reason the Italians do not sell their houses is because the Piccarretos make them feel safe lol.

It is hilarious that you mention how most of these restaurants still make all their money during lunch. Rocky’s is only opened for a few hours for dinner two days a week. Rochester is full of little enclaves that make you feel like the old family is still alive and well.

To answer Joe the Boss’s question I really do not think there is a whole lot of Buffalo activity left in Syracuse. There is some, but the Carcone Utica crew never really recovered from their last bust. If anything there is more activity from guys connected to the Westside and the Gambino Family. A friend of mine was actually arrested in that last garbage bust with Carmine Franco and I know he made book around Syracuse. On another I will post a story in a little bit some friends of mine who are detectives in Buffalo told me about Frank “Butchie” Bifulco.

Hey Gingello what bust are you talking about with the Carcone crew the walmart thing in 2000?

Just about everyone I know up there bets sports on a regular basis. I remember parlay cards used to be huge there. That's hilarious, almost ridiculous even, that people are betting on local high school games.

i couldn't imagine all of the action that must have taken place in the early 90s when the Bills were in the Super Bowl those 4 consecutive times. A restaurant/diner near where my cousins live mysteriously burned to the ground a few minutes after the Bills lost to Dallas (I believe the 2nd time) in the SB lol

That is hilarious I think I remember hearing about that bar. Rochester is full of degenerate gamblers who will bet on anything and everything.

Hey Scalish I was talking about that bust in 2000. I thought you might find this interesting but I asked around and found out that Buffalo soldiers Jimmy Feliciano and Phil Corelli are still involved in some illegal gambling but they still boost things as well. From what I understand they are still pretty good at it, but the only problem is almost all their profits go into a needle and then into their arms. I cannot confirm this first hand but the person I talked to is pretty reliable (a Buffalo police officer). Also another friend of mine told me he has sold them some bags of smack in the past, and we are not talking serious weight we are talking a few dime bags. Clearly the dope was for personal use and I doubt they were getting it for a friend lol. I did not forget about the picture of that house, its just I live in Los Angeles now so I am waiting for my friend to take a few pictures and send them.

Thanks for the update Gingello, I heard that about Feliciano didn't know about Phil being a junkie.

A friend of mine also told me Jimmy was a stupid drunk as well.
He is young though at 36.

No problem about the pics when you get them you get them.

Yeah it shows how low the mob has sunk by making a clown like Feliciano. He is a good thief though.

Anyway I wanted to relay a story about Butchie BiFulco. I was talking to a few friends of mine who are all Detectives in Buffalo. We began talking about the Buffalo mob and who was doing what. They confirmed what we already knew which was that Lenny Falzone is the boss, before he died Nicolletti was the UB and the Todaros acted in a counselor role. I asked them about Butchie and what role he would play when he gets out and they laughed. They said and I quote, "He better move to Australia or something, because no one respects him."

I asked them why this is and they reminded of me when Butchie was shot in a "car jacking." According to several informants, the police believe that Butchie went to shake down some crack dealers who he believe were dealing on "his turf." Butchie confronted some African American gentleman who were standing on a corner. Butchie barked about who he was, who he was with, and how these punks need to show him respect and pay up. They initially laughed at him and told him to get the f**k out of the neighborhood. when Butchie failed to leave and kept running his mouth, one of the dealers shot him.

Butchie reported that he was carjacked because obviously he did not want to tell the police I was just trying to shake down some crack dealers when they shot me for no reason lol. When I read some the articles written after Papa Joe's death, I had to laugh when they mentioned how Butchie could be the heir apparent and the future crime lord of Buffalo lol.

He is out now no?

Great info Gingello. I thought Loren took over for his father Rene and Frank Frassetto runs the day to day operations jointly with Feliciano.

Hey Scalish Butchie is out now.

Feliciano is in the Buffalo mob and has nothing to do with Rochester. Frassetto has been enemies with the Piccarettos since the Alphabet War. Loren is more or less the de facto leader, but Tony G has equal status. There is no real structure left, but some guys, due to their past rank, have more status than others do. Hope that helps.

Gingello, I heard he was out and also heard he was in Florida or Vegas any truth to that or is he in Buffalo?

A few things guys
First, save a 7 to 8 year period where they managed to create a pseudo structure,there is not now nor has there ever been a "Rochester family".
Piccaretto, Faliciano and Gingello (Sammy's Nephewa) are Buffalo guys, always have been.
Be careful not to underestimate Faliciano, he is a good earner one of the best theives and fences in the Country. he learned his trade from Joe Kirk (Coreale)who was a aprentice in the old Barge Canal Gang. (They warrent a thread of their own soon)
The "Mike" Gingello mentioned is undoubtedly Vadalla. he lives in Brighten and his Dad (Same name) was a Buffalo associate and was a relitive by marriage of the Terzini Brothers, and was one of the Andaloro's brother in Law. Not sure who Carmine might be.
The Carcone/Falange crew were not the central figures in Syracuse, although they did cross over from Utica on some things. What is left in Utica today has a connection to Syracuse via Turning Stone.
Whats left of Syracuse Operates from the casino, Erie Blvd East, Water Street/Schiller park and Wolf street,(Book, Shy and Prostitution) and they always had a closer tie to the old local 442 crew from Rome than they did with Utica. Buffalo still conrols all 3.
Other than that, werll done Gingello

Hey Arm thanks for your input. So those guys were actually somebodies huh? Wow I thought they were full of shit. I know what you mean about Rochester not being a traditional family like the Buffalo Family and I think in that respect you are correct. I call them the Rochester Family because it is easier to say and it sounds better than the Rochester Faction. I honestly know a lot more about Rochester than Syracuse so I hope I was not out of line commenting.

As for Feliciano I was being pretty harsh. You are right he is an amazing thief but I said he was a clown because he knows he has a drug problem but chooses to do nothing. I honestly hope he beats his addiction. I hope we can further discuss organized crime in Western NY soon.

I hope we can as well...Westen and Central NY and to a lesser extent Onterio is where the roots of my past come from. Like I said, your post was well done...would love to discuss this topic more

So you boys know if Butchie is in Buffalo or elsewhere?

He lives near Edward Street in Buffalo

Thanks Bro.

No Problem

Arm,

Is Turk Zogby still alive? Russ still run that crew? Heard they closed their social club across from Castronovo's, on Bleecker. That was wide out in the open last time I was in that area.

Any truth that 2 guys, young guys, roiders even, were made out of the Utica crew within the last 10 years? I'd venture to guess Utica has more made guys operating cohesively than Syracuse or Rochester, right?

It may be largely an academic question but "Rochester faction" would probably be more correct, technically speaking. In his book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia, Capeci refers to them as the Rochester "Group" (as opposed to "family") and points out that the Commission never approved them forming their own family.

I believe the Turk is still alive but inactive. I hear rumors that they were ready tio reopen the Angelo Grillo case and charge him, but nothing ever came of that. The social club across from Phil's is closed but the one on Bleeker and Mohawk is still very much active.
Russ still runs the crew day to day, but has never been made an actual Capo, he might hold the record for the longest "acting" title in the history of the LCN.
The two guys that were made were part of the crew from the old Gym on Whitesboro street (Rick P and Frankie M)
Rick was a disaster when I knew him back in the day, but he has grown into a really right guy, Frankie was always loose cannon, but I am told he has settled down and is more stand up in his old age as well. I really shouldn’t talk I was a young dumb ass in those days too. If the walls in the back room of Whitey’s could talk...:)
Yes the Utica crew is bigger than Syracuse and better st up than Rochesster. The old school guys from the bowling ally on Erie Blvd in east Syracuse (Andaloro, Salarno, Sabastian, Torio, Grenio, ) are all gone, but the new generation are some capable kids. "John J" (The restaurant guy from the airport) runs that crew. Lots of book, shy and women, and they have money on the street from Verona in a partnership with Utica.
The biggest shocker to me was, that that lowlife Matty Cuda who tried to suck up to the Colombos back in the 80s was charged with beating up his mother (I knew Joya, she was a sweet lady)and if I heard right, child molestation????
To bad the guy who shot him in front of Granmaldis was such a bad aim

Were those two clubs open at the same time? Same people go there or different members?

There were 3 clubs back in the day, and a host of hang outs
The one accross from Castranovas was more the young bucks like me, spent a lot of time there.
The one on Bleeker and Mohawk was for the old timers, in fact it was sort of an honor to be invited there or be allowed to stay if you didn't have a specific reason to be there.
The club on 2nd avanue was the Colombo's/Buffalino's club.
The hang outs were the Gym on the west side, The Regency on james, The Elbow room on South St, Whiteys way up on Bleeker, TRs and Rosies after hours, and of course Uncle Henry's way back in the day.

A question: after the A-B wars did Stanley Valenti ever go to jail? I read his trial was separated from others because of his health, but what happened later?

Gingello,

Thanks SO MUCH for this post. I used to go to school and live in Rochester and am quite fascinated by the whole history there.

A few questions and statements:

- Rene Picarretto is still alive as of July 2013 at 89 years old but doesn't look too good.

- "Tony G" who is Sammy's brother is Anthony Jr's dad and he was considered a "soldier" and also a Labor Union lead.

- Is Loren Piccaretto also know as "Larry" Piccaretto who works at Original Bay Goodman Pizza?

- What ever happened to Anthony Jr's bar "untouchables"

- any other info you can give on the Gingellos??

Thanks so much!!

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I know he died in 2001, and as far as I know he never did jail time except for a stint many years ago

Here is some info on Costenze and Frank Valenti, both made in Pittsburgh's family by John LaRocca, and Costenze "Stanley" Valenti was the son in law of Pittsburgh Capo Antonio Ripepi (Ripepi's other son in law was John Bazzano Jr.)

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=114394&relPageId=10

Thanks for the info JCB. The Valenti's lived a charmed life. They really did not have to answer for anything they did, and they retired rich. One small note Frank died in 2008. Guess he was not dying back in the 70s and 80s lol.

Olddirtyfish, I really like your avatar. Sammy G was as good as they get. Yes Larry is Loren's nickname. He does not make pizza as much anymore. A neat side note is that almost any independent pizzeria in Rochester has ties to the old Rochester Crew. Larry has a piece of Bay and Goodman (not on paper), since his old man loaned them money back in the day.

SharpieOne peaked my interest in what really went on with Joe Ladolce so I did a little digging. He did plead guilty but he ended up with probation, counseling, and a fine. The kid gets the rest of his life in therapy. If that was not enough, Joe did not have to register as a sex offender either. So I am sure you guys ask why is he still making book and doing his various other hustles with the other guys? The answer is that the other guys bought his bull crap that he was framed by the cops because he is a made guy, and that what cops do frame people. I also found out that Joe's dad used to sexually abuse him, his sisters, grand kids, nephews, so apparently the scumbag does not fall far from the tree. Joe was always known for his taste in young girls, so the little boy thing surprised everyone. I will not go into details but what he did to that kid deserved more than probation. If Sammy G was alive he would of cut this guy's prick off and fed it to him. I doubt anyone could argue with that, I know murder is wrong but some people deserve it. Maybe that should be a thread mob scumbags who deserved to die lol.

I guess no one from the kids family went after him?

What a fucking scumbag thanks for the info fellas.

Yeah they never went after him since they found out who he was. The fact that he got such a light sentence scared the crap out of the boy's family. One of Joe's sister's actually contributes to a website where people who recover from child abuse share stories and thoughts. If anyone remembers from Georgia Durante's book, that Joe Lamendola molested his daughter as well. The Rochester crew has more pedophiles than any other family ever. Unless anyone can think of another?

You got any info or anecdotes on some of the formerly more powerful guys who passed away? Like Russotti or Amico? It seems like the powerful guys in the crew were all originally from the north side of the area like n goodman and moved to ironedquoit when the neighborhood turned to shit (or when they started to make money) . Any guys from the west side? There's a ton of Italians on the west side, assuming most came from Lyell ave, jay street, maple street areas. I think there are a few gingello in gates or Greece actually

Oh yeah and also how come a few guys , piccaretto for example, we're listed as bonanno soldiers on some older crime commission reports?

Hey tt120. My best guest on why Rene and Tommy Marrotta have been listed as made members in the Bonannos is that they both spent some time in NYC, and both were observed meeting with Bonanno guys. The Feds knew he was a made guy, and at the time they heard he was asking for their support against Valenti. Rochester is a strange place. You have guys that were made by different families so it has always been hard to decipher what is going on. I think they thought that Rene became a Bonanno when he asked for their help. This is just my best guess.

I do have a short anecdote to share. I have more to share in the future as well. This was back in the very early 1980s, right before Russotti and company went to the clink. I was walking down the street on Jay with my mother, when I observed who I learned later was Dominic Taddeo attacking a heavy set Italian man. Dom was raining blows on him and blood was all over his face and fists. Meanwhile within eye shot of the beating is a police officer directing traffic. An old woman ran up to the man to report the beating, and he looked at who was fighting and then turned the other way and continued directing traffic. When it became clear the cop was not going to help she ran to Rene's clubhouse.

I will never forget who came out. It was basically the who's who of Rochester, Rene, Tony G, Angelo Amico, Red Russotti, and several others. Red and Rene gave Dom a look that put chills down the spine of everyone who saw it. The fight stopped and they called an ambulance to report a traffic accident.

This is really a great thread!! Thanks Gingello..

Did you know Sammy? Any stories you can share about him?

Do you have any photos you can share?

Also still wondering about Anthony Jr's bar "Untouchables"?

Some other notes I just remembered is that Anthony Chirico is into martial arts now and this knife fighting (can't remember the name of it)are of it.. LaMendola is actually on facebook and I have no idea why he wasn't dealt with for his actions..

Tom Taylor and Tom Torpey are both still alive... Would love to hear some stories about those guys!

Hey whats up Fish. I really enjoy talking about the old days in Rochester. My wife is the niece of one of the famous Rochester guys I have mentioned so I will ask her if I can post any photos. I do not want to post them with out asking, I would be sleeping on the couch for a month lol.

To answer your other question Tony Jr. sold his bar. There were a few fights there and basically the place got a bad reputation. The cops always give the fellas a lot of crap even now if they open a bar that is officially in their names. Thus why they have nothing in their own names.

I was pretty young when I met Sammy so the only stories I have are from when I was a young kid. He was actually my CYO basketball coach before he died. I also trained in martial arts with Tony Chirico as well. He gets to practice his martial arts regularly if you catch my drift lol.

A funny story about Torpey and Taylor is that when they were kids they used to bully kids in their neighborhood by grabbing them by their ankles and shaking them upside down in order to shake out the kids milk money lol. Even when they were young everyone knew where they would end up in life.

One more side note the Joe Lamendola on facebook is not the same guy. Joe Lamendola committed suicide years ago.

Hello everyone I am reviving the Rochester thread in order to clarify some things about the Alphabet or ABC War. I thought it was time for some actual information not just stories from the land of imagination. The War began as a direct result of the Jimmy Massaro murder. The current hierarchy of the Rochester Faction was indicted and sentenced to long prison terms based partly upon fabricated evidence compiled by the Rochester Police. Before Russotti, Gingello, Piccarretto, Marotta, and the others went away to prison they chose Thomas Didio, Tommy Marotta’s cousin as acting boss. He was chosen because Didio was a good soldier, who did what he was told, and he was seen as being a mindless gorilla. However, when the administration went to prison, they found Didio was not following orders, and he told everyone in Rochester that he was the new boss. Once the administration was released, because their convictions were tossed out due to fabricated evidence, a conflict soon began which split the family. The conflict raged from the late 1970s until the late 1980s.

How do we know what happened during the war? We know about the war from police reports, FBI reports, and if their word is not good enough, you have several informants both made members and unmade associates that have given us chapter and verse about the ABC War and about traditional organized crime in Rochester, in general.. These informants include made members Joseph Lamendola, Spike LaNovarra, Anthony Oliveri, and Angelo Monachino.

I grew up and lived in Rochester for many years. I have never heard of any Colombo members operating in Rochester aside from a Wikipedia mention of an imaginary made guy operating in Rochester. Furthermore, I have never heard of any Colombo associates operating in Buffalo either. Buffalo, as far as I know, was not directly involved in the ABC War. Yes, Buffalo had joint gambling operations with the Rochester Faction. Yes, some members of the Rochester Faction were made by Buffalo members, but that was the extent of their involvement. I have spoken with some of the aforementioned made members and they all agree the ABC War was a strictly Rochester conflict. Perhaps there were some conflicts in Utica or farther East that people called the ABC War, but if that even happened, it had nothing to do with Rochester. I can provide some additional sources about the ABC War if anyone is interested. Here is a link that gives background on the war. http://americanmafia.com/Cities/Rochester.html

Thanks Gingello , appreciate the info , great stuff and nice job on the bump to clarify conflicting info / stories . Thanks and keep the info flowing

No problem DB. I just got tired of all these BS threads about the ABC War. I do not know why the poster who is making these posts cannot go back to his World of Warcraft or whatever fantasy forum he belongs to. People come to this forum for real information not to read some posts by teenagers pretending to be wise guys. My two cents and I think almost everyone on this forum would agree.

Nice transpose cut and paste...Your problem is,you think the ABC warss happend in a vaccum, and only in Rochester
Son, you could not be more wrong....It claimed casualties from Dutchess County NY to Utica to Syracuse to Florida
No Columbos operating in Buffalo territory or in the ABC wars??
That IS funny
You seem to like Google searches...Google Dominic Bretti, John D'Amico,Danatto Nappi and Ed Teeter Nole. Find out what happend to Al Marrone, Joey DeQueno, Angelo Grillo and his wife dawn, Matty Cuda, Carla Faliciano. Find out who Phil Tarduno and Reigo Martingano were. John Julian, Tony Mastroco, Dennis Pritchard, find out who they were and what they had to do with Rochester. Find out who Andaloro, Salarno, Sabastian, Torio, and Grenio were and where and how they operated and were a thorn in Frank Velent's side.
Educate yourself.
Then come back with questions, instead or pretending you know what you are talking about...becuse you don't

Thanks for posting, I've enjoyed all your rochester info and anecdotes so far. Outside of the five families they are the most interesting for me to read about , mostly because of my cousins up there I am familiar with a lot of the establishments mentioned in these stories as well as the names.

I know the terms "a team", "b team", etc and the name "alphabet war" was coined by a cop up there when he was putting together charts of who was aligned with who once people were getting killed. There is an interview with this cop from RochesterHomePage.net and he explains this, along with some other stuff about the war.

Again thanks for the info and if you ever have more stories I'd love to hear them. One guy that there's not too much info about is Russotti. I know he was the top guy and seemed like he had a lot of guys loyal to him. Where was he from? North East or was he a west sider? A lot of the guys dead or in jail still have a ton of relatives up there, especially on the west side suburbs, but I've never heard of the Russotti name

Gingello...whats your fav restaurant up there?.
I'm gonna be going up there in late April / early May for a few days. Can't wait to hit up Antoinettas or maybe the new spot on its way to becoming a local legend, Tony D's.

Also Gingello, you ever hear or read anything about Italian (not Italian American) OC happening in Rochester? I ask because there is a decent number of sicilian immigrants in the area that has been growing in recent years. Some own businesses on Park Ave too

Red Russotti was either from Brighton or Henrietta, (my memory is failing at the moment), but like the rest of the breakaway Rochester faction, he was a made Buffalo guy who sided with Velenti and Gingello in an attempt to create the "Rochester Family". I think at one point he was the self styled "underboss"...something which the commission never recognized.

if the main rochester guys were technically made Buffalo guys, were they all made by Magaddino? was there a buffalo capo or two who the rochester guys reported to? or was the top guy in Rochester technically a Buffalo capo, who was direct with the Buffalo boss?

for example, Valenti was the Rochester family's (disputed) boss. but really, he was just a capo for the Buffalo family? and even though he had his underboss, consigliere, and capos in Rochester, technically these guys were just Buffalo soldiers in his crew?

if true, this seems similar to how the north jersey faction of the Luccheses operated.

but I was also under the impression that Valenti broke off from Buffalo, with no problems, and rochester was allowed to do its own thing (own making ceremonies, administration / structure, etc)

where did you hear that Russotti was from Henrietta ? just curious because a lot of those older guys grew up together and moved out to the suburbs later on. kinda strange if he was from the suburbs originally.

Hi TT. You are right Red was not born in Henrietta. I believe he was born in Irondequoit. I could be wrong, but I will try to verify exactly where. It could have been on the west side of Rochester. These guys all pretty much lived in either Irondequoit or on the west side of the city near Jay Street.
I would have to say my two favorite Italian restaurants are Antoinetta’s and Perlo’s (East Rochester). Mainly because I have known those families for so long that whenever I have gone in there they cook special for me. You still get that feel at many of these restaurants that you are not just another mouth to feed, but a guest. This is becoming a rare thing as the Macaroni Grill and the Olive Garden phase out many small restaurants. Thank goodness Rochester still has a decent size Italian American population that still cares about quality.

I will now answer the main part of your question, about who made who, and where Rochester’s allegiance was. If you think of Rochester as being a faction and not a family, things make more sense. Rochester was originally a crew under Buffalo. However, once the Valenti brothers, who were made in Pittsburgh came to town they slowly began to take over the rackets. I would say Buffalo’s control over Rochester ended when Giacomo “Jake” Russo was killed, dismembered, and tossed in the Genesee River. His remains have never been found. Once Russo was eliminated, Valenti met with members of the Buffalo family, and this led to Rochester splitting from Buffalo and being aligned with Pittsburgh. Later Valenti, was overthrown as he was stealing from the family. Valenti was overthrown mainly because he know he was caught stealing, he knew Gingello and his guys would kill him, and finally Rene Piccaretto and gotten support from the Bonanno Family.

I mentioned this earlier that I hypothesize that the reason you see Rene’s name on some older Bonanno family charts is because he had gone to NYC and established an alliance with them. I believe the Feds heard about this and thus they listed him as a Bonanno. Rochester has always been funny. After Rochester broke off, Buffalo still received money from some joint gambling operations but that was it. Buffalo was making enough money that they did not need Rochester.

I have heard about some people around Park Avenue who are Sicilian and supposedly have connections to OC in Italy but I have not heard of them being active in Rochester. There is a family in East Rochester that is related to the Morabito N’Drangheta Family. In fact, they have the same name Morabito. They are not active in crime but they are related to Giuseppe Morabito. I will get back to you with some more stories soon.

I was watching Pineapple Express the other day and it reminded me of a story from Rochester. There was this guy who lived in Rochester (this was around 1980) off of Monroe Avenue. Monroe Avenue for those that have not been to Rochester is frequented by a lot of street people, artistic/hippie types, and drug addicts. At the time most of the activity down there was focused around Monroe Show World and Adult movie theatre.. It was alleged that the Rochester guys had a piece of the theatre. In its heyday, there were drugs and prostitutes being peddled 24 hours a day there.

Anyway I digress. The guy I previously mentioned was your typical dirty hippie type. He looked exactly like James Franco’s character in Pineapple Express, and his mannerisms were the same. The guy called himself Major Tony Nelson (the character from Bewitched for you younger readers). Somehow Tony came up with a duffel bag full of weed that must have weighed at least 40lbs. Tony usually peddled dime bags of weed and hits of LSD that were more often than not fake. There are guys like Tony in every city, a small time hustler that somehow ended up with a big score. The problem was he wanted to sell all of the weed at once and he came up with the idea (most likely while he was highly “medicated”) to try to sell the weed to the Rochester wise guys. Tony takes his huge bag to Rene’s clubhouse on Jay Street and about a half hour later he stumbles out bruised and bloody with no bag.

At this point tony is pissed. It just so happens he was friends with some local bikers who call themselves The Lords. The Lords are still around. They are a support group for the Rochester chapter of the Hells Angels. Tony goes to his friend, a Lord, and tells him he got robbed and that if his friend helps him get his weed back, he will give him 10lbs for free. Tony did not mention who robbed him. Tony’s friend gets a few of his biker buddies and they head down to Jay Street about 10 guys deep. Tony is riding on the back of his friend’s bike, and when they arrive, Tony jumps off the bike, points to the club house and tells everyone how the wise guys robbed him. The Lords immediately drove off and told Tony he was on his own. Tony stood looking around trying to comprehend what happened. It must have taken him 45 minutes before he realized there was nothing he could do so he wandered off. There was actually a time in Rochester, believe it or not, where the wise guys had more influence than the police.

Lol like that one Gingello.

Here is some great information about mafia activity in Rochester. this list brings back a lot of memories. I know about 80% of the people mentioned on here so if anyone has questions let me know. I have to disagree with the author's conclusion that none of the old made guys from the Rochester faction are active as I know first hand this is not the case. Even so it is great information. I want to thank Hairy Knuckles for posting the link to this site on the Black Hand Forum. This has great information about other mafia families as well.

http://www.mafiamembershipcharts.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Rochester

Why doesn't my post show up?

http://www.meesonfamily.com/obituary?id=1365181

I think this is what you meant to post. Rene died last night. I will be attending the service, so I will try to get some pictures.

Hey I know this thread is about Rochester but I just looked on the Buffalo family Wikipedia page and someone edited it saying Lenny Falzone stepped down and Anthony Todaro, the son of Joe Todaro Jr is now boss. Anyone else want to call bullshit because I am

I agree Joe. Wikipedia is a freakin free for all. I once knew a guy in Rochester who edited the Wikipedia page for the Rochester Crime Family, and put his name as the current boss lol. Lenny Falzone is really old though. None of the Todaros are involved in organized crime, even Joe Jr. Why would they get involved with all their money?

I like you, Gingello, and I don't want to see you cross the line over to stalker. So please don't take and post any pictures from a wake .

Hey Pizza you are right. Just for the record though, my wife is the niece of someone involved in the life so I am not crashing the wake and funeral. I would not be a stalker technically lol. You are right though it would be in poor taste, and possibly hazard to my health and marriage.

Take some pictures of the meatballs at the reception afterwards or at the after party

What did Stanley Valenti do in the last 22 years, did he manage to use the ill health excuse to avoid trial for so long?


Wasn't he the boss after Valenti was forced to resign? I thought the underboss of the A-team was Gingello and Picarreto the consigliere.

It was all such a jumbled mess and so long ago, you may be right, and I may have the self anointed roles of Russotti and Gingello reversed. It was so pounded into our heads that it was still Buffalo and these guys were all outlaws that we never recognized it anyway. My station at the time was a bit to the East, trying in my limited way to keep all of upstate NY from slipping out of Buffalo's hands

Nearly the entire crew of breakaway Rochester guys were all either made into Buffalo or were Buffalo associates. Yes many of them had Pittsburgh and Buffalino contacts and connections, but they were by all rules and recognized as Buffalo. Rochester was never recognized either by Buffalo or the commission as a separate family. They COULD have been had they gone to Buffalo with a business plan instead of an ultimatum, and Pittsburgh, NE Pennsylvania and the Colombos had kept their paws out of it, and a lot of death, misery, prison terms and ruined lives could have been avoided(I could go on for days)
It was the generation before these guys who moved from the city to places like Greece, Brighten and Henrietta, those burbs have had large Italian American populations since the late 50s

Arm

of the buffalo guys that you knew, how were they to deal with ? reasonable, or not.

I was with the Falange crew, and to be honest I was young and I knew most of these guys since I could walk, and since my dad and two Uncles were made I was always treated well and it was easy for me to deal with them
Looking at it objectively,I can honestly say if anything Buffalo guys and the family in general had almost too much integrity and were too reasonable for their own good. Everyone always goty paid, money was always cut and no one on the inside was made a victim
Contrary to what anyone says, when Pops was whacked, we were ready willing and able to retaliate, but at the end of the day, it just didn't make sense to go to war over it.
Other families would have crushed Rochester the second they talked about breaking away,instead, they let them self destruct.
As a young hot headed kid, I WANTED to take the war to the Colombos back yard. My thoughts after they whacked Marrone were hit a few people in Brooklyn and watch them call the troops home. Cooler heads prevailed and again, we just held our ground and eventually they beat themselves. A lot of my old friends are dead or incarcerated, and they were, as Mobsters go, great people to deal with.

arm

about 10 years ago i heard the todaro's were credited with reuniting upstate new york back under the buffalo flag. any comments about this ?

I sure can...first hand
It actually started under Frangiamore and Pops, but it was Todaro who put the pieces back together.
AS I have often said, the ABC wars were not confined to Rochester.It went on from Ohio to New England and from the Adirondacks to Pennsylvania.Everyone thought they could grab a chunk of real estate becuse the perception was Buffalo was on the ropes. In Easten upsate NY, it was the Colombo's and Buffalinos.
Frangiamore went to the commission and Tony Ducks said, and I quote,"I don't give a shut who runs those cow towns"
The attitude of the crews in Upstate NY was that we were rather die a miserable death than have to answer and kick up to scumbags like D'Ela and Persico, so we went to the mattresses and stood our ground.
In the end we won but it cost some of us our lives and a lot of us our freedom, some for longer than others.
By the early 90s it was over but the leadership structure was in shables. It was Tadoro that came in and sorted it all out.
I have known the current skipper from central NY since we were kids, and Russ is a stand up guy, but all due respect, he is NOT his dad. Benny Carcone was a superstar, may he rest in peace

arm

why was johhny pops so important in this ?

Pops was closely tied to the old school Upsate NY guys. He and Falcone, The Terzini's,Louri,Andaloro and Bruno went all the way back to the pre LCN days.
Frangiamore and Pieri knew he knew the landscape and politics, so he was the link between Falange and the Bosses

Hey Arm have you heard about the Buffalo Family still shaking down some of the strip clubs in Western NY, specifically Buffalo, Niagara Falls and possibly Rochester? I can PM you if you do not want to discuss it on the open forum. I know first hand they are involved in Buffalo, not sure about The Falls and Rochester though.

My main contacts with Buffalo these days are in Ontario and Utica, but yes I have heard this is the case. The entire adult industry has become a prime LCN earning business everywhere and Buffalo is no exception.Most of what I hear about the falls revolves around the legal casino gambling business, but there is a direct connection between the two.
But Yeah..PM me with some specifics if you like

havent heard anything about that here in the falls. but i wouldnt dismiss it as probable.

U guys are so quick to play the who knows this guy game that u don't realize you are snitching

Who's snitching?
The names I mentioned on this tread, are public knowledge,or the names of the dead
If you can put something together based on the cryptic way I go into things, the are the best detective since Dick Tracy

I have not posted any information that is not already known to local and federal authorities. the people I have posted about even know that I have posted about them. I do not name specific crimes just generalizations. If that makes me a rat then whatever. I am not in the mafia and I never claimed to be.

I was told during one of my "time outs" by someone in a position to know that this site is EXTREMELY careful, and that specifics and "true" facts are not their chosen material, they tend to favor news accounts and the like.
I respect that, and that is all anyone had to say...so I am being even more careful

this is snitching...i dont care how you spin it

go take a picture of a funeral you weirdo

Cheech...where do you live?
The reeason I ask is, I have mainly lived in Brooklyn, Providence,Utica NY and Chicago.
In any of those places, any person with any type of street smarts who can connect dots and put 2+2 togeher can walk or drive down certain streets and know in about 5 minutes a lot of what is happening.
Those are the limits of what I discuss.
No names of the free or living
No reference to any crime committed by anyone alive or not incarserated.
I do NOT have a dog in the NY vs Outfit pissing contests, but I will say that if anyone in the "28 members" in Chicago or "Rockford is extinct" camp, come visit either city sometime and take the pulse, I asure you it would give them a new outlook.

im from new haven, whole life...

just because we both know the score doesnt mean we have to say we know the score...get what im sayin?

With that "no snitching" speeches you will make the forum boring. Soon we will be talking like:
"the unspecified individual n.1 committed an unspecified crime against the unspecified individual n.2 at ??.?? ??.??.??"

Touche'

its an open forum, there are ways of saying things...i get your point though.

so what if i say the following

the strip clubs in new haven all kick up to the ny guys...
is it common knowledge? maybe...but who am i to say

and a problem i have is used my real nickname like a moron

Or worse

You say that in jest, but there are some who would like to see that, and that any names mentioned should be filtered through the FBI misinformationj echo chamber (I don't include Cheech in that)

I wasn't being too serious.
I understand there are misinformation cases, it's just I am often annoyed in how the newspapers don't go into details, so it's not clear at all what is going on. However, I agree that being too quick in calling names may create embarrassing situations: in the 90s there was an accountant in Milan who got arrested just because he had the same name and surname of a mafia boss.

But why did you say "or worse": the 2 quotes are identical, one statement can't be worse than the other.

Sorry...on my phone...technical difficulties..lol

Cheech, I realize you are an uneducated, ignorant fanboy so I will try to speak as clearly as I can. What I meant by taking pictures was that I know many of these people and I plan on having drinks with them after the services and as this is a forum dedicated to the mafia there are people who are interested in seeing pictures of mob guys. Furthermore I made a general statement about the buffalo mob and strip clubs. I gave no specifics. Anyone who is able to read could do research and read about the alleged connections. Clearly hooked on phonics did not work for you.

Unlike you I do not give a crap about these guys and what an ignorant idiot like you thinks. People talk shit about you on all the other forums. Your neighborhood tough guy routine may impress or even intimidate some people but I see through you, you fucking phony. Why are you defending these guys anyway, you think they would stand up for you? They would not piss on you if you were on fire. Why don't you go back to trolling the NYC and Connecticut threads?

What have you ever contributed to this forum other than a few one word responses and flaming remarks? My guess is you do this because in real life you are a scrawny pathetic little man, who would get his ass kicked if he said the things you say online in real life. I apologize to SC as this post probably violates the rules but Cheech flamed me first. My suggestion to you Cheech... suicide. People on the board will feel bad for you and you will be remembered as the wannabe tough guy who whacked himself. Then you will have a hit under your belt and you can finally be like your heroes. So have a good day and please contract AIDS and die thank you.

Well said

You're a hotel maid?

Anyway, as far as anger, you should take anger mgmt classes. It's done wonders for me. I used to be mean and snap at everyone all the time.

just get high gingello, and you'll find that things that people say on the internet don't really bother you that much lol.

No I manage a few hotels, my housekeepers refused to clean up the feces because they said they were gonna throw up.

Carmela, I think you are right, my wife says the same thing.

I thought I would give a little update about the Buffalo Family. Frank "butchie" Bifulco is moving to Florida where he is retiring.

Jimmy Sicurella is in poor health and not active.

The Todaros are not active.

Lenny Falzone is getting up there in age, but supposedly he has some shy and bookmaking business going on.

Everyone talks about Bobby Panaro but he was always more Vegas based after he moved out there in the 1990s I believe.

They have associates that are active (Lenny Mordino in 2006, arrested for coke), and supposedly they still kick up but who knows to who. I could speculate but I do not know. If anyone has anything to add it would be appreciated.

Some of the Utica guys are still plying their trade (boosting stuff) but I think they do their own thing now. My point is Buffalo has several crews that are still operating but I do not think they operate cohesively anymore.

How is what u said about Lenny Falzone not snitching?

I'm done in these cow tipping threads. Best thing I ever heard though was Utica wanted to take it to Brooklyn. Hahahahahah In what? hockey? Hahahahahah. The Columbos had more shooters in Brooklyn than the whole town of Utica hahahahahah

So funny. Keep it up boys. It's worth it. I just won't post in these threads no more. The delusion is too high

How sad! you won't post here? I better call the suicide hotline, how will I go on without having to read your ignorant posts. You are the delusional one defending people who do not give a fuck about you. Us grownups will continue to talk.

Everyone knows Falzone is involved in these things, but I realize you failed hooked on phonics so I cannot ask you to read anything. Did I give specifics about anything? As I said before please contract AIDS and die. If you need me to repeat this please see my previous post. Go troll somewhere else.

Clearly you have a personal problem with me as other posters have posted similar posts. At the end of the day you are the pussy who talks shit on the Internet.

I suggest you and your boy friend should come out of the closet go to Provincetown and get married. You clearly have anger issues that are most likely caused by your closeted homosexuality. You know you are gay and you feel like you have to lash out at people to prove your manhood. You are too much of a pussy to talk shit to people in real life so you come here troll and make little stupid comments.

If the Colombos had such a superior army, why does what used to be the Falange crew still run Utica?
Why is Angelo Grillo worm food?
Why is that fat fuck Teeter Noel in Mt Sinai cemetery?
Why are there still bits and pieces of Conolly all over south Utica from the explosion?
Why did Tom Bretti get his eyes blown out when he opened his front door?
Hummm?
I could go on.....
Numbers mean nothing my friend, balls mean everything

Good stuff and spot on Gingello
Turning stone and the businesses that sprung up around it have given Utica/Syracuse a life in addition to shy and boosting.

Bobby Panaro is a good earner and has the ear of at least two casino owners, and is on the short list to replace Falzone, there is also talk about Russ but as much as i love the kid, I would hate to see that happen, it would be like painting a Bullseye on his back, his name is just too high on the feds rap sheet

Hamilton and the falls have benefited from casino gambling as well. It has created cottage industries in Shy, prostitution and pay to play contracts Forget this ‛Ndrangheta nonsense, In Ontario the Buffalo family and they operate on separate galaxies. The so called ‛Ndrangheta clans are mainly into smuggling bootleg cigarets and liqueur, meth and pot via their biker gang allies, and burglary.

Bobby Panaro is still active in Las Vegas, I don't think he will ever leave the state unless they kick him out of it. He is on the short list to replace Falzone, but Panaro loves Vegas too much, that in my opinion, I don't think he will leave the state for a top spot in Buffalo.

So who takes over?
Russ Carcone?
Jimmy Terzini's kid?
Todaro's Grandson?
Pugliese?
Mikey V from Rochester?
Julian?
Torio? (God help us all)
The Capos from Erie Blvd or Wolf Street in Cuse? (who will remain nameless in an open thread)

Should be interesting

Gingello,

How about some updates on Rochester?

I know Rene just passed away...

Do the younger Gingellos have any pull in anything, there sure are a lot of them...

What about Chirico and Marotta..

Did Frank or Stanley Valenti have any kids/grand kids that got into LCN?

Also, who was actually made in the crew?

Thanks so much!