A group with territory mainly in South Philadelphia and South Jersey,
it also has influence in upstate Pennsylvania, North Jersey and the surrounding Tri-state area.

Upper Echelon Members of Various Leadership Roles
1.) JOSEPH "JOE" IDA (previous Boss, connections to Vito Genovese and Joe Bonanno of New York. Joe Barbara of upstate New York and Santo Trafficante of Florida.)
2.) ANGELO BRUNO (Overseer of small gambling empire/Top Boss. Most Influential in this area with long standing ties to Carlo Gambino of NY and Russell Bufalino of Pennsylvania)
3.) ANTONIO "MR. MIGGS" POLLINA (Interim power/acting boss between Ida and his rival Bruno)
4.) GUISEPPE "JOE" RUGNETTA (Longtime Consigliere/Representative of the Calabrian Faction)
5.) MARCO "SMALL MAN" REGINELLI ( Original head of New Jersey Faction, Highly Important Member with ties to the NY Families. Mentor to Bruno.)
6.) IGNAZIO "NATZ" DENARO ( Bruno's Underboss)
7.) DOMINIC "BIG DOM" OLIVETO ( Another Interim Power, successor to Reginelli's position of prominence. Rival of Bruno. )

CAPOREGIME

FELIX "SKINNY RAZOR" DI TULLIO
PASQUALE "PATSY" MASSI
NICHOLAS "NICKY BUCK" PICCOLO
JOSEPH SCAFIDI
PHILLIP "CHICKEN MAN" TESTA
JOSEPH SCIGLITANO
JOHN "JOHNNY KEYS" SIMONE
ALFRED IEZZA


SOLDATO/SOLDIERS (Membership spread genarally in South Philly, South Jersey and Northern Jersey)
The Criminal Expertise: Bookmaking, Numbers, Illegal Casinos/Games. Loansharking, Sports/Boxing Infiltration, Freelance/Small-scale Drug Trafficking

LUIGI QUARANTA
ANTONINO "NINO" CALIO
FRANK MONTE
SANTO "CHESTER SAM" IDONE
AUGUSTINE AMATO
ROCCO SCAFIDI
MICHELE MAGGIO
FRANK "BLINKY" PALERMO
RALPH "BLACKIE" NAPOLI
CHARLES "PINKY" COSTELLO
DOMINICK "MIKEY DIAMOND" DEVITO
VINCENT "JIMMY CHRISTY" GIOELLA
DOMINICK LE PORE
VITO GENNA
BRUNO D'ELIA
JOHN BOTTE
ALBERT "LULU" ESPOSITO
JOSEPH "JOE GIBBONS" LAZZARO
EDWARD CAMINITI
ANGELO TURCO
SANTO ROMEO
MICHELE "NEW YORK MIKE" MACALUSO
ROCCO DI CONDINA
JOSEPH "JOE BUCK" PICCOLO
DEMETRIO PENNESTRI
FRANK "CHICKIE" NARDUCCI
NICODEMO "LITTLE NICKY" SCARFO
JACK PARISI
FRANK PICCOLO
LEONARDO GALANTE
FRANCESCO DONNIANNI
MARIO "SONNY" RICCOBENE
CARMINE "LITTLE C" BATTAGLIA
FRANK ALTADONNA
JOSEPH FUSCI
DOMINICK FESTA
GUISEPPE CARO
MICHAEL TRAMANTANA
SALVATORE "CHUCKIE" MERLINO
FRANCESCO "DON CHEECH" BARALE
ROCCO "ROXEY ALLEN" AULETTO
MICHELE ROMEO
ANGELO "SKUTCHIE" CHIRICO
JOSEPH LANCIANO
ERNIE PERRICONE
GAETANO "BIG TOM" SCAFIDI
FRANCESCO "FRANK CARUSO" NICOLETTI
PETER MAGGIO
FELIX BOCCHICCHIO
VINCENZO "UPSTATE JIMMY" AMATO
CARL "PAPPY" IPPOLITTO
FRANK SINDONE
ALFRED ANGELICOLA
MICHAEL CAMMAROTA
SAM PUNGITORE
PETER CASELLA
ANTHONIO "TONY BANANAS" CAPONIGRO
HARRY "THE HUNCHBACK" RICCOBENE

Once again this is not the Bible or 100% accurate but merely a generalization of the landscape during this period of time. I am not an expert on Philadelphia and I am sure some of our members who are (and personally known of certain things) will correct me, tell me to add to or subtract from the list. Hopefully this can be an enlightening thread. Many of these lesser know guys have interesting mob stories. Hopefully some clarity can be made about the power of the ANGELO BRUNO Family at that time.

Interesting info regarding the Philly Mob - they actually started out as part of the Castellammarese Clan in Williamsburg up until 1931, then split off as their own family. John "Nazzone" Avena took over after Maranzano's death in 1931. I remember reading in Joe Bonanno's book that he insulted Salvatore Sabella's brother Michele, Michele asked Sal to come over to New York while Joe called on Steve Magaddino for support, but Maranzano took Bonanno under his wing.

Some questions to ask though:
1. Was Sabella asked by Bonanno to step down or did he retire voluntarily?
2. Who was Angelo Bruno's sponsor and when was he inducted into the Philly Mob?
3. It is true that Salvatore Sabella's related to Mike "Mimi" Sabella (one of the Bonanno mobsters involved in the Donnie Brasco scandal and a loyal henchman of Carmine Galante), but how?

Good Questions.
1.) You are confusing MICHELE "MIKE" SABELLA of the later donnie brasco era and his (I believe Uncle or at least older cousin) DOMENICO "MIMI" SABELLA. Mike was sometimes referred to as "Mimi" as well. Yes, they were related to the original Boss SALVATORE SABELLA.
Being on the losing side of the Castellamarese War, he was not seen as part of the new guard by LUCIANO. He was probably asked to retire and because of the impending violence chose wisely. And Although Bonanno would be losing a Castellamarese ally "in theory", he probably felt safer being able to remove a future problem.

2.) I don't know who actually sponsored ANGELO BRUNO for membership.
I know his ties to the like of Carlo Gambino go back to prohibition, so its safe to he was a ringer to be made.... He did take the "criminal alias" "BRUNO" after an early family power JOE "Bruno" DOVI. ANGELO was also taken under the wing of Nj Gambling Chief MARCO REGINELLI. HARRY RICCOBENE had a pleasant memory of BRUNO coming up. Its also been said that BRUNO was alittle more handy with a gun in his younger days, then given credit for. I'd say he was probably widely endorsed.

3.) I answered in #1.

This is missing Joe Rugnetta.. idk when he became Brunos Consig i thought as soon as he took over?

Check #4 in the Upper echelon

Lol my bad i saw Giueseppe and skimmed past.... was he brunos consig from day 1? Doesnt he have a son or nephew thats still involved?

I think Joe Rugnetta’s nephew is Dominic Rugnetta... Guy is a few years from being 100 years old. I doubt he’s still active; but you never know.

Thats the name thanks Zavattoni .. didnt know he was that old

Harry Riccobene was quoted as saying, "The only reason Bruno got it was because I didn't want it." I know he was exaggerating but I wonder If Ricconene was ever really in the running for the top spot during that time and did he even have the capabilities of a Boss.

I read on a less than trustworthy site that Joe Ida was a puppet for Vito Genovese. Is there any truth to that? Obviously under Bruno the family was Gambino-oriented.

Before Bruno, the New York Bosses kept a tighter "grip" on the head of that and many of the other smaller Families. I know that Philly had connections to Vito Genovese and Albert Anastasia. During the Castellamarese War, they shown allegiance to Salvatore Maranzano. Joe Ida was connected to Vito Genovese. I am sure on some level Don Vitone was using Ida to position himself better. Once Bruno came to power, Gambino loosened the grip on Philadelphia. Hence, Bruno's Commission seat.

As Sicilians Gambino and Bruno became simpatico. So much so that I believe they truly liked each other. They were constant companions. As a Napolitano Vito didn't have that same connection I think. Although I could see him staying closer to the mainlanders like Rugnetta, etc.

A good example of this was his tight connections to Pittsburgh with the Volpe brothers. When they were killed, Genovese was instrumental in retaliating against the Sicilian Gianni Bazzano.

Genovese was definitely dependable when it came to defending his interest. He could be a good short term ally. VERY SHORT TERM.

Yeah , prodical son!!

"They were constant companions"......They together had homes in Fla. basically next door 2 each other & had casino junkets in London in tandem w/ each other.

Isn’t there a rumour that Paul Volpe got whacked by Scarfo over some stuff in AC.? Also, any truth to Scarfo and Papalia being friends? If so, how did that friendship come to be?

maybe one of our Philly guys can provide some clarification because I don't know the answer

I think we are talking different era's, and vastly different interests and crews here. I'm not sure that a Papalia and Scarfo would have ever even had the opportunity to meet, let alone do business with one another... Is it possible? Or course, But Scarfo was not an interstate, let alone international type guys. His rackets ran along the same "local" lines as well. Whereas a Johnny (Pops) Papalia was from Canada and heavily into big time narcotics trafficking. Two vastly different focuses. Also the Philly crew in general never really dealt with the Bonanno/Cotroni/Papalia faction to any great degree.

So my answer would have to be a pretty firm no.

No. Paul Volpe was killed by Buffalo, Scarfo had nothing to do with it, but Scarfo and his uncle made a beef to Angelo Bruno about Volpe in AC, who sided with Volpe. When Bruno was killed, Volpe got out of town while Nicky Buck, Scarfo and their crews took over what they could to salvage what they felt Volpe owned them. Volpe was giving Bruno fat envelopes which is why Bruno sided with him. One of Volpe interests went to a Genovese soldier who was in Bobby Manna crew that gave a strong foothold for them in AC, but Scarfo and company did not beef and felt it was better to make a peaceful alliance with them. John Papalia actually attended a party for the Piccolos, Scarfo was in attendance, if Papalia was friends with anyone to Philly, it would have to be Frank Piccolo, Ralph Napoli, Frank Simone, and a couple of Philly guys he was locked up with, one of them being Peter Casella. Papalia was extradited to New York in the 60s where he rubbed shoulders with a few Philadelphia members.

I came across an interesting report done by Villanova University. It was geared primarily towards what it called "The lawful Mafioso". The report, enlightening me to some of the lucrative and quiet Legitimate businesses and businessesmen in the Family during this time.
I uncovered a connection between Philadelphia member and Legit businessman NINO CALIO and NY MANGANO member GUISEPPE "THE PEASANT" TRAINA, thru a Yeast Company.... Its interesting how the the lines get crossed in CN

You have struck on a sub-subject very important to me. Not only the "infiltration" of legitimate business by so-called mafia members, but also the very legit investment of their personal monies into what they felt would be lucrative businesses and industries in order to elevate themselves and that of their blood families for the future.

I view these type of mafiosi as "visionaries" if you will in that although they may also have been knee-deep in illegal rackets like their mob contemporaries, they were astute and sharp enough to take their racket profits and "reinvest" those monies into business.

If you give a good look to some (many actually) of these "sharper" and more business oriented mafia members, you start to see deep patterns of extremely intelligent legit investments. Not only that, but also the successful "operation" of those businesses after they got into them which was no small matter.

Whether they be retail type shops, wholesale companies, manufacturing, or controlling entire segments of commerce, etc., it took plenty of brainpower to accomplish the vast goals they set for themselves.

These type guys were not "hoodlums" per se, or "dese and dose" push-noses. They were basically sharp, ballsy businessmen with a distinct "edge". A Cosa Nostra edge for sure, but an edge nonetheless.

I find THIS aspect of the Italian underworld the most fascinating of all.

Another businessman was member MICHELE MAGGIO, of the Maggio Cheese company. In the report I've read, a CI noted that Maggio was a very prominent guy before Bruno's rise, and could've been considered a upper echelon guy.

Thanks man! That is some great information, I thought that it was a beef over gambling, seeing as Papalia had a huge stake in gambling in Ontario and Scarfo in AC and Volpe had run a foul of them both. So Papalia and Scarfo got the OK from Buffalo, as well as friends in NYC, to killed Volpe. I appreciate the insight!

Scarfo did not kill Volpe, but he is one of the mobsters that beefed about Volpe and was not the only one, both the Gambinos and Genovese families had beefs, Elisabeth does not get mentioned but Fat Louie had some sort of beef with Volpe. This got back to Buffalo who already had complaints from Canada long before Volpe moved to AC. The root of this is the Pieri's. Salvatore was one of Volpe protectors. When he died Joe Sr set the wheels in motion for Volpe to be killed. Scarfo never pulled the trigger or was involved in the hit.

The Volpe Character sound just like that. A character..... the smaller Families like Pittsburgh isn't a strong point for me

I’m pretty sure Michele Maggio is the one who sponsored Bruno. It’s been a while but I believe I read that in the book Before Bruno. I highly recommend that book which is very thoroughly researched. The author Celeste Morello is a relative of the Morellos if I’m not mistaken. Her great grandfather was a prominent member of Sabella’s gang. It’s broken up into three parts starting in the 1880s but I read the last installment which chronicled 1946-1959. She spent like 15years researching and interviewed tons a mafiosi who apparently trusted her because of her family history. Very good info in that book and I’m sure even more in the others.

Yes... I have that book,,sold 2 me @ the Italian Market by Ms. Morello & autographed back in 2004..she was very nice to talk 2 & the book is great...she sits @ a little table when the weather is nice & sells her wares. Also sometimes gives mob tours or @ least back then she did.

The book was very informative. I was able to read the about the 1946-1959. It was helpful. Philly has an interesting history during that time, it should be explored more.

Do you have any idea where I may be able to find these books? Have heard about them and even looked for them online a few times with no luck. They are probably the only books on Philadelphia I have yet to read.

Since Ive gotten them straight from the source (the author) i could not tell you...sorry.