In the city ofNewark, New Jersey, the Italian criminals were divided into two ethnic factions; the "Sicilians" and the "Neapolitans". The Sicilian Mafia faction was headed byStefano "Don Steven" Badami, while the Neapolitan faction was led byRuggiero "the Boot" Boiardo. In 1920,Prohibition began in the United States and it presented many gangs with the opportunity to make a lot of money throughbootlegging, the selling and transportation of illegal alcohol. With large amounts of money to be earned, violence erupted throughout cities and towns in New Jersey as criminals fought for territory and dominance to control illegal bootlegging rackets, but the two most powerful bosses in Newark were Neapolitan faction boss Richard Boiardo and Jewish gangsterAbner "Longie" Zwillman.
The Neapolitan boss Boiardo secured control of theFirst Ward, which was known as Newark's Little Italy and operated a large bootlegging operation in Newark and throughout New Jersey,[11] while Jewish gangster Zwillman was based out of the Third Ward, where he controlled one of the largest bootlegging operations in New Jersey.[12] Boiardo had grown up in Chicago until 1910, when he moved to Newark at the age of twenty.[13] By the early 1920s Boiardo had controlled a number of lottery games, a large extortion racket from shaking down merchants for protections money, and a large bootlegging operation.[13] Boiardo was very overweight but a very flashy dresser, often wearing a belt buckle studded with 150 diamonds that had an estimated worth of $20,000, a five-carat diamond ring, and a fifteen-diamond pin to hold his tie in place.[13] In early 1930, Boiardo ordered his First Ward gang to expand into the Third Ward territory and began demanding that saloon owners buy liquor from Boiardo.[13] This started the Newark bootleg wars, which lasted several weeks as Boiardo's First Ward gang waged war against Zwillman's Third Ward gang.[13] In late 1930, both Boiardo and Zwillman decided to end the war after numerous failed assassination attempts against each other.[13] During Thanksgiving week of November 1930, Boiardo survived an assassination attempt after a gunman fired a shotgun into his car hitting him with thirteen slugs his neck, mouth, chest and arm.[13][14] In early December 1930, Boiardo was released from the hospital, only to be arrested by the police for having a gun in his possession during his assassination attempt. Later he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.[13] At the same time Boiardo was on trial for gun possession, Zwillman was imprisoned for assault and began serving six months in jail.[13] After being released from prison, Boiardo and Zwillman ended the fighting.[13]
In February 1930, a bloody Mafia war in New York City, known as theCastellammarese War started asSicilian Castellammarese Mafia bossSalvatore Maranzano challengedNew York City Mafia bossJoe "The Boss" Masseria for the position ofcapo dei capi. In Newark, the Sicilian boss Badami joined Maranzano's alliance, while Neapolitan boss Boiardo sided with Masseria.[15] On April 15, 1931, Masseria was murdered, leaving Maranzano the most powerful mobster in America. Maranzano appointed Badami the boss and Sam Monaco the underboss of the Newark family.[15] On September 10, 1931, Maranzano was murdered leaving Badami without protection from his enemies. Days later on September 13, 1931, Badami's underboss Sam Monaco and top member Louis Russo were discovered dead after their bodies were found floating inNewark Bay.[16] The loss of Monaco and Russo caused Badami to flee Newark, leaving the family without leadership.[16][15] The Newark family broke apart, as many members joined theGagliano family'sJersey crew, while the remaining members stayed withGaspare D'Amico.
D'Amico had moved to Newark during the early 1920s, settling in the Northeastern neighborhood of Woodside.[15] When D'Amico took over as boss, he faced a number of rebellions against his leadership.[15] In 1935, D'Amico was challenged by Vincenzo Troia for control of the Newark family, but he acted quickly and ordered Troia and his associates murdered.[15][17][18] The second challenge against D'Amico leadership occurred in 1937, when Salvatore Lombardino and others attempted to murder him but failed.[15] During the assassination attempt D'Amico's father was murdered. Fearing for his own life, D'Amico fled the United States and relocated to Puerto Rico where he later died in October 1975.[15] It was later discovered bythe Commission thatProfaci family bossJoseph Profaci, had backed Lombardino and had ordered the assassination attempt on D'Amico.[15]
The Commission decided to disband the Newark family, while declaring Newark an open city and dividing the family's territory among theFive Families of New York.[19] TheLuciano-Genovese family's New Jersey faction grew in power as Richard Boiardo became the family'scaporegime of the Newark crew and powerful New Jersey mobsterWillie Moretti became the family's underboss while also controlling operations inBergen county. The Gagliano family's Jersey crew caporegime wasSettimo "Big Sam" Accardi, a former member of Badami's Newark family, he controlled operations in Newark andNorth Jersey. TheMangano family's Newark crew was controlled by Antonio Paterno, a former member of the Newark family. The Profaci family's New Jersey crew was led by Salvatore Lombardino, the man behind the attempted murder of Newark boss D'Amico. TheBonanno family's Newark crew was led by Antonio Riela.[20][21] The city of Newark also had other gangsters fighting for dominance and territory which includedAbner Zwillman, a Jewish gangster, thePhiladelphia crime family, which had formed their own North Jersey crew, and former Newark boss Badami with his own small group.
Early Elizabeth family
In the cityElizabeth, New Jersey the Mafia faction was made up of mostly immigrants fromRibera,Sicily.[4][10] The Mafia group was based out of the Peterstown section of Elizabeth.[22] The earliest known boss the Elizabeth Mafia faction was Filippo "Big Phil" Amari.[22] He was born in Ribera, Sicily and arrived in Elizabeth in the early 1920s.[22] During Amari's time as boss he recruited Emmanuel Riggi,Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso and Frank Majuri into his Mafia faction.[22] Over the years Amari continued to grow in power and was recognized by US law enforcement as being heavily involved in extortion, labor racketeering, loansharking, and narcotics activities in Elizabeth and Newark.
After fleeing NewarkStefano "Don Steven" Badami relocated inOrange, New Jersey.[22] Badami continued operating a small Mafia group while working alongside other Mafia families. Badami was unsuccessful in taking over the Elizabeth Ribera Mafia faction because he was born inCorleone, Sicily and they didn't trust him.[22] On March 31, 1955, Badami went to a restaurant in Newark and was murdered being stabbed 40 times.[22] The police held Frank Monaco as a witness in the murder and he confirmed that he was the brother of Sam Monaco, a former associate to Badami who was murdered in 1931.[22]
In 1956, Nicholas "Nick" Delmore became boss after Amari retired and moved back to Sicily. Delmore was a longtime member of the Elizabeth faction, going back to the prohibition era when he owned the Maple Shade Inn inBerkeley Heights and worked withAbner Zwillman in some brewery operations.[23] In September 1930, Delmore had been a fugitive, related to a gun permit and the murder of a federal dry agent.[24] Delmore was arrested in 1933, and charged with murder, but he was later acquitted of murder at the end of the trail.[23] In 1957, Delmore attended the infamous1957 Apalachin Convention to represent the Elizabeth family of New Jersey, with his underboss Frank Majuri and capo Louis LaRasso.[25] Delmore ran the Elizabeth family until the early 1960s, when he became ill. In 1964, Delmore died and his nephewSam DeCavalcante was installed as new boss of the Elizabeth family.[25] Under DeCavalcante's regimethe Commission began to recognize the Elizabeth family as an autonomous crime family and officially recognized it as the "DeCavalcante crime family" of North Jersey.
Simone DeCavalcante
The official criminal organization began withSimone DeCavalcante, known as "Sam the Plumber" and "The Count". He was born in 1912 and was involved in illegal gambling, murder, and racketeering for most of his life. He died of a heart attack in 1997 at age 84. He rose to power in 1964, and he was incarcerated in 1969. He doubled the number of made men within his family during the 1960s.
He owned Kenilworth Heating and Air Conditioning inKenilworth, New Jersey as a legal front and source of taxable income, for which he gained the nickname "Sam the Plumber". He also claimed to be of Italian royal lineage, earning him the nickname "The Count". He gained much respect because he held a place on the infamousCommission, a governing body for the American Mafia which included the Five Families of New York, as well as mobsters fromChicago,Los Angeles, andFlorida.
DeCavalcante and 54 associates were charged and tried in 1969. He pleaded guilty to operating a gambling racket turning over $20 million a year, and was sentenced to five years in federal prison. At the same time, a New York State report indicated that his family, as well as another Mafia family, controlled 90 percent of the pornography stores in New York City. In the early 1980s, DeCavalcante retired to Florida, leaving capoGiovanni Riggi as acting boss of the family.[25] He largely stayed out of Mafia business, although the FBI believed that he was still advising the family into the early 1990s.
John Riggi
After DeCavalcante left prison in the mid-1970s, he appointedGiovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi as acting boss of the family while he stayed semi-retired inFlorida. DeCavalcante stepped down as boss officially in 1980, passing leadership to Riggi,[26] who had been a business agent of the International Association of Laborers and Hod Carriers in New Jersey for years. Riggi was promoted to the position of official boss, and he reaped the enormous benefits of large labor and construction racketeering,[26] loansharking, illegal gambling, and extortion activities. Riggi also had the family maintain their old traditions, which Sam DeCavalcante saw as unnecessary. In 1981, bosses and underbosses of the DeCavalcante andColombo families attended a conclave inDyker Heights, Brooklyn, to divide territory inMiami.[27]
Riggi used his power and influence to place subcontractors and workers at various construction projects around the state, and the DeCavalcantes were able to steal from unionwelfare and pension funds. Riggi continued to run the family throughout the 1980s, with underbossGirolamo "Jimmy" Palermo and Stefano Vitabile asconsigliere,[28] after Frank Majuri died of health problems. It was around the mid-1980s that Riggi fell increasingly under the influence ofGambino crime family bossJohn Gotti.[29]
After Riggi's conviction for racketeering, he appointedJohn D'Amato as acting boss of the family in 1990. D'Amato was later alleged to have participated inhomosexual acts and was murdered in 1992.[30] Riggi continued to run the family from his jail cell, but he appointedGiacomo "Jake" Amari as his new acting boss. All was seemingly settled until Amari became ill and died slowly ofstomach cancer in 1997. This caused a massive power vacuum within the family, with many high-ranking members pushing for the role of boss.
The Ruling Panel
After acting boss Amari's death, Riggi organized a three-man ruling panel in 1998 to run the day-to-day business of the crime family,[31] consisting of Girolamo Palermo,Vincent Palermo (no relation), and Charles Majuri,[32] with Stefano Vitabile as the reputedconsigliere and adviser to the three.
The Panel infuriated longtime captain Charles Majuri, who had been a hardworking member of the family since his teens and felt that he was wronged when he was not selected as the only acting boss.[32] To gain complete control of the DeCavalcante family, Majuri decided that he should murder Vincent Palermo, leaving himself in charge of the family.[32] Majuri contracted soldier James Gallo to murder Vincent Palermo. Gallo was a strong ally and friend of Vincent Palermo's, and told him about Majuri's plans.[32] In retaliation, Vincent Palermo decided to have Majuri murdered. After one plot fell through, the murder was eventually called off.[32]
Informants and convictions
Toward the late 1990s, the Ruling Panel kept running the DeCavalcante crime family with Giovanni Riggi still behind bars as the boss. The downfall of the DeCavalcante family was precipitated in 1998, when an associate namedRalph Guarino became an FBI informant in an effort to avoid a long prison sentence in connection with taking part with two others in a heist of $1.6 million from theWorld Trade Center.[32] Guarino spent ten years undercover working for the FBI. He wore a listening device and recorded conversations that mobsters would have about criminal business. During Guarino's time as an informant, fellow mobster Joseph Masella was gunned down on the orders of Vincent Palermo.[32]
Using information provided by Guarino, US law enforcement launched a large scale arrest on December 2, 1999 of over 30 members and associates of the DeCavalcante crime family.[33] Palermo realized they would likely spend the rest of their lives behind bars and decided to cooperate with the FBI in exchange for a lenient sentence.[33] This resulted in the arrest of 12 more men less than a year later,[33] decimating the crime family's hierarchy and putting it on the brink of extinction.[33] Other top members, like Anthony Rotondo and Anthony Capo, also agreed to become government witnesses.[34]
In 2001, 20 mobsters were charged with racketeering, seven murders, 14 murder conspiracies, attempted murder, extortion in the construction industry, and stock fraud.[33] This was the fourth indictment of the family since 1999. Since then, several other top mobsters agreed to become government witnesses in exchange for being given lenient sentences, or even no sentences at all. US law enforcement even put Giovanni Riggi on trial, who was hoping to be released in 2003, and he was sentenced to 10 additional years in prison.[26]
Current position and leadership
Between 1999 and 2005, about 45 men were imprisoned, including the family's consigliere and seven capos.[35] With the decline of the DeCavalcante family, New York'sFive Families have taken over many of the rackets in northern New Jersey.[32] Riggi was in jail until November 27, 2012, and he died in 2015.[36] Longtime acting boss Francesco Guarraci died of cancer in 2016.[37]
In March 2015, the FBI arrested 10 members and associates of the crime family on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and distribution of drugs, including 71 year-old captain Charles "Beeps" Stango and 72 year-old consigliere Frank Nigro.[38][39] Associates Rosario Pali and Nicholas DeGidio were convicted on April 4, 2017, after pleading guilty to distributing more than 500 grams of cocaine. DeGidio was sentenced to 1½ years in prison, and Pali was sentenced to over 6 years.[40][41][42] Luigi Oliveri was charged with the possession of contraband cigarettes.[43]
In March 2017, Stango was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit murder.[44][45] Stango reportedly wanted Nigro and associate Paul Colella to get permission from the New Jersey hierarchy to kill Luigi Oliveri, but the murder was not committed because Stango did not get an answer. Prosecutors claimed that Stango and his son had plans to open a high-end escort service inToms River, New Jersey.[46]
In 2016, Anthony Stango Jr. was sentenced to 6 years in prison after pleading guilty to using a telephone in interstate commerce to conduct a prostitution operation, conspiring to distribute five grams or more of cocaine, distributing more than $70,000 worth of cocaine, and possessing a shotgun as a convicted felon.[46]
In 2016, longtime member Charles "Big Ears" Majuri became the new official boss of the family.[47]
In July 2022, capo Charlie Stango was released from federal prison and went into a New York halfway house.[48]
On January 2, 2023, longtime family member and former influential capo Paolo "Paul" Farina died of natural causes at the age of 96.[49]
In late 2025, family boss Charles Majuri began to step into retirement while shifting power to Domenico "Mimmo" Marzullo, who will become the family's new boss.[50]
Historical leadership
Boss (official and acting)
Excluding:Stefano Badami the boss of the Newark family late 1920s–1931, when he fled[51] andGaspare D'Amico the boss of Newark family late 1931–1937, when he fled[52]
Boss –Charles "Big Ears" Majuri – is the current boss.[53] Majuri is the son of former consigliere Frank Majuri. UponGioacchino Amari's death,Giovanni Riggi appointed Majuri as one of the members of theRuling Panel, along withGirolamo Palermo andVincent Palermo. In 2000, Majuri was indicted on multiple charges, including racketeering, loansharking, extortion, and conspiracy to commit murder. He was released from prison on April 28, 2009.[59] In late 2025, Majuri has shifted into retirement allowing Domenico Marzullo to take over as the new boss.[50]
Acting Boss –Domenico "Mimmo" Marzullo – working alongside boss Charles Majuri who is retiring and allowing Marzullo to become the family's new boss.[50] Has been a longtime member of the family operating fromMontclair, New Jersey.[50] In 2003, Marzullo was arrested by the FBI for loan sharking and running an illegal gambling operation in Montclair.[60][61]
Underboss –Charles "Beeps" Stango – is current underboss.[57] Stango is a former caporegime who operated a crew inElizabeth, New Jersey.[53] On March 12, 2015, Stango was indicted with Paul Colella, his son Anthony Stango, on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, drug trafficking, and prostitution.[39][62][63][64] On March 28, 2017, Stango was sentenced to 120 months after being convicted.[65] In July 2022, Stango was released from federal prison and went into a New York halfway house.[48] In 2024, Stango was promoted to Underboss for the family.[57]
Consigliere –Giuseppe "Pino" Schifilliti – is the current consigliere.[53] In 2003, he was indicted for racketeering, as well as the murders ofLouis LaRasso andJohn D'Amato. In 2006, he was sentenced to life in prison, but that sentence was turned over in 2008.[66]
Caporegimes
Louis "Louie Eggs" Consalvo – caporegime of his brother-in-lawPhilip Abramo's"New York City-New Jersey crew".[53] In June 1999, Consalvo, along with Philip Abramo, Philip Gurian, Glen Vittor, and Barry Gesser were charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, securities fraud, interference with commerce by extortion, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and witness tampering.[67] In 2004, Consalvo pleaded mail fraud, wire fraud, and securities fraud, and received a 27-month jail sentence.[67] In 2000, Consalvo was indicted and charged with murdering former underbossLouis "Fat Lou" LaRasso in 1991 along with Gregory Rago.[68] The indictment also charged Consalvo with selling 8,000 shares of stock in a company calledSC&T International. In 2002, Consalvo accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison. In February 2012, he was released from prison.[69]
Luigi "Lou the Dog" Oliveri – caporegime operating Elizabeth in New Jersey.[53] In 2015, Oliveri was charged with possession of contraband cigarettes.[63] Oliveri was a former member of Manny Riggi Elizabeth based crew.[70]
Gregory "Georgie Bayonne" Rago – caporegime operating in New Jersey.[53] In 2000, Rago was indicted along with Louis Consalvo and charged with the 1991 murder of former underbossLouis "Fat Lou" LaRasso.[68]
Soldiers
Philip "Lou Metzer" Abramo – senior advisor and former caporegime of the"New York City-New Jersey crew", operating in Wall Street, New Jersey and Florida. His brother-in-law Louis Consalvo has been a longtime member of his crew.[67] Abramo was a former associate ofJohn Gotti. In June 1999, Abramo, Philip Gurian, Glen Vittor, Louis Consalvo and Barry Gesser were charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, securities fraud, interference with commerce by extortion, conspiracy to commit money laundering and witness tampering.[67] In 2004, Abramo pleaded mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud and received a 70-month jail sentence and forfeited $1.1 million previously seized by the government in the Bahamas.[67] In 2006, Abramo was sentenced to life in prison for racketeering and the murders of Fred Weiss andJohn D'Amato. In 2008, the sentence was overturned and he was released in 2018.[71][72]
Paul "Knuckles" Colella – Born in 1947. He is believed to be a soldier of the DeCavalcante family since at least 2023. In March 2015, Colella was indicted alongside 9 other DeCavalcante affiliates on charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, murder, promoting prostitution and purchasing 120,000 untaxed cigarettes.[73][74][75]
Gaetano "Corky" Vastola – former caporegime.[76] Born in May 1928. According toSammy Davis Jr., he told the House Select Committee on Crime in May 1972 that he was a friend of Vastola, including dining and playing golf on several occasions.[77] Vastola's first arrest was by the NYPD in 1946 for burglary and was sentenced to a suspended sentence and probation. In 1960, Vastola was given a one-year sentence to the New York City Penitentiary for committing an offense against trademarks and also fined $500. In October 1970, Vastola was handed a five-year prison sentence for extortion in interstate commerce, and in March 1972 he was convicted of conspiracy to commit extortion for which he received a sentence over 2 years and a half.[78] In September 1986, Vastola was indicted for conspiracy to extort money and threaten violence, conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, and extortion.[79][80][81] In May 1989, Vastola was sentenced to 20-years imprisonment and fined $70,000.[82]
Stefano "Steve the Truck Driver" Vitabile – current soldier and formerconsigliere between 1983 and 2006. Born in 1937. In June 2006, Vitabile was sentenced to life imprisonment for ordering the November 1991 murder of Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso, a DeCavalcante capo, and for the January 1992 murder of DeCavalcante family acting boss John D'Amato.[83]
Joseph "Tin Ear" Sclafini – current soldier. Born in 1938. Sclafini served in the United States Army between 1955 and 1957. Sclafini allegedly became inducted into the DeCavalcante family in 1982. In December 1999, Sclafini was indicted on gambling, murder, conspiracy and extortion charges.
Jerry Balzano – served 2 years after being convicted of racketeering conspiracy in 2011; other charges were selling untaxed cigarettes and the theft of a $15,000 tax refund check.[84] His first release violation was the possession of a handgun and ammunition. While on supervised release in November 2016, he engaged in a road rage incident after another driver cut him off, assaulting and hurling verbal abuses at the other driver. He received 11 months in prison and 21 months of supervised release.[citation needed]
Carl Corsentino – soldier. His father was also a member of DeCavalcante family. Corsentino allegedly owned a funeral home on Second Avenue in Elizabeth.[85]
Joseph "Little Joe" Giacobbe, Jr. – the former underboss of the family.[53]
Anthony "Tony Marshmallow" Mannarino – senor member operating from Florida.[53][86]
Frank "Goombah Frankie" Nigro – senor advisor and former consigliere. On March 12, 2015, Nigro was indicted along with other members on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, drug trafficking and prostitution.[62]
Associates
John "Johnny Balls" Capozzi – associate of Stango crew. In 2015, Capozzi was charged with cocaine distribution.[63]
Paul "Knuckles" Colella – associate of Stango crew. In 2015, Colella was indicted along with Charles Stango and charged with plots to commit murder.[63]
Nicholas Degidio – associate of Stango crew. In 2015, he was charged with cocaine distribution.[63]
Mario Galli – associate of Stango crew. In 2015, he was charged with cocaine distribution.[63]
Anthony "Whitey" Stango – associate of his father Charles Stango's crew. In 2015, Stango was indicted and charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and run a prostitution business.[63]
Former members
Paolo "Paul" Farina – soldier and former capo, Farina died on January 2, 2023, at the age of 96.[88]
Joseph "Joe Red" Merlo Jr. – former made member and go between for Charles Majuri. His father Joe Merlo Sr. was a soldier under DeCalvacante family boss John Riggi hailing from the family's Elizabeth faction. He owned Joey's Pizza on South Elmora Ave in Elizabeth. Merlo Jr. died June 3, 2021.[90]
Joseph "Joe Pitts" Conigliaro – former associate. In the 1970s, Conigliaro was paralyzed when he and James Gallo attempted to shoot a loanshark victim who they suspected was an informant but accidentally shot one another. He was involved in extortion, loansharking, and drug dealing. Conigliaro was ineligible to become a "made" member of the family due to his disability but was "treated ... as a made guy", according toAnthony Capo.[91] In July 1992, Conigliaro shot and killed a rival drug dealer, Ralph Hernandez, from his wheelchair after having Hernandez lured to a social club that he owned inCarroll Gardens, Brooklyn.[92] He then had members of his crew dispose of Hernandez's body in a nearby vacant lot, where it was discovered over a year later.[93] On January 23, 1998, Conigliaro was fatally shot in a contract killing organized by members of his own crew, including Joseph "Big Joey" Brideson, who accused Conigliaro of demanding too much intribute and of becoming unstable due to cocaine use.[91][94]
Government informants and witnesses
Anthony "Tony" Capo – former soldier and hitman for the DeCavalcante crime family. He served as the driver during the murder of Fred Weiss on September 11, 1989. In late 1991, Capo received information that DeCavalcante acting bossJohn D'Amato was a closet homosexual. He testified in court thatconsigliere, Stefano Vitabile, ordered D'Amato's murder. D'Amato was lured to a parked car inBrooklyn and allegedly sat in the back of the car, Capo turned around from the passenger seat and shot him 4 times.[95] During one incident in the mid-1990s, he stabbed Gambino associate Renee "Remy" Sierra in his face and eye, for disrespecting him in front of a female in aStaten Island bar. Another assault occurred in the late 1990s which consisted of him beating a parking lot attendant with a steel baton, a pipe and a baseball bat, after spraying him in the face withmace, as the attendant was accused of having a fistfight with DeCavalcantecaptain Rudy Ferrone. In 1999, he became a government witness. He pleaded guilty to 11 murder conspiracies, participating in 2 murders, several assaults and many other crimes.[96]
Victor DiChiara – family associate who supposedly served as one of John D'Amato's shooters in 1992.[97] DiChiara served as an associate in the crew of Philip Abramo and testified to the crew's dealings, including the beating of a union member and the murder plot on Frank D'Amato, John D'Amato's brother. DiChiara and Joseph Sclafani plotted to stab D'Amato with a hypodermic needle.
Ralph "Ralphie" Guarino – former associate of the family, Guarino was one of the masterminds behind the 1998 Bank of America robbery which took place at1 World Trade Center. Guarino and WTC worker Salvatore Calciano planned the heist, employing three gunmen to carry it out: Richard Gillette, Melvin Folk and Mike Reed. All three were arrested shortly after the robbery, and Guarino was arrested by FBI agents onStaten Island. Guarino became an informant following his arrest.
Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo – former acting boss during the 1990s. He married the niece ofSam DeCavalcante during the early 1960s. He was inducted into the DeCavalcante family in 1989. As a favour forGambino crime family bossJohn Gotti, DeCavalcante bossGiovanni Riggi "ordered a contract" on Fred Weiss (arranged for him to be murdered) on September 11, 1989. Palermo and Jimmy Gallo shot Weiss 7 times.[98] Palermo allegedly orchestrated the October 1998 murder of his bodyguard and DeCavalcante associateJoseph Masella, who was found shot several times at a golf course inMarine Park, Brooklyn.[99] In December 1999, he was arrested on murder, extortion, bookmaking, loansharking, illegal gambling, robbery, the sale of stolen property and counterfeit goods, and mail fraud charges, alongside 38 other mobsters from the DeCavalcante andNew York crime families, including 2 DeCavalcantecaptain's, Joseph Giacobbe and Anthony Rotondo. He allegedly oversaw an illegal bookmaking operation with the New YorkGambino andColombo crime families.[100][101] He agreed to become a government witness in 1999, several weeks after his arrest.[102] In October 2000, Palermo pleaded guilty to 4 murders, 7 murder conspiracies, extortion, loansharking, gambling and obstruction of justice charges.[103]
Anthony Rotondo – former captain. His father, Vincent Rotondo, was also a DeCavalcante member and had ties to theColombo andBonanno crime families in New York, including to former Bonanno bossRusty Rastelli. He was proposed for membership in 1978 by his father and it is believed that he wasinducted in 1982 bySam DeCavalcante. In 1988, his father was killed and shot 6 times.[104] He became an informant in early 2003. In November 2004, he testified against high-rankingGambino members, Thomas "Huck" Carbonaro andPeter Gotti. He admitted to participation in the murders of Fred Weiss in 1989, a DeCavalcante associate, captain and acting bossJohn D'Amato's execution in 1992.[105]
The DeCavalcante family operates primarily in North Jersey, with additional territory inToms River on theJersey Shore, and in New York City, Connecticut and Florida.[4][9][106] The family also has links toRibera inSicily, from where many of the organizations's members have origins.[4][10]
Mann, a 44-year-old DeCavalcante associate, was in debt to DeCavalcante administrators and had allegedly scammed a member ofGenovese family capoTino Fiumara's crew in a drug deal. He was shot by DeCavalcante associate Charles Stango and Genovese associate Raymond Tango in the parking lot of aSheraton hotel inElizabeth, New Jersey after being lured to a purported meeting. Lou Pasquarosa was also present during the killing.[109]
The family administration voted to kill 64-year-old DeCavalcante capo LaRasso after he was deemed a threat to imprisoned boss John Riggi and acting bossJohn D'Amato. LaRasso was lured byGiuseppe Schifilliti to the home of a soldier, where he was killed by members ofPhilip Abramo's crew.[110]
DeCavalcanteconsigliere Stefano Vitabile approved the killing of acting boss D'Amato after he was accused of usurpation, stealing from the family, and homosexual activity.[110] He was buried by Vincent Palermo and Rudy Ferrone at a property in Newburgh, New York.[114]
Ralph Hernandez
July 1992
Drug dealer Hernandez was lured by Michael Squicciarini and others to a social club inCarroll Gardens, Brooklyn, where he was shot by DeCavalcvante associate Joseph Conigliaro.[92] Hernandez's body was disposed of in a nearby vacant lot.[93]
In popular culture
The DeCavalcante crime family is partly the inspiration for the fictionalDiMeo crime family of theHBO television seriesThe Sopranos.[115] The family was the subject of theCNBC programMob Money, which aired on June 23, 2010,[116] andThe Real Sopranos TV documentary directed by Thomas Viner for the UK production company Class Films.[117]
The Pegorino crime family are a fictionalized version of the DeCavalcante crime family in the 2008 video gameGrand Theft Auto IV.
^Reavill, Gil (2013).Mafia Summit: J. Edgar Hoover, the Kennedy Brothers, and the Meeting That Unmasked the Mob. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 23.ISBN9781250021106.The local DeCavalcante crime clan, which controlled West New York, would send three of its bosses to the Apalachin summit, and eventually serve as one of the models for Tony Soprano's family on the HBO series.
^Linnett, Richard (April 2013).In the Godfather Garden: The Long Life and Times of Richie "the Boot" Boiardo. Rutgers University Press. p. 109.ISBN9780813560625.
^abcd"US v. Stango"(PDF). Department of Justice U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of New Jersey. Department of Justice. Retrieved13 November 2021.
^Thomas Viner (Director) (April 26, 2006).The Real Sopranos. Class Films.
Sources
Books
Deitche, Scott M.Garden State Gangland: The Rise of the Mob in New Jersey. Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, 2017
Goldstock, Ronald; Marcus, Martin & Thacher, I.I. (1990).Corruption and Racketeering in the New York City Construction Industry: Final Report of the New York State Organized Crime Task Force. New York: NYU Press.ISBN0-8147-3034-5.
Jacobs, James B. (1994).Busting the Mob: The United States Vs. Cosa Nostra. New York: NYU Press.ISBN0-8147-4230-0.
Jacobs, James B.; Friel, Coleen & Radick, Robert (1999).Gotham Unbound: How New York City Was Liberated from the Grip of Organized Crime. New York: NYU Press.ISBN0-8147-4247-5.
United States Congress, Senate, Committee on the Judiciary (1983).Organized Crime in America: Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate. Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O.
