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The DeCavalcante crime family is a crime family based in Elizabeth, New Jersey and Newark, New Jersey, despite having members on the other side of the Hudson River in New York. It maintains relations with much of New York's Five Families and the Philadelphia Mafia, but has been scoffed at in the past by other mafia families and nicknamed 'The Farmers' due to the opinion that it was not very powerful. However, they have been involved in some brutal and notorious acts. Map of Elizabeth in Union County Union County Court House Elizabeth is a City in Union County, New Jersey, in the United States. ...
Nickname: Map of Newark in Essex County County Essex Founded/Incorporated 1666/1836 Government - Mayor Cory Booker, term of office 2006–2010 Area [1] - City 67. ...
The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river that runs through the eastern portion of New York State and, along its southern terminus, demarcates the border between the states of New York and New Jersey. ...
NY redirects here. ...
The Five Families are the major crime families of the Italian-American Mafia based in New York City which have dominated traditional organized crime in New York. ...
History of the DeCavalcante crime family
The Beginnings The criminal organization's origins began with Simone DeCavalcante, a diplomatic, 'old school', classy and calculated Don who resembled, in many ways, the character of Don Corleone in Mario Puzo's the Godfather. Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante (April 30, 1913 – June 7, 1997) , known as Sam the Plumber, was a member of the New Jersey mafia. ...
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Mario Gianluigi Puzo (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author known for his novels about the Mafia, especially The Godfather (1969). ...
The Godfather is a 1972 crime film based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, with screenplay by Puzo and Coppola. ...
He was born in 1913 and was a mobster involved in gambling, murder and racketeering for most of his life. He died of a heart attack at the age of 84.
Between 1964, when he rose to power, and 1969, when he was incarcerated, he doubled the number of made-men within his family. He owned Kenilworth Heating and Air Conditioning, in Kenilworth, New Jersey, as a legal front and source of taxable income and for which he gained the nickname Sam the Plumber. Sam DeCavalcante also claimed to be of Italian Royal lineage and another nickname he bore was The Count. For the 2006 computer game, see Made Man (computer game). ...
Map of Kenilworth in Union County Kenilworth is a Borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States. ...
Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante (April 30, 1913 – June 7, 1997) , known as Sam the Plumber, was a member of the New Jersey mafia. ...
He gained much respect because he won a coveted place on the infamous 'Commission', a governing body for the U.S. mafia; many of its laws are still applied in today's Cosa Nostra.
Unfortunately for DeCavalcante, he and 54 associates were tried; he plead guilty to operating a gambling racket, turning over $20 million a year. At the same time a State Report indicated that he and another mafia family controlled 90% of pornography stores in New York City. DeCavalcante was sentenced to 5 years and after he was released from prison, he retired to a high-rise condo in Florida and largely stayed out of mafia business, though the FBI believed he was still 'advising' the family into the early 1990s.
John Riggi After Simone DeCavalcante left prison, in the mid 1970s, he appointed a well-spoken and polite man, in his late 40s, named John Riggi to be the acting boss of the family while he stayed semi-retired in Florida. Sam DeCavalcante stepped down as Boss in 1982, passing leadership to John Riggi. Riggi had been a business agent of the International Association of Laborers and Hod Carriers, in New Jersey. He was promoted to the position of full-boss, and he reaped the enormous benefits, until his first incarceration came, in 1989. He was convicted and sent to Fort Dix Federal Prison. Riggi continued to run the family from his jail cell, but he appointed Jake Amari as his acting boss.
Jake Amari Jake Amari ran AMI Construction from Elizabeth, New Jersey. All was seemingly settled until Jake Amari began to die, slowly, of stomach cancer. This caused a massive power vacuum, with members such as Charles 'Big Ears' Majuri, the alleged Consigliere Stefano Vitabile and Frank Polizzi all attempting to ratify and re-structure the state of the family. Stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus and the small intestine. ...
All of the high-ranking members, such as Charles Majuri, Stefano Vitabile, Vincent 'Vinny Ocean' Palermo and Capo Anthony Rotondo were desperately pushing to become the next Don of the DeCavalcante family.
The Panel and the Attempted Murder of Charles Majuri John Riggi, boss of the DeCavalcante family, was in a predicament by the late 1990s, when his acting boss, Jake Amiri, died of stomach cancer. He did a little re-structuring of the family. He organized a 'panel' of the most trusted mobsters, from the 50 or so active members, to make decisions and act in the same capacity as a boss would.
The panel infuriated long time member Charles Majuri. Majuri had been a hardworking member of the family, since his early teens. He had been arrested for larceny, gambling and illegal bookmaking, amongst other offences, and felt he was wronged when he wasn't selected for the panel. Vincent Palermo and Giralomo 'Jimmy' Palermo (the two were not relatives) had, however, been appointed as members of the 'panel'. Majuri decided that he should murder Vincent and Jimmy Palermo, leaving him in charge of the panel, and by extension, the family. He asked Jimmy Gallo to murder Vincent Palermo. Sensing his loyalties weren't to lie with Majuri, Gallo told Vincent Palermo. Image:CharlesMajuri3. ...
Palermo wanted to murder Majuri, to ensure that he wasn't murdered himself by the unstable Majuri. He made a plan to cover his own tracks, because it would be in violation of Omerta to murder Majuri without permission. Palermo was privy to the information that Majuri controlled a Union in New Jersey and had been removing mobsters from its payroll and taking their money; this, of course, made him a great many enemies. So Vincent sent Joe Masella and two vicious DeCavalcante Soldiers, Anthony Capo and Jimmy Gallo, to stake-out Majuri and then murder him. The omertà (Sicilian for manliness) is the vow of silence taken by members of the Italian Mafia. ...
The three hitmen waited for the right moment, but were boxed in and felt the environment for making the 'hit' wasn't certain enough; they then left. Joe Masella reported to Vincent, who was hiding in Florida, that the murder attempt had failed. Vincent decided that, perhaps, Majuri didn't pose a big enough threat to be murdered and he was let go.
The Fred Weiss Murder Fred Weiss was a former journalist and real-estate developer, but he longed to be a 'wiseguy' and began to associate with some known mobsters from the Gambino and DeCavalcante families.
Weiss was noted for his chronically poor choice of business partners. He selected Angelo Puccione and Anthony Vulpis, two Gambino thugs. They ended up buying an abandoned railroad in Staten Island and by the end of a massive investigation into medical waste they were dumping in parts of Arlington, Staten Island, tons of medical waste, including body parts from a nearby hospital and they had dangerously infected some of the local population.
The DeCavalcante family became involved in killing Fred Wiess in June of 1989 when he was convicted of numerous crimes, which could have put him in jail for decades. With Wiess's knowledge of Gambino boss John Gotti and his family's secrets, Gotti worried that Wiess couldn't handle the thought of years behind bars. Gotti decided that Wiess should be murdered before he could trade evidence against the Gambino family to prosecutors in exchange for an early release.
Gotti explained to the DeCavalcante's that Weiss was more their associate than anyone else's and so it was their job to murder him. The DeCavalcantes were more than happy to please the powerful Gotti, so three American sedans (filled with DeCavalante mobsters), with stolen license plates, drove to a Condo in Staten Island at 7.30 a.m. on September 11th 1989. The men inside blocked off the entrance to the Condos, so that no police could save the target of the assassination. As Fred Weiss left the Condo of his girlfriend he was oblivious of the Sedans. He climbed into his car and Jimmy Gallo and Vincent Palermo shot him repeatedly, killing him instantly. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The DeCavalcante boss John Riggi had delegated responsibility to Capo, Anthony Rotonodo, who had told Vincent Palermo to carry out the murder. This murder earned the often mocked DeCavalcante family underworld respect.
Ralph Guarino, The Informant In 1998 failing DeCavalcante associate, Ralph Guarino, spoke to a friend, Salvatore Calciano, who worked at the World Trade Centers, about the possibility of robbing the Bank of America.
The Bank of America Brinks van which brought millions to the WTC every day was ambushed by three drug-addicted thieves, Richard Gillette, Melvin Folk and Michael Reed. They made off with $1.6 million.
In the aftermath of the Bank of America Robbery all 3 of the robbers were caught and in the end Guarino decided to become an FBI informant, on the DeCavalcante family, instead of spending 20 years, or longer, in prison. The current version of this article or section is written in an informal style and with a personally invested tone. ...
He became an informant and during his time as an informant Joe Masella was gunned down and he was offered the chance to become a made man. For the 2006 computer game, see Made Man (computer game). ...
Undercover Investigation The family began to crumble when Ralph Guarino became an FBI informant and the FBI began hearing about murder after murder, as well as innumerable cases of probable cause relating to other crimes. Joe Masella had been murdered, very few in the family knew who had killed him, or why. They knew that he had gambling debts, but didn't believe that was the reason for the murder. In United States criminal law, probable cause refers to the standard by which a police officer may make an arrest, conduct a personal or property search or obtain a warrant. ...
Wiggles, a strip club, to which Vinny Palermo acted as a silent partner, was under constant public disapproval and very little was going well by the end of 1998.
There was a plan to murder Frank D'Amato, initiated by Vinny Palermo, and what was worse; Ralph Guarino had it all on tape. The FBI could pounce and implicate most of the DeCavalcante family on one or two offenses.
On December 2nd 1999 there was a massive attack, launched by the FBI, in which they aimed to arrest 40 members of the DeCavalcante family, which had an estimated 70 active members by that point.
They arrested Vinny Palermo, in connection with the attempted murder of Frank D'Amato, Charles Majuri and a whole host of other offences. They arrested Joey 'Tin Ear' Scalfani, a member of the DeCavalcante family who had been heard, on FBI tape, saying that he was going to make a robbery and unintentionally admitting to innumerable other offences, threatening to murder any police informant, without hesitation. Westley Paloscio, a bookmaker, was charged, along with four others, for Conspiracy to murder Joe Masella. Numerous arrests were made when Bonnano associate, and informant, Jeffrey Pokross revealed a 'pump-and-dump' scam being run by the Bonnano family from DMN Capital Investment, in which a dozen mobsters persuaded Senior Citizens to buy worthless stocks and shares. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Old age consists of ages nearing the average lifespan of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle. ...
Spes or Hope; engraving by Sebald Beham, German c1540 The stocks are a device used since medieval times for public humiliation, corporal punishment, and torture. ...
See stock (disambiguation) for other meanings of the term stock A stock, also referred to as a share, is commonly a share of ownership in a corporation. ...
The entire family collapsed when John Riggi, who was hoping to be released in 2003, was indicted and given a lengthy sentence, Vinny Palermo decided to become a Government Witness and both he and his family were entered into the Witness Protection Program. Anthony Capo, a reputed hitman, even became an informant, giving out information about Vinny Palermo planning to murder Frank D'Amato in Florida and he told the authorities about how Vinny Palermo, in person, had shot to death Real-Estate Developer, Fred Weiss, in 1989. In the United States, the Witness Protection Program (also known as WITSEC) is established by the Witness Protection Act, which in turn sets out the manner in which the U.S. Attorney General may provide for the relocation and protection of a witness or potential witness of the federal government...
By the end of Anthony Capo's testimony Vinny Palermo knew he had to become an informant, he had been implicated in murdering Fred Wiess, ordering the murder of John D'Amato, Frank D'Amato (although this never actually happened) and Charles Majuri (which also never happened). With these mounting charges Vinny Palermo had to consider the possibility that with Rudolph Giuliani, New York's tough, anti-crime Mayor, he might face the death penalty. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ...
For perhaps the first time in his life Vinny Palermo was perfectly honest, he confessed to killing Fred Weiss, he confessed to murdering Lou LaRossa, he admitted to planning to kill Frank D'Amato and Charles 'Big Ears' Majuri and he said that he had ordered Anthony Capo to murder John D'Amato. He admitted to a plot to murder Tom Salvata, the manager at his strip-club, 'Wiggles'. He talked about everything and every crime committed by a DeCavalcante member or associate since he became a made-man in 1965. His family entered the witness protection program. He neglected, however, to tell prosecutors about $1 million in brown paper bag money that he had given his son, Michael Palermo, and thus Vinny Palermo's agreement with the government is in some doubt. For the 2006 computer game, see Made Man (computer game). ...
Thanks to the shocking testimonies of Anthony Capo, Vinny Palermo and the information gained via Ralph Guarino the FBI arrested Riggi, who was already in jail, they also arrested Frank Polizzi (Capo), Jimmy Palermo (Capo), Charles Majuri (Capo) and Stefano Vitabile (alleged Consigliere).
The family crumbled and the FBI arrested and federal prosecutors scored convictions against almost every member of the family, John Riggi has only left his prison to have a short viewing of his wife's coffin when she died of cancer. United States Attorneys (also known as federal prosecutors) represent the U.S. federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. ...
Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ...
New Boss and Regrouping In 2006 "acting" boss Joseph Miranda stepped down and the family appointed 51 year old Sicilian-born Francesco "Frank" Gauracci. Gauracci, known as a low-profile member of the family, is a construction foreman by trade and has been rising in the unions for a long time. The Ribera Social Club where family members hang out has been run by Gauracci since 1989 when he was formerly inducted into the family. The prospect of the family strength seems good as Joseph Miranda has recently inducted 12 new members to a 60 member crime family and has regained respect in Cosa Nostra.[1]
Bosses of the DeCavalcante crime family - 1931–1955 — Stefano "Steve" Bedami (stabbed to death on March 31, 1955)
- 1955–1957 — Filippo "Phil" Amari (stepped down May 14, 1957, fled to Italy after his own family members deposed him)
- 1957–1964 — Nicholas "Nick" Delmore (semi-retired 1962, died February 2, 1964)
- 1962–1964 — Simone "Sam The Plumber" DeCavalcante (acting boss)
- 1964–1982 — Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante (jailed 1971-76, semi-retired and moved to Florida in 1978, officially retired 1982, became senior advisor, died June 7, 1997)
- 1972–1974 — Francesco "Frank" Polizzi (acting boss)
- 1975–1982 — Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi (acting boss)
- 1982–Present — Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi (jailed since 1990)
- 1990–1992 — John "Johnny Boy" D'Amato (acting boss, killed sometime in 1992)
- 1990–1992 — Ruling Committee/Panel, John "Johnny Boy" D'Amato, Emmanuel Riggi Jr., Paul Farina
- 1992–1997 — Giacomo "Jake" Amari (acting boss, ruling committee/panel was formed in early 1997 to assist Amari, died June 14, 1997)
- 1997–2000 — Ruling Committee/Panel, Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, Girolamo "Jimmy" Palermo, Charles "Big Ears" Majuri (disbanded due to the major indictment of the crime family leadership on October 19, 2000)
- 1997–2000 — Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo (acting boss, jailed Dec. 1999, defected 2001)
- 2000–2003 — Girolamo "Jimmy" Palermo (acting boss, indicted October 2000, under house arrest, jailed 2003)
- 2003–2006 — Joseph "The Old Man" Miranda (acting boss, stepped down)
- 2006–present — Francesco "Frank" Gauracci (acting boss)
- 2007–present — Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi (boss, due out of prison in 2010), Francesco "Frank" Gauracci (acting boss), Joseph "The Old Man" Miranda (underboss), Stefano "Steve the Truck Driver" Vitabile (consigliere, imprisoned for life in 2000) (present family regime)
Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante (April 30, 1913 – June 7, 1997) , known as Sam the Plumber, was a member of the New Jersey mafia. ...
Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante (April 30, 1913 – June 7, 1997) , known as Sam the Plumber, was a member of the New Jersey mafia. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Image:CharlesMajuri3. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Other members - Stefano "The Truckdriver" Vitabile, Consigliere
- Frank Polizzi, Boss
- William "Willy Quack" Quattrocchi, Capo (Hoboken N.J.
- Daniel "Danny" Noto, Capo
- Anthony Rotondo, Capo
- Frank Majuri, Underboss
- Vincent "Jimmy" Rotondo, Underboss
- Vincent "Vinnie" Ingranio, Underboss
- Salvatore "Sam" Monaco, Underboss
- Joseph "Peppe" LaSelva, Underboss (Connecticut)
- Luigi "Louie" Russo, Consigliere
- Vincenzo Troia, Consigliere
- Philip "Phil" Abramo, capo
- Rudolph "Rudy" Ferrone, capo
- Joseph Coletti, capo
- Joseph "Joe" Sferra, capo
- Michael "Mikey" Puglio, capo (Connecticut)
- Louis "Fat Louie" LaRasso, capo/Underboss
- Daniel "Danny" Annunziata, capo (Staten Island)
- Robert "Bobby Basile" Occhipinti, soldier (Sam DeCavalcante aide)
- Joseph "Joey O" Massella, soldier
- Anthony Capo, soldier
- Vito Quattrocchi, soldier
- John LaMela, soldier (Marlboro, N.Y.)
- Johnny Rizzo, soldier
- Joe "Tin Ear" Sclafani, soldier
- [[Joseph "Joe Bop" Quattrocchi) soldier
- [[Dennis. Quattrocchi], soldier
- [[Paul "Paulie Puba" Quattrocchi], Consigleri, Art dealer, Art thief.
- Gaetano "Corky" Vastola, soldier
- Louis "Louie Eggs" Consalvo, soldier (Manhattan, N.Y.)
- Gregory Rago, soldier (Manhattan, N.Y.)
- Thomas "Tommy" DiTorra, soldier
- Frank "Franky the Beast" Scarabino, capo* [Top Aide to Frank Polizzi Boss]
- Joseph Garofaro, associate
- Fred Weiss, associate (murdered)
- Robert "Bob" Gucciono, associate
- Ralph Guarino, associate (flipped)
- Vincenzo Sorce, associate
- Sal Arena, associate, believed to be homeless or near-homeless down in Tampa, Florida. Was living in a Pentecostal church in Tampa in 2006. ([1]) ([2])
- Steve "Picasso" Lenehan, associate of an associate, driver, wannabe, low-level knockaround guy, wore wire, online poster, internet addict, small-time consumer fraudster, Underboss of Real Deal internet family ([3]) ([4]) ([5]) ([6])
Gaetano Vastola is a defender for Ascoli Calcio 1898. ...
Stool Pigeons/Flipped/Ratted Out - Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, Acting Boss
- Anthony Rotondo, capo
- Anthony Capo, soldier
- Ralph Guarino, associate
- Steve "Picasso" Lenehan, associate of an associate, driver, wannabe, low-level knockaround guy, wore wire, online poster, internet addict, small-time consumer fraudster, Underboss of Real Deal internet family ([7]) ([8]) ([9]) ([10])
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Trivia - Approximately one of every six members of this family flipped/became a stool pigeon during the late 1990s/early 2000s.
- Michael Palermo, son of one-time Acting Boss Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, once worked at Goldman Sachs as a stockbroker.
- Steve Lenehan posts as "Picasso" on mafia internet chat boards, and is Underboss of the Real Deal forum. It is also known that Steve still associates with Salvatore "Homeless Sal" Arena in the Brandon/Tampa area. ([11]) ([12]) ([13]) ([14]) ([15]) ([16])
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ...
Further reading - Jacobs, James B. Busting the Mob: The United States Vs. Cosa Nostra. New York: NYU Press, 1994. ISBN 0-8147-4230-0
- Jacobs, James B., Coleen Friel and Robert Radick. Gotham Unbound: How New York City Was Liberated from the Grip of Organized Crime. New York: NYU Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8147-4247-5
- Goldstock, Ronald, Martin Marcus and II Thacher. 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, 1990. ISBN 0-8147-3034-5
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Organized Crime in America: Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate. Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O., 1983. [17]
References - ^ Troncone, Tom. "N.J. Mafia family gets new boss", The Record, 2006-06-19, p. A1.
- Smith, Greg B. (2003). Made Men: The True Rise-and-Fall Story of a New Jersey Mob Family. Berkley Books. ISBN 0-425-18551-6.
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Berkley Books is a paperback imprint of Penguin Group (USA). ...
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