Colombo Family Induction Ceremony (February 1977)

On or around February 26-28, 1977 the Colombo Family inducted five new members. This was the first ceremony held since an intra-Family dispute ended in large-scale reorganization.

Brief bios of those inducted:

1. John Matera (44y)

Known as 'Johnny Irish', Matera grew up in Little Italy, Manhattan but moved to Brooklyn and later Queens after serving in the Korean War. By the mid-to-late 1960s he was committing armed robberies as part of a crew under John Franzese. Convictions in Florida and New York resulted in multiple local and Federal prison terms.

Released from Florida State Prison in April 1976 he soon became close with Colombo Boss Thomas DiBella. Later named as on-scene participant in the October 5, 1976 murder of Colombo Soldier John 'Mooney' Cutrone, shot to death inside Danny's Luncheonette at 202 Ave M in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The murder was ordered by DiBella and carried out by Colombo Soldier Salvatore Albanese and Associate Hugh 'Apples' McIntosh.

Matera was personally sponsored by Thomas DiBella and reported to him directly until approximately Summer 1978. Around that time he was made Captain overseeing Family interests in Florida. The position had been vacant since the demotion of James Clemenza circa January 1977.

In July 1981 Matera disappeared. Multiple CIs reported he was killed on orders of Boss Carmine Persico, recent successor to Matera's sponsor DiBella. Anthony Induisi was subsequently appointed the new Florida captain.

2. Frank Melli (35y)

Known as Beansy, Melli was part of a large crew of bank burglars and hitmen loyal to former Captain Dominick Scialo. After Scialo's murder the majority of his former associates, Melli included, were placed with Charles Panarella. Melli was sponsored for membership by Panarella and continued reporting to him until the latter's demotion around late Summer 1980. Melli was put direct with Carmine Persico, then the Underboss but soon to replace Thomas DiBella as Family head.

Through the 1980s he operated a social club at 170 Ave T in Gravesend, where many LCN members, suspected drug dealers and former burglary crew associates congregated. One of eleven defendants in a 1984 indictment targeting the Colombo Family leadership, Melli initially stood trial with the others but was severed following a heart attack. He died June 1987.

3. Alphonse Persico (23y)

Source: Gang Land News

Son to Carmine Persico. He was sponsored for membership by his uncle Alphonse aka 'Allie Boy'. One of several newly inducted members who reported direct to Boss Thomas DiBella. Made a captain around May 1981. By 1999 Alphonse acted as Family Boss on behalf of his incarcerated father. Not long afterwards he was imprisoned as well and subsequently convicted on additional Federal racketeering charges. Currently serving life sentence at FCI McKean, Pennsylvania.

4. Philip Rossillo (34y)

Known as Chubby, Rossillo was born in Sunset Park, Brooklyn to parents from mainland Italy. Later described as a bodyguard for Family Boss Joseph Colombo. He is highly suspected of being the individual who killed Jerome Johnson immediately after Johnson shot and seriously wounded Colombo at the June 1971 IACRL rally. Following the incident Rossillo remained part of a crew around Colombo's sons. By the mid-1970s he had aligned with the dominant Persico faction of the Family and was sponsored for membership by Consigliere Alphonse Persico. Following induction his captain was Persico loyalist Gennaro 'Jerry Lang' Langella.

Rossillo was identified as a participant in the September 1980 attempted murder of Samuel 'Sammy the Syrian' Zahralban, former Gallo crew associate wounded by a shotgun blast outside his residence in Bay Ridge. CI information claimed the shooting was the result of a feud between Langella and an outlaw group headed by Zahralban.

In 1985 Rossillo, the Colombo sons and several of their associates were indicted on Federal racketeering charges. Rossillo and many co-defendants entered guilty pleas. Released after serving approximately eight years and died April 1998.

5. Joseph Tomasello (44y)

Known as Joe T., born in Gravesend, Brooklyn to Antonino Tomasello and Anna Parisi Tomasello. Father believed from Messina, Sicily. Active associate with Gravesend and Bensonhurst area Colombos by the 1960s. CW Carmine Sessa later reported that when Colombo member Gregory Scarpa was (correctly) suspected of being an informant, Tomasello approached Scarpa and suggested he 'go out and do a piece of work' to put an end to the rumors.

By the 1970s Tomasello held employment with Colonial Bus Service owned by Lawrence Lampasi Jr. At the time Lampasi was a Soldier in the crew headed by Vincent 'Vinny Sicilian' Gugliaro. Although recently demoted at the time of Tomasello's induction, Gugliaro acted as sponsor.

Initially one of several newly inducted members who reported direct to Boss Thomas DiBella, around August 1980 Tomasello was made Captain over a newly formed crew and helped run the Family for a brief period in following years. Around Summer 1988 he was demoted to Soldier and assigned to Joseph Russo.

Following a May 1992 Federal racketeering indictment he became a fugitive and remained on the lam until July 1998, when tracked down and apprehended in the Catskills, New York. Convicted at trial and released from prison in 2005. Died November 2016 in Florida.

Bio: Paul SanFilippo

Paul 'Whitey' SanFilippo was a member of the Gambino Family.

Born May 18, 1917 in Bath Beach, Brooklyn to Joseph SanFilippo (24y) and Jennie Abrams SanFilippo (23y).

His father, a shoemaker from Sciacca in Agrigento, was also a made member with the Gambinos. Many years later an FBI CI reported the following: "[Paul SanFilippo] is the son of an old Italian don of the original Mafia group in the US and a 'Consulieri of Judgement' and was considered to be a very fair and honorable man." Wording suggests the elder SanFilippo may have held an administrative spot at one point, or was at least a member of some influence.

Paul grew up in the neighborhoods of Bath Beach and New Utrecht, and by the 1940s operated Whitey's Cafe at 1183 49th St in Borough Park. This business would last until shortly before his father's death in 1960.

On August 27, 1955 his sister Lillian married Mario 'Red' Traina in Bensonhurst. A Gambino Soldier and son to Captain Giuseppe Traina, Mario sponsored his brother-in-law for membership into the Gambino Family around the same year.

As an FBI member source noted later, SanFilippo was unique in that only his father was Italian. One of the conditions for LCN membership, particularly in the pre-1970s era, was that both the father and the mother must be Italian. For some reason, possibly the Traina connection, this requirement was waived for SanFilippo. The member source noted this was the only exception to the rule that he knew of.

By Spring 1959 SanFilippo opened the Intermission Cafe at 5108 New Utrecht Ave. This location served as a meeting place for LCN members from multiple Families through the next decade.

Both Paul SanFilippo and Mario Traina first came to the attention of the FBI around January 1963. CI Alfred Santantonio, also a Gambino Soldier, identified Mario's father as a Captain with approximately forty men underneath him, among them Mario and someone initially described only as 'Whitey'. Neither man had a criminal record and they remained fairly obscure even after being identified.

All of the known Traina crew members from the time period were Sicilian. The majority traced their origins to Palermo, either the city itself (Amato) or neighboring communes Marineo (the LiCastris), Torretta (the Manninos) or, like Traina, Belmonte Mezzagno (Giallombardo).

Non-Palermitani who reported to Traina included the Giardinas from Mussomeli in Caltanissetta, the SanFilippos from Sciacca and Vincent 'Jimmy' Sarullo, as yet the only known New York based member from Ribera not with the DeCavalcantes.

Through the 1960s Paul SanFilippo continued to operate the Intermission Cafe. He was never arrested, nor was any solid information received linking him to specific criminal activity. He died of natural causes March 23, 1969 in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Wake held at the Gambino-linked Cusimano and Russo Funeral Home in Gravesend, after which he was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens.

Mario Traina had more or less succeeded his ailing father as Captain by the time of SanFilippo's death. The following year, along with crew member Vincent Sarullo, Traina was reportedly maneuvering to gain control of his former brother-in-law's cafe.

Bonanno Family Ceremonies (1970s)

The Bonannos were the last of the New York Families to have a member turn cooperating witness. Several made members acted as confidential informants at various times going back to the 1960s, but it wasn't until October 2002 that a formally inducted member, Capodecina Frank Coppa, officially defected to the government. Twelve more members, including official Boss Joseph Massino, turned CW through the next five years.

Following are brief descriptions, in chronological order, of the cooperators' inductions from the 1970s. Also listed are confirmed inductions obtained from these CWs and/or from contemporary informant reports. Of particular note is that, in cases where specifics are available, the ceremonies were handled in a manner very similar to the so-called unorthodox methods practiced by the DeCavalcantes.

Note: Dates for the non-CW involved ceremonies are approximate and usually indicate when news of the induction was first reported to LE, not necessarily when the ceremony itself took place. It's possible some names listed separately were made together and news of their membership got out at different times.

===

January 12, 1976

- "[CI] advised that all LCN 'Families' in New York have been given permission to initiate ten (10) new members into each Family. Source stated that Carlo Gambino had been against such a move; however, he has been persuaded to go along with the initiation...Source stated that the initiations could happen any day in the near future. Source advised each Family is receiving an equal number of new members so that the already unequal membership in the Families will not be thrown farther out of proportion."

===

c. Late January / Early February 1976

Books open. Each Family initially allowed ten new members. Those inducted in Bonanno's first wave included:

- Anthony 'Bims' Bonacci (45y) [Died 2001]
- James 'Jimmy Legs' Episcopia (47y) [Died 1997]
- Alfonse 'Sonny Red' Indelicato (49y) [Murdered 1981]
- Dominick 'Sonny Black' Napolitano (46y) [Murdered 1981]

L to R: Episcopia, Bonacci, Indelicato, Napolitano

===

February 9, 1976

- "...[CI] continued that no party has been held as yet for the new members in LCN but that a party will be held for new members in the near future."

===

c. March 1976
- William 'Cappy' Capparelli (41y) [Died 2011]
- Anthony 'Bruno' Indelicato (29y)

The above information was obtained by the DEA and forwarded to the FBI.

===

May 14, 1976

- "[CI] advised the ban on introducing newly made members to members of other Families has been lifted."

===

Early June 1976
- Frank Lupo (50y) [Died 1983]
- Anthony Mirra (49y) [Murdered 1982]

L to R: Lupo, Mirra

===

June 8, 1976

- "[CI] advised the LCN membership books continue to be open. He mentioned the original plan was to make only ten new members per Family. However, the larger Families complained this number is too few and favored the smaller Families."

===

June 30, 1976

- "[CI] advised he has heard there will be a meeting of representatives of LCN Families in Miami, Florida in the near future to discuss 'opening the books' for further LCN induction. [CI] advised there are an estimated 150 proposed members awaiting induction into the LCN, many having been proposed for a number of years. [CI] noted, however, that no proposed member over age fifty will be inducted. [CI] advised he does not expect the Miami meeting to occur within the next ten days, because he has heard Sam DeCavalcante who will be a representative at that meeting is presently hospitalized in the Miami area."

===

July 1, 1976

- "[CI] advised there were no 'geeps' (ie foreign born Italians) made in the recent induction of members into the NY LCN Families."

===

September 14, 1976

- "When new members are 'made' or intra-Family transfers are effected, either the Boss or Underboss must personally oversee such an occasion and make the formal introduction to the respective captains."

===

c. Fall 1976
- Alfred 'Al Walker' Embarrato (67y) [Died 2001] [Note: Date induction first reported; given age and close association to leadership may have been part of first wave]

Embarrato (1970)

Note: Mirra may have been inducted around this time. The FBI received conflicting dates from informants.

===

1976 (Confirmed Inducted by 1977)
- William Riviello (45y) [Died 2014] [As an associate CW D'Amico worked in Riviello's numbers office and knew him to be a made member]

Riviello (June 1977)

===

March 3, 1977

- "[CI] advised each of the five NY LCN Families have been given authorization to initiate ten new members, and each of the NY Families have already prepared a list of those individuals to be 'made' in the immediate future."

===

May 20, 1977

- "CI advised despite popular belief that only full-blooded Italians are admitted to LCN membership, many members have mothers who may be only part Italian. He noted, however, if a proposed member's father is not Italian, he would be barred from membership, since an Italian name is an absolute requirement."

===

June 14, 1977

Location: Bar (Queens)

Attendees
- Carmine Galante (67y) (Acting Boss) [Murdered 1979]
- Nicholas Marangello (64y) (Underboss) [Died 2000]
- Stefano Cannone (64y) (Consigliere) [Died 1985]

- Alfred 'Al Walker' Embarrato (67y) (Soldier) [Died 2001]

Members Inducted
1. Joseph 'Junior' Chilli (43y) [Died 2008]
2. Emanuel 'Manny' Guaragna (44y) [Died 2008]
3. Joseph 'J.B.' Indelicato (46y)
4. Joseph Massino (34y) [Flipped 2004] [Died 2023]
5. Anthony Spero (48y) [Died 2008]

Notes:

- Ceremony conducted at night in back of bar. Business not closed and other patrons were present at location. In an attempt to deflect suspicion, food was laid out and "Happy Birthday" was played on the jukebox to make it appear the group was assembled for a party.

- Induction through verbal oath only. Massino: "They said, 'Normally, we put a gun and knife on the table. But the way times are, there's no gun and knife on the table. But imagine that it is.'"

L to R: Massino, Chilli, J. Indelicato, Spero

===

c. Mid-1977

Location: Apartment (Brooklyn)

Attendees
- Carmine Galante (67y) (Acting Boss) [Murdered 1979]
- Stefano Cannone (64y) (Consigliere) [Died 1985]

- Angelo 'Moe' Prisinzano (68y) (Captain) [Died 1979]
- Michael Sabella (66y) (Captain) [Died 1988]
- Matteo Valvo (68y) (Captain) [Died 1985]
- Michael Zaffarano (54y) (Captain) [Died 1980]

- Alfred 'Al Walker' Embarrato (67y) (Soldier) [Died 2001]

Members Inducted
1. Baldassare 'Baldo' Amato (26y) [IPL 2006]
2. Cesare Bonventre (26y) [Murdered 1984]
3. Frank Coppa (36y) [Flipped 2002] [Died 2024]
4. John Palazzolo (40y)

Notes:

- The new members were made in pairs, Amato/Bonventre followed by Coppa/Palazzolo.

- Induction through verbal oath only.

L to R: Amato, Bonventre, Coppa

===

c. August 1977
- Vincent Asaro (42y) [Died 2023]
- Gerald 'Jerry' Chilli (43y) [Died 2016]
- Peter Monteleone (50y) [Died 1991]

G. Chilli (Sept. 1977)

===

Pre-September 1977
- Salvatore 'Toto' Catalano (36y)
- Anthony 'T.G.' Graziano (38y) [Died 2019]

Catalano (Sept. 1977)

===

c. August-October 1977
- Anthony 'Fat Anthony' Rabito (43y)

Rabito (Aug. 1977)

- Francesco 'Cheech' Navarra (38y) [Died 2000] [Reported Early 10/77]
- Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggiero (51y) [Died 1994] [Reported Early 10/77]

Ruggiero (Sept. 1977)

Note: Re Anthony Rabito, Massino stated: "I proposed him. Carmine Galante made him." Galante was returned to prison for violating parole on or around October 11, 1977. CW D'Amico also reported that at the time of his own induction later that month, he knew Rabito to already be a made member under Zaffarano.


===

October 31, 1977

Location: Indelicato Apartment Building at 113-117 Elizabeth St (Little Italy, Manhattan)

Attendees
- Nicholas Marangello (65y) (Underboss) [Died 2000]
- Stefano Cannone (64y) (Consigliere) [Died 1985]

- Vito DeFilippo (65y) (Captain) [Died 1985]
- Nicholas DiStefano (64y) (Captain) [Died 1985]
- Salvatore Ferrugia (61y) (Captain) [Died 1992]
- Frank Lupo (52y) (Captain) [Died 1983]
- Matteo Valvo (68y) (Captain) [Died 1985]
- Michael Zaffarano (54y) (Captain) [Died 1980]

- Alfred Embarrato (67y) (Soldier) [Died 2001]
- Emanuel Guaragna (44y) (Soldier) [Died 2008]
- Anthony Mirra (50y) (Soldier) [Murdered 1982]

Members Inducted
1. Joseph Benanti (43y) [Died 2005]
2. Joseph D'Amico (22y) [Flipped 2003]
3. Gabriel Infanti (42y) [Murdered 1987]
4. Frank Lino (40y) [Flipped 2003]
5. Salvatore 'Chubby' Maiorino (52y) [Died 2007]
6. Dominick 'Trin' Trinchera (40y) [Murdered 1981]
- Several others

Notes:

- Induction through verbal oath only:

- Lino: "[They] didn't use no gun or knife because they said things were getting bad with the government; that we would get raided and they would find all those things; so it was done in a different way. [Everybody] would hold hands and they would say something in Italian, meaning that once -- you can't lie and you've got to be truthful in whatever you say."

- D'Amico: "The oath was in Italian, I don't remember it too well..And we held hands at the whole table and we shook our hands up, stood up three times, Nicky [Marangello] said something three times, same words, we shook and then they told me I was baptized again and this was my family."

- Date: Lino remembered the ceremony as having occurred the previous day, his 40th birthday. D'Amico claimed Halloween 1977, a date supported by NYPD surveillance. A large group, among them Anthony Mirra, was observed entering the Indelicato apartment that night.

- Note: An FBI member source reported not long after the ceremony that Joseph 'Pepe' Marino (43y) was one of those made. No mention of this individual has yet turned up in other sources.

L to R: Benanti, D'Amico, Infanti, Lino, Trinchera

===

Pre-1978
- James 'Jimmy' Galante (40y) [CW Massino's Captain for brief period c. 1978]

===

c. March 1978
- Andrew Asaro (50y) [Died 1991]

===

c. Spring 1978
- Pasquale 'Patty Boxcars' Cosoleto (65y) [Died 1994]
- Russell Mauro (40y) [Murdered 1991]

===

April 6, 1978

- "[CI] advised that there has been a delay in new LCN members being made in the NYC area because of the ill health of Joe N. Gallo and 'Vinnie Beans' Foceri, the Consiglieri's of the Gambino and Lucchese Families of LCN."

===

Pre-September 1978
- Salvatore 'Sally Blind' Frascone (42y) [Murdered 9.78]

- Stephen Maruca (49y) [Died 1997] [Sponsored by M. Sabella]

Maruca (1968)

===

c. Late 1978
- Sal Caminito (40y) [Died 2012]
- Salvatore Morale (34y) [Died 2018]

===

Mid-to-Late 1970s (Confirmed Inducted Pre-1979)
- Louis Attanasio (34y)
- Joseph 'Joe Beans' Campanella (40y) [Died 2007]
- Salvatore 'Sally Paintglass' D'Ottavio (47y) [Died 1999]
- John 'Johnny Green' Faraci (56y) [Died 2011]
- John 'Chubby' Galante (45y) [Died 2013]
- James Genna (48y) [Died 1997]
- Santo 'Toni' Giordano (35y) [Died 1983]
- Giovanni Ligammari (39y) [Suicide 1999]
- Ronald Lorenzo (32y)
- Robert 'Bobby Bad Heart' Perrette (48y) [Died 1989]
- Gerlando 'George' Sciascia (44y) [Murdered 1999]
- Giuseppe 'Joe' Turano (47y) [Murdered 1979]

In 1979 the Bonanno Family's books were closed on Commission order. This ban was lifted around 1984. Ceremonies from that decade will be the subject of a future post.

Edit1: Added Robert Perrette.

Edit2: Moved Catalano + Graziano to Pre-September 1977.

Edit3: Added Caminito, Galante.

Edit4: Moved Capparelli to circa March 1976.

Edit5: Moved Maruca to Pre-September 1978 and added photo.

Edit6: Added Bonacci photo.

D'Urso and Aparo (1998)

On November 9, 1998 FBI CI Michael 'Cookie' D'Urso met with Salvatore Aparo in Lower Manhattan. At the time D'Urso was a Genovese Associate on-record with Aparo, who was serving as the Acting Captain for Rosario 'Ross' Gangi. The conversation was recorded by D'Urso, who had been cooperating since June of the same year.

Salvatore Aparo
Source: Gang Land News

Topics of discussion included the crew formerly headed by Matthew 'Matty the Horse' Ianniello and the need for the Genovese Family to replace its deceased members.

Aparo stated Ianniello's crew was split up and led at various times by James Ida, his brother Joseph Ida, and Ciro Perrone.

Matthew Ianniello

L to R: Joseph Ida, James Ida, Ciro Perrone

A brief audio snippet of this conversation is available here.

Below is a mostly accurate, but not perfect, transcription:

===

[Note: (UI) = Unintelligible]

D'Urso: You know who Vito's brother brought up? Ciro [Perrone]. He says, he says, uh, "I was with a guy Ciro my father was friends with from Howard Beach". He said, "I went down there he's got all kinds of antiques and shit." I said that was the guy my, Sammy was telling me about.

Aparo: (UI).

D: I says, you know, tell him, I says --

A: (UI) place.

D: Right. And, uh, said he was a good guy, he was friends uh, with the father --

A: Yeah, Ciro's a good, nice guy.

D: He's with us too?

A: Yeah. Captain.

D: There's so many fuckin guys --

A: Captain.

D: Skipper? All these guys and you never fuckin even know.

A: Yeah they made him a skipper. When they broke it up, Joey Ida and him. They gave him some guys and Joey Ida got some. They made him a skipper.

D: This was recently?

A: Well it was a while back when Jimmy got pinched.

D: Oh, so they, they took over them, then.

A: Yeah. Well --

D: Did Joey and Jimmy get along?

A: Yeah. But that was all Matty the Horse [Ianniello]'s crew. All of that. He was away. Jimmy had a half of it. Then Jimmy got used as part of the Family, Consigliere, whatever it was, you know, so he gave for his brother.

D: Right.

A: Then after when he got in trouble, Matty came back into the picture, and they broke it up, and they gave Ciro some. You know, so I don't know who's with who.

D: Bet you them crews are strong.

A: Well, they're --

D: They have (all their?) guys.

A: Yeah, but --

D: Shouldn't you be able to just replace guys soon as they die?

A: You're supposed to.

D: I mean you don't have to go --

A: You're supposed to. You're supposed to. That was the rule, that was the rule. This way, you always stay with your amount.

D: Right.

A: A guy dies you replace him. That was the rule. But they haven't done it.

===

By the following Spring inductions had resumed, with Aparo's son Vincent among the new members.