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| Joseph (1967) and Angelo (1965) |
Joseph 'Joe Beck' Lapi (1910-1980) and his son Angelo 'Vic' Lapi (1932-2011) were members of the Genovese Family.
Joseph was born September 13, 1910 at 239 Mulberry St in Little Italy, Manhattan to Angelo (24y) and Maria LaVecchia (21y). Father and mother from the Palermo comunes of Scillato and Gratteri respectively.
In October 1931 Joseph's father was found beaten and stabbed to death at his in-law Salvatore Latona's undertaking business, where he had been working as night watchman.
In January 1936 Joseph Lapi began serving a nine-to-eighteen year sentence at Sing Sing Prison for armed robbery. Co-defendants included Joseph 'Joe Curley' Agone.
By the late 1950s Lapi and Agone were both formally inducted Genovese members in the Lower Manhattan crew headed by Vincenzo 'Jimmy Alto' Altomari.
Following Altomari's death in 1964, Lapi reported to Rosario 'Saro' Mogavero.
A 1966 heroin conviction resulted in a seven-and-one-half year Federal prison sentence for Joseph Lapi. During the period of his legal troubles and subsequent incarceration, his son Angelo became actively involved in the Bonanno Family conflict.
Rosario Mogavero died January 1973. By the end of that year Lapi was identified as his successor.
From a social club at 20 Monroe St, he supervised a crew that included Joseph Agone, Philip 'Philly Katz' Albanese, Joseph Calabro, Albert DiStefano, George Filippone, Louis 'Louie Healthy' Gaccione, Salvatore 'Salvie' Gencarelli, Vincent Mauro and Saro's brother Joseph Mogavero.
He sponsored at least two individuals for membership during the initial phase of inductions in early 1976. The candidates' names are redacted in the FBI report containing the information, however, some identifying details remain. One operated a laundromat at Mulberry and Kenmare Sts, while the other was connected to Zito's Butcher Shop at 162 Mott St, both Little Italy locations.
In November 1977 an FBI member source identified Joseph Zito (1936-2020), owner of Ruggerio's Restaurant on Grand St, as having been 'recently made' under Lapi's sponsorship. An FBI membership list from 1977 notes that Zito was inducted the previous year; he may have been one of the two candidates from early 1976 and the information was late in reaching this particular source.
Angelo Lapi was made around mid-1978, likely under his father's sponsorship as well.
Joseph Lapi died October 29, 1980 and was succeeded as Captain by Louis Gaccione.
In the early 1980s Angelo was identified by an informant as partners with an unnamed Lapi / Gaccione crew member in Cappuccino on the Bay, a restaurant located on Emmons Ave in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Little else is available on his LCN involvement. He died September 2011.
