Lucchese crime family

Lucchese crime family

Founded	1931
Founding location	New York City, New York
Years active	c. 1920s-present
Territory	Various neighborhoods in New York City and New Jersey
Ethnicity	Made men (full members) are Italian, Italian-American, Sicilian or Sicilian-American. Other ethnicities are employed as "associates."
Membership	120-150 made members, 1,100+ associates.
Criminal activities	Racketeering, assault, bookmaking, burglary, cargo theft, conspiracy, contract killing, counterfeiting, cigarette smuggling, credit card fraud, drug trafficking, extortion, fencing, fraud, illegal gambling, hotel robbery, hijacking, jewelry heist, labor racketeering, point shaving, loansharking, money laundering, murder, robbery and skimming
Allies	Genovese, Gambino, Bonanno and Colombo crime families
Rivals	Various gangs in New York City including their allies

The Lucchese crime family (pronounced Lou-kay-zee) is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra).

The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano Reina serving as boss up until his murder in 1930. It was taken over by Tommy Gagliano during the Castellammarese War, and led by him until his death in 1951. The family under Gagliano was peaceful and low key, concentrating their criminal actives in the Bronx, Manhattan and New Jersey. The next boss was Tommy Lucchese, who turned the family around to became one of the most powerful families to sit on the Commission. Lucchese teamed up with Gambino crime family boss Carlo Gambino to control organized crime in New York City. When Lucchese died of natural causes in 1967, Carmine Tramunti controlled the family for a brief time; he was arrested in 1973. Anthony Corallo then gained control of the family. Corallo was very secretive and soon became one of the most powerful members of the Commission. He was arrested and tried in the famous Commission case of 1986.

For most of its history, the Lucchese family was reckoned as one of the most peaceful crime families in the nation. However, that changed when Corallo decided to put Victor Amuso in charge of the family. Amuso later promoted one of his longtime partners, Anthony Casso to underboss. They instituted one of the bloodiest reigns in Mafia history, ordering virtually anyone who crossed them to be murdered. Amuso was arrested in 1991 and sentenced to life in prison. Several Lucchese wiseguys, fearing for their lives, turned informant. The highest-profile of these was acting boss Alphonse D'Arco, who became the first boss of a New York crime family to testify against the mob. This led to the arrest of the entire Lucchese family hierarchy, with Casso also becoming an informant. Testimony from these informants nearly destroyed the family, though Amuso continued to rule from prison until 2012. The current official boss is Steven Crea.

History

Early history

The early history of the Lucchese crime family can be traced to members of the Morello gang based in East Harlem and the Bronx. Gaetano "Tommy" Reina would leave the Morello's around the time of World War I and created his own family based in East Harlem and the Bronx. As the family's leader, Reina avoided the Mafia-Cammora War for control over New York City. He instead focused on controlling the home ice distribution business throughout New York City. During the early 1920s, Reina became a powerful prohibition era boss and aligned himself with Joseph Masseria, the most powerful Italian-American crime boss in New York. Masseria soon became involved in the Castellammarese War, a vicious gang war with rival Sicilian boss Salvatore Maranzano. At this point, Masseria started demanding a share of Reina's criminal profits, prompting Reina to consider changing allegiance to Maranzano. When Masseria learned of Reina's possible betrayal, he plotted with Reina lieutenant Tommy Gagliano to kill him. On February 26, 1930, gunman Vito Genovese murdered Reina outside his aunt's apartment. With Reina dead, Masseria bypassed Gagliano, who expected to take control of the Reina gang, and installed his underling Joseph "Fat Joe" Pinzolo as boss. Furious with this betrayal, Gagliano and Tommy Lucchese secretly defected to Maranzano. In September 1930, Lucchese lured Pinzolo to a Manhattan office building, where Pinzolo was murdered.

The Two Tommies

With Masseria's murder in early 1931, Maranzano won the Castellammarese War. He then outlined a peace plan to all the Sicilian and Italian Mafia leaders in the United States. There would be 24 organizations (to be known as "families") throughout the country who would elect their own bosses. Maranzano also reorganized all the Italian-American gangs in New York City into five New York families to be headed by Maranzano, Lucky Luciano, Vincent Mangano, Tommy Gagliano and Joseph Profaci. Gagliano was awarded the old Reina organization, with Lucchese as his underboss and Stefano Rondelli as his consigliere. The final element of Maranzano's peace plan was that he would become the supreme leader of all the families, the Boss of all Bosses. However, Luciano and other mob members did not want another top leader. When Maranzano learned about Luciano's disaffection, he hired a gunman to kill him. However, in September 1931 Luciano struck first. Several Jewish assassins provided by Luciano associate Meyer Lansky murdered Maranzano in his office. Luciano now became the most powerful mobster in New York.

Luciano kept the family structure as created by Maranzano, but removed the Boss of Bosses in favor of a ruling body, The Commission. The Commission's responsibility was to regulate the families' affairs and resolve all differences between the families. The first Commission members included Luciano family boss Luciano as head of the Commission, Mangano family boss Vincent Mangano, Gagliano family boss Tommy Gagliano, Profaci family boss Joseph Profaci, Chicago Outfit boss Al "Scarface" Capone, and Bonanno family boss Joseph Bonanno. Although the Commission was technically a democratic institution, it was actually controlled by Luciano and his allies.

During the 1930s and 1940s, Gagliano and Lucchese led their family into profitable areas of the trucking and clothing industries. When Luciano was sent to prison for pandering in 1936, a rival alliance took control of the Commission. The alliance of Mangano, Bonanno, Buffalo crime family boss Stefano Magaddino, and Profaci used their power to control organized crime in America. Understanding his vulnerability, Gagliano was careful to avoid opposing this new alliance. Gagliano was a quiet man who avoided the media and stayed off the streets. He preferred to pass his orders to the family though Lucchese and a few other close allies. In contrast, Lucchese was the public face of the family who carried out Gagliano's orders. In 1946, Lucchese attended the Cosa Nostra Havana Conference in Cuba on behalf of Gagliano. Gagliano remained the hidden boss of the family until his death in 1951 or 1953.

Lucchese era

Boss Tommy Lucchese, during a July 1958 government hearing in Washington, DC

After Gagliano's death in 1951, Lucchese became family boss and appointed Vincenzo Rao as his Consigliere and Stefano LaSalle as his Underboss. Lucchese continued with Gagliano's policies, making the now Lucchese family one of the most profitable in New York. Lucchese established control over Teamsters union locals, workers' co-operatives and trade associations, and rackets at the new Idlewild Airport. Lucchese also expanded family rackets in Manhattan's Garment District and in related trucking industry around New York City. Lucchese built close relations with many powerful New York politicians, including Mayors William O'Dwyer and Vincent Impellitteri and members of the judiciary, who aided the family on numerous occasions. Throughout his regime, Lucchese kept a low profile for which he became lauded in Mafia circles. Remembering how the Mustache Petes treated their soldati like mere commodities, he saw to it that his men were well taken care of.

When Lucchese became boss, he helped Vito Genovese and Carlo Gambino in their fights to take control of their families. By 1962, Lucchese and Gambino controlled the Commission. Together they backed the Gallo crew from the rival Profaci family in its war with their boss Joe Profaci. Gambino and Lucchese saw the war as a way to take over rackets from the distracted Profaci's. After uncovering a plot by Joe Bonanno to assassinate them, Lucchese and Gambino used the Commission to strip Bonanno of his role as boss. This power play started a war within the Bonanno family and served to strengthen both the Lucchese and Gambino families.

Lucchese led a quiet, stable life until his death from a brain tumor on July 13, 1967. At the time of his death, he had not spent a day in jail in 44 years. Lucchese left his family in a very powerful position in New York City. The Lucchese family had a stronghold in East Harlem, the Bronx and consisted of about 200 made members. Lucchese intended for longtime capo Anthony Corallo to succeed him. However, since he was imprisoned at the time, he named another longtime capo, Carmine Tramunti, as acting boss until Corallo's release.

Tramunti and the French Connection

At the time of his appointment as temporary boss, Carmine "Mr. Gribbs" Tramunti was almost 70 years old and in ill health. With boss-in-waiting Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo in prison, Tramunti was expected to hold power until Corallo's release. Tramunti faced a number of criminal charges during his time as acting boss and was eventually convicted of financing a large heroin smuggling operation, the infamous French Connection. This scheme was responsible for distributing millions of dollars in heroin along the East Coast during the early seventies.

Before the French Connection trial, the seized heroin was stored in the NYPD property/evidence storage room pending trial. In a brazen scheme, criminals stole hundreds of kilograms of heroin worth $70 million from the room and replaced them with bags of flour. Officers discovered the theft when they noticed insects eating the so-called heroin. The scope and depth of this scheme is still unknown, but officials suspect the thieves had assistance from corrupt NYPD officers. Certain plotters received jail sentences, including Vincent Papa (he was later assassinated in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia). In 1974, after Tramunti's incarceration, Corallo finally took charge of the family.

Corallo and the Jaguar

FBI mugshot of Anthony Corallo

After Tramunti's incarceration in 1974, Anthony Corallo finally took control of the Lucchese family. Corallo came from the Queens faction of the family. Known as "Tony Ducks" from his ease at 'ducking' criminal convictions, Corallo was a boss squarely in Lucchese's mold. Corallo had been heavily involved in labor racketeering and worked closely with Jimmy Hoffa, the Teamsters president, during the 1940s and 1950s. Corallo also enjoyed close ties to the Painters and Decorators Union', the Conduit Workers Union, and the United Textile Workers Union. Corrallo appointed Salvatore "Tom Mix" Santoro as the Underboss and supervisor of all labor and construction racketeering operations in New York, and Christopher "Christie Tick" Furnari as the reputed Consigliere. The family prospered under Corallo's leadership, particularly in narcotics trafficking, labor racketeering, and major illegal gambling.

Corallo never discussed business during sit-downs, fearing that the FBI was monitoring the conversations. Instead, he used the car phone in the Jaguar owned by his bodyguard and chauffeur's. Corallo was driven around New York while on the phone discussing business. Salvatore "Sal" Avellino and Aniello "Neil" Migliore shifted as Corallo's chauffeurs during the 1970s and 1980s.

Corallo, a huge fan of the New Jersey faction of the family, reputedly inducted and promoted Anthony "Tumac" Accetturo and Michael "Mad Dog" Taccetta into the organization and put them in charge of the Jersey Crew, which reportedly controlled most of the loansharking and illegal gambling operations in Newark, New Jersey at the time.

In the early 1980s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) finally managed to plant a bug in the Jaguar. The FBI recorded Corallo speaking at great length about mob affairs, including illegal gambling, labor racketeering, drug trafficking, and murder. Corallo was arrested and put on trial along with all the heads of the Five Families at the time. This trial became legendary as the Mafia Commission Trial. Corallo was convicted on numerous charges and January 13, 1987 was sentenced to 100 years in prison, where he died in 2000.

To succeed him as boss, Corallo originally chose acting boss Anthony "Buddy" Luongo. However, Luongo disappeared in 1986. Corallo's ultimate choice was Vittorio "Vic" Amuso. Allegedly both Amuso and Anthony "Gaspipe " Casso were candidates for the job. Evidence suggests that Corallo wanted Casso, but Casso convinced him to select Amuso instead. Amuso made Casso his underboss in 1989, allowing him to exert great influence over family decisions.

The iron fists of Amuso and Casso

FBI surveillance photo of Casso (right) with Lucchese family boss, Vittorio Amuso.

During the late 1980s, the Lucchese family underwent a period of great turmoil. Vittorio "Vic" Amuso and his fierce underboss, Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, instituted one of the most violent reigns in American Mafia history. Both men were heavily involved in labor racketeering, extortion, drug trafficking and committed many murders. Amuso and Casso were strong rivals of Gambino crime family boss John Gotti and strong allies of Genovese crime family boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante. Angry over Gotti's unauthorized murder of Gambino boss Paul Castellano, Amuso, Casso, and Gigante conspired to murder Gotti. On April 13, 1986 a car-bombing killed Gambino underboss Frank DeCicco, but missed Gotti. This assassination attempt sparked a long and confusing 'tension' between these three crime families with many deaths reported on all sides.

During the late 1980s, Amuso began demanding 50% of the profits generated by the Jersey Crew. New Jersey leaders Anthony Accetturo and Michael Taccetta refused Amuso's demand. In retaliation, Amuso and Casso ordered the entire Jersey Crew killed—the now-infamous "whack Jersey" order. He summoned them to a meeting in Brooklyn. Fearful for their lives, all the Jersey crew members skipped the meeting and went into hiding.

Taccetta and Accetturo were later put on trial in 1990, as both Amuso and Casso were implicated in a case involving the fitting of thousands of windows in New York at over-inflated prices, and the pair went into hiding of that same year, naming Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco as acting boss. For the next few years, Amuso and Casso ruled the family from afar and ordered the execution of anyone they deemed troublesome, either they were considered rivals or potential informants. All of this convinced many Lucchese wiseguys that Amuso and Casso were no longer acting or thinking rationally.

Alphonse D'Arco in a 1970s FBI surveillance photo

What followed next was a series of botched hits on family members suspected of being informants. Ironically, these hits caused several family members to actually turn informer. Amuso ordered the slaying of capo Peter "Fat Pete" Chiodo, who along with Casso was in charge of the Windows Case operation. He was shot 12 times, but still survived. After Amuso ordered hits on Chiodo's wife and sister in violation of longstanding rules against women being harmed, Chiodo turned state's evidence and provided the entire windows operation that eventually controlled $150 million in window replacements, sold in New York City. As Amuso also sanctioned the hit on Anthony Accetturo, who was on trial in 1990, he also cooperated with the government.

The planned executions went as high as acting boss D'Arco. Furious over the failed hit on Chiodo, Amuso set up D'Arco to be killed at a Manhattan hotel. However, this hit also came undone after D'Arco saw a man hide a gun in his shirt, then slip it into the bathroom. Recognizing this as a classic setup for a hit, D'Arco fled for his life and turned himself over to the authorities to spare him and his family from Amuso and Casso and their increasingly erratic demands. He was the first boss of a New York crime family, acting or otherwise, to become an informant.

Law enforcement eventually caught up with the two fugitives. On July 29, 1991, the FBI captured Amuso in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and on January 19, 1993 the FBI captured Casso in Mount Olive, New Jersey. Amuso steadfastly refused all offers from the government to make a deal and become a government witness. In contrast, Casso quickly agreed to a deal on March 1, 1994 and started revealing family secrets. One of the biggest secrets was that Casso had been paying two New York Police Department detectives, Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, to provide Casso with sensitive police information and even perform to contract murders. Casso related how Eppolito and Caracappa, on Christmas Day 1986, murdered an innocent Brooklyn man who had the same name as a suspected government informant. Casso told the government that in 1992 Lucchese hit men tried to kill the sister of another suspected informant, violating the alleged Mafia "rule" barring violence against family members. However, in 1998, prosecutors tore up the deal after accusing Casso of lying about other mob turncoats and bribing guards, among other things. As a result, the court ordered no leniency for Casso at his sentencing, and he was sentenced to 13 consecutive terms of life in prison.

In January 1993, Amuso received a life sentence. In 1994, Casso also received a life sentence. Casso had reportedly conspired with reputed consigliere Frank Lastorino and Brooklyn faction leaders George Zappola, George Conte, Frank "Bones" Papagni and Frank Gioia, Jr. into murdering Steven "Wonderboy" Crea, Amuso's acting underboss of the Bronx, as well as Gambino crime family acting boss John "Junior" Gotti, son of the imprisoned John Gotti, along with members of the Genovese crime family once again. But due to massive indictments, none of the plots were committed.

Acting bosses

FBI mugshot of Steven Crea

When Amuso went to prison, he chose Joseph "Little Joe" DeFede to be his acting boss. Throughout the mid 1990s Amuso continued to control the family from prison. DeFede, who supervised the powerful Garment District racket, reportedly earned more than $40,000 to $60,000 a month. DeFede placed Steven Crea in charge of the family's labor and construction racketeering operations. Crea increased the Lucchese family earnings from these rackets between $300,000 and $500,000 every year. But as US law enforcement kept pressuring the organized crime activities in New York, DeFede was arrested and indicted on nine counts of racketeering in 1998. DeFede pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced to five years in prison. Angry at DeFede's guilty plea, Amuso promoted Crea as the new acting boss.

Steven "Wonderboy" Crea success with the labor and construction rackets convinced Amuso that DeFede had been previously skimming off these profits. In late 1999, Amuso placed a contract on DeFede's life. On September 6, 2000, Crea and seven other Lucchese members were arrested and jailed on extortion charges, mostly to the supervising of the construction sites with various capos Dominic Truscello and Joseph Civitello.

After Crea's imprisonment, the consigliere Louis "Lou Bagels" Daidone, took control of the family. However, Daidone's tenure was short lived. After his release from the prison, the scared DeFede became a government witness and helped the government convict Daidone of murder and conspiracy. Daidone's conviction was also helped by the testimony from Alphonse D'Arco in September 2004.

Mafia cops

Main article: Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa

In April 2006, Casso revealed that two respected New York City police detectives worked as hitmen and informants for Casso during the 1980s and early 1990s before their retirement. They were Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, who spent much of their combined 44 years with the NYPD committing murders and leaking confidential information to the Lucchese family. Between 1986 and 1990, Eppolito and Caracappa participated in eight murders and received $375,000 from Casso in bribes and payments for murder 'contracts'. Casso used Caracappa and Eppolito to pressure the Gambino crime family by murdering several of their members. This is because Casso, along with the imprisoned Amuso and Genovese crime family boss Vincent Gigante, wanted their rival John Gotti out of the way. Caracappa and Eppolito are now seen as the main source of 'tension' between these three families during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

For one contract, Eppolito and Caracappa kidnapped mobster James Hydell, forced him into their car trunk, and delivered him to Casso for torture and murder. Hydell's body was never found. The two detectives also shot Bruno Facciolo, who was found in Brooklyn in the trunk of a car with a canary in his mouth. After pulling Gambino crime family captain Edward "Eddie" Lino for a routine traffic check, the detectives murdered him on the expressway in his Mercedes-Benz. In 2006, Eppolito and Caracappa were convicted of murdering Hydell, Nicholas Guido, John "Otto" Heidel, John Doe, Anthony DiLapi, Facciolo, Lino, and Bartholomew Boriello on the orders of Casso and the Lucchese family. They were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Ruling panel

With the arrest of acting boss Louis Daidone in 2003 imprisoned boss Vic Amuso created a three-man ruling panel to run the family. The panel consisting of three senior capos Aniello "Neil" Migliore, Joseph "Joey Dee" DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna brought the family power back into the Bronx. According to a February 2004, New York Post article, the Lucchese family consisted of about 9 capos and 82 soldiers making the family the fourth largest in New York City. In 2006, the former acting boss Steven Crea was released from prison after serving five years, under restrictive parole conditions that expired in 2009. The three man panel jointly continued to maintain the power over the family, acting as street bosses.

On December 18, 2007, two members of the ruling panel Joseph DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna were indicted along with top New Jersey faction capos Ralph V. Perna and Nicodemo Scarfo, Jr.. In the New Jersey indictment a total of thirty-two members and associates of the New Jersey faction were arrested. Information obtained from New Jersey law enforcement agencies investigation Operation Heat revealed that the New Jersey faction controlled a $2.2 billion dollar illegal gambling, money laundering and racketeering ring from New Jersey to Costa Rica.

On October 1, 2009, the Lucchese family was hit with two separate indictments charging 49 members and associates with bribery and racketeering. In the first indictment 29, members and associates of the Lucchese family were arrested. The indicted charged Joseph DiNapoli, Matthew Madonna and acting capo Anthony Croce with running operations that nearly grossed $400 million from illegal gambling, loansharking, gun trafficking, bribery and extortion. In the second indictment obtained from investigation "Operation Open House" 12 more Lucchese mobsters were charged with bribery. Acting capo Andrew Disimone and others mobsters were charged with bribing New York Police Department (NYPD) detective and sergeant posing as crooked cops to protect illegal poker parlors.

Current position and leadership

Although in prison for life, Victor Amuso remained the official boss of the Lucchese crime family until 2012. Amuso had been boss for almost a quarter-century but it is unclear how much influence he had over the crime family's day-to-day affairs in later years. From 2003-2012, a three-man ruling panel consisting of Aniello "Neil" Migliore, Joseph DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna had been running the family. All three men are long time capos in the family, but Migliore was believed to be the most powerful. Arguably, Migliore, DiNapoli and Madonna brought stability to the Lucchese family during the 2000s. The family's presence remains strong in the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and New Jersey.

A March 2009 article in the New York Post stated that the Lucchese family consists of approximately 100 "made" members, possibly making it the smallest of the Five Families, although not the weakest. It is probably the third most powerful family (behind the Genovese and Gambino families).

In late 2009 the Lucchese family was handed three federal indictments showing that the family continues to be very active in organized crime, especially in labor racketeering, illegal gambling, and extortion. In one of the indicitments ruling panel members Joseph DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna were charged with controlling a ring that extorted and bribed businesses and construction sites in Manhattan and the Bronx. Also in 2009, underboss Steven Crea's parole expired and consigliere Joseph Caridi was released from prison after serving almost six years.

Historical leadership

Boss (official and acting)

• 1922–1930 — Gaetano "Tommy" Reina — murdered on February 26, 1930
• 1930 — Bonaventura "Joseph" Pinzolo — murdered on September 5, 1930
• 1930–1951 — Gaetano "Tommy" Gagliano — retired in 1951; died on February 16, 1953
• 1951–1967 — Gaetano "Tommy Brown" Lucchese — became sick in 1966, died on July 13, 1967 from a brain tumor.
  • Acting 1966–1967 — Carmine Tramunti — stepped down
  • Acting 1967 — Ettore "Eddie" Coco — stepped down
• 1967–1973 — Carmine "Mr. Gribbs" Tramunti — imprisoned in October 1973
• 1973–1986 — Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo — indicted on February 15, 1985; convicted on November 19, 1986 in the Mafia Commission Trial and sentenced on January 13, 1987 to 100 years in prison.
• 1986–2012 — Vittorio "Vic" Amuso — arrested in 1991, received a life sentence in January 1993
  • Acting 1990–1991 — Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco — demoted, became a member of a ruling panel
  • Acting 1994–1998 — Joseph "Little Joe" DeFede — imprisoned in 1998
  • Acting 1998–2001 — Steven "Wonderboy" Crea — indicted and imprisoned on September 6, 2000
  • Acting 2001–2003 — Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone — imprisoned March 2003, received life sentence in January 2004
• 2012–present — Steven Crea

Street Boss

The Street Boss is considered the go-to-guy for the boss and is responsible to pass on orders to lower ranking members. In some instances a Ruling panel (of capos) substituted the Street boss role.

• 1990–1991 — Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco – promoted to Acting Boss
• 1991 — Ruling panel — Anthony Baratta, Salvatore Avellino, Frank Lastorino and Alphonse D'Arco – on September 21, 1991, D'Arco became a government witness.
• 1991–1993 — Ruling panel — Anthony Baratta, Salvatore Avellino, Steven Crea and Domenico Cutaia
• 2003–present — Ruling panel — Aniello Migliore, Joseph DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna

Underboss (official and acting)

• 1920–1930 — Gaetano "Tommy" Gagliano – promoted to boss
• 1930–1951 — Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese – promoted to boss
• 1951–1972 — Stefano "Steve" LaSalle – retired
• 1973–1978 — Aniello "Neil" Migliore – resigned
• 1978–1986 — Salvatore "Tom Mix" Santoro Sr. – imprisoned in the Commission Case
• 1986–1989 — Mariano "Mac" Macaluso – retired in 1989
• 1989–1993 — Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso – imprisoned, became government witness in 1993
  • Acting 1990–1992 — Anthony "Bowat" Baratta – imprisoned in June 1992.
• 1993–2012 — Steven "Wonderboy" Crea – served as acting boss 1998–2001; imprisoned 2000–2006
  • Acting 1998–2001 — Eugene "Boopsie" Castelle – imprisoned in November 2000
  • Acting 2001–2003 — Joseph "Joe C. Caridi – promoted to Consigliere

Consigliere (official and acting)

• 1931–1953 — Stefano "Steve" Rondelli – retired
• 1953–1973 — Vincenzo "Vinny" Rao – imprisoned from 1965 to 1970, retired
  • Acting 1965–1967 — Mariano "Mac" Macaluso
  • Acting 1967–1973 — Paul "Paulie" Vario – imprisoned 1974 to 1976
• 1973–1981 — Vincent "Vinnie Beans" Foceri – retired
• 1981–1986 — Christopher "Christie Trick" Furnari – imprisoned in 1986
• 1986–1987 — Ettore "Eddie" Coco – retired
• 1987–1989 — Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso – promoted to underboss
• 1989–1993 — Frank "Big Frank" Lastorino – imprisoned in April 1993
• 1993–1996 — Frank Papagni – imprisoned in September 1996
• 1996–2003 — Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone – promoted to acting boss in 2001
• 2003–present — Joseph "Joe C." Caridi – imprisoned 2003 to 2009

Current family members

Administration

• Boss Steven "Wonderboy" Crea – became Underboss in 1993 then acting boss in 1998. On September 6, 2000, Crea along with other Lucchese family members was indicted and charged with extortion and supervising various construction sites in New York City. In January 2004, Crea was sentenced to 34 months in prison. Crea was released from prison on August 24, 2006. Crea became boss in 2012.

• Underboss Unknown

• Consigliere Joseph "Joe C." Caridi – operating from Long Island and Queens. Caridi was imprisoned on extortion and loansharking charges and was released on November 27, 2009.

Caporegimes

New York

The Bronx faction

• Joseph "Joey Dee" DiNapoli – capo operating in The Bronx. DiNapoli was released from prison on September 17, 1999. He has two younger brothers in the Genovese crime family, Vincent and Louis. In 2003, DiNapoli along with Migliore and Madonna became members of a ruling panel that is running the family. On October 1, 2009 DiNapoli was indicted in a racketeering scheme that made approximately $400 million from gambling, loansharking, gun trafficking and extortion. He is free on bail.

• Matthew "Matt" Madonna – capo operating in The Bronx. Madonna served 20 years in prison for narcotics trafficking. He was released from prison on September 22, 2003. In 2003, Madonna along with Migliore and DiNapoli became members of a ruling panel that is running the family. As of September 2011, Madonna is on trial for two racketeering indictments. He is free on bail.

• John "Johnny Hooks" Capra – capo operating in The Bronx, Westchester and Manhattan. In 2005, Capra was indicted and charged with extortion along with members of the Gambino crime family. Capra received an eighteen-month sentence and was released from federal prison on September 10, 2008.

• Anthony "Blue Eyes" Santorelli – capo operating in The Bronx and Westchester. In the 1990s, Santorelli led "The Tanglewood Boys", a recruitment gang for the Lucchese family.

Joseph Lubrano

• (In prison) Joseph "Big Joe" Lubrano – capo active on Arthur Avenue in The Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island. In 1994, Lubrano was wrongfully sent to prison for beating a police officer and was released four years later.Lubrano was arrested on September 11, 2010 for several armed robberies. In January 2012, Lubrano was sentenced to 57 months.

Manhattan & Long Island

• Aniello "Neil" Migliore – capo operating in Manhattan, Long Island and Florida. In 1992, Migliore was shot on orders from Amuso who saw him as a rival. He was released from prison on May 14, 1997. In 2003, Migliore along with Madonna and DiNapoli became members of a ruling panel that is running the family.

• Dominic "Crazy Dom" Truscello – capo of the Prince Street Crew, members are active in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island. In the 1990s, Truscello along with Steven Crea and Joseph Tangorra formed the Lucchese Construction Group, supervising all the Lucchese family's construction related rackets. On September 6, 2000, Truscello, Crea and Tangorra were charged with bid rigging, corrupting construction labor officials among other crimes. In 2003, Truscello plead guilty to extortion, on January 9, 2006, he was released from federal prison.

Brooklyn faction

• (In prison) Domenico "Danny" Cutaia – capo of the Brownsville Crew. Cutaia is a former messenger between the imprisoned Amuso and the crime family. On October 25, 2009, he was sentenced to three years in prison for bank fraud. His projected release date October 5, 2013.

• John "Big John" Castellucci – capo of the Bensonhurst crew. His brothers are Eugene Castelle a soldier in his crew and Anthony Castelle the owner of "Coney Island Container" a private carting company. On November 12, 2000 Castellucci was charged along with underboss Eugene Castelle, capo Joseph Tangorra, soldiers Joseph Truncale and Scott Gervasi and associates Lester Ellis (Zullo) and Robert Greenberg (Volturo) with drug trafficking, extortion and loansharking operations in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He served about four years in prison and was released on October 20, 2004. In 2009, Castellucci's brother Anthony Castelle was under investigation for a suspicious fire in his carting company.

New Jersey

Main article: Lucchese crime family New Jersey faction

• (In prison) Michael "Mad Dog" Taccetta – capo of the Jersey Crew and boss of the entire Lucchese's New Jersey faction. Taccetta is currently serving life in prison for conspiracy and drug trafficking convictions.

• Ralph Vito Perna – capo in the Jersey crew. Was arrested in December 2007 with Joseph DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna. The Jersey crew ran an illegal gambling operation that earned approximately $2.2 billion over a 15-month period. The crew also worked with New Jersey correction officers and members of Nine Trey Gangster, a set, or subgroup, of the Bloods street gang. The Jersey crew used Bloods members to smuggle illegal drugs and prepaid cell phones into the New Jersey state prisons.

• Joseph "Joey" Giampa – capo operating in New Jersey. Giampa has a stepson named Gennaro Vittorio, a.k.a. Gerry Giampa who is also involved in organized crime.

Controlled unions

The Lucchese family has taken over unions across United States. The crime family has extorted money from the unions in blackmail, strong-arming, violence and other matters to keep their control over the market. Similar to the other four crime families of New York City they worked on controlling entire unions. With the mob having control over the union they control the entire market. Bid-rigging allows the mob to get a percentage of the income on the construction deal only allowing certain companies to bid on jobs who pay them first. The mob also allows companies to use non-union workers to work on jobs the companies must give a kickback to the mob. Unions give mob members jobs on the books to show a legitimate source of income. The Mafia members get into high union position and began embezzling money from the job and workers.

• Clothes manufacturing - In the Garment District of Manhattan, the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees Locals 10, 23, 24, and 25 were controlled by members of the Lucchese family. Lucchese Associates would extort the businesses and organize strikes. Today some unions still are working for the family.
• Kosher meat companies - In the early 1960s Giovanni "Johnny Dio" Dioguardi merged Consumer Kosher Provisions Company and American Kosher Provisions Inc. together. Dio was able to control a large portion of the Kosher food market, forcing supermarkets to buy from his companies at his prices.
• Food distribution - At the Hunts Point Cooperative Market in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx, the Lucchese family controlled unions involved in the food distribution industry.
• Airport services and freight handling - At John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty, the unions were controlled by the Lucchese family.
• Construction - Teamsters unions in New York City and New Jersey have been under Lucchese control; Mason Tenders Locals 46, 48, and 66 were controlled by the old Vario Crew.
• Newspaper production and delivery - In November 2009, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau sent search warrants to investigate the Newspaper Mail Deliverers Union. This union controlled circulation, production and delivery offices at The New York Times, The New York Post, The New York Daily News and El Diario La Prensa. When the Cosa Nostra took control over the union, the price and costs for newspapers increased. Charges were put against many union members as well as the former union President Douglas LaChance. LaChance is accused as being Lucchese crime family associate. In the 1980s LaChance was convicted on labor racketeering charges and served five years in prison. He was also involved in the Manhattan 1990s case were New York Post was being strong-armed into switching their delivery companies, but was acquitted in the case.

Government informants and witnesses

Name	Rank and Year
Henry Hill	Associate (1980)
Peter Chiodo	Captain (1991)
Alphonse D'Arco	Acting Boss (1991)
Joseph D'Arco	Soldier (1991)
Anthony Accetturo	Captain (1993)
Thomas Ricciardi	Soldier (1993)
Frank Suppa	Soldier (1993)
Anthony Casso	Underboss (1994)
Frank Gioia Jr.	Soldier (1994)
Frank Gioia Sr.	Soldier (1994)
Joseph DeFede	Acting Boss (2002)
Vincent Salanardi	Soldier (2004)
Burton Kaplan	Associate (2006)

Allied criminal groups

• The Lucchese-Gambino-Genovese alliance (1953–1985) between Tommy Lucchese, Carlo Gambino and Vito Genovese began with a plot to take over the Mafia Commission by murdering family bosses Frank Costello and Albert Anastasia. At that time, Gambino was Anastasia's new underboss and Genovese was the underboss for Costello. The first target of the conspiracy was Costello. On May 2, 1957 gunmen attempted to kill Costello on a New York street. Costello survived the assassination attempt, but immediately decided to retire as boss in favor of Genovese. The conspirators' second target was Anastasia. On October 25, 1957, the Gallo brothers (from the Colombo family) murdered Anastasia in a Manhattan barber shop, allowing Gambino to become boss of Anastasia's family. After he assumed power, Gambino started conspiring with Lucchese to remove their former ally Genovese. After the disastrous 1957 Apalachin meeting of mob leaders in Upstate New York, Genovese lost a great deal of respect in the Commission. In 1959, with the assistance of Luciano, Costello, and Meyer Lansky, Genovese was arrested. Gambino and Lucchese assumed full control of the Mafia Commission. Under Gambino and Lucchese, the Commission pushed rival Bonanno boss Joseph Bonanno out of power, triggering an internal war in that family. In the 1960s, the Commission backed the Gallo brothers in their rebellion against Profaci family boss Joe Profaci. In 1962, Gambino's oldest son Thomas married Lucchese's daughter Frances, strengthening the Gambino-Lucchese alliance. Lucchese gave Gambino access into the rackets at the New York airports rackets he controlled and Garment District rackets, Gambino allowed Lucchese into some of their rackets. After Lucchese death in July 1967, Gambino used his power over the Commission to make Carmine Tramunti the boss of the Lucchese family. Gambino continued the alliance with Tramunti's successor, Anthony Corallo. After Gambino's death, the new Gambino boss Paul Castellano continued the alliance with Corallo. In 1985, the Gambino-Lucchese alliance finally dissolved after Gambino capo John Gotti ordered Gambino boss Paul Castellano's assassination without Commission approval.

• The Lucchese-Genovese alliance (1986–present) The new alliance started in 1986 with Amuso and Genovese boss Vincent Gigante teaming up against Gambino boss John Gotti. Gotti had ordered the murder of Gambino boss Paul Castellano who also led the Mafia Commission. The Castellano murder started between the Gambino family and the Genovese and Lucchese families. To avenge Castellano, the alliance ordered the killing of Gambino underboss Frank DeCicco. However, the alliance failed its attempts to kill Gotti. The Lucchese-Genovese alliance is still strong today, with the two families cooperating on deals around New York City. Joseph DiNapoli a member of the family's three man ruling panel has two brothers in the Genovese crime family; Vincent "Vinny" DiNapoli, a captain, and Louis DiNapoli, a soldier in Vincent's crew.

• The Lucchese-Gambino alliance (1999–present) The new alliance between the families started in 1999 when acting boss Steven Crea teamed up with several Gambino capos. The mobsters extorted millions of dollars from the construction industry in bid-rigging scams. In early 2002 Lucchese capo John Capra worked with Gambino acting boss Arnold Squitieri, acting underboss Anthony Megale and acting Capo Gregory DePalma. The group was involved in illegal gambling and extortion activities in Westchester County, New York. The members were arrested in 2005 leaving to reveal that DePalma had allowed FBI agent Joaquin Garcia (known as Jack Falcone) to work undercover with his crew since 2002. In late 2008 Gambino capo Andrew Merola teamed with Lucchese’s Jersey faction acting Boss Martin Taccetta in an illegal gambling ring, extorting money from labor unions and car dealerships. In 2008, Merola was indicted and Taccetta was sent back to prison in 2009.

• The Lucchese-Lepke alliance (1920s-1944) started with Tommy Lucchese and Louis "Lepke" Buchalter extorting payments from garment makers in New York's Garment District. During the 1930s, Lepke was one of the most powerful Jewish gangsters in New York City. With his allies Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel, Lepke fought for control over Jewish neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn and together formed Murder, Inc. Lepke would fall when his trusted Brownsville crew leader, Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, became a government witness and testified against Lepke in a murder trial. On March 4, 1944, Lepke was executed by electrocution. After Lepke's execution, Tommy Lucchese took over Lepke's rackets in the Garment District and Brownsville.

In popular culture

• In the 1981 film Gangster Wars, future boss Gaetano "Tommy Brown" Lucchese was played by actor Jon Polito.
• The 1990 film Goodfellas was based on Lucchese associate Henry Hill's recollections about his involvement with The Vario Crew of the Lucchese family.
• In the 1991 film Mobsters, gang leader Gaetano "Tommy" Reina was played by actor Christopher Penn.
• In the 1991 film Out for Justice, the William Forsythe character "Richard Madano" was allegedly based on Lucchese mobster Matthew Madonna.
• The 1999-2007 HBO TV-show The Sopranos, main character Anthony "Tony" Soprano was based on Lucchese mobster Michael Taccetta.
• In 2005 and 2006, a fictionalized version of The Tanglewood Boys was featured on CSI: NY, in episode 1.13 "Tanglewood" and in episode 2.20 "Run Silent, Run Deep".
• The 2006 film Find Me Guilty was based on the 1980s trial of 20 members of the Lucchese Jersey Crew.
• The 2006 Electronic Arts video game The Godfather: The Game, the Stracci Family resemblers the Lucchese crime family. In the game, the family is based in New Jersey; the Lucchese family has a large power base in New Jersey.
• In the 2007 film American Gangster, the Armand Assante character Dominic Cattano was allegedly based on Lucchese mobster Carmine Tramunti.
• In the 2008 Rockstar North's video game GTA IV, the fictional Lupisella family resembles on the Lucchese family. The Lupisella family is mainly based in Bohan, the GTA 4 version of the Bronx, and is operating in Liberty City, the game's version of New York City.

References

Sources

• Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin Press, 2005. ISBN 0-312-30094-8
• DeStefano, Anthony. The Last Godfather: Joey Massino & the Fall of the Bonanno Crime Family. California: Citadel, 2006.
• 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
• Critchley, David. The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931
• Devico, Peter J. The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra
• Rudolph, Robert. The Boys from New Jersey: How the Mob Beat the Feds
• Mass, Peter. The Valachi Papers, New York: Pocket Books, 1986. ISBN 0-671-63173-X.

Further reading

• DeVico, Peter J. The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra. Tate Publishing, 2007. ISBN 1-60247-254-8
• Rudolph, Robert C. The Boys from New Jersey: How the Mob Beat the Feds. New York: William Morrow and Company Inc., 1992. ISBN 0-8135-2154-8
• Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 0-02-864225-2
• Davis, John H. Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. ISBN 0-06-016357-7
• Jacobs, James B., Christopher Panarella and Jay Worthington. Busting the Mob: The United States Vs. Cosa Nostra. New York: NYU Press, 1994. ISBN 0-8147-4230-0
• Maas, Peter. Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997. ISBN 0-06-093096-9
• Volkman, Ernest. Gangbusters: The Destruction of America's Last Great Mafia Dynasty New York, Avon Books, 1998 ISBN 0-380-73235-1
• Eppolito, Louis. Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop whose Family Was the Mob. ISBN 1-4165-2399-5
• Lawson, Guy and Oldham, William. The Brotherhoods: The True Story of Two Cops Who Murdered for the Mafia. ISBN 978-0-7432-8944-3
• 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

External links

• Lucchese Crime Family News - The New York Times
• Lucchese Crime Family Epic: Descent into Darkness Part I by Thomas L. Jones
• American Gangland: Lucchese Crime Family
• Dieland: Mob: The Lucchese Family
• Dieland: Mob: The New Jersey Crew