Bosses
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Gaetano Reina
(? - 1930) |
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He controlled the Bronx and profited from bootlegging. He was part of the old regime of Moustache Petes and worked for Joe Masseria. But during
the Castellamerese War he realized the old fat Masseria had real no shot at winning. He got in
with Lucky Luciano on his plot to take over. Luciano was working for Masseria and was plotting with Maranzano to kill him. But Masseria
learned of Reina's doublecrossing and ordered Reina murdered. As he left the home of his aunt's house on February 26, 1930, he waved to an associate he saw, Vito Genovese. Vito then took out a shotgun and blew his head off. His death sparked the Castellamarese Wars to full swing. |
Giuseppe Pinzolo
(1930) |
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To the bad luck of Tom Gagliano and Tommy Lucchese, Pinzolo was selected to take over Reina's family. Gagliano and Lucchese intended to take over the family
so Lucchese on Luciano's advice had Pinzolo murdered on September 9, 1930 with gunshot wounds to the left chest and neck. His body was found dead in a Suite leased to Lucchese, Lucchese was indicted for the murder but the charge was eventually dropped. The real killer, according to turncoat Joe Valachi, was Bobby Doyle. |
Gaetano Gagliano
(1930-1953) |
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He became boss after Pinzolo's murder. He was boss at Luciano's reconstruction of La Cosa Nostra in 1931. He ruled peacefully until 1953 with Tommy Luchese as his underboss. |
Gaetano Lucchese
(1953-1967) |
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A powerful mob figure who like many others got started in bootlegging and served as a spy for Luciano and with the murder of Maranzano. He was born in Sicily and had close ties with the Gambino family. His daughter Frances married Carlo Gambino's son Tommy. Lucchese was also known for sitting at restaurants cross from Tammany Hall with judges that he made. He was nicknamed "Three Finger Brown" |
Carmine Tramunti
(1967-1974) |
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Took over the family after Tommy Lucchese died of natural causes. By 1970, Tramunti was reputed to have large interests in East Harlem gambling
and he controlled a floating crap game. This business was conducted from the
pet shop owned by Family underboss Big Sam Cavalieri. Other interests
revolved around the NY garment industry. In 1971, he was implicated - but
never convicted - in a stock-fraud. Tramunti was given in 1974 a 15 year sentence for financing a huge heroin
smuggling operation. At that time he was listed by police as Boss of the
Luchese Family. Tramunti had already served 3 years for contempt, a term
imposed when Tramunti was caught by the Brooklyn D.A. secretly talking to capo
Paul Vario in 1972. Before the Grand jury, Tramunti was so evasive that he was
cited for contempt.
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"Tony Ducks" as he was called for frustrating dozens of process servers over the years. A career criminal since 1929 Corallo spent a lot of his life behind bars. He became boss in 1974 but during the 1980's he was impicated with several bid-rigging schemes with garbage disposals on Long Island. This scandal involved politicians from the major parites. On January 13, 1987 he was given a hundred year sentence by Judge Richard Owen on federal racketeering and being in a commision controlling crime accross the country. |
Vittorio Amusa
(1987-1992) |
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He took over 1987 with Tony Ducks' conviction. Allegedly operated mainly in drug trafficking, his family had avoided much of the publicity that the other New York familis have had. He was sentenced in 1992 to life in prison for Murder and racketeering and is serving his sentence at the Metropolitan Correction Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. |
Steve DeFede
(1992-Present) |
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When Vitor Amuso went away in 1992 he annoitted capo and longtime friend Steve
DeFede as Lucchese boss. DeFede is running a family that was crippled by
informants, and now is heavy in the drug trade. The Lucchese family
currentlly numbers about 70 made members, and is moving into white collar
crime, but still sticks to the old rackets as well. |
Underbosses
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Stefano LaSalle
(1953-1972) |
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Lasalle served as the Underboss to Tommy Lucchese and later Carmine
Tramunti.
Stephano's role in the family diminished after the death of Tommy
brown in
1967, but retained the title of Underboss as a show of respect.
Stefano
LaSalle officially retired in 1972. |
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This Lucchese Capo in the 50's was idolized by the young Henry Hill. He was involved with Irish Gangster Jimmy Burke in the Mafia's biggest score ever in 1978. Six million dollars in cash and jewels from Luftansa air cargo space. Soon Vario and Burke eliminated practically everyone who could link them to the score. Henry Hill was next on Burke's list. Hill, fearing his life, became a rat and testified against Vario as well as Burke. Paul died in prison of natural causes in 1988. He is the character of Paul Cicero in Goodfellas.
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Salvatore "Tom Mix" Santoro
(1981-1987) |
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When Paul Vario was sent away Tony Corallo chose Salvatore "Tom Mix" Santoro as his new underboss. Santoro would play a key role with controlling unions and bid rigging with regards to the "concrete club". The illegal club was made up of the Gambino, Lucchese, Colombo, and Genovese LCN families. Santoro also dabbled with unions in trying to control window placement on all government owned housing.Along with Corallo and consigliere Christy Furnari, Santoro was found guilty of labor racketeering and in violation of the RICO Act. In 1987 Santoro was sentenced to 100 years and fined $240,000. Furnari and Corallo received the same. As of 1999 it is believed that Santoro is alive and still inprison. |
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso
(1987-1994) |
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Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso served as underboss during the violent reign of Vic
Amuso. Casso gained the knickname "Gaspipe" from his childhood days in which
he and his father would steal heating gas and distribute to their neighbors.
Sources say the near bantam weight mobster despised the knickname.
Anthony Casso is believed to have assisted then Genovese boss Vincent "The
Chin" Gigante in the bombing death of then John Gotti's Gambino underboss
Frankie DeCiccio. Besides this, Casso was known to be vicious, and a stone
killer. He is also responsible for attempting to murder then Luchesse
acting-boss Alphonse "Little Al" DArco. This attempt based on Casso's
foolish reasoning, led DArco to question his alliegence to the Luchesse
family, and as a result DArco became a star witness for the prosecution.
This act really was the catalyst that lead to Amuso and the Luchesse
family's downfall. Casso has also been responsible for 39 murders in his
span as a mobster.
During Amuso's run from authorities, Casso served as acting boss and
eventually went into hiding. In 1994 he and Amuso were captured. It wasnt
long before Casso followed followed former Gambino underboss Salvatore
"Sammy the Bull" Gravano and offered to be a witness for the prosecution.
The federal and prosecuting authorities expected big things from Casso much
like they had received from Gravano's testimony. This was not to be and it
was all due to Casso. After lying about his possible arrangement with
authorities, bad mouthing the judge, bribing prison guards, and attacking
fellow mobsters that turned witness Casso was never called. Casso is
currently serving life for his crimes. In the end he wasn't an effective
underboss or witness. |
Steve Crea
(1994-Present) |
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When Amuso and Casso went into hiding they chose Bronx based capo Steve
Crea
to be a part of a "ruling board" in running the family business. Later,
his
own crew, with many in Brooklyn, thought the power was going to shift to
Bronx
and out of Brooklyn. They began to plot to kill Crea over such a
trivial
matter. This only further shows the decline in organization in the
Lucchese
LCN Family. Eventually all the co-conspirators were sent to jail for
other
crimes and Crea also was able to plea. Crea would spend only spend 9
months
for racketeering while the others received much stiffer sentences.
Crea has been the official underboss of the family since Steve DeFede
was
selected by Amuso. DeFede is also in jail for labor racketeering in
garbage
hauling and NYC's garment district. Crea is believed to be running the
show
while DeFede is away for a few years. There really isnt much to run,
not in
the way of rackets, the Lucchese Family will have a hard time returning
to
their unlikely days of Paul Vario and Anthony Corallo. It doesnt helped
that
if Crea is caught associating with known felons, a violation of his
parole,
he too can be sent away like so many other Luchesse members.
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Consiglieres
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Vincent John Rao
(1953-1970s) |
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Served as advisor to Tommy Lucchese from the time of his ascension to the top of the family. Vinnie's list of associates included Mike Coppola and Joey Rao(no relation),Willie Moretti and Joe Stracci. Rao specialized in running gambling operations in East Harlem but also owned vast amounts of real-estate in Yonkers and other parts of NYC all while dabbling in union affairs as well. Rao was known to use the names of Nunzio and Frank Arra.
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Christpher "Christy Tick" Furnari
(1974-1987) |
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Christopher "Christy Tick" Furnari served as consigliere for much of
Anthony
"Tony Ducks" Corallo reign. As third in command he along with then
underboss
Anthony "Tony Mix" Santora oversaw such rackets as the "concrete club"
along
with Corallo. It was established that for every concrete project in
Manhattan that was worth over $2 million, each family through the
control of
the various unions, would pocket $200,000 and so $50,000 would land
each
boss's hands.
Furnari was overheard through an FBI bug, that was placed in then
Genovese
boss Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno's east Harlem Palma Boys Social Club,
Inc.,
discussing commission matters. Specifically it was about wether to
allow the
Bonanno LCN Family back on the ruling panel. Along with this and audio
recordings from Corallo's Jaguar sports car, was all it took to send
Furnari
away for the rest of his life. In 1986 he along with Corallo, Santora
and
administrative members of two other LCN families, were sent away for
100
years and each fined $250,000. As of 1999 Furnari is alive and in
prison.
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Caporegime
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Salvatore Avellino
(1970s-Present) |
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Salvatore Avellino was promoted to capo sometime in the mid or late 1970s. By 1979, Avellino, who mainly operated out of Long Island, NY would be in charge of most of the Lucchese LCN Family's garbage collection rackets.Avellino, his own companies and ones under his control would charge high prices for garbage pick up service. If a company didn't pay the fee,their garbage would sit and rot. Avellino's Jaguar sports car would be the downfall of then boss Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corolla. Corolla would use Avellino's car to conduct mob-related business. The car would be bugged by the F.B.I in the early 1980s and evidence collected lead to Corolla's 100 year prison sentence.Avellino, for the next 15 years, would continue his reign of terror. He would also become a multi-millionare in the process. Besides extortion,he would be behind murder plots and several arsons.In 1989, Avellino plead guilty to a double charge of murder conspiracy.He is currently serving his time at the Lewisburg Federal Prison inLewisburg, PA. He is expected to be released in 2002. In late 1996 Avellino's family sold their garbage collection companies. In June 1999 prosecuters brought forth a 15 count indictment for racketeering, arson and murder conspiracy against Avellino, his son and associates. The inidictment is supposedto link the Avellinos and their criminal relationship to Dennis Hickey. In mid 1999 Hickey, a Colombo LCN Family associate, was sentenced to 8 years for similar charges in garbage hauling. Hickey was part of the same indictment that brought down Colombo LCN Family boss Andrew Russo.
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Anthony "Bowat" Baratta
(1980s-Present) |
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Anthony "Bowat" Baratta was a low ranking capo under then boss Anthony "Tony
Ducks" Corallo. He dabbled in labor racketeering, gambling rackets,loan
sharking, etc. He was never much of "high flyer", then again its hard to be
taken serious in the dwindling and explosive land mine known as the Lucchese
LCN Family. In 1989 Baratta was slammd with racketeering charges and was
expected to be released in 2006. Barrata, the typical Lucchese member,began
to finance a drug deal while he was in prison and must have thought he was
going to make a few extra bucks. Well all went well until Baratta foundout
he had dealt drugs with the DEA! He was slapped with additional time and
will be released in 2012. He will be 72.
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Alphonse "Little Al" Darco
(1980s-1993) |
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Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco was another capo that was passed up for
leadership when Tony Corallo went away for 100 years. Under Vic Amuso, D'Arco
continued to be low level. It wasn't until the early 1990s that Amuso and
underboss Anthony Casso asked D'Arco to fill in while they were on the lam.
All earnings would flow into D'Arco's hands and to Amuso and Casso.
Amuso and Casso suspected D'Arco was planning to claim the the spot as boss
and was skimming off family earnings. Neither of these allegations were ever
proven to be true. Amuso and Casso didn't bother checking the facts and
decided to add D'Arco to their death list. In 1993, a shotgun blasted a
Manhattan restraunt and luckily D'Arco hit the floor. It didn't take D'Arco
long to questioned his allegiance to the Lucchese LCN Family. He quickly
gathered his wife and belongings, sold his house and went to the FBI. D'Arco
would later testify against Amuso, Casso, and Genovese boss Vincent "The
Chin" Gigante. When he was through leaving the Lucchese family in turmoil,
he was released as a star witness, and was placed in the Witness Protection
Program.
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John "Johnny Dio" Dioguardi
(1950s-1979) |
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John "Johnny Dio" Dioguardi was major capo and top labor racketeer for
then
boss Gaetono "Tommy Brown" Lucchese. Dio was also very close with
infamous
labor union boss James R. "Jimmy" Hoffa. In fact, when columnist Victor
Riesel began writing damaging articles on Hoffa, Dio took offense and
ordered
that Riesel be blinded with acid in 1956. Dio ordered it but was never
charged with any crime.
Later the Los Angeles LCN amily boss Jack Dragna asked Dio to assist
him in
organizing labor union rackets. Lucchese sent Dio out west with his
blessings. Dio showed Dragana step by step and Dragna would eventually
infiltrate the Ladies Garment Union with Dio's blueprints.
Dio would later move into securities fraud and this is where his reign
would
end. In 1973 he was given 15 years. He was later moved to a
Pennsylvania
hospital by federal officials and died in 1979. His death attracted
very
little attention and he was able to remain low key to the end.
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Joseph "Joe Brown" Lucchese
(1940s-1970) |
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The brother of family boss Tommy, Joe Brown served as a capo in theLucchese family. Joe died in 1970.
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