(Bosses)The Newark Faction
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Gaspare D'Amico
(19?? - 1937) |
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Gaspare D'Amico was the first and only boss of the Newark Family. But on February 22, 1937 he was shot and seriously wounded. Joseph Profaci, former boss of one of the New York Families and a member of the commission, was said to have ordered the hit. Upon his recovery, D'Amico fled the country. It was at this time that the Commission decided to dissolve the Newark Family and split up its operations among the New York Families and the Elizabeth Faction. |
(Bosses)The Elizabeth Faction
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Stephano Badami
(?-1930's) |
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Started the Elizabeth based New Jersey Family. Badami ran the regular operations for his times. Gambling and bootlegging. On Sept. 10, 1931, Sam Monaco, Underboss of the Family, disappeared until his body floated ashore in Newark Bay three days later. Badami was suspected of the crime. Badami would later step down as boss. Stephano was stabbed to death Mar. 31, 1955, in a restaurant, long after he stepped down. Monaco's brother was suspected of it. |
Phillip Ameri
(1930s-1937) |
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Phillip Ameri was the next boss of the Elizabeth, New Jersey Family. When Gaspare D'Amico, the boss of the Newark, New Jersey Faction, fled the country and the Commission decided to dissolve the Newark Family, Ameri became the complete boss of New Jersey. |
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(Bosses)The New Jersey Family
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Phillip Ameri
(1937-1957) |
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Became the first boss of the new New Jersey Family when Gaspare D'Amico's Newark Faction in New Jersey was merged with Ameri's Elizabeth's Faction.Amari was a major drug dealer. The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs had a large file on him and his activities. He was also involved in labor racketeering, gambling, and loansharking.Amari's reign ended when he was deposed in a bloodless coup. Nick Delmore was the next boss. |
Nick Delmore
(1957 - 1961) |
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Delmore continued to run the mostly the same rackets, labor racketeering, gambling, and loansharking. Delmore stepped down in 1961 to avoid Family feuds that plagued Amari's reign. He was replaced by Simone DeCavalcante. |
Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante
(1961-1980s) |
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He become the most famous of the New Jersey bosses. The Family was named after him. The Plumber's main rackets were gambling, loansharking, and labor racketeering. Between 1961 and 1965 the FBI bugged his conversations. There was 2,300 pages of secret recordings. When the tapes were made public in 1969, Sam was sentenced to 15 years for extortion but got it over turned on an appeal. He did get 2 years of a 5 year bit for an illegal lottery. He moved to Florida in 1976 and continued to rule the Family in Semi-Retirement but had to share the power with John Riggi. John Riggi became the formal boss sometime around 1991, when Simone went into full retirement. DeCavalcante died on Feb. 7, 1997 in Florida. |
Giovanni M. "John" Riggi
(1991-Present) |
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Took over the Family when The Plumber went into permanent retirement. Riggi was a good friend of former Gambino Family boss John Gotti. He was active in labor racketeering, loansharking, and gambling. But in the 1992 he was convicted of racketeering and extortion. The charges were overturned on appeal, but very shockingly, pled guilty on the charges instead of a re-trial and was sentanced to 12 years. Alleged members Jimmy Palermo and two of Riggi's sons were acquitted, but his driver Salvatore Timpani was convicted. Riggi was then convicted of conspiring to murder Corky Vastola and another 7 years was added to his sentance. It is believed that John Riggi is still running the Family from prison. The Family has an estimated 25-30 "made" members.
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Underbosses
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Gaetano "Corky" Vastola
(1980s-1992) |
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With the ever growing retirement of boss Simone "Sam the Plumber" DelCavalante, John Riggi was seen more and more of the boss over the New Jersey rackets. With the rise of Riggi one of the most well connected mobster came more and more into power as well. By the mid 1980s it is believed that Gaetano "Corky" Vastola filled the spot of underboss.Vastola, as said before, was very well connected with other La Cosa Nostra crime families. He had been previously associated with theProfaci/Colombo LCN Family of NYC. By the early 1960s he was gaining more respect and notice in the New Jersey LCN Family. Vastola was already close with boss Sam DelCavalante himself. In 1965 Vastola was arrested for a burgarly and larceny charge along with Mike D'Allesio, Rocky Infelice and Frank Cocchiaro.During this time Vastola was engaging in counterfitting music records with his childhood friend and Jewish gangster Morris Levy. Vastola netted close to $500,000 from the scam and came to the attention of the IRS. Vastola was given a small $215 fine for tax evasion. This small amount of punishment made members suspect of Vastola. They began to think that Vastola was an informant and wanted him dead. All doubts were removed when Vastola, DelCavalante, and others were arrested in 1968 for extorting an illegal dice game located in Trevose, PA.DelCavalante received 3 consecutive 5 year terms. Vastola was sentencedto 5. Vastola's conviction was later overturned and DelCavalante's sentence significantly reduced. DelCavalante stopped any thinking that Vastola wasnt loyal and threatened anybody who went against his orders. This wouldnt be the last time Vastola's loyalty was questioned.In 1972 Vastola would be in the Atlanta Federal Prison for a conspiracyto extort $500,000. By 1980 he was a capo or captain residing in Union County, NJ. He would derive his illegal earnings from his crew of soldiers and much legal revenue from his ever growing number of diverse businesses in his portfolio.In 1984 he was introduced to Philadelphia independent record distrbutor John LaMonte. Previously Gambino LCN Family soldier Sal Pisello had sold aload of records to LaMonte. When the order had been not filled correctly problems arose. Vastola was seen as mediator through all of this but he was really extorting LaMonte along with Pisello. Vastola's good friend Levy was in on the scam too.By 1985 LaMonte, who had had enough, declared that once this matter of the records was finished that he never wanted to work with them again! Overhearing this, Vastol in a rage, jumped up and punched LaMonte in his head. He almost killed him. He left LaMonte with cracked temple and broken jaw. This was all from one punch too! LaMonte later wore a wire for the FBI and collected evidence against Vastola and others.In 1987 Vastola was housed at the Manhattan Metropolitan Correctional Facility for the LaMonte assault and extortion charges. His cell mate was none other than John Gotti of the Gambino crime organization. For reasons never fully explained Gotti thought that Vastola was a "rat". After Gotti's acquital he called upon the New Jersey crime boss John Riggi to his Mulberry Street social club "The Ravenite". The FBI was listening too as the two mob bosses discussed killing Vastola. A reluctant and unsure Riggi became like a subservient dog to Gotti and his stupid demands. In 1992 Gotti and consigliere Frank LoCasio were convicted on the Vastola murder conspiracy charge. Riggi was also given a sentence too.As of 1999 Gaetano "Corky" Vastola has served 7 years of a 17 yearsentence for the LaMonte assault and related extortion charges. It is not knownwhat contact he has with the New Jersey crime organization. It is not known wether, if he survives prison, will be welcomed back into the criminal enterprise he has served for so long. The same crime family that appears to have been taken over by other NYC La Cosa Nostra families. |
