Chart by JoePuzzles234 @ r/Mafia

would put total active families at 11.
NY 5
6. decavs
7. philly
8. new england
9. detroit
10. buffalo
11. chicago


all the rest are non existent using this criteria:
1. do they have a functioning administration or BOSS?
2. do they have membership aside from one alive member?
3. is there any evidence the family still operate criminally in said cities.

having looked into all of these cities/territories recently only the 11 i listed first would qualify. a pretty accurate chart then.

the kansas city family would be the only borderline one.

Donato Ditri was not the last known member in San Jose. Three members left, two in San Jose and one in Sacramento.

Buffalo, Detroit, and Kansas City still active.

Vincent LoScalzo is still alive correct?

Im surprised there is nobody else in Milwaukee after Johnny Bal

I wouldn’t label Buffalo as “status unclear”, it’s pretty much active at this point.
The investigations that targeted Gerace, Bongiovanni, Masecchia, DiBella…(not to mention their “Canadian branch” in Hamilton through the Luppino-Violi)…all paint a picture of an active underworld. Although it has been referred to as IOC (Italian Organized Crime) instead of the traditional LCN. According to Anna Sergi the Western NY—Southern Ontario area boasts one of the most interesting criminal landscapes concerning foreign-based Mafia due to its fluid identity that seems to have merged different traditional subcultures (Ndrangheta, American LCN, etc…) into one complex network.

They should bring in Zips beef up the defunct families

Todaro (Buffalo) was mad because the LA family made some canadiens so both families are active.

First time I hear that, interesting. When was this? Any names?

On June 30, 2017 the police agent talks about A Iavarone (believed to be Albert) being "straightened out" with an L.A. Family and that Joe Todaro was mad about not being told this. Being "straightened out" is a term used when a man is initiated as "made" Mafia member.

https://www.thespec.com/news/crime/...in-the-doorway-of-his-ancaster-home.html

Thanks.

I’m embarrassed to say that I had no idea.

I thought someone challenged that on here as being somewhat inaccurate?

Burnstein wrote last year:

In the months following Iavarone’s murder, the FBI started to receive tips from informants in New York and California that Iavarone’s murder was, at least partially, related to New York City mafia powers getting him his button in L.A. so he could travel as a “representario,” liaisoning in the U.S. for an Ontario crime group.

who should?

sorry who should be bringing in zips? all families? i'm lost.

Most zips are overrated.

There is a trend online that hypes Italian-born & raised wiseguys and paints them as these old school, unforgiving, trustworthy soldiers. Truth of the matter is that they are not less likely to flip than their American counterparts. Vincenzo Morena, Biagio Adornetto, Sergio Battaglia, are the first that come to mind. Italy has anti-Mafia laws and sentences that are perhaps harsher than the ones we have here. The # of rats is constantly growing.

Even “super soldier” Furio Giunta didn’t turn out to be as devoted as Tony hoped!

Those who believe the hype fail to realize the practicality of getting zips to settle on American soil. It’s no easy feat. If LCN families want them to come here legally (which is what families should do if they want to have them here for the long run) they need to have a work permit: most “zips” that have any criminal experience already have a record or are known by Italian authorities, so good luck getting them papers. If you get a younger, unknown zip, then you’re not exactly sure he’s capable at all since he’s inexperienced.

The easiest way to settle here is through marriage: but he has to stay out of trouble for at least three/four years before he can get naturalized. And then he’ll be grilled by Immigration. One only needs to appear on a surveillance picture where he’s seen hanging out known LCN guys to get the boot.

For these reasons many zips are here illegally so they are 1 arrest away from getting kicked out of the country. (ex. Walter Sampero, Silvio Palmeri, Sal Catalano, Enzo Morena…)

So what can they be practically used for if they’re so easily deported? They can’t be muscle (like Sampero) because just a mere assault charge is enough to get rid of them. They are less likely to reach an administration position either because that requires time (decades) and it’s almost impossible to remain in the country as an active LCN associate and member without getting arrested at least once in decades.

The only zips that truly count are the international drug traffickers and money launderers. And you don’t necessarily need to have them in your crew you just need to touch base with them and set up deals. Like the Ndrangheta traffickers that have been doing business with the Gambinos.

Based on what we’ve gathered from the many recent indictments LCN isn’t short of low brow “muscle.” There’s always room for some guy connected by blood who’s willing to be used in a variety of scams. There’s also a surprising number of sons or nephews despite the common belief that having your sons/nephews/young relatives in the life is frown upon. It’s certainly not the norm these days but it’s not that uncommon either. Without googling I can easily remember: the Basciano’s, the Amato’s, the Pepitone’s, the Ragusa’s, the Civitello’s, the DiMatteo’s, Louis DiNunzio, Pete Tuccio, Stango Jr, Lato Jr, several NY-born Inzerillos, and certainly many more that I don’t remember at this moment or that I’m not aware of. The way to go is to use nepotism for non-serious drug offenses (construction, shy, bidding, unions, etc…) make them make money and get cred while avoiding serious jail time.

I apologize for this long post but I had to explain myself.
Typing “most zips are overrated” without backing up my claims didn’t feel right.

I don't know about the LA family though I would call them status unclear not inactive or defunct.

I was gonna post about a pizzeria that I've heard has something to do with the LA family, but I'm honestly not sure. It doesn't seem like there's a lot there, but I'm not ruling anything out

Good post,LuanKuci.

thanks furio

Yeah in this day and age it'll be a nearly gargantuan task to get zips into the USA. It's not like you can import them like you'd import jars of caviar. They won't get smuggled in by some coyote across the Texas or California border like Mexican or Salvadoran immigrants. And they're not from some nation in distress so applying for political asylum won't happen.

Some also return to Sicily (Inzerillo, Catalano).

Thanks to Black Hand Forum.

Los Angeles
• Russell Masetta, 70 – shelved?
• Anthony Gambino, 40s
• Tommaso Gambino, 50 – apparent boss/senior figure
• Michael Esposito, 77ish
• Louis Caruso, 66

“California Gambinos” – Anna Sergi info
• Martino Caputo, 50 – IPL
• Antonio Caputo, 50

Kansas City
• James Moretina, 73
• John Mandacina, 76 – deceased?
• Vincent Pisciotta, 68 – IP
• Peter Simone, 77 – underboss?
• John Sciortino, 80 – boss?

Suspected Members:
• Frank DeLuna, 80
• John Termini, 83 – deceased?

Milwaukee
• John Balistieri, 68 – possibly not inducted, family defunct?

New Orleans
• Joseph Gagliano, 58 – probably not a member

Chicago
• Salvatore DeLaurentis, 84
• Salvatore Cataudella, 70
• Albert Vena, 74
• Frank Caruso, 77
• Bruno Caruso, 76
• James Marcello, 79
• John Matassa Jnr, 72
• Joseph Andriacchi, 90
• Michael Magnafichi, 63 – shelved/inactive
• Michael Sarno, 65 – IP
• Michael Spano Snr, 83
• Nicholas Guzzino, 82
• Rudolph Fratto, 79

St. Louis
• Fernando Bartolotta, 65
• Frank Palazzo, 78 – deceased, not made?

Florida
• Vincent LoScalzo, 86
• Antonio Amorelli, 70s
• Joseph DiGerlando, 86
• Frank Albano, 84

Cleveland
• Russell Papalardo, 81

DeCavalcante
Per Chin

Admin:
• Boss: Charles Majuri, 83
• Underboss: Unknown
• Consigliere: Frank Nigro, 81

Caporegime
• Charles Stango, 79 – probation?

Members
• Philip Abramo, 78
• Gaetano Alessi, 84
• Daniel Annunziata, 84
• Ciro Balzano, 60
• James Castaldo, 68
• Rosario Cocchiaro, 81
• Domenico Colletti
• Giacomo Colletti
• Louis Consalvo, 66
• Carl Corsentino, 88
• Nicholas Cottone
• Frank D’Amato, 77 – deceased?
• Anthony Falzone
• Paolo Farina, 97 – deceased?
• Leonard Giacobbe
• Felice La Mela, 90 – deceased?
• Nicholas LaMela
• Anthony Mannarino, 78
• Domenico Marzullo, 59
• Michael Merlo
• Luigi Oliveri, 50
• Gregory Rago, 64
• John Riggi Jnr, 69
• Vincent Riggi, 72
• Giuseppe Schifilliti, 85 – deceased?
• Joseph Sclafani, 85
• Gaetano Vastola, 95 – deceased?
• James Gallo, 79

Detroit
• Jack Vito Giacalone, 72
• Anthony LaPiana, 81
• Paul Corrado (Big Paulie), 64 – inactive
• Peter Jack Corrado, 65
- LE confirmed

I remember reading a while ago that someone had a list that said that Paul Corrado (Cousin Paulie), 59 and Peter Anthony Corrado, 62 were members, something like an FBI 1996 membership list? Not sure on their status.

Per SMB in the 2022 thread, these were additional members that are/were active:
• Joseph Giacalone, 76
• Jack Giacalone (Nose)
• Vincent Giacalone
• Peter D. Tocco, 75 – confirmed?
• Eugene Barrata, 70s
• Giuseppe D'Anna, 70 – confirmed?
• Girolamo D'Anna, 58 – confirmed?
• David Aceto, 65

great post luan kuci about zips.
my take on said zips would be about the same. i dont think we can consider them in the same context today as say back in the pizza connection days. there would only be 2 ny families showing any connect back to sicily in present day. gambinos have by far the strongest and most ongoing. it appears that this is a partnership between a faction of the gambinos and several families all based in palermo. the proof of this is all over the web from indictments and investigations old bridge, new bridge etc. the connections for the bonannos appear to be a little murkier and less defined. are there native sicilians establishing crews in ny with protection from bonannos? is this a partnership among crews from C.D.G. and a faction of bonannos? one thing for sure these 2 families are not importing illegal zips to work for them like in the 70's and 80's.

although long considered to have a "zip/sicilian faction" the bonannos in present day ny do not have this. who r they? whos the leader? questions that go unanswered constantly across this site and the web. same names get put forward (baldo amato for ex) with no new info coming out. some who post on this site and on others across different site appear to have a hard time separating historical knowledge and present day fact. what was in 1957 in the mafia is not the same in 2023. we cannot keep regurgitating the same old outdated info and stating it as fact ignoring the fact that 70 years has gone by.

the commission is a good example. we can all agree it did exist there is ample proof of this. valachis testimony and the bust at appalachia is enough proof of this i think. but can we think of the commission in the same terms today? good god no. if it exists it is in an entirely different context and function. the same can be said for the bonannos. that family once had rock solid ties back to sicily there is no dispute in this. but we cannot assume the very same connections exist in the same way today.

all this can be said for some of the families listed above. if you are a historical mafia buff there is nothing wrong with that i used to love to dig into the old stuff and connections. but that framework of a once mighty mafia commission overlooking all aspects of crime across the u.s. does not exist anymore and has not for a long time. i do not believe there is a an LA anything of the mafia unless it starts with mexican. no proof at all anywhere and this argument or discussion has gone on too long. san jose, san fran, new orleans, dallas, tampa, cleveland, pittsburgh, rochester etc... there gone. those families are gone in the context most on here are thinking of them. is there still crime in these cities sure there is but it is not being committed by a functioning crime family its just not.

on the above list martino caputo really? a once montreal mafia associate is now being considered a gambino something because there is a minute possibility that his twin brother was made. caputo is serving life for multiple murders and mass import of cocaine all of which took place before his 2012 arrest and imprisonment. so how he is now labeled an associate of the gambinos in LA is laughable. furio i know its not yer list.

glad you liked it vito.
as for the current “zips” of today’s American LCN I didn’t mention the indictment of those Sicilians based in Philly and S. NJ of just a few years ago. Calogero Zito was the only one whose name I remember. Young, probably a dual citizen, he owns an eatery in Philadelphia. I don’t know if he’s still in the country or if he’s incarcerated in Italy. If I remember correctly no one connected to any American borgata was arrested, meaning they were operating on their own, perhaps paying some tribute to the Philly Mob. Out of mere respect I’m certain.

I read somewhere (I forgot where) that some sons of actual zips are still labeled as such due to their fathers. So guys like the Pepitone’s or the few former members of the Giannini Cafe Crew might be considered as zips although they were either born here or raised here. But I again I don’t can’t post the source article so take it with a grain of salt.

I agree that there’s definitely many that we have zero knowledge about. I for once had never heard of Damiano Zummo until he was arrested after Enzo Morena’s Canadian ceremony. I also found that particular investigation quite interesting since it somehow highlighted some connections the Bonannos had to present-day Ontario.

The recent article about Joe Violi’s parole board also implied of the Ontario—NYC connections, making the entire criminal landscape of Southern Ontario more complicated.

LuanKaci Calogero Zito was charged in the Operation New Connection with his father Simone Zito. Calogero Zito is close with Tommaso Gambino who is Joe Gambino's kid. Tommaso Gambino was arrested with Calogero Zito in Palermo and was recently acquitted. I think Calogero Zito has been back in Philadelphia and I'm not sure what Family he and his father are with. They fall into that Gambino Sicilian Palermo group. Simone Zito's mother is a Mannino I'm pretty sure.

Vito we talked about the Bonanno Family's Sicilian faction before in a post you made I think and I gave you a list there. There's a group of guys that belong into it or a better phrase is they fit under the umbrella of "Sicilian faction" of the Bonanno Family. LuanKaci is right that Zip or Sicilian faction guys aren't always born in Sicily or Italy they are the descendants of guys who were born there and usually were big time drug traffickers in the 1970s 1980s. A lot of them are the former Giannini crew kids and have ties to Sicily.

I completely agree we can't use 50+ year old info as if it's the same today but you tend to ignore or dismiss the current info because you don't believe the connections can or do exist. We already talked about this but as recent as 2016 Bonanno members were meeting with the Capomafia of Castellammare del Golfo. In the same series of articles that came out documenting that meeting it mentioned multiple other Bonanno members who have travelled there in the last 15 years and Castellamare del Golfo affiliated people meeting with Bonanno Family members in New York. There hasn't been a Operation New Connection for the Bonanno Family and the Families in Trapani but the connections are documented.


If you or others in this post are a member of the Black Hand Forum you'll be able to find a post about Martino Antonio and Paolo Caputo and see why they're on the list Furio_From_Naples shared. If you're not I'll share it for you.

Last summer Anna Sergi released her book Chasing the Mafia that documented the Ndrangheta and a lot of her life growing up around them. If you don't know Anna Sergi she has a theory of Mafia Hybridization which is about certain people specifically in Ontario who fly the flag of La Cosa Nostra and Ndrangheta when it suits them. Anyway in the book there's a chapter on this and she was given access to Project Otremens files and she shared a few transcripts. One of these talked about Joe Todaro being mad he wasn't told Iavarone and Caputo were made by the Gambino Family in California. This garnered a lot of attention by people who have been following Ontario's Mafia because only Albert Iavarone was previously reported to be made. A user on the Black Hand Forum contacted Anna Sergi and asked for clarification and she replied saying Martino and Paolo Caputo were made. A few months after this she released a paper that had a lot of never before seen Project Otremens transcripts and in it the same quote about Joe Todaro being upset except it said A Iavrone and A Caputo. A Iavarone being Albert Iavarone and A Caputo being brother Antonio Caputo.

Is Canada being overlooked?

mafia i am aware of the francesco domingo links to the bonannos. that setup though seems to be a partnership between bonannos and sicily/C.D.G mafia groups not a bonanno led faction based in ny. this was the point i was trying to make. the sicilian mafia groups allied with the bonannos in ny are operating in a partnership or have been given territory to operate left when bonanno crews have been imprisoned. this setup is completely different than one being led by a bonanno capo with zips working direct for said capo. so i will not dispute this kind of setup as it its what best evidence shows.

to my comment on martino caputo i dont see why there is confusion here. hes imprisoned has been for close to 10 years and never had any affiliation with gambinos. because his brother is alleged to now be a gambino member does not make martino anything. i would say martino in present day has no affiliation at this point. for all we know he could be allied with the mohawk warriors for protection wherever he is now housed. to the point about antonio caputo being made and now a gambino this would require more evidence and research by many to get to the bottom of. i am aware of anna sergi and she is one of the most intelligent well researched experts on the mafia in the world that is no doubt. her theory of hyberdization is a very interesting one and one i tend to agree with in the context of canadian mafia groups. however when talking about paolo caputo there still does exist some confusion here. from the 2021 book the wolfpack co authored by peter edwards there is a brief 2 page mention about paolo caputo. pg. 229-230 in the book states that p. caputo was never a mobster...he ran restaurants...was a gambler...he had once hosted vito rizzuto at restaurants...was murdered over a $5million drug debt incurred by his brother martino by the sinaloa cartel.

there is no mention of paolo being a gambino associate/member. no mention that this hit was ordered by say joe todaro or part of a montreal mafia feud or a toronto mafia feud for that matter. so paolo caputo is murdered in august 2019. by now his brother antonio is said to be a made member of the gambinos having been at same ceremony as albert iavarone in 2017/2018. the murder takes place what is the reason if not for drug debt? and no reprisal? if antonio caputo was now flying the flag of gambinos in toronto would those looking for repayment not reach out to him first i mean he is now part of the 2nd most most powerful crime family in north america. surely some arrangement could have been made no. $5million to gambinos should be nothing against say having a newly made guy murdered and his family. doesnt show much clout if you ask me. and why not antonio the one to be murdered? because of his status perhaps not wanting to piss off gambinos that makes sense. so then what does a smart ruthless cartel like sinaloa do they kill someone from yer family fully aware that paolo caputo was his brother but also knowing he had no criminal staus.

so peter edwards could be wrong. anna sergi could be. i could be. but the situation in ontario amongst mafia surely is just as confusing as montreal is. and figuring out who was against who is not clear cut and cannot be separated as easily as sicilian vs. calabrian as some would like it to be.

Great info guys

I don't see why there's confusion either. What does him being in jail have to do with anything? Anna Sergi's Project Otremens access and her work researching shipping ports showed Martino was made so he's put down as a suspected member. That's all that it is. His twin brother Antonio Caputo has allegedly come up in files prior to this about him being involved with the Gambino Family in New York and Anna Sergi also came across this.

I would have to check Peter Edwards book and see what exactly was written about Paolo Caputo but I don't think it mentioned his multiple gambling arrests in the 1990s and 2000s with other known mobsters. The possible motive of his murder being a debt owed to the cartel is just one possibility. If it's true it doesn't mean he wasn't made by the Gambino Family or the Los Angeles Family on behalf of the Gambino Family.

I don't see how any of those questions would prove or not prove any or all of the three brothers were made. No one is saying it is for certain only that their names have come up as being members. There's too many unknowns about this Gambino/Los Angeles involvement in Canada to say anything for certain. Until more info comes out them being labeled suspected or possible members is perfect.