The criminal underworld loves nicknames. And among the most colorful and popular of their nicknames had to do with all sorts of animals.

This next challenge involves eight different mafiosi, from eight separate and distinct Cosa Nostra Families sprinkled throughout the United States. Each guy had a nickname related to an animal of some sort.

Your job? — “Should you choose to accept it” — is to identify the true first and last name of each mafiosi, then match the (letter) of their nickname, to the corresponding (number) of the Family or city they were affiliated with.

A) The Beast
B) The Cat
C) The Mouse
D) Peanuts
E) The Tiger
F) The Whale
G) Sharkey
H) The Bug

1) Bonanno
2) Buffalo
3) Chicago
4) Colombo
5) DeCavalcante
6) Genovese
7) Kansas City
8) Lucchese

Any guesses?

H - 4 : Franck "Frankie the Bug" Sciortino (Colombo)

F - 8 : Louis "Gigi the Whale" Inglese (Lucchese)

Good choices, Malavita. But unfortunately, these are incorrect.

As I mentioned to Butchie yesterday (who's been really banging' em out lately,) I was gonna try and step up my game because he's been knocking them down like dominos. So I made sure to include a couple of extra twists and turns with this one. Just to make it more interesting and challenging.

So think about all the names and families a bit more, and take another shot at it (I've got confidence in you guys)

A-5 - Frank (The Beast) Sacarabino - DeCavlcante Soldier
D-3 - Paul (Peanuts) Panczko - Chicago Outfit Associate
E-7 - Anthony (The Tiger) Cardarella - Kansas City Soldier
G-2 - Sharkey Ehrenreich - Buffalo Family Associate Bookmaker

Very good picks, Butchie. You we're able to nail 2 of the 4 we listed. Here they are;

A-5 was Frank “The Beast” Scarabino (DeCavalcante) *
E-7 was Anthony J. “Tiger” Cardarella (Kansas City) *

But both Panczko, for Chicago, and Ehrenreich, for Buffalo, are incorrect. Nonetheless, very good effort.

PS: I told you I was gonna try and kick future challenges up a notch or two to keep it interesting. lol. Review all the choices, and the families involved, and take another crack at it.

I got nobody else that’s all I can come up With

D-2 was John “Peanuts” Tronolone (Buffalo) *

“Peanuts” Tronolone was a longtime soldier of Buffalo’s Stefano Magaddino Family, who later relocated to Cleveland where he became a top hierarchy leader in that city. A number of years later he relocated again, down to South Florida, where he remained a highly-respected and important mafioso.

C-8 was Charles “Charlie Mouse” Curcio (Lucchese)

Born in East Harlem, New York back in 1926, Charlie Curcio was a devout hoodlum, drug dealer and longtime Lucchese Family associate who was closely affiliated with Family soldier Nicholas “Big Nose Nick” Tolentino. But over the years “Charlie Mouse” was known to also maintain close connections to many other top-echelon wholesale narcotics traffickers in both the Gambino and Lucchese Families.

G-1 was Thomas “Sharkey” Carrube (Bonanno)

“Sharkey” Carrube was a recent inductee into the modern-day Bonanno Family, who served as a soldier for a short time. Then he decided he didn’t like being a “wiseguy” anymore, so he became an FBI informant instead.

H-3 was John “Johnny the Bug” Varelli (Chicago)

"Johnny the Bug" was an old-time soldier of the Chicago Outfit.

B-6 was Felix “The Cat” Monaco (Genovese) *

A somewhat obscure member that little was ever known about, nonetheless, Felix “The Cat” Monaco was identified as an early soldier of the old Luciano/Genovese Family.


Only one mystery mobster remains unnamed. Do you know who "Joe the Whale" was?

F-4 was actually Brooklyn-based Colombo Family solder Joseph “Joe the Whale” Peraino Sr.

Peraino wraps up this latest ButtonGuys challenge.