(Credits to WillieChiChi from the Black Hand Forum for being the first to bring this photo to my attention)

It's Joey Merlino, and his cousin Anthony Accardo on the far left, no clue whom the other guys are, but the one in between Accardo & Merlino has been speculated to be Stevie Mazzone, but I personally don't think thats him.

From wikipedia:

"Riggi continued to run the family from his jail cell, but he appointed Giacomo "Jake" Amari as his new acting boss. All was seemingly settled until Amari became ill and died slowly of stomach cancer in 1997. This caused a massive power vacuum within the family, with high-ranking members pushing to become the next boss of the DeCavalcante crime family.

The Ruling Panel
After acting boss Amari's death, Riggi organized a three-man ruling panel in 1998 to run the day-to-day business of the crime family,[13] consisting of Girolamo Palermo, Vincent Palermo (no relation), and Charles Majuri,[14] with Stefano Vitabile as the reputed consigliere and adviser to the three.

The Panel, however, infuriated longtime captain Charles Majuri, who had been a hardworking member of the family since his teens and felt that he was wronged when he was not selected as the only acting boss.[14] To gain complete control of the DeCavalcante family, Majuri decided that he should murder Vincent Palermo, leaving himself in charge of the family.[14]"

Thats a wikipedia claim. I know that it's popular to think these characters were based on real people. But David Chase himself never confirmed that. There's an article quoting Chase supposedly claiming the Sopranos were based on the Boiardo's, with the article alluding to Tony Soprano being based on Tony Boy Boiardo. And an article claiming Chase said it was based on the Sopranos. Chase himself never really confirmed this, other than saying "this was based on people I knew as a kid".

I don't quote wikipedia articles that aren't backed with sources.

Here they are for this article.

[13]"REAL 'SOPRANO' SINGS N.J. mob boss cut secret deal". Daily News. New York. October 24, 2000

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2000-10-24/news/18146484_1_palermo-murder-conspiracies-decavalcante

[14] Mob Money. CNBC. June 23, 2010.

The similarity between Giacamo Amari dying of stomach cancer, Charles Majuri being upset about being passed over as outright boss, trying to kill Vinny "Ocean" Palermo because of it and Jackie Aprile dying of stomach cancer, Junior being upset at Jackie not naming a successor and his ensuing war with Tony would have to be the most freakish coincidence of all time if not for how obvious it is that the DeCavalcante situation in the late '90s was the basis for season one of The Sopranos.

@sinatraclub, is that a current picture of merlino, he looks young as shit!!!

That link doesn't work. And that's been a theory stated on many mob docs and articles. But again, David Chase himself never stated The Sopranos were based on any specific family, let alone any real life person. No doubt he drew on some similarities but thats about it. But we can save the Soprano debate for another thread.


@BigFella, I don't know where the pictures from, as it wasn't mentioned. But it looks fairly recent, I'd say it looks most similar to when he came back to Philly for his fathers funeral about a year or two ago. Looking at it closely though, I definitely see what you mean. If it isn't recent, it's still an interesting pic as it shows Accardo may have been made possibly, a lot earlier than was assumed by most. It's not recent I can tell by Merlino's clothing and watch. And I found a close up on pininterest (forgot I had an account there), and I'm personally not 100% sure thats Accardo. It could be Ray Wags.

Here's a link to the article that works. NY Daily News might have changed the one that was retrieved by the wikipedia contributor.

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news...rticle-1.878352

And, here's some text from the article that further demonstrates the first season of the Sopranos was based on the '90s DeCavs.

"Palermo, 54, was appointed one of three captains of the New Jersey-based DeCavalcante crime family in December 1998 while the boss, John Riggi, served time in prison. Members of that family were secretly recorded last year on government wiretaps talking about how the hit HBO cable TV series "The Sopranos" was based on their clan, according to transcripts. They ticked off similarities between the fictional family and their own, such as an aging gangster in both clans who died of stomach cancer, and the nagging suspicion that one of their own was wearing a wire. "You are in there," Anthony Rotondo, one of Palermo's closest allies, told an associate. "Every show you watch, more and more you pick up somebody. Every show."

Hmm. Then why did you ask me where I read it, as if it were the first you'd heard of it?

Because like I've been saying the whole time, the creator of the show David Chase never stated that The Sopranos were based on anyone specific or let along a specific family. The most he said was during a piece for the Godfather Remastered Edition which came out in '08. He's in one of the extra clips, and they're talking about The Godfather and the things they influenced, which is almost everything, and the subject of the Sopranos is brought up and Chase says "This is based on the people I've seen as a kid"...That vague statement was all he said as far as the Sopranos being based on actual people.



People draw similarities, and come to the conclusion that it was based on The Decav's, and many mob docs and news articles make this mistake and use their own comparisons as fact. But factually, the creator never stated that they were based on any specific family or person. Thats what I meant by where'd you read that. I thought you'd actually had an article or proof of David Chase actually saying his show, The Sopranos were based on the DeCalvacantes. But he's never said that. The members being recorded saying the show was based on them, doesn't prove anything either, they had nothing to do with the creation of the show, and you know mob guys and their ego, especially those idiots who were operating during Vincent Palermo's time as acting boss. Again, we can save this for another thread.


Hey guys, finally got a date for that photo, it was taken in the late 90's. But on the subject of Accardo, he's actually featured in that Dave S "mob talks" piece, recorded standing on a stoop talking with Borgesi, Michael Lancelotti & a Dave Salvo.

@Sinatra: That picture that you posted is outside of the Cape May Courthouse in 1998 when Merlino was going into court to plead to his Open Container and Littering citations, which he got while being stopped by the Margate City (Jersey Shore) police late night coming back from the bars. The people in the picture from the left are Anthony Accardo, Charles "Chuck" Peruto who is one of Joey's lawyers and reps a bunch of other mobsters, Joey Merlino, Joe Santaguida who is another one of Joey's lawyers and reps a lot of South Philly mobsters as well, and then the bald guy I cannot tell based on the back of his head. Side note, is Anthony Accardo in fact Joey's cousin? I didn't know that if that's the case. I have a bunch of recent Accardo pics also if anyone is interested in this guy. Incidentally, if you watch the recent Dave S. Mob Watch video on Fox where they talk about the Clubhouse on 11th & Jackson, you can see Accardo standing out front on the far right of the frame to the right of the clubhouse entrance talking to some other guy... He definitely still hangs out with the guys and is probably made if I had to guess (post-his prison sentence in 2001 for participating in the stolen property ring).

You just said Old Man Paruta did the hit and was Sammy's mentor. I said a lot more than that. You just copy and pasted lines from Underboss Smooth.

Uncle Junior is mainly based on Uncle Joe Giaccobe.

Wow nice one ricky, thanks

Your welcome Toodoped

I'll take your word for it PHL-Mob, your other post on this matter have always resonated to have a factual basis with me. So I'll buy it.


@Yates, thank you. Clearly he didn't read the DeCalvacante book "Made Men". Only goes to show that it's just theories people created and tried to add a connection with, and boom you have various articles claiming "The Sopranos is based on this person and that group." As if it's fact, despite the creator of the show never saying such a thing. Uncle Junior definitely shares a lot more similarities to Joseph "Joe Pitts" Giacobbe. Both hung out at a pork store, both drove black cadillacs (as you can see in some of the flashback sequences Tony has of him as a young boy).

Great photos. Morrissey was mrked for deathby Amuso and Casso who claimed he was a rat, it was set up your fat Pete Chiodo. He wasn't the rat, but Peter Savino the other guy in the picture who the Chinese wouldn't have killed.

Joe Pitts wasn't Uncle Joe Giaccobe. Joe Pitts was Joseph Conigliaro. He was paralyzed after he and a partner shot each other after taking a victim in a car. Joe Pitts was a DeCavalcante associate at first but later a Gambino associated with the Carroll Gardens Gambino crew with Bobby Boriello. Ran a social club called the "One Over Golf Club"

Excellent Senter pictures. Does anyone have any information on Senter's time with the Lucchese's?

Correct. I misread the bolded "JOE PITTS" right underneath the paragraph of Joe Giacobbe.

agreed moe

[img:center][/img]

is this Bobby Cabert?

nah

Who the hell is that anyways. Mainly obese guy next to him.

forgot his name but def not made both those guys have a shoe off each, maybe celebrating shoeless joe's birthday

Hey Bronx, who is shoeless Joe? And why the shoe off name?

Or maybe their feets just hurt.

chicago white sox player who helped throw the world series, joe jackson.

Boy you are old Bronx!

lol crusty and old..they say golden years b.s. ! rusty years more like it

Joey Merlino



Joseph Grimaldi and Joseph Cammarano Jr.



John Gotti Jr. and Dominick Pizzonia



Charlie Iannece and Nick Caramandi vacationing in Florida



Norman Dupont (guarding door); Dominick Pizzonia (threatening cameraman); John Gotti (sitting, amused); John D'Amico (sitting, distracted); Ignazio Alogna, Gregory De Palma and Joseph Corozzo (standing)



George Conte (Lucchese)



Angelo Ruggiero



Danny Greene