WEBVTT 00:00:00.017 --> 00:00:04.357 Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, glad to be back here in Studio Gangland Wire. 00:00:04.597 --> 00:00:10.057 I've got a little bonus episode, I think. I don't know how long it's going to be, but not too long. 00:00:10.377 --> 00:00:17.257 Steve Popkin, the fan of the podcast, sent me a link to a New York Times article. 00:00:17.857 --> 00:00:22.277 Actually, it was out of the New York Times archives. They have an archive that you can access. 00:00:22.917 --> 00:00:31.897 It was dated March 21st, 1976, and the title was Five Mafia Families Opened Rosters to New Members. 00:00:32.037 --> 00:00:34.117 Well, this is back when they opened the books, finally. 00:00:34.297 --> 00:00:37.437 We hear a lot about that. The books were closed. The books were opened. 00:00:37.557 --> 00:00:39.897 They opened the books in 1976. 00:00:40.097 --> 00:00:42.417 There's a lot of guys who were made right after that. 00:00:43.557 --> 00:00:46.657 It's hard to figure out who they all are. It'll take a lot of time, 00:00:46.677 --> 00:00:54.617 but you all know who was made in 1976, 1977, during those years would have been 00:00:54.617 --> 00:00:56.857 right after the books were opened back up. 00:00:57.017 --> 00:01:02.357 They had to get the commission to approve of that, and there was five families 00:01:02.357 --> 00:01:03.757 on the commission at the time. 00:01:03.917 --> 00:01:08.177 I assume Chicago probably was, but since it was a New York deal, 00:01:08.357 --> 00:01:14.717 they probably just kept it within New York mob bosses to vote on whether they 00:01:14.717 --> 00:01:16.217 would open up the books again. 00:01:16.945 --> 00:01:21.105 Now, in this article, I bet when they read this, some of these guys read this 00:01:21.105 --> 00:01:27.105 article, they were about to shit because here's their business right down on the street. 00:01:27.125 --> 00:01:32.625 And I know they read those articles. I've got a wiretap where Nick Savella is 00:01:32.625 --> 00:01:36.985 reading an article or actually Tuffy DeLuna is reading an article to him where 00:01:36.985 --> 00:01:39.605 the, I believe it was the Wall Street Journal, 00:01:39.865 --> 00:01:45.385 was saying that Iupa was moving out west and moving into Las Vegas. 00:01:45.385 --> 00:01:48.245 And Nick Civella says, oh, boy. 00:01:49.165 --> 00:01:53.805 And anyhow, so, you know, I know they read this stuff and they pay attention to it. 00:01:53.945 --> 00:01:57.445 And to see this out on Front Street like this, I don't know. 00:01:57.585 --> 00:02:03.965 Anyhow, the article said that each family had been given permission to initiate 10 new members. 00:02:04.745 --> 00:02:10.305 And they were instructed that they had to get these, take these guys from proven 00:02:10.305 --> 00:02:14.265 moneymakers within their own family, people that they knew. because, 00:02:14.265 --> 00:02:17.665 you know, they know that they can be infiltrated. 00:02:17.785 --> 00:02:22.025 So they want to make sure that people that didn't have any legal problems faced them at that time. 00:02:22.185 --> 00:02:26.105 Now, you know, you're going to get some legal problems eventually. 00:02:26.525 --> 00:02:30.585 So you just have to, you know, people whose family members you know or maybe 00:02:30.585 --> 00:02:35.185 you're an extended relative of your own, if you're a maid guy or you're a boss, 00:02:35.965 --> 00:02:38.025 you want somebody that's proven their loyalty. 00:02:38.085 --> 00:02:40.765 Somebody's gone to the joint and kept their mouth shut before. 00:02:40.765 --> 00:02:46.525 I mean, a guy that goes in, does a tray or five years or whatever. Somebody does 10 years. 00:02:46.725 --> 00:02:49.625 I know a guy here in Kansas City, my friend, Steve St. 00:02:49.745 --> 00:02:56.265 John, he did 10 years. Now, he wasn't involved in a mafia crime, but he didn't talk. 00:02:56.505 --> 00:03:00.565 And he's the kind of guy that, you know, people will look out to, 00:03:00.725 --> 00:03:06.945 you know, to hold up to this higher standard, to higher and high esteem in that world. 00:03:07.605 --> 00:03:11.625 And, you know, he does not commit any more crimes. Would he be a guy that you 00:03:11.625 --> 00:03:13.145 would want to commit a crime with? 00:03:13.545 --> 00:03:17.385 Bright guy, and he didn't talk, and he could have. 00:03:17.545 --> 00:03:20.225 Believe me, he knew stuff, and he could have talked, and he wouldn't do it. 00:03:20.365 --> 00:03:26.025 The books were closed in 1957 after Joe Valacci started testifying in 1962. 00:03:27.005 --> 00:03:34.325 He talked about the different—he described the ceremony for the first time, 00:03:34.425 --> 00:03:36.225 the whole pricking of the finger, 00:03:36.385 --> 00:03:39.185 burning of the hand, the loyalty oath, which has been 00:03:39.185 --> 00:03:44.325 reported by other people that have come in angelo uh leonardo reported it i 00:03:44.325 --> 00:03:49.685 found that one he really did it in detail and they even taped one in boston 00:03:49.685 --> 00:03:53.905 area in the patriarchy family here in the last several years so they shut down 00:03:53.905 --> 00:03:56.745 the books they were so scared of infiltration and. 00:03:57.365 --> 00:04:02.025 Finally, the heads of the fine families met and they opened them up, 00:04:02.125 --> 00:04:06.985 given these kind of certain restrictions, if you will. 00:04:07.485 --> 00:04:12.765 Each guy can get 10 people, select proven moneymakers and that kind of thing. 00:04:12.925 --> 00:04:14.545 They still take the oath of silence. 00:04:15.105 --> 00:04:20.105 And there's no doubt that it was going to be tightly controlled by these mob 00:04:20.105 --> 00:04:25.365 families. As the FBI at the time said, they reported in this article says they've 00:04:25.365 --> 00:04:28.825 been holding initiation ceremonies in New York for the past month. 00:04:29.385 --> 00:04:32.745 My boss reads that. He said, come on, what's up with this? 00:04:32.885 --> 00:04:37.045 This agent said that these ceremonies have been held in the homes of underbosses 00:04:37.045 --> 00:04:42.225 and selected family captains, not in the homes of the bosses because they think 00:04:42.225 --> 00:04:44.145 they have too much surveillance on them. 00:04:44.145 --> 00:04:48.365 Apparently, he said, the initiation ceremony they were using at that time was 00:04:48.365 --> 00:04:50.845 still really close to what Bellacci had described. 00:04:51.005 --> 00:04:54.945 The guns, knives laying there, the oaths of silence, the whole thing. 00:04:55.245 --> 00:04:58.745 And some of them that were initiated at the time, and I'd be curious, 00:04:58.905 --> 00:05:02.865 you know, get a hold of me or comment on the Facebook or on the YouTube. 00:05:03.245 --> 00:05:09.145 Who all was made during this time? This report indicates a guy named John Russo, 00:05:09.305 --> 00:05:13.705 who was a driver and a bodyguard for Frank Thierry, who was supposedly the boss 00:05:13.705 --> 00:05:16.845 of the Vito Genovese family at the time. He would have been kind of a new boss. 00:05:17.025 --> 00:05:20.165 It's another thing. There were some new bosses at the time. I think that's one 00:05:20.165 --> 00:05:23.625 reason they got this through. Benaro Magano. 00:05:24.025 --> 00:05:27.005 He was the guy known as Benny eggs. I've heard of him. 00:05:27.185 --> 00:05:32.445 He's a very successful bookmaker and loan shark Salvatore franchise. He was, uh, 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:38.279 He ran all the gambling operations for Sonny Franchise, who was a captain in the Colombo family. 00:05:38.719 --> 00:05:42.859 Kind of the article surmised, and probably they got this from an agent, 00:05:43.119 --> 00:05:47.279 this kind of shows the decline of Carlo Gambino, 00:05:47.599 --> 00:05:52.079 his lessening of his influence in some of the newer mob, like I said, 00:05:52.179 --> 00:05:55.499 some of the newer mob bosses were coming in at the time. 00:05:55.879 --> 00:05:59.779 It also kind of showed the emergence of Carmine Galante. 00:05:59.779 --> 00:06:02.499 He had come back out of jail and he 00:06:02.499 --> 00:06:05.919 had like assumed he was going to be the boss of the Bonanno 00:06:05.919 --> 00:06:08.899 family uh just spent 15 years in 00:06:08.899 --> 00:06:11.539 jail kept his mouth shut you know he felt like he 00:06:11.539 --> 00:06:17.439 was owed and he was owed and of course we had time Rusty Rustelli was inside 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:22.159 at the time and and he was supposedly the heir apparent I believe but he really 00:06:22.159 --> 00:06:25.499 led the fight to open the books now if you remember he was trying to bring in 00:06:25.499 --> 00:06:31.359 the zips he was bringing these Sicilians to pump up his family and get into narcotics. 00:06:31.479 --> 00:06:34.359 He knew those guys, you know, first of all, they didn't really speak the language. 00:06:34.499 --> 00:06:41.259 And if he brought them over, they would be so loyal to him that he could trust them to be loyal to him. 00:06:41.299 --> 00:06:44.399 And he wanted to be able to make those guys, you know, at the time they had 00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:48.019 a pretty new boss, the Lucchese family and Tony Duck, Tony Ducks, 00:06:48.139 --> 00:06:50.219 Anthony Corralo was a new boss. 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:54.419 He came from Queens, the Queens faction of that family, Carmine Persico. 00:06:54.419 --> 00:06:58.699 So he was in jail at the time, prison for a period of time during this time. 00:06:58.819 --> 00:07:02.799 But he had just come through the Columbo Wars and taken over. 00:07:02.939 --> 00:07:07.159 And, you know, he orchestrated the hit on Joey Gallo and finally ended that 00:07:07.159 --> 00:07:12.199 whole mess there. And everybody got out the mattresses and went back home, 00:07:12.199 --> 00:07:13.879 I guess. Now, he was in prison. 00:07:14.059 --> 00:07:16.619 He had appointed his brother, Alphonse, to run the family. 00:07:17.119 --> 00:07:22.659 Galante's argument, according to the article, was all the mafia families were declining. 00:07:22.659 --> 00:07:25.399 And the old guys were getting older that's what happened here in 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:28.639 kansas city when everything went to shit on them after the 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:32.179 skim trials but they were all like 80 years old all 00:07:32.179 --> 00:07:35.199 the main guys except for a couple were 80 years old 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:39.699 gotta get some new blood in we gotta get some money makers in we got people 00:07:39.699 --> 00:07:44.319 get into new rackets of course what he was thinking about was getting into narcotics 00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:50.659 being made is you you guys are all students of this and most of you know probably 00:07:50.659 --> 00:07:54.119 more about it than i do And there's like real deal made guys out there, 00:07:54.279 --> 00:07:56.999 people who have been or people in witness protection. 00:07:56.999 --> 00:08:00.759 I hear from different people that obviously are a lot better, 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:04.239 more connected than what you might believe. 00:08:04.939 --> 00:08:08.679 They wouldn't pay attention to a podcast like this. But, you know, 00:08:08.739 --> 00:08:11.599 they call themselves a good fellas, you know, the book title, 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:13.219 good fellas. And they have the right. 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:16.999 One thing you get is a good fella. You have the right to a sit down. 00:08:16.999 --> 00:08:23.179 If there's no disagreement, you can have a sit down with another boss or maybe 00:08:23.179 --> 00:08:29.439 a boss of another family or some respected consigliere or somebody who would settle this dispute. 00:08:30.476 --> 00:08:34.216 Now, if a dispute was with a non-member, somebody that's close enough that can 00:08:34.216 --> 00:08:37.576 get this sit down, he has to be represented by somebody who's made. 00:08:37.856 --> 00:08:42.796 And he really doesn't have a very good chance of getting the decision in his favor. 00:08:43.656 --> 00:08:49.196 Made members do not trust people outside the family and particularly gangsters, 00:08:49.396 --> 00:08:52.056 probably more than gangsters, other gangsters than anything. 00:08:52.596 --> 00:08:57.916 Old P, old Mustache Pete's like Pete, Carlo Gambino, not a Mustache Pete. 00:08:57.976 --> 00:08:59.596 I'm just kidding about that. But the 00:08:59.596 --> 00:09:05.256 older guys realized that this special relationship was really important. 00:09:05.256 --> 00:09:12.156 And if you were to induct somebody who was an informant already, 00:09:12.156 --> 00:09:15.416 it really makes all the families vulnerable. 00:09:15.416 --> 00:09:19.916 Because then they get in on the whole structure and can testify firsthand, 00:09:19.916 --> 00:09:22.216 which eventually they got people to do. 00:09:22.216 --> 00:09:25.776 But at the time they hadn't testified firsthand 00:09:25.776 --> 00:09:28.856 you know as to the structure and who does what 00:09:28.856 --> 00:09:31.736 there had been a few initiations during the last 20 00:09:31.736 --> 00:09:36.236 years when they were closed but only when they were absolutely necessary one 00:09:36.236 --> 00:09:41.336 of them i mentioned uh the persicos well and the colombo wars so there's all 00:09:41.336 --> 00:09:48.096 kinds of colombo wars so many people were wounded and in prison and hiding and 00:09:48.096 --> 00:09:50.396 and And they needed a boss during that time, 00:09:50.496 --> 00:09:58.136 and they made Alphonse Persico was made just to lead the Colombo family in that 00:09:58.136 --> 00:10:02.196 war, particularly against the Gallo guys, Gallo boys, Joy. 00:10:02.496 --> 00:10:08.516 And Albert, Kid Twist, and the whole Gallo family, the Gallo brothers. 00:10:08.516 --> 00:10:15.136 During this meeting, that newspaper report said that Stefano Magadino had died 00:10:15.136 --> 00:10:19.156 and other ally who was a member of the commission, Joseph Zarelli, 00:10:19.336 --> 00:10:22.716 was the boss in Detroit, and those two didn't even come. 00:10:23.016 --> 00:10:26.856 So it turns out, I guess I was wrong when I said it to start, 00:10:27.096 --> 00:10:32.256 that only New York guys are there, but they would have had the biggest stick in that. 00:10:32.436 --> 00:10:37.856 It was in deference to Gambino that they limited this to 10 people per family. 00:10:38.516 --> 00:10:42.836 Once they get 50 new members of the five families get 10 each. 00:10:44.856 --> 00:10:50.676 Then they can maybe kind of ease up for a while or at least not make anybody for a while. 00:10:50.916 --> 00:10:55.036 But if this starts working out, they may want to make some more. 00:10:55.676 --> 00:11:01.356 Again, Valachi described this, gun and knife are placed on a table in front of him. 00:11:01.776 --> 00:11:06.756 And he said in front of him, and that's what Angelo Leonardo told him. 00:11:07.107 --> 00:11:11.887 Said that this represents that you live by the gun and the knife and you die by the gun and knife. 00:11:12.027 --> 00:11:15.347 You don't live by the gun, live by the sword, die by the sword. 00:11:15.427 --> 00:11:16.667 That came from somewhere. 00:11:16.887 --> 00:11:20.707 Then you got to make a cup of your hand and put the paper in it, set it on fire. 00:11:21.167 --> 00:11:25.267 Said this is the way I will burn if I betray any of the secrets of this Cosa Nostra. 00:11:25.987 --> 00:11:30.847 And then they're assigned kind of a godfather to, you know, a mentor, 00:11:31.227 --> 00:11:33.687 a sponsor during recovery. 00:11:34.327 --> 00:11:37.287 Assign somebody to watch over for you and kind of introduce 00:11:37.287 --> 00:11:40.187 you in and and it's usually the guy that sponsored your 00:11:40.187 --> 00:11:42.967 membership in the first place now have you 00:11:42.967 --> 00:11:46.107 ever heard i did a story on this from the book peter 00:11:46.107 --> 00:11:50.627 diapolis who was pete to greek he was a bodyguard at joseph gallo he was sitting 00:11:50.627 --> 00:11:56.127 there the night that gallo got killed and uh because he and and his woman had 00:11:56.127 --> 00:12:01.027 been out with joy gallo and his wife and kid i think and celebrating his birthday 00:12:01.027 --> 00:12:05.887 he claimed that the Joy Gallo told him that the burning paper custom wasn't anymore. 00:12:06.087 --> 00:12:08.947 He just said that the new member just swears an oath of silence. 00:12:09.147 --> 00:12:12.407 You know, it won't burn like the saint's card. So I don't know. 00:12:12.967 --> 00:12:18.027 Pete the Greek said that the godfather of the sponsor is really important in new members' life. 00:12:18.307 --> 00:12:24.027 He said, because until a new guy establishes his own trust, his own relationships, 00:12:24.027 --> 00:12:28.267 he has to go through his sponsor and all dealings with any family bosses. 00:12:29.107 --> 00:12:32.627 Peter Greek claims that when a mob member makes his first big score, 00:12:32.887 --> 00:12:37.567 the first one after becoming a member, he's got to take it to his sponsor and 00:12:37.567 --> 00:12:43.667 lay it out and then let the sponsor divide it up and then cut him back a little bit. 00:12:43.807 --> 00:12:48.007 And he said the sponsor would usually cut out a third for the boss and a fifth 00:12:48.007 --> 00:12:49.887 for himself and give the rest back. 00:12:50.087 --> 00:12:53.147 The more money a new member brings in, the stronger his position is. 00:12:53.287 --> 00:12:55.627 I mean, money talks and bullshit walks. 00:12:56.347 --> 00:12:59.607 He also said in in regards to 00:12:59.607 --> 00:13:03.247 the sit-downs i mentioned a big money maker rarely 00:13:03.247 --> 00:13:07.967 loses a decision in a sit-down way you know like i said money talks and bullshit 00:13:07.967 --> 00:13:12.927 walks if he's bringing bringing in a lot of money the boss ain't gonna make 00:13:12.927 --> 00:13:19.307 him unhappy he said he he gave for example matthew ainello matty the horse who 00:13:19.307 --> 00:13:23.147 had all the horn and all that stuff down around 42nd street, 00:13:23.687 --> 00:13:26.487 and was a huge moneymaker. 00:13:27.187 --> 00:13:31.347 And he said, really, nobody liked the guy. Nobody had any respect for him, 00:13:31.407 --> 00:13:35.507 but he's strong because he has so much money and he earns so much money. 00:13:35.707 --> 00:13:39.187 He said, money is power in the mafia, just like everywhere else, like I said. 00:13:39.327 --> 00:13:42.287 So there's a little story about when they opened up the books, 00:13:42.287 --> 00:13:46.227 and I'd be curious to hear who was made during that time. 00:13:47.230 --> 00:13:50.390 It's kind of hard to figure that out but i got this whole huge 00:13:50.390 --> 00:13:53.230 big cadre of people out there that like i said 00:13:53.230 --> 00:13:56.030 no more than i do know so much especially about the new 00:13:56.030 --> 00:14:00.010 york families that in the comments below may well make a list of all the people 00:14:00.010 --> 00:14:04.430 were made right after the books were opened back up it seemed like uh gas pipe 00:14:04.430 --> 00:14:08.930 castle was i remember reading something about that but anyhow so thanks a lot 00:14:08.930 --> 00:14:15.030 guys uh don't forget i like to ride motorcycles and i uh if you have a problem PTSD, 00:14:15.370 --> 00:14:20.910 be sure and go to that VA website and get that hotline, drugs or alcohol, 00:14:21.150 --> 00:14:22.550 get hold of Anthony Ruggiano. 00:14:23.230 --> 00:14:27.850 He's down in Florida, former Gambino guy who's not in witness protection because 00:14:27.850 --> 00:14:31.230 he's using his own name, drug and alcohol counselor down there. 00:14:31.730 --> 00:14:39.210 I see this 1-800-BETS-OFF. If you got a gambling problem, there's that wait at 1-800-BETS-OFF. 00:14:40.490 --> 00:14:44.090 I'd like to do some public service announcement before I sell something. 00:14:44.410 --> 00:14:52.750 If you would like to read the inside story about how we got on to the skim from 00:14:52.750 --> 00:15:00.990 Las Vegas and read the transcripts and listen to some of the audio from that investigation, 00:15:01.210 --> 00:15:05.630 well, get my book, Leaving Vegas, and get the Kindle version because I have 00:15:05.630 --> 00:15:07.690 links to the actual audios in that. 00:15:08.130 --> 00:15:12.010 I'm working on another book. I'm going to start doing some short books, I believe. 00:15:12.230 --> 00:15:15.930 I'll see how this first one goes of podcast episodes. 00:15:15.950 --> 00:15:20.530 I'll just take the transcripts and convert them into more of a story and then 00:15:20.530 --> 00:15:25.270 go back and rewrite that so it's a little more readable and throw it out there in a Kindle book. 00:15:25.410 --> 00:15:28.230 It's a little more work than I thought, but I'm getting there. 00:15:28.410 --> 00:15:31.490 So it's kind of what I'm up to. What are you all up to? 00:15:32.090 --> 00:15:40.110 Let me know join the gangland wire podcast facebook group or join the subscribe 00:15:40.110 --> 00:15:46.610 to the podcast of course subscribe to the youtube channel and make some comments 00:15:46.610 --> 00:15:51.490 there and keep coming back and keep coming back so thanks a lot guys.