Thomas Gaetano Lucchese (born Gaetano Lucchese ; Italian: [ɡaeˈtaːno lukˈkeːse] ; December 1, 1899 – July 13, 1967), sometimes known by the nicknames "Tommy", "Thomas Luckese", "Tommy Brown" or "Tommy Three-Finger Brown", was an Italian-American gangster and founding member of the Mafia in the United States, an offshoot of the Cosa Nostra in Sicily . From 1951 until 1967, he was the boss of the Lucchese crime family , one of the Five Families that dominate organized crime in New York City .
86-513: Lucchese may refer to: A.S. Lucchese Libertas 1905 , a football team based in Lucca, Tuscany Lucchese crime family , one of the "Five Families" of New York City's Mafia Lucchese School , an art school in Tuscany, Italy that flourished in the 11th and 12th centuries Lucchese Boot Company , a Western-style boot company from Texas People with
172-539: A New York crime family to testify against the mob. This led to the arrests of the entire Lucchese family hierarchy, with Casso also becoming an informant. Testimony from these informants nearly destroyed the family, with as many as half of its members winding up incarcerated. Amuso continues to rule the family from prison. The early history of the Lucchese crime family can be traced back to the Morello crime family which
258-491: A brief time; he was arrested in 1973 for funding a major heroin network and died five years later. Anthony Corallo then gained control of the family. Corallo was very secretive and soon became one of the most powerful members of the Commission. He was arrested and convicted in the famous Mafia Commission Trial of 1986. For most of its history, the Lucchese family was reckoned as one of the most peaceful crime families in
344-576: A case involving the fitting of thousands of windows in New York at inflated prices, and the pair went into hiding of that same year, naming Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco as acting boss. For the next few years, Amuso and Casso ruled the family from afar and ordered the execution of anyone they deemed troublesome, typically because they were considered rivals or potential informants. All of this convinced many Lucchese wiseguys that Amuso and Casso were no longer acting or thinking rationally. What followed next
430-510: A life of organized crime. In 1943, Lucchese became a naturalized citizen of United States. Lucchese married Catherine and they had two children, Frances and Baldesare. The family lived at 104 Parsons Blvd in Malba, Queens before moving in 1950 to 74 Royat Street in Lido Beach , Long Island . Lucchese's daughter, Frances would marry Tommy Gambino , the son of Carlo Gambino , the boss of
516-560: A low profile and saw to it that his men were well taken care of. During the 1950s, Lucchese controlled a narcotic trafficking network with Santo Trafficante Jr. , the boss of the Tampa crime family . Trafficante Jr. would frequently meet with Lucchese in New York City for dinner. When Lucchese became boss, he helped Vito Genovese and Carlo Gambino in their fights to take control of their families. The three plotted to take over
602-506: A low profile that virtually nothing is known about his activities from 1932 until he retired or died between 1951 and 1953. After Gagliano's retirement or death, Lucchese became boss and appointed Vincenzo Rao as his consigliere and Stefano LaSalle as his underboss. Lucchese continued Gagliano's policies, making the now Lucchese family one of the most profitable in New York. Lucchese established control over Teamsters union locals, workers' co-operatives and trade associations, and rackets at
688-460: A machine shop until 1915, when an industrial accident amputated his right thumb and forefinger. In the early 1930s, Lucchese along with his family moved to an apartment at 100-18 Northern Boulevard in Corona, Queens, the area known as the “Little Italy of Queens". Lucchese was 5 feet 4 inches (162.56 cm). He had three brothers Joseph, Vincent (Jimmy,) and Anthony (Nino) who all followed him into
774-616: A man hide a gun in his shirt, then slip it into the bathroom. Recognizing this as a classic setup for a hit, D'Arco fled for his life and turned himself over to the authorities to spare him and his family from Amuso and Casso and their increasingly erratic demands. He was the first boss of a New York crime family, acting or otherwise, to become an informant . Casso had reportedly conspired with reputed consigliere Frank Lastorino and Brooklyn faction leaders George Zappola , George Conte , Frank "Bones" Papagni and Frank Gioia Jr. into murdering Steven "Stevie" Crea , Amuso's acting underboss of
860-493: A meeting at his office, they knew Maranzano would kill them there. Instead, Luciano sent four Jewish gangsters whose faces were unknown to Maranzano's people to Maranzano's office. They had been secured with the aid of Lansky and Siegel. In the aftermath of Maranzano's murder Luciano subsequently created The Commission to serve as the governing body for organized crime. The old structure, in which first Masseria and then Maranzano claimed to be boss of all bosses in New York City
946-528: A monopoly over the ice box distribution in The Bronx. In 1920, with Prohibition getting passed Reina's wealth and power grew as he aligned himself with Joseph Masseria , who became the most powerful Italian American crime boss in New York City. In 1930, the Castellammarese War began as Masseria fought with rival Sicilian boss Salvatore Maranzano . At this point, Masseria started demanding
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#17327721114051032-778: A national mob meeting to legitimize his control of the Luciano family. The meeting was held at rural home of mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara in Apalachin, New York . On November 14, 1957, the New York State Police raided the meeting and arrested 61 fleeing gangsters. Lucchese had not yet arrived in Apalachin and therefore avoided arrest. However, his consigliere Vincenzo Rao , Gambino, Genovese and other mob leaders were detained. Genovese's humiliation motivated
1118-505: A part of his rackets at Idlewild Airport (now called John F. Kennedy Airport ). Lucchese exercised control over airport management security and all the airport unions. As a team, Lucchese and Gambino now controlled the airport, the Commission, and most organized crime in New York City. In 1963, Joseph Magliocco and Bonanno boss Joseph Bonanno hatched an audacious plan to murder Commission bosses Carlo Gambino , Lucchese, and Stefano Magaddino , as well as Frank DeSimone , and take over
1204-399: A restaurant called Nuova Villa Tammaro on Coney Island . While they played cards, Luciano allegedly excused himself to the bathroom, with the gunmen reportedly being Vito Genovese , Albert Anastasia , Joe Adonis , and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel ; Ciro "The Artichoke King" Terranova drove the getaway car, but legend has it that he was too shaken up to drive away and had to be shoved out of
1290-434: A share of Reina's criminal profits, prompting Reina to consider changing allegiance to Maranzano. When Masseria learned of Reina's possible betrayal, he plotted with Reina lieutenant Tommy Gagliano to have Reina murdered. On February 26, 1930, a gunman (suspected to be Vito Genovese or Joseph Pinzolo ) murdered Reina outside his aunt's apartment. With Reina dead, Masseria bypassed Gagliano, who expected to take control of
1376-554: A very low profile; almost nothing is known about him from then onward. He preferred to issue his orders through close allies, particularly Lucchese, who was his underboss and the family's public face. In 1946, Lucchese attended the mob's Havana Conference in Cuba as Gagliano's representative. Luciano's predominance on the Commission did not last; after his conviction on compulsory prostitution charges in 1936 and his deportation in 1946, power struggles within his own crime family and between
1462-473: A window washing company in East Harlem; anyone refusing to use his window washing services would have their windows broken. Lucchese sometimes operated out of a political club off East 106th Street in East Harlem. By the early 1920s, Lucchese had become a strong ally of fellow mobster Charlie "Lucky" Luciano and became a top member of Gaetano Reina's crime family. During Lucchese's criminal career he
1548-714: Is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the " Five Families " that dominate organized crime activities in New York City , within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia . Members refer to the organization as the Lucchese borgata ; borgata (or brugard) is Mafia slang for criminal gang, which itself was derived from a Sicilian word meaning close-knit community. The members of other crime families sometimes refer to Lucchese family members as "Lukes" . The family originated in
1634-643: The FBI was monitoring the conversations. Instead, he used the car phone in the Jaguar owned by his bodyguard and chauffeurs. Corallo was driven around New York while on the phone discussing business. Salvatore "Sal" Avellino and Aniello "Neil" Migliore shifted as Corallo's chauffeurs during the 1970s and 1980s. Corallo, a huge fan of the New Jersey faction of the family, reputedly inducted and promoted Anthony "Tumac" Accetturo and Michael "Mad Dog" Taccetta into
1720-476: The Gambino crime family , which formed a strong bond between the two crime families. After his accident, Lucchese spent more time with members of the 107th Street gang. Members of the gang stole wallets, burglarized stores, and engaged in other illegal activities. The 107th Street gang operated under the protection of Bronx-East Harlem family boss Gaetano "Tom" Reina . By the age of eighteen, Lucchese had started
1806-600: The Mafia Commission by murdering family bosses Frank Costello and Albert Anastasia . On May 2, 1957 Costello survived an assassination attempt and immediately decided to retire as boss in favor of Genovese. Then on October 25, 1957, the Gallo brothers (from the Colombo family) murdered Anastasia, allowing Gambino to become boss. Lucchese and Gambino then started conspiring to remove their former ally Genovese. After
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#17327721114051892-525: The Mafia Commission Trial in 1986. As the trial wore on, Corallo realized that the entire Lucchese hierarchy was about to be decimated. Not only was it all but certain that he, Santoro and Furnari would be convicted, but they faced sentences that, at their ages, would all but assure they would die in prison. In the fall of 1986, Corallo chose Anthony "Buddy" Luongo as acting boss. However, Luongo disappeared in 1986. Corallo's ultimate choice
1978-789: The 1940s and 1950s. Corallo also enjoyed close ties to the Painters and Decorators Union, the Conduit Workers Union, and the United Textile Workers Union. Corrallo appointed Salvatore "Tom Mix" Santoro as the underboss and supervisor of all labor and construction racketeering operations in New York, and Christopher "Christie Tick" Furnari as the reputed consigliere . The family prospered under Corallo's leadership, particularly in narcotics trafficking, labor racketeering, and major illegal gambling. Corallo never discussed business during sit-downs, fearing that
2064-410: The 1952 denaturalization ruling against Lucchese on a legal technicality . However, the next day, U.S. Attorney General William P. Rogers brought a new case against Lucchese. In 1962, Carlo Gambino's oldest son, Thomas Gambino , married Lucchese's daughter Frances. Over 1,000 guests attended the wedding, at which Carlo Gambino presented Lucchese with a $ 30,000 gift. In return, Lucchese gave Gambino
2150-489: The 1980s and early 1990s before their retirement. They were Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa , who spent much of their combined 44 years with the NYPD committing murders and leaking confidential information to the Lucchese family. Between 1986 and 1990, Eppolito and Caracappa participated in eight murders and received $ 375,000 from Casso in bribes and payments for murder 'contracts'. Casso used Caracappa and Eppolito to pressure
2236-765: The Bronx , as well as Gambino crime family acting boss John "Junior" Gotti , son of the imprisoned John Gotti, along with members of the Genovese crime family once again. But due to massive indictments, none of the plots were committed. Law enforcement eventually caught up with the two fugitives. On July 29, 1991, the FBI captured Amuso in Scranton , Pennsylvania, and on January 19, 1993, the FBI captured Casso in Mount Olive , New Jersey. Amuso steadfastly refused all offers from
2322-596: The Commission was technically a democratic institution, it was actually controlled by Luciano and his allies. During the 1930s and 1940s, Gagliano and Lucchese led their family into profitable areas of the trucking and clothing industries. When Luciano was sent to prison for pandering in 1936, a rival alliance took control of the Commission. The alliance of Mangano, Bonanno, Buffalo crime family boss Stefano Magaddino , and Profaci used their power to control organized crime in America. Understanding his vulnerability, Gagliano
2408-578: The Gambino crime family by murdering several of their members. This is because Casso, along with the imprisoned Amuso and Genovese crime family boss Vincent Gigante, wanted their rival John Gotti out of the way. Caracappa and Eppolito are now seen as the main source of 'tension' between these three families during the late 1980s and early 1990s. For one contract, Eppolito and Caracappa kidnapped mobster James Hydell, forced him into their car trunk, and delivered him to Casso for torture and murder. Hydell's body
2494-525: The Gambino-Lucchese alliance. Lucchese led a quiet, stable life until his death from a brain tumor on July 13, 1967. At the time of his death, he had not spent a day in jail in 44 years. Lucchese left his family in a very powerful position in New York City. The Lucchese family had a stronghold in East Harlem and the Bronx and consisted of about 200 made members. Lucchese intended for longtime capo Anthony Corallo to succeed him. However, since he
2580-700: The Italian-American gangs in New York City into five families to be headed by Lucky Luciano , Vincent Mangano , Joseph Profaci , Gagliano, and himself. Gagliano was awarded the old Reina organization, with Lucchese as his underboss. However, Luciano and other mob members were not willing to serve under Maranzano. When Maranzano learned about Luciano's disaffection, he hired a gunman to kill him. However, in September 1931 Luciano struck first. Several Jewish assassins provided by Luciano associate Meyer Lansky murdered Maranzano in his office. Luciano now became
2666-478: The Lucchese crime family See also [ edit ] Lucca , an Italian city and province Lucca Sicula , a town in the Province of Agrigento, Sicily, Italy Lucchesi (surname) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Lucchese . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
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2752-568: The Lucchese family consisted of about 9 capos and 82 soldiers. In March 2009, an article in the New York Post stated that the Lucchese family consisted of approximately 100 "made" members. On December 18, 2007, two members of the panel, Joseph DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna, were arrested, along with New Jersey faction capo Ralph V. Perna, soldier Nicodemo Scarfo Jr. , and others. The arrests came after New Jersey law enforcement agencies revealed through investigation Operation Heat that
2838-554: The Mafia Commission. Joseph Magliocco gave the murder contract to Joseph Colombo . Colombo either feared for his life, or sensed an opportunity for advancement, and instead reported the plot to The Commission . The Commission, realizing that Bonanno was the real mastermind, ordered both Magliocco and Bonanno to explain. Bonanno went into hiding in Montreal , but a badly shaken Magliocco appeared and confessed everything; he
2924-673: The New Jersey faction controlled a $ 2.2 billion illegal gambling, money laundering and racketeering ring based in New Jersey and Costa Rica . On October 1, 2009, the Lucchese family was hit with two separate indictments charging 49 members and associates with bribery and racketeering. In the first indictment, 29 members and associates of the Lucchese family were arrested. The indictment charged Joseph DiNapoli, Matthew Madonna and acting capo Anthony Croce with running operations that grossed nearly $ 400 million from illegal gambling , loansharking , gun trafficking, bribery and extortion. In
3010-460: The Reina family, and installed his underling Joseph "Fat Joe" Pinzolo as boss. Furious with this betrayal, Gagliano and Tommy Lucchese secretly defected to Maranzano. In September 1930, Lucchese lured Pinzolo to a Manhattan office building, where Pinzolo was killed. This allowed Gagliano to take control of the Reina family, months later on April 15, 1931, Masseria was murdered ending the war. After
3096-653: The Sicilian city of Lucca Sicula . In early 1911, the Lucchese family emigrated to the United States, settling in Manhattan 's Italian neighborhood of East Harlem . The family first lived in a building at 213 East 106th Street before moving to 316 East 118th Street; both buildings were in the Italian East Harlem neighborhood. Lucchese's father worked hauling cement. As a teen Lucchese worked in
3182-430: The biggest secrets was that two New York Police Department detectives, Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, had been on Casso's payroll. For years, Eppolito and Caracappa had provided Casso with sensitive police information; Casso had even used them on hits. Casso related how Eppolito and Caracappa, on Christmas Day 1986, murdered an innocent Brooklyn man who had the same name as a suspected government informant. Casso told
3268-499: The bosses of the Luciano and Anastasia crime families to gain Commission control. On May 3, 1957, gunman Vincent Gigante wounded Luciano's street boss Frank Costello . Shaken by the assassination attempt, Costello soon retired, leaving Genovese as boss. On October 25, 1957, Albert Anastasia was assassinated in a hotel barbershop and Carlo Gambino became the boss of the Anastasia (renamed Gambino) family. In 1957, Genovese called
3354-434: The ceremony. Undercover policemen photographed the attendees. At the time of his death, he had not spent a day in prison in 44 years. Lucchese's first choice as a successor had been Antonio "Tony Ducks" Corallo , but Corallo was in prison when Lucchese died. Lucchese's second choice, Ettore Coco , was also in legal trouble and served a short time as boss. Another possible candidate was consigliere Vincenzo Rao , but he too
3440-465: The charges and was sentenced to five years in prison. Amuso was angered at DeFede's guilty plea and promoted Crea as the new acting boss. Steven "Stevie" Crea's success with the labor and construction rackets convinced Amuso that DeFede had been previously skimming off these profits. In late 1999, Amuso placed a contract on DeFede's life. On September 6, 2000, Crea and seven other Lucchese members were arrested and jailed on extortion charges, mostly to
3526-504: The disastrous 1957 Apalachin meeting of mob leaders in Upstate New York , Genovese lost a great deal of respect in the Commission. In 1959, with the assistance of Luciano, Costello, and Meyer Lansky , Genovese was arrested on drug charges. Gambino and Lucchese assumed full control of the Mafia Commission. In 1960, they backed the Gallo brothers in their rebellion against Profaci family boss Joe Profaci. Gambino and Lucchese saw
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3612-400: The driver's seat by Siegel. Luciano took over Masseria's family, with Genovese as his underboss. In September 1931, Luciano and Genovese planned the murder of Salvatore Maranzano after Lucchese had previously alerted Luciano that he was marked for death, and prepared a hit team to kill Maranzano first. On September 10, 1931, when Maranzano summoned Luciano, Genovese, and Frank Costello to
3698-522: The early 1920s; Gaetano Reina served as its boss until his murder in 1930. It was taken over by Tommy Gagliano during the Castellammarese War , and led by him until his death in 1951. Known as the Gagliano crime family under Gagliano, the family kept their activities low-key, with their efforts concentrated in the Bronx, Manhattan, and New Jersey. The next boss was Tommy Lucchese , who had served as Gagliano's underboss for over 20 years. Lucchese led
3784-445: The entire windows operation that eventually controlled $ 150 million in window replacements, sold in New York City. As Amuso also sanctioned the hit on Anthony Accetturo, who was on trial in 1990, he also cooperated with the government. The planned executions went as high as acting boss D'Arco. Furious over the failed hit on Chiodo, Amuso set up D'Arco to be killed at a Manhattan hotel. However, this hit also came undone after D'Arco saw
3870-407: The family to become one of the most powerful families to sit on the Commission . Lucchese teamed up with Gambino crime family boss Carlo Gambino to control organized crime in New York City. Lucchese had a stronghold on the garment industry in New York and took control of many crime rackets for the family. When Lucchese died of a brain tumor in 1967, Carmine Tramunti controlled the family for
3956-479: The family's labor and construction racketeering operations. Crea increased the Lucchese family earnings from these rackets between $ 300,000 and $ 500,000 every year. Throughout the mid-1990s Amuso maintained control of the family from prison with his two allies DeFede and Crea running the rackets. In 1998, as US law enforcement kept pressuring the organized crime activities in New York, DeFede was arrested and indicted on nine counts of racketeering. DeFede pleaded guilty to
4042-523: The family. After Tramunti's incarceration in 1974, Anthony Corallo finally took control of the Lucchese family. Corallo came from the Harlem faction of the family. Known as "Tony Ducks" from his ease at 'ducking' criminal convictions, Corallo was a boss squarely in Lucchese's mold. Corallo had been heavily involved in labor racketeering and worked closely with Jimmy Hoffa , the Teamsters president, during
4128-620: The five families came to the fore. Gagliano was at a disadvantage in these conflicts, being outnumbered in the Commission by an alliance of the Bonanno , Magaddino , Profaci and Mangano families. During his years as underboss Lucchese formed an alliance with Louis Buchalter and together they controlled many of the largest locals of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union in the garment district . The Gagliano family also dominated unions in
4214-1055: The government that in 1992 Lucchese hit men tried to kill the sister of another suspected informant, violating the alleged Mafia "rule" barring violence against family members. Casso was thrown out of the witness protection program in 1998 after prosecutors alleged numerous infractions, in 1997, including bribing guards, assaulting other inmates and making "false statements" about Sammy "the Bull" Gravano and D'Arco. Casso's attorney tried to get Judge Frederic Block to overrule federal prosecutors in July 1998, but Block refused to do so. Shortly afterward, Judge Block sentenced Casso to 455 years in prison without possibility of parole—the maximum sentence permitted under sentencing guidelines. On December 15, 2020 Casso died in prison from complications related to previous health issues and COVID-19. In 1994, Casso revealed that two respected New York City police detectives worked as hitmen and informants for Casso during
4300-432: The government to make a deal and become a government witness. He was convicted on all charges in 1992 and sentenced to life in prison. Believing that Casso had tipped off the FBI in hopes of taking over the family, Amuso removed Casso as underboss and declared him an outcast. Facing the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison, Casso agreed to a deal on March 1, 1994 and started revealing family secrets. One of
4386-466: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucchese&oldid=934245194 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Lucchese crime family The Lucchese crime family (pronounced [lukˈkeːze; -eːse] )
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#17327721114054472-537: The long-term goal of gaining control of the Commission. Lucchese became one of the most well-respected Cosa Nostra bosses of the Post-War era. He maintained close relationships with New York City politicians, including Mayors William O'Dwyer and Vincent Impellitteri . Lucchese concentrated on the core Cosa Nostra values of making money, keeping a low public profile, and avoiding criminal prosecution. The Lucchese family came to dominate Manhattan's garment district and
4558-564: The mafia traditions. Trafficante Jr. would frequently meet with Lucchese in New York City for dinner. On January 25, 1943, Lucchese became a naturalized United States citizen in Newark, New Jersey . On November 17, 1952, U.S. Attorney General James P. McGranery initiated denaturalization proceedings against Lucchese. In its filing, the government claimed that Lucchese did not reveal his entire arrest record when applying for citizenship. In 1957, Lucchese and his allies decided to attack
4644-510: The most powerful mobster in New York. Luciano kept the family structure as created by Maranzano, but removed the boss of bosses in favor of a ruling body, The Commission . The Commission's responsibility was to regulate the families' affairs and resolve all differences between the families. The first Commission members included Luciano, Gagliano, Bonanno, Profaci, Mangano, Chicago Outfit boss Al "Scarface" Capone and Buffalo family boss Stefano Magaddino , with Luciano as chairman. Although
4730-428: The murder of Gambino boss Paul Castellano , Corallo and Gigante conspired to murder Gotti. Corallo gave the contract to Amuso and Casso. On April 13, 1986, a car-bombing killed Gambino underboss Frank DeCicco , but missed Gotti. This assassination attempt sparked a long and confusing 'tension' between these three crime families with many deaths reported on all sides. During the late 1980s, Amuso began demanding 50% of
4816-476: The murder of Masseria, a Mafia meeting was hosted by Maranzano and he proclaim himself the new Capo di tutti capi ( boss of all bosses ) of the American Mafia. Maranzano outlined a peace plan to all the Sicilian and Italian Mafia leaders in the United States. There would be 24 organizations (to be known as "families") throughout the country who would elect their own bosses. Maranzano also reorganized all
4902-518: The nation. However, that changed when Corallo named Victor Amuso as his successor shortly before going to prison. Amuso later promoted one of his closest allies, Anthony Casso , to underboss . Starting in 1986, Amuso and Casso instituted one of the bloodiest reigns in Mafia history, ordering virtually anyone who crossed them to be murdered. It is estimated that Casso himself murdered between 30 and 40 people and ordered over 100 murders during his reign; he
4988-470: The new Idlewild Airport . Lucchese also expanded family rackets in Manhattan's Garment District and in related trucking industry activities around New York City. Lucchese built close relations with many powerful New York politicians, including Mayors William O'Dwyer and Vincent Impellitteri and members of the judiciary, who aided the family on numerous occasions. Throughout his regime, Lucchese kept
5074-405: The new alliance of Luciano, Costello, Lansky, Gambino and Lucchese to set up Genovese's later elimination. Two years later, with the help of the alliance, Genovese was arrested on narcotics trafficking charges. Genovese was convicted and sent to prison, where he died in 1969. With the alliance backing him, Gambino now controlled the Commission. On April 8, 1958, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned
5160-420: The orders of Casso and the Lucchese family. They were sentenced to life imprisonment. While in prison Amuso was able to regain control of the family, after Anthony Casso was imprisoned. Amuso chose Joseph "Little Joe" DeFede to become his new acting boss. DeFede, who supervised the powerful Garment District racket, reportedly earned more than $ 40,000 to $ 60,000 a month. DeFede placed Steven Crea in charge of
5246-528: The organization and put them in charge of the Jersey Crew , which reportedly controlled most of the loansharking and illegal gambling operations in Newark , New Jersey at the time. In the early 1980s, the FBI finally managed to plant a bug in the Jaguar. The FBI recorded Corallo speaking at great length about mob affairs, including illegal gambling, labor racketeering, drug trafficking, and murder. Corallo
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#17327721114055332-595: The profits generated by the Jersey Crew. New Jersey leaders Anthony Accetturo and Michael Taccetta refused Amuso's demand. In retaliation, Amuso and Casso ordered the entire Jersey Crew killed – the now-infamous "whack Jersey" order. He summoned them to a meeting in Brooklyn . Fearful for their lives, all the Jersey crew members skipped the meeting and went into hiding. Taccetta and Accetturo were later put on trial in 1990. Both Amuso and Casso were implicated in
5418-538: The related trucking industry by gaining control of key unions and trade associations. During the 1950s, Lucchese controlled a narcotic trafficking network with Santo Trafficante Jr. , the boss of the Tampa crime family . Lucchese had maintained a longtime alliance with Trafficante Jr.'s father Santo Trafficante Sr. , the former boss of the Tampa mafia family and during the 1940s, helped train Trafficante Jr., in
5504-548: The room and replaced them with bags of flour. Officers discovered the theft when they noticed insects eating the so-called heroin. The scope and depth of this scheme is still unknown, but officials suspect the thieves had assistance from corrupt NYPD officers. Certain plotters received jail sentences, including Vincent Papa (later assassinated while in prison in Atlanta, Georgia), Virgil Alessi and Anthony Loria. In 1974, after Tramunti's incarceration, Corallo finally took charge of
5590-572: The second indictment obtained from investigation "Operation Open House" 12 more Lucchese mobsters were charged with bribery. The indictment charged acting capo Andrew Disimone and other mobsters with bribing New York Police Department (NYPD) detective and sergeant posing as crooked cops to protect illegal poker parlors. Tommy Lucchese Gaetano Lucchese was born on December 1, 1899, to Baldassarre and Francesca Lucchese in Palermo , Sicily . The surname "Lucchese" suggests family origins from
5676-416: The supervising of the construction sites with various capos Dominic Truscello and Joseph Tangorra. After Crea's imprisonment, the consigliere Louis "Lou Bagels" Daidone , took control of the family. However, Daidone's tenure was short-lived. After his release from prison, the scared DeFede became a government witness and helped the government convict Daidone of murder and conspiracy . Daidone's conviction
5762-550: The surname [ edit ] Antonio Franchi (1638–1709), Italian painter called Il Lucchese Giuseppe Lucchese (born 1959), Sicilian mobster Josephine Lucchese (1893–1974), American opera singer Laurent Lucchese (born 1973), French rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s Sam Lucchese (1868–1929), Italian-born founder of Lucchese Boot Company and theater owner in San Antonio, Texas Tommy Lucchese (1899–1967), New York mobster and former boss of
5848-564: The trucking, construction and food industries and had undisclosed ownership interests in several Manhattan nightclubs. In 1951, Gagliano died of natural causes. As underboss and de facto street boss for two decades, Lucchese was the obvious successor, and the family was quickly renamed the Lucchese crime family . Lucchese appointed mobsters Stafano LaSalle as underboss and Vincenzo Rao as consigliere. That same year, Lucchese formed an alliance with Luciano crime family underboss Vito Genovese and Anastasia crime family underboss Carlo Gambino with
5934-477: The war as a way to take over rackets from the distracted Profacis. After uncovering a plot by Joseph Bonanno to assassinate them, Lucchese and Gambino used the Commission to strip Bonanno of his role as boss. This power play started a war within the Bonanno family and served to strengthen both the Lucchese and Gambino families. In 1962, Gambino's oldest son Thomas married Lucchese's daughter Frances, strengthening
6020-608: Was Vittorio "Vic" Amuso , the capo of Furnari's old crew. Allegedly both Amuso and another longtime protègé of Furnari's, Anthony "Gaspipe " Casso , were candidates for the job. Evidence suggests that Corallo wanted Casso, but Casso convinced him to select Amuso instead. Amuso officially became boss in January 1987, when Corallo, Santoro and Furnari were sentenced to 100 years in prison. Amuso made Casso his underboss in 1989, allowing him to exert great influence over family decisions. Corallo and Santoro died in prison in 2000, while Furnari
6106-550: Was a series of botched hits on family members suspected of being informants. Ironically, these hits caused several family members to actually turn informer. Amuso ordered the slaying of capo Peter "Fat Pete" Chiodo , who, along with Casso, was in charge of the Windows Case operation. He was shot 12 times, but still survived. After Amuso ordered hits on Chiodo's wife and sister in violation of longstanding rules against women being harmed, Chiodo turned state's evidence and provided
6192-552: Was abandoned in favor of recognition of five crime families or borgatas, each operating in particular areas and activities, with Luciano the first among equals. Due to Luciano's reforms, the New York City underworld entered a long period of peace. Tommy Gagliano had risen to leadership of the Reina family with the assassination of Gaetano Reina at the outset of the Castellammarese War and retained that position after Luciano's ascension. From 1932 onward, Gagliano kept
6278-413: Was also helped by the testimony from Alphonse D'Arco in September 2004. With the arrest of acting boss Louis Daidone in 2003, imprisoned boss Vic Amuso created a three-man ruling panel to run the family. The panel consisted of capos Aniello Migliore , Joseph DiNapoli and Matthew Madonna , who brought the family's power back into the Bronx. In February 2004 a New York Post article stated that,
6364-547: Was arrested and put on trial along with all the heads of the Five Families at the time. This trial became known as the Mafia Commission Trial . On December 16, 1985, Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano was murdered without Commission approval. The Genovese and Lucchese family teamed up and plotted John Gotti 's murder. The alliance had Gambino underboss Frank DeCicco murdered but failed in its attempts to kill Gotti. Corallo, Santoro and Furnari were indicted in
6450-428: Was arrested under the alias of "Thomas Arra" and charged with receiving stolen goods. On July 18, 1928, Lucchese was arrested along with his brother-in-law, Joseph "Joe Palisades" Rosato, for the murder of Louis Cerasuolo; the charges were later dropped. Lucchese was arrested on three other occasions in his lifetime: in 1930 for murder, in 1931 for an investigation, and in 1935 for vagrancy, but in all three arrests he
6536-660: Was based in East Harlem and the Bronx. Durning the 1910s, the bosses of Morello family lost power and control which allowed Gaetano "Tommy" Reina , along with Salvatore D'Aquila and Joe Masseria , to split off and form their own crime families. The Morello family lost more control of the Mafia during the Mafia-Camorra War as many top leaders were imprisoned and murdered. By 1920, Reina ruled as boss of his own crime family controlling criminal operations in The Bronx and parts of East Harlem. Reina's crime family held
6622-509: Was careful to avoid opposing this new alliance. Gagliano was a quiet man who avoided the media and stayed off the streets. He preferred to pass his orders to the family through Lucchese and a few other close allies. In contrast, Lucchese was the public face of the family who carried out Gagliano's orders. In 1946, Lucchese attended the Cosa Nostra Havana Conference in Cuba on behalf of Gagliano. Gagliano kept such
6708-564: Was convicted of auto theft and sentenced on March 27, 1922 to three years and nine months in prison. Lucchese served thirteen months at Sing Sing Correctional Facility before he was paroled. It would be Lucchese's only conviction. Lucchese was released from prison in 1923, three years into prohibition . His old friends Charlie Luciano, Frank Costello , and Meyer Lansky had become partners with Jewish gangster Arnold "the Brain" Rothstein selling bootleg alcohol. In August 1927, Lucchese
6794-576: Was eventually convicted of financing a large heroin smuggling operation, the infamous French Connection . This scheme was responsible for distributing millions of dollars in heroin along the East Coast during the early seventies. Before the French Connection trial, the seized heroin was stored in the NYPD property/evidence storage room pending trial. In a brazen scheme, criminals stole hundreds of kilograms of heroin worth $ 70 million from
6880-688: Was fined $ 50,000 and forced into retirement. On July 13, 1967, Lucchese died of a brain tumor at his home in the Lido Beach area of Long Island . The funeral service was held at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Point Lookout, New York. Lucchese is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York. Over 1,000 mourners, including politicians, judges, policemen, racketeers, drug pushers , pimps , and hitmen attended
6966-426: Was imprisoned at the time, he named another longtime capo, Carmine Tramunti, as acting boss until Corallo's release. Around the time of his appointment as temporary boss, Carmine "Mr. Gribbs" Tramunti was in ill health. With boss-in-waiting Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo in prison, Tramunti was expected to hold power until Corallo's release. Tramunti faced a number of criminal charges during his time as acting boss and
7052-590: Was never found. The two detectives also shot Bruno Facciolo, who was found in Brooklyn in the trunk of a car with a canary in his mouth. After pulling Gambino crime family captain Edward "Eddie" Lino for a routine traffic check, the detectives murdered him on the expressway in his Mercedes-Benz . In April 2006, Eppolito and Caracappa were convicted of murdering Hydell, Nicholas Guido, John "Otto" Heidel, John Doe, Anthony DiLapi, Facciolo, Lino, and Bartholomew Boriello on
7138-573: Was only arrested six times; his first arrest was in 1920 and the last in 1935. He never served a lengthy prison sentence. In 1920, Lucchese was arrested in Riverhead, Long Island , on grand larceny charges after stealing a car. During his booking, a police officer compared Lucchese's deformed hand with that of Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown , a popular Major League Baseball pitcher . The officer nicknamed Lucchese "Three Finger Brown", an alias that Lucchese always disliked. In January 1921, Lucchese
7224-413: Was released and all charges were dropped. In early 1931, the Castellammarese War broke out between Joe Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano . In a secret deal with Maranzano, Luciano agreed to engineer the death of his boss, Masseria, in return for receiving Masseria's rackets and becoming Maranzano's second-in-command. On April 15, 1931, Luciano had lured Masseria to a meeting where he was murdered at
7310-652: Was released in 2014. During the late 1980s, the Lucchese family underwent a period of great turmoil. Vittorio "Vic" Amuso and his fierce underboss, Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso , the first members of the family's Brooklyn wing to head the family, instituted one of the most violent reigns in American Mafia history. Both men were heavily involved in labor racketeering, extortion, and drug trafficking and both had committed many murders. Amuso and Casso were strong rivals of Gambino crime family boss John Gotti and strong allies of Genovese crime family boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante . They made their reputations earlier in 1986. Angry over
7396-405: Was sentenced to 455 years in prison. Casso also had authority over NYPD detectives Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa ; both carried out at least eight murders for him. Amuso was arrested in 1991 and sentenced to life in prison. Several Lucchese family members, fearing for their lives, turned informant . The highest-profile of these was acting boss Alphonse D'Arco , who became the first boss of
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