Joseph Frangipane (Lucchese)

 

J. Frangipane

Joseph 'Pippeneddu' Frangipane was a Soldier in the Lucchese Family.

Born September 5, 1925 in NYC to Leone (41y) and Antonia Scavuzzo (28y). Father was born in Ciminna, close to the city of Palermo. Mother was born in the Province of Trapani, Sicily.

Father worked as a Waiter and Elevator Operator.

At the time of birth the family resided at 232 Elizabeth St.

Through his paternal grandmother, Maria Cassato, he was related to Lucchese Capodecina Frank 'Chick Wilson' Citrano (1900-1960). The families both resided at 232 Elizabeth St. In 1920 Frank Citrano moved next door to 234 Elizabeth St.

By 1943 resided at 8 Prince St. Listed his employer as the American Labour Party.

By the mid 1940s associated with the Lucchese Family's Crew in Lower Manhattan. On August 3, 1945 he and three others, including future Lucchese Soldier Victor Panica (21y), were arrested for running a dice game. in Westbury, LI. About 70 players were present at the time of the raid. 

 

Peter Simonetti

The principle operator of the dice game was said to be Peter Simonetti (35y), a possible Lucchese Associate/Member. The game operated with Police protection. On July 23 1945, the operators had paid $300 to two Detectives to leave the game alone.

Simonetti was shot dead two weeks later as he sat in a car at the corner of Elizabeth Street and Houston Street. With him was future Lucchese Member John Nuccio. Nuccio's brothers Frank, Salvatore and Vincent would all become members of the Lucchese Family. Their father Sebastiano (1879-1941) may have been a member of the Lucchese Family as well. The Nuccio's resided at 265 and 268 Elizabeth Street.

On October 26, 1945 pleaded guilty to participating in the dice game and paid a $100 fine.

On September 8, 1947 arrested at an illegal still located on a farm in Newburgh, NY. 375 gallons of alcohol seized by police. Also arrested was Salvatore Nuccio and five others.

On September 1, 1955 arrested for theft in Manhattan. Also arrested were Geonvese Family members and brothers Frank 'Frankie Skimp' Caggiano and William 'Willie Skimp' Caggiano. 

By 1970 resided at 18 Wesley Place, Staten Island.

Sometime after mid 1984 Lucchese leadership appointed Frangipane to control of Local 20 Cement & Concrete Workers Union with the positions of treasurer and business agent. Lucchese Soldier Christopher Furnari, Jr was made Vice-President of Local 20. 

Local 20 had previously been under control of Lucchese member Luigi 'Louie Beans' Foceri (1922-1989).

Frangipane also exercised control over Local 46 of the Mason Tenders through Family Associate Peter 'Butch' Vario.

Lucchese Underboss and CW Al D'arco later testified about the Family's influence over Local 46:

"Before his conviction in 1989, Peter "Butch" Vario, a Luchese Family associate, who was also an officer of Local 46 & the nephew of Paul Vario, exercised influence over Local 46 for the Luchese Family. Butch Vario reported to Joseph "Pippeneddu" Frangipane, a made member of the Luchese Family."

On August 18, 1987 indicted for labour racketeering in the 'Conrax' case, an investigation that had been initiated in 1984. The indictment included 12 union leaders from Local 13 and 46 Mason Tenders, Carpenters Union 351 and Local 20 Cement & Concrete Workers. 

 

Local 13 Mason Tenders were controlled by the Genovese Family.

The indictment charged that the defendants: "systematically bled the construction industry in Queens through a pattern of extortion, bribery and various forms of collusion and fraud."

"[Butch] Vario and Walaski were also involved, along with Cervone and another codefendant, Joseph Frangipane, in a series of payoffs for labor peace from the Spartan Concrete Corp. ("Spartan"). Frangipane was the business agent of the Cement and Concrete Workers Local Union 20 ("Local 20" or "Concrete Workers"), whose territory included a Spartan jobsite on Atlantic Avenue in Queens. The site was also arguably within the jurisdiction of Vario's Mason Tenders' Local 46, which handled certain jobs involving concrete. Although Martin Padover, Spartan's president, had reported the job to the District Council of Cement and Concrete Workers Unions as required under the collective bargaining agreement, Vario, upon learning of the project, took the position that it was a Mason Tenders' job, rather than one for the Concrete Workers.

Padover sought Cervone's intervention to establish which union had jurisdiction. Cervone and Vario agreed that the job likely fell under the authority of both unions, and Cervone therefore arranged that Padover would pay bribes to officials of both. Frangipane was paid off through "ghost" paychecks, while Vario, despite Padover's view that Atlantic Avenue was a Concrete Workers' job, received a cash payment of $1000, "just to start off the relationship." This payment was the basis of Vario's conviction on Count 61 for labor bribery."

On November 18, 1988 found guilty of violating the federal Taft-Hartley labour stature. He was sentenced to six months in prison.

Frangipane is included in both the 1983 and 1988 Senate Charts of Lucchese Family membership.

On January 19, 1990 released from Federal prison.

He died April 25, 1992 in NYC.

James Falco (Lucchese)

 

J. Falco

 

James 'Jimmy Black' Falco was a member of the Lucchese family.

Born March 19, 1912 in NYC to Michele Fulco (36y) and Maria SanFilippo (34y). Parents emigrated from Nicosia commune of Enna province, Sicily in 1904. Father worked as a bricklayer. Family used both names Fulco/Falco.

By 1930 resided at 171 East 111th Street in East Harlem.

Older brothers Felice Falco (1906-1976) and Philip Falco (1908-1993) were made members of the Lucchese Family. His brothers Frank Fulco (1902-1965), John Falco (1914-1976) and Anthony Falco, and nephew Louis Falco were associates of the Lucchese Family. Falco's niece, Rose Falco married Gaetano 'Corky' Vastola in 1952, at the time an associate of the Genovese Family and later a member of the DeCavalcante Family.

John Falco was named in 1935 newspaper reports as a lieutenant of Dutch Schultz and active in the lottery racket. The Falco brothers would be associated with the illegal lottery and operated numbers banks in East Harlem and the Bronx, and later on Long Island.

By the late 1930s the Falco brothers were associated with the East Harlem crew of the Lucchese Family.

In 1942 resided at 168 East 117th Street. Listing his occupation as 'unemployed'.

On June 4, 1945 textile executive Albet Langford, manager of a shirt manufacturer in the Garment District, was shoot in the head and killed in the doorway of his suite at Hotel Marguery on Park Avenue in NYC.The case became tabloid fodder. The killers were described as two "short dark men", who disappeared without any trace through the courtyard. The murder of Albert Langford occurred at a time when the mob, and the Lucchese family in particular, expanded its influence in the Garment District following the trial and execution of Lepke Buchalter in 1944. According to press accounts Langford and his wife had recently been the victims of extortion attempts. An anonymous tip named Felice Falco as one of the killers, but he was released from custody following questioning. The Falco brothers were short in stature; James was 5'1", Felice was 5'4" and Philip was 5'4".

The murder of Albert Langford remains unsolved.

Langford in 1937

 

Arrested on November 12, 1947 with Ettore 'Eddie' Coco (possibly already the Capodecina of the Family's East Harlem crew), Frank Carbo, James Plumeri, Frank Marino and Sam Richman for disorderly conduct. The group had arrived shortly after midnight at the Markwell bar on 220 W St in Manhattan. When the owner Anthony D'Amico tried to close the bar at 4 a.m., the group, according to press accounts, traded hot words with the owner and a number of bar stools were overturned and glasses broken, but no blows were struck.

Fight manager Frank Carbo was a member of the Genovese Family and had spent the previous day being questioned by District Attorney Hogan over the much suspicious boxing match between middleweights Billy Fox and Jake LaMotta. Like Carbo, Coco was involved in boxing and at the time manager of boxer Rocky Graziano.

D'Amico retracted the charges hours later.

On January 31, 1951 plainclothes police men raided an upper West Side hotel room and arrested James, Felice and Louis Falco together with three others. Cash and 11,000 lottery slips were confiscated. The lottery, according to police, operated mainly in East Harlem.

The next day Coco shot and killed a man outside his Normandy Isles, Miami apartment. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. During his imprisonment Coco married Carmella Falco, sister of the Falco brothers.

Eddie Coco 1950s.

It's not known specifically when Falco was inducted into the Lucchese Family. He was likely a made member by 1958.

By 1963 resided at 7 Oldfield Road, Greenlawn, Huntington, LI. Felice and Philip also resided in Huntington and the brothers owned Falcon Vending, a company that distributed vending machines on Long Island.

On September 24, 1963 arrested with Gambino Family Soldier Frank Pasqua, Sr. on unspecified charge. Falco refused to answer any questions and was released shortly afterwards.

On August 17, 1965 Ettore Coco was released from prison. FBI reports from 1967 identify him as a Lucchese Family Capodecina based in Florida. As a condition for parole he was required to live in Florida, ruling him out as a possible successor to Family Boss Tommy Lucchese who died in 1967.

By 1967 James Falco resided at 6905 Willow Lane in Miami Lake, Florida.

Owned the “The Den” lounge, Biscayne Boulevard, North Miami Beach. Philip Falco was employed as the manager. The Den enjoyed brief success as a “hoodlum hangout” as a FBI CI advised:

”That on the night of April 10, 1967, [Genovese family member] Pasquale Erra visited DEN Lounge, Biscayne Boulevard, and bought drinks for everyone in the house.”

On August 31, 1967 Coco made small talk with FBI agents:

“He stated that as Special Agents (SA) PETER C. CLEMENTE undoubtedly know, his brother-in-law, had been refused a liquor license and the control of the lounge had reverted to the control of JACK HULL, the original owner of liquor license...He stated that the place is now a "graveyard" but that if his brother-in-law had been permitted to operate it would become very popular. Coco said that he believed his brother-in-laws, JAMES and PHILIP FALCO, referred to as the BLACK BROTHERS, continue to operate Falcon Vending Machine Company in New York. He said that they no longer have any interest in the numbers operation in the Harlem area.”

1972 Loan-sharking Case

On June 13, 1972 indicted with Coco and Louis 'Louis Nash' Nakaladski. The trio operated a loan-sharking business that charged 400 percent interest and used threats to collect debts. While Coco and Nakaladski were arrested and went on trial, Falco avoided capture and became a fugitive. The subsequent trail described the operation as following:

"the evidence introduced at the trial established that Coco, Nash, and one James Michael Falco  were in the loan sharking business together as early as 1966. During that year they began to transact some of their business in the offices of one Harvey Goodman, a mortgage and insurance broker. Goodman testified that he heard discussions concerning the making of loans and collections. When Nash or Falco arranged to make a loan in Coco's absence they would telephone Coco to obtain his approval. On one occasion, Falco objected to a loan that Nash wanted to make on the ground that there had been difficulties in collecting a previous loan from the prospective borrower, but when Coco said that Nash would be responsible for collecting the new loan, it was approved"

"In June or July of 1966, Joel Whitice procured his first loan from Falco. Whitice made most of his payments to Falco, who was accompanied by Nash and Coco on a number of occasions when he came to collect from Whitice. At other times Whitice also made payments to Nash or Coco. During this time Whitice operated a retail grocery business, Food Palace, Inc., in partnership with another man, selling items manufactured in various parts of the country. His initial loan was for $10,000, which he paid back in approximately one year with weekly payments of $300. In December of 1967, Whitice borrowed another $4,000, and in June he increased his total debt to $12,000. He paid interest on these loans at the rate of $25 per $1,000 per week, and by June of 1968 his total interest payment was $300 per week. By September of 1969, Whitice had paid approximately $27,600 in interest, and still owed the full $12,000 principal."

Captured on August 8, 1973 in New York after 14 months on the run. Later that year sentenced to ten years in prison for three counts of conspiracy to extort and six counts of loan-shark extortion. Louis Nakaladski was later discovered to have been an FBI CI. Coco was sentenced to fifteen years and Nakaladski to ten years.

Believed to have been released July 1, 1986.

Falco is included in both the 1983 and 1988 Senate Charts of Lucchese Family membership.

He died January 15, 1987 in New York.

 

Michael La Rosa (Lucchese)

 

M. La Rosa

 

Michael 'Mike the Baker' La Rosa was a member of the Lucchese family.

Born June 2, 1915 in NYC to Gioacchino La Rosa (25y) and Ninfa DiPeri (19y). Father born in Palermo, Sicily and mother born in the Marineo commune of Palermo province.

During childhood family resided at 202 Mott St in Manhattan. Future Genovese Family Soldier Salvatore "Pete Ricco" DiPietro (1922-1973) also resided there.

In 1915 parents founded G. La Rosa & Sons Bakery at 202 Elisabeth St in Manhattan. The bakery would stay in business well into the 1980s.

In 1940 resided at 899 Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn.

In 1950 resided at 181 Highland Boulevard in Brooklyn.

By the 1960s owned G. La Rosa & Sons Bakery.

The time frame of LaRosa's induction into the Lucchese Family is not known. Included in the 1988 Senate Charts of Lucchese Family membership. LaRosa likley part of the late 1970s inductions. By the late 1970s La Rosa was a close associate of Lucchese Family Boss Anthony Corallo and involved in the Lucchese Family's racketeering in the construction industry.

In November of 1978 FBI surveillance observered La Rosa entering Orlando's Resturant in Huntington, Long Island. Orlando's was as a meeting place for Corallo's associates. 

On August 8, 1980 an FBI CI advised: "MIKE LA ROSA" is a member of the LUCHESE Family in the crew of JOSEPH DI PALERMO. Source advised that LA ROSA owns La Rosa Bakery on Elisabeth Street in New York City and has a lucerative shylocking operation in that area."

A FBI report from 2/4/81 summaries:

"LA ROSA is the owner of G. La Rosa and Sons Bakery, 202-209 Elizabeth Street, Manhattan, New York. Informant information indicates that LA ROSA is an underboss to LUCHESE boss ANTONIO "TONY DUCKS" CORALLO. LA ROSA is a major loanshark and did loan a substantial sum to [redacted] Telephone toll records reflect large volume of calls made from LA ROSA's residence to CORALLO, [redacted]. Little is known of the control LA ROSA may have over the baking industry in New York City.

As a co-conspirator, LA ROSA allegedly received a portion of all kickback monies paid by victim general contractors, including [redacted] JOE BELLANTONI, deceased, paid LA ROSA his cut of the payoff monies. LA ROSA, according to BELLANTONI, is the underboss of "TONY DUCKS" CORALLO."

Reference to La Rosa as a 'underboss' may indicate that La Rosa reported directly to Corallo and not to a Capodecina. 

Corallo had a long-standing influence over the bakery industry through Lucchese Family associate Daniel Motto (1910-1973), a loan-shark and long-standing president of Local 350 of Bakery Workers union. Corallo, Motto and city water commissioner James L. Marcus sentenced to prison in 1968 in a city contract kickback scheme to refurbish the Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx. A Little Italy native, Daniel Motto resided at 310 Mott Street in Manhattan in 1920.

Corallo early 1980s.

An FBI report from 3/4/81 states:

"[redacted] said that the rehabilitation rate of bricklayer rate pay at that time was approximately $13.10 [redacted] also stated that he has no idea what the non-union bricklaver at the 405 Hudson Street job received in salary. at this time advised that the bricklayer locals in NYC have suffered extreme economic hardship in the past due to the fact that 1500 bricklayers have dropped out of the various city bricklayer local unions since 1975.

[redacted] was then asked to comment as to his knowledge of organized crime infiltration into the bricklayers in the NYC denies any knowledge of organized crime infiltration in the pricklayer or any other trade local in the NYC area [redacted], and denied ever having been affiliated with any persons known to exert great influence in the labor industry in NY. [redacted] stated that he has never been involved in construction kickbacks and emphatically denied knowing these following individuals; SONNY PETRILLO, MIKE LA ROSA, TONY "DUCKS" CORALLO, PETE DE FEO, and "CHIN" GIGANTE [redacted] did state that he knows [redacted] as Local 59 of the Laborers Union delegate."

By 1981 resided at 82 Ripplewater Avenue, Massapequa, NY.

On March 9, 1981 among twelve defendants indicted on labor racketeering charges relating to extortion of construction companies. Part of the evidence came from a FBI bug placed in the 12 East 86th Street apartment of Genovese Family Soldier Vincent DiNapoli. One defendant, Theodore Maritas, president of the 25,000-member New York City District Council of Carpenters, disappeared before sentencing and is presumed murdered. La Rosa served 8 months in federal prison.

In the early 1980s La Rosa made three cash contributions to Geraldine Ferraro's congressional campaign. Ferraro would be the Democratic vice presidential nominee in the 1984 election. La Rosa had a long-standing business relationship with Ferraro's husband John Zaccaro and Zaccaro had managed Manhattan property owned by La Rosa and had helped refinance mortgages on several of La Rosa's properties.

Michael La Rosa died November 1988. 

Frank Magistro (Lucchese)

 

1960

Frank Magistro was a member of the Lucchese Family.

Born July 25, 1901 in Messina, Sicily to Salvatore (29y) and Carmella G. Lisi (24y). Immigrated to the US in 1909. Became a citizen in 1921. Father worked in construction.

By the late 1920s associated with Tom Gagliano, who became Boss of the Lucchese Family in 1930. Magistro was likely a made member by the 1930s. The time frame of Magistro's induction into the Lucchese Family is not known. Included in the 1983 and 1988 Senate Charts of Lucchese Family membership.

By May 1929 resided at 2550 Colden Avenue in the Bronx.

On June 32, 1932 sentenced to four months in federal house of detention the for tax evasion during the years 1927 to 1929. The charges steamed from Magistro's involvment in the construction industry. Family Boss Tom Gagliano was also sentenced to prison for tax evasion and suspected Lucchese Family member Antonio Monforte was sentenced to seven years for extorion in 1929 and to two years in for tax evasion in 1932.

Magistro's nephew Salvatore "Sam" Rizzo (1916-1986) married the daughter of Monforte, and Magistro's niece married the son of Monforte. Nunziata Monforte's, wife of Antonio, maiden name was Magistro. Sam Rizzo was included in the 1983 Senate Charts of Lucchese Family membership.

By July 1942 Magistro resided at 768 South Oak Drive in the Bronx.

By 1942 Magistro operated Metro Lathing Co. in the Bronx. Tom Gagliano was employed at Metro Lathing Co, as was Joseph Gagliano (1911-1979), son of suspected Lucchese Family member Angelo Gagliano (1878-1954). Angelo's nephew Joseph 'Pip the Blind' Gagliano (1903-1947) was a member of the Genovese Family.

By April 1950 Magistro resided at 638 East 227th Street in the Bronx.

In April 1951 Anthony 'Chick' D'Amore, a Mount Vernon gambler, incoperated Ace Lathing Co. A year later he had two equal partners, August Carfano and Carrie Magistro. August Carfano was the brother of Genovese Family Capodecina Anthony 'Little Augie' Carfano and Carrie Magistro was the daughter of Frank Magistro. Later Magistro became part owner of Ace Lathing.

Ace Lathing shared office with Westchester Lathing Co, now operated by Joseph Gagliano. Stockholders included Lucchese Family Consigliere Vincent Rao, his brother Lucchese Family member Charles Rao and Frank Carfano, son of Anthony Carfano. Westchester Lathing Co had been formed in the 1920s by Tom Gagliano and Antonio Monforte.

Testimony from 1960 concluded that Westchester Lathing Co had been formed by a group of lathing contractors as a joint enterprise to facilitate operation of jobs and prevent competition among themselves.

When Anthony Carfano was murderd in 1959, Frank Magistro was among those questioned by detectives.

In the 1980s his son Salvatore Magistro (1930-2013), a Lucchese Family associate, operated Gun Hill Building supplies and Star Lathing at 1015 East Gun Hill Road in the Bronx. The premesis was a known meeting place for members and associates of the Lucchese Family, among them Family members Mariano Macaluso and Michael Salerno.

He died February 26, 1993.