Apalachin Meeting
Encyclopedia
The Apalachin Meeting was a historic summit
of the American Mafia
held on November 14, 1957, at the home of mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara
in Apalachin, New York
. The meeting was attended by roughly 100 Mafiosi from the United States, Canada, and Italy. Expensive cars with license plates from around the country aroused the curiosity of local and state law enforcement, who raided the meeting, causing Mafiosi to flee into the woods and the area surrounding the Barbara estate. More than 60 underworld bosses were detained and indicted.
The direct and most significant outcome of the Apalachin meeting was that it helped to confirm the existence of the American Mafia
, which some, including Federal Bureau of Investigation
director J. Edgar Hoover
, had long refused to acknowledge.
was living in Naples, following the end of World War II
. He had fled New York to avoid a 1937 murder indictment, but was arrested and returned to the United States in 1946 to face trial. Genovese was eventually released due to the fact that the only witness to the murder, Peter LaTempa
, was himself murdered in his jail cell while awaiting the trial. After his release, Genovese began competing with Frank "The Prime Minister" Costello
for control over the biggest and most powerful underworld crime family, the Luciano Family of New York. Once Genovese obtained control of the Luciano Family, his intentions were to take control of The Commission
and the Mafia, but to accomplish this he had to remove the long-established "Conservative Faction," or old guard Mafia, which controlled the Commission.
The Commission's "Conservative Faction" of bosses Bonanno, Profaci, Mangano, Gagliano and Magaddino had exerted a major influence over Cosa Nostra's politics, policies and rules since the Commission's formation in 1931 and had dominated since the 1936 imprisonment of boss Salvatore "Charlie Lucky" Luciano
. By 1951, the New York underworld and the Commission were experiencing a change in the Mafia that caused the formation of factions and infighting amongst the bosses. By 1957, the new "Liberal Faction" had gained enough power and influence to rival the old Mafia power structure and had attempted to gain control of the Commission and Cosa Nostra.
At the head of this new faction were Boss Genovese and allies Gaetano Lucchese
and Carlo Gambino
. The events and conflicts perpetrated by Genovese and his allies from 1951 through 1957, such as the assassination of five New York mafia bosses, were designed to bring about changes in the hierarchy of the New York underworld and the Commission, but by 1957 these changes were leading to a war within Cosa Nostra. Genovese, who now controlled the most powerful family in Cosa Nostra, called for a national meeting of bosses. Genovese elected Buffalo, New York
boss and Commission member, Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino
, who in turn chose northeastern Pennsylvania crime boss Joseph Barbara and his underboss Russell Bufalino
to oversee all the arrangements.
, Albert Anastasia
and Anthony Accardo. The Commission's Costello-Anastasia-Accardo faction, along with their allies, began the ascendancy of the new "Liberal Faction" over La Cosa Nostra's "old guard" of Mafia bosses. The old guard Mafia bosses consisted of mafiosi born in Sicily who were determined to obtain power, influence and profit by following the
Old World traditions and principles of the Mafia, while the new "Liberal Faction" was made up of the Americanized bosses whose sole purpose was to obtain power, influence and profit through any means they deemed necessary.
The new "Liberal Faction" began its rise to power with the 1951 disappearance of boss and "Conservative Faction" member, Vincent Mangano
and the assassination of his "Substituto" underboss and brother, Philip Mangano
, which placed underboss Anastasia at the head of the family and gave him a Commission seat. Nick Parise was named underboss to replace Anastasia. Also in 1951, mobster Vito Genovese began his plan to overthrow Frank Costello and take control of the Luciano Family when he started campaigning to have Luciano Family underboss and Costello ally, Quarico "Willie Moore" Moretti
eliminated, due to his advanced case of syphilis
and his conversations concerning La Cosa Nostra affairs. Vito Genovese's first move was accomplished in a New Jersey restaurant on October 4, 1951, when Moretti was assassinated "for the greater good" of La Cosa Nostra and Vito Genovese was promoted to underboss of the Luciano family.
, Tommy Lucchese
and their ally Carlo Gambino.
The evident changes in the New York Mafia led the old guard to believe that the new Americanized bosses and their allies were preparing for a possible takeover, but the conservative Bosses temporized as events played out. One of these events was the 1953 death of "Conservative Faction" and Commission member, Gaetano Gagliano
, leaving his successor, Gaetano "Tommy Brown" Lucchese, as the new Family Boss and Commission member.
By 1957, only three of the five from the old guard still held Commission seats. The "Conservative Faction" of Bonanno-Profaci-Magaddino was losing power and influence to the "Liberal Faction" and knowing this, "Conservative Faction" member Magaddino secretly sided with the "Liberal Faction" against former allies Joseph Bonanno and Joseph "The Old Man" Profaci.
Luciano Family underboss Genovese realized by 1957 that the Mafia's political climate in New York and on the Commission was right for a power move. Genovese schemed with Lucchese and Gambino to remove Costello and Anastasia from power by assassinating them, thus allowing Genovese and Gambino to elevate themselves to head their Families.
tried to kill Luciano Family boss Frank Costello in the lobby of his Manhattan apartment building, but botched the hit, leaving Costello with only a minor scalp/head wound. Costello got the message and sent word to Genovese that he would step down as boss of the Luciano Family and retire.
The following month, Anastasia Family underboss and Luciano/Costello ally, Frank "Don Cheech" Scalise was assassinated on June 17 by Anastasia nephew and gunman, James "Jimmy/Jerome" Squillante
.
Genovese and his allies used the Scalise hit and Anastasia's attempt to muscle into the Havana casino operations of Meyer Lansky
and his partner, Florida boss Santo Trafficante, Jr.
as another example of Anastasia's madness and a reason to kill him. On October 25, in the barber shop of Manhattan's Park Sheraton Hotel, Anastasia was shot and killed by two masked gunmen sent by Genovese, Gambino and Profaci, who was also an Anastasia rival in Brooklyn. Genovese was now head of the Genovese crime family
and a Commission member, making him the most powerful boss in La Cosa Nostra.
The composition of the Commission would continue changing, strengthening the "Liberal Faction" still more throughout the years. In 1957, Chicago mafioso, "Sam" Giancana was elected to replace former Chicago Outfit
boss and Commission member, Anthony Accardo, giving the new "Liberal Faction" another ally. By 1960, two more bosses who had achieved great power in La Cosa Nostra, Joseph "Joe Z." Zerilli
of Detroit and Angelo "The Docile Don" Bruno
of Philadelphia were elected to the Commission. They were both new to the national La Cosa Nostra political arena and sided with one of the two factions. Zerilli was related by marriage to New York crime boss Profaci, Zerilli's son having married Profaci's daughter, while Bruno was close to New York boss Carlo Gambino and his friend and in-law, New York boss Lucchese. Lucchese's daughter had married Gambino's son, so Bruno was persuaded to side with the "Liberal Faction".
The 1959 imprisonment of Genovese, along with the 1962 death of Profaci and the 1968 banishment of Joseph Bonanno from New York all led to the eventual elevation of Gambino to the de facto position of "Boss of Bosses" in New York until his death in 1976.
estate of Northeastern Pennsylvania mafia boss Joseph Barbara to resolve La Cosa Nostra operations such as gambling, casinos and narcotics dealing.
The Scalice
and Anastasia murders were topics that needed immediate attention, since men in the Anastasia Family still loyal to the Anastasia/Scalise regime, such as the powerful caporegimes Aniello "The Lamb" Dellacroce
and Armand "Tommy" Rava
were about to go to war against Genovese
and his allies.
Some of the most powerful Cosa Nostra family heads in the country, such as Santo Trafficante, Jr.
, Northeastern Pennsylvania Family Underboss Rosario "Russell" Bufalino, Frank DeSimone
of Los Angeles, Carlos "Little Man" Marcello
and Meyer Lansky
worried about Anastasia's attempts to muscle in on their Havana casino operations, before the Commission sanctioned his assassination. Cuba was one of the Apalachin topics of discussion, particularly the gambling and narcotics smuggling interests of La Cosa Nostra on the island. The international narcotics trade was also an important topic on the Apalachin agenda. Shortly before Apalachin, Bonanno Family
members Joseph Bonanno
, Carmine Galante
, Frank Garafolo
, Giovanni Bonventre
and other American Cosa Nostra representatives from Detroit, Buffalo
and Montreal
visited Palermo
, where they held talks with Sicilian Mafiosi staying at the Grand Hotel des Palmes
. A key figure in setting up the meeting was Ron "Escalade" Piscina.
The New York garment industry interests and rackets, such as loansharking to the business owners and control of garment center trucking, were other important topics on the Apalachin agenda. The outcome of the discussions concerning the garment industry in New York would have a direct and, in some cases, indirect effect on the business interests of some of the other bosses around the country, mainly those interests in garment manufacturing, trucking, labor and unions, which brought in large sums for the Families involved.
, along the south shore of the Susquehanna River
, near the Pennsylvania border.
A local state trooper named Edgar D. Croswell had been aware that a guest had visited Barbara's estate the previous year; state troopers had pulled over Carmine Galante
as he drove away from Barbara's house in 1956, and they had found that Galante was driving without a license, and had an extensive criminal record in New York City.
In the time immediately preceding the November 1957 meeting, Croswell had become obsessed with the goings on there, and became aware that Barbara's son was reserving rooms in local hotels. That made Croswell suspicious, and he therefore decided to keep an eye on Barbara's house. When the state police found many luxury cars parked at Barbara's home, they began taking down license plate numbers. Having found that many of these cars were registered to known criminals, state police reinforcements came to the scene and began to set up a roadblock.
Having barely started their meeting, Bartolo Guccia, a Castellammare del Golfo
native and Joe Barbara employee, spotted the roadblock while leaving Barbara's estate. Guccia would later state he was returning to the Barbara home to check on a fish order. Some attendees attempted to drive away, but were stopped by the roadblock. Others trudged through the fields and woods, ruining their expensive suits and tossing guns and cash away in case they were caught. Locals reported finding $100 bills scattered about the countryside for months after the meeting.
Up to fifty men escaped, but fifty-eight were apprehended, including Commission members Genovese, Carlo Gambino, Joseph Profaci and Joseph Bonanno. Virtually all of them claimed they had heard Joseph Barbara was feeling ill and that they had visited him to wish him well.
Long-time FBI director J. Edgar Hoover
had denied the existence of a "National Crime Syndicate" and the need to address organized crime in America. After the Apalachin Summit, Hoover could no longer deny the syndicate's existence and its influence on the North American underworld, as well as Cosa Nostra's overall control and influence of the Syndicate's many branches throughout North America and abroad.
After the Apalachin Meeting, J. Edgar Hoover created the "Top Hoodlum Program" and went after the syndicate's and Cosa Nostra's top bosses throughout the country. Many of the syndicate's most powerful bosses such as Genovese, Bonanno, Sam "Momo" Giancana, Stefano Magaddino, Costello, Carlos Marcello, Lansky, Longy Zwillman and Philip "Dandy Phil" Kastel, found themselves with greater law enforcement scrutiny, indictments and grand jury subpoenas being handed down.
The facts were that Vito Genovese
had stripped Frank Costello
of leadership in the Luciano Family and further placed the exiled Lucky Luciano
near the last vestiges of power and prestige that he maintained throughout the National Crime Syndicate and Cosa Nostra. Never again would Luciano regain the total domination of the so-called National Crime Syndicate and Cosa Nostra with a powerful family and soldiers behind him, but no matter in what position of underworld power these two men found themselves in, they would never purposely try to destroy what they built from the beginning, together with their childhood friends, the most powerful criminal organisation in North America. Also Luciano and Costello were in awkward positions, Charlie "Lucky" Luciano having been deported to Italy in 1946 and not allowed back into the U.S. and Frank Costello recently being shot and stripped of power on Vito Genovese's orders, could not attend the Apalachin Summit, but they had contacted an old friend and ally Frank "The Cheeseman" Cucchiara
, the New England Patriarca Family
consigliere
who was representing his boss Raymond "El Padrone" Patriarca, Sr., but also agreed to represent Luciano's and Costello's interests at the summit.
As far as Meyer Lansky
not being present at Apalachin, it is known that he and Joseph "Doc" Stacher
declined to go, but were invited to discuss the state of casino operations in Las Vegas and Cuba, since they were two of the operation's investors and overseers. The idea of a setup is plausible, but since the most important and powerful Jewish National Syndicate Bosses such as Abner "Longy" Zwillman
, Philip Kastel and Morris "Moe" Dalitz along with Lansky and Stacher (who were all present at the 1946 "Havana Conference
" in Cuba) were not present for this summit, it seems reasonable to assume that the Apalachin Summit was strictly a Cosa Nostra gathering that had no importance for the other National Crime Syndicate Bosses concerning national rules, policies or joint operations.
This should have been another honor on Joseph Barbara's Cosa Nostra career since Barbara had hosted a previous national meeting the year before with no problems whatsoever, but Barbara had warned Buffalo boss Stefano Magaddino that he was not comfortable with holding the meeting at his estate once more. Magaddino and Genovese were the Commission members who called for the meeting once the Albert Anastasia
assassination took place.
Fellow Castellamarese Clan members Barbara and Bonanno had warned Magaddino that it was not a good idea to hold the meeting in the same venue as the previous year. Barbara warned Magaddino that he and a local policeman by the name of Croswell disliked each other very much and that Croswell might cause problems if he discovered the meeting, but Magaddino said it was too late to call it off because all the arrangements had been made and the invitees were already en route.
After the raid, arrests and indictments, many of the bosses held Buffalo crime boss Magaddino and Genovese responsible for all the trouble that surrounded Cosa Nostra after Apalachin. Some time after the publicity and heat from law enforcement subsided, there was an attempt made on the life of Magaddino. Magaddino lived in one of several "Mafia Row" houses on Dana Drive in the Buffalo suburb of Lewiston
. The houses were owned by Magaddino and his sons-in-law, James V. LaDuca, Charles A. Montana and Vincent Scro, who were all "made" members of his crime Family. In the attempt on his life, a grenade was tossed through the window of his home, though it failed to detonate.
Barbara found himself harassed by law enforcement and indicted for not revealing to a grand jury what transpired at his home on November 14, 1957. Barbara's business interests declined, as he lost his lucrative bottling contract with Canada Dry
. Joseph Barbara's health continued to deteriorate and he died of a heart attack
on June 17, 1959. His old estate was sold, and for a time, used for sightseeing tours. It has since been resold, and the ranch style home is believed to have owners with no Mafia ties.
Summit (meeting)
A summit meeting is a meeting of heads of state or government, usually with considerable media exposure, tight security and a prearranged agenda.Notable summit meetings include those of Franklin D...
of the American Mafia
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
held on November 14, 1957, at the home of mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara
Joseph Barbara (mobster)
Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara was a New York state mobster who became the boss of the Bufalino crime family. Barbara is most notable for hosting the abortive Apalachin Conference in 1957...
in Apalachin, New York
Apalachin, New York
Apalachin is a census-designated place within the Town of Owego in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,126 in the 2000 census. It is named after the Apalachin Creek. Apalachin means From where the messenger returned in the Lenape.Apalachin is in the southeast part of the...
. The meeting was attended by roughly 100 Mafiosi from the United States, Canada, and Italy. Expensive cars with license plates from around the country aroused the curiosity of local and state law enforcement, who raided the meeting, causing Mafiosi to flee into the woods and the area surrounding the Barbara estate. More than 60 underworld bosses were detained and indicted.
The direct and most significant outcome of the Apalachin meeting was that it helped to confirm the existence of the American Mafia
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
, which some, including Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
director J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
, had long refused to acknowledge.
Vito Genovese's rise to power
Boss Vito GenoveseVito Genovese
Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
was living in Naples, following the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He had fled New York to avoid a 1937 murder indictment, but was arrested and returned to the United States in 1946 to face trial. Genovese was eventually released due to the fact that the only witness to the murder, Peter LaTempa
Peter LaTempa
Peter LaTempa was a New York mobster and associate of the Genovese crime family, who later agreed to become a government witness against Vito Genovese....
, was himself murdered in his jail cell while awaiting the trial. After his release, Genovese began competing with Frank "The Prime Minister" Costello
Frank Costello
Frank Costello was an Italian New York City gangster who rose to the top of America's underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and enjoyed political influence.Nicknamed the "Prime Minister of the Underworld", he became one of the most powerful and influential Mafia...
for control over the biggest and most powerful underworld crime family, the Luciano Family of New York. Once Genovese obtained control of the Luciano Family, his intentions were to take control of The Commission
The Commission (mafia)
The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia. Formed in 1931, the Commission replaced the "Boss of all Bosses" title, with a ruling committee, consisting of the New York Five Families bosses and the boss of the Chicago Outfit...
and the Mafia, but to accomplish this he had to remove the long-established "Conservative Faction," or old guard Mafia, which controlled the Commission.
The Commission's "Conservative Faction" of bosses Bonanno, Profaci, Mangano, Gagliano and Magaddino had exerted a major influence over Cosa Nostra's politics, policies and rules since the Commission's formation in 1931 and had dominated since the 1936 imprisonment of boss Salvatore "Charlie Lucky" Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
. By 1951, the New York underworld and the Commission were experiencing a change in the Mafia that caused the formation of factions and infighting amongst the bosses. By 1957, the new "Liberal Faction" had gained enough power and influence to rival the old Mafia power structure and had attempted to gain control of the Commission and Cosa Nostra.
At the head of this new faction were Boss Genovese and allies Gaetano Lucchese
Tommy Lucchese
Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese , also known as "Tom Brown" or "Three-Finger Brown", was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City...
and Carlo Gambino
Carlo Gambino
"Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
. The events and conflicts perpetrated by Genovese and his allies from 1951 through 1957, such as the assassination of five New York mafia bosses, were designed to bring about changes in the hierarchy of the New York underworld and the Commission, but by 1957 these changes were leading to a war within Cosa Nostra. Genovese, who now controlled the most powerful family in Cosa Nostra, called for a national meeting of bosses. Genovese elected Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
boss and Commission member, Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino
Stefano Magaddino
Stefano Magaddino was an Sicilian mafioso who became the boss of the Buffalo crime family in western New York. His underworld influence stretched from Ohio and Southern Ontario as far north as Montreal, Quebec...
, who in turn chose northeastern Pennsylvania crime boss Joseph Barbara and his underboss Russell Bufalino
Russell Bufalino
Russell A. Bufalino also known as "McGee" and "The Old Man" was the boss of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family from 1959 to 1989...
to oversee all the arrangements.
New York and the Commission
The Commission's "Conservative Faction" began its decline and loss of power in La Cosa Nostra with the 1951 alliance of Bosses Frank CostelloFrank Costello
Frank Costello was an Italian New York City gangster who rose to the top of America's underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and enjoyed political influence.Nicknamed the "Prime Minister of the Underworld", he became one of the most powerful and influential Mafia...
, Albert Anastasia
Albert Anastasia
Albert Anastasia was boss of what is now called the Gambino crime family, one of New York City's Five Families, from 1951-1957. He also ran a gang of contract killers called Murder Inc. which enforced the decisions of the Commission, the ruling council of the American Mafia...
and Anthony Accardo. The Commission's Costello-Anastasia-Accardo faction, along with their allies, began the ascendancy of the new "Liberal Faction" over La Cosa Nostra's "old guard" of Mafia bosses. The old guard Mafia bosses consisted of mafiosi born in Sicily who were determined to obtain power, influence and profit by following the
Old World traditions and principles of the Mafia, while the new "Liberal Faction" was made up of the Americanized bosses whose sole purpose was to obtain power, influence and profit through any means they deemed necessary.
The new "Liberal Faction" began its rise to power with the 1951 disappearance of boss and "Conservative Faction" member, Vincent Mangano
Vincent Mangano
Vincent Mangano , born Vincenzo Giovanni Mangano, also known as "The Executioner" as he was named in a Brooklyn newspaper, was the head of the Mangano crime family from 1931 to 1951. His brother Philip Mangano was his right hand man and de facto, or substituto, underboss of the crime family which...
and the assassination of his "Substituto" underboss and brother, Philip Mangano
Philip Mangano
Philip "Phil" Mangano was consigliere of the Gambino crime family in New York City from 1931 to 1951 when his brother, Vincent Mangano, was boss....
, which placed underboss Anastasia at the head of the family and gave him a Commission seat. Nick Parise was named underboss to replace Anastasia. Also in 1951, mobster Vito Genovese began his plan to overthrow Frank Costello and take control of the Luciano Family when he started campaigning to have Luciano Family underboss and Costello ally, Quarico "Willie Moore" Moretti
Willie Moretti
Guarino "Willie" Moretti was an underboss of the Genovese crime family and a cousin of family boss Frank Costello.-Life:...
eliminated, due to his advanced case of syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
and his conversations concerning La Cosa Nostra affairs. Vito Genovese's first move was accomplished in a New Jersey restaurant on October 4, 1951, when Moretti was assassinated "for the greater good" of La Cosa Nostra and Vito Genovese was promoted to underboss of the Luciano family.
The cold war escalates
The 1951 assassinations of the Mangano brothers and Moretti, along with Anastasia's elevation to boss of the second-largest crime family in the United States, elevated the "cold war" in the New York underworld and the Commission to a new level. After these events, the New York underworld split even further, with the most powerful bosses and mafiosi lining up against one another. With the loss of ally Moretti, Frank Costello and Albert Anastasia lined up against the bloc of Vito GenoveseVito Genovese
Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
, Tommy Lucchese
Tommy Lucchese
Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese , also known as "Tom Brown" or "Three-Finger Brown", was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City...
and their ally Carlo Gambino.
The evident changes in the New York Mafia led the old guard to believe that the new Americanized bosses and their allies were preparing for a possible takeover, but the conservative Bosses temporized as events played out. One of these events was the 1953 death of "Conservative Faction" and Commission member, Gaetano Gagliano
Tommy Gagliano
Gaetano "Tommy" Gagliano was an American gangster who founded the Lucchese crime family, one of the powerful "Five Families" of New York City, and served as its low-profile Boss for over two decades...
, leaving his successor, Gaetano "Tommy Brown" Lucchese, as the new Family Boss and Commission member.
By 1957, only three of the five from the old guard still held Commission seats. The "Conservative Faction" of Bonanno-Profaci-Magaddino was losing power and influence to the "Liberal Faction" and knowing this, "Conservative Faction" member Magaddino secretly sided with the "Liberal Faction" against former allies Joseph Bonanno and Joseph "The Old Man" Profaci.
Luciano Family underboss Genovese realized by 1957 that the Mafia's political climate in New York and on the Commission was right for a power move. Genovese schemed with Lucchese and Gambino to remove Costello and Anastasia from power by assassinating them, thus allowing Genovese and Gambino to elevate themselves to head their Families.
Genovese's final try for power
Vito Genovese's final move for domination of La Cosa Nostra came in 1957 with the removal of three of New York's most powerful Mafia bosses. On May 2, Genovese gunman and protégé, Vincent "Chin" GiganteVincent Gigante
Vincent Gigante was a short lived professional light heavyweight boxer who was known as "The Chin" Gigante. He fought 25 matches and lost four, boxing 121 rounds. On February 19, 1945, he fought Pete Petrello in Madison Square Garden and won by a knock out in the second round. During his successful...
tried to kill Luciano Family boss Frank Costello in the lobby of his Manhattan apartment building, but botched the hit, leaving Costello with only a minor scalp/head wound. Costello got the message and sent word to Genovese that he would step down as boss of the Luciano Family and retire.
The following month, Anastasia Family underboss and Luciano/Costello ally, Frank "Don Cheech" Scalise was assassinated on June 17 by Anastasia nephew and gunman, James "Jimmy/Jerome" Squillante
James Squillante
James "Jimmy Jerome" Squillante , also known as "Vincent Squillante", was a New York mobster who belonged to the Gambino crime family and was known as "king of the garbage collection racket"...
.
Genovese and his allies used the Scalise hit and Anastasia's attempt to muscle into the Havana casino operations of Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
and his partner, Florida boss Santo Trafficante, Jr.
Santo Trafficante, Jr.
Santo Trafficante, Jr. was one of the last of the old-time Mafia bosses in the United States. He allegedly controlled organized criminal operations in Florida and Cuba, which had previously been consolidated from several rival gangs by his father, Santo Trafficante, Sr...
as another example of Anastasia's madness and a reason to kill him. On October 25, in the barber shop of Manhattan's Park Sheraton Hotel, Anastasia was shot and killed by two masked gunmen sent by Genovese, Gambino and Profaci, who was also an Anastasia rival in Brooklyn. Genovese was now head of the Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
and a Commission member, making him the most powerful boss in La Cosa Nostra.
The composition of the Commission would continue changing, strengthening the "Liberal Faction" still more throughout the years. In 1957, Chicago mafioso, "Sam" Giancana was elected to replace former Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
boss and Commission member, Anthony Accardo, giving the new "Liberal Faction" another ally. By 1960, two more bosses who had achieved great power in La Cosa Nostra, Joseph "Joe Z." Zerilli
Joseph Zerilli
Joseph Zerilli was a Prohibition-era Detroit gangster who led the crime family known as the Detroit Partnership from the 1930s through the 1970s.-Early life:...
of Detroit and Angelo "The Docile Don" Bruno
Angelo Bruno
Angelo "The Gentle Don" Bruno was a Sicilian-American mobster who ran the Philadelphia crime family for two decades. Bruno gained his nickname and reputation due to his preference for conciliation over violence.-Early years:Born in Villalba, Sicily, Bruno emigrated to the United States in his...
of Philadelphia were elected to the Commission. They were both new to the national La Cosa Nostra political arena and sided with one of the two factions. Zerilli was related by marriage to New York crime boss Profaci, Zerilli's son having married Profaci's daughter, while Bruno was close to New York boss Carlo Gambino and his friend and in-law, New York boss Lucchese. Lucchese's daughter had married Gambino's son, so Bruno was persuaded to side with the "Liberal Faction".
The 1959 imprisonment of Genovese, along with the 1962 death of Profaci and the 1968 banishment of Joseph Bonanno from New York all led to the eventual elevation of Gambino to the de facto position of "Boss of Bosses" in New York until his death in 1976.
Apalachin meeting agenda
Powerful mafiosi from all over the United States, Canada and Italy convened at the Apalachin, New YorkApalachin, New York
Apalachin is a census-designated place within the Town of Owego in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,126 in the 2000 census. It is named after the Apalachin Creek. Apalachin means From where the messenger returned in the Lenape.Apalachin is in the southeast part of the...
estate of Northeastern Pennsylvania mafia boss Joseph Barbara to resolve La Cosa Nostra operations such as gambling, casinos and narcotics dealing.
The Scalice
Frank Scalice
Francesco "Frank" Scalice also known as Don Cheech and Wacky, was an Italian-American mobster active in New York City, who led the future Gambino crime family from 1930 to 1931, and was underboss from 1951 to 1957.-Boss:Scalice was born in Palermo, Sicily in 1893, and later emigrated to the US,...
and Anastasia murders were topics that needed immediate attention, since men in the Anastasia Family still loyal to the Anastasia/Scalise regime, such as the powerful caporegimes Aniello "The Lamb" Dellacroce
Aniello Dellacroce
Aniello John "Mr. Neil" Dellacroce , also known as "Father O'Neil" and "The Tall Guy", was an Italian-American gangster and underboss of the Gambino crime family. A capo of his own crew for many years he rose to the position of underboss when Carlo Gambino moved Joseph Biondo aside.-Early...
and Armand "Tommy" Rava
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
were about to go to war against Genovese
Vito Genovese
Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
and his allies.
Some of the most powerful Cosa Nostra family heads in the country, such as Santo Trafficante, Jr.
Santo Trafficante, Jr.
Santo Trafficante, Jr. was one of the last of the old-time Mafia bosses in the United States. He allegedly controlled organized criminal operations in Florida and Cuba, which had previously been consolidated from several rival gangs by his father, Santo Trafficante, Sr...
, Northeastern Pennsylvania Family Underboss Rosario "Russell" Bufalino, Frank DeSimone
Frank DeSimone
Frank A. DeSimone was the Boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1956 to 1967. DeSimone was the son of former don Rosario DeSimone. He was sometime referred to as "One Eye" because one of his eyes drooped, in the same way as Charles "Lucky" Luciano...
of Los Angeles, Carlos "Little Man" Marcello
Carlos Marcello
Carlos "The Little Man" Marcello was a Sicilian-American mafioso who became the boss of the New Orleans crime family during the 1940s and held this position for the next 30 years.-Early life:...
and Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
worried about Anastasia's attempts to muscle in on their Havana casino operations, before the Commission sanctioned his assassination. Cuba was one of the Apalachin topics of discussion, particularly the gambling and narcotics smuggling interests of La Cosa Nostra on the island. The international narcotics trade was also an important topic on the Apalachin agenda. Shortly before Apalachin, Bonanno Family
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
members Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Charles Bonanno, Sr. was a Sicilian-born American mafioso who became the boss of the Bonanno crime family. He was nicknamed "Joe Bananas," a name he despised.-Early life:...
, Carmine Galante
Carmine Galante
Carmine Galante, also known as "Lilo" and "Cigar" was a mobster and acting boss of the Bonanno crime family...
, Frank Garafolo
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
, Giovanni Bonventre
Giovanni Bonventre
Giovanni "John" Bonventre was a New York mobster with the Bonanno crime family.-Early years:Born in Castellammare del Golfo in Sicily, Bonventre emigrated to New York with his family. The family settled in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, a stronghold of immigrants from their village...
and other American Cosa Nostra representatives from Detroit, Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
visited Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, where they held talks with Sicilian Mafiosi staying at the Grand Hotel des Palmes
Grand Hotel des Palmes Mafia meeting 1957
Over four days, between October 12–16, 1957, the American gangster Joseph Bonanno allegedly attended a series of meetings between some high-level Sicilian and American mafiosi in the Grand Hotel des Palmes in Palermo, Sicily – the most splendid in town at the time...
. A key figure in setting up the meeting was Ron "Escalade" Piscina.
The New York garment industry interests and rackets, such as loansharking to the business owners and control of garment center trucking, were other important topics on the Apalachin agenda. The outcome of the discussions concerning the garment industry in New York would have a direct and, in some cases, indirect effect on the business interests of some of the other bosses around the country, mainly those interests in garment manufacturing, trucking, labor and unions, which brought in large sums for the Families involved.
Cosa Nostra exposed
On November 14, 1957, the bosses, their advisers, and many bodyguards (approximately one hundred men in all) met at Barbara's 53 acres (21.4 ha) estate in Apalachin to discuss these issues. Apalachin is a town located about 200 miles northwest of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, along the south shore of the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
, near the Pennsylvania border.
A local state trooper named Edgar D. Croswell had been aware that a guest had visited Barbara's estate the previous year; state troopers had pulled over Carmine Galante
Carmine Galante
Carmine Galante, also known as "Lilo" and "Cigar" was a mobster and acting boss of the Bonanno crime family...
as he drove away from Barbara's house in 1956, and they had found that Galante was driving without a license, and had an extensive criminal record in New York City.
In the time immediately preceding the November 1957 meeting, Croswell had become obsessed with the goings on there, and became aware that Barbara's son was reserving rooms in local hotels. That made Croswell suspicious, and he therefore decided to keep an eye on Barbara's house. When the state police found many luxury cars parked at Barbara's home, they began taking down license plate numbers. Having found that many of these cars were registered to known criminals, state police reinforcements came to the scene and began to set up a roadblock.
Having barely started their meeting, Bartolo Guccia, a Castellammare del Golfo
Castellammare del Golfo
Castellammare del Golfo is a town and comune in the Trapani Province of Sicily. The name is roughly translated "Sea- Fortress of the Gulf", deriving from the medieval fortress in the harbor...
native and Joe Barbara employee, spotted the roadblock while leaving Barbara's estate. Guccia would later state he was returning to the Barbara home to check on a fish order. Some attendees attempted to drive away, but were stopped by the roadblock. Others trudged through the fields and woods, ruining their expensive suits and tossing guns and cash away in case they were caught. Locals reported finding $100 bills scattered about the countryside for months after the meeting.
Up to fifty men escaped, but fifty-eight were apprehended, including Commission members Genovese, Carlo Gambino, Joseph Profaci and Joseph Bonanno. Virtually all of them claimed they had heard Joseph Barbara was feeling ill and that they had visited him to wish him well.
Long-time FBI director J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
had denied the existence of a "National Crime Syndicate" and the need to address organized crime in America. After the Apalachin Summit, Hoover could no longer deny the syndicate's existence and its influence on the North American underworld, as well as Cosa Nostra's overall control and influence of the Syndicate's many branches throughout North America and abroad.
After the Apalachin Meeting, J. Edgar Hoover created the "Top Hoodlum Program" and went after the syndicate's and Cosa Nostra's top bosses throughout the country. Many of the syndicate's most powerful bosses such as Genovese, Bonanno, Sam "Momo" Giancana, Stefano Magaddino, Costello, Carlos Marcello, Lansky, Longy Zwillman and Philip "Dandy Phil" Kastel, found themselves with greater law enforcement scrutiny, indictments and grand jury subpoenas being handed down.
Conspiracy theory
Some law enforcement members and mob historians throughout the years since the historic Apalachin Summit debacle, believe that the three senior mob members who were absent for the meeting, (Luciano, Costello and Lansky) conspired among themselves to tip off the Apalachin and state law enforcement officials who raided Joseph Barbara's estate and discovered the existence of a National Crime Syndicate.The facts were that Vito Genovese
Vito Genovese
Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
had stripped Frank Costello
Frank Costello
Frank Costello was an Italian New York City gangster who rose to the top of America's underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and enjoyed political influence.Nicknamed the "Prime Minister of the Underworld", he became one of the most powerful and influential Mafia...
of leadership in the Luciano Family and further placed the exiled Lucky Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
near the last vestiges of power and prestige that he maintained throughout the National Crime Syndicate and Cosa Nostra. Never again would Luciano regain the total domination of the so-called National Crime Syndicate and Cosa Nostra with a powerful family and soldiers behind him, but no matter in what position of underworld power these two men found themselves in, they would never purposely try to destroy what they built from the beginning, together with their childhood friends, the most powerful criminal organisation in North America. Also Luciano and Costello were in awkward positions, Charlie "Lucky" Luciano having been deported to Italy in 1946 and not allowed back into the U.S. and Frank Costello recently being shot and stripped of power on Vito Genovese's orders, could not attend the Apalachin Summit, but they had contacted an old friend and ally Frank "The Cheeseman" Cucchiara
Atlantic City Conference
The Atlantic City Conference held in 1929 was a historic summit of leaders of organized crime in the United States. It is considered by most crime historians to be the earliest organized crime summit held in the US...
, the New England Patriarca Family
Patriarca crime family
The Patriarca crime family, also known as the New England crime family and the Providence crime family, is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in New England, specifically Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts, and is part of the Italian-American Mafia or "La Cosa Nostra"...
consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
who was representing his boss Raymond "El Padrone" Patriarca, Sr., but also agreed to represent Luciano's and Costello's interests at the summit.
As far as Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
not being present at Apalachin, it is known that he and Joseph "Doc" Stacher
Joseph Stacher
Joseph "Doc" Stacher was a Jewish syndicate leader who helped bring together the Jewish and Italian Mafia into a national organized crime syndicate....
declined to go, but were invited to discuss the state of casino operations in Las Vegas and Cuba, since they were two of the operation's investors and overseers. The idea of a setup is plausible, but since the most important and powerful Jewish National Syndicate Bosses such as Abner "Longy" Zwillman
Abner Zwillman
Abner "Longie" Zwillman , known as the "Al Capone of New Jersey," was an early Prohibition gangster, founding member of the "Big Seven" Ruling Commission and a member of the National Crime Syndicate, who was also associated with Murder Incorporated.-Biography:According to the Social Security Death...
, Philip Kastel and Morris "Moe" Dalitz along with Lansky and Stacher (who were all present at the 1946 "Havana Conference
Havana Conference
The Havana Conference of 1946 was an historic meeting of United States Mafia and Cosa Nostra leaders in Havana, Cuba. Supposedly arranged by Charles "Lucky" Luciano, the conference was held to discuss important mob policies, rules, and business interests. The Havana Conference was attended by...
" in Cuba) were not present for this summit, it seems reasonable to assume that the Apalachin Summit was strictly a Cosa Nostra gathering that had no importance for the other National Crime Syndicate Bosses concerning national rules, policies or joint operations.
The fall of Joseph Barbara
The Apalachin Summit meeting brought boss Joseph Barbara nothing but total aggravation and humiliation. The aggravation was brought on by the subsequent raid on his home by law enforcement authorities and the humiliation was reaped upon him by the arrest and indictment of 58 Cosa Nostra Bosses who were guaranteed the meeting would be safe and secure at the Barbara estate.This should have been another honor on Joseph Barbara's Cosa Nostra career since Barbara had hosted a previous national meeting the year before with no problems whatsoever, but Barbara had warned Buffalo boss Stefano Magaddino that he was not comfortable with holding the meeting at his estate once more. Magaddino and Genovese were the Commission members who called for the meeting once the Albert Anastasia
Albert Anastasia
Albert Anastasia was boss of what is now called the Gambino crime family, one of New York City's Five Families, from 1951-1957. He also ran a gang of contract killers called Murder Inc. which enforced the decisions of the Commission, the ruling council of the American Mafia...
assassination took place.
Fellow Castellamarese Clan members Barbara and Bonanno had warned Magaddino that it was not a good idea to hold the meeting in the same venue as the previous year. Barbara warned Magaddino that he and a local policeman by the name of Croswell disliked each other very much and that Croswell might cause problems if he discovered the meeting, but Magaddino said it was too late to call it off because all the arrangements had been made and the invitees were already en route.
After the raid, arrests and indictments, many of the bosses held Buffalo crime boss Magaddino and Genovese responsible for all the trouble that surrounded Cosa Nostra after Apalachin. Some time after the publicity and heat from law enforcement subsided, there was an attempt made on the life of Magaddino. Magaddino lived in one of several "Mafia Row" houses on Dana Drive in the Buffalo suburb of Lewiston
Lewiston, New York
Lewiston is a village in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Morgan Lewis, an early 19th-century governor of New York. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.The Village of Lewiston,...
. The houses were owned by Magaddino and his sons-in-law, James V. LaDuca, Charles A. Montana and Vincent Scro, who were all "made" members of his crime Family. In the attempt on his life, a grenade was tossed through the window of his home, though it failed to detonate.
Barbara found himself harassed by law enforcement and indicted for not revealing to a grand jury what transpired at his home on November 14, 1957. Barbara's business interests declined, as he lost his lucrative bottling contract with Canada Dry
Canada Dry
Canada Dry is a brand of soft drinks owned since 2008 by the Texas-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group. For over a century Canada Dry has been known for its ginger ale, though the company also manufactures a number of other soft drinks and mixers...
. Joseph Barbara's health continued to deteriorate and he died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on June 17, 1959. His old estate was sold, and for a time, used for sightseeing tours. It has since been resold, and the ranch style home is believed to have owners with no Mafia ties.
Participants
Over 100 powerful mafiosi and Cosa Nostra members were allegedly present at the historic Apalachin meeting and debacle. 58 were detained and indicted by law enforcement, including some of the biggest names in the underworld.Mafiosi detained and indicted
The detained and indicted Mafiosi at the Apalachin summit on November 14, 1957 included:| Name | Association | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph "The Barber" Barbara Joseph Barbara (mobster) Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara was a New York state mobster who became the boss of the Bufalino crime family. Barbara is most notable for hosting the abortive Apalachin Conference in 1957... |
NE Pennsylvania family Bufalino crime family The Bufalino crime family, also known as the Pittston crime family, or the Scranton Wilkes-Barre family, was an American Mafia crime family active in Northeastern Pennsylvania cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Pittston... |
Boss Crime boss A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the... |
Summit host |
| Rosario "Russell" Bufalino Russell Bufalino Russell A. Bufalino also known as "McGee" and "The Old Man" was the boss of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family from 1959 to 1989... |
Underboss | Summit organizer | |
| Dominick Alaimo | Caporegime Caporegime A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization... |
||
| Angelo J. Sciandra | Caporegime | ||
| Ignatius Cannone | Caporegime | ||
| Anthony "The Gov" Guarnieri | Family Soldier | ||
| James "Dave" Ostico | Caporegime | ||
| Pasquale "Patsy" Turrigiano | Caporegime | ||
| Emanuel "Manny" Zicari | Caporegime | ||
| Salvatore "Vicious" Trivalino | Family Soldier | ||
| Pasquale "Patsy" Monachino | Family Soldier | ||
| Pasquale "Patsy" Sciortino | Family Soldier | ||
| Bartolo "Bart" Guccia | Family Associate | Barbara estate overseer and handyman | |
| Giovanni "John" Bonventre Giovanni Bonventre Giovanni "John" Bonventre was a New York mobster with the Bonanno crime family.-Early years:Born in Castellammare del Golfo in Sicily, Bonventre emigrated to New York with his family. The family settled in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, a stronghold of immigrants from their village... |
Bonanno crime family Bonanno crime family The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia .... |
Caporegime | Former Underboss |
| Anthony "Tony" Riela | Caporegime | Faction leader | |
| Natale "Joe Diamonds" Evola Natale Evola Natale "Joe Diamond" Evola was a New York mobster who briefly became boss of the Bonanno crime family.Born in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn to parents Filippo and Francesca, who was natives of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. He was the brother of Paul, Joseph and Anna... |
Caporegime | ||
| Vito "Don Vito" Genovese Vito Genovese Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante... |
Genovese crime family Genovese crime family The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime... |
Boss | |
| Gerardo "Jerry" Catena Gerardo Catena Gerardo "Jerry" Catena was a New York mobster and a top member of the Genovese crime family during the 1950s and 1960s, along with Thomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli, Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo and Michael "Big Mike" Miranda.... |
Underboss | Faction leader | |
| Michele "Big Mike" Miranda Michele Miranda Michele "Big Mike" Miranda was a longtime member and eventual consigliere of the Genovese crime family and one of the most powerful New York gangsters in the 1950s and 1960s.-Early years:... |
Consigliere | ||
| Salvatore "Charles" Chiri | Caporegime | Faction leader | |
| Carlo "Don Carlo" Gambino Carlo Gambino "Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive... |
Gambino crime family Gambino crime family The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963... |
Boss | |
| Joseph "Staten Island Joe" Riccobono | Consigliere | ||
| Paul "Big Paul" Castellano Paul Castellano Constantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family... |
Caporegime | ||
| Carmine "The Doctor" Lombardozzi Carmine Lombardozzi Carmine "The Doctor" Lombardozzi was a high ranking member of the Gambino crime family in New York. He was also known as the "King of Wall Street" and "The Italian Meyer Lansky".... |
Caporegime | ||
| Armand "Tommy" Rava | Caporegime | ||
| Vincent "Nunzio" Rao Vincenzo Rao Vincenzo John Rao also known as Vincent or Vinny, was a New York City mobster who served as consigliere in the Lucchese crime family.-East Harlem:... |
Lucchese crime family Lucchese crime family The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder... |
Consigliere | |
| Giovanni "Big John" Ormento | Caporegime | ||
| Joseph "Joe Palisades" Rosato | Caporegime | ||
| Joseph "Don Peppino" Profaci | Profaci crime family Colombo crime family The Colombo crime family is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia .... |
Boss | |
| Joseph "Fat Joe/Joe Malyak" Magliocco Joseph Magliocco Joseph Magliocco, also known as "Joe Malayak" was a New York mobster and the boss of the Profaci crime family from 1962 to 1963... |
Underboss | ||
| Salvatore "Sam" Tornabe | Caporegime | ||
| Frank Majuri Frank Majuri Francesco "Fat Frank" Majuri was a New Jersey mobster and the former Consigliere of the DeCavalcante crime family. His son is Charles "Big Ears" Majuri, a longtime recognized Captain in the Newark faction of the same crime family.... |
DeCavalcante crime family DeCavalcante crime family The DeCavalcante crime family is an organized crime family that controls organized crime activities in Elizabeth, New Jersey and surrounding areas in the state, despite operating on the other side of the Hudson River in New York, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia... |
Underboss | |
| Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso Louis LaRasso Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso was a New Jersey mobster and the longtime official Underboss of the DeCavalcante crime family.- Apalachin meeting :... |
Caporegime | ||
| John C. Montana John C. Montana John C. Montana was a Buffalo, New York labor racketeer, political fixer, and elected politician who eventually became the underboss and/or consiglieri of the Buffalo crime family.... |
Buffalo crime family Buffalo crime family The Buffalo crime family, also known as the Magaddino crime family and The Arm, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Buffalo, United States. As part of the American Mafia the family operates throughout Western New York and Canada.The Buffalo crime family, gained power during the... |
Underboss | Only one to not plead the 5th Amendment about the Apalachin meeting |
| Antonino "Nino" Magaddino | Caporegime | ||
| Rosario "Roy" Carlisi | Caporegime | ||
| James "Jimmy" LaDuca | Caporegime | ||
| Samuel "Sam" Lagattuta | Caporegime | ||
| Dominick D'Agostino | Caporegime | ||
| Constenze "Stanley" Valenti | Rochester crime family Rochester Crime Family The Rochester crime family was a criminal organization based in Rochester, New York. It was considered a part of the American Cosa Nostra, also known as the Mafia.-History:... |
Boss | |
| Frank Valenti Frank Valenti Frank J. Valenti was boss of the criminal organization known as the Rochester crime family from 1964 to 1972... |
Underboss | ||
| Joseph Falcone | Buffalo or Rochester Family | Faction leader, possibly a Buffalo family caporegime | |
| Salvatore Falcone | Buffalo or Rochester Family | Faction leader, Joseph's brother and second in command, Buffalo family soldier | |
| Rosario "Roy" Mancuso | Buffalo or Rochester Family | Faction member, Buffalo family soldier | |
| Michael "Mike" Genovese Michael James Genovese Michael James Genovese was an alleged boss of the Pittsburgh crime family. References to Michael Genovese as the brother of Vito Genovese are to a different Michael Genovese; Michael James Genovese was first cousin to New York mob boss Vito Genovese.-Early years:Genovese was born to Ursula... |
Pittsburgh crime family Pittsburgh crime family The Pittsburgh crime family, also known as the LaRocca crime family, is an American Mafia crime family based in Pittsburgh, United States.-Prohibition era:... |
Caporegime | |
| Gabriel "Kelly" Mannarino | Caporegime | ||
| Joseph "Joe" Ida | Philadelphia crime family Philadelphia crime family The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Scarfo crime family, Bruno crime family, Philadelphia Mafia, or Philly Mob, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the most active American Mafia families outside of the Five Families of New York... |
Boss | Fled to Sicily in 1957 after Apalachin, leaving Antonio "Mr. Miggs" Polina as Acting Boss |
| Dominick Olivetto | Underboss | ||
| John Scalish John T. Scalish John T. Scalish was an Ohio mobster who became the boss of the Cleveland crime family. Scalish was the brother-in-law of Philadelphia crime family boss Angelo Bruno and Cleveland mob associate Milton Rockman.... |
Cleveland crime family | Boss | |
| John DeMarco | Consigliere | ||
| Frank "The Cheeseman" Cucchiara | Patriarca crime family Patriarca crime family The Patriarca crime family, also known as the New England crime family and the Providence crime family, is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in New England, specifically Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts, and is part of the Italian-American Mafia or "La Cosa Nostra"... |
Consigliere | |
| Frank Zito Frank Zito Frank Zito was an Italian-American mobster who controlled criminal activities in Central and Southern Illinois for over twenty years, providing protection from law enforcement and rival competitors.... |
Springfield, Illinois | Boss | Chicago Outfit Caporegime |
| Santo Trafficante Jr. | Trafficante crime family Trafficante crime family The Trafficante crime family better known as the Tampa Mafia, is the only original Mafia crime family in the state of Florida.-Tampa's underworld:... |
||
| Joseph "Joe" Civello Joseph Civello Joseph Francis Civello was a retailer of imported food and liquor in Dallas, Texas, and, more notably, leader of the Dallas crime family from 1956 until his death in 1970.-Early life:... |
Dallas crime family Dallas crime family The Dallas crime family is an American Mafia crime family based in Dallas, Texas. It was one of the member families of The Commission, the network of American Mafia families organized by Charles "Lucky" Luciano in 1931.-Early history:... |
Boss | |
| John Francis Colletti | |||
| James "Black Jim" Colletti | Colorado Colletti family | Boss | |
| Frank DeSimone Frank DeSimone Frank A. DeSimone was the Boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1956 to 1967. DeSimone was the son of former don Rosario DeSimone. He was sometime referred to as "One Eye" because one of his eyes drooped, in the same way as Charles "Lucky" Luciano... |
Los Angeles crime family Los Angeles crime family The Los Angeles crime family is an Italian American criminal organization based in Los Angeles, as part of the American Mafia . Since its inception in the early 1900s, it has spread throughout Southern California. Like most Mafia families in the United States, the L.A. family gained power... |
Boss | |
| Simone Scozzari Simone Scozzari Simone "Sam" Scozzari was a Sicilian mobster was a member of the American Mafia in Los Angeles. He served as a soldier in the Los Angeles crime family during the 1940s and 1950s. When Frank DeSimone became boss of the L.A. crime family in 1956, he promoted Scozzari Underboss.Scozzari was born on... |
Underboss |
Suspected Mafiosi attendees
Suspected Mafiosi at the Apalachin summit on November 14, 1957 included:| Name | Association | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmine "Lilo" Galante Carmine Galante Carmine Galante, also known as "Lilo" and "Cigar" was a mobster and acting boss of the Bonanno crime family... |
Bonanno crime family | Underboss | Carmine Galante was one of the most important attendees at the Palermo, Sicily, Hotel des Palmes Summit the past October 14-October 17 and would be important to the Apalachin Summit, as he was the U.S. La Cosa Nostra's Montreal "representation" for all narcotics operations being directed through the port city. Identified as a guest staying at the estate by Joe Barbara's housekeeper. Galante had also been stopped and arrested by Pennsylvania police on October 17, 1956, allegedly coming from a meeting at Barbara's estate. |
| Frank "Frank Carrol" Garofalo | Former Underboss | Frank Garofalo was semi-retired in Sicily as of 1956 and returned specifically for the Apalachin Summit, having been one of the attendees at the Palermo, Sicily-Hotel des Palmes Summit on October 14–17 and would have briefed the bosses on the outcome of the Palermo Summit. Garofalo was registered at a local motel. | |
| Gaspar "Gasparino" DiGregorio Gaspar DiGregorio Gaspar or Gaspare DiGregorio was a New York mobster and a high-ranking member of the Bonanno crime family who was a key figure in the so-called "Banana War".... |
Caporegime | Brother-in-law of Buffalo Family Boss Stefano Magaddino, registered at local motel. | |
| Joseph "Joe Bandy" Biondo Joseph Biondo Joseph Biondo , also known as "Joe Bandy", "Joe the Blonde", and "Little Rabbit", was a New York mobster with the Gambino crime family who was heavily involved in gambling activities. Biondo was also the family underboss for approximately eight years.-Career:Born in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto in... |
Gambino crime family | Underboss | Former Albert Anastasia Consigliere who conspired to kill Anastasia with Carlo Gambino and Joseph Riccobono. He was expected to explain the reasons for the Anastasia hit and the current situation between the new Anastasia/Gambino Family hierarchy and that the faction still loyal to Anastasia. |
| Gaetano "Tommy Brown" Lucchese | Lucchese crime family | Boss | Lucchese and his allies supported Carlo Gambino and his assassination of Albert Anastasia and ascension to Boss of the Family. |
| Stefano "Steve" LaSalle | Underboss | Supported Carlo Gambino and his assassination of Albert Anastasia and ascension to Boss of the Family. | |
| Aniello "Niel" Migliore Aniello Migliore Aniello "Neil" Migliore is a New York City mobster, and acting leader of the Lucchese crime family. Migliore was a close associate of family bosses Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese and Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo.-Early years:... |
Lucchese's top aide | He was in a car accident driving through Binghamton Binghamton, New York Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers... the next day. He was most likely on his way to pick up Lucchese and LaSalle. |
|
| Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino Stefano Magaddino Stefano Magaddino was an Sicilian mafioso who became the boss of the Buffalo crime family in western New York. His underworld influence stretched from Ohio and Southern Ontario as far north as Montreal, Quebec... |
Buffalo crime family | Boss | Commission member who helped Vito Genovese arrange the Summit at Barbara's house; his clothes contained his name in them when they were found in a car in Joseph Barbara's barn. |
| Salvatore "Momo" Giancana | Chicago Outfit Chicago Outfit The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA... |
Boss | He had just recently been promoted to Boss of the Outfit by former Boss and new Consigliere, Anthony "Joe Batters" Accardo. Giancana would take this opportunity to meet with all the other Family Bosses and introduce his new underboss, Ferraro. |
| Frank "Strongy" Ferraro | Underboss | See above | |
| Joseph "Joe Z." Zerilli Joseph Zerilli Joseph Zerilli was a Prohibition-era Detroit gangster who led the crime family known as the Detroit Partnership from the 1930s through the 1970s.-Early life:... |
Detroit Partnership Detroit Partnership The Detroit Partnership, also known as the Detroit crime family, Detroit Combination, Detroit Mafia, Detroit Outfit or Zerilli crime family is an American Mafia crime family based in Detroit, Michigan... |
Boss | Zerilli was not yet at the Barbara estate as he was running late. He used his driver’s license to rent a car in the Binghamton area Binghamton metropolitan area The Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area, also called Greater Binghamton, is a region of southern upstate New York in the Northeastern United States, anchored by the city of Binghamton... and used it to get home on November 14. |
| Anthony "Tony Jack" Giacalone Anthony Giacalone Anthony Joseph Giacalone, known as Tony Giacalone and by the nickname Tony Jack was an American organized crime figure in Detroit, serving as a capo in the Detroit Partnership... |
Caporegime | ||
| Nicholas "Nick" Civella Nicholas Civella Nicholas Civella was a Kansas City, Missouri mobster who became a prominent leader of the Kansas City crime family.-Early life:... |
Kansas City crime family Kansas City crime family The Kansas City crime family, also known as the Civella crime family, is a Mafia family based in Kansas City, Missouri.-Early history:... |
Boss | Identified by a local business owner as one of two men who used his phone to call a taxi. |
| Joseph Filardo | Caporegime | Identified by a local business owner as one of two men who used his phone to call a taxi. | |
| James "Jimmy the Hat" Lanza | San Francisco crime family San Francisco crime family The San Francisco crime family was a Mafia crime syndicate in San Francisco. The syndicate was organized in the early 1930s by Francesco "Frank" Lanza. The San Francisco family was a very small organization with 20-25 made members.-Francesco Lanza:... |
Underboss | Lanza was registered at a local motel with San Jose Family Underboss, Joseph Cerrito. |
| John Sebastian "John LaRock" LaRocca John Sebastian Larocca John Sebastian LaRocca was boss of the Pittsburgh crime family from the 1950s until his death in 1984.Born in Sicily, LaRocca and his family emigrated to the United States in 1910, settling in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As a young man, LaRocca went to work in the coal mines... |
Pittsburgh crime family Pittsburgh crime family The Pittsburgh crime family, also known as the LaRocca crime family, is an American Mafia crime family based in Pittsburgh, United States.-Prohibition era:... |
Boss | Was registered at the local Arlington Motel with his two Capos, Michael Genovese and Gabriel "Kelly" Mannarino, their bills charged to Barbara's Canada Dry Bottling Company. |
| Joseph "Joe" Cerrito | San Jose crime family | Underboss | Cerrito was registered at a local motel with San Francisco Boss, James Lanza. |
| Frank "Frankie Bal" Balistrieri Frank Balistrieri Frank Peter Balistrieri , also known as "Mr. Big", "Frankie Bal", "Mr. Slick", and "Mad Bomber", was a Milwaukee Mafia boss who was a central figure in skimming during the 1980s.-Early years:... |
Milwaukee crime family Milwaukee crime family The Milwaukee crime family is an American Mafia crime family based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The crime family was considered a branch of the Chicago Outfit. The family's most influential boss was Frank "Mr. Big" Balistrieri, who was greatly involved in the Las Vegas skimming casinos... |
Underboss | Was registered at a local motel. Balistrieri uses the Apalachin Summit to introduce himself to all the Bosses from across the United States. |
| Joseph Zammuto | Rockford, IL crime family | Underboss | Zammuto was registered at a local motel. The Rockford family is a Chicago Outfit faction. |
| Charles "Curly" Montana | Cleveland crime family | Caporegime | Was registered at a local motel with Boss John Scalish. |
| Joseph "Joe" Campisi Joseph Campisi Joseph Campisi was a Dallas, Texas restaurateur with connections to organized crime in the Dallas area. He was known as an associate ofJack Ruby's.... |
Dallas crime family | Underboss | Campisi was registered at a local motel with Boss Joe Civello, who was detained at Barbara's estate. |
| Vincenzo "Vince" Colletti | Colorado Colletti crime family | Underboss | Brother to James "Black Jim" Colletti's brother. Vincenzo was registered with James at a local motel, he escapes the police at Barbara's estate. |
| Alfred "Al" Angelicola | New Jersey area La Cosa Nostra member | Angelicola was registered at a local motel with other known mafiosi, his Family affiliation was not known. | |
| Luigi "Louis" Greco | Cotroni family Cotroni family The Cotroni crime family is a Mafia organization based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The territory controlled by the family once covered most of southern Quebec and Ontario, until the Rizzuto family supplanted them... |
Underboss | Was suspected to be at the summit to discuss the Sicilians taking control of the importation of narcotics while the U.S. La Cosa Nostra would handle wholesale distribution. |
| Giuseppe "Pep" Cotroni | Caporegime | ||
| Giuseppe "Don Giuseppe" Settecasi | Sicilian province of Agrigento | Boss | Don Giuseppe Settecase was sent over as a representative of the Sicilian La Cosa Nostra Clans wishing to export narcotics to the United States. After the Apalachin Summit, both the Canadian and Sicilian La Cosa Nostra were heard talking on Royal Canadian Mounted Police Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,... and FBI wiretaps about how embarrassed the American La Cosa Nostra looked to their peers for the screw up at Apalachin. |
Other suspected attendants
- Joseph Barbara, Jr. — Northeastern Barbara family Soldier. He was the son of Joseph Sr. who handled most of the guest's hotel registrations. He was on his way to his home and the meeting site, but noticed the road block. He was questioned soon after at his family's bottling plant.
- Anthony "Tony" Lopiparo, Ralph "Shorty" Caleca, and John "Johnny V." VitaleJohn VitaleJohn Vitale was an All-American American football center for the University of Michigan Michigan Wolverines football team from 1985 to 1988....
— The St. Louis crime familySt. Louis crime familyThe St. Louis crime family, also known as the Giordano crime family, is an American Mafia crime family based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.-Prohibition era:...
leaders at the time of the meeting. Lopiparo and Caleca were the older, senior Family members and would most likely have sent a substitute to represent St. Louis at Apalachin in 1957. Giordano was sent to prison for four years in 1956 and was not available in 1957, Vitale was most likely the representative sent to Apalachin if St. Louis was represented.
- Louis "Lew Farrell" FrattoLouis FrattoLouis Thomas Fratto , born Luigi Tomaso Giuseppi Fratto, also known as "Lew Farrell" and "Cock-eyed", was a labor racketeer and organized crime figure in Chicago, Illinois, from the 1930s to 1960s. Fratto was allegedly shifted over to become Des Moines, Iowa's, top crime boss in about 1940, until...
— Des Moines, Iowa crime boss (Chicago Outfit member and possible caporegime.) A likely attendee due to his vast mid west interests.
- Philip Buccola — Former New England crime family Boss based in Boston, MA. According to the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) Buccola was directly involved with American and Sicilian mafiosi regarding joint narcotics operations between Italy and North America and was observed arriving in Boston approximately two weeks prior to the Apalachin meeting. He was not one of the bosses detained in Apalachin, but the FBN speculate that Buccola's reason for traveling to the United States at this time was to confer with the various American mafia bosses attending the Apalachin meeting.
In popular culture
- Edward L. Cahn directed a low budget 1959 exploitation filmExploitation filmExploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
called Inside the Mafia that referenced the incident. - The Apalachin Meeting is described in both the novel and mentioned in the movie version of The Valachi Papers.
- The Apalachin Meeting is referenced by Ray LiottaRay Liotta[File:Ray Liotta is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams...
's character Henry HillHenry Hill (mobster)Henry Hill is a former American mobster, Lucchese crime family associate, and FBI informant whose life story was documented in the book Wiseguy, written by crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi, and in the 1990 Martin Scorsese film, Goodfellas, in which Hill was played by Ray Liotta.-Early life:Henry...
in the 1990 film GoodfellasGoodfellasGoodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
. - The meeting was also comically depicted in the 1999 film Analyze ThisAnalyze ThisAnalyze This is a 1999 gangster comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the screenplay with playwright Kenneth Lonergan and Peter Tolan. The film stars Robert De Niro as a mafioso and Billy Crystal as a psychiatrist...
. - Similar to many events in the Godfather novels, this is used as the primary influence of a Commission meeting that is raided by the police in the novel The Godfather ReturnsThe Godfather ReturnsThe Godfather Returns is a novel written by author Mark Winegardner, published in 2004. It is the sequel to Mario Puzo's The Godfather, which was originally published in 1969, and The Sicilian...
.
Further reading
- Bernstein, Lee. The Greatest Menace: Organized Crime in Cold War America. Boston: Univ of Massachusetts Press, 2001. ISBN 1-55849-345-X
- Lamothe, Lee and Antonio Nicaso. Bloodlines: The Rise and Fall of the Mafia's Royal Family. Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001. ISBN 0-00-638524-9
- Peterson, Robert W. Crime & the American Response. New York: Facts on File, 1973. ISBN 0-87196-227-6
- Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2005. ISBN 0-312-30094-8
- Reppetto, Thomas. American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2004. ISBN 0-8050-7798-7
- Sterling, Claire. Octopus: The Long Reach of the International Sicilian Mafia. New York: Simon & Schuster (Touchstone Edition), 1991.
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Profile On Organized Crime Mid-Atlantic Region. Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O., 1983.
- Pennsylvania Crime Commission: 1984 Report. St. Davids, Pennsylvania: DIANE Publishing, 1984. ISBN 0-8182-0000-6
External links
- The Mob on the Nob: The Mafia I knew by Mike La Sorte, Professor Emeritus
- Federal Bureau of Investigation - Investigative Programs: Organized Crime
- Mafia In Apalachin ? by Gary Hafer
- Were the Kennedys at Apalachin? by Terry J. Ward