Simone Rizzo "Sam" DeCavalcante (April 30, 1913 – June 7, 1997), known as "Sam the Plumber", was a member of the New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 Mafia. Claiming descent from the Italian royal family

Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples

Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, formerly Crown Prince of Italy is the only son of the Umberto II, the last King of Italy. He is commonly known in Italy as Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia...

, DeCavalcante was nicknamed "The Count

Count

A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...

". The Kefauver hearings later named his crime family the 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...

 since he was the boss of the family current to those hearings.

New Jersey Mob Boss

DeCavalcante oversaw illegal gambling, loansharking, and labor racketeering in New Jersey. Living in Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Lawrenceville is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Lawrence Township in Mercer County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP population was 3,887...

, but working out of Newark

Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

, DeCavalcante commanded around sixty mafiosi. His legal business front was a plumbing supply store in Kenilworth, New Jersey

Kenilworth, New Jersey

Kenilworth is a Borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,914.Kenilworth was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 13, 1907, from portions of Cranford and Union Township, based on the...

. After the retirement of family boss Nicholas Delmore (real name Nicholas Amoruso) between 1960 and 1964, DeCavalcante replaced him. Shortly after that, he acted as a liaison between the Mafia 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 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 ....

 after the beginning of the Bonanno War between the New York Five Families

Five Families

The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...

.

From 1961 to 1965, DeCavalcante was the subject of a 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...

 (FBI) investigation known as the "Goodfella Tapes". This investigation confirmed claims by informant Joe Valachi

Joe Valachi

Joseph "Joe Cargo" Valachi , Italian American, also known as "Charles Chanbano" and "Anthony Sorge" was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. He is also the person who made Cosa Nostra a household name.-Career:Joseph Valachi was born in East Harlem, New York...

, provided crucial information on La Cosa Nostra, and revealed the existence of the Mafia Commission. However, since no court order was issued for the wire tap, none of tapes could be used to indict DeCavalcante. In 1969, after compiling almost 2,300 transcript pages of taped conversations, the FBI released them to the public.

Later in 1969, DeCavalcante was convicted of extortion-conspiracy and sentenced to fifteen years' imprisonment. In 1976, he was released from prison.

Retirement

In 1980, DeCavalcante retired as boss and passed control of the family to Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi

Giovanni Riggi

Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi is a New Jersey mobster and member of the DeCavalcante crime family since the 1940s, before the family had acquired its name. Riggi was the leader of the "Elizabeth crew" in the family when he was a Caporegime. He had been the acting boss during the 1970s and has...

. DeCavalcante retired to Miami Beach, Florida

Miami Beach, Florida

Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...

, and he starting planning to build a legitimate resort casino in South Florida. However, the casino project died when Florida voters rejected legalized gambling. While officially "retired", many suspected that DeCavalcante was still involved with the crime family, providing advice to Riggi Through his son Simone Junior.

On February 7, 1997 DeCavalcante died of natural causes due to age, in Miami Florida. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

.

Further reading

• Zeigler, Henry A. Sam the Plumber, Signet Books, 1970.
• Kelly, Robert J. Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000. ISBN 0-313-30653-2
• Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3

External links

• The Mafia in New Jersey – Cosa Nostra – State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation 1970 Report
• Midnight Plumbers: Famous Plumbers – Sam Decavalcante