Genovese crime family

c. 1890s–1909 — — imprisoned

Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello

1909–1916 — — murdered on September 7, 1916

Nicholas "Nick Morello" Terranova

1916–1920 — — stepped down becoming underboss

Vincenzo "Vincent" Terranova

1920–1922 — — stepped down becoming underboss to Masseria

Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello

1922–1931 — — murdered on April 15, 1931

Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria

Vito Genovese

1946–1957 — — resigned in 1957 after Genovese -Gigante assassination attempt^[133][134]

Frank "The Prime Minister" Costello

Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo

1969–1981 — ^[135] — retired in 1981, died of natural causes in 1987

Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo

[135]

Daniel "Danny the Lion" Leo

Boss – – born January 8, 1957. He served in the 116th Street Crew of Saverio "Sammy Black" Santora and was initiated in 1977. His father was a soldier and close to Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno. In 1990, Kenneth McCabe, then-organized crime investigator for the United States attorney's office in Manhattan, identified Bellomo as "acting boss" of the crime family following the indictment of Vincent Gigante in the "Windows Case".^[157][158] In June 1996, Bellomo was indicted on charges of extortion, labor racketeering and for ordering the deaths of Ralph DeSimone in 1991 and Antonio DiLorenzo in 1988; DeSimone was found shot five times in the trunk of his car at LaGuardia Airport and DiLorenzo was shot and killed in the backyard of his home.^[159] Since around 2016, Bellomo was recognized, most likely, to be the official boss of the Genovese family. As of 2024, Bellomo's inner circle includes Underboss Ernie Muscarella, Street boss Danny Pagano, Consigliere Pasquale Parello, captain Pasquale Falcetti, acting underboss Micheal Ragusa, captain Ralph Balsamo and captain Anthony Palumbo.^[142]

Liborio "Barney" Bellomo

Street Boss – – current street boss of the family.^[142] Pagano was a capo operating from the Bronx, Westchester, Rockland and New Jersey. During the 1980s, Pagano was involved in the bootleg gasoline scheme with Russian mobsters.^[160] In 2007, Pagano was released after serving 105 months in prison.^[161] On July 10, 2015, Pagano was sentenced to 27 months in prison on racketeering conspiracy charges.^[162][163] He was released from prison on August 29, 2017.^[164]

Daniel "Danny" Pagano

Underboss – Ernest "Ernie" Muscarella – current underboss of the family. Muscarella is a former acting boss and former capo of the 116th Street crew. In January 2002, Muscarella serving as acting boss of the family was indicted, along with capo Charles Tuzzo, members Liborio Bellomo, Thomas Cafaro, Pasquale Falcetti, Michael Ragusa and associate Andrew Gigante, for the infiltration of the International Longshoreman's Association.^[165] On January 11, 2008, Muscarella was released from prison.^[166] On April 16, 2019, Muscarella was identified as the Underboss of the Genovese family during a lawfully recorded conversation between Gambino family soldier Vincent Fiore and Gambino family associate Mark Kocaj.^[167]

[142]

Acting Underboss – Michael "Mickey" Ragusa – born June 22, 1965. Ragusa is a former soldier in Bellomo's Harlem/Bronx crew. In January 2002, Ragusa was indicted, along with acting boss Ernest Muscarella, capo Charles Tuzzo, members Liborio Bellomo, Thomas Cafaro, Pasquale Falcetti and associate Andrew Gigante, for the infiltration of the International Longshoreman's Association.^[168] Ragusa is a member of Bellomo's inner circle and is possible successor to the underboss position.^[142]

[165]

Consigliere – Pasquale "Patsy" Parrello – current consigliere of the family. Parrello was born in 1945. He was a longtime capo operating in the Bronx. Parrello owns a restaurant on Arthur Avenue called Pasquale's Rigoletto Restaurant. In 2004, Parrello was found guilty of loansharking and embezzlement along with capo Rosario Gangi, and was sentenced to 88 months.^[169] Parrello was released from prison on April 23, 2008.^[170][171] In August 2016, Parrello was indicted along with Genovese family capo Conrad Ianniello and Genovese family acting capo Eugene O'Norfio and Philadelphia family boss Joseph Merlino and forty two other mobsters on gambling and extortion charges.^[172] In May 2017, he pled guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit extortion and was sentenced to seven years in federal prison in September 2017. Prosecutors at his trial alleged that in June 2011 he ordered two of his soldiers to break the kneecaps of a man who annoyed female patrons at his restaurant.^[173][174] Parrello was released from prison on January 19, 2022.^[175] In 2023, Parrello was promoted to the family's administration, taking over as the family's new consigliere.^[149]

[142]

Dominick "Fat Dom" Alongi – former member of Vincent Gigante's .^[263]

Greenwich Village Crew

Salvatore "Sammy Meatballs" Aparo – a former acting capo. His son Vincent is also a made member of the Genovese family. In 2000, Aparo, his son Vincent, and Genovese associate Michael D'Urso met with Abraham Weider, the owner of an apartment complex in Flatbush, Brooklyn.^[265] Weider wanted to get rid of the custodians union (SEIU Local 32B-J) and was willing to pay Aparo $600,000, but Aparo's associate D'Urso was an FBI informant and had recorded the meeting.^[266] In October 2002, Aparo was sentenced to five years in federal prison for racketeering.^[267] On May 25, 2006, Aparo was released from prison.^[268] Aparo died on May 12, 2017, at the age of 87.

[264]

Giovanni "Johnny Futto" Biello – born in 1906. He was a former capo who was active in the Miami area. He ran the during the 1960s for Matthew Ianniello. Biello was a very good friend to Joseph Bonanno, the namesake and former Bonanno crime family leader. He claimed he was close friends with John Roselli, a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit.^[269] Biello, along with Joseph Colombo, was supposed to participate in Bonanno's 1962 plot to murder New York crime family bosses, Tommy Lucchese and Carlo Gambino; however, the plan was revealed to the Mafia Commission. Colombo was awarded with his own crime family, the Profaci family—now the Colombo crime family; however, Biello was later murdered. He was shot to death on March 17, 1967, by future Genovese capo George Barone, who would later confess to the murder and become an informant in 2001. His murder was either ordered by Joseph Bonanno or Anthony Salerno and Matthew Ianniello. Before his murder, he allegedly transferred to the Patriarca crime family. In 2012, his son-in-law released a book about Biello's life, named the Peppermint Twist.^[270]

Peppermint Lounge

Michael A. "Tona" Borelli – was a New Jersey mobster and former acting co-capo of crew, along with Lawrence Ricci. Borelli controlled construction and illegal gambling rackets in NJ, and formerly oversaw the family's activities in the Teamsters.^[271] On March 21, 2020, Borelli died.^[272]

Tino Fiumara's

Ludwig "Ninni" Bruschi – former capo operating in South Jersey Counties of Ocean, Monmouth, Middlesex, and North Jersey Counties of Hudson, Essex, Passaic and Union. Bruschi was indicted in June 2003 and paroled in April 2010. On April 19, 2020, Bruschi died.^[274]

[273]

– former capo and former trusted aide to boss Vincent Gigante. Cirillo belonged to the West Side Crew and was known as one of the Four Doms; capos Dominick "Baldy Dom" Canterino, Dominick "The Sailor" DiQuarto and Dominick "Fat Dom" Alongi. Cirillo served as acting boss from 1997 to 1998, but resigned due to heart problems. In 2003, Cirillo became acting boss, resigned in 2006 due to his imprisonment on loansharking charges. In August 2008, Cirillo was released from prison, upon which he served as family consigliere. Cirillo died on January 14, 2024.

Dominick "Quiet Dom" Cirillo

Vincent "Vinny" DiNapoli – soldier and former capo with the 116th Street Crew. DiNapoli was heavily involved in labor racketeering and had reportedly earned millions of dollars from extortion, bid rigging and loansharking rackets. DiNapoli dominated the and used them to extort other contractors in New York. DiNapoli's brother, Joseph DiNapoli, is the former consigliere of the Lucchese crime family.^[275][276]

N.Y.C. District Council of Carpenters

Dominick "Dom The Sailor" DiQuarto – former member of Vincent Gigante's Greenwich Village Crew.

[263]

Giuseppe Fanaro – was a member of the Morello family, who was involved in the of 1903.^[277] In November 1913, Fanaro was murdered by members of the Lomonte and Alfred Mineo's gangs.^[278]

Barrel murder

– was a former capo of the Queens crew. Federici was the owner of a restaurant in Corona, Queens. In 2004, Federici was honored by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall for his community service.^[279] While an active capo, Federici installed Anthony Romanello as acting capo to help control the illicit mob activities.^[211] Federici the family's consigliere died on November 9, 2022.^[148]

Anthony "Tough Tony" Federici

– soldier who was heavily involved in loansharking, illegal gambling and bookmaking in the Queens/Brooklyn area. Giovanelli was charged with the January 1986 killing of Anthony Venditti, an undercover NYPD detective, but was acquitted. One known soldier in Giovanelli's crew was Frank "Frankie California" Condo. In 2001, Giovanelli worked with soldier Ernest "Junior" Varacalli in a car theft ring. On January 19, 2018, Giovanelli died at the age of 84.^[280]

Federico "Fritzy" Giovanelli

Joseph N. "Pepe" LaScala – former operating from Hudson County waterfronts cities of Bayonne and Jersey City. LaScala had been Angelo Prisco's acting capo before he took over the crew.^[146] In May 2012, LaScala and other members of his crew were arrested and charged with illegal gambling in Bayonne.^[281][282] LaScala died on February 3, 2019, at the age of 87.^[283]

New Jersey capo

Rosario "Saro" Mogavero – A hitman by the age of 15, Mogavero was a powerful capo and close ally of Vito Genovese.^[285] He was the vice president of the International Longshoreman's Association until his arrest for extortion and drug dealing in 1953.^[286][287] Mogavero controlled gambling, loan sharking and drug smuggling along the Lower East Side of Manhattan waterfront in the 1950s and 1960s along with Tommy "Ryan" Eboli, Michael Clemente and Carmine "The Snake" Persico.^[288]

[284]

Arthur "Artie" Nigro – former member who served as the family's Street Boss from 2002 to 2006, Nigro was sentenced to life in prison in 2011 for ordering the 2003 murder of Adolfo Bruno. Nigro died on April 24, 2019, at the age of 74

[289]

Ciro Perrone – a former capo. In 1998, Perrone was promoted to captain taking over Matthew Ianniello's old crew. In July 2005, Perrone along with Ianniello and other members of his crew were indicted on extortion, loansharking, labor racketeering and illegal gambling. In 2008, Perrone was sentenced to five years for racketeering and loan sharking.^[291] Perrone ran his crew from a social club and Don Peppe's restaurant in Ozone Park, Queens.^[291] In 2009, Perrone lost his retrial and was sentenced to five years for racketeering and loan sharking.^[292] Perrone was released from prison on October 14, 2011.^[293] Perrone died in 2011.

[290]

John "Zackie" Savino – born in 1898 in Bari, Southern Italy. He immigrated to the United States in 1912 and settled into Upper Manhattan, Harlem. He later moved to the Bronx area. Savino reportedly served under Genovese capo Jimmy Angelina. He died in the late 1970s or 1980s.

Frank "Farby" Serpico – born in 1916 in . Serpico was a member of the 116th Street Crew of the Genovese family. He was promoted to acting boss or street boss by Vincent Gigante from 1998 to 2001 He died in 2002.

Corona, Queens

– capo operating in New Jersey, Brooklyn and Manhattan. In 2002, Tuzzo was indicted with Liborio Bellomo, Ernest Muscarella and others for infiltrating the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) local in order to extort waterfront companies operating from New York, New Jersey, and Florida.^[294][295] On February 2, 2006, Tuzzo was released from prison after serving several years on racketeering and conspiracy charges.^[296] On October 21, 2014, Tuzzo along with soldier Vito Alberti were indicted in New Jersey on loansharking, gambling and money laundering charges.^[224] Tuzzo died in July 2020.

Charles "Chuckie" Tuzzo

Eugene "Charles" Ubriaco – was a member of the Morello family, who lived on East 114th Street. Ubriaco was arrested in June 1915 for carrying a revolver and was released on bail. On September 7, 1916, Ubriaco along with Nicholas Morello meet with the Navy Street gang in Brooklyn and they both were shot to death on Johnson Street in Brooklyn.^[13][297]

[13]

Joseph Zito – soldier in the Manhattan faction (the West Side Crew) under capo . Zito was involved in bookmaking and loansharking business.^[298] Law enforcement labeled Zito as acting underboss from 1997 through 2003, but he was probably just a top lieutenant under official underboss Venero Mangano. In the mid-1990s, Zito frequently visited Mangano in prison after his conviction in the Windows Case. Zito relayed messages from Mangano to the rest of the family leadership. On April 7, 2020, Joseph Zito died at the age of 83.^[299]

Rosario Gangi

– he exposed the inner workings of the American Mafia in 1963. Valachi was active since the Castellammarese War during the early 1930s, as an associate of the Lucchese crime family; however; after the murder of Salvatore Maranzano in 1931, he joined the Genovese family. Valachi was a soldier in the crew of Anthony Strollo. In 1959, Valachi was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for narcotics involvement. He feared that crime family boss and namesake, Vito Genovese, ordered a murder-contract on him in 1962. Valachi and Genovese were both serving prison sentences for heroin trafficking. On June 22, 1962, he murdered another prisoner in the yard, whom he mistook for Joseph DiPalermo, a Mafia member he believed was tasked to kill him. Facing the death penalty, Valachi testified before the United States Senate Committee in 1963. He died in 1971 of a heart attack while imprisoned at FCI La Tuna.

Joseph "Joe Cargo" Valachi

– former capo and close associate of Tony Salerno. Cafaro was a heroin dealer before joining the Genovese family. He was a protegee of Genovese high-ranking member Anthony Salerno.^[300] Cafaro was inducted into the Genovese crime family in 1974. He was assigned to Salerno's crew and operated out of East Harlem. For over a decade, Cafaro had influence within the N.Y.C. District Council of Carpenters. Along with Genovese and Gambino members, he received kickback payments. After fellow conspirator and Genovese capo Vincent DiNapoli was sentenced to prison, Cafaro became even more powerful and wealthy; however, he was eventually forced to give DiNapoli some custom within the Carpenter Council. After his 1986 indictment, he wore a wire for five months for the FBI.^[301] In 1990, he testified against Gambino boss John Gotti, who ordered the shooting of a Carpenter Council official in 1986.^[302]

Vincent "Fish" Cafaro

George Barone – former soldier. He was allegedly a founding member of the real-life Jets street gang. In February 1954 while working as a longshoreman recruiter, Barone and a few friends caught and cornered William Torres, who was dissatisfied that he was not hired. Barone repeatedly hit Torres with a metal bar. Police charged him with felonious assault; however, it was later dropped to disorderly conduct. At a meeting with the Gambino crime family in the late 1960s, it was agreed upon that the Gambino family would own the Brooklyn and Staten Island waterfronts, and the Genovese family would control the Manhattan and New Jersey waterfronts.^[304] By the early 1970s, Barone was the official Genovese representative for the Genovese-owned waterfronts and was a soldier for the family.^[305] By the late 1970s, he controlled the Florida waterfront. In 1979, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for racketeering; however, he only served seven years behind bars. Shortly after his 2001 indictment for extortion and racketeering, Barone decided to cooperate in April 2001 after being "put on the shelf" by the Genovese hierarchy. He testified against Gambino captain Anthony Ciccone in 2003. He had participated in nearly 20 murders. In 2009, he testified against Genovese capo Mikey Coppola.^[306][307] Barone died in December 2010 at the age of 86.

[303]

Louis Moscatiello Sr. – former acting capo and soldier active in .^[308][309] He was in charge of the Genovese infiltration of the drywall and construction industry. In 1991, he was convicted of bribing a labor official. He took a plea deal in 2004 and cooperated with the government. He was set to testify against Joseph Olivieri, a Genovese family soldier;^[310] however, he died in February 2009.

the Bronx

John "JB" Bologna – former associate. He began cooperating in 1996 as a tipster for the FBI. He was primarily active in the Springfield, Massachusetts, area and served as an associate to Genovese capo Adolfo Bruno. Bologna was sentenced to eight years in prison; some of his charges included murder conspiracy, illegal gambling, extortion and racketeering. He died in prison on January 17, 2017.

[311]

Michael "Cookie" D’Urso – former associate involved in loansharking, fraud, loansharking and murder. He wore a Rolex with a recording wire from 1998 to 2001 after he was arrested for driving the getaway car and supplying the gun in the 1996 murder of John Borelli. By 2007, his testimony has led to over 70 convictions. In March 2007, he was sentenced to 5 years probation and a $200 fine for the murder. D’Urso reportedly informed on the Genovese family after he was shot in the head over a gambling debt and his cousin Tino Lombardi was shot dead.

Renaldi Ruggiero – former captain who headed the South Florida crew. It is noted that in 2003, he gave the approval to extort $1.5 million from a South Florida businessman, who was held for ransom in the office of Genovese associate, Francis J. O'Donnell, and a gun was held to his head, in October 2003. The South Florida businessman was beaten up and had all of his fingers broken; one of his hands were severely damaged and he was then threatened to pay the money by the following week, implying that he would be murdered if he failed to follow through. It was also noted that Ruggiero was active in loan sharking, and was charging 40 of his customers between 52 and 156 percent interest. He was arrested in 2006 alongside six other Genovese members and associates, including Albert Facchiano who was aged 96 at the time, for several crimes, including extortion, armed robbery and money laundering. He faced 120 years in prison, if convicted. Ruggiero cooperated with the government in February 2007 and broke his omerta by admitting his involvement with the American Mafia and that he served as a capo for the Genovese family, as part of his plea deal.^[313][314] In February 2012, he was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment; however, prosecutors recommended that Ruggiero should serve half of the sentence because of his cooperation, which the judge accepted.

[312]

Felix Tranghese – former capo and soldier. Tranghese was proposed for membership into the Genovese family in 1982 by . He cooperated with the government in 2010, as a result of being "shelved" in the year of 2006.^[315] He admitted to receiving the message of the murder contract on Western Massachusetts capo Adolfo Bruno from high-ranking members of the Genovese family in New York, and to delivering the message to Bruno's crew. He also admitted to carrying out extortion and several shootings on behalf of former Genovese street boss, Arthur Nigro. In 2011 and 2012, he returned to New York to testify in 2 separate murder trials, alongside Anthony Arillotta.

Adolfo Bruno

Anthony "Bingy" Arillotta – former soldier who became a government witness in 2010, alongside Felix Tranghese, a fellow Genovese-Springfield crew member. He admitted to his involvement in the 2003 murders of capo Adolfo Bruno and Gary Westerman, his brother-in-law. He also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of a New York union boss, which also occurred in 2003. Like Tranghese, he was sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment and both had relocated to Springfield after their release.

Anthony Zoccolillo – former associate of the Genovese and families, Zoccolillo was arrested in 2013 and charged with running an illegal gambling scheme and distributing marijuana and oxycodone.^[316] He pleaded guilty and testified against Salvatore "Sally KO" Larca, a member of Ernest Muscarella's crew.^[317]

Bonanno

Anthony "Tony Lodi" Cardinalle – former associate. In 2013, he was one out of 32 mob members and associates in a crackdown over commercial waste hauling in New York and New Jersey. Cardinalle pleaded guilty in December to the two counts in which he was charged with racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit extortion, admitting his role in a plot to shake down a cooperating witness who owned a waste hauling company.

[318]

New York City – The Genovese family operates in all five boroughs of New York as well as in Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, and Orange Counties in the New York suburbs. The family controls many businesses in the construction, trucking and waste hauling industries. It also operates numerous illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion, and insurance rackets. Small Genovese crews or individuals have operated in , Delaware County, and Utica. The Buffalo, Rochester and Utica crime families or factions traditionally controlled these areas. The family also controls gambling in Saratoga Springs.^[319]

Albany

Connecticut – The Genovese family has long operated trucking and waste hauling rackets in . In 2006, Genovese acting boss Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello was indicted for trash hauling rackets in New Haven and Westchester County, New York. In 1981, Gustave "Gus" Curcio and his brother were indicted for the murder of Frank Piccolo, a member of the Gambino crime family.^[320][321]

New Haven, Connecticut

Massachusetts – has been a Genovese territory since the family's earliest days. The most influential Genovese leaders from Springfield were Salvatore "Big Nose Sam" Curfari, Francesco "Frankie Skyball" Scibelli, Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno, and Anthony Arillotta (turned informant 2009).^[322] In Worcester, Massachusetts, the most influential capos were Frank Iaconi and Carlo Mastrototaro. In Boston, Massachusetts, the New England or Patriarca crime family from Providence, Rhode Island, has long dominated the North End of Boston, but has been aligned with the Genovese family since the Prohibition era. In 2010, the FBI convinced Genovese mobsters Anthony Arillotta and Felix L. Tranghese to become government witnesses.^[8][323] They represent only the fourth and fifth Genovese made men to have cooperated with law enforcement.^[8] The government used Arillotta and Tranghese to prosecute capo Arthur "Artie" Nigro and his associates for the murder of Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno.^[323][324]

Springfield, Massachusetts

Florida – The family is active in

South Florida

(2019)

Godfather of Harlem

. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2007.

"Meet the Genovese Crime Family's New Boss"