The Struggle for Control
1910–1918. A long running battle between the Sicilians and the Neapolitans to control New York’s underworld.
Ralph Daniello
Ciro Terranova
Nicholas Terranova
Allesandro Vollero
Giosue Gallucci
Aniellio Prisco
Giosue Gallucci & East Harlem
The scene in East Harlem was a volatile one. Since the incarceration of the Morello leadership in 1910, the Sicilians were still strong on E 107th Street, whereas the Neapolitans gangs were living along E 109th Street. Much of the fighting in the following tale involves battles for control between these two groups, and further Neapolitan groups in Brooklyn.
A Neopolitan named Giosue Gallucci had been rising in power. Giosue was based at 318 E109th, where his brother Gennaro had been killed in 1909. The building was a three storey brick house, the lower floor had a bakery shop at the front with living apartments above. Gallucci had emigrated from Naples in 1899. He had various businesses such as bakeries, ice and wood shops, cobbler shops and olive oil interests, and also owned huge amounts of real estate. Gallucci was described in police records as “The Mayor of Little Italy”. He ran the Italian Lottery in Harlem with strict control over other gambling in the area, nobody ran policy games without paying Gallucci tribute first. He used his image and wealth to become politically powerful, and was noted to be “very active” during political campaigns.
Antonio Zaraca, a prize fighter, known as “Young Sharkey”, had been working as a bodyguard to the powerful Gallucci. On September 2nd, 1912, Zaraca, 25, was shot and killed in a café belonging to Giuseppe Jacko at 336 E109th. He had been playing cards with Jacko when an onlooker drew a pistol and shot him from close range. Passing policeman William Carrol heard the shooting, he called for assistance and detained all fourteen men found inside the café. The feared gangster Aniello “Zopo” Prisco, who had been arrested in connection with killing Spinelli in the “murder stable”, was tried in connection with the shooting but again he was acquitted.
It had been a busy year for Aniello Prisco, he had been arrested in connection with four murders, but each time his case came to court he was acquitted, usually due to missing witnesses. On December 15th, 1912, Prisco himself was shot and killed at the age of 37. A meeting had been arranged between Giosue Gallucci and Prisco at a barber shop belonging to the Neapolitan Del Gaudio brothers on E 104th Street. However when the meeting drew close, Gallucci feigned illness and sent his man, Capalongo, with a message that Prisco would have to travel to see Gallucci at his bakery on E109th. Prisco agreed and made his way to the bakery at around midnight, once there he was killed by two bullets to the head from Gallucci’s nephew John Russomano. Gallucci told the police that Prisco had been shot in self defence, and that Prisco had been trying to blackmail him at the time of the killing. John Russomano was later released when the police believed his story of self defence.
A few months later, on February 18th, 1913, John Russomano and his bodyguard, Capalongo, were shot standing in the doorway of Russomano’s home at 329 E 109th Street across the street from Galluci’s bakery. Capalongo died instantly, Russomano was shot in the arm, breaking the bone. Giosue Gallucci, saw the shooting and called the police, the block was surrounded but the killers had got away. Russomano later told police that he had not heard the shots, the police suspected the killers had used silencers to help them escape easily. Although no one was arrested for the killing, it was thought that the shooting was arranged by Amadio Buonomo in revenge for the killing of his friend Prisco.
In April, 1913, The New York Herald, which had been following the New York feud very closely printed a claimed conversation between one it’s reporters and Amadio Buonomo, who had been a partner of Aniello “Zopo” Prisco
They are after me very strong. I have been warned not go East of 3rd Av. The have openly accused me of hiring me to kill Russomano and these men killed Russomano’s guard. I have not been at my coffee saloon (331 E114th) for two weeks. I very seldom leave my flat, and then I am closely guarded. The men who are to kill me are always near the house. I see them, but with my guard they are afraid to attack me
Amadio Buonomo died on April 9th, 1913. He had been attacked on Saturday 5th April in Jefferson Park. Buonomo, who was well know for wearing a protective chain mail vest that he purchased in China town, left his home on 1,758 Madison Av on the Saturday morning for a walk. He had left his chain mail vest at home. Three men approached him in the park and shot him at close range. At Harlem Hospital, before he died, Buonomo was quoted as saying
I knew they would get me, but my friends will get them and this feud will go on until all of them are wiped out of existence. The killed my friend Prisco, the cripple …”.
Following the recent spate of killings, bombings and black-mailings, 2nd Deputy Police Commissioner Dougherty and Assistant DA Deacon Murphy ordered a clean up of the New York gangs. Over forty Italians were arrested in late July 1913. Most were charged with aiding and abetting policy shops and some were charged under the Sullivan law. Giosue Gallucci was arrested along with his nephew John Russomano and Joseph “Chuck” Nazzaro of 339 E108th, all were charged with carrying concealed weapons. Gallucci and Russomano both posted bail, but Nazzaro was jailed for ten months. Russomano managed to delay his trial until March 27th, 1914, when the General Sessions court would find him guilty and send him to Sing Sing for seven years. The real reason of the arrests was speculated to be to try and smash Galucci’s vice ring. Gallucci was well known for his dealings with prostitution and was nicknamed in the press as “King of the White Slavers”.
The Neapolitan Del Gaudio brothers were involved in gambling in East Harlem, but also had connections with the Brooklyn based Navy Street gang. Nicolo Del Gaudio, brother to Gaetano and owner of a barber shop on E104th, was killed in October 1914. He had been lured down to the East River and 114th Street. As he passed an empty lot he was killed with a shotgun fired from behind a fence. The killing was attributed to the powerful Giosue Gallucci, after Del Gaudio had become displeased with his share of the East Harlem graft and demanded more. (However, later during the trial of Allesandro Vollero for the killing of Nicolo Terranova, it was noted that Vollero wanted the Morello gang killed for their part in the murder of Del Gaudio.)
Following the killing, Nicolo’s brother, Gaetano Del Gaudio, acquired a bodyguard named George Esposito. Esposito had previously been a bodyguard to Gallucci, but he defected to work for Del Gaudio.
Around the beginning of May 1915, Joseph “Chuck” Nazzaro, the man arrested with Gallucci in the big policy dragnet of 1913, was released. To help him raise some money a “racket” was held on his return. Nazzaro sold his café in E 108th Street to Carmine Mollica, shortly after the sale Mollica was ambushed and killed. Nazzaro was arrested but later released.
Several attempts had been made on his life, but Giosue Gallucci was finally caught on May 17th 1915. Shortly before 10pm, Gallucci and his son Luca left the family bakery and walked to the coffee shop Gallucci had just purchased. Four men entered the shop and fired at the Gallucci’s. Giosue was hit in the neck and stomach, his son Luca was shot in the stomach. Fifteen men were in the coffee shop, mostly friends of Gallucci, some returned fire but the shooters escaped. More than seven shots were fired in total. When the police arrived they arrested everyone in the coffee shop, and found Luca who had managed to stagger back across to the family home. Luca died the following evening in hospital. His funeral was given three days later, 800 carriages left the “Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel”, 22 carriages were for flowers alone. The precession went along E 115th Street heading for the cemetery, carrying the $500 coffin. That evening of the funeral Giosue Gallucci died in hospital. He had still been on $10,000 bail for carrying a concealed weapon from a case that dated back to 1913 and had not yet reached court.
The killing of Gallucci was formulated by the Morello family and Brooklyn Neopolitan gangs, partly in revenge for the killing of Buonomo, a nephew of a Coney Island boss, Pelligrino Morano. The supposed killers were Joe “Chuck” Nazzarro, Andrea Ricci and Tony Romano. The huge gambling and prostitution empire left behind by Gallucci now passed to the Morellos.
Sicilians & Neapolitans
The main Italian gangs in New York around this time were the Sicilian Morello gang in Harlem, the Neapolitan Navy Street gang headed by Leopoldo Lauritano and Allesandro Vollero, and the Neapolitan Coney Island gang headed by Pelligrino Morano from his Santa Lucia restaurant. The gangs worked alongside each other respectfully, this is shown not only in the fact the that they eliminated Gallucci together, but also that Andrea Ricci would hold a “smoker” each year in Brooklyn and the Morello brothers would travel down from Harlem to patronise Ricci.
Joseph DeMarco, another known gambling operator, left the dangerous world of Harlem after battling with the Morello gang, on one occasion DeMarco had attempted to shoot kill Nick Terranova. After two separate attempts were made on his own life, DeMarco moved downtown and opened a restaurant at 163 W 49th Street. He opened several gambling joints in Mulberry Street, before opening one located at 54 James Street.
On June 24th 1916 a meeting took place at Coney Island between the Sicilian Morello gang, the Neapolitan Navy Street gang and the Neapolitan Coney Island gang. The idea of the meeting was to discuss the expansion of gambling dens in lower Manhattan. Pelligrino Morano, from Coney Island, began talking about the lucrative Italian Zaconette card games. Nick Terranova and Steve LaSalle explained that Joe DeMarco would have to be killed before they could expand in the area. The Brooklyn gang also had an interest in killing DeMarco as he had recently taken over one their games on Mullberry Street.
Around three weeks later Nick Terranova, Steve LaSalle, Ciro Terranova and Giuseppe Verizzano travelled to Navy Street to discuss the plan to kill Joe DeMarco. Verizzano worked with DeMarco and was introduced as the man who would be able to help kill him. The Morellos were too well known by DeMarco for them to use their own gunmen. So together they created a plan where Verizzano would get the Navy Street gunmen in to the James Street gambling den, where he would then secretly identify DeMarco to the gunmen as the man to be shot.
John “The Painter” Fetto was originally chosen as the gunman for the job, but he was slow to arrive at James Street at the correct time, DeMarco had already left the building. The gangs planned to attempt the killing for a second time.
On the morning of July 20th 1916, Louis the Wop, Nick Sassi, Steve LaSalle and Ciro Terranova all travelled from Harlem to the Navy Street café. They were worried that a friend of DeMarco, called Joe “Chuck” Nazzaro, might be present at James Street which would cause more of a problem for the gunmen. So Leopoldo Lauritano arranged for Lefty Esposito, another Navy Street gunman, to go along on the job.
That afternoon, the Navy Street gunmen, Pagano, Esposito and Fetto, made their way to a saloon on Elizabeth Street to await their signal to move. At around five o’clock Verizzano arrived at the saloon and notified the waiting gunmen that Demarco had arrived at James St, they left and made their way to the entrance of the gambling house. Nick Sassi, an employee of Demarco’s but also friend of the Navy Street gang, got the gunmen inside past the doorman. They made their way through a kitchen and in to a back bedroom. Inside Joe DeMarco and Charles Lombardi were sat next to each other playing cards with several other men, with numerous spectators sat around watching the card game. Verizzano sat down opposite DeMarco to help identify him to the gunmen who were now standing watching the game. Nick Sassi and Rocco Valenti from Navy Street waited outside to help the gunmen escape. Esposito and Pagano misread the signals from Verizzano and shot and killed Charles Lombardi by mistake, Verizzano managed to kill DeMarco himself. The gunmen made their escape through the bedroom window into Oliver St.
That evening Nick, Ciro and Vincent Terranova, Steve LaSalle and Verizzano all travelled to Navy St. They congratulated Lauritano on the news that DeMarco had been shot and gave him $50 to pass on to the gunmen.
After the removal of DeMarco, the Camorra devised a plan to kill the Morellos. Even though the two gangs had worked alongside each other for sometime, Morano wanted them dead. Morano had been running a policy game in Harlem, the realm of the Morello family, but could not make it pay enough to cover the rake that the Morellos demanded from him, another factor was the killing of Nicolo Del Gaudio had angered Allesandro Vollero and he now wanted the Morellos dead. The Neopolitans believed they could taken over the Harlem rackets if they could eliminate the Morello leadership. They hatched a plan where they would try and lure the entire Morello leadership down to Brooklyn and ambush them.
On September 7th 1916, Nicholas Terranova and Charles Ubriaco travelled downtown to meet with the Navy Street gang. Ralph Daniello served the men drinks before Pagano arrived to take them to a coffee house where Lauritano and Morano were waiting. The men walked together towards Myrtle Avenue when they were ambushed at the junction of Johnson Street and Hudson Avenue. Nicholas Terranova was shot dead by Tom Pagano, and Ubriaco was slain by Thomas Carillo and Lefty Esposito. After the police arrived they searched Morello, and found a bank book for New York Produce Exchange Bank, Harlem. It showed a balance of $1,865. Detectives from the Sixth Branch bureau arrived, including Michael Mealli, who had been under the pay of the Navy Street gang. Mealli arrested Rocco Valente, after he had been found in a local pool hall with a loaded pistol. Later that evening Ciro Terranova was called to identify his brothers body.
Allesandro Vollero was arrested the following day and put in police lineup. Witnesses to the murder were asked to identify him but he was released nineteen days later.
Giuseppe Verrazano, who already had his own card games in Kenmare St, began to contemplate opening a new gambling house, this news did not sit well with the Navy Street gang who began to plot his death. One day Verizzano spotted Lorenzo Liccari, from the Coney Island gang, sitting inside Frank Ferrara’s café on Grand Street. He began to sneak around the side of the café to kill Liccari, but he was spotted before he managed to shoot.
On October 5th, 1916, Andrea Ricci surrendered himself to the police for questioning, but this was also to provide himself with an alibi for the events about to occur the following day.
On October 6th, 1916, Charles Giordano from Staten Island, a policy man, saloon owner and friend of the Camorra made plans for the killing of Verizzano. Alphonso Sgroia, Mike Notaro, Ralph Daniello and John Mancini travelled to Manhattan where Giordano checked a saloon before locating Verizzano in the Italian Gardens restaurant in the Occidental Hotel, Broome Street. Sgroia and Notaro stood by the door shooting into the establishment. Verizzano was hit and killed. The gunmen escaped, one into the Bowery and one into Broome Street.
Salvatore DeMarco, brother to the slain Joseph DeMarco, was found dead in a clump of weeds in a lot in Washington Avenue, near William St, Astoria. His body was discovered on Friday 13th October 1916. His skull had been smashed sometime before the body was dropped, and his throat was cut once he had been dumped. Salvatore had been living above his dead brothers restaurant at 163 W49th, however he sold the restaurant at auction on October 11th a few days before his murder. Newspapers claimed that he was about to tell the police all he knew about his brothers killers and the latest shootings, and this was the reason for his violent dispatch.
The Morello gang and the Brooklyn Camorra were at all out war. The Camorra hatched various plans to wipe out the rest of the Morello leadership, but they were either foiled or were never completed, however four associates of the Morello gang were murdered by the Camorra in Philadelphia.
The Navy Street gang prospered by taking over the Morello businesses for a short period. This was proved later in 1918 by a Harlem gambler, who testified that for a short period he had to travel to Brooklyn each week to have his books checked. The Camorra tried to move in on the artichoke business, but the wholesale dealers refused to give in to any threats, eventually a deal was struck where a “tax” of twenty five dollars was paid on every car load of artichokes that were delivered. Coal and ice merchants also proved hard to threaten, and the Camorra’s business gains were not as they had expected.
George Esposito, bodyguard to Gaetano Del Gaudio was killed whilst he walked down E 108th Street on 8th November, 1916. Later that month, at 3am November 30th Gaetano Del Gaudio was shot and killed. He had been serving coffee to two men in his restaurant at 2031 1st Av, when he was blasted by a shotgun that been placed against the his restaurant window. He was taken to the Flower Hospital where he claimed to know the identity of his killer, but refused to name him.
Anthony “The Shoemaker” Paretti told the Navy Street gang that he had seen DeMarco’s old friend Joe Nazzaro talking to the Morello gang. On March 16th 1917, Joseph “Chuck” Nazzaro was shot and killed in Yonkers New York. Fevrola, Sgroia, and the Paretti brothers, all from the Navy Street gang, lured Nazzaro out to Yonkers under the pretence of killing Fevrola for giving the police information about the gang. The men then shot Nazzaro and left his body on the trolley tracks.
In May 1917, a very important event took place that would begin the breakdown and unraveling of the long feud between the Sicilians and the Camorra. Ralph “The Barber” Daniello, a member of the Brooklyn Navy Street gang, had been in court charged with robbery and abduction, he was released before eloping to Reno with his new love, Ms Amelia Valve from Prospect Street, South Brooklyn. He sent letters to his former Camorra gang asking for money to be sent to him, but his requests were ignored. The police eventually tracked Daniello down in Reno and brought him back to Brooklyn. When the indictments were brought against Daniello on the charge of murder, grand larceny and perjury he began to tell the police everything he knew about the Navy Street crew and the recent murders. When the police realised the extent of Daniello’s confessions he was sent to the office of Edward Swann the DA. For the next ten days Daniello told his story of the murders spanning the last ten years. On November 27th Daniello was arraigned with John Esposito, Allesandro Vollero and Alphonso Sgroia, and other members of the Navy Street gang who had been arrested on Daniello’s confessions. Also arraigned as material witnesses were Ciro Terranova, Vincent Terranova and Nicholas Arra, all were held on $15,000 bail.
According to the testimony by Daniello, Sicilians and Neapolitans were formed loosely in three main bands and controlled the rackets across New York. The bands were based in Harlem, downtown Mulberry bend and the last band covering Brooklyn and Coney Island. He went on to confess to his gangs involvement in the killings of both the DeMarco brothers, Nicholas Terranova with Charles Ubriaco and the “Chuck” Nazzaro killing in Yonkers.
On November 30th 1917, the Grand Jury under Judge Nott handed out twelve indictments against the killing of Joseph DeMarco and Charles Lombardi. Five indictments had already been handed out against the murder of Salvatore DeMarco, and another four in the case of “Chuck” Nazzaro. Since the beginning of Daniello’s confessions the police had been watching New York’s ports to make sure no gang members escaped conviction. Edward Swann sent Henry Renaud, head of homicide, off to Chicago to arrest some of the indicted. Swann also began working with Harry Lewis, the Kings County DA, to secure further convictions in Brooklyn. The 1918 trials that followed completely smashed the Navy Street gang, the protection that they enjoyed was demolished from the testimonies of their own men. It was the end of the Camorra in New York and the sway of power fell back to the Mafia.
The Trials
Rocco Valenti was arrested on January 26th 1918, in Troy New York, for complicity in the DeMarco / Lombardi killing. He was jailed for ten months, before being discharged in November 1918. He later appeared in court to testify in the appeal of Charles Giordano in March 1919.
Allesandro Vollero, was tried for first degree murder in on February 15th, 1918, in the case of Nicholas Terranova and Charles Ubriaco. Ralph Daniello testified against Vollero, and stated that the gang paid money to a Detective named Michael Mealli. Mealli was reduced in rank and assigned to patrol duty. Following this revelation, Judge Kapper was taken ill on February 18th, causing a mistrial to be declared. Vollero was retried on March 4th and was sentenced to life at Sing Sing.
Pelligrino Morano, leader of the Coney Island faction, was convicted of murder in the second degree, and sentenced to Sing Sing from twenty years to life.
Leopoldo Lauritano, received a twenty one year sentence for manslaughter in 1918. On 12th January, 1926, after serving only seven and a half years, Lauritano was paroled from Sing Sing. He was immediately rearrested under an indictment that had been served in 1918 in connection with the murder of Verizzano. On Thursday 14th, Judge Selah B. Strong, discharged Lauritano on a writ of habeas corpus. This action caused an open argument between the Kings County DA, Charles Dodd, and Judge Strong. Lauritano returned to court in February 1927, he was tried at the Brooklyn Supreme Court under Judge James Cropsey. He was charged with perjury during the trial of Anthony Paretti, where Lauritano had stated he did not know the defendant or his associates. The ADA, James Cuff, had managed to produce a photo of Lauritano in the Navy Street café with fellow gang members,thus proving his testimony false. Lauritano received five years in Sing Sing.
Charles Giordano, the saloon keeper from Tompkinsville S.I. was put on trial on April 27th, 1918. He was charged with plotting the killing of Giuseppe Verrazano in October, 1916. Antonio Notaro and Ralph Daniello, from the Navy Street gang, testified against Giordano. Notaro was quoted as saying “Giordano told us that Verizzano had to be killed that night. When I said that I did not want to kill a man without orders from my boss, Giordano said he would do the job himself but that I would die the next day for refusing, then I changed my mind”. Notaro claimed that Giordano led him to the restaurant on Broome Street and pointed out Verizzano to be shot.
Alphonso Sgroia, from the Navy Street gang, was sentenced on June 17th 1918, he received twelve years in Dannemora for manslaughter in the case of Nicholas Terranova. Sgroia went on to testify against his fellow gunmen Paretti and Fevrola, he was rewarded with a shorter sentence and deportation to Italy.
John Esposito and Antonio Notaro were sentenced in June 1918, from 6 to 10 years each in the case of Nicholas Terranova and Charles Ubriaco.
Ciro Terranova was tried for complicity in June 1918, in connection with the DeMarco/Lombardi killing. Johnny Esposito, the killer of Lombardi, had turned state evidence the same Daniello, and testified against Terranova. Ciro was acquitted due to lack of corroboration when it was tenuously proved that Esposito and Terranova were part of the same gang.
Ralph Daniello was moved to a different prison due the abuse he received after he testified at the trial of Vollero. Daniello was given a suspended sentence in view of the testimony he had given. His freedom was short lived when he was later arrested for assaulting a man in Coney Island, Daniello claimed he had shot the victim thinking that he had been sent from the Navy Street gang on a vendetta. Daniello was sentenced to five years in prison. In 1925, after his release he was shot in his saloon, near Metuchen. New Jersey.
Frank Fevrola, on April 18th 1921, was tried for the murder of Joe “Chuck” Nazzaro in 1917. Judge Tompkins found Fevrola guilty and sentenced him to the death house at Sing Sing. His conviction was largely due to his wife’s testimony against him. On April 14th, 1922, a notice was served on DA Weeks, that a motion would be made to grant a retrial on the case of Fevrola. Fevrola’s wife had withdrawn all her previous statements made against her husband, saying she had been threatened and bribed by the police. DA Weeks tried to oppose the retrial by rubbishing Tessie Fevrola’s new affidavit. On May 23rd, 1922, Justice Tompkins denied any motion for a retrial of Fevrola. On May 29th, 1923, lawyer Thomas O’Neil made a last minute attempt to save Fevrola from execution. His request for a retrial was again put before Supreme Court Justice Tompkins. On Thursday 28th June, 1923, with seven hours left until his execution and in a state of collapse, Fevrola received a reprieve, sparing his life until October 7th. The death sentence was eventually commuted.
Aniellio Paretti of 23 Sherman Av, Brooklyn, was tried for the murder of Joe “Chuck” Nazzaro in 1917. In November 1921, Aniellio was sentenced to the death house in Sing Sing. His lawyer immediately appealed against the decision, and on January 3rd 1923 the Court of Appeals ordered a retrial. DA Weeks then had the indictment dropped, and Paretti was a free man. He was released from Sing Sing in July 1923.
Anthony Paretti, of 23 Skillman Av, Brooklyn, was sentenced to Sing Sing death house for his part in the slaying of Nicholas Terranova and Charles Ubriaco. Paretti originally fled to Italy to escape capture. He returned to New York in March, 1926, thinking that most of the witnesses against him would be gone. However, he was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree. His brother Aniellio Paretti, who had been released from Sing Sing in July 1923, came to visit several times. On the six weeks leading up to his execution, Warden Lawes ordered the prison and river front guarded 24 hours a day, rather than the usual 16 hours. On February 9th, 1927 Paretti was examined, declared sane and fit for execution. He was reported to be exerting powerful pressure upon politicians to get his sentence commuted to life imprisonment. On the day of execution, the usual electrocardiogram was not given due to lack of arrangements. He was electrocuted under the jurisdiction of the state of New York on 17th February, 1927 at the age of 35. One of the last men to visit Paretti before his death was a young Vito Genovese.
