The Early Years
1900–1910. From the arrival of the Morello family, to the trial of Lupo the Wolf. The Secret Service hound the early counterfeit gangs.
Giuseppe Morello
Ignazio Lupo 1910
Vito Laduca
Giuseppe Deprimo
Vito Cascioferro
Salvatore Clemente
In 1892 Giuseppe Morello arrived in New York from Corleone. Six months later his family arrived including his mother, step-father, four sisters, and his step-brothers Nicolo, Ciro and Vincent Terranova. All four brothers shared the same mother. The family stayed in New York for around a year, but suffered from the lack of available work. Morello travelled to Louisiana to stay with a cousin, and within two months the family followed him. The father and Morello worked, for about a year planting sugar cane before moving on to Bryan, Texas. They worked in Texas as cotton pickers, but left after two years when the family was hit with Malaria. In 1896 they arrived back in New York.
Morello worked with his father as an ornamental plasterer. The younger step-brothers, Ciro and Vincent, went to a New York school but helped out during the evenings and weekends. Morello eventually opened a coal basement, but sold that after a year and around 1898 opened a saloon on 13th Street, soon followed by a second saloon on Stanton Street. Due to bad business he closed the Stanton Street Saloon and sold the one on 13th Street. He then opened a date factory, and employed around fifteen people, the business ran at a loss and was closed. Ignazio Lupo arrived in New York in 1898, he was fleeing arrest in Palermo after killing a customer of his dried goods wholesale business. Lupo opened a store on E72nd Street with a cousin named Saietta. After falling out with Saietta he moved his business to Brooklyn, selling olive oil, cheese and wine.
Early Counterfeiting
On June 11th 1900, Giuseppe Morello was arrested along with Colagero Meggiore. They were accused of selling counterfeit money and held on $5000 bail. The arrests had grown out of a Secret Service investigation that began when counterfeit $5 bills were being passed in Brooklyn and North Beach. Morello and Meggiore were believed to be the suppliers of the money, which was described as being printed on very poor paper with crude workmanship. Morello later walked free from court. In 1901, Lupo moved his business from Brooklyn back to Manhattan. He opened a saloon at 8 Prince Street and had an import shop next door at 9 Prince Street. In 1902 Lupo sold the saloon to Giuseppe Romano, a barber and counterfeiter from First Avenue.
On May 21st, 1902, a powerful band of counterfeiters that had been operating in New York since 1890 was raided by the Secret Service, they had recently joined forces with the Morello gang. Vito Cascioferro and Giuseppe Romano were arrested in a barbershop at 969 First Avenue, whilst Stella Frauto and gang leader, Salvatore Clemente, were captured at their home, 949 First Avenue. They had been manufacturing coins at a plant in Hackensack, NJ. Cascioferro managed to escape conviction with an alibi that he worked at a local papermill.
On July 23rd 1902, at around 8pm, four boys swimming at the Bay Bridge 73rd Street made the gruesome discovery of a body in a potato sack. The victim was badly bruised and the throat had been cut from ear to ear, the head had been bound to the knees so the body would fit inside the sack. The body was eventually identified as Giuseppe Catania, a Brooklyn grocer. The secret service, through their investigations, believed he had been a member of the Morello gang. They also believed the gang had disposed of him due to his habit of drinking and talking too much. Ignazio Lupo was one of the last men seen with Catania before his disappearance, Lupo had once known Catania when they both worked in Brooklyn. The police and secret service never gained enough evidence to warrant any arrests in the case. Salvatore Clemente, of the Frauto gang, later revealed that Giuseppe Morello and Dominico Pecoraro were behind the slaying.
In November 1902, two members of the counterfeit gang raided in May were caught. These captures were hailed in the press as the end of the Frauto/Clemente gang. Salvatore Clemente was captured in Toronto and sentenced to ten years for counterfeiting. One week later Andrea Romano, from the Frauto gang, was captured at Niagra Falls after the Secret Service learnt of his whereabouts when he tried to sell his interest in the saloon at 8 Prince Street.
Giuseppe Morello’s next business move was the opening of a restaurant at the rear of the 8 Prince Street saloon, his younger brother, Ciro, worked as a waiter. The front saloon was now owned by Antonio Russo, whilst Lupo held his import business next door at 9 Prince Street.
On 31st December 1902, the Secret Service, acting on a tip off, followed Giueseppe Guillambardo, Giuseppe De Primo and Isadoro Crocervera as they walked along Main Street. They were suspected of passing counterfeit five dollar bills in precise imitation to the currency issued by the National Iron Bank, Morristown, NJ. The service men witnessed the men passing the bad notes and placed them under arrest, however Guillambardo managed to break free. He was arrested two months later after being spotted at a 226 Elizabeth Street, a café belonging to Pietro Inzerillo of the Morello gang. On March 12th 1903, the trial began, Salvatore Romano of the Frauto gang was released on the first day, the reasons for this are unclear. The following day, all three men were found guilty. Guillambardo was sentenced to 5 years at Sing Sing, Giuseppe De Primo 4 years and Isadoro Crocervera 3 years. Detective Flynn revealed that during their questioning he gave Crocervera the impression that De Primo had confessed all, in an effort to get him to confess also.
Benedetto Madonnia, brother-in-law to the jailed De Primo, was murdered in April 1903. The case became known as “The Barrel Murder” after Madonnia’s body was found cut and stuffed into an old barrel, in East 11th Street. Morello and Lupo were again arrested, they were eventually cleared due to lack of evidence.
Petto the Ox
De Primo Morristown 5 note
Ignatz Florio Assoc.
Life after the Barrel Murder
After the trial had finished in June 1903, the whole Morello family were searched and hounded on a regular basis. One night, Ciro Terranova was travelling home from work with his brother Vincent, nephew Charlie and Nick Sylvester when they were all arrested and kept overnight. On another occasion Ciro and Nicholas Terranova were arrested whilst trying to locate a doctor for Giuseppe’s son, Charles. Following the Barrel Murder trials Morello gave up his restaurant interest and briefly moved into the olive oil business at 628 138th Street. Lupo also gave up his import store at 9 Prince Street and opened a new store at the seven storey building that was 210–214 Mott St. It was reported to be “one the most impressive import stores in the neighborhood, many of the locals could only dream of shopping there”.
In 1904, Ignazio Lupo joined the Morello family when he married one of the Morello sisters. Giuseppe Morello and Lupo started a real estate company, The Ignazio Florio Association, they were involved in the construction and selling of properties in Harlem. The company office was based at 630 E 138th Street, also the home of Giuseppe Morello. With the brothers as presidents, and largest stockholders, the company lasted for around four years but went out of business in 1908 and was later investigated by the Bankers Association of America.
Lupo was arrested on March 7th 1906 after he was identified by John Bozzuffi, an Italian boy who had been kidanpped and held on 59th Street. Lupo was sent to the tombs in default of $1000 bail.
On 1st February, 1907. Francesca Delise, of 198 Elizabeth Street, returned to her second floor apartment and found her front door had been smashed in. Inside she found Giuseppe Masseria and Giuseppe Lima stealing her valuables. Masseria, 20, gave his address as 217 Forsyth Street and claimed to have lived there for three years. He was held on $2000 bail and eventually received a suspended sentence.
On 20th February, 1908, a body was discovered in Brooklyn. Salvatore Marchinne was found with his nose removed, tongue cut out and his body covered in stab wounds. In his pocket was found a note addressed to Antonio Ganci saying “Times are hard here now in Palermo. Give my regards to Fanaro. And remember one thing — caution !” — the note was from a man named Cantaldo in Sicily. The papers were filled once again with mentions of the Morello gang and the Barrel Murder.
Antonio Ganci, a counterfeiter, was arrested when he presented himself to Hamilton Avenue police station on Saturday 22nd February. He explained the presence of his letter in Marchinne’s pocket by saying he was unable to read, and often called on Marchinne to read his mail. The police also arrested Giuseppe Fanaro, Ganci’s brother in law, at 158 Ninth Street. Fanaro described himself as a longshoreman working in Brooklyn for a fruit importing company. No charges were filed. It was thought that Marchinne was killed by the Mafia in relation to a murder case in Sicily before Marchinne had come to America.
The collapse of Lupo and Morello’s businesses
In November 1908, Lupo claimed bankruptcy against his import business. On Monday 30th November the store was closed under order of the US Court. The receivers moved in, and the inventory for his store only reached $1,500. Lupo was missing, and his debts were up to $100,000. The attorneys for the receivers discovered that Lupo had made around $50,000 worth of purchases in the week leading up to his disappearance . Most of the goods had been delivered to warehouses, and paid for with loans that Lupo had taken out. The produce he purchased included meat ($5,000), oil ($5,000) and canned goods($6,000). On Friday 4th December, $50,000 of goods were found on a transatlantic pier in New York, sent there by Lupo they were bound for Italy. The receivers also discovered Lupo was the owner of real estate in Harlem worth $110,000 and that he had just taken out new mortgages on his properties before disappearing. On December 16th, Salvatore Manzella, an importer of wine and Italian produce at 196 Elizabeth St, filed for bankruptcy. William Blau, the receiver, presented Manzella to Judge Holt when he refused to show his accounts. Manzella testified that for over three years he had been a victim of extortion from Lupo the Wolf, and as a result he had lost his business. He also claimed that Lupo, one week before he disappeared, had visited his store and taken over $1000 in cash. In the search for Lupo, the police discovered he had a brother, John, who ran a grocery store in Hoboken.
On February 11th, 1909, Giuseppe Morello relocated to 207 E 107th street. His current home/office at 630 138th Street was built by his failed real estate company, the Ignazio Florio Corporation, and the building had to be handed over to the company receivers. After Morello moved from his home a meeting of the shareholders was held and the 630 E 138th house was sold. E 107th street would be a welcome area to Morello, number 231 was one particular address that contained many important names — Giovanni Rao who ran the feather shop on the ground floor and was father to Joey Rao, Steve LaSalle lived there and also Angelo Gagliano who ran a saloon at 277 E 107th with Ippolito Greco. Further along on E 107th was Salvatore Romano the Morello family doctor, Romano’s mother had been the midwife for Morello’s mother in Corleone.
On November 12, 1909, Ignazio Lupo walked into the office of his receivers with his counsel, Charles Barbier. He had been missing for a year after his store was served with bankruptcy. He made a claim that he had been blackmailed for $10,000 which left him broke and caused him to flee to Baltimore and Buffalo. Lupo was arrested on November 17th in connection with the extortion of Salvatore Manzella. He was arraigned on November 22nd, however Manzella failed to appear and Lupo was discharged. He was immediately rearrested by a Deputy Marshall in relation to a counterfeiting charge from September 1902, he was later released on $5,000 bail.
In 1910, Giuseppe Morello and Lupo were sent to Atlanta Penitentiary under the charge of counterfeiting.
In January 1911, almost one year after his imprisonment for counterfeiting, Giuseppe Morello was reported to have spoken to the Attorney representing the US authorities. In the hope of shortening his sentence he supplied information about the murder of Lieutenant Petrosino. Morello later withdrew his statements and refused to sign them. The contents of the talks were never officially released, but it was claimed that he had pointed to Carlo Costantino for the murder of Lt. Petrosino.
Giuseppe Morello was 40 at the time of his arrest in 1910, his brother, Nicholas Terranova, was the next most important figure within the family. After the rule of Morello and Lupo came to an end the focus shifted to various other characters in East Harlem …
