The Morello and Lupo Trial

1910. After complaints from banks and businesses, the secret service began to track the Morello gang again under suspicion of counterfeiting.

Antonio Cecala 1910

Salvatore Cina 1910

Giuseppe Palermo 1910

Nicholas Sylvester 1910

Giuseppe Callichio 1910

Vincenzo Giglio 1910

Antonio Comito was born in 1880, in Catanzaro, Calabria. He worked as a printer before leaving for New York in June, 1907. Whilst living at 72 James Street he found work in the city as a printer on Park Row. Comito was appointed Grand Deputy of a society called the “Sons of Italy” a support group for recently arrived Italian immigrants to America. Through friends in the society he met Antonio Cecala who was looking for a printer to help with some new work. The two men met again at Brooklyn bridge around November 7^th, 1908 and went shopping for printing supplies that they would need for the work. They purchased some materials from a photographic store on Nassau Street, but Cecala explained he also needed to purchase a new printing press for the work, so Comito helped him purchase a press from his old work place for twenty five dollars.

Later Comito was introduced to Cecala’s god-son Salvatore Cina, together the three men loaded the new printing press onto a wagon along with Comito’s personal belongings. The wagon was driven by a man called Nick Sylvester a friend of the young Terranova brothers and ex-employee of Ignazio Lupo’s failed Mott Street store. The men boarded the ferry at pier twenty four to begin the journey out of New York. Later that night they arrived in Highland before travelling south to Cina’s fruit farm. The farm was a 42 acre plot with two houses, three hay barns and a stable. At the farm Comito was introduced to Cina’s brother-in-law Vincenzo Giglio.

Comito and his partner Katrina stayed at Cina’s farm living in the second building a short distance from the main house. After a month Cina and Giglio took Comito to a different building five miles away called “Calhoun Farm”. It was from this farm that the gang would begin their work of printing counterfeit Canadian five dollar bills. Comito and Katrina were left alone on the farm and remained there over the Christmas period. They received food supplies from Cina’s farm on a regular basis, mainly simple things like potatoes and fruit. Cecala later returned to the farmhouse with some counterfeit printing plates, paper, wooden print blocks to mount the printing plates and a green ink suitable for replicating the Canadian notes.

With all the materials delivered and the printing press installed Comito began the printing in January, 1909, Giglio travelled over from Cina’s farm on occasions to help with the work and to keep watch around the farmhouse. After the green side of the notes were complete they began work on adding the next color. Between each of the print runs Comito gave Giglio printed proofs rolled up in newspaper which were mailed to New York to be checked for quality. After three days a message would be sent back to signal if the work was of a suitable standard.

During January Comito asked Cina if he could travel back to New York, but Cina refused to lend him any money for a ticket and insisted the printing must be completed. Cecala arrived at the farmhouse and explained that the printing had to be speeded up as the gang had received an order from Brooklyn for twenty thousand dollars in US two dollar bills, also that Giuseppe Morello had received a letter from Ignazio Lupo asking to see proofs of the notes. During January, Lupo fled New York to stay in Ardonia with the Oddo family who ran a cheese farm about nine miles from Cina’s farm. Lupo stayed there under the alias of Joseph La Presti as he was trying to avoid his creditors from his failed Mott Street business which had recently gone into bankruptcy.

$16,000 completed

The gang completed the Canadian bills in late January. Sixteen thousand dollars were tightly packed into empty macaroni boxes, and work immediately began on the green side of the US two dollar bills. Comito began to have real trouble mixing the green ink for the new notes, so Cecala traveled to New York to find help. Comito pleaded that he also be able to return to New York to attend a Forestry Society meeting. Cecala was noted to reply “Why do you care about the society? Some day you will belong to our own Society”.

Comito was given instructions that whilst in New York he should visit Cecala at 630 E 138^th Street, the home and office of Giuseppe Morello. When he arrived Morello complained to Cecala about Comito’s presence, he was worried about the fact that there had been arrests made only two nights previously. Comito left the house and returned to Highland that night, with Cecala returning the next day with a man to help them mix the correct hue of green ink.

On February 11^th, 1909, Giuseppe Morello relocated to 207 E 107^th Street. His current home/office at 630 138^th 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 138^th Street house was sold. E 107^th Street would be a welcome area to Morello, No. 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 107^th Street with Ippolito Greco. Further along on E 107^th was Salvatore Romano the Morello family doctor, Romano’s mother had been the midwife for Morello’s mother in Corleone.

Throughout February Comito, Cecala and Giglio continued work on the US two dollar bills. One night they were visited by Cina, Sylvester, Lupo and a man named Giuseppe Palermo. Lupo, who arrived in a fur lined coat, bought along two revolvers, ammunition and some hunting rifles. Comito’s partner Katrina cooked dinner for the men, who then slept before checking the quality of the counterfeit notes in the morning. After the approval was given Nick Sylvester returned to New York, but Lupo stayed at the farm for three days. He was noted to be often out on the farmland hunting with his rifles. During his stay Lupo travelled to Highland to make telephone calls from the phone exchange, the calls were logged as going to Baltimore, New York and Hoboken. Lupo also visited a hardware store in Highland and opened an account under the name of Salvatore Saracina.

At the end of February the gang had printed ten thousand sheets of the two dollar notes. Cecala and Cina travelled to Chicago, Buffalo and Pittsburgh to try and sell the counterfeit currency. They only managed to sell four thousand of the two dollar bills for eight hundred dollars in return.

Comito travelled to Cina’s farm by wagon with the Canadian money that had been printed in January. At the farm he met Morello, Lupo, Palermo, Cecala, Cina, and Giglio. Angry at their recent failure to sell the currency they told him he printed “a shit like material which was of no use”. Lupo claimed they should “burn the money on Comito’s head”. Morello, who was sitting next to Lupo, decided that they would continue the work but they would need new printing plates and another printer to help Comito continue. Palermo incinerated the poor quality Canadian notes on the farm stove to destroy the evidence. The gang divided up the small amount of cash that they had made, Cecala and Cina claimed two hundred dollars in expenses for their recent trip, Lupo took seventy five dollars for the food supplies he had been sending to Cina’s farm and Morello took fifty dollars. Lupo complained and asked for more cash to cover his expenses, but Morello told him to be satisfied and that their would be more money later. Comito was given twenty dollars before returning to the Calhoun farm.

Early in March, Comito travelled with Cecala to 5 Jones Street, New York to meet Giuseppe Calicchio. Born in the southern part of the Neapolitan provinces in 1858, Calicchio had arrived in New York in 1906 before purchasing his own print shop at 64 Prince Street. Cecala offered Calicchio twenty dollars to help complete the print work, Calicchio accepted and followed the men to Highland. When the new printing plates were mounted on the press Calicchio began mixing the inks so the work could begin on a new batch of counterfeit two dollar notes. Together they printed around thirty two thousand dollars of the new two dollar notes.

During March, Giglio sold his share of Cina’s farm to Giuseppe Palermo and then rented a new farm called the “Spencer Place” in Lloyd, Ulster County, New York. Comito continued the work at the farmhouse with Giglio and Calicchio. Towards the end of the month Lupo, Cecala, Cina and Sylvester arrived with new paper and new plates for five dollar certificates, the work on these began in early April. After printing three thousand of the five dollar bills, they were wrapped in towels and again packed into empty macaroni boxes before being carted away. At the end of May, Cina returned to the farm and informed the men that the work was complete, they were instructed to dismantle the printing presses as the gang were worried about police surveillance. Cina stated the he wanted to start to count and divide the money, Nick Sylvester, who had been guarding the farm, drew his pistol and warned the men that the money was not theirs to count, and they should wait until everybody was regrouped. With this, Cecala left taking just five dollars for himself and Comito made his way back to New York.

The gang received more orders for the improved quality two dollar notes which had been a success. Comito and Palermo purchased a new Gordon printing for the work. Late in June, Comito and Calicchio returned to Highland to continue the print work, however, this time they based themselves at Giglio’s new farm in Lloyd, Ulster County.

After a week at the farm Comito was working with a man named “Uncle Vincent”, Calicchio had left to purchase inks from New York and Giglio had gone to fetch food supplies. Two unknown men arrived at the farm one night and asked to speak to the owner. Vincent and Comito said they were just working at the farm to pick cherries. The two strangers then left saying they would return another time. Comito, made nervous by the visitors, fled from the farm and made his way back to New York. After two days Cecala and Cina visited Comito at his home but Comito refused to work at the farm ever again. With the printing now complete Cina sold his farm for $5000 and moved his family to Poughkeepsie. The contract of sale was signed by himself and Giuseppe Palermo who signed his name as Salvatore Saracina. The gang now set to work at selling the large amount of counterfeit money they had produced.

The Secret Service

The secret service were given a tip-off about the Morello gang from an ex-blackhand criminal named Buchino who was working at 235 E 97^th Street, part shop and part wholesale grocery belonging to Dominico Malone. He told the agents that a man named Boscarino was in control of distributing $121,000 in counterfeit $2 and $5 notes. On this evidence the secret service trailed the gang members across New York for the next three months, the following points are some of the more important observations that the agents recorded.

Cecala was staked out at Malone’s grocery store on E97th. On October 9^th, 1909, Giuseppe Morello travelled to the store to meet Cecala before returning to his family home at 207 E 107^th Street. Morello and Cecala were seen together many times over the following weeks as they visited various addresses across the city, they were also often seen meeting with Cina. Morello visited many businesses across New York including :

Saietta and Phillips, Room 211/212 The Rogers Peet Building, 258 Broadway.

Frank Zito, 24–26 Importers and Traders Building, Stone Street. The company imported Lemons from Frank Gambino, a cousin of Ignazio Lupo based in Sicily.

Star Export and Import Company, Room 1001, World Building, City Hall.

Morello was also seen with his Terranova brother-in-laws Vincent and Ciro, referred to by the secret service as “his messengers”.

On October 4^th, Cecala was seen at a fruit and vegetable stand on third avenue with Leo Luca Vassi and Giuseppe Amato who were both helping the gang sell the counterfeit notes. On October 28^th, Cecala, Cina, Morello, Sylvester and several other Italians travelled to a Brooklyn saloon at 46 Union Street, Morello was later seen outside the saloon conversing with a man called Pecorraro.

On October 29^th, Cecala and Cina were followed to a drug store at 54 Spring Street where Cecala held an apartment, here they met Giuseppe Boscarino. On November 4^th, Boscarino was followed to Morello’s home at 207 E 107^th Street, he then left and travelled to the store on E 97^th street.

On November 4^th, Palermo was spotted with Cecala in Malone’s grocery store on E97th. On November 13^th, Morello was tracked to Brooklyn where he was seen with Lupo and Pietro Inzerillo. Cecala was later seen at 226 Elizabeth Street in the café belonging to Pietro Inzerillo that had been involved in the 1903 Barrel Murder.

The Arrests

On November 15^th, 1909, the Secret Service agents followed Cecala from his apartment at 54 Spring Street to the Bowery, he was placed under arrest and taken him to Captain Flynn. Leo Luca Vassi and Giuseppe Amato were arrested after their home was raided at 1600 Third Avenue, during the raid the agents found over one thousand two dollar counterfeit notes. Later that day the agents met with officer Carraro from the Italian police squad and went to 207 East 107^th, here they arrested Giuseppe Morello who was found in bed with a loaded .44 calibre revolver. Morello was placed in the front room with his son whilst the agents searched the house, Morello passed two letters to his wife to hide but Carraro spotted them and informed the agents, they then found a further four letters hidden inside a baby’s diaper. Giuseppe was arrested along with his step-brother Nicolo.

On November 18^th, Lupo was arrested in connection with the extortion of Manzella, a Manhattan store keeper who claimed his business had been ruined by Lupo. On November 22^nd, Manzella failed to appear in court and Lupo was freed only to be immediately rearrested under a bench warrant dated April 21^st, that charged him with handling counterfeit money in 1902, he was released on $5,000 bail. On November 26^th, 1909 the police department offered a reward that any man in central office that captured Lupo in connection with the Highland counterfeiting would be made a first grade detective.

On December 10^th, Calicchio was seen entering a house at 231 East 107^th. This was the home of a man known as Rizzo who had helped the gang buy a press back in June, and was also the home of Angelo Gagliano, Steve La Salle and the Rao family. Calicchio was arrested the very next day on Bleecker Street.

On January 4^th, 1910 Comito was arrested when nine secret service officers and policemen raided his flat. He was taken to see Captain Flynn where he began to bargain for his freedom by telling him everything he knew about the Morello gang.

On January 5^th, agents arrived at Giuseppe Palermo’s store “Joe Palermo & Co” at 11 Duane Street, Poughkeepsie. They arrested Cina and Giglio, then took Cina to his home at 20 Duane Street to search for evidence. Other agents went to the Calhoun farm to search for evidence of the counterfeiting, they were looking for the printing plates which had been buried in the garden but twelve inches of snow made them hard to find. The next day they finally discovered some engraving blocks, printing rags and blocks of wood scattered around the farm.

On January 8^th, secret service agents gathered at 8804 Bay 16^th Street, Bath Beach, Brooklyn. The house had been leased by Lupo under the name of Joe La Presti, inside they arrested Lupo and Palermo. A search of the upstairs rooms revealed a revolver, letters, passports, and a bank book containing the names John Lupo, Joseph La Presti and Giuseppe La Presti. Lupo offered a bribe to the agents but they took the pair directly to the Brooklyn police station. Palermo offered a bribe of 100 dollars for his freedom, Lupo also joined in the plea, claiming they should release Palermo ” let this poor old devil go, he has nothing to do with this”.

Nick Sylvester was already being held in the Tombs on a separate charge.

The Court Case

With the all the gang now held a trial date was set for January 28^th with Judge Geo. W. Ray. Comito was the governments star witness and testified against the other defendants. The trial was drawn out across seventeen days and finally drew to a close on February 19^th when the jury took just one hour to reach a decision of guilty for each defendant :

Giuseppe Morello, the leader of the gang, was sentenced on the first count to 15 years hard labour and a $500 fine. On the second count, 10 years hard labour and a $500 fine.

Ignazio Lupo was sentenced on the first count to 15 years hard labour and a $500 fine. On the second count, 15 years hard labour and a $500 fine.

Giuseppe Palermo was sentenced on the first count to 15 years hard labour and a $500 fine. On the second count, 3 years hard labour and a $500 fine.

Antonio Cecala, Salvatore Cina and Vincenzo Giglio were all sentenced on the first count to 12 years hard labour and a $500 fine. On the second count, 3 years hard labour and a $500 fine.

Giuseppe Calicchio the Neapolitan printer was sentenced on the first count to 15 years hard labour and a $500 fine. On the second count, 2 years hard labour and a $100 fine.

Nick Sylvester was sentenced on the first count to 10 years hard labour and a $500 fine. On the second count, 5 years hard labour and a $500 fine.

The guilty men were removed from court under heavy guard and held in the Tombs. Two days later the gang were transported to the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary to begin their sentences. Two weeks later eight more Italians connected with the gang were tried, including Leo Luca Vasi and Giuseppe Amato.

Cina was paroled from the Atlanta Penitentiary on 20^th June 1913. Cecala, Sylvester and Giglio were all paroled on 21^st February 1915. Calicchio was paroled on 21^st October 1915. Palermo was paroled on 21^st February 1916

Further Arrests

The secret service were sure that they had smashed the whole counterfeiting ring, but some of the counterfeit notes were still coming into circulation during 1910.

On December 1^st, 1910, thirteen Italians were rounded up across New York city. The police raided a saloon at 86 Chrystie Street run by Vincenzo D” Antonio and Salvatore Sabatino. In other raids police arrested Michale Albanese, Vincenzo Perino of 9 Prince Street, Francesco and Modesto De Sonna from a barbershop at 77 Chrystie Street, George Catania (known as Morello) from 132 Chrystie Street, Rosario Tusso from 172 Chrystie Street and Dominico Saprenza from 22 Stanton Street.

During the raid on Chrystie Street the police found $1000 in counterfeit $2 notes in the basement of the saloon, they believed Modesto De Sonna and Vincenzo D’Antonio to be the ring leaders in the operation. All the men were charged with passing counterfeit money, D’Antonio was held on $10,000 bail and the rest were held on $2,500 — $5000 bail.

On December 11^th, 1910, Giuseppe Boscarino, who had been under surveillance in 1909 was convicted by Judge Hugh in the US Circuit Court. Comito appeared as a witness for the government. Malone, who was also on trial, was released on a disagreement before being rearessted. D’Antonio, the saloon keeper from 86 Chrystie Street was convicted on December 13^th 1910.