The Lo Monte Brothers

E109th Street

In 1889, Vincenzo Lo Monte (b.~1846) emigrated to New York City from Villafrati in the province of Palermo. He was joined four years later, by his wife, Caterina (née Cappellano b.~1853) and son, Gaetano (Thomas b.1886). Another son, Fortunato (Charles b.1883) arrived the following year.¹

The family originally settled at 332 E109th Street in East Harlem. Their neighbour was the infamous Giosue Gallucci who later relocated to #339.² By June 1900, most of the Lo Monte family had moved to 324 E109th.³

Other Lo Monte families living on E109th Street, included;

• Vincenzo’s brother, Rosario Lo Monte (b.1856), lived with his wife and five children at 330 E109th Street. They had emigrated around 1896, likely from Villafrati. Like his brother, Rosario was a plasterer by profession. His daughter, Rose, was later wounded in 1914 when Thomas Lo Monte was shot.⁴

• Also living at #330 was Giuseppe Lo Monte (b.1874). He was also a plasterer from Villafrati and was later described in Secret Service records as a plasterers union delegate. In 1901, he married Brigida Lo Monte (b.1883).⁵ His passport application was witnessed by Carmelo LoCurto from E108th Street, who wrote “I knew in Italy, came from nearby town, meet him every week.” LoCurto was the secretary of the Francis Bentivegna Corleonese real estate company, and was also the public notary for the incorporation of Fortunato Lo Monte’s grain and feed business in 1913.⁶

• Alfonso Lo Monte (b.1870), another plasterer from Villafrati, lived at #331. He had arrived in 1897, with Giuseppe’s future wife, Brigida.⁷ Alfonso was a director of “LoCurto & Co.” with Carmelo LoCurto and Paolo Orlando. Orlando was described by the Secret Service as a “gang boss”, he also ran a contracting business with Angelo Gagliano called the “Trinacria Co-Operative”.⁸
  

• Also living at #331, was yet another plasterer from Villafrati, Joseph Lo Monte (b.1879). He was later a representative for the “Operative Plasterers and Cement Finishers International Association”, a labor union founded in 1864. Thomas Lo Monte joined the association in 1913, when he became a member of the Local No.60 union in New York City.⁹

1910s

In December 1903, Fortunato Lo Monte married Lena Cimino (b.1885) at the City Hall, where his occupation was noted to be a plasterer. Three days later, the couple had a religious ceremony at the Mount Carmel church on E115th Street. His sister, Maria Lo Monte had married Lena’s uncle, Francesco Badaloto, in 1894.¹⁰

By 1905, Fortunato and his wife were living at 346 E106th Street. The tenement was also home to his parents, his brother Thomas, and his Cimino in-laws – but the most notable occupant was Mafia boss Giuseppe Morello, who was living his wife Lena and their two children.¹¹

The Lo Monte family soon relocated to 2085 Second Avenue where they joined Francesco and Maria Badalato. The building was adjacent to the infamous Harlem stables run by Pasqua Musone. Fortunato’s daughter Rosalia was born in 1906, and his son Vincenzo was born two years later. In 1908, his sister Rose married Gaetano Portoghese from E116th Street.¹² She and her brother Thomas were witnesses to Ciro Terranova’s wedding in 1909.¹³

A short distance from the Lo Monte home was 2069 Second Avenue, an address used by Giuseppe Morello in 1909 when he wrote to Chicago Mafia head, Rosario Dispenza. He signed the letter, “… All of Corleone. Giuseppe La Bella and brother, Vincenzo, brother Ciro and brother Coco.” Underneath were listed eight further names that included both Gaetano (Thomas) and his brother Fortunato Lo Monte.¹⁴

Incidentally, the jewellery store at 2069 Second Avenue was robbed by Otto Milone in 1905. He was a third cousin to Morello and the brother of Antonio Milone, the treasurer of Morello’s Ignatz Florio real estate company. In 1932, the building was home to Gaetano “Tommy” Lucchese.¹⁵

By 1910, Fortunato and his wife had relocated to 229 E107th Street. They lived in the apartment next to his sister Rose Portoghese.¹⁶

When Giuseppe Morello was tried for counterfeiting in early 1910, Fortunato’s mother appeared as a witness for his defence.¹⁷After Morello was jailed, Giuseppe Lo Monte, the friend of Carmelo LoCurto, helped to raise funds to secure his release from Atlanta Penitentiary. Tickets were sold to a “smoker” (a lively entertainment event) at the Marconi Hall on E114th Street. The venue was typically used for large functions, including Tammany Hall celebrations and regular meetings of the Italian Rock Breakers and Excavators Union.¹⁸

Fortunato Lo Monte

Mafia historians theorise that around late February 1912, Fortunato Lo Monte was elected to lead the Morello group.¹⁹

“After it became obvious that Morello was not leaving prison anytime soon, the members of his borgata elected – with Morello’s approval – Fortunato Lo Monte as his successor.”

Secret Service informant, Salvatore Clemente, reported on the meetings he held with the Lo Monte and Terranova (Morello) brothers. They were often held in a saloon at 227 E107th Street, a hangout run by Angelo Gagliano and Ippolito Greco. However, the Secret Service reports always referred to the location as “Lomonte’s saloon” or the “Lomonte brothers saloon.”²⁰

A report from Clemente in June 1912 revealed that Thomas Lo Monte and Nick Terranova had both been involved with a recent murder in the Bronx. The pair, and two other men, had driven to 150th Street and shot Rocco Cusano for his involvement in the recent murder of Terranova’s nephew.²¹

On the morning of July 8th, two bombs exploded in Harlem. One was detonated outside of Fortunato Lo Monte’s home. The other exploded outside of 2229 First Avenue, a large meeting hall and saloon often used as meeting place by various Italian labor unions. Associates of the Morello gang had also been known to hangout there.²²

In July, Nick Terranova visited informant Clemente’s home. He instructed him to go to the E107th Street saloon, where Fortunato Lo Monte was waiting to meet him. Upon his arrival, Clemente learned that the Lo Montes and the Terranovas were planning another murder. This time it was a favor for one of their associates, gambler Giuseppe DeMarco, who wanted to kill an actress who knew too much about his criminal past.²³

In January 1913, the “Gerosa & Lo Monte Company” was incorporated to “deal in hay, straw, grain and oats.” The companies directors were, 

Antonio Gerosa. 241 E106th Street.
Fortunato Lo Monte. 213 E107th Street.
Angelo Gagliano. 231 E107th Street.

Gerosa ran the business at 2103 First Avenue, adjacent to the Harlem “Murder Stables”. He was an experienced grain dealer from Milano and worked at the store with his wife Concetta. They were occasionally joined by their son Lorenzo, who later went on to serve two terms as comptroller of New York City and also ran for city Mayor.²⁴

Gerosa’s first wife, Concetta Sarro (née Coppolino), came from Palermo and may have known the Badaloto and Lo Monte families. A witness to her marriage with Gerosa was a Concetta Cimino, possibly the same Concetta Cimino as Fortunato’s sister-in-law.²⁵

In April 1913, a Secret Service agent reported seeing Thomas Lo Monte travelling in a car with Manfredi Mineo and Vincenzo Briguccia. (Mineo and Briguccia both emigrated from Sicily together in 1911.)²⁶

Around a month later, Fortunato Lo Monte was travelling along Fifth Avenue near 108th Street when his bodyguard was shot and killed. He was forced to flee the scene at high-speed and gave detectives no clues to the identity of his attacker.²⁷

On November 4th 1913, Mafioso Giuseppe Fontana was shot on E105th Street. The Secret Service were informed he had been killed by “a gang led by Mineo Manfredi, of Brooklyn […] and by members of the Lamonti gang, of Harlem, who were associated with the Terranovas”.²⁸

The murder was part of an ongoing battle between New York’s Mafia gangs, which some historians have labelled as “The First mafia War”. The Secret Service informant explained that “there are four gangs, that three of them are working together, the Manfredi gang, the gang headed by Nicola Schiro, both of Brooklyn, and the Lamonti gang of Harlem, that the fourth gang, headed by D’Aquila of Harlem, is opposed to the other three gangs”.²⁹

On January 31, 1914, a car was seen driving erratically through East Harlem. After causing a fire truck to swerve into pedestrians, the vehicle sped along E108th Street and struck a young girl who was knocked unconscious. The car was registered to “Charles LeMonte 2103 Third Avenue”. (This was likely a misreporting of Fortunato “Charles” Lo Monte’s business address, which was 2103 First Avenue).³⁰

Fortunato was arrested three months later for drunk-driving in Brooklyn. His car was almost demolished after colliding with another vehicle on Ocean Parkway near Avenue U. His passengers were thrown from the car and although Fortunato was injured, he refused any medical assistance. He was held on $500 bail.³¹

A week later, Fortunato was killed during an ambush outside 312 E108th Street, a short walk from his grain store business. The three gunmen, Umberto Valente, Accursio Di Mino and Joseph Biondo, were reportedly working under orders from Toto D’Aquila. Fortunato was shot in the back of the head, the shoulder and lower back. A motorist took him to the Harlem Hospital where he later died.³² The press described him as a well-respected “peacemaker of Harlem’s Little Italy” who had halted vendettas between some of the city’s gangs.³³

Three weeks later, James Cestaro, of 324 E109th Street, was shot dead whilst attending a friend’s party in Harlem, he was reported as being the “closest friend” of Fortunato.³⁴

Thomas Lo Monte

Following Giosue Gallucci’s murder in May 1915, Thomas Lo Monte had taken control of his policy game in Harlem. He lived with family at 4332 Park Avenue, before moving to 50 Cathedral Parkway on the northwest corner of Central Park. He’s recorded as living with his wife (b.1891) and two children. (His wife’s name is unknown as the census did not record the names of the female partners in the building).³⁵

In early 1915, Thomas was the director of the “LoMonte Brothers” company. The book keeper, was Antoinette Lo Monte of 305 E116th Street.³⁶

E116th Street, between First and Second Avenue, was home to many families familiar to Thomas, including;³⁷

• The Streppone family lived at #304. Joe Streppone who was killed in 1910, was an associate of Giosue Gallucci ;
• Thomas’ uncle, Rosario Lo Monte, lived with his wife and five children at #312;
• Diadato Villamena lived at lived at #315. He had been a personal friend of Gallucci and visited him three times on his deathbed;
• Paolo Orlando, who had many connections with the Morello crime family, lived at #323 with his wife and seven children;
• The Terranova brothers, Nick, Vincent and Ciro, along with various members of their extended families, occupied the entire three-storey tenement at #350.

Close to the Terranova’s home was a large saloon/pool-hall situated on the corner of First Avenue. Until 1913, it had been named “Cafe Gallucci” and run by John Russomano, who sold it after he was shot on E109th Street. It was then run by Andrea Cirolli, who lived at 353 E116th Street.³⁸ Cirolli, had previously run the large saloon and union meeting hall at 2229 First Avenue, when it was referred to as “Cirolli’s Hall”. Secret Service agents considered him to be a “friend” that was happy to share information.³⁹

Thomas Lo Monte frequented the saloon for many years, including the time it was under Russomano’s ownership. He was said to be “an aspirant for democratic leadership of ‘Little Italy’” since Gallucci’s death in May 1915.⁴⁰

The rear of the saloon was used as a meeting place by the Terranova and Lo Monte groups. Leopoldo Lauritano from the Navy Street Gang revealed the location during a statement to Assistant District Attorney,⁴¹

Q. And when you went to New York to see the Morello gang in Harlem, where did you meet them? 
A. 116th Street and 1st Avenue. You know, up near the saloon up there.

Q. In the saloon? In the back room or where?
A. In the rear. There is a little house there in the back, and we would always go in the back.

Q. Cirolli’s place?
A. Yes. 

Thomas was killed on October 13th, 1915. He had been standing inside the saloon entrance when he stepped outside to speak with his cousin, Rose Lo Monte, who lived nearby at #312 E116th Street. She asked Thomas to walk with her, as she didn’t want to be seen standing on the street corner. The pair were then shot by 29-year-old, Antonio Impelluso. Thomas was hit three times in the back, and Rose once in the chest.⁴²

A 21-year-old Guarino “Willie” Moretti helped to carry Lo Monte to the nearby Sydneham Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. His cousin Rose eventually made a full recovery and later testified against Impelluso.⁴³

Impelluso had been lying in wait, watching the saloon from a room on the other side of First Avenue. He had rented the property, with two other men, ten days prior to the shooting.⁴⁴ He never revealed who had hired him to kill Lo Monte. He was sentenced to death in January 1916, and executed May 1917.⁴⁵