Vario Crew

The Vario Crew, also known as the Canarsie Crew, is a group of Italian-American mobsters within the Lucchese crime family that controlled organized crime activities within the New York metropolitan area but had been predominantly based from Brooklyn neighborhoods of Canarsie and Flatlands. In the past, the crew was controlled by capo Paul Vario from the early 1950s into the early 1980s, when Vario, Jimmy Burke, and a number of other associates were imprisoned, primarily due to the testimony of another long-term associate, Henry Hill. The life story of Hill's time with the Vario crew was the subject of Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy and Martin Scorsese's crime film adapted from that book, Goodfellas (1990), starring Ray Liotta as Hill.

Vario Crew
Founded1950s
FounderLucchese crime family
Named afterPaul Vario
Founding locationCanarsie, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Years active1950s–present (merged)
TerritoryBrooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Staten Island
EthnicityItalians as "made men" and other ethnicities as associates
ActivitiesRacketeering, bookmaking, loan-sharking, extortion, gambling, burglary, cargo theft, conspiracy, counterfeit consumer goods, murder, smuggling, fencing, union corruption, hotel robbery, hijacking and jewelry heists
AlliesGambino, Genovese, Bonanno and Colombo crime families
RivalsVarious gangs

During the early 2000s, the Lucchese family administration decided that Vario crew Caporegime Domenico "Danny" Cutaia would take control of the 19th Hole crew, because the crew had lost it leadership and many of its members were imprisoned. The 19th Hole crew was based out of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn when Vic Amuso and Christopher "Christie Tick" Furnari controlled the crew. When the two crews merged together Cutaia became the caporegime of Brooklyn faction for the Lucchese Borgata.

History of the Vario Crew

Paul Vario's power

Paul Vario received money from members of his crew and local criminals. Vario's crew was involved in hijacking cargo shipments from JFK Airport in Queens, NY; they also ran several loansharking and bookmaking operations in Brooklyn.

James Burke, a close ally of Vario's, ran a crew of hijackers that would pay off truck drivers and then unload the goods at a warehouse Vario controlled. Another ally of Vario's was John Dioguardi, a Lucchese family capo who controlled labor unions in New York City. In the 1970s, when Vario and Burke were imprisoned, the majority of Vario's bookmaking operations were taken over by his Russian Jewish associate, Martin Krugman.

Henry Hill's drug organization

Two of Vario's crew members, Henry Hill and Jimmy Burke, began dealing in amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Hill ran his criminal enterprise with his wife Karen, William Arico, Anthony and Rocco Perla, Robin Cooperman, and Judith Wicks. In early 1979, Burke and Hill began selling heroin.

After Robert "Bobby" Germaine Jr., the son of Henry Hill's drug partner, became an informant, Hill was monitored. In 1980, Hill was arrested for drug dealing and looking at several life-sentences. He accepted the option to become an informant.

Hill's testimony led to 50 convictions. In 1980, on Burke's orders, Angelo Sepe shot and killed Bobby Germaine, Jr. in Kew Gardens, Queens.

Burke was given 20 years for fixing sporting events and a life sentence when the authorities convicted him for murdering scam-artist Richard Eaton. Vario was given a 12½-year sentence during the KENRAC trial.

Robert's Lounge Crew

The Robert's Lounge Crew was a semi-independent group of criminals working under the Vario Crew, led by Jimmy Burke, and based in Burke's bar, Robert's Lounge. They were active from 1957 to 1979.

The Robert's Lounge crew comprised numerous members, some described as inept, whose specialties included armed robbery, hijacking, and murder. Although an independent outfit, they were closely associated with the Lucchese Family through which Burke had a longtime friendship and working relationship with Vario.[1]

Historical leadership

Caporegimes of the Vario crew
  • 1930s–1960: Salvatore "Don Turiddo" Curiale — stepped down, retired
  • 1960–1988: Paul Vario — sentenced in 1984 to 12+1⁄2 years in prison; died on May 3, 1988
    • Acting 1967–1970: Salvatore "Babe" Vario — youngest brother to Paul Vario
    • Acting 1970–1988: Vito "Tuddy" Vario — brother to Paul Vario
  • 1988–1991: Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco — served as Street Boss from May 1990 to January 1991; then served as Acting Boss from January 1991 to July 1991, when he was demoted; he became a government witness on September 21, 1991[2]
    • Acting 1990–1991: Louis Daidone — promoted to Caporegime
  • 1991–1992: Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone — imprisoned on May 1, 1992
  • 1992–2010: Domenico "Danny" Cutaia — imprisoned and released in early 2000, he took control of the merged Brooklyn faction
    • Acting 1996–1997: John Baudanza — replaced
    • Acting 1997–2002: John "Sidburns" Cerrella — arrested in 2002
    • Merged 2000: Crew merged with the 19th Hole crew, creating the Brooklyn faction, Domenico Cutaia continued serving as Caporegime

Caporegimes of the 19th Hole crew

Caporegimes of the McDonald Ave crew

Caporegimes of the Brooklyn faction

Current members and associates
Members of Vario crew
Associates to the Vario crew
  • Joseph Cutaia (Associate)
  • Steven Lapella (Associate)
  • Victor Sperber (Associate)
  • Louis Colello (Associate)
  • John Rodopolous (Associate)

Past members and associates

These are past members and associates who have retired, been murdered, or died other ways.

Soldiers of Vario crew
  • Frank Manzo (Soldier)
  • Vito "Tuddy" Vario (Soldier)
  • Peter "Rugsy" Vario (Soldier)
  • Peter "Jocko" Vario (Soldier)
  • Salvatore "Babe" Vario (Soldier)
  • Thomas Vario (Soldier)
  • Peter "Pete the Killer" Abinati (Soldier)
  • Leonard Vario Jr. (Soldier)
  • Joseph D'Arco (Soldier)
  • Bruno Facciolo (Soldier)
  • Rosario Sacco (Soldier)
  • Luigi Sacco (Soldier)
  • Alfonso "Foo" Curiale (Soldier)
  • Paolo Danna (Soldier)
  • Ray Argentina (Soldier)
  • Joseph Chiavo (Soldier)
  • Carmine "Fats" Taglialatela (Soldier)
  • Louis "Lou Bagels" Daidone (Acting Capo)
Associates of the Vario crew
  • Clyde Brooks (associate, died in 1994)
  • Angelo 'Sonny Bamboo' McConnach (associate, died in 1996)
  • Joseph Abinati (associate)
  • Thomas "Tommy Red" Gilmore (associate, Murdered on February 6, 1989)
  • Frank James Burke (associate, murdered on May 18, 1987)[4]
  • Jimmy Burke (associate, died on April 13, 1996)[4]
  • Louis Cafora (associate disappeared in March 1979)[4]
  • Thomas DeSimone (associate, murdered on January 14, 1979)[4]
  • Richard Eaton (associate, murdered on July 18, 1979)[4]
  • Henry Hill (associate, became a witness in 1980, died on June 12, 2012)[5]
  • Martin Krugman (associate, disappeared on January 6, 1979)[4]
  • Angelo Sepe (associate, murdered on July 18, 1984)[4]
  • Louis Werner (associate, convicted on May 16, 1979)[4]

Former headquarters and hangouts

The crew operates throughout the New York City; these are some of its former headquarters and hangouts.

Government informants and witnesses
  • Richard Bilello – associate, murdered on October 28, 1974
  • Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco – became a witness on September 21, 1991, died in 2019
  • Theresa Ferrara – became a government informant, disappeared on February 10, 1979[4]
  • Peter Gruenwald – associate, became a witness in 1978,[4] died in 1979
  • Henry Hill – associate, became a witness in 1980, died on June 12, 2012[5]

References

Notes

  1. "Robert's Lounge Crew". TruTV.
  2. "Declaration of Alphonse D'Arco in Mason Tenders RICO Suit". Thelaborers.org. October 5, 1994. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  3. "Inmate Locator: Domenico Cutaia". Bureau of Prisons.
  4. May, Allan. "The Lufthansa Heist Revisited: Cast of Characters". TruTv.com. p. 20. Archived from the original on 2012-04-28.
  5. "Henry Hill, Inspiration For "Goodfellas", Dead At 69". MTV. June 13, 2012.
  6. Hill, Henry & Schreckengost, Bryon (28 April 2010). A Goodfella's Guide to New York: Your Personal Tour Through the Mob's Notorious Haunts. pp. 90 and 135. ISBN 9780307556462.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  7. Pileggi, Nicholas (September 1990). Wiseguy: Life In a Mafia Family. pp. 104, 145. ISBN 9780671723224.
  8. Hill, Henry & Schreckengost, Bryon (28 April 2010). A Goodfella's Guide to New York: Your Personal Tour Through the Mob's Notorious Haunts. p. 77. ISBN 9780307556462.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  9. Pileggi, Nicholas (September 1990). Wiseguy: Life In a Mafia Family. pp. 102–103. ISBN 9780671723224.
  10. Postiglione, Louis M. (22 January 2010). Did I Win Or Did I Lose?: 77 Years of Wisdom. p. 68. ISBN 9781449061258.
  11. Pileggi, Nicholas (September 1990). Wiseguy: Life In a Mafia Family. pp. 120, 122. ISBN 9780671723224.

Sources

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.