DeCavalcante Family: 100 Years of Brutality and Showdowns
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Quick Facts
DeCavalcante: New Jersey's 'Sopranos' and crime century
In the heart of [Internal Link Placeholder], the Italian-American DeCavalcante [Internal Link Placeholder] family has engaged in illegal [Internal Link Placeholder], [Internal Link Placeholder], drug trafficking, and [Internal Link Placeholder] for over a century. Often compared to the fictional clan in the TV series 'The Sopranos,' the DeCavalcante family has made its mark on the underworld through a combination of brutality, cunning strategies, and an impressive ability to adapt despite constant pressure from law enforcement. From founder Simone DeCavalcante's control of the construction industry to today's more digital methods, the family's history testifies to its strong survival skills within organized crime.
Simone 'Sam the Plumber': Construction and surveillance
The family's [Internal Link Placeholder] age began under Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante, also known as 'Sam the Plumber,' who led from 1960 to 1976. He claimed the nickname 'The Count' due to alleged Italian [Internal Link Placeholder], which bolstered his authority. Through his front company, Kenilworth Heating and Air Conditioning, he established a solid power base in [Internal Link Placeholder] construction industry and even used hidden microphones for sophisticated [Internal Link Placeholder] of rivals and politicians.
1969 Setback: Gambling empire exposed – Downfall
Simone DeCavalcante's empire suffered a setback in 1969 when 54 members of the DeCavalcante family were indicted in a [Internal Link Placeholder] involving an extensive [Internal Link Placeholder] operation with an estimated annual turnover of $20 million. This [Internal Link Placeholder] also exposed the family's control over several of [Internal Link Placeholder] porn shops, an extremely profitable source of income. Although Simone DeCavalcante himself avoided a long prison sentence by pleading guilty, this [Internal Link Placeholder] led to intensified [Internal Link Placeholder] [Internal Link Placeholder] of the family.
Giovanni Riggi: Alliances and funeral industry entry
After Simone DeCavalcante's era, Giovanni Riggi, known as 'The Eagle,' took over the [Internal Link Placeholder] of the DeCavalcante family in the 1980s. Under Riggi's rule, the family expanded its influence, partly through strategic alliances with the powerful Gambino family from [Internal Link Placeholder]. However, this alliance was tested in 1992 with the brutal [Internal Link Placeholder] of John 'Johnny Boy' D'Amato, Riggi's designated successor. This family murder, which took place in Brooklyn, was shrouded in [Internal Link Placeholder], but rumors of D'Amato's homosexuality – considered unacceptable in [Internal Link Placeholder] circles – point to the motive. D'Amato was shot four times, and his body was [Internal Link Placeholder] to a farm in Newburgh and buried on a property belonging to Philip 'The Undertaker' LaMella. LaMella's profession as a funeral director gave the DeCavalcante family access to the lucrative, yet closed, funeral industry and its hidden opportunities for organized crime.
Operation Family Secrets: Guarino and Palermo's betrayal
This period was marked by increased pressure and internal strife within the DeCavalcante family. It culminated in 1999 with Operation Family Secrets, where informant Ralph Guarino's decade-long undercover work from within delivered a devastating blow to the organization. Guarino's secret recordings of conversations with leading members like Vincent Palermo led to the arrest of over 30 high-ranking individuals in the family's hierarchy. Palermo himself subsequently chose to cooperate with the [Internal Link Placeholder] and became one of the most significant [Internal Link Placeholder] in the federal police's history, exposing the deep internal [Internal Link Placeholder] and division within the [Internal Link Placeholder] family.
Modern methods: Charlie Horse and Rocco's infiltration
Despite repeated [Internal Link Placeholder] and setbacks, the DeCavalcante family has shown remarkable resilience. In the 2010s, captain Charles 'Beeps' Stango, previously convicted of racketeering, attempted to rebuild the family's position in [Internal Link Placeholder] using modern methods. His plans included a luxurious escort service in Toms River, disguised as a legitimate club—a new form of [Internal Link Placeholder] targeting a [Internal Link Placeholder] clientele. This operation, along with drug trafficking and smuggling of untaxed cigarettes, was exposed in 2015 during Operation Charlie Horse. The [Internal Link Placeholder] once again infiltrated the family, this time via undercover agent Giovanni 'Gatto' Rocco. Rocco's role as Stango's right-hand man provided unparalleled insight into the DeCavalcante family's structure and methods in the 21st century, including their involvement in organized crime.
Rocco's revelations: Technology and murder of Oliveri
Giovanni Rocco documented how DeCavalcante members entered into complex agreements, even with rival groups like Hells Angels. He also observed their increased use of technology, including encrypted communication apps and digital obfuscation methods via shell companies, to evade [Internal Link Placeholder] [Internal Link Placeholder]. Despite these precautions, Rocco managed to record over 400 conversations. These recordings revealed plans for truck [Internal Link Placeholder], warehouse robberies, and even a [Internal Link Placeholder] of another member, Luigi 'The Dog' Oliveri, underscoring the brutal reality of the [Internal Link Placeholder] internal power struggles.
Old Bridge: Sicilian links and transatlantic drug trade
A lesser-known but essential dimension of the DeCavalcante family's history is its strong ties to Sicilian [Internal Link Placeholder] traditions. Operation Old Bridge in 2008 revealed a revived partnership with the Inzerillo family from Palermo, an alliance with roots in the [Internal Link Placeholder] mafia wars of 1980s Sicily. Through Frank Cali, later boss of the Gambino family, the DeCavalcante family acted as a vital link between Sicilian drug [Internal Link Placeholder] and distribution networks in the [Internal Link Placeholder]. This extensive transatlantic drug trade involving heroin and cocaine was allegedly facilitated via cargo ships under [Internal Link Placeholder] flags, whose holds were specially designed to conceal the illegal cargo.
Union control to 'The Sopranos': The inspiration
Besides drug trafficking and [Internal Link Placeholder], the DeCavalcante family [Internal Link Placeholder] profited massively from infiltrating labor unions and the labor market through 'labor leasing.' This form of [Internal Link Placeholder] and [Internal Link Placeholder] involved supervisors forcing companies to hire specific workers, a strategy that was particularly lucrative in the 1990s. The family's long and notorious history has also inspired popular [Internal Link Placeholder]; David Chase, creator of the HBO series The Sopranos, has pointed to the DeCavalcante family as a primary source of inspiration for the fictional DiMeo family. Like Tony Soprano's clan, real-life DeCavalcante members have balanced traditional [Internal Link Placeholder] virtues with modern [Internal Link Placeholder] methods. Agent Rocco's undercover work even revealed how younger members discussed The Sopranos episodes as inspiration for their criminal activities—a striking example of fiction's influence on real-world organized crime.
Trials and rebuilding: Riggi to Stango's darknet plans
Over a century, the DeCavalcante family has faced numerous [Internal Link Placeholder] and legal challenges, from Simone DeCavalcante's tax cases in 1969 to Charles Stango's 2015 conviction for drug trafficking. Another [Internal Link Placeholder] was Giovanni Riggi's 2001 conviction, where he received a 12-year prison sentence for labor racketeering, further exposing the family's illegal control over labor unions and the accompanying [Internal Link Placeholder]. Although the [Internal Link Placeholder] described the outcome of Operation Charlie Horse in 2015 as a 'serious setback' for the family, recent intelligence indicates a gradual rebuilding. Young, ambitious members like Anthony 'Whitey' Stango are said to combine traditional loan sharking with darknet trading and a growing interest in [Internal Link Placeholder]. This hybrid model of organized crime presents new, complex challenges for law enforcement in [Internal Link Placeholder] and [Internal Link Placeholder].
Century of survival: DeCavalcante's criminal evolution
Through a century of extensive crime, the DeCavalcante family has not only [Internal Link Placeholder] but also demonstrated a remarkable ability to evolve. From Simone 'Sam the Plumber' DeCavalcante's dominance in the construction industry to today's more digital forms of [Internal Link Placeholder] and [Internal Link Placeholder], this [Internal Link Placeholder] organization continues to write its own persistent chapter in the history of organized crime in [Internal Link Placeholder] and the wider underworld.
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Susanne Sperling
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