Thomas Hunt's Blog - Posts Tagged "buffalo"

Michael Tona and I are putting the finishing touches on DiCarlo: Buffalo's First Family of Crime. A great deal of time, labor and information went into the project, which produced a massive manuscript with tons of endnotes. Mike and I considered whether to pare down the book into something more palatable for traditional publishers. In the end, we decided that it would be a better service to those who (like us) are deeply interested in the subject to make it available in its entirety. So, we will soon be publishing DiCarlo in two volumes (printed books and e-books). We'll work on trimming it down for a traditionally published edition a bit later on.

DiCarlo: Buffalo's First Family of Crime is now available for purchase in hardcover, trade paperback and e-book formats for Kindle and Nook/iBooks. Well, sort of. Whether it is available to you at this moment depends in large part on where you are looking for it. Purchase links to the current sellers (basically the publisher's bookstore, though Amazon is carrying the Kindle version) are available on the book website, buffalomob.com, along with plenty of interesting information about the book and its authors.

Due to the nature of the book-catalog process, it could be another month or so before DiCarlo appears in Amazon.com (as I mentioned, the Kindle version is there already) or Barnes and Noble. As I understand it, the ISBN information needs to be circulated, the distributor needs to manually update a database and then booksellers need to update their databases and each update is performed on a monthly basis ... whatever.

There is an additional wrinkle involved with the Nook and iBooks EPUB-format e-books, as those must be individually authorized before they can go on sale through B&N and the Apple store. I don't really know what they do to authorize books or how long it takes, and I'm trying my best not to be in any way critical of the EPUB Ministry of Acceptable Books (guess I just failed). I am assured that the process has begun and must be content with that information.

Bottom line is this. If you want DiCarlo now, it is available in all formats through the limited channels shown on the website. If you want to buy it through your favorite seller, you may need to wait just a bit longer (should be there long before Christmas!). That's the book-biz.

Widely known in Prohibition Era western New York as "Jew Minnie," Minnie Leventhal was an eastern European immigrant to the Buffalo area who associated with some powerful organized criminals and ran speakeasies and hotels. Minnie was believed to have been romantically involved with both Buffalo crime boss Giuseppe DiCarlo and his son Joseph DiCarlo. We have added a biography of Minnie Clark to the DiCarlo book website: http://buffalomob.blogspot.com/2013/0...

In addition to the biography of "Jew Minnie" Clark mentioned earlier in this blog, our website for DiCarlo: Buffalo's First Family of Crime includes writeups on these individuals linked to the Mafia of western New York:
- Salvatore "Sam" Pieri,
- Frederico "Lupo" Randaccio,
- Joseph Fino,
- John Cammilleri,
- Daniel Sansanese, Sr.,
- Pasquale "Pat Titters" Natarelli, and
- Isadoro Crocevera.

We've added brief biographies of Buffalo Mafia leaders John Montana and Rosario "Roy" Carlisi to the website. (Click on a name to view the corresponding writeup.)

To bring everyone up to date, since Sept. 24 we have added several organized crime biographies to our DiCarlo book website: Cassandro "Tony the Chief" Bonasera (1897-1972), Salvatore "Sam" Frangiamore (1905-1999), Antonino Magaddino (1897-1971), John "Peanuts" Tronolone (1910-1991).

Don't forget to enter the DiCarlo Vol. I giveaway here on Goodreads. There are no obligations or strings attached. Just click to enter and be sure Goodreads has your correct mailing address. Five winners will be chosen by Goodreads from all entries. Promotion ends Nov. 2.

Today marks the forty-fifth anniversary of the beginning of the end of the Magaddino Crime Family. On November 26, 1968, state and federal law enforcement agents executed arrest and search warrants against regional crime boss Stefano Magaddino, his son Peter A. Magaddino and other individuals. The warrants were related to a crackdown on a lucrative sports gambling operation overseen by the Magaddinos. The arrests were merely a minor inconvenience for the “Arm,” as the Mafia of western New York was known. However, during the search of Peter Magaddino’s home, nearly $500,000 in cash was found in a secret closet in the master bedroom. That turned out to be a serious problem for the crime family leadership...

On this date in 1959, John Montana of Buffalo was one of 20 Apalachin Mafia convention attendees convicted in federal court of obstructing a government investigation. The maximum possible sentence was five years in prison.

Montana, a prominent and politically connected businessman in Buffalo, served as local overseer of the Niagara Falls-headquartered Magaddino Crime Family. Taken into custody as he fled Joseph Barbara's Apalachin home in November 1957, Montana insisted that he was there entirely by accident and had no knowledge of the underworld convention taking place.

The others convicted were Russell Bufalino of PA, Ignatius Cannone of NY, Paul Castellano of NY, Joseph Civello of TX, Frank DeSimone of CA, Natale Evola of NY, Louis Larasso of NJ, Carmine Lombardozzi of NY, Joseph Magliocco of NY, Frank Majuri of NJ, Michele Miranda of NY, John Ormento of NY, James Osticco of PA, Joseph Profaci of NY, Anthony Riela of NJ, John Scalish of OH, Angelo Sciandra of PA, Simone Scozzari of CA, Pasquale Turrigiano of NY.

On this date in 1967 - Buffalo police raid a bachelor party at Panaro's Lounge and find 37 underworld figures in attendance. (Image of Niagara Falls Gazette from May 9, 1967.)



DiCarlo: Buffalo's First Family of Crime

A brief biography of Buffalo Mafia leader Filippo Mazzara has been added to the DiCarlo book website: LINK

Mazzara, a native of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily (hometown of Stefano Magaddino and Joseph Bonanno), is discussed in Volume I of DiCarlo: Buffalo's First Family of Crime.