The New Jersey faction of the Lucchese crime family, also known as the Jersey Crew,Carlo pg. 232-236 is a powerful crew of Italian-American mobsters which operates throughout the Northern New Jersey area. During the 1970s into the late 1980s, the crew was led by Anthony Accetturo and his protégé Michael Taccetta. In 1987, Victor Amuso took over the family and began demanding a higher percentage of tribute from the crew. Accetturo refused and a war erupted between the New Jersey members and the New York members. This left brothers Michael and Martin Taccetta in charge of the crew as they tried to have Accetturo and his family murdered. In 1993, Accetturo defected and became a government witness. He helped convict Michael and Martin Taccetta.Rudolph pg.421 The crew is currently controlled by Joseph R. "Big Joe" Perna.
History Early history The early members of the Lucchese crime family's New Jersey faction can be traced back to independent Italian criminal groups that operated in Newark, New Jersey. During the early 1900s, in the city of Newark, Italian criminals was divided into two ethnic factions: the "Sicilians" led by Stefano "Don Steven" Badami and the "Neapolitans" led by Ruggiero "the Boot" Boiardo.
In 1920, Prohibition began in the United States making all alcohol illegal, presenting criminals with the opportunity to earn large amount of money through bootlegging, the selling and transporting of illegal alcohol. During prohibition bootleggers fought for territory and dominance which lead to murders and violence erupting in cities and towns. In Newark a violent war broke out between Boiardo's Neapolitan faction and Jewish gangster Abner "Longie" Zwillman which lasted for years as the two groups fought to control bootlegging operations in New Jersey. Boiardo controlled his bootlegging operations from the First Ward (Newark's Little Italy), while Zwillman controlled his bootlegging operations from the Third Ward.
In 1930, a bloody Mafia war, known as the Castellammarese War, began in New York City, as Sicilian Castellammarese Mafia boss Salvatore Maranzano fought with New York City Mafia boss Joe "The Boss" Masseria for the position of capo dei capi. In Newark, the Sicilian boss Stefano Badami joined Maranzano's side, while Boiardo formed an alliance with Masseria. On April 15, 1931, Masseria was murdered, ending the war, leaving Maranzano the most powerful mobster in America. Maranzano appointed Badami the boss of the newly established Newark family. On September 10, 1931, Maranzano was murdered leaving Badami vulnerable to his enemies. Three days later on September 13, 1931, Badami's underboss Sam Monaco and top member Louis Russo were discovered dead after their bodies were found floating in Newark Bay. Badami fearing for his own life he fled Newark leaving the Newark family without leadership.
The Badami Newark family began to break apart, as many members joined the Gagliano-Lucchese family becoming the newly formed Jersey crew, while other members stayed with Gaspare D'Amico. Gagliano family boss Thomas Gagliano appointed Settimo "Big Sam" Accardi the caporegime of the Jersey crew based in Newark.
The old Newark family had become more dysfunctional after D'Amico became boss as he faced a number of rebellions against his leadership. In 1937, D'Amico survived a second attempted assassination and fled leaving Newark. It was later discovered by the Commission that Profaci family boss Joseph Profaci, had ordered the assassination attempt on D'Amico. The Commission decided to disband the Newark family, while declaring Newark an open city and dividing the family's territory among the Five Families of New York. In the city of Newark the five families each established crews, while allowing other gangsters like Abner Zwillman, members of the Philadelphia crime family, and the former Newark boss Badami to operate.
The Gagliano-Lucchese's Jersey crew led by Settimo Accardi grew in power expanding into more areas of Newark and northern New Jersey. While the Luciano-Genovese family's New Jersey faction promoted Richard Boiardo to caporegime of the Newark crew and powerful Bergen county mobster Willie Moretti became the family's underboss. The Bonanno family's had Antonio Riela leading their Newark crew while the Mangano family's had Antonio Paterno, a former Newark family member running their Newark operations and the Profaci family put Salvatore Lombardino, the man behind the attempted murder of Newark boss D'Amico, in control of their Newark operations.
Accardi to Abate
During the 1940s and early 1950s, the Jersey crew was headed by Settimo "Big Sam" Accardi in Newark. In 1953, Accardi's U.S. citizenship was revoked after not disclosing his previous arrest record. Accardi was arrested in 1955, on narcotic charges and fled the country.Devico pg.161-162 With Accardi's absence Joseph Abate took over running the New Jersey crew.
Abate had been arrested during the 1930s and 1940s for tax revenue, liquor violations and conspiracy charges. By 1959, Abate had been under government surveillance and viewed as a powerful mobster operating in the Atlantic City area. His closest allies were his cousin Leonard Pizzolato, his proteges Anthony Accetturo, Carmine Accardi and Vincent Craporatta, a powerful mobster in his gambling network. Abate maintained close ties to Genovese family, Philadelphia family, the DeCavalcante family and Bonnano family caporegime Joseph Zicarelli. Under Abate's leadership the crew was operating in New Jersey counties of Essex, Morris, Union, Passaic, Bergen, Monmouth, Sussex, Ocean and Atlantic controlling illegal gambling, loansharking, narcotics trafficking, extortion and other crimes.
In 1971, Accetturo relocated to Florida leaving his cousin Michael Taccetta to supervise the Jersey crew and all the operations. The Accetturo used Taccetta to control his gambling and narcotics network that operate in Essex, Union, Morris and Passaic counties and a small scale in Monmouth, Ocean, Bergen and Sussex counties. While Michael Taccetta was controlling the Essex County gambling operations he was able to absorbed the Essex gambling territory that was run by Genovese family member Tino Fiumara, after Fiumara was imprisoned and take over the Essex gambling territory that was controlled by Philly family members Pasquale Martorano and Antonio Caponigro. Accetturo also had Taccetta control his multi-million dollar narcotics distribution network that was operating from South America and the Caribbean to Florida, New Jersey and New York City. In 1975, Angelo Taccetta the father of Michael and Martin Taccetta, assumed control of the Genovese family's Newark gambling network run by soldier Anthony Campisi.
Accetturo in charge Toward the 1970s, the crew was unofficially headed by Anthony "Tumac" Accetturo, because Accetturo had not yet been inducted into the Lucchese crime family due to "closed books". The leader of the crew was still Joseph Abate, with Anthony Accetturo as his protégé waiting to take over.
The crew then came to control the entire Newark area, with loansharking, illegal gambling, narcotics, money laundering and extortion operations. Reportedly, with Accetturo in charge of the crew, they handed something between $70,000 and $80,000 a year to Tommy Lucchese.
Upon Lucchese's death in 1967, and several years of different "acting bosses" such as Carmine "Mr. Gribbs" Tramunti and Ettore "Eddie" Coco.
At the end of 1973, when Anthony Corallo was released from prison, he was quickly installed as boss. Corallo, a longtime friend of Accetturo, quickly inducted Accetturo and his second in commands Michael "Mad Dog" Taccetta and Martin Taccetta into the Lucchese crime family, so they could officially control the entire New Jersey area.
Accetturo and Taccetta During the early 1970s, Accetturo relocated to Miami"The Gangster Next Door" By Larry Keller (September 24, 1989) Sun Sentinel.com to avoid prosecution for his illegal gambling and loansharking business in Newark, and Michael Taccetta was soon promoted by Accetturo to run the day-to-day activities. Meanwhile, Accetturo created illegal operations in Florida where he could lie low from law enforcement. Taccetta soon expanded Accetturo's former operations in New Jersey as the crew grew stronger, and several members of the Lucchese crime family in New York were sent to win over the moneymakers. Taccetta developed an operation that soon controlled the entire New Jersey area. From arson and burglary, to loansharking and extortion, to illegal gambling and drug trafficking, the Jersey Crew soon made millions of dollars in profit, and sent hundreds of thousands of dollars back to Anthony Corallo in New York City for years. Both Accetturo and Taccetta soon became the most powerful mobsters in New Jersey. Accetturo was repeatedly indicted, and the State of New Jersey tried to extradite him but failed due to his "poor" health. Accetturo later relocated his business interests to Miami and Hollywood, Florida, but still remained the official boss of New Jersey. Michael Taccetta was chosen once again to run the Northern New Jersey crew of the Lucchese crime family, during the mid-1970s. Toward the late 1970s, the crew allegedly earned something between $700,000 and $800,000 in profit every year.
Operating in Philadelphia In 1980, the longtime Don of the Philadelphia crime family, Angelo "Gentle Don" Bruno, was shot and killed on March 12. This resulted in a huge power vacuum between prominent Bruno members Philip Testa and Nicodemo Scarfo, both fighting for the total control of the Bruno crime family. Accetturo and Taccetta, on the other hand, used their situation to establish a new foothold in Philadelphia, as a part of the Jersey Crew, with illegal gambling and loansharking operations. Because of the bad relations between the two factions in Philadelphia's crime family, as well as both Taccetta and Accetturo taking advantage of the situation, the relationship between Philadelphia and the New York Families, especially the Luccheses, eventually turned worse after the murder of Angelo Bruno, which led to all cooperation between the families being completely terminated. It was around this time that prominent Bruno member Giacomo "Jackie" DiNorscio, and many others, defected to the New Jersey faction of the Lucchese crime family to make more profit and to avoid being killed.
21 months in trial During the early 1980s, U.S. law enforcement started an operation to discover and prosecute all organized crime activities in the North Jersey area. After a four-year-long investigation indictments were brought against 20 members of the Jersey Crew in August 1985.Rudolph, Robert. The Boys from New Jersey: How the Mob Beat the Feds. 1992 Accetturo was brought from Florida, the Taccetta brothers were arrested in Newark, and 17 other known members were put on trial for 77 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) predicates. These charges of criminal activity included running a criminal enterprise in Florida that included the sale and distribution of cocaine, as well as credit-card fraud, gambling and loansharking from 1976 to 1985, when they were indicted. The trial began in November 1986. The prosecution included 400 surveillance tapes, testimony of 89 witnesses and thousands of documents and photos.Longest Mob Trial Ends in Acquittals Paul Richter, Los Angeles Times (August 27, 1988)
DiNorscio is reported to have charmed the jury; as the trial ended in August 1988, all 20 defendants were acquitted, with a great deal of "pull" attributed to the congenial personality demonstrated by DiNorscio while he represented himself against the charges.
The trial, United States v. Anthony Accetturo et al. RICO trial, was the longest Mafia trial in American history at 21 months. The jury found all defendants not guilty after a short deliberation of only 14 hours.
The Taccetta era