Barbara Family Associate: Joseph DiFalco

He was a soft-spoken shoeshine man from the Lower East Side who moved his young family to the quiet streets of upstate New York — but behind the polished leather and cigar smoke, Joseph F. “Joe D” DiFalco ran one of the area’s busiest betting parlors. A bookmaker with deep ties to Joe Barbara’s Binghamton outfit , DiFalco’s story follows the rise and fall of a small-town gambler who managed to walk the thin line between local businessman and Barbara Family associate.

Joseph F. (Joe D) DiFalco — aka J.D., Joe Falco, Joe Fulco, Joseph Falbo, Joseph DeFalco, Joseph DiFulco, Joseph Francis DiFalco, and Giuseppe Francesco DiFalco (TN) — was born on September 26, 1911, in New York City. He was the oldest of three children, and the only son of Nicola and Francesca (nee’ Gioia) DiFalco, born in 1914 and 1916, respectively. Joe’s sisters were named Antonina and Mary Ann.

For many years, the family lived at 187 Chrystie Street on New York’s Lower East Side. The DiFalco kids attended New York City’s Public School System, with Joe going as far as the 8th grade before dropping out to help his father support their family. As a young adult, he took a variety of jobs, including work as a construction laborer and a house painter.

Giuseppe F. DiFalco

Joe is described as standing 5 feet 6 inches in height, with the build of a middleweight at 150 pounds. He had a dark Mediterranean complexion and dark-brown hair and eyes.

Francesca Gioia (born 1887) died in Manhattan on October 18, 1929. Joe was just 18 at the time of his mother’s death. The trauma of her death was compounded by the death of their father, Nicola, who died less than two years later, on January 6, 1931. Born in 1884, Nicola was just 46 years old. Francesca was a mere 42.

Shortly after the death of his parents, Joe met and started dating a young Sicilian girl from the neighborhood by the name of Mary Ciaravino. Their relationship soon turned serious, and they decided to officially tie the knot on July 9, 1933, in Manhattan. Joe was just twenty-one years old.

The young newlyweds rented a small apartment near Joe’s father and kid sisters at 11 Rivington Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side neighborhood. Fifteen months later, on October 31, 1934, Mary gave birth to a boy they named Nicholas Anthony in honor of the boy’s deceased grandfather, Nicola.

Circa early 1950s — Mr. & Mrs. Joseph DiFalco

For the remainder of the 1930s into the early 1940s, Joe and Mary lived and raised their boy in Manhattan.

Shortly after the start of WWII — on October 16, 1940 — Joe, then 29-years old, registered with the local U.S. draft board at 222 Mott Street.

Side Note: Mary’s parents, Pietro Ciaravino, and Leonarda Manzella were both born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, a beautiful seaside town that has ranked as one of the Mafia’s oldest and most powerful strongholds for well over a century now. This connection may explain why Joe DiFalco maintained close ties to members of the Joseph Barbara Family. A Castellammarese-born mafioso, Barbara and many other members of his crime family also traced their roots to that same Sicilian village.

Upstate

But by the early 1940s, Joe and Mary started thinking about moving from the teeming tenements of inner city life out to the countryside. And by 1945, they had made the move to upstate New York, choosing the city of Binghamton — a city of almost 80,000 residents — as their new home.

The DiFalcos initially moved into a small second-floor apartment above a storefront located at 102 Odell Avenue in the city’s Endicott section, a neighborhood considered to be a Little Italy. A decade or so later, by the mid-late 1950s, the DiFalcos moved right down the block to 24 Odell Avenue.

102 Odell Avenue, Endicott

Over the years, the DiFalcos lived in several locations within the greater Triple-Cities area, including the Endicott, Endwell, and Johnson City sections. But each of these neighborhoods was but a stone's throw away from one another.

The Cobbler — Horseshoes & Otherwise

Once DiFalco settled his family into their new country life, he quickly went about trying to make some money. During those first years living upstate, he worked at several local jobs around town, but he soon decided to go into business for himself. So, he started up a little shoeshine parlor in Endicott. Located at 1406 North Street, he named it Vendo Shoe Shine. It was a success, so he continued to operate at this location and eventually started up several other parlors around the area.

“Joe D” in front of his shoe shine parlor with an unidentified friend.

Side Note: At one point in time, Joe also joined a union, became a card-carrying member of Laborers Local #7. Through the years, he also became a member of St. Anthony of Padua R.C. Church, as well as the Concordia Club, a Sicilian-based mutual aid society in Binghamton that counted among its membership the infamous mafioso Giuseppe Barbara and many soldiers of his Binghamton-based borgata.

Joe Barbara's "Family"

Joe DiFalco was an old-time bookmaker and longtime “associate” of the Binghamton-based Cosa Nostra Family headed by the aforementioned Mafia boss Giuseppe (Joe the Barber) Barbara Sr.

For many years, DiFalco operated horse-betting businesses and gambling dens from the back rooms of several shoeshine parlors and cigar stores he owned within the Triple-Cities section of New York State.

In addition to Barbara and various soldiers of his Family, DiFalco also associated with other top Binghamton-based gamblers and underworld figures like Antonio (Tony) Romeo — long considered a top gambling rackets overseer for the Barbara faction — Family soldier Frank Cannone, and other gamblers and hoods like Felix (Tickie) Julien, Salvatore (Torre) Julien, Gabriel Galante and many others.

Betting Parlors & Pinches

On March 13, 1951, Endicott Police officers took Joe into custody after they conducted a surprise noontime raid on what was described as an alleged horse-betting operation in the backroom of a DiFalco’s shoe shine parlor at 1406 North Street.

At the time of Joe’s arrest, the police also confiscated as evidence numerous betting slips which were written out on blank writing pads, race track schedules from several New York City newspapers, sheets listing the odds of various racehorses, and other gambling-related data, including a radio used to receive up-to-the-minute racetrack results.

Federal agents execute a search warrant of Vendo’s, looking for gambling evidence.

Federal agent examines books and equipment during a raid on Vendo’s.

At a news conference later held to announce the arrests, authorities said a six-man raiding party led by Police Chief Leroy E. Wike and Detective Captain Leon Coleman walked into the shoeshine parlor armed with a “John Doe” warrant shortly after 12:00 noon, correlating to the regular lunch-hour of local factories in the area.

The raiders proceeded straight past four customers getting their shoes shined towards the back of the shop, past a partition in the rear of the building, where, in a separate backroom, they surprised DiFalco and two other men handling bets. They immediately placed DiFalco under arrest. Police also detained six others, but ultimately released them after questioning.

A police spokesman said they had the gambling den under surveillance for approximately two weeks, but that it had been operating for many months.

More Crackdowns

Then, several years later, on December 15, 1953, DiFalco got grabbed again. This time around, he was one of six suspects nabbed during a local gambling crackdown conducted in the Binghamton and Endicott areas.

Local police officers raided a number of suspect locations where they said two illegal bookmaking rings and a numbers business were being conducted. They said they had also smashed the local distribution arm of the notorious U.S. Treasury balance lottery racket.

Besides DiFalco, also arrested in the raids were Frank Busino, Armando L. (Mundy) Cardone, Salvatore (Torre Julien) Juliano, Rocco J. Chicone, and Ugo (Hugo) Torre.

Authorities said they arrested DiFalco after he was surveilled accepting horserace wagers from a number of local gamblers inside a shoeshine parlor.

At their arraignment, DiFalco, Juliano, and Chicone were represented by lawyer Remo Allio. They pleaded innocent to the charges and were released in lieu of $1,000 apiece for a later court date.

While awaiting arraignment on bookmaking charges after getting grabbed by detectives during an Endicott gambling sweep, Joe DiFalco relaxes, smokes his cigar, and chats with his associates like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

All six defendants later pleaded guilty in Endicott Police Court to gambling-related charges. Just before sentencing, the prosecutor introduced into evidence the prior police records for the Juliano brothers, Hugo Torre, and Joseph DiFalco.

Torre’s record included a 1949 conviction for gambling, two convictions in 1953 for being a common gambler and criminal conspiracy, and a New York City conviction for possession of narcotics.

Salvatore Juliano’s record included three bookmaking convictions in 1945, 1948, and 1949. Felix Juliano was convicted of petty larceny in 1933, third-degree assault in 1934, and of bookmaking in 1945 and 1949.

After reviewing their criminal records, the Police Justice said he would sentence the defendants based on their previous criminal histories. The judge stated he was handing down jail terms to three defendants and sentencing the other three to terms of probation.

Because Joe DiFalco’s record showed one previous conviction for gambling-related charges (booking horse bets in 1951), he was allowed to plead to reduced charges of “keeping a room for gambling in violation of a village ordinance” and two counts of bookmaking (misdemeanors). The judge sentenced Joe to serve two months behind bars in the Broome County Jail. DiFalco was also ordered to pay a $125 fine.

Salvatore Julian (second from left) and Hugo Torre (third from left) under arrest.

Police accused DiFalco and Hugo Torre of operating a bookmaking parlor from DiFalco’s shoeshine parlor. Torre was charged with taking bets on horse races. DiFalco was charged with bookmaking and of being the proprietor of a betting establishment.

Because of his record, DiFalco’s partner and codefendant, Hugo Torre, received four months behind bars in the Onondaga County Penitentiary. So did their friend and associate, Felix Julien, who also got four months in the Onondaga County Penitentiary.

The judge sentenced the last three defendants to serve one-year terms in the Broome County Jail, but then declared he was suspending the sentences for one year, pending good behavior reports by the Probation Department regarding the defendants' conduct during that period.

Regarding those last three defendants, Salvatore (Torre Julien) Juliano — Tickie’s twin brother, was spared from jail because he was reportedly suffering from a serious illness. Gabe Galante and Rocco Chcone were spared because, at the time of this particular arrest, neither man had any previous criminal record.

The Feds Get into the Act

Months later, in June 1954, shortly after completing his jail term in the county lockup, DiFalco was rearrested on federal charges by Deputy U.S. Marshals. He was hit with four federal gambling and gambling-related criminal tax counts.

The first count charged that from August 31, 1952, to June 30, 1953, DiFalco had failed to pay a special tax required of persons engaged in the business of accepting wagers — in this case, bets regarding the outcome of various horse races. The second count charged that DiFalco had failed to register as a professional gambler and obtain a gambling tax stamp. The last two counts charged that he failed to register in July 1953 and of failing to pay taxes for the same time period.

For this particular case, Joe wisely hired a noted local criminal attorney by the name of Remo A. Allio to defend him.

At his arraignment on these new tax-related gambling charges, Joe pled not guilty to four counts of the criminal information filed against him and was released on $500 bail for a later court date.

Joe DiFalco, seen here under arrest in 1953.

At first, Allio, an outspoken and aggressive barrister, vowed to fight the charges against his client. But after reviewing the evidence before him, Allio later advised Joe that the feds had him dead to rights with an airtight case. Allio knew it would be a slam-dunk case for the government.

So three months later, on September 14, 1954, with his defense lawyer by his side, Joe changed his plea to guilty before Federal Judge Stephen W. Brennan in U.S. District Court in Syracuse. DiFalco admitted he had conducted an illegal gambling operation without ever applying for the required U.S. wagering tax stamp.

In addition, as a matter of formality, Joe admitted to the judge that he had also not paid 10% percent of his bookie operation’s gross gambling volume (as required by federal law at the time) to the Internal Revenue Service.

The jurist accepted DiFalco’s guilty plea to four criminal charges relating to federal tax-stamp violations. He then sentenced the 42-year-old bookmaker to pay a $50 fine on each count, for a total of $200.

The court also ordered DiFalco to surrender a handgun he owned after the Broome County District Attorney started a proceeding to have Joe’s pistol permit revoked. It was a privilege Joe had enjoyed since he was first granted a permit to carry a concealed weapon way back on July 5, 1946.

But luckily, the jurist decided not to incarcerate the defendant.

So at the end of the day, Joe DiFalco ended up a lucky man.

Side Note: For many years, attorney Remo A. Allio was one of the most prominent defense lawyers in the City of Binghamton and its surrounding areas. Affiliated with the Law Firm of Dann, Cenesky & Scelsi, the FBI noted that over the years the overwhelming majority of Allio’s clients were members of organized crime — especially those connected to mob boss Joseph Barbara’s Family. Several years later, the FBI went one step further. They said that Allio himself was a mafioso, and officially identified him as a card-carrying “inducted” soldier of the Barbara Family.

Another Major Rackets Sweep

Six years later, in June 1960, DiFalco became a target during another major gambling and corruption investigation.

Joe’s new troubles started after teams of forty police officers and detectives connected to the Criminal Intelligence Unit of the New York State Police and the Sheriff’s Department, in coordination with the Broome County District Attorney’s Office, conducted a series of lightning-fast raids against 9 locations they said housed illicit gambling dens and bookmaking rings.

This operation kicked off a major criminal investigation and probe into Binghamton's illegal gambling businesses and other related underworld-type activities. Along with numerous other local gamblers and mob associates, Joe DiFalco became a focus, and eventually a target, for investigators.

By this point in time, Joe had converted the shoeshine parlor at 1406 North Street into a cigar shop called the Vendo. One of Joe’s associates, Salvatore (Torre) Julien, was arrested by an undercover detective with the New York State Police after he accepted several wagers on June 21, regarding horses running that day at Buffalo Raceway.

“Torre Julien” gets his photo taken as he exits Vendo’s.

Defense Attorney Remo Allio appeared once again as “house” counsel at Julien’s arraignment. After pleading innocent to two criminal counts, the magistrate released the defendant on $500 bail for a later court date.

Also nabbed in the sweep that day were Samuel (Sammy Ryder) Randise Jr., Michael Lockett, Angelo Cicciarelli, Peter Julien, and Mary Julien.

Side Note: Mary Julien was the wife of a well-known area gambler named Felix (Tickie) Julien. Police suspected Mary of maintaining her husband’s bookie business while he was away serving a prison term. Felix Julien was serving 13 months in Attica for his conviction on concealing and possession of stolen property. Police charged Mrs. Julien with illegal gambling.

The Julian (or Juliano) and DiFalco families were believed related through marriage. Joe’s wife, Mary’s sister Jean, was married a Julien brother.

Everybody Clams!

A special grand jury was empaneled as part of the investigation. And over the course of the next several months, numerous witnesses were called to testify as to what they knew about bookmaking, gambling, and the local underworld.

Besides DiFalco, other known Endicott gamblers who received subpoenas to appear included a good majority of the city’s underworld figures. They included Gabriel (Gabe) Galante, Frank Cannone, Peter Julien, Charles Greco, Raymond Olmetti, Gerald (Jerry Lutz) DePhillip, and Edward Ziemba.

After being sworn in, nearly to a man, each and every one of them refused to answer any questions presented to them.

Some of the mob guys who took “The Fifth”.

The District Attorney heading the probe, Louis M. Greenblott, later told newsmen that “The recalcitrant witnesses refused to answer questions on the grounds that their answers might be self-incriminating, claiming the right of silence as provided under the Fifth Amendment privileges.”

Then, without specifically naming names, the D.A. stated that “Besides KG’s (known gamblers), among the others who will be called to testify in the future included a number of bettors, ‘runners’ and other ‘small fry’ involved with bookmaking in the Endicott area. They will each be called to appear.”

The district attorney then went on to say that “several of these witnesses may be granted immunity from prosecution.” Such witnesses, he said, “If they remained silent and refused to testify, would then be cited for contempt and be thrown in jail.”

Joe Quietly Paces to the Finish Line

Between all the heat, arrests, fines, jail terms, and all the adverse publicity he had endured over the previous fifteen or so years, by the mid-1960s, Joe, who by then was already well in his mid-late fifties, seems to have played the rest of the game very low-key. In the coming years, he seemingly faded back into the proverbial woodwork. No more was ever publicly heard from DiFalco again.

The aging bookmaker shortly before his death.

Joe may have continued on, just doing what he did best, which was, of course, being a professional gambler. But if he did, Joe must have learned his lessons about the headaches of operating in the open. He may have just quietly booked bets without fanfare. Just “tiptoeing through the tulips” as the saying goes.

To our knowledge, he was never arrested or indicted again.

By at least the early 1970s, Joe and Mary had also moved again. They bought a small home at 2909 Hall Street in Endwell. This is where they would live for the rest of their lives.

2909 Hall Street, Endwell

Joseph Francis DiFalco died on the morning of June 2, 1988, after being admitted to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. He was 76 years old.

A one-day wake for Joe was held at the A.R. DeMarco Funeral Home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at the family parish, Saint Anthony of Padua R.C. Church. DiFalco was then interred at nearby Calvary Cemetery in Johnson City.

Mary, his beloved wife of over forty years, died on January 7, 1974. Born in 1913, Mary was just 60 years old when she crossed over to the next life.

Joe’s sister Mary Ann died back in 1965. She was only 49. On the flip side of the coin, their sister Antonina lived to the ripe old age of 95, passing away in 2009.

Until next time…”The Other Guy”

Giuseppe DiFalco Gallery

Barbara Family Associate: Joseph DiFalco

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