Aside from resident Cosa Nostra families who headquartered in certain cities and controlled particular territories or states, for many decades there were also dozens and dozens of smaller out-of-the-way cities and towns that Families also held jurisdiction over. But because of the geographical distance from their home base and other factors, they sometimes assigned a particular “capo di decina” or several soldiers to be the resident “caretakers” and overseers of these satellite locations.
Family “capos” were sometimes assigned to a secondary city or territory as the need arose to help govern far-flung areas that fell under the traditional bailiwick of a given Mafia Family.
A perfect example of this was Anastasia/Gambino Family “capo di decina” Luigi (Lou Mora) Morici, who was sent to Baltimore, Maryland in the early 1950s by then-underboss Francesco (Don Cheech) Scalici to set down roots and establish a “satellite” network of their New York City-based Family.
Years later, coinciding with Morici’s failing health and subsequent retirement, crew soldier Frank Corbi was then elevated as Baltimore’s new crew captain.
Over the next three to four decades, the “Baltimore faction” of what later became known as the Carlo Gambino Family was recognized throughout all Cosa Nostra as the Mafia’s reigning power over Baltimore’s underworld.
But the “Corbi Regime” was not alone. Throughout the years across the United States, dozens of similar situations existed. The two dozen or so borgatas sprinkled throughout the country often assigned one of their capo di decina to oversee a given city or town as its territory boss. In essence, if not officially, many of these men became semi-autonomous and were almost viewed as “bosses” in their own right.
Sometimes, it was a trusted Family “associate” who was recognized as the most prominent mob figure overseeing a particular town or territory on behalf of a family as was the case with Louis (Doc) Farone, who controlled Saratoga Springs, New York for the Genovese Family. Another good example was Schenectady, New York’s Paul (Legs) Di Cocco, who controlled that city and its outer territories for the Bonanno Family.
It was an interesting underworld dynamic.
But regardless of who they “officially” assigned to any given city, town, or territory, for many decades, this was traditionally how Cosa Nostra Families throughout the United States steered their ships.
What Button Guys has painstakingly researched and recreated below is an extensive listing and general summary of 150 individual “regimes” and other allied mob factions, both large and small, that were connected to the various Cosa Nostra Families who operated around the country over the years. In addition, we name over 250 associated mob figures.
