Nicolas (Nicky Dell) Delmore – An Early DeCavalcante Family Boss
Nicholas (Nicky Dell) Delmore was one of the original powers in Northern New Jersey’s underworld - a very well-respected mafioso who eventually became boss.
Tracing its origins to Ribera, Sicily, and with its home base in the town of Elizabeth, New Jersey, the DeCavalcante Family is the only Cosa Nostra group able to claim true Jersey origins. Mob historians claim Stefano Badami, in the 1920s, was the first capo over a group of Mafiosi which later were more formally organized under the auspices of Filippo (Phil) Amari, and later during the late 1940s through the early 1960s era, one Nicholas (Nicky Dell) Delmore, a well-respected old-line bootlegger and labor racketeer who commanded the Family. By far the smallest Mafia Family in the New York/New Jersey area, the tight-knit DeCavalcante mob, nonetheless, always maintained an inducted membership of anywhere from 35 to 50 “made” members and upwards of 100 close associates.
By 1964, with the death of Delmore, his nephew Simone (Sam the Plumber) DeCavalcante would be selected as the new boss of this Family. He would quickly utilize his position and popularity to help expand the influence and geographic reach of this borgata. Although a small membership, they had a reach into metropolitan New York City where they ran several regimes, Waterbury, Connecticut, where co-underboss Joseph (Joe Buff) LaSelva operated a crew, and South Florida where additional members lived and operated. The Family was active in many of the traditional rackets such as gambling, shylocking, labor union racketeering and corruption, extortion, and narcotics. Important members over the years have included underboss Francesco (Big Frank) Majuri, capo di decina Luciano (Big Louie) Larasso, Frank (Frankie Coch) Cocchiaro, Vincent (Jimmy) Rotondo, and soldiers Robert (Bobby Basile) Occhipinti and the notorious Gaetano (Corky) Vastola.
The Family’s real strength lie in their control and domination of several key union locals of the Laborers Union of America and the International Longshoremen’s Union (ILA), with several key Family “soldiers” holding official union posts such as “business agent” or “secretary-treasurer”. This allowed the Family to control major construction projects in both New Jersey and New York.
Although a highly secretive Family even among Cosa Nostra itself, in the early 1960s, the FBI was able to install a hidden “bug” or listening device in Sam DeCavalcante’s plumbing contracting office. For the next several years, every single word spoken by Sam and his Mafia associates was recorded for posterity by the agents. This, right after the Valachi Hearings in 1963, was during an era of extreme exposure and crackdowns on organized crime figures in this country. Sam was recorded talking about “The Commission”, his efforts as a Commission “rep” to help quell the “Banana War” and the Gallo-Profaci conflicts, casino operations in Vegas, and other very sensitive underworld secrets.
His low-key persona and legitimate cover was destroyed and before long he, himself, was indicted along with 54 mob minions for heading a $20,000,000-a-year gambling ring. Tried, convicted, and sentenced to five years in federal prison, and after serving two years in jail, DeCavalcante gained parole and immediately migrated to Miami, Florida and into semi-retirement.
In his absence, a little known but extremely well-liked and capable caporegime stepped up, first as underboss, then acting boss, and ultimately to formally head the Family, John (The Eagle) Riggi, Sr., the “well-groomed” son of a veteran member named Emmanuel Riggi, had served the Family for decades as “business agent” of Local #394 – Laborers & Hod Carriers Union (AFL-CIO) and several other labor unions. Riggi ran a well-structured borgata until he, too, fell afoul of law enforcement.
As with all of Cosa Nostra in the last 20 to 30 years, the DeCavalcante Family has fallen prey to the “Rat Fever” permeating through the ranks of all the mob…but the beat goes on!
What follows below is a list of in-depth biographies for many of their more interesting members and associates.
Nicholas (Nicky Dell) Delmore was one of the original powers in Northern New Jersey’s underworld - a very well-respected mafioso who eventually became boss.
Sam DeCavalcante was the boss of the DeCavalcante Family who became notorious for undercover FBI recordings at his plumbing office.
John Riggi helmed the DeCavalcante ship with a steely resolve for nearly 35 years even while Gambino boss John Gotti sought to sink it.
Francesco Majuri was a well-respected member of the underworld who started out as an alcohol bootlegger in the 1920s and 1930s.
Joseph La Selva was “underboss” of the DeCavalcante Family along with Frank Majuri, which was a rarity in a Cosa Nostra Family.
Luciano (Fat Louie) Larasso was an extremely capable mafioso, but In this life, fear and jealousy can kill ya.... literally!
Virgil Alessi was a very active DeCavalcante mobster who started his mob career as a “phone-man” for Jiggs Forlano.
Antonio Caruso was a member of the DeCavalcante Family active in gambling operations on the Lower East Side with policy and card games.
Carmelo (Melio) Cocchiaro was a soldier in the DeCavalcante Family who once made a youthful blunder after a string of supermarket robberies.
Brooklyn-born Frank (Big Frankie) Cocchiaro was one of the most active racketeers in the DeCavalcante Family - and one of its most notorious.
He might not have been the most sophisticated mafioso to ever walk the streets of Brooklyn, but Rudy Farone was certainly one of Cosa Nostra’s most dedicated.
Pete Galletta was a "sleeper" DeCavalcante member who was involved in the Family's gambling rackets, yet unknown to law enforcement.
Angelo Gallo was active in loanshark rackets and was associated with the Gallo Gang faction of the Colombos.
Umberto Gallo ran a private mob social club as a base and was partners with his older brother in the shylock rackets.
Joseph Guerriero was a smart and capable soldier in the DeCavalcante Family and a rackets “boss” of the New Britain section of Connecticut.
John LaMela was a DeCavalcante Family soldier active in liquor bootlegging, narcotics, and garbage rackets.
Joe Lolordo was a member of the Sam DeCavalcante Family and was reportedly involved in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929.
Joseph Miranda became an alleged “acting underboss/acting boss” -- at the age of 83 -- after the mass 2003 arrests of the Family.
From city to city and state to state, Button Guys of The New York Mafia breaks down the history of organized crime in America. Through deep-dive biographies and snapshots of mobsters to in-depth stories about mafia regimes and crews, you’ll uncover an underworld you might never have known existed – maybe even in your own hometown!
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Copyright © 2019-2022. Button Guys of The New York Mafia. All Rights Reserved.