The La Selva Regime of Waterbury, Connecticut

Joe La Selva and his brothers soon found themselves under a law enforcement microscope like never before. The otherwise quiet, low-key La Selva’s started noticing agents in unmarked cars tracking their every movement.

The city of Waterbury, with a current population of over 110,000 residents, is a vibrant metropolis located in the Nutmeg State of Connecticut. It is the 10th largest city in the New York Metropolitan Area, the 9th largest city in New England, and the 5th largest city in Connecticut.

Throughout the first half of the 20th Century, Waterbury was known as the leading manufacturing center in the United States for ornate brassware, hence their nickname “The Brass City.”

The metropolis was also well known as a major manufacturer of clocks, watches, and other delicate timepieces.

Waterbury runs along the vibrant Naugatuck River. It is only 33 miles west from the State’s Capitol of Hartford, and a short 77 mile hop northeast of metropolitan New York City along Interstate 84.

Little Italy in Connecticut

Connecticut has the most residents of Italian decent in the entire United States, and Waterbury has the largest Italian population statewide.

And although the city has always been home to a variety of ethnicities, Waterbury’s Italian population has always heavily dominated the flavor and tempo of the City.

With a percentage rate of fully 22%, Waterbury boasts a populous that claims Italian heritage in almost one out of every four residents.

This Italian influence is especially strong in their Town Plot, Brooklyn, and North End neighborhoods.

The Italian “flavor” of these areas is clearly evident by the popular Italian-owned shops, quaint little cafes, pizzerias, and Italian restaurants on display, especially the “Little Italy” flavor of the North End.

In the old days, these areas also boasted the obligatory “private” social clubs, expresso shops, and meeting places so favored by the older first-generation Italian immigrants who came over to make their way in “The New World”.

The intoxicating smells of the Italian bakeries, salumerias, artisan cheese stores, butcher shops offering fresh sausage and veal cutlets, and poultry markets floated through the air of the streets, wooing visitors like an addicting Mediterranean melody. Understandably, it was a huge allure that made the city a thriving and much sought after place in which to live and raise a family.

The “men of honor” of Cosa Nostra were understandably drawn to the beauty and attributes of Waterbury as well.

Among the many hard-working, ethnic European immigrant families who settled into Waterbury, within the larger first wave of Italians who migrated up to Connecticut in general, and Waterbury, in particular, were individuals who would later rise to become the area's top racketeers and hoodlums.

And although many mob figures would operate bootleg-alcohol stills, book numbers, run other games of chance, and various scams and schemes through the years in this section of the Nutmeg State, three mafioso brothers allied with a mostly unknown, and low-key Mafia Family based out in New Jersey would somehow come to dominate and rule all organized crime in Waterbury.

They would form a small, but tight-knit crew of associates to help in these efforts. Together they would virtually control the area's rackets for upwards of forty-plus years...This is their story!

The La Selva Brothers Get Started

Joseph La Selva

Giuseppe La Selva - aka “Joe Buff” and “Joe La Scala - who was born on August 17, 1907, was one of the original alcohol bootleggers active in the area during the infamous decade of the 1920s Prohibition era.

He had two kid brothers named Gaetano and Antonio, whom everybody called “Tommy and Tony Buff” respectively, who’d later end up coming along with Joe for the mob ride.

As they came of age, they would ally with him, and collectively the “Buff Brothers” as they became known, would slowly but surely expand their criminal activities until they alone were recognized by Connecticut’s underworld as the bosses of Waterbury.

They were of Calabrian ancestry but became closely allied with many Sicilian racketeers and mafiosi. In fact, their lifelong closest associates would turn out to be from the town of Ribera, in the Agrigento region of Sicily.

Somewhere along the way the brothers became acquainted with and eventually aligned themselves to members of a Mafia Family based out of Elizabeth, New Jersey, whose founding members hailed from Ribera.

In time, Joe who was the oldest of the brothers was offered formal entry into the organization, taking the infamous blood oath of “Omertà.” It was estimated that La Selva became a mafioso sometime during the late 1930s, early 1940s.

The casino Puglia ran junkets for

He started to build his crew, employing his brothers to help him in this expansion effort, which was now under the “flag” of an official, internationally recognized Cosa Nostra Family, or “borgata” as members refer to their individual networks.

In time, it was believed that Joe “sponsored” his brother Tony, and later Tommy for membership into the mafia, as well as several other loyal followers.

This small group of men would become the basis for a regime he would come to control. The La Selva Regime of the DeCavalcante Family of LCN.

Humble beginnings

The New Jersey Family was born from the ashes of the early mafia strife of the 1920s-1930s era, as the decades passed this group was alternately called the Newark Family during the 1930s era, the Filippo (Big Phil) Amari Family in the early and mid-1940s, and in the late 1940s all thru the early 1960s era - the Nicholas (Nicky Dell) Delmore Family; the names being attached to those respective capos or Family bosses who led the group during those respective periods of time.

Former Boss - Nicholas Delmore

But the name that stuck was the one given them in 1963 when mob songbird Joe Valachi spilled his guts to Senate Investigators while testifying before a U.S. Congressional Committee in Washington, D.C. about the underworld, and specifically about an organization named Cosa Nostra.

Valachi stated that a New Jersey racketeer named Sam the Plumber headed his own Mafia Family in the Garden State. The Sam he was talking about was, of course, Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante, aka “Sam the Plumber” or “The Count.”

Within the blink of an eye, the FBI started taking a real hard look at DeCavalcante, his varied activities, and his considerable list of underworld associates.

The “G” Gets an Earful

In 1965, after successfully planting several illegal “bugs” or listening devices in Sam’s plumbing contracting office in Kenilworth, NJ, federal agents sifting through over 2000 hours of audio recordings were able to identify specific members of his borgata and their respective positions within its structure and upper echelons.

Boss - Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante

The La Selva’s were outed as never before...especially “Joe Buff”, who was clearly identified as holding an exalted position in their hierarchy. In fact, the FBI identified La Selva as head of all Connecticut faction operations for that Family...the entire state.

Even more revealing of his true power was that La Selva was the “underboss”, representing the Nutmeg State. He was one of two the borgata had appointed, the other being Francesco (Big Frank) Majuri who lived back in the town of Elizabeth, New Jersey, where the Family was based from.

It was a very unique, and in fact singular appointment by the boss. All 26 known mafia Families throughout the United States were only known to have one underboss.

NJ Underboss - Frank Majuri

Never before had authorities discovered a Mafia group, and such a small one at that, who needed dual “Sottocapi” or two underbosses. Why this was? Nobody really knew, but Sam DeCavalcante was said to have only continued a tradition started by his blood uncle and predecessor “Nicky Dell” Delmore, who had been the one to originally appoint La Selva to that position.

Joe La Selva and his brothers soon found themselves under a law enforcement microscope like never before. The otherwise quiet, low-key La Selva’s started noticing agents in unmarked cars tracking their every movement.

General Automatic Transmission Co., a transmission, muffler, and all-around automotive repair shop they owned and operated in Waterbury, a town incidentally where all three brothers lived as well, suddenly became “hot” with a near “round the clock” police surveillance. They suspected their business had also been “bugged” by the authorities.

“Joe Buff” La Selva had used the business for years as his de facto headquarters. It was usually where he and his brothers met their crew members, as well as mob figures from other crews, to discuss their mutual racket interests and “settle up” the weekly gambling figures and shylock payments.

Authorities slowly uncovered his quiet network of subordinates. They recorded everyone who visited the repair shop and opened investigations on those characters they deemed “top hoodlums” and mob associates thereof.

The G Eyes the Whole Baseball Team

“The La Selva Regime”

Joe Buff appointed a “capo di decina” directly under him to generally oversee their Connecticut rackets and membership. He was a known local hood named Michael (Mickey Poole) Puglia.

Puglia operated outside Waterbury per se. He was primarily in control of several gambling operations in the Cities of Bridgeport, Bristol, and the outer edge of the State’s Capitol in Hartford.

He guided the crew’s soldiers and close associates, and represented their interests at “sitdowns” with other mob factions, and in disputes as was required to keep the monies flowing into the Family’s coffers.

Intercepted audio recordings once heard boss Sam DeCavalcante instruct Puglia, encouraging him to take over a $240,000 a year numbers operation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Sam told Puglia to run the gambling business and if he ran into any trouble, Sam would support and back him financially if needed.

Side Note: The La Selva faction had plenty of competition from crews connected to other Families such as the Patriarcas of New England, and Colombo and Genovese crews out of New York. But probably their top opposition was from a large Gambino regime based right in Bridgeport that included such figures as Ippolito Agresta, Frank Piccolo, and Thomas (Tommy the Enforcer) DeBrizzi over the years.

Still, Puglia and his associates more than held their own operating rackets within Bridgeport and its surrounding towns. As an official “capo” of the DeCavalcantes, he had the weight and respect needed, not to mention the backing of their resident underboss La Selva if push ever came to shove in any conflict.

He made sure the regime’s members, and more importantly, his underboss received their fair cut from rackets and all criminal activities within their bailiwick.

He and La Selva also ran a monthly shakedown of several independent gamblers in their perceived territory.

Assisting Puglia were three men who were long documented by the FBI as having been formally inducted Mafia “soldiers” of their crew:

• Joseph (Pippy) Guerriero - A top numbers racketeer and soldier who was alleged to have exclusive dominion over all the “black” numbers play in New Britain. He was a partner with associate Danny Tedesco in this major New Britain policy operation. He was also said to run crap games under Puglia’s supervision.

Guerriero repeatedly pled the Fifth Amendment when questioned by a Federal Grand Jury about the mob and its gambling activities.

• Louis (Lu-Lu) DiGiovanna - Another soldier, bookmaker, and policy game figure. He was also said to act as a loanshark.

• Frank Carbone - A soldier and known strong-arm with a long police record, Carbone was utilized as a shylock and debt collector. He was said to also be partnered with Guerriero and Tedesco in several numbers game networks active in New Britain and Hartford.

They operated their policy business and other rackets out of the Trinacria Club, a mob social club that they used as their makeshift headquarters.

This crew also frequented several restaurants that became notorious mob hangouts. One of their favorites was Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant of Hartford.

Logo of their Trinacria Social Club

The “capo” Puglia himself operated daily from his business, Bahama Holidays of Bridgeport, a popular travel agency that had a lucrative contract to arrange gambling “junkets” to Grand Bahama Island and it’s Casinos, for which Puglia received a percentage on any gambling losses.

Mickey Poole was a dominant underworld figure in his own right in his home town of Bridgeport. He operated a weekly floating dice game for years, a lucrative sports booking network, and a mid-sized loan shark book in partnership with La Selva.

Puglia and the men listed above augmented the three La Selva brothers to round out the seven men thought to be the “official” mafia members of the Connecticut faction of the Family.

Additionally, the FBI observed that the La Selva Regime could count on at least another eight to ten trusted “key associates” to make up a solid contingent of like-minded racketeers:

• Eugenio (Genie Poole) Puglia - A crew associate and a brother of Mickey. Gene was active as a bookmaker and close aide to his sibling.

• Michael Auilante - A bookmaker and thief who also affiliated with this crew.

• Noxie Diorio - Who operated card games, policy, and bookmaking. He later figured into a police bribery scheme to protect this network.

• Ugo (Hugo) Allegrini - Dice games, and numbers operator.

• Carmen Yovino - He operated and controlled floating dice and card games offered by their crew. Yovino also ran a large loan shark business for the crew. Subpoenaed before a federal grand jury probing mob corruption of the local police and judiciary. He refused to testify.

• Daniel Tedesco - Horse bookmaker, receiver of stolen goods. Tedesco was also a partner and close associate of soldiers Guerriero and Carbone in the operation of an extensive policy-lottery ring for years.

• Robert (Bobby Apples) Appicello - Active as a numbers runner, card game operator and crew associate.

• Caesar Telesca - Varied gambler and bookmaker, also suspected of shylock activity.

• Frank Salerno - Numbers, dice and cards.

• Dominick Constantino - Another gambling operative.

• William (Billy) Sasso - Gambling operative and known gambler or “KG” in police filed.

• Pellegrino (Billy Dee) DiZenzo - Based out of the Stratford, CT. area, his primary activities were said to include fencing stolen goods and arson for profit.

• Charles Vernale - Operated a theft and stolen goods “fencing” ring under the auspices of the La Selvas.

Vernale came under fire during a law enforcement probe and a subsequent grand jury investigation into local corruption at the highest levels. He was accused of providing free stolen televisions and other large appliances to local government officials to garner favor for himself and the crew.

Also assisting Puglia, his soldiers, and their above-named close associates was a small contingent of outer ring racketeers and loosely connected gamblers who supported the horse and sports bookmaking, shylocking, floating crap games, and the running of the numbers-policy networks they operated throughout several different towns and cities within the Nutmeg State.

And the glue which successfully bound it all together for decades was Joseph La Selva’s ability to “reach” into the local Waterbury police department to grease the wheels of justice so as to ensure little to no police interference in their racket operations.

This regime may very well have bribed other local Connecticut police departments as well. But their ability to “control” things in Waterbury was well documented.

It was what made the La Selva’s run at the top of the mob heap work so well. To the best that I could ascertain, Joe La Selva and his brothers, although arrested several times over the years, never did significant jail time, if any at all.

The Skeletons Fall Out of the Closet

Once in 1970, Anthony La Selva was charged locally with operating a numbers business. But he pled out to several misdemeanor counts of “pool selling”, or accepting lottery numbers bets. It was not believed that he received any jail term in the case.

And in a further law enforcement probe in 1970, the true extent of corruption in the local Waterbury government and surrounding jurisdictions was revealed during a three-month criminal probe.

Joseph (Joe Buff) La Selva under arrest

Joseph and Anthony La Selva were determined to be the forces behind a systematic bribery of government officials with cash, stolen television sets and other goods, to turn their heads and ignore the gambling operations and other rackets run by the La Selva’s and their crew.

It was established that local police and prosecutors had even purged and destroyed the criminal arrest records of several suspects at the request of mob figures.

In one case, suspect Alan Manzolli’s police records were destroyed by Police Chief Carlo J. Palomba and Asst. Prosecutor Donald N. Vitale at the direction of higher-ups in the department. Manzolli’s name on the “arrest log” of weekly charged offenses and his earlier arrest was blotted out by a dark red marker.

After a lengthy investigation, key members of the police department and government officials were either suspended, dismissed from their posts, or indicted. These included:

-Deputy Police Superintendent Paul Moynahan -Chief Inspector Henry Byrnes -Police Detective Nicholas D’Agostino -Police Sargent Walter Smith -Police Sargent Valentine Bochicchio -Police Motor Patrolman Joseph Bochicchio

Accused of having received stolen color television sets as a bribe were:

-Lawrence J. Zollo; President of the Town Board of Aldermen -Attorney Timothy Moynahan, also a member of the Town Board of Aldermen, also allegedly received a stolen air-conditioner in addition to stolen televisions.

There were several others who came under suspicion, but there wasn’t enough clear evidence to act against them.

Epilogue

Giuseppe (Joe Buff) La Selva passed away in September of 1983 at the age of 76. His brother Anthony, born in 1920, died in 1995 at age 75. And Thomas, born 1911, did the best, having passed away in 1993 at the age of 82.

The overall boss of their borgata, Sam DeCavalcante, had retired down to Florida years earlier, as had several of his contemporaries. Joe’s close associate and aide Mickey Puglia had since died, and so Joe La Selva slowed down as well.

For the most part, he enjoyed a successful and uneventful career as a top mafioso who was able to rise to the number #2 position in his Family with little fanfare or public outcry, despite his exposure on the “Sam the Plumber” tapes.

His brothers Tony and Tommy largely lived in his shadow their entire careers, and they too seemed to have largely skated under law enforcement’s radar.

As the crew aged, it seems that either Joe Buff didn’t want to bring in fresh young blood to bolster up the regime, or there just wasn’t enough able “talent” around Waterbury and its surrounding areas to do so, even if he wanted to.

Today, the “Waterbury, Connecticut Regime” of the DeCavalcante Family is but a bygone memory of what once was...for they are no more!

The La Selva Regime of Waterbury, Connecticut

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The La Selva Regime of Waterbury, Connecticut

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