Sam Scro: The Invisible Mafioso of Syracuse, NY

For many decades, Sam Scro was a shadowy underworld presence who could probably be best described as “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” Very little has ever been written about this Syracuse, NY-based mafioso...until now.

This isn’t another bloody underworld shoot-em-up story, not at all. There are plenty of mob tales like that already. To the contrary, this unique biography delves into the often quiet but complex interwoven blood ties and behind-the-scenes familial relationships existing between Cosa Nostra figures and borgatas. The early development of Cosa Nostra in America was truly an all-encompassing phenomenon all its own.

Salvatore (Sam) Scro was born on January 1, 1893, in Marineo, a little town on the outskirts of Palermo, Sicily. He is believed to have immigrated to the United States in 1912 when he was around nineteen years old. During his first years on American soil, Scro resided in New York City. By the age of 21, he was living in Manhattan.

At some point, several years later, we know he relocated to the City of Syracuse in upstate New York because on November 11, 1922, the then 27-year-old Scro married a young woman named Maria J. (Mary) Lodico. The young couple soon started a family, which would eventually grow to include seven children.

Sam Scro, his wife Mary, and five of their children.

Sal and Mary moved around a lot over the years and lived in several different cities. For example, by 1924, they were once again residing in New York City because that was the year their son Vincent was born in Manhattan. Two years later, in 1926, the Scros gave birth to another son named Charles, who was born in a local hospital upstate in the town of Auburn, New York. Less than a year later, in 1927, a daughter named Rosalie was born in New Jersey. Two years after that, in 1929, a third son, whom they named Anthony, was born in Syracuse. They also had two younger daughters named Mary Rose and Josephine.

Between the mid-1920s and the early 1940s, the Scros traveled back and forth between downstate and upstate New York, where they had numerous friends and relatives. For instance, during these years, Sam and his family were known to have either been living or visiting the following locations for prolonged periods: 1924 - Manhattan, NY; 1927- New Jersey; 1930 -Auburn, NY (Cayuga County;) 1935 - Syracuse, NY (Onondaga County;) 1942 - New York City (Queens County.)

Yet, throughout the years, it seems that Salvatore Scro was most often identified with the cities of Auburn and Syracuse where he was thought to have exerted a measure of control over several illegal rackets and also engaged in legitimate enterprises. He was also suspected of having been a bootlegger during the 1920s-1930s Prohibition era.

In 1933, after the federal government repealed the Volstead Act and the sale and consumption of alcohol became legal again, Scro then pivoted into a new enterprise and allegedly became a controlling power within the policy-numbers racket. Several sources have suggested he was also a controlling power within Syracuse’s underworld.

135 Chatham Road, Syracuse

By the 1930s, Scro had relocated his wife and children to Syracuse. Sam and Mary bought a modest three-bedroom house, set on a half-acre, at 135 Chatham Road. This is the residence where Sam and Mary would raise their children and call home for the rest of their lives.

A Shadow Leader?

Although there is very little background and historical information about Scro’s shadowy life and Cosa Nostra career, what we do know is that early on Sam Scro was considered and viewed as a “man of respect” within the Mafia. On that note, there is little doubt.

During his active years, he managed to maintain an extremely low-key persona, both within the underworld and the upper world alike. Scro’s criminal activities had an almost invisible cloak over them. His low-key reputation and operating style were such that it allowed him to conduct his affairs and whatever criminal activities he engaged in in such a manner that it seems he never piqued the interest of either local or federal investigators or law enforcement authorities whatsoever.

Subsequently, up until the late 1950s, very little was ever written about him in the local newspapers and tabloids, and certainly no derogatory information was ever revealed about Scro. But with the fallout from the notorious Mafia Meeting held at Cosa Nostra boss Joe Barbara’s estate at Apalachin, New York on November 14, 1957, that would all change for Scro.

Joe Barbara's estate in Apalachin.

Based upon what we know about his friendships and associations with some of the most important Cosa Nostra figures to ever step foot on American soil, it appears that Scro was, more than likely, a fully inducted mafioso in his own right; one who most likely held the formal rank of a “soldato,” or soldier, within the ranks of the Mafia.

And although some mob researchers over the years have suspected Scro of being a member of the Stefano Magaddino Family of Buffalo, there is ample evidence to suggest he was actually more likely an early “card-carrying member” of the Salvatore Maranzano Family of New York City, or a soldier serving under Giuseppe (Joe the Barber) Barbara Sr. , a top capo who controlled the City of Binghamton and later became boss over a Binghamton, New York-based Family.

But regardless of his specific Mafia affiliation, one thing’s for certain, Salvatore Scro seemed to know everyone worth knowing within Cosa Nostra, but always maintained his closest underworld connections to members of the infamous “Castellammarese” faction of the Mafia. All of the Families he was known to engage with were either headed or staffed by mafiosi who were born in the little town of Castellammare del Golfo, in northwestern Sicily.

It was believed that he numbered among his closest associates such important men as Salvatore Maranzano, Giuseppe Bonanno, Stefano Magaddino , Giuseppe Barbara, Gaspare DiGregorio, and so on.

Sam Finally Makes the Headlines

On July 1, 1958, Salvatore Scro’s name was featured prominently on a published list of 147 men suspected or documented as being members of the Mafia. The list was released to the public by a United States Senate Rackets Committee, which was then conducting hearings into organized crime operating throughout the country.

The Senate panel released the list as they made a news announcement that those named would figure into a 4-month investigation then underway to probe the Mafia's involvement in labor unions and infiltration into the business field.

July 1, 1958

In a news release, the Senate committee stated, “The individuals named on the list are described as either those individuals who had attended the notorious ’Apalachin Meeting’ or some of their contacts and associates. Included on this list is the name of Sam Scro, who is identified as president of the Darling Ice Cream Company of Syracuse, N.Y. Also included on the list is the name of his son, Vincent Anthony Scro of Buffalo.”

Simultaneously with the release of the list, Robert F. Kennedy, chief counsel of the Senate Rackets Investigating Committee, released a related chart prepared for the committee, titled, “Partial Mafia Syndicate Relationship Study.” This chart also included the names of Salvatore (Sam) Scro and his son Vincent as well as the names of Sam’s three other sons, Charles J. Scro, Anthony S. Scro, and Joseph F. Scro.

U.S. Senate Hearing “Mafia Relationship Chart”

As far as can be determined, this announcement was the very first time that Salvatore Scro had ever been publicly connected with racketeers or suspected members of the dreaded Mafia.

Except for Vincent, Sam’s other sons, all Syracuse residents, were described as holding the following corporate positions in their father’s ice cream manufacturing business: Charles J. Scro, of 529 Durston Avenue, Syracuse - secretary of the corporation; Anthony S. Scro, of 493 Brattle Road, Syracuse - vice-president; and Joseph F. Scro, of 219 Hanover Avenue, Liverpool, - company treasurer.

Side note: Anthony (Tony) Scro was the son-in-law of Saverio (Sam) Monachino. He had married Monachino's daughter, Mattia. Monachino and his brother, Pasquale (Patsy) Monachino, both attended and were nabbed at the 1957 Apalachin Meeting. Subsequently, they both figured prominently in a long series of state and federal investigations conducted by the NYS Police, the FBI, and several federal grand juries later empaneled to hold hearings in the aftermath of that infamous Mafia Meeting.

Another telltale sign of Sam’s deep connections and the tremendous respect that other mafiosi afforded him was the marriage of his daughter Rosalie to Anthony DiGregorio, the son of longtime Bonanno Family capodecina, and later acting boss, Gaspare DiGregorio.

The FBI later identified Anthony (Tony D) DiGregorio as a made man, or fully-inducted “soldier,” within the Joseph Bonanno Family as well. Tony was believed to have been sponsored by his father Gaspare and no less a figure than the boss of the borgata himself, Joe Bonanno.

And, as if those connections were not enough to establish Sam’s Cosa Nostra credentials, his son Vincent was married to Arcangela Magaddino, the daughter of Buffalo Family boss Stefano Magaddino. In fact, Vincent and Angela lived directly next door to her mom and dad on Dana Drive in Buffalo.

I think these marriages alone show the influence and respect his fellow mafiosi had for their compare, Sam.

After the list was released to the public, Anthony Scro granted an interview to a local newspaper, The Post-Standard . He expressed outrage at being named in the probe, stating "I don’t know why my name should be on that chart. They should be ashamed of themselves to do it.”

Anthony Scro

Scro then explained that a possible reason for his inclusion on the chart was because his father-in-law, Sam Monachino, was "under scrutiny.” He said his father-in-law went to Apalachin at the time of “the convention” to “get another refrigerated beer trailer and they scrutinized the guy because he (was) trying to make a living.”

He further remarked that it was "quite ridiculous" for the committee to include his name on the chart, likening it to "mud-slinging."

After Anthony's brother Joe learned that his name had also been included on the Mafia chart released by Bobby Kennedy’s office, he exclaimed, “That’s a load of baloney. That's terrible. I’ve never been contacted by any member of that Senate investigating committee. All I’ve ever done is work my head off.” He then proceeded to characterize the chart as “an attempt to degrade a hard-working, honest man.”

Charles Scro

For their part, Sam and his other son Charlie were initially unavailable for comments. Anthony and Joe told the newspaper that their father was away at his camp, without telephone facilities, and would not be available for any comments whatsoever.

The Curtain is Finally Pulled Back

As stated above, through the years, Sam Scro was known to be closely associated with key figures of at least three top Cosa Nostra Families, including the Stefano Magaddino Family of Buffalo, the Giuseppe Barbara Family of Binghamton, and the old Maranzano Family of New York City, which had since taken over by Joseph Bonanno.

Other key Mafia figures whom Scro admitted to knowing intimately included such Cosa Nostra stalwarts as Salvatore (Don Turiddo) Falcone , his brother Joseph Falcone, and Rosario (Russ) Mancuso of Utica; Ignatius (Sonny) Cannone, Anthony (The Governor) Guarnieri , Bartolomeo (Bart) Guccia, Saverio (Sam) Monachino, Pasquale (Patsy) Monachino, Pasquale (Patsy) Turrigiano, Pasquale (Patsy) Sciortino, and Emanuele (Manny) Zicari, all connected to Joe Barbara’s outfit in Binghamton; and brothers Frank Valenti and Contenze (Stanley) Valenti of the City of Rochester.

Among local Syracuse mob associates he was known to be on intimate terms with included Francesco (Frank) Orlando, Antonio (Tony) Damiani, Anthony (Whispers) DeStefano , Samuel Ferrar, and Francesco (Frank) Pelli.

A Highly Respected Mafioso

As mentioned, regardless of his particular “rank” within the annals of Cosa Nostra, it does appear that Scro was a very respected guy. He seemed to be on intimate and comfortable terms with a plethora of extremely important mob figures.

For instance, over the years, Sam Scro was repeatedly documented as being especially close to Binghamton Family boss, Joe Barbara, so much so that Joe asked Sam to be the godfather to Barbara’s infant daughter, Angela. The significance of this cannot be overstated. To be asked to be the “godfather” of a newborn child is a high honor within the Catholic community, and an especially high honor among mafiosi. These two men obviously considered one another “compare.”

Scro also admitted to having been associated with several different businesses with Barbara. Sam once stated, under oath, that he had served as the vice president and executive in one of Joe Barbara’s main businesses, Mission Beverage Corporation of Endicott, New York, during the years 1940 through 1942.

Joseph Barbara

Scro and Barbara were also known to have been partners in several real estate deals, as well as an import-export firm that supplied wholesale quantities of Italian cheeses, olive oils, and other specialty food products to the upstate New York region.

During another interview, Scro said he used to buy wholesale beer from a satellite company that Barbara operated in the City of Syracuse. Sam went on to explain to Senate investigators that, at one time, he had owned and operated a restaurant at 204 W. Genesee Street between the years 1933 and 1940. During that period, he bought beer from Barbara’s company.

Whether true or false, information was later culled, suggesting that Barbara had been instrumental in helping facilitate Scro’s involvement in the wholesale ice cream business in Syracuse.

Side Note: Mission Beverage was the major supplier of Canada Dry Soda and several other soft drink brands in the Greater Binghamton area and Triple-Cities Region for many years. This company also happened to be the longtime de facto headquarters of Mafia boss Joe Barbara.

By August 1949, Sam had gone into the restaurant business once again. That month he was granted a liquor license “to sell liquor, beer, and wine at retail prices” in a restaurant located on Erie Boulevard, which he named the Flamingo Drive-In Restaurant.

Under questioning, Sam also admitted knowing and being very close friends with Utica mob capo Salvatore Falcone, who he said later became the godfather to Scro’s second-born son, Charles.

Never Arrested or Indicted

Despite Sam’s best efforts to try and explain away his dark associations and dismiss allegations of his Mafia connections, the negative newspaper and television publicity kept coming.

On Thursday, June 11, 1959, through his attorney, Scro was forced to deny that he had been indicted on criminal conspiracy charges by the federal government as reported only one day earlier by The Associated Press .

Scro’s counsel, attorney Paul Shanahan, made a public statement that his client, “had only been served a subpoena to appear as a witness before the New York State Crime Commission” regarding the now infamous gathering of underworld figures at Apalachin, New York in 1957.

Shanahan explained that the crime commission had asked Scro to testify regarding information they received that two Rochester-based mob figures had traveled to Syracuse to visit Scro only a day before they had attended the Apalachin convention. He added, “Sam Scro has not been examined, charged, or indicted on any charges whatsoever in connection with the investigation.”

For his part in all this, Scro admitted that on November 13, 1957, brothers Constanze and Frank Valenti had stopped by the offices of his Darling Ice Cream Co., located at 836 N. State Street, to visit and speak with him. He mentioned that the Valenti brothers were friends of his, so he took his two guests out for supper that same evening.

Attorney Shanahan said his client had voluntarily agreed to appear before the commission to answer their questions regarding the conversation he had with the Valenti brothers. But that Scro’s original scheduled appearance of Tuesday, June 9 had been delayed and the commission had further postponed Scro’s appearance to an indefinite date to be set for the near future.

Saverio Monachino

Then, on July 2, Sam spoke to the newspapers in another failed attempt to clear his name and that of his family. He admitted knowing Joe Barbara, Sal Falcone, Sam Monachino, and the others in question. He said, “If a man is a good guy, then God bless him. If he’s a bad guy, then there’s nothing you can do about it. I don’t go anywhere. Anyone wants to find me, they can find me either at the ice cream company plant or at my home. I don’t have associations with anybody. I am only associated with my family.”

Scro said he didn’t know whether he had ever seen Russ Mancuso or not, but said, “I might have met him someplace, but I don’t remember.”

He then explained that he had first come to this country in 1912 and joined his father in Auburn, New York. Between 1914 and 1935, he said he owned several grocery stores in Auburn before relocating to Syracuse where he initially went into the restaurant business.

Dating back to 1942, Sam said that he bought a restaurant as well as the property it sat on, the 1900 block of S. Salina Street, but then sold the restaurant and rented out the property until 1947. At that time, the property became part of a business transaction during which he acquired the Darling Ice Cream Company.

A Proud Patriot and Papa

At one point during the interview, The Post-Standard accused his son Vincent of going into hiding to avoid appearing before the Senate investigations panel about his knowledge of financial activities of the Magaddino Memorial Funeral Chapel Inc. in Niagara Falls. The chapel was owned by Vincent's father-in-law, Mafia leader Steve Magaddino.

Sam told the newspaper, “My son never hides. Vincent is in Niagara Falls right now. I know that for a fact.” He added, “My son Vincent also appeared before the grand jury as requested of him and has now been excused by them after doing so.”

Sam’s other son Charlie was also subpoenaed to testify, but he was allowed to provide his testimony to the crime commission in a private closed-door session three months earlier, in March.

Posing with his fighter squadron during WWII, Vincent Scro stands on extreme left in this photo.

During the interview he gave on July 1, 1958, Sam tried to put his best foot forward, saying he was proud of his achievements in this country and his war record, as well as those of two of his sons. Sam pointed out that he had served one year in the Armed Forces during WWI, and two of his sons had served in the Armed Forces during WWII.

Beaming with pride, Sam said that his son Charlie spent two and a half years in the Navy, fighting in the Pacific. Vincent had flown between 18 and 29 missions over Japan as a B-29 navigator and fighter pilot. He also said that Vincent had served for a total of three year in the United States Air Force.

A Tidy Little Profit

In November 1961 Sam Scro’s business dealings were once again made public and came under scrutiny after the City of Syracuse investigated its questionable purchase of a property site he owned for a newly proposed location for a Salt Springs library.

Local government officials said the city had entered into a contract to pay $45,000 for the property, which was about nine times the legitimate assessed valuation of $5,425 for the property They stated this purchase price was roughly $33,000 above market value for similar-sized parcels based on Syracuse’s equalization rate.

Upon further examination of the deal and its particulars, city officials stated the land was located at the following addresses: 101, 105, 111, 117, and 121 Springfield Road, and at 629 Audubon Parkway, which collectively formed a desirable triangular plot of land owned by one single entity.

They said that six parcels of property, comprising a total of 41,000 square feet, were owned by the Javac or Javec Realty Corporation. They said the company’s name is spelled both ways in various city property records, and that the principal owner of this corporation was Salvatore Scro, who owned the property since at least 1954.

Scro had originally listed the properties at a whopping $72,000 asking price. But the city was able to negotiate it down to $45,000. The sale price was eventually ratified and agreed upon between Scro’s corporation and the City of Syracuse.

Mayor Henninger said the option to purchase the properties was accepted by the city and ratified by the Common City Council. The seller, the Javac Realty Corp., was represented by Joseph Scro and his son Joseph Scro Jr. in the transaction.

Not a bad business deal for Sam and his sons.

A Major Blaze and Insurance Claim

Five years later, just two days before Christmas Eve in December 1966, a massive blaze destroyed a series of connected buildings on Syracuse’s North Side, several of which housed the headquarters and factory of the Darling Ice Cream Company.

Fire officials said the blaze, which caused an estimated $100,000 in damage, erupted during the early morning hours of December 22 and completely wrecked the ice cream plant. The fire also left a family of four homeless. They had been renting an upstairs apartment.

Fire investigators probing the blaze said that the four structures, located at 836-842 N. State Street, were “fully enveloped in flames by the time firemen arrived on the scene shortly after 3 a.m.”

The Darling Ice Cream Company

Owned by the Scro family, the series of two-story buildings was a combination of storefronts and industrial space on the first floor and rental apartments on the second. The Darling Ice Cream Company occupied the ground floor of several buildings.

Authorities said that Mr. and Mrs. Charles Whelan, who were living upstairs in one of the apartments with their two children, were able to escape from the burning building unharmed. They also said Whelan was an employee of Darling.

The fire was reported by several passersby who called the Syracuse Fire Department after spotting huge flames shooting out of the front windows and heavy smoke emanating from the roof of the buildings.

A former Darling Ice Cream truck.

The three-alarm blaze gutted the structures with heavy damage reportedly sustained by the walls, floors, and ceilings. The building's wiring, the company's equipment, inventory, and other contents were also damaged. Among other declared losses, the Syracuse Health Department ruled that a 5,000-gallon ice cream vat was contaminated and ordered it destroyed.

Fire Marshalls said the blaze had started in a front office but quickly shot up through an elevator shaft. The cause of the blaze was undetermined, so an arson investigation was started. At the time of the incident, fire investigators theorized that the fire may have been intentionally set by burglars, but that this theory wasn't substantiated.

Side note: Many years earlier, during the early 1930s, Sam was involved in another very controversial and mysterious explosion that completely wrecked another building that he owned. The property in question was a two-story building, located at 294 Genesee Street in Auburn. Not only was Scro’s building destroyed, but the explosion also caused serious damage to property on either side of his building.

Auburn authorities started an investigation to determine the cause, which they said rocked houses in the vicinity and shattered panes of glass in windows of a manufacturing plant directly across the street from Scro’s building. At the time of the incident, the police were not sure if it was a bomb or a gas leak.

A Sudden, Unexpected Ending

On Monday, April 23, 1962, Sam and his wife drove down to Long Island to visit their daughter Rosalie, her husband Tony, and their children.

While they were there, Sam was suddenly stricken with a massive heart attack. He was rushed to the intensive care unit at nearby Saint Catherine’s Hospital in Smithtown but died two days later on Wednesday, April 25, 1962. His body was shipped back upstate for funeral arrangements. Sam had made Auburn and Syracuse his home for more than 35 years.

Sam and his wife Mary.

On Friday, April 27 a one-day wake was held for Sam at the Pirro & Sons Funeral Home, located at 518 State Street. The following morning on Saturday, April 28, a solemn Roman Catholic Mass was held for him at Our Lady of Pompeii-St. Peter’s Church. The Scro family had been communicants at St. Peter’s for many years.

Sam’s hearse and flower cars, with family and friends in tow, then drove to the nearby Assumption Cemetery & Mausoleum in Syracuse, where he was laid to rest.

Salvatore (Sam) Scro was 69 years old.

He was survived by a large family, including his wife Mary; his four sons, Vincent, Charles, Anthony, and Joseph; daughter Rosalie and son-in-law Anthony DiGregorio of Bay Shore, L.I., Mary Rose Scro and Josephine-Ann Scro Torrillo; one brother, Vincenzo Scro of Syracuse; and a sister, Mrs. Rosina Spina of Italy; as well as 15 grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Sam’s devoted wife passed away forty-five years later, in 2007. Mary had survived to reach the unbelievable age of 99 years old.

Until next time…”The Other Guy”

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Sam Scro: The Invisible Mafioso of Syracuse, NY

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