Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante – The Count Of New Jersey

A respected and very well-liked “Representante” by his rank and file, Sam DeCavalcante knew the “life” well, having been taught the ropes and “groomed” by his uncle and father before him.

Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante - aka “Sam the Plumber,”, “The Count,” “Mustache Sam,” and “Simone Russo” - was born in 1912 and reared in Northern New Jersey. By the 1950s, he and his family were residing at 167 Cleveland Avenue in Trenton, New Jersey. He later lived for decades in a nicely-appointed home with his wife and children in the bucolic Princeton section.

By his mid-60s, he would relocate to South Florida where he bought a beautiful condominium at 4601 Collins Avenue in Miami. He would reside for the rest of his days.

Simone DeCavalcante

FBI #1670728, SBI #139860

DeCavalcante was the son of an early alcohol bootlegger and “capo di decina” of the Family by the name of Francesco (Frank) DeCavalcante.

He also had an uncle, who had earlier led the borgata as its leader for years, by the name of Nicola (Nicky Dell) Delmore.

His activities included policy, bookmaking, shylocking, labor union rackets, extortion, dice and card games, bribery and official corruption, and strong-arm.

Rare photo of Sam’s home in Princeton

He listed his legitimate employment as a partner in a plumbing contracting firm, hence his nickname “Sam the Plumber”. He was also known as “The Count.”

DeCavalcante claimed to associates that his blood family had come from royalty back in Italy -- that’s how he acquired his second nickname.

His police arrest record included forgery, tax evasion, conspiracy, extortion, gambling conspiracy, and lottery.

Sam would be tapped by his uncle to take over the Family once Nicky Dell decided to retire (and his subsequent death in 1964).

Simone DeCavalcante

It was a smooth, bloodless transition of power, somewhat unique to Cosa Nostra. This borgata had always been a quiet and little-known entity almost unto themselves.

With a formal inducted membership, which at its peak is believed to never have exceeded 20 to 25 members, the Family membership hardly made a ripple in the underworld.

But with DeCavalcante’s ascension to the helm of leadership, that would change.

With the support of both Carlo Gambino and the Genovese Family, Sam the Plumber would soon expand the membership to upwards of 40 to 45 formal members and many more associates.

Frank Majuri

He also encouraged them to be more aggressive in their activities, enabling them to expand to the point that the DeCavalcante Family became a recognized force not only in Northern New Jersey but also within the New York City metropolitan area as well.

The borgata even maintained a solid crew for decades in the Connecticut region, specifically based in the Waterbury area, and were active in Bridgeport as well.

And although a small Family, they had some very capable “key” associates that he trusted including his cousin Robert ( Bobby Basile ) Occhipinti, his longtime underboss Frank Majuri , and captains Luciano (Fat Lou) Larasso and Frank ( Big Frankie ) Cocchiaro.

These men would help him oversee the extensive Family holdings in several states.

A respected and very well-liked “Representante” by his rank and file, Sam knew the “life” well, having been taught the ropes and “groomed” by his uncle and father before him.

He maintained close friendships with many of the top mafiosi of the era including Carlo Gambino, Genovese powers Angelo (Gyp) DeCarlo and Anthony (Little Pussy) Russo, and Joseph (Bayonne Joe) Zicarelli of the Bonanno crew.

The borgata’s headquarters was situated in the town of Elizabeth, and the Family’s main power base had always been Local # 394 - Hod Carriers of the Laborers Union of North America.

Construction project in New York.

They also boasted several other affiliated labor unions such as Local # 526 via his control of mob associate and union “organizer” Samuel Caivano and an Asbestos Union Local they controlled.

These labor unions (in varied industries) gave Sam and his henchmen pivotal control and dominion over major construction projects and other business entities over the years that allowed them to reap millions of dollars in extortion payments and the selling of “labor peace” which didn’t come cheap!

As though their union domination was not extensive enough already, several Family soldiers exerted influence in a New York City carpet workers union and a Brooklyn local of the International Longshoremen’s Union (ILA).

They also were deeply entrenched in the recording industry, holding a hidden interest in Mecca Records and several other music record labels.

They were also involved in the private carting industry in Marlboro in upstate New York and several toxic-waste firms. In addition, they also held hidden ownership in varied construction-related companies that complemented their laborers' union interests.

Sam’s business acumen applied to street rackets as well.

He supported his soldiers and their followers to expand their gambling operations and the lending of money, which collectively would grow to become a major income for the rank and file.

Those operations and various other sideline rackets such as cigarette smuggling, pornography, truck hijacking, and cargo thefts, made for happy soldiers and associates.

He also allowed them to dabble in the narcotics trade, (specifically cocaine and marijuana) which they gained easy access to because of several key soldiers and affiliates having migrated down to South Florida to live and operate.

All of this upward movement and expansion did not go unnoticed. Soon, federal authorities became very much aware of, and interested in, Sam the Plumber. It was at a time in history shortly after informer Joe Valachi had spilled the beans on the secret brotherhood in 1963.

Joseph Valachi testifying before the Senate.

He testified before a congressional committee - and the world - about a nefarious entity known as the Mafia - and only a few years after the infamous underworld barbecue at Apalachin in 1957 where 62 of the country’s most notorious mafiosi were apprehended.

In 1965, the FBI would surreptitiously install a hidden microphone in Sam’s plumbing company office.

For the next year or so, the Fee-Bee’s would listen to every single word spoken between Sam, his partner and secretary Harriet (who, by the way, happened to be Sam’s mistress) and a gaggle of mafiosi, corrupt policemen, local politicians, and businessmen who looked to curry favor with Sam.

He was exposed as the Mafia boss of his own Family.

Mob murders and other mayhem had been discussed. So had police bribery, the Gallo-Profaci war and its fallout, the impending Bonanno Family War and Joe Bonanno’s expulsion from the brotherhood.

And most importantly - The Commission.

Sam DeCavalcante

It was a disaster!!!

Later, it compounded tenfold inadvertently by Sam’s lawyers, who while fighting a criminal case for him, demanded all evidence the government had (so-called “discovery material”) which they were entitled to. The government complied! But not as the lawyers thought they would....

Freedom of information would come at a very steep price!

Upon its release, it became public domain, and soon every major newspaper in the country got a copy. They had a field day with it. It became front-page news.

Entire transcripts of tapes of the secret recordings were printed for the public to read.... it was a public relations disaster.

Sam DeCavalcante was doomed!

Side Note: A book containing the actual transcripts, aptly enough named “Sam the Plumber,” was published several years later.

In 1970, he and 54 of his mob associates had been federally indicted for the operation of a huge $20,000,000 a year numbers-lottery network.

They would all be convicted after trial. Sam received a five-year prison term.

Under the old law, after serving two years, he was eligible for parole, being released back home.

But wisely, he immediately chose to relocate down to Florida hoping to avoid any further law enforcement spotlight and scrutiny by New Jersey or federal authorities.

DeCavalcante simultaneously elevated his “acting underboss” up to the “acting boss” position, allowing John (The Eagle) Riggi, Sr., a wider berth in the day-to-day operation of the borgata.

But Sam still retained his high status, receiving 10% of all monies generated by his Family members.

He would live very comfortably in semi-retirement in the coming decades, occasionally traveling back up to New Jersey to visit blood family and check on how his other “Family” was doing, collecting his tithe in the process.

Simone Rizzo (Sam the Plumber) DeCavalcante died in 1997 at the very comfortable old age of 85 years old.

Having only served one short prison term in his long underworld career, I dare say that “Sam the Count”, by my account and that of many, lived a charmed life as a top mafioso.

Until next time..."The Other Guy!"

Sam the Plumber on Mob Fireside Chat

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Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante – The Count Of New Jersey

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Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante – The Count Of New Jersey

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You May Also Enjoy

Racketeer Snapshot: Connecticut’s Frank (The Cigar) Piccolo

The Anthony Strollo Regime of NY/NJ

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