The Eugene Catena Regime Leadership Chart

The Eugene Catena Regime Chart lists all known and suspected soldiers of his New Jersey-based crew as well as many of their more significant criminal “associates." But to better understand the chart that follows, let's delve into a bit of history about the brothers Catena .

The Rise of the Catena Brothers

Born in 1904 in New Jersey, Eugene (Gene) Catena was an early member of what became known as the Vito Genovese Family . Along with his more notorious brother Gerardo, called Jerry, the Catena brothers were recognized as important members of the New Jersey wing of the Family.

By the early-1960s, Jerry had risen from a “caporegime” to the Family’s new “acting boss” after boss Vito Genovese was convicted in a highly-publicized trial and received 15 years in prison for narcotics conspiracy . He soon elevated Catena to serve as his eyes and ears over the borgata. Two other key aides were Thomas (Tommy Ryan) Eboli and Michele (Mike) Miranda , who rounded out a triumvirate serving as the “acting underboss” and “consigliere” respectively.

Catena, Eboli, and Miranda became the caretakers for Vito as he served out his sentence. By the time Genovese died in jail in 1969, Catena was under assault by law enforcement authorities. He was jailed in 1970 for contempt of court after he repeatedly refused to testify before a New Jersey State grand jury probing the underworld. Jerry served over five years at Yardville State Prison for his silence. After his release in 1975, he relocated down to Boca Raton, Florida but continued to maintain control over the Family from “behind the scenes” for the next few years until capo Philip (Cockeyed Phil) Lombardo was eventually named the next “official” boss.

With Jerry’s ascension to the hierarchy, he elevated his brother Gene to serve as the new “capo di decina” over his former “crew.” From that point forward, Gene Catena ran one of the most important regimes in the Genovese Family. The crew was deeply enmeshed in bookmaking, floating dice games, the policy racket, shylocking, extortion, jukebox and coin-machine rackets , and many other criminal activities typical of the Mafia. But the Catena regime’s real strength came from their deep penetration and stranglehold over numerous labor unions operating throughout New Jersey and elsewhere.

The Most Corrupt State in the Union

Even more important than union control was their ability to infiltrate and corrupt New Jersey’s local and state governments. Through the years, Cosa Nostra had successfully infiltrated nearly every public office and branch of local government. By the mid-1960s, the FBI had uncovered troubling evidence of just how corrupt The Garden State actually was.

With a shocking series of State and Federal indictments brought by the FBI and U.S. Justice Department that nearly every newspaper in the country reported on, New Jersey soon gained a well-deserved reputation as the most corrupt state in the union. And although there were plenty of figures from several “Families” who were later exposed as bribing local and state officials, no group was more responsible for this than the Vito Genovese Family. And the Catena brothers and their men played a major role in this systematic bribery and corruption of politicians and policemen.

Over the years, dozens upon dozens of government officials ranging from lawyers, councilmen, assemblymen, mayors, state senators, congressmen, and local police departments were in league with the Mafia. Uniformed patrolmen, sergeants, lieutenants, assistant police commissioners, and other top law enforcement officials were found to all be playing ball with organized crime.

This cozy arrangement had allowed Cosa Nostra to operate virtually unimpeded - without the fear of police investigation, arrest, or prosecution - for decades.

It also gave the mob an inside track on lucrative multimillion-dollar public works contracts that were awarded to mob-controlled companies. No-bid government contracts that went to mobbed-up firms for general contracting, masonry work, garbage carting, trucking, asphalt paving, electrical and plumbing, school bus contracts, and more!

Bribes were systematically paid. Competitive bids were subverted. Contracts were awarded. Mafiosi and their friends earned untold millions in profits for many years in this manner.

Labor unions known to be either influenced or outright controlled by the Catena brothers on behalf of the Genovese Family included numerous International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union locals. These included Locals 84, 97, 106, 240 242, 418, 518, 522, 531, 560, 575, 863, 866, 723, and 945; Teamsters Joint Council #73; Bartenders & Waiters Union, Local #69; Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union, Local 464; and Retail Clerks & Service Employees Union, Local #1262 (AFL-CIO). And this is just a small sampling of the immense power and influence Jerry and Gene Catena wielded in New Jersey over the labor movement.

Target A&P

Another shocking example of the Mafia’s power in New Jersey came amid the tremendous adverse publicity and notoriety Gene and his brother received from law enforcement and the media for their involvement in a major investigation probing how the Mafia truly operated. By the mid-1960s, the brothers were being investigated by the FBI for their strong-arm penetration into nationally-branded supermarkets.

A federal grand jury was empaneled to probe a disturbing series of arsons and fire bombings that badly damaged a string of A&P Supermarkets and the gangland murders of several store managers after the company refused to carry on its shelves a particular brand of detergent secretly backed by the mob.

In the early 1960s, the North American Chemical Company of Patterson, N.J., a manufacturer and distributor of cleaning products including Poly-Clean Detergent, entered into a ten-year contract with Best Sales Company, owned by Gene Catena, to use their connections and influence to get Poly-Clean into supermarket chains around the country.

Within a few years' time, North American’s gross sales allegedly skyrocketed from $3 million to over $8 million dollars annually. But when Best Sales attempted to use union leverage to encourage the famous A&P Supermarket chain to start carrying Poly-Clean, they ran into problems. A&P did laboratory testing that revealed the product was inferior. A&P ultimately rejected the brand.

Upon hearing news they didn’t want to hear, the Catena brothers became furious. So furious, in fact, that a hidden “bug” the FBI had installed in Catena’s office caught him vowing to “kick A&P’s brains out.”

From that point forward, the mob started a campaign of terror against the supermarket chain. Over a series of months, two store managers were shot dead, others were beaten, and a half-dozen stores were badly firebombed and destroyed. A&P’s insurance losses were said to have totaled nearly $60 million.

During his later testimony before a U.S. Senate Investigation Panel, North American Chemical President Nathan Sobol revealed that the contract between his firm and Best Sales called for Gene Catena to receive $2,156 per month in salary, company stock options, free office space, and a company credit card.

But after learning of the terror campaign waged against A&P, Sobol had approached Catena to try and end their contract and relationship. The Catena brothers were incensed and demanded to be paid $25,800 for 13 years for a buyout, which ended up totaling a whopping $335,000 in “shakedown” money Sobol paid to them…Classic Cosa Nostra as it were.

In 1967, Gene ended up beating any charges that might have possibly resulted from this FBI investigation. Eugene Catena died of cancer that year. He was only sixty-two years old.

The Eugene Catena Regime Chart

The membership chart below depicts the hierarchy of the “Catena Regime.” It lists all known and suspected soldiers of his crew as well as many of their more significant criminal “associates.”

The Eugene Catena Regime Leadership Chart

You May Also Enjoy

The Alo Regime Leadership Chart

The Chicago Syndicate (The Outfit) Membership Chart

The NYS “Capitol Region” Underworld Charts – The Tony Bernardi Gang

Welcome Back!

Create New Account!

Retrieve your password

Are you sure want to unlock this post?

Are you sure want to cancel subscription?

The Eugene Catena Regime Leadership Chart

The Rise of the Catena Brothers

Unlock The Door to the Underworld

Take the Journey!

You May Also Enjoy

The Alo Regime Leadership Chart

The Chicago Syndicate (The Outfit) Membership Chart

The NYS “Capitol Region” Underworld Charts – The Tony Bernardi Gang

Welcome Back!

Create New Account!

Retrieve your password

Are you sure want to unlock this post?

Are you sure want to cancel subscription?