In the Godfather Garden: The Long Life and Times of Richie "the Boot" Boiardo

Cast of Characters

195 Henry Abrams (Kid Henry) A former pugilist and partner of the Boot in the Vittorio Castle Restaurant and the Rex B, an Italian lottery. Hugh Addonizio (the Pope) Mayor of Newark from 1962 to 1970; convicted in the 1969 corruption-conspiracy case and sentenced to ten years in federal prison. Anthony Alfone (Money) An early Boot gang member, thief, and cohort of Ralph Russo. Albert Anastasia (Mad Hatter, Lord High Executioner) Murder Inc. boss, Mangano crime-family boss, and New York labor racketeer; executed by the mob in 1957. Phyllis Boiardo Balestro The Boot’s youngest daughter; resided at the Livingston estate with her husband, Mario Sr., and children, Mario Jr. and Michael. Tony Bananas See Antonio Caponigro. Amiri Baraka (formerly LeRoi Jones) Newark poet and black activist during the 1967 riots and throughout the election campaign of the city’s first black mayor, Kenneth Gibson. Mary Boiardo Barile The Boot’s second oldest daughter; lived in South Orange, New Jersey, with her husband, Joseph, and children. Edith Bencivengo The Boot’s long-term girlfriend and housekeeper. C A S T O F C H A R A C T E R S 196 Cast of Characters Tony Bender See Anthony Strollo. Big Pussy See John Russo. Ruggiero Boiardo Sr. (Richie the Boot, Diamond Ritchie) Newark Prohibition bootlegger and gang leader who became a Genovese family caporegime (captain, capo) and one of the most powerful and enduring mob chieftains on the East Coast. Ruggiero Anthony Boiardo Jr. (Tony Boy) The Boot’s son, Genovese lieutenant , and businessman; managed gambling, loan-shark, and extortion operations and owned legitimate enterprises. Vincent James Calabrese (Jimo) A lieutenant and enforcer in the Boiardo gang; supervised some gambling operations. Paul Campanile A Trenton, New Jersey, gangster and numbers runner. Alphonse Capone (Al, Scarface) A Brooklyn, New York, gangster who became the boss of Chicago’s underworld during Prohibition; had a vested interest in uninterrupted booze shipments from New Jersey and New York, which the Boot and Longy Zwillman controlled. Antonio Caponigro (Tony Bananas) Newark Fifth Ward crime leader and Boot associate known for his violent temper; he rose to become consigliere , or counselor, of the Bruno crime family. Joe Casey See Joseph Juliano. Francesco Castiglia (Frank Costello) Succeeded Lucky Luciano as boss of the Luciano crime family, which became the Genovese family; resigned after an assassination attempt on his life. Eugene Catena (Gene) One of Jerry Catena’s younger brothers; lieutenant who oversaw Port Newark waterfront gambling and union racketeering. Frank Catena One of Jerry Catena’s younger brothers; a powerbroker in the International Longshoreman’s Association, Local 1235, which controlled the Port Newark waterfront. Gerardo Vito Catena (Jerry) A Zwillman associate who rose to become acting boss of the Genovese family, a successful businessman, and a friend and partner of the Boot. Cast of Characters 197 Angelo Chieppa (Chip) Long-term associate and informant of the Boot; managed multiple illegal stills, Caribbean gambling interests, and skim operations for the Boot and his son, Tony Boy. Louie Coke See Louis DeBenedetto. Frank Costello See Francesco Castiglia. Agnes Boiardo Crescenzi The Boot’s oldest daughter; lived at the Livingston estate with her husband, Louis, and son, Maurice. Louis DeBenedetto (Louie Coke) A Boot lieutenant who oversaw gambling activities and skimmed profits in Las Vegas. Angelo DeCarlo (Gyp, Ray) A Boot underling during Prohibition; became a Genovese capo overseeing parts of Union and Monmouth counties in New Jersey. His office was bugged by the FBI, exposing the operations of the Boiardo crew. He was pardoned by Richard Nixon. Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante (Sam the Plumber) A crime-family boss whose Kenilworth (New Jersey) office was bugged by the FBI, yielding 2,300 pages of transcribed mob conversations. Nicholas Delmore (Nick, Delly) A Union County (New Jersey) bootlegger and bookmaker, a close associate of Zwillman and Catena; took charge of organized crime in Elizabeth. His nephew, Sam DeCavalcante , assumed control of his crew, which became known as the DeCavalcante family. Thomas DePhillips (Pee Wee) A Boot lieutenant; assumed control of the Boiardo crew after Andy Gerardo’s retirement; implicated in the murder of Little Pussy. Anthony DeVingo A Boot soldier and enforcer; implicated in the murder of Little Pussy. Eugene Farina (Gino) A Boot lieutenant and enforcer; oversaw bookkeeping and police department payoffs for the Boiardo crew’s gambling operations; disappeared in 1967. Arthur Flegenheimer (Dutch Schultz, the Dutchman) A Harlem and Bronx...