| |
| The Terranova Crime Family | |
|---|---|
| Organizational information | |
| Founder{s) |
Santino "Sonny Gold" Riccobene |
| Led by |
John Facchiano |
| Type |
Mafia |
| Locations | |
| Rackets |
assault, bookmaking, burglary, cargo theft, |
| Chronological and political information
| |
| Founding |
Las Venturas, 1966 |
| Affiliation | |
The Terranova Crime Family, also known as the Venturas crime family, is an Italian-American crime organization essentially based out of the metropolis Las Venturas, and was founded in 1957. The family originates from a powerful crew of the Gambetti crime family and was later called after the notorious mobster and visionary Gaetano Terranova, one of Riccobene's successors, due to his influential lead and his important role in the family's history. Investigations of the Federal Bureau of Investigation imply that Santino "Sonny" Riccobene, a former Caporegime of the Gambetti crime family in Liberty City, was sent along with his entire crew to Las Venturas in order to pursue the goal of expanding the family's influence and moreover to establish a net of rackets to multiply their earnings. Today the Terranova crime family dominates organized crime in Las Venturas and allegedly reigns its criminal underground with an iron fist. Furthermore, a considerable number of rackets are distributed among the family's crews such as gambling, extortion, prostitution and drug trafficking.
History
Origins
Santino Riccobene, a mobster whom, at young age already possessed slyness, street-smart and was entirely commited and determined and mastered the ability to earn big money in no-time, developing himself into a big earner. Riccobene's outer appearance and attitude in general aided him in climbing the ranks of the Gambetti crime family without any obstacles in his way. Shortly after his induction to the family he started forming own plans and did his utmost to reach the caporegime or captain spot in the family.In 1945, he ultimately commanded and led his own crew maintaining a high amount of manpower. With the successful crew ownership he gained the nickname 'Golden Boy' for the large amounts of income he acquired weekly for the mafia along with his professionalism and wisdom. Santino "Sonny Gold" Riccobene was eventually the best choice for Cangelosi, the family's top dog or boss at that time to fulfill his plan of expanding the family's magnitude throughout the states of America.
As a logical consequence, Riccobene was sent out to the western part of the States; Las Venturas in San Andreas which the crew pledged loyalty to for the years ahead of it. In addition, merely four years after World War II, the United States encountered a huge economical boost; the perfect conditions for the Terranova crime family, which was still a crew of the Gambettis back in the days, to grow and gain power and influence over it all, which is what Riccobene consequently together with his crew did.
The rise of Terranova
A net of rackets was quickly established, Riccobene obtained shares in numerous casinos of Las Venturas' neon-light districs, managing to set up a narcotics ring that brought in an overwhelming total yearly. Links to local construction unions, a car theft and bootlegging ring and ties to real estate frauds were also included in the business. As local head of criminal activities in Las Venturas, Riccobene literally lived up to his name. In 1955, he died of old age, Santino Riccobene passed away at the age of seventy-four, allegedly due to the constant stress of his work which he had to suffer from.
Riccobene's successor was his close friend and ever-present representative Timothy Stragazzi, a man of old age who often appeared to be precarious and directionless. Under Stragazzi's guidance the crew lost a small portion of its power and influence on the city. Stragazzi couldn't sustain the steady pressure of leading a crew due to his weak mental state. The family requested a potential leader with a strong will to keep the family's businesses in Las Venturas alive in a way as Riccobene did; successfully.
Fortunately, the Gambetti's administration came to a conclusion, Gaetano Terranova who would soon going to be called Don Venturas, a nearly inconspicuous member of the family who worked under Riccobene for many years. Nevertheless, Terranova radiated similar character traits as Santino Riccobene, assertiveness and dedication fortified his personality and grip around organized crime in the city. With Terranova as leader, the crew was situated in its golden age, he linked new connections to other organizations and managed build up sovereignty shortly after taking the reigns, the crew's rackets and operations multiplied and they gradually steered towards independency, Terranova distinctly surpassed Riccobene and his methods by establishing a stronger, and fluently working crew. In 1966, the crew allegedly broke apart from the Gambetti family and a new crime family was born, the Terranova family.
The Vallantes
Four years later, Gaetano Terranova was indicted for the 1954 murder of Henry Bollocchio, a famous loan shark and owner of one of Las Venturas' famous clubs at that time. To avoid prison, Terranova fled to Italy that same year and settled in the city of Prato near Florence. Terranova appointed Charles "Candy Chuck" Vallante, the family's underboss at that time, to acting boss, and left the family's responsibilities to him, with Terranova himself fading off America's grounds. Vallante soon began to implement a drastic remodeling of the leadership, promoting his son Thomas "Little Chuck" Vallante to underboss and demoting Peter Sanclemente, Terranova's loyal consigliere, back to a soldier in the crew of Richard Cafaro. Vallante's hardboiled attitude affected the business relationship between the family and the local Irish mob in Redsands West negatively.
In the same year, a bloody war occured in Las Venturas' underground that caused casualties on both sides. The war lasted two years and contained the loss of Charles Vallante who has been killed in a local restraurant with two lethal shots in the head, with the bodyguards' lives included. The tensions between both parties cooled down after this incident and a peaceful year followed with the leadership of Thomas Vallante. This year without any further occurances functioned as reconstruction and reorganization of the family to plan on the retaliation of Charles Vallante.
Terranova's return and his death
In 1974, the rough reign ended when Terranova was extradited from Italy to Las Venturas. Soon after his arrival in the United States, Gaetano Terranova was acquitted of the 1954 murder charge that had driven him into exile. Back in Las Venturas, Gaetano Terranova regained control over his family, demoting Thomas Vallante and simultaneously promoting Peter Sanclemente to his consigliere, producing a big series of problems for him to justify. Ending the war with the Irish mob was top priority. Terranova tried to settle the differences between his family and the mob peacefully, in vain. He had to finalize and take down the Irish mob due to the ongoing war being a dangerous and inevitable threat to the family's business in Las Venturas, ultimately yet gradually causing the attention of the feds, forcing the closure of the war to become mandatory and essential for the American mob boss whom had recently emerged from Italy to his original home.
Patrick Flannigan, the boss of the Irish mob, was murdered in no-time as Terranova regained leadership. His death caused the breakdown of the mob and truce returned on the streets. In 1977, Gaetano Terranova died of a sudden heart failure, bequeathing the family to his underboss, Nicholas Scozzari, who was then serving as acting boss and leading the organization along with Peter Sanclemente until the Caporegimes of the family determined a replacement for Terranova. Thomas "Little Chuck" Vallante who has been demoted by Terranova after his return to the United States, pursued to take over the family again at all costs. With the supporting manpower he commanded, Vallante was able to intimidate his competition easily. In the same year, he invaded and dominated the family's leadership after murdering Nicholas Scozzari and Peter Sanclemente whom stood as powerful rivals and dangerous threats regarding power. The murders were performed by Vallante himself and a duo of hitmen in order to mark his will and to place emphasis on his powerful and new position within the family, yet also as an act of hate towards both individuals. Thomas Vallante was feared and respected at the same time by the members of the family, resulting into becoming one of its most powerful leaders ever known.
A new order
Las Venturas Police Department mugshot of Thomas Vallante
Thomas Vallante reigned the streets for five years, consequently he was accused of several R.I.C.O. charges, primarily tax evasion and protection rackets. In 1982, the police arrested and imprisoned the mafia member. In the same year, Vallante died unvoluntarily by the cause of a riot occurring in the prison executed by his fellow inmates. According to police reports he was killed by accident, the crowd of prisoners pushed him over a railing on a thirty-three feet high footbridge. The crime boss fell to his death and broke his neck on the impact. Nowaday's media often tends to see conspicuous resemblances between Thomas Vallante and his father, Charles Vallante. Both were ruling the criminal organization with an iron fist until they got murdered by outsiders.
During Vallante's absence, his underboss, Samuel Ferriola, served as acting boss until Vallante's death. Soon after it, Ferriola was elected to be the new boss of the family by the Caporegimes. Ferriola's leadership did not last long, two years after his promotion he was indicted for the complicity in murder of Ethan Zháo, a Chinese laundry possessor in Las Venturas, in 1959. The federal agents gradually had the family and its illegal businesses in their sights and the state of San Andreas invested high numbers in the investigation against the criminal organization.
The ongoing investigations forced the family to act more discreet and attentively, therefore, the family's Caporegimes established a ruling commitee of ten men in order to protect the family's administration to run the family and to divert attention from law inforcement. The ruling panel of acting boss, Dominick Tuzzo, underboss, John Facchiano, consigliere, Frank Zoccolitto, caporegimes, Anthony DeCicco, Charles Galluzzo, Lawrence Nucifero, Joseph Bonapace, Pasquale Talarico, Rosario Buglio, Alphonse Fragiacomo and Henry Olimpiati, ruled peacefully and quietly for approximately five years. In 1989, the ruling panel was dissolved and John Facchiano became acting boss after the death of former acting boss Domenick Tuzzo. John Facchiano promoted his close friend Alphonse Fragiacomo to his underboss and after the death of imprisoned family boss, Samuel Ferriola, Facchiano became official boss of the family with approval of the family's caporegimes. A new chapter began and John Facchiano guided his family into the 1990s.
Historical leadership of the Terranova crime family
Boss (official and acting)
The boss is the head of the family and the man in charge concerning decisions. Only the boss, the underboss or the consigliere are able to turn associates into full members of their family and in addition, the crime boss can promote or demote family members at all times.
- 1957 - 1977 — Gaetano "Don Venturas" Terranova — used to lead a crew in Las Venturas for the Gambetti crime family until his troop turned in an independent family in the year 1966. Terranova died of a sudden heart failure in 1977.
- Acting 1970 - 1972 — Charles "Candy Chuck" Vallante — was appointed to be the acting boss since Terranova fled to Italy. in 1972, he was shot to death during the Irish mob war.
- Acting 1972 - 1974 — Thomas "Little Chuck" Vallante — he took over his father's office until Terranova returned in 1974.
- Acting 1970 - 1972 — Charles "Candy Chuck" Vallante — was appointed to be the acting boss since Terranova fled to Italy. in 1972, he was shot to death during the Irish mob war.
- 1977 - 1982 — Thomas "Little Chuck" Vallante — imprisoned in 1982, died in the same year due to an assault of other prisoners.
- 1982 - 1989 — Samuel Ferriola — he was indicted for the complicity in murder of Ethan Zháo in 1989, he later died in prison.
- Acting 1984 - 1989 — Ruling Committee/Panel: Dominick Tuzzo (acting boss, died in 1989), John Facchiano (underboss), Frank Zoccolitto (consigliere), Anthony DeCicco, Charles Galluzzo (jailed), Lawrence Nucifero, Joseph Bonapace (jailed, already being released in 1988), Pasquale Talarico, Rosario Buglio (died in 1987), Alphonse Fragiacomo and Henry Olimpiati
- Acting 1989 — John Facchiano — he promptly became an official boss since Ferriola died in 1989.
- Acting 1984 - 1989 — Ruling Committee/Panel: Dominick Tuzzo (acting boss, died in 1989), John Facchiano (underboss), Frank Zoccolitto (consigliere), Anthony DeCicco, Charles Galluzzo (jailed), Lawrence Nucifero, Joseph Bonapace (jailed, already being released in 1988), Pasquale Talarico, Rosario Buglio (died in 1987), Alphonse Fragiacomo and Henry Olimpiati
- 1989 - present — John Facchiano
Underboss
The underboss is the second in command in a crime family and is to take control of the crime family in case the boss dies. After that, he will keep this power until a new leader is chosen, which in some cases was the Underboss.
- ? - 1970 — Charles "Candy Chuck" Vallante — got promoted to the family's acting boss since Terranova had to flee to Italy in 1970.
- 1970 - 1972 — Thomas "Little Chuck" Vallante — also got promoted to acting boss due to the fact that his father, Charles Vallante, got murdered by members of an Irish mob and additionally Terranova was still hiding.
- 1972 - 1974 — Nicholas "Nicky B." Bonaduce — got demoted by Gaetano Terranova in 1974.
- 1974 - 1977 — Nicholas "Nicky June" Scozzari — murdered by Thomas "Little Chuck" Vallante, the organization's head at that time, and a couple of his henchmen in 1977.
- ? - 1989 — John Facchiano — promoted to acting boss and promptly becoming the official boss due to the fact that Ferriola, the former head of the family, died in 1989.
- 1989 - present — Alphonse "Alphie Frags" Fragiacomo
Consigliere
The consigliere is normally the third in command and an advisor to the leader.
- ? - 1970 — Peter Sanclemente — a long-term member of the Terranova crime family demoted by Charles Vallante in 1970.
- 1974 - 1977 — Peter Sanclemente — his second time as underboss due to Terranova returning and immediately promoting Sanclemente again. In 1977, Sanclemente was slain along with Nicholas Scozzari, the then family's underboss, by Thomas Vallante and a duo of hitmen.
- ? - present — Frank Zoccolitto
Current family members
Capos
A capo is chosen by the family's boss to run his own "crew" of soldiers and has a major influence in the crime organization. The capo's soldiers give part of their earnings to the capo, and thereafter the capo hands a part of the income to the family's administration.
Las Venturas
- Joseph "Joey" Bonapace - Capo mostly operating in the rather small and western parts of Las Venturas, including Redsands East, Redsands West, and Whitewood Estates. Bonapace was arrested on charges of money laundering and promoting gambling in April 1986, being released on parole for good behavior two years later.
- Anthony DeCicco - Capo operating in Pilgrim.
- Vincent "Cozy Vinny" Scozzari - Capo operating in the Old Venturas Strip and also in small parts of Roca Escalante. In addition, Scozzari succeeded his uncle Alphonse Fragiacomo as capo of the crew, along with his father Nicholas Scozzari.
- Lawrence Nucifero - Capo mainly operating at the Strip, often co-operating with Alphonse Fragiacomo.
- Henry Olimpiati - Compared with Bonapace, Olimpiati operates in the eastern parts of Las Venturas such as Linden side and Rockshore East.
Vice City
Near the end of the 1960's, Gaetano Terranova decided to expand the wheelings and dealings of his crime family to Vice City. Nowadays, the Terranova crime family still got two functioning crews in that city.
- Gregory "Monty Glasses" Tramontana - Capo who controls the day-to-day operations in Vice City Beach, mostly operating in Ocean Beach. In the mid 1970's, Tramontana was arrested along with Donald "Donnie" Campisano, one of his soldiers, for smuggling drugs in a local night club and eventually both got convicted for ten years in prison. Six years later, he was released on bail, getting his old postion as a Capo back after a few months.
- John "Johnny Boy" Pastorino - Capo of a western Vice City crew, mainly operating in districts like the downtown part.
Soldiers
A soldier is a made man, which means that he is already a full member of the family after having a ceremony. Even though the rank of a soldier is a rather low one, a made man still has much power over associates and outsiders. A soldier or made man works directly under the capo, of whom he receives orders.
- Paul "Fonzie" Landolfo - a soldier serving under Scozzari in the Old Venturas Strip.
- Peter "Plain Petey" Nicifora - wiseguy working as representative for his captain in Roca Escalante whom once served the Italian-American street gang.
- Benjamin "Benny Cues" Iaquinto - made man closely working with Nicifora in Roca Escalante. Iaquinto has his limits set to both the Old Venturas Strip and Escalante.
Imprisoned soldiers
- Charles Galluzzo - a former capo of a crew in Las Venturas who was pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy in 1986, being sentenced to thirteen years in prison.
Family crews
Recruitment gangs
- South Garcia Gang - is an Italian-American gang from Garcia, San Fierro, of which the main members consist of small-time criminals such as drug dealers, or hitmen. Nowadays, the gang is still meant to serve the Terranova crime family as a semi-independent recruitment gang, employing potential associates for the larger syndicate in Las Venturas