Anthony Accetturo

Anthony "Tumac" Accetturo (born 1938) is a former caporegime and leader of the New Jersey faction of the Lucchese crime family, The Jersey Crew.

Biography

Born in 1938, Accetturo's father was a butcher in Orange, New Jersey, his mother a seamstress. Accetturo dropped out of school after completing the sixth grade. At age 16, Accetturo moved to Newark, New Jersey and became the leader of a large street gang. He received his nickname "Tumac" from the caveman hero of the 1940 film One Million B.C because Accetturo was a ferocious street fighter.

At age 17, Accetturo was recruited by Jersey Crew capo Anthony "Ham" Delasco during the 1960s for the Lucchese crime family and worked as Delasco's driver. Accetturo became Delasco's Protégé learning trades in illegal gambling and loansharking controlling the Newark area. Delasco died in the late 1960s and Accetturo became a major earner under his successor, Joseph Abate, as well as a major player in his own right in the New Jersey underworld. He soon grew rich in the family, netting about $500,000 yearly.

New Jersey crew

In 1970, Accetturo moved to Florida to avoid an investigation of his gambling operations in Newark. Another reason for his move was that South Florida was open to all the crime families for exploitation. During his absence, Accetturo designated his lieutenant, Michael "Mad Dog" Taccetta of Florham Park, New Jersey, to run the day-to-day operations of the crew. In the early 1970s, Abate went into semi-retirement, and Lucchese boss Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo put Accetturo in charge of the entire Lucchese operation in New Jersey. The membership books of the Mafia had been closed since 1957, so Accetturo wasn't an official member yet. Nonetheless, in the eyes of Corrallo and the family leadership, Accetturo represented the Mafia ideal: loyal, trustworthy and a good earner.

In 1976, with Abate as his sponsor, Accetturo finally became a made man in the Lucchese crime family along with the Taccetta brothers (Michael and Martin). Accetturo described getting inducted into the family as "the greatest honor of my life" at the time. He recalled that his ceremony was somewhat less elaborate than was normally the case for someone who was due to become "a friend of ours." He was simply told to burn a picture of a saint and swear not to betray the Lucchese family. He later found out that the top leadership of the family thought so highly of him that they felt they could dispense with the usual formalities. Accetturo would finally become the official capo of The Jersey Crew by 1979 when Joseph Abate retired.

In February 1973, Accetturo was indicted for loansharking and extortion. He was eventually arrested in Miami, Florida with his bail set at $10,000. In 1976, the State of New Jersey tried to extradite Accetturo from Florida, however he fended off the order due to poor health. Based in Hollywood, Florida, Accetturo would continue to elude federal authorities while remaining involved in Lucchese interests in New Jersey. In 1980, the murder of Philadelphia crime family boss Angelo "The Gentle Don" Bruno, created a power vacuum in that family, with rivals Philip Testa and Nicodemo Scarfo fighting for control. Accetturo used this unrest to establish a small foothold for the Lucchese family in Philadelphia, using Michael Taccetta and his brother Martin.

On October 18, 1985 Accetturo was indicted on charges of threatening government witnesses and posing a threat to public safety. He was later charged with intimidating of competitors of the Lucchese-controlled Taccetta Group Enterprises, along with credit card and wire fraud. Facing a number of federal prosecutions, Accetturo was granted a stay of sentence and was allowed to live in his Florida residence. In 1987, Accetturo and Michael Taccetta went on trial for narcotics and racketeering charges.

One of the longest trials in U.S. history, the trial went on for 21 months. When the verdict was read, the defendants were pronounced not guilty on all counts, a stunning rebuke to the government. During the RICO trial, the relationship between Accetturo and Taccetta deteriorated into an outright power struggle. Taccetta was jealous of the rise of Accetturo's son, Anthony Accetturo Jr., within the New Jersey crew. Taccetta also felt that the father had given him very little respect and deference over the years that he had been watching the New Jersey operation.

Finally, Taccetta ordered a murder contract on the senior Accetturo. When the trial ended in acquittals for the defendants, Accetturo returned to Florida for his own safety. In September 1989, New Jersey authorities extradited Accetturo from North Carolina due to his refusal to appear and testify before a grand jury about labor racketeering and other state offenses. Due to Taccetta's murder contract, the State placed Accetturo in protective custody. In 1993, Taccetta was sent to federal prison.

Amuso and Casso

In late 1986, Lucchese boss Anthony Corallo along with underboss Salvatore "Tom Mix" Santoro and consigliere Chris Furnari were handed a 100-year sentence in 1986 Commission case. Corallo replacement Anthony "Buddy" Luongo turned up missing. Chris Furnari then suggested narcotics trafficker Victor Amuso to become new boss of the Lucchese family. Corallo was said to have wanted Lucchese family capo Neil Migliore (who was a good friend) to become Boss but was entangled with the courts as well. Corallo reluctantly approved Amuso to become the boss.

The new leaders of the Lucchese family in Brooklyn, New York, Vittorio "Vic" Amuso and Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, suspended the family's relationship with the New Jersey crew. During the last years of the Corallo regime, Accetturo had been decreasing his tribute to the point that he was only giving the family $50,000 a year. Although Corallo and Accetturo had an "unbelievably great" relationship, Corallo was undemanding when it came to money. As the years went by, Corallo had lowered his demands from the New Jersey Crew. The ascension of Amuso and Casso ended Accetturo's idyllic lifestyle.

Amuso and Casso knew this was not enough and instead demanded that Accetturo turn over 50% of the crew's proceeds to them. When Accetturo refused, the two bosses stripped Accetturo of his rank as capo and threatened to kill him and his son, also a member of the Jersey crew. In the fall of 1988, the entire New Jersey crew was summoned to meet with Amuso in Brooklyn. Fearful of being massacred, everyone refused to go. Soon the entire New Jersey crew had gone into hiding, decimating the Lucchese interests in New Jersey.^[1]

Over the next 12 months, most of the New Jersey crew members came back to the family. Amuso told the returned crew members that Accetturo was an outlaw and needed to be disposed off. Amuso sent hitmen to Florida, searching for Accetturo. However, what Amuso did not realize was that Accetturo was in jail in New Jersey, for refusing to testify in front a state panel. In 1993, Accetturo was convicted on racketeering charges. He faced a sentence of at least 30 years in prison--tantamount to a life sentence at his age. Regarded as a family pariah, Accetturo learned that Amuso had provided pictures of his wife, son and himself to the Lucchese hitmen. Blaming Casso and Amuso for the internal turmoil in the family, Accetturo decided to turn against the Cosa Nostra in hopes of saving his life and gaining a lenient sentence.

Accetturo's decision to break his blood oath was a major coup for investigators. As the highest-ranking New Jersey mobster at the time to turn informer and a three-decade veteran of the Mafia, Accetturo provided investigators with a clear picture of the Lucchese family, including its penetration and exploitation of businesses in New Jersey and its relationship with corrupt officials. Accetturo provided information on 13 murders, although he insisted he never personally participated in the slayings. Accetturo provided unexpected information about the origins of the New Jersey family, going back to 1931 and Lucky Luciano. Mysteries about the relationship between the American and Sicilian Mafia were also clarified.^[2]

Reputed mob enforcer, Thomas Ricciardi went on to testify against the Taccetta brothers and the remaining defendants. Martin and Michael Taccetta were sentenced to 25-years to life imprisonment for racketeering, narcotics, extortion, loansharking, conspiracy and murder in 1993. Taccetta reportedly went on to control the Jersey Crew, as he was doing his sentence in Atlanta. As of March, Accetturo is still alive and well. Accetturo was sentenced to state prison and his sentence ended during the mid 2000s (decade).

Popular culture

• The 2006 Sidney Lumet film Find Me Guilty chronicles the 2-year trial of Accetturo and other family members.

References

Further reading

• Raab, Selwyn. The Five Families: The Rise, Decline & Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empire. New York: St. Martins Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-312-36181-5
• Rudolph, Robert C. The Boys from New Jersey: How the Mob Beat the Feds. New York: William Morrow and Company Inc., 1992. ISBN 978-0-8135-2154-1
• Pistone, Joseph D.; & Brandt, Charles (2007). Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business, Running Press. ISBN 0-7624-2707-8.

External links

• New York Times: Second Lawyer Balks At Taking Defense
• New York Sun: Ex-Mobster Claims an FBI Cover-Up by Jerry Capeci
• Ocean County Observer: Crime boss nears parole date by Don Bennett
• Crime Boss: Did FBI Frame A Former Crime Boss For Murder ? by Clarence Walker
• Yahoo Movies;(2006) Find Me Guilty
• New York Times: Mafia Defector Says He Lost His Faith By SELWYN RAAB