The Apalachin Conference
In 1957, after taking control of the Luciano crime family from boss Frank Costello, boss Vito Genovese wanted to legitimize his new power by holding a national Cosa Nostra meeting. His first choice for the meeting site was Chicago, but Buffalo boss Stefano Magaddino instead suggested Barbara's estate, which had been used in the past for smaller meetings. Genovese agreed.
On November 14, 1957, powerful mafiosi from all over the United States, Canada, and Italy convened at the Barbara estate. The meeting agenda included the resolution of open questions on illegal gambling and narcotics dealing, particularly in the New York City area. By coincidence, a New York state trooper overheard Joseph Barbara Jr. trying to find rooms at a local motel for attendees of a beverage meeting. With their suspicions raised, troopers and federal agents quickly established a cordon around the Barbara estate. When the mobsters discovered the police presence, they started fleeing the gathering by car and by foot. Many Mafiosi escaped through the woods surrounding the Barbara estate.
Police apprehended numerous mobsters, including Genovese, Gambino crime family boss Carlo Gambino, and Bonanno crime family boss Joseph Bonanno. Many arrested mobsters told authorities that they were at Barbara's home to visit him after his recent heart attack. The common reason given by mobsters for being at the estate was that they were visiting their sick friend Barbara, who had suffered a debilitating heart attack in 1956.
Read more about this topic: Joseph Barbara (mobster)
Famous quotes containing the word conference:
“Politics is still the man’s game. The women are allowed to do the chores, the dirty work, and now and then—but only occasionally—one is present at some secret conference or other. But it’s not the rule. They can go out and get the vote, if they can and will; they can collect money, they can be grateful for being permitted to work. But that is all.”
—Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876–1958)