Beginnings
Although not recognized as an autonomous crime family until the regime of Simone DeCavalcante, there were several bosses in North Jersey during the Prohibition era controlling transportation of alcohol and whiskey into New York City. In Newark, New Jersey, there was the Newark family headed by Gaspare D'Amico, the Reina family's Jersey crew controlled by Gaetano "Tom" Reina, the Masseria family's New Jersey faction and the Elizabeth family headed by Stefano Badami. In Newark, D'Amico controlled illegal gambling and bootlegging operations throughout the early 1920. In 1935, Vincenzo Troia a former associate of Salvatore Maranzano conspired to take over the Newark family and he was murdered. Two years later in 1937, D'Amico fled the United States after a failed assassination attempt on his life order by Joseph Profaci. The Commission decided to divide up his territory among the Five Families and Badami's Elizabeth family.
Stefano "Steve" Badami, became the boss Elizabeth-Newark family however, his reign proved to be very disruptive, as members of the Newark and the Elizabeth factions began fighting for total control of New Jersey. As Badami kept controlling the crew up towards the 1950s, he was suddenly murdered in 1955, in what appears to have been another power struggle between the two factions. Badami's Underboss and fellow mobster, Filippo Amari stepped up to run the illegal operations.
Filippo "Phil" Amari, a mobster recognized by US law enforcement to be heavily involved with labor racketeering, loansharking, extortion and narcotics activities in Newark and New York City, was now considered the new head of the New Jersey organization. His reign proved to be very short, as there were multiple factions operating underneath who all conspired to take over. While still in charge, he relocated to Sicily and was replaced by Nicholas "Nick" Delmore, who with Underbosses of Elizabeth and Newark, Frank Majuri and Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso attended the infamous 1957 Apalachin Convention to represent the small New Jersey crime family.
As Delmore kept running the organization before he became ill in the early 1960s, the rebellious times of New Jersey had finally ended. Nick Delmore later died in 1964, and his nephew Simone DeCavalcante was quickly installed as new boss of the newly official recognized "DeCavalcante crime family" of North Jersey.
Read more about this topic: De Cavalcante Crime Family, History
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Dorothy H. Cohen (20th century)