Louis "Fat Lou" LaRasso (1926 – November 11, 1991) was an American mobster and the longtime official
underboss
Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The under ...
of the
DeCavalcante crime family
The DeCavalcante crime family, also known as the North Jersey Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia organized crime family that operates mainly in northern New Jersey, particularly in Elizabeth, Newark, West New York, and various other North Jersey ...
.
Apalachin meeting
After being promoted to
capo by former boss
Filippo "Phil" Amari, LaRasso and reputed
underboss
Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The under ...
Frank Majuri attended the infamous
1957 Apalachin Meeting, as the only ones representing the newly made
New Jersey family. Amari himself did not attend, as he reportedly retired due to family rivalry later that year, and was replaced by
Nicholas "Nick" Delmore. This saw to it that Majuri was demoted to captain, as well as LaRasso was promoted underboss of the
North Jersey
North Jersey comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of northern New Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquial one rather than an administrati ...
rackets.
Sam the Plumber
After Delmore's health turned ill and later died in 1964, he appointed his nephew
Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante to new boss of his family. DeCavalcante doubled the family's income and membership, and promoted back Majuri as the family
consigliere
Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a ...
, as well as keeping LaRasso as the reputed underboss. After Sam DeCavalcante and LaRasso were sent to prison due to federal authorities monitoring conversations between DeCavalcante and LaRasso discussing
illegal gambling
Gaming law is the set of rules and regulations that apply to the gaming or gambling industry. Gaming law is not a branch of law in the traditional sense but rather is a collection of several areas of law that include criminal law, regulatory law, ...
operations worth more than $20 million a year,
Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi, LaRasso's rival, stepped up as acting boss while DeCavalcante and LaRasso were imprisoned for 5 years. He was a prominent member of Building Laborer's Union Local 394 of
.
A favor for Carlo Gambino
The
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
-based head of the
Gambino crime family,
Carlo Gambino, asked the DeCavalcante crime family for a favor. The favor was to kill
Joseph "Joey Surprise" Feola, an associate in the garbage business deemed suddenly unreliable. According to
Jerry Capeci
Gerald Capeci () is an American journalist and author who specializes in coverage of the Five Mafia crime families of New York City. Capeci has been described by news organizations, such as CNN and BBC, as an expert on the American Mafia. , underboss LaRasso lured Feola to a garage, where, according to whispered words picked up on the bug, Feola was strangled, wrapped in a burlap bag and buried. LaRasso later confirmed the hit to Gambino captain
James "Jimmy Brown" Failla.
Release from prison
After returning to the DeCavalcante crime family in the early 1970s, LaRasso's position gradually declined as DeCavalcante retired from the New Jersey rackets and moved to
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, handing the leadership over to Giovanni Riggi. Riggi promoted
Girolamo "Jimmy" Palermo as new acting underboss of the family in the late 1970s, leaving LaRasso's position becoming only official.
Demoted by John Riggi
During the 1980s, Riggi continued to run the large labor and construction
racketeering operations in North Jersey with help from various capos
Giacomo "Jake" Amari and
Giuseppe "Pino" Schifilliti. As LaRasso's friend Frank Majuri died and the position of consigliere went to
Stefano "Steve the Truck Driver" Vitabile, LaRasso was demoted in the late 1980s to soldier, as Riggi was put on trial for
extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
and
racketeering charges along with Palermo, leaving
Giacomo "Jake" Amari as the new acting underboss.
His murder
After Riggi was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1990,
John "Johnny Boy" D'Amato took over as acting boss with Giacomo Amari as acting underboss and
Stefano "Steve the Truck Driver" Vitabile still as consigliere. It was around this time that LaRasso, after a fallout with D'Amato, was reported missing in the summer of 1991 after he failed to show up for his 65th birthday.
Reportedly, D'Amato feared LaRasso as a rival and thought he'd turn captain
Charles "Big Ears" Majuri, son of Frank Majuri, to follow him in an attempt to take over the DeCavalcante crime family. His body has never been found, however, his killer
Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo later turned state's evidence and confessed to the crime. Palermo also became the later acting boss and testified against dozens of New Jersey mobsters.
The aftermath
In 2006, More than a decade later, administration member and consigliere Stefano Vitabile as well as capos
Giuseppe "Pino" Schifilliti and
Philip "Phil" Abramo were tried and convicted of LaRasso's murder, as well as two others. In addition to extortion and racketeering charges, these high-ranking mobsters were sentenced to
life imprisonment. LaRasso's shooters were reportedly
Anthony "Tony" Capo,
Louis "Louie Eggs" Consalvo and
Gregory Rago
Gregory may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Gregory (surname), a surname
Places Australia
*Gregory, Queensland, a town in the Shire of ...
, who, except for Capo, were sent to prison.
References
External links
*http://www.nypost.com/seven/12152007/news/columnists/meat_the__sopranos_407709.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larasso, Louis
1926 births
1991 deaths
DeCavalcante crime family
People murdered by the DeCavalcante crime family
Gambino crime family
Murdered American gangsters of Italian descent