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The U.S. Court of Appeals heard arguments on June 1960 for the appeal of the
20 convicted men. On November 28, 1960, the court announced a unanimous
reversal of that conviction with a severe reprimand for the prosecution.
Judge Lumbard noted, "But bad as many of these alleged conspirators may be,
their conviction for a crime which the government could not prove…cannot be
permitted to stand."
It was around
this time period that additional information supposedly surfaced about the
Apalachin meeting. In addition to pursuing policies concerning narcotics
and the succession of Vito Genovese over Frank Costello and the fate of
Anastasia’s territory, it was alleged that the meeting was also about the
Mafia’s involvement in the building of gambling casinos in Cuba and the need
to raise cash. (Purpose #7) However, this is no credence whatsoever as the
need to finance a Havana casino as a reason for calling the emergency 1957
Apalachin National Convention of La Cosa Nostra. There is not a chance that
Genovese would want other mobsters to be aware of his private business. He
barely knew some of these men and knew others on a casual basis. If
Genovese was looking for investors in a Havana venture he would have been
doing so very quietly, and among men he could easily dominate. The last
place he'd look would be to powerful mob bosses who saw Vito as a rival.
In
early 1957, shortly before he was murdered, Francisco Aguirre told Albert
Anastasia that Hilton International was asking for bids to operate the
Habana Hilton Hotel Casino on a concession basis. Aguirre told Anastasia it
would require a minimum of $2 million to close the deal, and asked if he
could use his influence as the hotel owner to try to get the Hiltons to go
along with the deal. Anastasia contacted Frank Costello and asked him to
become his partner in the casino deal and to finance the $2 million required
for the Habana Hilton Casino operation.
Costello informed Anastasia that he was already financially committed to the
Riviera Hotel Casino in Havana, and under no circumstances could he get
involved in another Cuban casino. At the same time, Vito Genovese was
negotiating with a second group of Cuban casino builders that had also
approached Francisco Aguirre to seek his help with the Hiltons. The New
York underworld knew that Albert Anastasia and Vito Genovese vowed to get
each other at the first opportunity. Now with Anastasia and Genovese vying
for the lucrative Habana Hilton Casino, a showdown of some sort would soon
come. When word got back to Genovese that Frank Costello might put up $1
million for Anastasia, Genovese vowed to get Costello first.
After
Vito Genovese's orders to assassinate Anastasia were carried out, Francisco
Aguirre informed Genovese that he had very little time to put up his
million-dollar guarantee. To raise $3 million Genovese, contacted Joe
Profaci of Brooklyn of New York and Anthony Strollo of New Jersey to help
him raise the cash. Joseph Barbara's secluded mansion in Apalachin was the
designated meeting place for Genovese to entertain about fifty or more
wealthy potential buyers and woo them to his Cuban Hilton casino plan.
(Barbara was paid $100,000 to host this fund-raising event.)
Vito Genovese
told Barbara, Profaci and Strollo to not tell the guests about the true
purpose of the gathering. "Tell them it's a party for the host, Barbara.
The reason for the party is that he's recuperating from a heart attack…Once
we get them here, we'll feed them all the liquor and food they can eat.
I'll then give them my casino pitch and I'll have a couple of casino guys
from Havana at the meeting to give me a hand if necessary…”
Joseph
Barbara suggested November 14, to which Genovese, Profaci and Strollo
agreed. About eleven o'clock on the morning of the 14th of November,
Cadillacs, Lincolns and Chrysler Imperials began arriving at Joseph
Barbara's hilltop mansion. By 12:30 p.m., some 28 automobiles had arrived
and were parked in the parking lot and dirt road alongside the house. As
Barbara was introducing the guests to one another, Barbara’ wife looked out
the window and spotted a marked New York state trooper's vehicle in front of
the garage and a trooper recording the license numbers.
|
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Honor Thy Father
by Gay Talese.
The story of the rise and fall of the notorious Bonanno crime family of New
York City.
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Joseph Barbara then turned to his guests, "You men don't know that bastard
Sergeant Croswell like I do. He hates Italians and calls them guineas.
He'll think nothing of framing anyone of you men by planting a gun or some
dope in your car just because you're Italian and a friend of mine. Men, you
better leave now and watch those troopers closely so they can't plant
anything in your car, should they stop you and search it." |
MAFIA IN APALACHIN?
(con't.)
