List of Lucchese crime family mobsters
Current members
Ray Argentina
Ray Argentina is a soldier in the Brooklyn faction. His younger brother Peter Argentina is an associate in the family. In 1992, Argentina along with Louis Daidone, Alan Taglianetti and Robert Molinelli were found guilty in the $1.2 million robbery of an armored truck in Brooklyn in 1988. In 2001, Argentina was indicted along with Louis Gampero and Ken Cardona they were charged with a $3.2 million illegal mortgage fraud activities in Brooklyn, upstate New York and Long Island, and running a cocaine ring in Long Island. On April 5, 2019, Argentina was released from prison.Carmine Avellino
Carmine Avellino is a caporegime operating a crew in Long Island. He is the younger brother to mobster Salvatore Avellino. On April 20, 1983, the FBI recorded a conversation between Carmine and his brother Salvatore Avellino Jr. as they discussed a dispute over a craps game that Carmine had was operating because mobster Aniello Migliore complained to Underboss Salvatore Santoro about Carmine's game it was cutting into Migliore's profits, Salvatore told his brother Carmine, that he should have spoken to his caporegime Joseph Capra before opening the game. In 1984, Avellino and his brother Salvatore had a sitdown with Bonanno crime family members Steven Cannone, Joseph Massino, Salvatore Vitale over King Caterers. It was decided that Avellino would leave King Caterers, a Farmingdale, Long Island company that sold pre-cooked dishes to street vendors alone because the company was protected by the Bonanno family. On January 29, 1988, Carmine Avellino was added to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement exclusion list. In 1995, Avellino was indicted along with his brother Salvatore Avellino, Anthony Baratta, Frank Federico and Rocco Vitulli for the August 1989, murders of Robert Kubecka and Donald Barstow.Avellino was released from prison on February 25, 2004. On May 13, 2014, Avellino was charged with sending Lucchese associates and brothers Michael and Daniel Capra, in 2010 to collect a $100,000 loan and assaulting a 70-year-old man. In May 2014, the FBI observed a sit-down on Long Island between Avellino and a member in Avellino's crew Michael DeSantis along with Brooklyn capo John Castellucci and a member of Castellucci's crew John Cerrella over an illegal criminal activity between DeSantis, Cerrella and Castellucci. On August 12, 2016, Avellino pleaded guilty to an extortionate collection of credit conspiracy. On May 23, 2017, Avellino was sentenced to 1 year of house arrest, 5 years' probation and fined $100,000. His attorney stated during the trial that Avellino had suffered 2 heart attacks and is suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Salvatore Avellino
Anthony Baratta
Anthony "Bowat" Baratta is the current consigliere in the family. Baratta was the former capo of the Harlem crew. In 1978, Baratta was made into the family and operated with the Bronx faction. Baratta owned a restaurant in East Harlem and regularly spent time at Rao's on Pleasant Avenue. In the early 1980s, Baratta was promoted to capo of the "Harlem Crew", controlling the Pleasant Avenue narcotics ring in East Harlem and other rackets in the Bronx and Long Island. Baratta placed soldier Joseph Massaro in charge of running his Long Island topless bars operations. In 1980, Baratta and Massaro started a feud with the Bonanno family, when Massaro began taking over the Bonanno's topless bars. FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone, who was working undercover in the Bonanno's as "Donnie Brasco", heard of the two families having a sit-down over Long Island topless bars.In November 1989, Baratta along with boss Vic Amuso, underboss Anthony Casso, capos Al D'Arco, Sal Avellino, Peter Chiodo, Bobby Amuso and Frank Lastorino inducted Richie Pagliarulo, Mike DeSantis, Frank Federico and two others into the family. In January 1991, boss Vic Amuso and underboss Anthony Casso went into hiding and promoted Al D'Arco to acting boss, Baratta was promoted to acting underboss and Steven Crea to acting consigliere. In 1991, Baratta serving as acting underboss viewed a Genovese family list of proposed new members, he commented to D'Arco, after seeing the name Ralph Desimone "He is a rat.". A sit-down was arranged between the two families. The Genovese family acting boss Liborio Bellomo, acting underboss Michael Generoso and consigliere James Ida attended the meeting to discuss "Ralph Desimone" with Lucchese's acting boss Al D'Arco and Baratta as acting underboss. The Genovese leaders asked Baratta about Desimone he said "Desimone had been a government witness", the Genovese leaders leave saying "will take care of it". On June 13, 1991, Desimone's dead body was found in a trunk of a car at LaGuardia Airport.
In early September 1991, Amuso demoted D'Arco and created a "Ruling panel" to run the family, Baratta became a member along with Salvatore Avellino, Frank Lastorino and Alpnonse D'Arco. Baratta was also given control of the Garment center racket with Sidney Liberman. Amuso transferred Patty Dellorusso, a soldier in charge of running the airport rackets from Al D'Arco crew into Baratta's crew. Baratta was in charge of arranging the panel meetings the first was held in East Harlem. On September 18, 1991, Baratta along with capo Frank Lastorino and soldiers Mike DeSantis and Frankie Frederico conspired to kill Alphonse D'Arco in the Kimberly Hotel in Manhattan but failed, D'Arco defected on September 21, 1991, and became a government witness. The ruling panel continued to control the family in October 1991, they inducted Thomas D'Ambrosia, Joseph Tortorello Jr., Frank Gioia Jr., Gregory Cappello and Jody Calabrese into the Lucchese family. In June 1992, Baratta was jailed on murder and racketeering charges.
In November 1993, Baratta took a plea deal and was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. In January 1995, Baratta was indicted along with Carmine Avellino, Frank Federico and Rocco Vitulli on the August 1989, murders of Robert M. Kubecka and Donald Barstow two executives of a Long Island trash-collection company. In September 1996, Baratta was imprisoned in the Otisville Federal Correctional Institution. He began working with DeCavalcante crime family associates in trafficking Asian heroin. On September 23, 1997, Baratta along with Albert Puco and twelve others were arrested and charged with conspiracy to sell narcotics. Baratta was sentenced to eight years in prison. Baratta was released from prison on September 25, 2012. In May 2020, Baratta was identified in an FBI surveillance photo meeting with Lucchese members acting boss Mike DeSantis, consigliere Andrew DeSimone, soldier Anthony Villani, and caporegimes Frank Salerno and George Zappola in Jefferson Park.
John Baudanza
John Baudanza is a soldier, who operated in his father-in-law Domenico Cutaia's Brooklyn crew. His father Carmine and uncle Joseph are both members of the Colombo family. During the early 1990s, Baudanza worked with his cousin Joseph M. Baudanza running stock fraud crimes for the Colombo family. He married Danielle Cutaia the daughter of Domenico Cutaia a capo in the Lucchese family. In 1995, he was inducted into the Lucchese family.On March 23, 2006, Baudanza was indicted along with his father Carmine, his uncle Joseph, Colombo family soldier Craig Marino, Colombo family associates Craig Leszczak, Robert Podlog and Arthur Gunning on racketeering charges related to operating a "pump and dump" stock scam. He pleaded guilty on April 17, 2007, to extortion charges. In December 2007, he was sentenced to seven years in prison. In February 2008, Baudanza was indicted along with his father-in-law capo Domenico Cutaia, soldiers Salavatore Cutaia, Michael Corcione, associates Steven Lapella, Victor Sperber, Louis Colello, and John Rodopolous on loansharking, illegal gambling and extortion charges. He was released from prison on July 31, 2015.