40 to 50 members
Boss: Giovanni �John� Riggi, 79
Underboss : Vacant
Consigliere: Vacant
Six years ago, after decades as the ugly stepchildren of the New York mob, DeCavalcante mobsters thought they had finally achieved proper respect from the vaunted Five Families. They had killed a suspected informer for John Gotti and had joint rackets with New York wiseguys.
As a crew of the Garden State gangsters drove to a sit-down with New York mobsters, they were taped by the FBI talking about their newfound status�a rise in fortunes that seemed to be reflected on TV.
�Hey, what�s this fucking thing, Sopranos. Is that supposed to be us?� asked soldier Joseph �Tin Ear� Sclafani. �What characters. Great acting,� responded capo Anthony Rotundo.
Unlike Tony Soprano, the DeCavalcante leader has been in prison since 1990. In 2003, John Riggi pleaded guilty to ordering murders both before and after his incarceration, agreeing to take ten more years in prison. Since 1999, nearly three dozen wiseguys and wannabes, including the family�s consigliere and seven capos, have bit the dust on racketeering, murder, and other charges.
The federal onslaught has been helpful for one old soldier, Joseph Miranda, whose family ties go back to patriarch Simone �Sam the Plumber� DeCavalcante. Decades ago, after Miranda robbed another wiseguy, Sam the Plumber spoke up for him at a sit-down and saved his life, according to FBI documents. Miranda, 81, a family loan shark, owns a bar on First Avenue. For years, he�s been griping about not being promoted to capo. Recently, sources say, he jumped a few spots and was elevated to acting boss. He didn�t have much competition, and he doesn�t have much to lead, but, as one law-enforcement official says, �this week, he�s the boss. Next week, who knows?�