'Stevie Wonder' Crea Named New Lucchese Boss

'Stevie Wonder' Crea, new Lucchese boss.
UPDATED TO INCLUDE QUOTES FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCE:

Amuso is out, Crea is in.

That's the news, broken once again by Jerry Capeci on his PPV site, but widely predicted by many mob insiders, chief among them Selwyn Raab, author of the notable, highly readable and informative "Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgance of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires." If you haven't read it, go out and buy a copy -- now.

For the past 25 years, Vittorio “Little Vic” Amuso who is serving a life sentence has been skipper of the family, appointed by one of the last of the old-time dons, Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo. Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso claims in Philip Carlo's book about his life that he, Gaspipe, had been offered the position, but turned it down so it could be handed to Vic. Gaspipe wanted to be underboss instead.

Tony Ducks, who turned the Luccheses into one of the richest families in all of the Mafia, had made his worst executive decision ever by appointing two street thugs to the top slots before going away for life courtesy of the Commission Case.

Amuso and Casso, working hand in glove, launched a wave of terror the Mafia probably hadn't seen since the days of the Colombo wars (take your pick which one) or even the Chicago days of Al Capone. The cause was primarily because Tony Ducks, rich beyond one's imagination, had loosed the reigns to such an extent that many of the family's crews paid little to nothing to him in terms of tithes, which was not the business approach preferred by the new management.

Apparently, sometime recently, Amuso was "asked" and agreed to formally step down as boss of the Lucchese family, even though he reportedly was not exactly enthused about this decision.

Steven “Stevie Wonder” Crea is now officially the boss and may have been for some time now. Since 2002 Crea had been recognized by the Feds as the family's acting boss but now officially has the title -- and presumably a seat at Rao's.

Crea was released from prison in 2006 and ended a supervised release stint in November of 2009. Crea is a Bronx-based mobster who is reported to have made millions through bid rigging, price fixing and extortion of the construction industry.

He is of a more "white collar" background than Amuso, and is also less likely to kill than when Amuso and Casso were on street, launching a "blood purge" to cleanse the family of would-be informants and supposed made guys not following orders.

"Crea is very capable of running a family," says my always reliable NYPD organzied crime investigator sources."But every time a family gets a new boss, they get locked right up."

As for the new management style running the Lucchese family, the investigator said: "Crea is well respected and liked, while Gaspipe and Amuso were maniacs -- and no one like them."

The one question is, as the law enforcement source noted, how long before the Feds move on Crea? Good luck, Stevie Wonder.

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