The Year Of The Hat: N.J. Mafia Shot Caller Charlie Stango Assumed Underboss Duties In DeCalvacante Clan In 2024
October 25, 2024 — Just prior to his mid-2010s federal racketeering, attempted murder and drug-trafficking bust, New Jersey mob skipper Charlie (The Hat) Stango was on the cusp of being bumped up to the DeCalvacante crime family’s No. 2 spot.
Well, better late than never, right?
The 81-year old gangster-to-the-core “Charlie the Hat” Stango got promoted to underboss of the DeCalvacante LCN organization this year, according to multiple sources.
Reputed New Jersey mafia don Charlie (Big Ears) Majuri made the much-delayed decision, appointing Stango his second-in-command as he had intended to when he took power from a dying Godfather John (The Eagle) Riggi and his ailing acting boss Francesco (Sicilian Frank) Guarraci in 2015. Majuri, 84, is alleged to be less active as of more recently and two sources claim a spry Stango could become acting boss in the near future.
FBI and DEA CIs have always described Stango as very connected and respected in national LCN circles, especially in New York’s Genovese, Lucchese and Gambino mob families. Back in 1980, Stango shot and killed a DeCalvacante mob associate (Billy Mann) deemed responsible for ripping off Genovese New Jersey captain Tino (The Greek) Fiumara and not repaying loans to leaders of the DeCalvacantes. Arrested in 1981, he did a 20-piece in the joint for the hit that took place in a Sheraton Hotel parking lot located in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Riggi died of natural causes in 2015 at 90 years old following close to a half-century running the ship for the DeCalvacantes in one way or another. Guarraci succumbed to cancer in 2016 at the age of 60 on the heels of serving a full-decade as Riggi’s front boss. “Big Ears” Majuri’s first underboss was Joseph (Joe Milk) Merlo, Jr., who also lost a battle with cancer. Merlo, Jr., sometimes also referred to as “Joey Red” died in the summer of 2021.
Charlie the Hat did almost eight years in the can and walked free in July 2022 from the eponymous Operation Charlie Horse case. FBI agent Giovanni Rocco infiltrated Stango’s crew and became his driver and bodyguard to build the case against Stango, who was living between Toms River, New Jersey and Las Vegas, Nevada. Stango’s nephew and crew member James (Jimmy Smalls) Heeney introduced Rocco to his uncle after meeting him through doing business in the drug trade.
Operation Charlie Horse dropped in March 2015 upon Stango tasking Rocco with arranging a murder contract on the head of then-DeCalvacante soldier Luigi (Louie the Dog) Oliveri and getting proposed for a button in the DeCalvacante clan. Rocco pretended to farm the hit out to other undercover federal agents posing as bikers. Oliveri was a protege of the legendary Garden State don John Riggi and “Sicilian Frank” Guarraci’s one-time driver and felt he had “rights” to Rocco because he met him before Stango did.
When the landmark, multi-year operation finally ended going on a decade ago, Rocco penned a book about his days undercover in the New Jersey mafia titled Giovanni’s Ring: My Life Inside The Real Sopranos with Doug Schofield. Today, he hosts the critically-acclaimed Inside The Life podcast at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas and available on YouTube and other podcast platforms. His podcasting partner Dutch McAlpine was one of the federal agents acting as murder-for-hire bikers Rocco told Stango he was placing the “Louie the Dog” hit in the hands of to carry out.
Oliveri, 51, is alleged to be a capo in the DeCalvacante crime family these days out of the Elizabeth, NJ faction of the organization. GR sources say Stango’s issues with Oliveri are in the past and the two dyed-in-wool Jersey wiseguys are on the same page now.
