aGenovese was born in East Liberty, Pennsylvania where he once controlled the Numbers Game, according to a report by the defunct Pennsylvania Crime Commission. His climb through the Pittsburgh crime family included stints as caporegime and underboss to John Sebastian LaRocca, who became boss in 1956. In 1957, Genovese accompanied LaRocca to the Apalachin Conference of mob bosses in Apalachin, New York with Gabriel Mannarino. In 1978, facing poor health, LaRocca formed a three-man commission of Genovese, Mannarino, and Joseph Pecora to take over day-to-day operations of the family.