Cleveland crime family
The Cleveland crime family family is a crime syndicate that is part of the phenomenon known as the Mafia or Cosa Nostra. It has been active in the Cleveland Area and throughout the country since the beginning of the twentieth century.
Impact of the Cleveland crime family
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History of the Cleveland Crime Family
Arrival of the Porrellos and Lonardos
The Cleveland crime family originated with the Porrello and Lonardo crime families. Besides the Lonardos and Porrellos it has been said that Anthony Rapisarda was the first Godfather of the Cleveland crime family, being the most powerful man coming from Bronte, Sicily around 1908. Not much is known about the Rapisarda family or of any particular interests they held in Cleveland before the Lonardos and Porrellos took power. The Porrello and Lonardo families migrated to the United States from Licata, Sicily in the late 1800s and the Porrello and Lonardo brothers first established themselves as legitimate businessmen. The two groups dabbled in various criminal activities, such as robbery and extortion, before prohibition, but were not yet considered major organizations.
Prohibition
After Prohibition started, John Lonardo, the oldest of four Lonardo brothers, began supplying Cleveland's bootleggers with the sugar they needed to produce liquor. The Porrello were also involved in the corn sugar business, and worked for the Lonardos at first. In 1926, the Porellos broke off from the Lonardos and formed their own business. In 1927, John Lonardo and one of his brothers were murdered while playing cards with some of the Porrello brothers. Many suspected that the Porrellos were responsible for the murders, but no one convicted for the crime.
After the deaths of two of the Lonardo brothers, the Porrellos became the most powerful Corn sugar barons in Cleveland, but their time as Cleveland's top mob family was brief. Over the next three years, a continuing feud with the Lonardo family, another feud with a new, fast rising gang called the Mayfield Road Mob, increased police scrutiny, and decline in business, ultimately caused the Porrellos to lose influence in the late 1920s and early 1930s. At the end of prohibition, most of the Porrello brothers and their supporters had been killed or had sided with the Mayfield Road Mob. Thus, the power in Cleveland organized crime began to shift.
Mayfield Road Mob
The Mayfield Road Mob was a Mafia gang based in Cleveland's Little Italy. It was formed in the late 1920's and was headed by Frank Milano. In the early 1930s, Milano and his gang replaced the Porellos as the Cleveland area's premier Mafia group. In 1931, Milano joined the National Crime Syndicate with many powerful criminals around the country, such as Charlie Luciano and Meyer Lansky. Milano was now the official boss of Cleveland's Cosa Nostra family. In 1935, however, Milano fled to Mexico after being indicted for tax evasion. Alfred Polizzi, another leading member of the Mayfield Road mob, seized power and reigned as boss until 1944, when he was convicted of tax evasion. The following boss was John Scalish.
Scalish Era
John Scalish was, by far, the longest reigning Cleveland mob boss. He took control of the family in 1944, and would remain the boss for thirty-two years, until his death in 1976. During his time as the crime family's leader, the group developed ties with important crime figures like Moe Dalitz, Meyer Lansky, and Tony Accardo. They became allies of the extremely powerful Chicago Outfit and Genovese crime family. The Cleveland mob also expanded its influence to areas throughout the Midwest, as well as California, Florida, and Las Vegas.
In the 1950s, the family would reach its peak in size, with about 60 "made" members, and several times as many associates. By the 1970's, however, the family's membership began to decrease, because Scalish didn't induct many new members. Scalish died during open heart surgery in 1976, and failed to name a successor beforehand.
Decline of the Cleveland crime family
After the Death of John Scalish, it was decided by the family's members that Jack "Jack White" Licavoli would take over as boss. Licavoli had worked for the infamous Purple Gang in Detroit during Prohibition, and then moved to Cleveland, where he gradually rose up the ranks of the city's underworld.
During his reign, an Irish gangster named Danny Greene began competing with the Mafia for control of union rackets. This resulted in a violent mob war between the Mafia and Danny Greene gang (Danny was backed by mob associate and teamster John Nardi), during which there were almost 40 car bombings in Cleveland. Nardi was killed on May 17, 1977 by a car bomb in the parking lot of the Teamster Hall in Cleveland. After eight failed attempts to kill Greene, they realised they needed outside help. When they learned Greene planned to visit his dentist, Licavoli and Lonardo contracted Ray Ferritto to assassinate him in 1977.
When Greene was inside the building, Ferritto and Ronald "The Crab" Carabbia planted a box bomb in the passenger side door of his car. When Greene opened the door to his car, Caribbia set off the bomb, killing Greene instantly. Ferritto later heard that the Cleveland crime family wanted him dead, so he flipped and made a deal with the authorities.
In the aftermath of the conflict, many Cleveland Mafiosi, including the boss, Licavoli, were convicted of a variety of crimes. After Licavoli was sent to prison for the murder of Danny Greene in 1982, Angelo Lonardo, the son of Prohibition mob boss John Lonardo, took control of the Cleveland crime family. He led the family until 1984, when he was convicted of running a drug ring and was sentenced to life in prison. He then became an informant, making him the highest ranking Mafia turncoat up to that time. He informed on powerful Mafiosi from numerous families while in prison, and caused serious damage to the Mafia's infrastructure.
After Lonardo became an informant, the Cleveland crime family was ravaged by the FBI and other law enforcers to the point where it had no living members outside of prison by the early 1990s. It was declared inactive by the FBI and was even labeled extinct by some law enforcers.
Rebirth
In 1995, Joseph Iacobacci, a Cleveland Mafiosi, was released from prison. Over the next few years, Iacobacci, who became the boss of the remnants of the Cleveland mob, and another recently released member of the Cleveland mob, Russell Papalardo, steadily rebuilt the Cleveland crime family.
Recent years
Not much is known about the Cleveland mob today because it is a tight-knit low key group. It is estimated that it has about ten or fifteen members and many more associates, the reputed boss being Anthony "Bootsie" Giangiacomo and is said to be generating around $30 million a year.
Bosses of the Cleveland crime family
- 1919–1927 — Joseph "Big Joe" Lonardo (1884–1927) - Murdered
- 1927–1929 — Salvatore "Black Sam" Todaro ( –1929) - Murdered
- 1929–1930 — Joseph "Big Joe" Porrello (1889–1930) - Murdered
- 1930–1935 — Frank Milano ( –1970) - Went into Hiding
- 1935—1935 Giuseppe Romano (1877–1936) - Murdered
- 1936–1945 — Alfred Polizzi (1903–1994) - Retired
- 1945–1976 — John Scalish (1912–1976) - Died
- 1976–1985 — James "Jack White" Licavoli (1904–1985) - Died
- 1985–1991 — John "Peanuts" Tronolone (1910–1991) - Died
- 1991–1993 — Anthony Liberatore ( –1998) 1 - Imprisoned
- 1993–present — Joseph "Joe Loose" Iacobacci (?–present) - Semi Retirement
Acting Bosses
- 1981–1983 — Angelo "Big Ange" Lonardo (1911–2006) - Defected
- 1983–1985 — John "Peanuts" Tronolone (1910–1991) - Promoted
- 2005–Present — Russel "R.J." Papalardo ( – ) - Freedom
Underbosses
- 1929–1932 — Raymond Porello ( –1932) - Murdered
- 1932–1956 — Anthony "the Old Man" Milano ( –1978) - Retired
- 1956–1975 — Frank "Little Frank" Brancato ( – ) - Retired
- 1975–1976 — Calogero "Leo Lips" Moceri ( –1976) - Murdered
- 1976–1983 — Angelo "Big Ange" Lonardo (1911–2006) - Defected
- 1983–1985 — John "Peanuts" Tronolone (1910–1991) - Promoted
- 1985–1991 — Anthony "Tony Lib" Liberatore ( –1998) - Promoted
- 1991–1993 — Joseph "Joe Loose" Iacobacci, Jr. ( – ) - Promoted
- 1993–1995 — Alfred "Allie" Calabrese ( –1999) - Imprisoned
- 1995–Present — Russel "R.J." Papalardo (–) - Freedom
Consigliere
- 1944–1972 — John DeMarco (–1972) - Died
References
- Porrello, Rick. The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland crime family: Corn Sugar and Blood. Barricade Books, 1995. ISBN 1-56980-058-8
- Porrello, Rick. To Kill the Irishman: The War that Crippled the Mafia. Novelty, Ohio: Next Hat Press, 2004. ISBN 0-9662508-9-3