Founded | c. 1888 |
---|---|
Founder | Salvatore "Banana King" Catanzaro |
Named after | Sebastian "Big John" LaRocca |
Founding location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Years active | c. 1888–2021 |
Territory | Primarily Greater Pittsburgh (especially New Kensington, Arnold and Bloomfield), with additional territory throughout Western Pennsylvania, Northeast Ohio and the northern panhandle of West Virginia [1] |
Ethnicity | Italians as "made men" and other ethnicities as associates |
Activities | Racketeering, drug trafficking, murder, loansharking, extortion, gambling and prostitution |
Allies | |
Rivals | Various gangs in the Pittsburgh area |
The Pittsburgh crime family, [4] also known as the LaRocca crime family [5] or the Pittsburgh Mafia, was an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [1] [6] The LaRocca family is one of the original twenty-six Mafia families in the United States. [7] The boss and last known "made" member of the family, Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti, died in 2021. [8]
At the turn of the 20th century, Italian criminals in the city of Pittsburgh were divided into two ethnic factions: the "Sicilians" and the "Neapolitans". [9] Territory within the city was also divided, as the Sicilian clans controlled the North and South Sides while the Neapolitan clans controlled the East End. [9]
The earliest known Sicilian boss in Pittsburgh was Salvatore "Banana King" Catanzaro, who started his fruit and produce company in Downtown Pittsburgh in 1888. [10] [11] Catanzaro served as the treasurer for the Italian Red Cross Society and also worked alongside a network of Sicilian Mafia bosses in Western Pennsylvania. [10] [11] In 1914, after being injured in a stabbing attack, Catanzaro stepped down as boss; he later died on February 17, 1916. [11] This allowed Catanzaro's protege, Gregorio Conti, to assume control of his crime family, based in the Hill District. [12] As the new boss, Conti waged a war against the Neapolitan factions and by 1917, ultimately resulted in the Neapolitans either joining the Sicilians or disbanding. [12]
In 1919, the United States government passed the Eighteenth Amendment declaring the production, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors illegal. Months later, Congress passed the Volstead Act declaring that liquor, wine and beer all qualified as intoxicating liquors and were therefore prohibited, effective January 17, 1920. On September 24, 1919, Conti was shot and killed. [12] Following his death, his nephew Peppino Cusumano led the family, but worked in the shadow of Salvatore Calderone, the most powerful boss in Western Pennsylvania. [13] [13] Calderone controlled the Mafia Network from Apollo, located 30 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. [13] On January 17, 1920, Prohibition began in the United States, banning all production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages.
Prohibition presented a very lucrative opportunity for Cusumano and Calderone, as they began bootlegging —the illegal manufacture, sale and transportation—of alcohol. As bootlegging operations expanded throughout the U.S., violence erupted as criminals fought for dominance. Within the city of Pittsburgh, the Italian neighborhoods of Larimer, Homewood, the Hill District]] and the downtown area became battlegrounds as the Mafia factions fought for territorial control of bootlegging rackets. In the suburbs of Pittsburgh, the factions fought for control of New Kensington, Arnold, Wilkinsburg, McKees Rocks, Wilmerding and Braddock. [14] It was recorded that between 1926 and 1933, there were over 200 murders in Allegheny County. [14]
By 1925, Calderone retired and Stefano Monastero became the new boss of the Pittsburgh family. [15] Monastero controlled a large organization of bootlegging supplies throughout several warehouses on Pittsburgh's North Side. [15] During his reign he was suspected of ordering the bombings of rival bootleggers facilities and for ordering the murder of his competitor, Luigi "Big Gorilla" Lamendola, in May 1927. [15] Monastero and his brother Sam were themselves murdered on August 6, 1929, in front of St. John's hospital. [15] [16] Pittsburgh police suspected that Joe "the Ghost" Pangallo was responsible for ordering Monastero's murder, but were unable to prove it. [9]
After Monastero's murder, Giuseppe Siragusa became the new boss of the Pittsburgh family. [15] Siragusa had emigrated from Sicily in 1910, landing in Brooklyn, New York and later settling in Pittsburgh, where he manufactured and traded in illegal alcohol. [15] He was nicknamed the "Yeast Baron" after becoming one of the largest suppliers of yeast to illegal beermakers in the area. [15] Siragusa maintained a close alliance with the Castellammarese clan in New York City and paid tribute to the clan's boss, Salvatore Maranzano. [15] On September 13, 1931, Siragusa was murdered in his Squirrel Hill home, just days after Maranzano had been murdered. [9] [4] [6] [14] [16]
After the murder of Siragusa, the family came under the control of John Bazzano. [15] [16] Bazzano had immigrated to the United States from Calabria in the 1890s and built a bootlegging empire selling yeast and sugar to home breweries, which allowed them to manufacture illegal beer. [9] [14] He was a protégé of early Pittsburgh mobster Nicola Gentile and learned to keep a low profile. [17] He owned a coffee shop in the Middle Hill and a mansion in Mt. Lebanon, a neighborhood outside of Pittsburgh. [17] Bazzano formed an alliance with the eight Volpe brothers, the leaders of the "Neapolitan faction" who controlled illegal rackets throughout the Turtle Creek Valley and Wilmerding. [14]
Bazzano became aggravated when the Volpe brothers began expanding into East Liberty and the North Side. [14] On July 29, 1932, he sent a hit team to murder the brothers; the team murdered three of them. [14] Two of the surviving brothers went to the "Commission" in New York, and it was decided Bazzano would be held responsible for his unsanctioned hit. On August 8, 1932, Bazzano's body was found in Red Hook, Brooklyn. He had been stabbed and strangled to death. [9] [4] [6] [14]
Vincenzo Capizzi became the new Pittsburgh boss, but he eventually resigned in 1937 [4] and was replaced by Frank Amato. [15] [16] Amato began expanding his influence over the gambling rackets in and around Allegheny County, and formed a strong alliance with the Genovese crime family in New York City, who represented Pittsburgh at meetings of the Commission. [9] Amato ruled until 1956, when he fell ill from a kidney ailment and stepped down to become underboss. [9] [4] [14]
Following the end of Amato's reign, Sebastian "Big John" LaRocca became the boss of the Pittsburgh family and remained in the role for nearly thirty years. [16] [4] [18] LaRocca had emigrated from Sicily in 1910, he moved to Pittsburgh with his wife in 1933. [15] He started a business selling beer equipment and concrete blocks in Oakland. [15] LaRocca later gained control of multiple illegal rackets and was convicted on several occasions for larceny, receiving stolen property and operating an illegal lottery. [15] In 1953, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) tried to use LaRocca's criminal record to deport him, but several prominent figures testified on his behalf and he was able to remain in the country until his death in 1984. [15]
As boss of Pittsburgh, LaRocca attended the 1957 Apalachin meeting with his caporegimes Gabriel "Kelly" Mannarino and Michael James Genovese. [19] When police raided the meeting, LaRocca was able to escape while Mannarino and Genovese were arrested. [4] [6] [18] LaRocca and Mannarino later became partners with Tampa crime family boss Santo Trafficante Jr. in the Sans Souci casino resort in Havana, Cuba. [6] [14] [20] However, all mobsters were expelled from the country following the Cuban Revolution in 1959. [20]
Through bribery, LaRocca was able to control politicians, police officers and other officials in the Pittsburgh area. [4] His family also maintained control of labor unions through Local 1058. [4] LaRocca's influence also grew through close ties to Gambino family boss Carlo Gambino, Bufalino family boss Russell Bufalino, Philadelphia family boss Angelo Bruno and Kansas City family boss Nick Civella. [4] In the 1960s, LaRocca's family engaged in conflict with the Cleveland crime family when they expanded into Youngstown, Ohio. [19] LaRocca supported Frank Valenti's takeover of the Rochester crime family from Jake Russo in 1964. [21]
In the early 1980s, the family consisted of LaRocca, underboss Joseph Pecora, consigliere Michael Genovese and caporegimes John Bazzano Jr., Antonio Ripepi and Joseph Regino. [22] LaRocca died on December 3, 1984. [9] [4]
Michael Genovese succeeded LaRocca as boss of the Pittsburgh family in 1984. [9] [4] Genovese had started his criminal career by controlling the numbers racket in East Liberty and eventually became a capo operating from Gibsonia. [23] Genovese had spent years closely working with LaRocca, Mannarino and Pecora. [23] His reputation and power had increased over the years, allowing him to be successfully accepted as the new boss. Genovese pursued members of the Pittsburgh family to create a large illegal drug trafficking network. [15] The drug trafficking activities led to increased law enforcement surveillance and investigations. [15] On March 3, 1987, longtime Underboss and West Virginia gambling leader Joseph N. "Jo Jo" Pecora died. [24] After Pecora's death, Genovese promoted Charles "Chucky" Porter as underboss. According to a 1989 report by the Pennsylvania Crime Commission, the family had fallen into decline because the family was not accepting new members while the leadership was continuing to grow older. [15]
In the late 1980s, the FBI increased its investigation into Pittsburgh's top cocaine traffickers, Porter and Louis Raucci, Sr. [25] In March 1990, an indictment charged Porter and Raucci, along with seven associates, on charges of drug distribution, extortion, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery, illegal gambling and racketeering. [23] [26] The Crime Commission considered Porter to be Genovese's "right-hand man," while Raucci was said to "sit on the left side" of the boss. [23] Both Porter and Raucci were convicted.
Porter decided to turn state's witness, leading the conviction of many top members and associates of the Pittsburgh family. [26] By 1992, there was only a few members and associates operating in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. [15] Raucci died in prison in 1996. [23] Porter was released from prison in 2000 after his 28-year sentence was halved for helping the FBI investigate mob operations from New York, New Jersey, Florida and California, including narcotics operations in Pittsburgh. [23] On October 31, 2006, Genovese died after of years of fighting with bladder cancer and heart disease. [15] [23] John Bazzano Jr. took over as boss until his death on July 28, 2008. [27]
The Commission barred the Pittsburgh family from inducting new made members because many associates had been cooperating and working with the government. [28]
In 2008, Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti became boss of the Pittsburgh family. [8] [29] Ciancutti himself was one of the few remaining made members operating in Pittsburgh after the late 1990s, when many members were imprisoned and older members started to pass away. [4] According to the FBI, Ciancutti controlled a large illegal gambling ring with top bookmakers Robert Iannelli, John "Duffy" Conley, Jeff Risha and Ronnie "Porky" Melocchi, whom all paid him protection. [8]
On September 5, 2013, "Operation Pork Chop" culminated with the charging of Melocchi and others with bookmaking and illegal gambling. [30] In 2013, retired FBI special agent Roger Greenbank spoke about the Pittsburgh family and said, "There's no real structure anymore. There's no real family." [31] In 2016, Ciancutti's most trusted associate, Jeff Risha, died of cancer. [8] Ciancutti maintained a low profile, using associates to run Pittsburgh's local bookmaking and illegal gambling operations. In 2019, Iannelli, a longtime Pittsburgh bookmaker, was arrested along with his son and others. [8]
On July 26, 2016, a gambling investigation at the Spartaco Sporting Club resulted in five of the club's officers and four employees being arrested during a raid by the Pennsylvania State Police's Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. A total of nineteen illegal video gambling devices, along with computer motherboards for the devices, money and various documents were seized. Ciancutti was a member of the club during this time. [32]
On December 28, 2019, former Pittsburgh family associate Samuel Rende, aged 90, was shot in the head and killed while in a pickup truck near Calvary Cemetery in Greenfield. [33] [34] The police arrested and charged Anthony Miller with the homicide and robbery of Rende. [33]
On July 8, 2021, Pittsburgh family boss Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti died. [8] [35] [36] Ciancutti was the last known made member in the Pittsburgh family. [8]
The last known made member was boss Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti who died on July 8, 2021. [8]
The Pittsburgh family used associates to control the illegal gambling and loansharking operations in Youngstown, Ohio and throughout the Mahoning Valley. During the early 1970s the faction gained control of the gambling rackets in Youngstown and shared some of the profits with the Cleveland crime family. [133]
The Pittsburgh family used associates to control the illegal gambling and loansharking operations in Wheeling, West Virginia and the surrounding areas.
General:
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The Havana Conference of 1946 was a historic meeting of United States Mafia and Cosa Nostra leaders in Havana, Cuba. Supposedly arranged by Charles "Lucky" Luciano, the conference was held to discuss important mob policies, rules, and business interests. The Havana Conference was attended by delegations representing crime families throughout the United States. The conference was held during the week of December 22, 1946, at the Hotel Nacional. The Havana Conference is considered to have been the most important mob summit since the Atlantic City Conference of 1929. Decisions made in Havana resonated throughout US crime families during the ensuing decades.
The Genovese crime family, also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as part of the American Mafia. The Genovese family has generally maintained a varying degree of influence over many of the smaller mob families outside New York, including ties with the Philadelphia, Cleveland, Patriarca, and Buffalo crime families.
The Bufalino crime family, also known as the Pittston crime family, the Scranton Wilkes-Barre crime family, the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Mafia, or the Scranton Mafia, was an Italian-American Mafia crime family active in Northeastern Pennsylvania, primarily in the cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Pittston.
Thomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli was a New York City mobster who eventually became the acting boss of the Genovese crime family.
The Cleveland crime family, also known as the Scalish crime family or the Cleveland Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Cleveland, Ohio, and throughout the Greater Cleveland area. The organization formed during the 1900s, and early leadership turned over frequently due to a series of power grabs and assassinations. In 1930, Frank Milano became boss and was able to bring some stability to the Cleveland family. Under the control of the family's longest-serving boss, John T. Scalish, who led the organization from 1945 until his death in 1976, the Cleveland family exerted influence over the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), profiting from labor racketeering and the skimming of revenue from Las Vegas casinos. The family's membership peaked at around sixty "made men" during the 1950s.
Michele "Big Mike" Miranda was a longtime member and eventual consigliere of the Genovese crime family and one of the most powerful New York gangsters in the 1950s and 1960s.
John Sebastian LaRocca was the Sicilian-born American boss of the Pittsburgh crime family from the 1950s until his death in 1984.
Tino "T" Fiumara, also known as "The Greek," was a major figure in the Genovese crime family and was acting boss. Since the 1980s, he had been the leader of the Genovese New Jersey faction in northern New Jersey. After his final release from prison Fiumara lived on Long Island.
Michael James Genovese was an alleged boss of the Pittsburgh crime family. References to Michael Genovese as the brother of New York mob boss Vito Genovese are to a different Michael Genovese; Michael James Genovese was first cousin to Vito Genovese.
The Kansas City crime family, also known as the Civella crime family, the Kansas City Mafia or the Clique, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Bruno–Scarfo crime family, the Philadelphia–Atlantic City crime family, the Philadelphia Mafia, the Philly Mafia, or the Philadelphia–South Jersey Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed and based in South Philadelphia, the criminal organization primarily operates in Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area, including South Jersey. The family is notorious for its violence, its succession of violent bosses, and multiple mob wars.
The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian-American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian American criminal society and organized crime group.
The Los Angeles crime family, also known as the Dragna crime family, the Southern California crime family or the L.A. Mafia, and dubbed "the Mickey Mouse Mafia" by former Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Los Angeles, California as part of the larger Italian-American Mafia. Since its inception in the early 20th century, the family has spread throughout Southern California. Like most Mafia families in the United States, the Los Angeles crime family gained wealth and power through bootlegging alcohol during the Prohibition era. The L.A. family reached its peak strength in the 1940s and early 1950s under Jack Dragna, although the family was never larger than the New York or Chicago families. The Los Angeles crime family itself has been on a gradual decline, with the Chicago Outfit representing them on The Commission since the death of boss Jack Dragna in 1956.
The Greenwich Village Crew is a crew within the Genovese crime family, active in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan. It was originally controlled by Don Vito Genovese from the early 1920s until his arrest in the late 1950s. In the early 1980s capo Vincent Gigante, was made the new boss of the Genovese crime family. He continued to operate from and with the Greenwich Village Crew members. Today the crew is still active, but after the death of Dominick Canterino, it is uncertain who is controlling the crew.
The Genovese crime family's New Jersey faction is a group of Italian-American mobsters within the Genovese crime family who control organized crime activities within the state of New Jersey. The New Jersey faction is divided into multiple crews each led by a different caporegime who oversees illegal criminal activities in labor racketeering, illegal gambling, loansharking and extortion. The Genovese crime family's New Jersey faction has maintained a strong presence in the Northern Jersey area since the early prohibition era. A number of powerful mobsters within the New Jersey faction such as Guarino "Willie" Moretti, Gerardo "Jerry" Catena and Louis "Bobby" Manna have each held positions within the Genovese family's administration. From the 1990s until his death in 2010, Tino "the Greek" Fiumara was one of the most powerful caporegimes in the New Jersey faction.
Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno was an American mobster who served as underboss and front boss of the Genovese crime family in New York City from 1981 until his conviction in 1986.
The Bonanno crime family is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City as part of the criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia.
This is a list of organized crime in the 1930s, arranged chronologically.