Thursday, September 26, 2013

Cleveland Mafia: Blood for Corn Sugar

 How the Cleveland Mob Started

During the late eighteen hundreds, the four Lonardo brothers and seven Porrello brothers were boyhood friends and fellow sulphur mine workers in their hometown of Licata, Sicily. They came to America in the early nineteen hundreds and eventually settled in Cleveland.


 

"Big Joe" Lonardo

“Big Joe" Lonardo became a successful businessman and community leader. During Prohibition, he became wealthy as a dealer in corn sugar which was used by bootleggers to make corn liquor. He was respected and feared as a "padrone" or godfather. "Big Joe" became the leader of a powerful and vicious gang and was known as a corn sugar "baron." Joe Porrello was one of his corporals.

 

Prohition

With the advent of Prohibition, Cleveland, like other big cities, experienced a wave of bootleg-related murders. The murders produced the same suspects, but no indictments. These suspects were members of the Lonardo gang. Several of the murders occurred at the corner of E. 25th and Woodland Ave. This intersection became known as the "bloody corner." Many of Lonardo’s gang members had previous street battle experience in the newspaper circulation wars.


Around 1926, Joe Porrello left the employ of the Lonardos to start his own sugar wholesaling business. Porrello and his six brothers pooled their money and eventually became successful corn sugar dealers headquartered in the upper Woodland Avenue area around E. 110th Street.

With small competitors, sugar dealers and bootleggers, mysteriously dying violent deaths, the Lonardos' business flourished as they gained a near monopoly on the corn sugar business. Their main competitors were their old friends the Porrellos.

 "Big Joe" Lonardo in 1926, now at the height of his wealth and power, left for Sicily to visit his mother and relatives. He left his closest brother and business partner John in charge. During "Big Joe's" six-month absence, he lost much of his $5,000 a week profits to the Porrellos who took advantage of John Lonardo's lack of business skills and the assistance of a disgruntled Lonardo employee. "Big Joe" returned and business talks between the Porrellos and Lonardos began. They "urged" the Porrellos to return their lost clientele.


 

The WARS Begin    

On Oct. 13th, 1927 "Big Joe" and John Lonardo went to the Porrello barbershop to play cards and talk business with Angelo Porrello as they had been doing for the past week. As the Lonardos entered the rear room of the shop, two gunmen opened fire. Angelo Porrello ducked under a table.

The Porrello brothers were arrested. Angelo was charged with the Lonardo brothers' murders. The charges were later dropped for lack of evidence. Joe Porrello succeeded the Lonardos as corn sugar "baron" and later appointed himself "capo" of the Cleveland Mafia.

 

A Mafia Meeting

On Dec. 5th, 1928, Joe Porrello and his lieutenant and bodyguard Sam Tilocco hosted the first known major meeting of the Mafia at Cleveland's Hotel Statler. Many major Mafia leaders from Chicago to New York to Florida were invited. The meeting was raided before it actually began.

Joe Profaci, leader of a Brooklyn, N.Y. Mafia family was the most well-known of the gangsters arrested. He was the founder of the Colombo Mafia family. Vincent Mangano also ranked high as founder of the Gambino family most recently headed by the "Dapper Don" John Gotti. Within a few hours, to the astonishment of police and court officials, Joe Porrello gathered thirty family members and friends who put up their houses as collateral for the gangsters' bonds. Profaci was bailed out personally by Porrello. A great controversy over the validity of the bonds followed.

As Joe Porrello's power and wealth grew, heirs and close associates to the Lonardo brothers grew hot for revenge.



 More War

Angelo Lonardo, "Big Joe's" 18-year-old son along with his mother and his cousin, drove to the corner of E. 110th and Woodland, the Porrello stronghold. There Angelo sent word that his mother wanted to speak to Salvatore "Black Sam" Todaro. Todaro, now a Porrello lieutenant, had worked for Angelo's father and was believed to be responsible for his murder. In later years it was believed that he was actually one of the gunmen.

As Todaro approached to speak with Mrs. Lonardo whom he respected, Angelo pulled out a gun and emptied it into "Black Sam's stocky frame. Todaro crumpled to the sidewalk and died.

Eventually Angelo and his cousin were arrested and charged with "Black Sam's" murder. For the first time in Cleveland's bootleg murder history justice was served as both young men were convicted and sentenced to life. Justice although served would be shortlived as they would be released only a year and a half later after winning a new trial.

By 1929, Little Italy crime boss Frank Milano had risen to power as leader of his own gang, "The Mayfield Road Mob." Milano's group was made up in part of remnants of the Lonardo gang and was also associated with the powerful "Cleveland Syndicate," headed by Moe Dalitz, associate of mega-mobster Meyer Lansky. The Cleveland Syndicate was responsible for most of the Canadian booze imported via Lake Erie. In later years they got into the casino business. One of the their largest and most profitable enterprises was construction of the Desert Inn Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas. Dalitz would become known in legitimate circles as the "Godfather of Las Vegas."

By 1930, Frank Milano and his brother Tony had grown quite powerful. Frank had gone so far as to demand a piece of the lucrative Porrello corn sugar business. On July 5th, 1930, Porrello received a phone call from Milano who had requested a conference at his Venetian Restaurant on Mayfield Road and Murray Hill Roads in Little Italy.

The meeting unexpectedly erupted in gunfire and both Porrello and his bodyguard were killed. Frank Milano and several of his restaurant employees were arrested but only charged with being suspicious persons. The gunmen were never actually identified.

 Cleveland's underworld was tense with rumors of imminent warfare. Porrello brother Vincente-James spoke openly of wiping out everyone responsible for his brother's murder. Three weeks after his brother's murder, Jim Porrello still wore a black shirt as he entered the I & A grocery and meat market at E. 110th Street and Woodland. As he picked out lamb chops at the meat counter, a Ford touring car, its' curtains tightly drawn, cruised slowly past the store. A couple of shotguns poked out and two thunderous blasts of buckshot were fired, one through the front window of the store and one through the front screen door.

The amateur gunmen got lucky. Two pellets found the back of Porrello's head and entered his brain. He was rushed to the hospital but died a few hours later.

Two local petty gangsters were arrested and charged with murder. One was discharged by directed verdict and the other was acquitted. Like almost all of Cleveland's bootleg related murders, the killers never saw justice.

About this time, it was rumored that the Porrello brothers were marked for extermination. The surviving brothers went into hiding. Raymond, known for his cocky attitude and hot temper spoke like his brother James did of seeking revenge. Raymond was smarter though, he took active measures to protect himself.

On August 15th, 1930, three weeks after James Porrello's murder, Raymond Porrello's house was leveled in a violent explosion. He was not home at the time since he had taken his family and abandoned his home in anticipation of the attack. The bombing was a warning to the Porrellos from the Mayfield Road Mob. Soon, the out-gunned Porrellos were closing down their sugar operation.

The thirst for revenge had not been satisfied for members of the Lonardo family. It was generally believed that "Black Sam" Todaro instigated and perhaps took part in the murders of "Big Joe" and John Lonardo. However it was believed by members of the Lonardo family that the remaining Porrello brothers, particularly the volatile John and Raymond and eldest brother Rosario still posed a threat because of the murders of Joe and James Porrello.



 

 The Deadliest of Shootings

On Feb. 25th, 1932 Raymond Porrello, his brother Rosario and their bodyguard Dominic Gulino (known also by several aliases) were playing cards near E. 110th and Woodland Avenue. The front door burst open and in a hail of bullets the Porrello brothers, their bodyguard and a bystander went down. The Porrellos died at the scene. Gulino died a couple of hours later. The bystander eventually recovered from his wounds. This shooting was Cleveland's deadliest mob hit ever.

 

Legal Alcohol Changes the Game

In 1933, Prohibition was repealed. The bootleg murders mostly stopped as organized crime moved into gambling and other enterprises. Frank Milano moved to Mexico leaving “Big Al” Polizzi in charge. Angelo Lonardo continued his crime career as a respected member of the Cleveland family eventually rising through the ranks to run the northeast Ohio rackets in 1980. Things were remained relatively quiet in the Cleveland underworld through the forties, fifties and sixties.



 

Enter Danny Greene

Enter Danny Greene. He was fearless and cunning - loved by his neighbors and hated by his business competitors - the members of the Cleveland Mafia. Fiercely proud of his Irish heritage, he was a Celtic warrior at heart, obsessed with the color green - green car, green jackets, green ink pens. For a decade Greene had been boldly encroaching on mob territory. Their threats didn't worry him.

Danny got his start in racketeering in the late sixties as president of the local International Association of Longshoremen. After a shocking expose by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, he was ousted from the docks and fined $10,000 for embezzling union funds.

Later Danny worked for as an enforcer for local mobsters including Alex "Shondor" Birns, well-known Jewish racketeer. After a dispute over a $60,000 Greene refused to repay, Birns had a bomb planted in his car. It was the first in a series of botched attempts on the brash Irishman's life. Danny found the bomb.

 "Luck of the Irish," he would often say. "I'll return this to the old bastard who sent it to me," Greene promised.

Sure enough, a few weeks later Birns was blown out the roof of his car, in two pieces. It was an excellent hit and Danny was proud.

A power vacuum developed in the Cleveland underworld when John Scalish, mob boss from 1944 until 1976 died during heart surgery. Danny Greene teamed up with Teamster official John Nardi in a bid to take over. Their biggest offensive and mistake was the 1976 murder of Leo "Lips" Moceri, the respected and feared new underboss of the Cleveland Mafia, and the bombing of enforcer Eugene “The Animal” Ciasullo. Aging mob boss James Licavoli ordered his henchman to "get rid of the Irishman," but the inexperienced soldiers had no luck. The attempts by the self-proclaimed tough guys were almost comical. Then west coast wise guy Jimmy 'the Weasel" Fratianno recommended a hired killer from Erie.



 

Danny Greene is Dead

In the end, Danny went out the way he predicted. "When you live by the bomb, you die by the bomb." The Irishman was dead.

But the Mafia's celebration was cut short. There was much sloppy work, a few observant witnesses (one of whom was a sketch artist!) and extraordinary investigations by federal, state and local officials. The aftermath of Greene's assassination brought about a Mafia war in Youngstown, Ohio, a mob murder plot against Cleveland Mayor Dennis Kucinich and charges against Mahoning County Sheriff James Traficant for accepting Mafia bribe money. Traficant was acquitted and is now a United States Congressman.

In 1983, Angelo Lonardo, 72, one-time Cleveland Mafia boss, turned government informant. He shocked family, friends, law enforcement officers and particularly, criminal associates with his decision which was made after being sentenced to life plus 103 years for drug and racketeering convictions. The sentence came after the monumental investigation into the murder of Danny Greene. As a direct result of Danny's murder, Jimmy "Weasel" Fratianno also defected and co-authored The Last Mafioso and Vengeance is Mine. His courtroom testimony and that of Angelo Lonardo, once called "the highest ranking mobster ever to testify for the government" helped put away mob bosses Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno of New York's Genovese Mafia family, Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo of the Luchesse clan and Carmine Persico of the Colombo family. He also testified in 1985 at the Las Vegas casino "skimming" trials in Kansas City. Federal investigators trace these major mob convictions right back to the murder of Greene. Danny would have been proud.

Currently, remnants of the once-mighty Cleveland Mob are thought by many to be under the control of Joseph “Joe Loose” Iacobacci.

By Rick Porrello
Web Host, Author, Policeman

  http://americanmafia.com/Cities/Cleveland.html

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Were is Whitey Bulger's Money?


The reputed Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger", who was convicted last Aug, on 31 accounts of charges ranging from murder (11), extortion, money laundering, and racketeering, is back in court again.

Schedule to be sentenced on Nov. 13, right now the federal government is after all of Bulger's money. Bulger was on the run from the government for 16 years where he spent most of his time in the a San Monica hideaway with his girlfriend.

At this hideaway authorities claim they have found 30 guns, some loaded, and an assortment of knives and a Taser and over $800,000. hidden in the walls. But that does not satisfy authorities, they say that through shake downs of drug dealers, gambling rings and other ileagle activity, extortion, rent payed to him by criminals, Bulger is worth somewhere around $25,000,000.00.

It is claimed that Bulger has many safety deposit boxes all around the world, and without his help chances are they won't be able to find any of that money. Considering that Bulger has always been a outlaw, I don't see how anyone could see him giving up any of the money to the authorities. Even though  he probably will not ever see freedom again, not disclosing the location and bank accounts of his money will be one last screw you to the people he has been against all his life.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Pizza Connection - Gaetano Badalamenti - Head of the Sicilian Mob

The Pizza Connection 

Badalamenti “Don Tanino” or "Boss of all Bossess" was born in 1923 and died of heart failure in 2004.


Drug dealing was his main downfall - heading a operation that brought in more than 1.65 billion dollar of drug money from the Middle East (heroin)  and South America (cocaine). From 1975 to 1984 the successful drug operation was able to fly under the radar by using pizzerias as fronts and laundering their money into Swiss Bank accounts.

Even though drug dealing is frowned upon in the Mafia, a couple of things gave the Pizza Connection a pass. One was the Badalamenti was the Don of the Sicily mob and he was technically not part of the American mafia, but part of the Palermo, Sicily, mafia, and almost everyone in the Pizza connection was Sicilian immigrants. And the other thing is, like in true mob fashion - when there is enough money involved, some how it makes it easier to look the other way, and the American families did profit from hush money to let them deal on their turf. One other thing, the Mafia was born in Sicily and the Americans really had no choice but to look away, and a kind jester of money made everything work.  

In fact, Badalameni was on a Capo on the Commission, through breaking rules and doing activity that the Commission was not interested in being a part of, he was kicked off. This in turn, got the Don and his crew dubbed the "Don of Losers", but this did not deter him or his ambitions. In fact, he would be the only Don that disobeyed the Commission and suffered no consequence.

Although Badalamenti ran and own many rackets and companies, brought in more money than all the other families and had more powerful connection in Sicily, the same reason why the Mafia frowned upon drugs is the same reasons why he would eventually be brought down.

Manhattan U.S. Courthouse. October 24, 1985. The government calls it the biggest drug and mafia case ever to come to trial in the United States. The press calls it the Pizza Connection. More 22 mobsters mostly Sicilians where brought up on one of America's biggest RICO cases ever.

The long and unbelievably complex trail in New York turned into a circus. During the trial, two defendants were killed and one shot. At the end, all the others, but one, went to prison, including Badalamenti who was given 45 years.

After running many rackets, including a billion dollar drug ring and being responsible for as many as 100 murders, Badalamenti, would died an old weak man in prison in 2004.

He died with only this to say about the drug dealing ring. "Drugs are bad for business. The money was never worth the risk. Only greedy pigs touched drugs. "Not men of honor.'' -Spoken like a true criminal-






Sunday, September 15, 2013

The Italian Mob: 5 Reason for Their Downfall

  1. Lengthy prison sentences.
Back in the day spending a 3 year bit in prison for things such as assault and extrusion was nothing for a gangster. But now with new laws and the common breaking of the no selling drugs rules that the mob has, but does not enforce, it's not unheard of to be facing 10 to 30 years if your crimes are attached to the RICO act. Worst off that's on the light side, 60 to life is more of a fitting sentence for being involved in a continuing criminal conspiracy.



2. Prison ain't what it used to be.
Let's say you bit the bullet and take one for the team. Back in the days doing a nickel or a dime in prison was like heading out to the country club for a little bit. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on some pictures of mobsters in prison before the 80's, you would notice big smiles, grommet meals, wine, cigars and smiling faces. The Italian mob ran the prisons so it was like going to a country club. Nowadays it's ran by the guards and street gangs. Italian mobster or not, you get a small cell and crappy food just like everyone else. Even John Gotti took a beating on the inside by the Aryan Brotherhood: they had no problem with saying, those mobsters may run the outside, but we run the inside.

3. You and your family will not be taken care of.
One of the rules of the Mob is that if you are a stand up guy and go do your prison term like a man your family will be watched over and taken care of. Nowadays if you head off to prison you and your family are all alone. Not only that, but whatever you did to earn money will be taken over by your so called brothers with no kick backs to you or your family, not even your wife is consider yours and off limits. 

4. Technology
Obviously, technology has thrown a few curve balls at the mob. Security, computers, alarm systems, international data bases, face recognition software are just some of the things that get in the way of not just the Mob but all criminals and criminal organizations alike. 



5. Loyalty and Honor 
These are two words a "Made" man needs to live by, but when bosses are being whacked, Made men disappear, families fight families and snitches (turn coats) are a dime a dozen, a life in the mob just doesn't sound so great. But what does sound great, "The Witness Protection Program". The truth is, contrary to what movies and television shows would like you to believe about low level mobsters, which make up for most of the Mob, most of then don't even make as much as an average factory or office worker. Picking up and leaving the mob life; not that hard. 
  
 

Friday, September 6, 2013

Organized Crime Movies: Fifteen of the Best

When it comes to organized crime movies, there are just some movies that take are culture by storm. Certain lines become household quotes, like, "say hello to my little friend" – Scarface, or "it's not personal, it's strictly business" – The Godfather. Some of these movies not only make it big at the box office, but they also stick around and become part of are prized movie collections. Here are 15 of some of the most influential organized crime movies of all time.

 

The Godfather

(1972) - A tale of a powerful untitled family funded by organized crime. Probably one of the public's first real looks inside of how mafia families really operated and stayed in-line.

 

 

 

Casino

(1995) - A movie based off a true story of a professional gamble sent by the mob to run a casino in Las Vegas, and his once best friend, a short fused mobster was sent to watch after him. What started out as a perfect set-up for money making turned into a disaster. Basically the mafia was eventually kicked out of Las Vegas for all of their illegal doings. If you were involved and weren't arrested by the FBI, you might have been one of the many causalities of Mafia's justice.








The Godfather II

(1975) - The follow up to the original, "The God Father II" was another instant classic with a deeper look into how the mafia secured their funds, conducted business, took care of family problems and fights against the FBI. And also the movie goes back in time to show how the Corleone Family made it to America.









The Goodfellas

(1990) - A great movie that spans 3 decades of a young boy growing up with one ambition, to be a gangster. A true story of the rise and fall of a small crew in the Lucchese crime family.











Untouchables

(1987) - A great movie about a team of special agents designed to take down the Chicogo mob including high Ranking Gangster like Frank Nitti "The Enforcer" and the boss Al "Scareface" Capone. 









Donnie Brasco

(1997) - Based on a true story of a undercover agent who infiltrated the mafia. Detective Joe Pistone was the first to ever get so deep into the mafia as an undercover agent he almost got made. 










Blow 

(2001) -  A great true story movie about one mans ambition to live life free. His choices lead him to the most powerful and notorious Drug Kingpin in the World. Poblo Escobar. After many years of making more money then he could imagine; his retirement was not as pleasant as when he was in his prime.








The Godfather III

(1990) -  A lot people may not agree with me on this one, but then again a lot people don't know how to think for themselves. Without "The Godfather III" there would be no trilogy. We would not see what seemed to be a wealthy, powerful, almost untouchable Don, die in the end alone with a whole in is heart due to the murder of his little girl; all brought on by the life he lead. 









The Departed

(2006) - A movie that was based off of an Irish mobster "Whitey Bulger". With a cast full of acting all-stars and a great story line of a mole in the FBI working for the same crew that the FBI has a mole in. The Twist and the turns keeps you watching and wanting more.  











A Bronx Tail

(1993) - A wired twist in the mafia movie genre, Robert DeNiro plays a good guy. He struggles with the neighborhood crime boss to keep his soon out of the world of criminals and promotes doing things legit. Throughout the struggle, life long lessons were learned the hard way and made the young man look a little bit differently at his friend/boss of the neighborhood. 








Once Upon A Time in America

(1984) - A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.







American Gangster

(2007) - Base off a true story, a movie about a drug smuggling gangster and how he found a clever way to smuggle his drugs into the country. But as big and clever as he was he still eventually was caught and brought to justice. 








Analyze This

(1998) - A very clever twist on mafia movies. Robert DeNiro plays a notorious crime boss who is suffering from mental break downs and instead of being tough he feels more like a little girl. This mafia movie falls in the unlikely category of comedy and if you like other mafia movies this is a good change of pass, but don't worry most of all the mafia all-star actors are still involved. 





Sopranos

(2000-2007) - Although not a movie, the series is worth being noted on the organized crime list. Funny and deceiving. After seven years it was hard to say goodbye to the controversial family that almost made you feel like there was nothing wrong with the mafia, in-fact, it felt like it was a normal way of living.







Scarface

(1983) - The movie about the once Cuba resident who managed to get his green card by doing a favor of murder; takes his new opportunity to huge wealth by wedging his way into the cocaine business. But unfortunately he finds some of his drug crazed decisions proved to be very costly.