Los Angeles crime family
Encyclopedia
The Los Angeles crime family is an Italian American
criminal organization
based in Los Angeles
, as part of the American Mafia
(or Cosa Nostra). Since its inception in the early 1900s, it has spread throughout Southern California
. Like most Mafia families in the United States
, the L.A. family gained power bootlegging
during the Prohibition Era
. The L.A. family reached its peak in the 1940s and early 1950s under Jack Dragna
, who was on The Commission
, although the L.A. family was never bigger than the New York or Chicago families. Since his death the crime family has been on a gradual decline, with the Chicago Outfit
representing them on The Commission.
In the late 1970s, Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno
became the second member in American Mafia history to testify against the Mafia. In 1981 a biography of Fratianno was published, The Last Mafioso
by Ovid Demaris
, which along with his court testimonies is the source for a lot of information on the history of the family. Since the 1980s, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
(RICO Act) became a highly effective law in convicting mobsters and shrinking the American Mafia. Like all families in the United States, the L.A. Mafia only holds a fraction of its former power.
The current boss of the family is Peter Milano
. The current family is small compared to other families and is involved in fraud
, extortion
, loan shark
ing, illegal gambling, drug trafficking
, and legitimate businesses. Although not having to share power with other Mafia families like New York's Five Families
, never having a strong Italian-American population in the region leaves the family to contend with the many street gangs in the "Gang Capital of America". The Los Angeles crime family is the last Mafia family left in the state of California.
. Their legitimate business was in fruit vending. Otherwise they used threats, violence, arson and extortion to control the Plaza area, which was the heart of the Italian American community of Los Angeles at the time. Its first leader was Orsario "Sam" Matranga who started leading the family in 1905. Sam's relatives Salvatore Matranga, Pietro "Peter" Matranga, and Antonio "Tony" Matranga were other members of the gang.
Joseph Cuccia was a well-respected criminal amongst the underworld, who served as a translator in court for Italians who didn't speak English. This made him a well liked man in the Italian community. When prominent Black Hand leader Joseph Ardizzone
was involved in a dispute with George Maisano, a member of the Matranga gang, they both went to Cuccia to mediate the dispute. Cuccia was a relative of Ardizzone and member of his crime family. He ruled in Ardizzone's favor, causing the Matrangas to threaten harm on Cuccia. In response, Ardizzone shot and killed Maisano on July 2, 1906. Ardizzone then fled authorities and was a wanted fugitive.
With Ardizzone gone, the Matrangas fulfilled their promise of revenge. On September 25, 1906 Cuccia was shot and killed, allegedly by Tony Matranga. With both Ardizzone and Cuccia gone, the Matrangas were the dominant force in Los Angeles. However, their power was limited to within the Plaza community. To change this they cooperated with the police. Giving up information on their enemies and receiving immunity for most of their crimes, the Matrangas were able to expand their power and influence. Ardizzone returned to Los Angeles in 1914 and resumed his feud with the Matranga family. Sam and his successor Pietro "Peter" Matranga, were both murdered within 33 days of each other in 1917. Mike Marino (aka Mike Rizzo), an Ardizzone ally was responsible for the murders. While their next leader, cousin Tony Buccola was able to get revenge and kill Marino in 1919, many years of violence ruined the Matranga family. It was becoming clear that Ardizzone's faction was winning the war. With the rise of bootleggers in the 1920s, the Matranga's power declined and was eliminated with Buccola's disappearance in 1930.
Vito Di Giorgio
, a Black Handler and grocery store owner, moved to the United States
from Palermo, Sicily in 1904 Los Angeles from New Orleans in 1920. He was possibly the first boss of what would become the Los Angeles crime family. With the continuing Ardizzone-Matranga feud, Di Giorgio was able to relocate to Los Angeles and bring some order to the Los Angeles underworld. Di Giorgio was known as an intimidating and forceful man who was in conflict with several local underworld factions. He maintained strong connections with mobsters in New Orleans, Colorado
, Chicago
and was a cousin, close friend and had connections to New York City
mobster Giuseppe Morello
, the first boss of the Morello crime family
. He survived two attempts on his life before he was murdered in Chicago in 1922 while having a haircut. His underboss Rosario DeSimone
, who moved from Pueblo, Colorado
to Los Angeles around the same time as Di Giorgio, was another longtime power figure who took control of rackets quietly in Los Angeles County. DeSimone officially stepped down from the top position in the 1920s, but was still the real power within his organization.
Albert Marco
seized control of Los Angeles in the 1920s not by working with the local Mafia, but with the "City Hall Gang", a political machine
in Los Angeles run by Kent Kane Parrot
and Charles H. Crawford
. This transformed Marco into the Vice Lord of Los Angeles, earning $500,000 from bordello prostitution alone. With Crawford and Parrot controlling city hall and the local press, the City Hall Gang was able to operate bootlegging, prostitution
, and illegal gambling rackets in the shadows with little law enforcement scrutiny. This all changed when Marco was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in 1928 and the City Hall Gang broke down after a reform movement
swept L.A. in the late 1920s. Since then a host of mobsters fought to take control of liquor operations that Marco and the City Hall Gang previously dominated. In 1928 August Palumbo was the seventh bootleggers killed in a six week period. Palumbo was Marco’s lieutenant and was killed for refusing to merge his criminal operations with Rosario DeSimone. DeSimone’s lieutenant Dominic DiCiolla (aka Dominick De Soto) was acquitted of the murder and took control of Palumbo's liquor operations. When he tried to challenge higher powers by moving into syndicated gambling rackets, he was murdered in 1931.
returned to California in 1914 and was acquitted of murdering Maisano in 1915 due to lack of evidence and no witnesses willing to testify. He quickly returned to power and took control of rackets
in Los Angeles. Ardizzone teamed up with Jack Dragna
and they worked closely together for over 10 years. During prohibition the two were successful in running bootlegging operations in Southern California
as well as gambling and extortion. By the end of the 1920s he was rapidly expanding his power and influence. Under Ardizzone's tenure, organized crime began consolidating under his banner as he dominated criminal activities in L.A. In the late 1920s, Dragna and Johnny Roselli
constantly battled Charlie Crawford for control of the lucrative bootlegging rackets. With the deaths of Buccola and DiCiolla in 1930 and 1931, respectively, Ardizzone (who was the prime suspect in both murders) was the undisputed leader of crime in L.A. He set up the Italian Protective League, with Dragna as its president, Ardizzone as its vice president, and California State Senator Joseph Pedrotti as its Chairman. The organization had some political and social motives, but mostly served as a strong-arm muscle for the crime family. His reign as boss was short-lived when he mysteriously disappeared in 1931. Ardizzone was in conflict with the Mafia's National Crime Syndicate
on the East Coast, leading to Ardizzone's elimination.
Jack Dragna
took control of the family after Ardizzone's death in 1931 and made peace with the National Syndicate. In addition, his brother Tom Dragna
was made his consigliere
while his nephew Louis Tom Dragna
became a made man
in 1947. Dragna was the most successful boss the L.A. family ever had. Although he wasn't able to infiltrate many of the labor unions in the entertainment industry, he involved the Los Angeles family in the entertainment business and brought the L.A. Mafia onto the national stage. He was honored with a place on The Commission
, the only boss west of Chicago
to hold a spot on the council. When prohibition ended in 1933, Dragna operated a massive loan shark and illegal gambling business. Along with close supporter John Roselli
, Dragna's Mafia family ended local gang wars by driving older gambling syndicate headed by Guy McAfee and Milton "Farmer" Page out of business. Dragna and Roselli worked with Joe Shaw (the brother of Mayor Frank Shaw
) to muscle out L.A. bookies, many of whom fled to Las Vegas. By 1937, Dragna controlled the gambling in Los Angeles.
For independent bookmakers, Dragna would use extortion to collect money from their operations. While most mobsters simply threatened harm on a business for not paying tribute to their organization (protection racket
), Dragna’s family came up with a more sophisticated course of action. Dragna would send in men to threaten businesses, then the owners would pay Dragna for protection (unaware that these were Dragna's own men). Dragna wasn't however, able to control 100% of independent gambling rackets. Along with Dragna avoiding the spotlight and public life, he often was given the reputation as a weak ruler. According to Mickey Cohen
, Dragna was very powerful and very well respected, but did not put things together the way the East Coast bosses preferred. Although there was not a big pool of Italians to recruit on the West Coast like back East, the L.A. family worked around this by accepting members from across the country, such as Johnny Roselli
from Chicago, Nick Licata
from Detroit, and Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno
and Dominic Brooklier
from Cleveland. Armed with top hitman Frank Bompensiero and Jimmy Fratianno (who committed over 30 murders on the orders of their superiors), Dragna muscled his way into controlling territory stretching throughout California and Southern Nevada
. The Dragna family also had connections within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
, who were more corrupt than the city police (LAPD
). Although not having a big hand in labor union rackets, the Dragna crime family did infiltrate some unions in the laundromat and dress importing business.
When Lucky Luciano
sent Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
from New York City to Los Angeles to take control of their interests on the West Coast (including Las Vegas) he formed an uneasy partnership with Dragna. Siegel was able to get independent bookies to pay tribute to Dragna's already flourishing gambling business. Aside from this however, Dragna resented Siegel's power to infiltrate unions in the movie industry. Siegel made millions extorting movie production companies and only had to pay Dragna a tribute for working on his territory. With New York on Siegel's side there was little Dragna could do to take control of The Commission's grip of the city. The main reason Siegel came to California was to organize a horse racing wire service on the West Coast for the National Syndicate, which Siegel and Dragna worked closely together on setting up. Dragna and Siegel tried many methods to take over Continental Press Service (the main wire service at the time). Attempts to buy out the company and to strong arm its owners didn't work, so they set up their own company called Trans-America. The Chicago Outfit
eventually took over rival Continental Racing Services and gave the entire percentage of the racing wire on the West Coast to Dragna, enraging Siegel.
Once Siegel ran out of favor with New York, he was ordered to be killed. Although his murder officially remains unsolved, one theory is that Dragna's men were given the order to kill him. Siegel's chief lieutenant Mickey Cohen
took charge of his gambling and loan shark operations in Los Angeles County and eventually became Dragna's next target. Dragna first began recruiting Cohen's Italian men such as Dominic Brooklier
to his family and killing his other men such as David Ogul, Frank Niccoli, Neddie Herbert, and Herman "Hooky" Rothman. However, through sheer luck Cohen survived many attempts on his life (John Roselli
compared Cohen to Bugs Moran
). In 1951 Cohen was imprisoned for tax evasion
and the L.A. family moved in on his gambling business.
The number of high profile murders and gangsters moving into the West Coast combined with the recall of Mayor Frank L. Shaw
because of corruption charges related to organized crime, caused law enforcement to stop accommodating the Mafia. In the late 1930s, California Attorney General
Earl Warren
took command of a tough assault on Dragna's empire, most notably shutting down the gambling ship
s run by Anthony Cornero
. On February 14, 1950, the California Commission on Organized Crime singled out Dragna as the head of a crime syndicate that controlled crime in Southern California. Soon after several of his family members were arrested for the bombing of Mickey Cohen's home. Dragna fled the state and was wanted for questioning. He later surrendered, and was questioned in the Kefauver hearings
along with Roselli and Bompensiero, but denied all accusations against him. Dragna's family however, remain strong throughout the early 1950s.
. Due to over 50 unsolved gangland killings in the first half of the century, the L.A.P.D. formed a special task force to deal with the problem: "The Gangster Squad". These group of men harassed the Mafia throughout the 1950s. Frank Bompensiero and Jimmy Fratianno
started serving prison sentences in 1953 and 1954, respectively. In 1956 Jack Dragna died of a heart attack and a vote was made by the senior members of the family to elect its new boss. Johnny Roselli
was seen as the most logical choice, but lawyer-turned-gangster Frank DeSimone
was victorious. A disappointed Roselli, who felt that DeSimone rigged the election, transferred back to the Chicago Outfit. Fratianno did the same after his release from prison in 1960.
With Dragna gone and his brother Tom retired after his death, the crime family slipped out of control. It quickly became apparent that DeSimone was an incompetent boss. According to an unidentified informant, he raped the wife of former underboss Girolamo "Momo" Adamo
, which caused Adamo to shoot his wife (who survived) and kill himself. This meant the top three men from Dragna's era, the boss, underboss, and consigliere were all inactive in Los Angeles almost immediately after DeSimone took charge. DeSimone was present at the ill-fated Apalachin Meeting
with his second underboss Simone Scozzari
. When the meeting was raided by police, DeSimone was outed as a mobster. He previously had no arrest record and was believed to be a simple lawyer. Scozzari came under law enforcement scrutiny after the meeting and was deported to Italy
in 1962 for being an illegal immigrant. By 1965, it was estimated that the number of members of the L.A. family living in Los Angeles dwindled to 30, while the family actually had a strong presence in San Diego. DeSimone worried about "shaking down" gamblers and bookmakers for fear that they would run to the police. In the 1960s, Bonanno crime family
Boss Joseph Bonanno plotted to have DeSimone killed for failing to exploit the criminal opportunities in Los Angeles. The plan was thwarted, but caused DeSimone to become very paranoid, never leaving his house at night. DeSimone's unsuccessful reign concluded with his death in 1967, after 11 years in power.
DeSimone's third underboss Nick "Old Man" Licata
succeeded him. Licata had strong ties with Mafia families in the Midwest and South and maintained contact with the mob in Las Vegas. By then, law enforcement knew much about mob activities in Los Angeles, which was helped by top hitman Frank Bompensiero becoming an undercover informant in 1967. In 1963 Joe Valachi
ousted the Mafia as a secret criminal society, aiding in law enforcements attacks on organized crime and fingered Licata as a high ranking mobster in Los Angeles. A bright spot during the period was that Louis Tom Dragna
's company "Roberta Dress Manufacturing" was turning into a $10 million a year business. This was possible because in the 1950s, Jack Dragna flew labor union expert Johnny Dio in from New York City to teach Louis how to manipulate labor unions in the Garment District
. Licata had high hopes of restoring the declining family, but with the police and FBI constantly monitoring his family, Licata wasn't able to do much of a better job than DeSimone. On July 9, 1969 Licata was taken into custody after refusing to answer questions at a federal grand jury session about L.A.'s crime syndicate structure. He was held in contempt of court for refusing to testify after being given immunity from prosecution and eventually served six months in prison. A pair of indictments in the mid 1970s threaten to put most of the working family in prison. In March 1973, seven men were arrested for running a rigged gambling operation in Los Angeles that brought in up to $250,000 a month. Their trial was delayed when the key informant and witness, former Mafia associate John Dubcek, was shot and killed in Las Vegas. Although this scared other informants from testifying, they still were convicted and given light sentences. Four months later another 12 men, were indicted for conspiracy, racketeering and extortion against bookmakers, loan sharks, and pornographers. Licata's underboss Joseph Dippolito
had a large influence in San Bernardino
and the Inland Empire
in both legitimate and criminal enterprises. He was seen as Licata's successor, but died unexpectedly of a heart attack in January 1974 at the age of 59. On October 19, 1974 after a long battle with illnesses, Nick Licata passed away at age 77.
, was initially able to stabilize the family's businesses, but later endured considerable damage done by FBI informants. Brooklier was able to make a lot of money in pornography
, extortion
, and drugs, but wasn't able to take back control of the independent bookmaking rackets in Los Angeles. The Last Mafioso
described several instances during the time when the family would shake down people in the porno industry. These men would then pay a fee to their Mafia backers, usually on the East Coast, to set things straight. Once they paid, the Mafia backers would secretly split the money with the L.A. family. Brooklier also ordered the death of Frank Bompensiero for his growing criticism of the family, and later finding evidence that he was cooperating with the FBI. When Brooklier was sentenced to a short prison stint along with his underboss Samuel Sciortino in 1975, Jimmy Fratianno
transferred back to the L.A. family and was named acting boss. Fratianno took this position to heart, traveling across the country making connections and deals. Fratianno's goal was to bring back the ailing families stature and reputation amongst the Mafia. Since Jack Dragna's death, Los Angeles was starting to be seen as an "open city" where any family could do business, but Fratianno hoped that by restoring the ailing family he'd be a candidate to officially run the family even when Brooklier was released. However, Brooklier quickly took back control of the family after his release and Fratianno was left back to being a low level soldier
.
The fall came when Fratianno became the second American Mafioso to turn state's evidence
and testify against the Mafia in court. He made this decision upon learning from the F.B.I. that Dominic Brooklier ordered his death. Brooklier, who didn't trust Fratianno, ordered the hit because Fratianno was presenting himself as boss of the family and felt that he was trying to usurp him. Fratianno testified against mobsters not only in Los Angeles, but across the country. Although the Justice Department
thought it finally crippled the Mafia in Los Angeles, a Federal Judge gave Brooklier, Sciortino, Michael Rizzitello
, Dragna, and Jack LoCicero light sentences ranging from two to five years in 1981 for racketeering and extortion. Brooklier still ran the family from his prison cell until he died of a heart attack in 1984. With Brooklier's imprisonment, capo
Peter Milano quickly stepped up and began running the family in 1981.
was officially made boss of the Los Angeles crime family with Brooklier's death in 1984. He made his brother Carmen "Flipper" Milano
his underboss. Since Milano's reign, the family was heavily involved in narcotics, pornography, gambling and loan sharking. 20 reputed organized crime figures were arrested in 1984, in what law enforcement officials said was a bid to take over a $1 million-a-week bookmaking operation in Los Angeles. Neither of the Milano brothers (nor six of the others originally arrested) were charged due to lack of evidence. When Peter Milano became boss, he rejuvenated the depleted family by inducting new members such as Stephen "Steve the Whale" Cino, singer Charles "Bobby Milano" Caci, Luigi "Louie" Gelfuso Jr. and shylock brothers Lawrence and Anthony "The Animal" Fiato
into the family. Mobster turned informant Kenny Gallo
credited the brothers with "help[ing] Pete Milano revamp the L.A. Family". With a beefed up family Milano succeeded in having nearly every bookie in Los Angeles pay a mob tax to the L.A. family. Robert "Puggy" Zeichick gave Anthony Fiato a $1 million dollar loan which was used to finance a huge loan shark
operation. The L.A. family became the dominate loan shark operators in the area. The family's influence stretched all the way to Las Vegas, where the family had long standing ties to what the Mafia considered an "open city" where any family could work in.
The entire hierarchy of the family including the Milano brothers, captains Mike Rizzitello
, Jimmy Caci
, and Luigi Gelfuso along with many other mobsters were arrested on various charges in the late 1980s, due largely to information and recordings collected by the Fiato brothers. These charges to so many members permanently crippled the family and put the family on the brink of extinction. While Rizzitello, who was acquitted of his original charges at trial, was sentenced to 33 years in prison in 1989 for attempted murder (where he would die in 2005) the Milano brothers plead guilty to lesser charges; Peter received a six year prison sentence and Carmen received six months. Almost every member of the family charged pleaded guilty to receive lesser sentences and the F.B.I. considered the Mafia finished in Los Angeles.
However, since Peter Milano's paroled release in 1991, he took back control of the weakened family. The Los Angeles family since made moves into Las Vegas with the Buffalo crime family
. The family made headlines again with the murder of Chicago Outfit associate Herbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein
by Buffalo and Los Angeles family members in 1997. Blizstein had a lucrative loan shark and auto insurance fraud business the two families moved in to take over. This caused a great deal of scrutiny from the FBI on both families. Members like Stephen Cino and Alfred Mauriello were convicted on related charges along with other associates who cooperated with officials to receive a reduced sentence, putting the L.A. crime family on its last leg. By the 1990s the L.A. family was estimated to have 20 official members.
and Jimmy Caci
have died of old age and no younger people have replaced them. Los Angeles doesn't have a high concentration of Italians like the East Coast to support them, so recruiting new members is challenging. With Southern California
's many racial groups, the Cosa Nostra faces an uphill battle to challenge the many street gangs in the area over criminal rackets. Law enforcement also considers East Coast Mafia members moving to California as a threat.
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
criminal organization
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, as part of the American Mafia
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
(or Cosa Nostra). Since its inception in the early 1900s, it has spread throughout Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. Like most Mafia families in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the L.A. family gained power bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
during the Prohibition Era
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
. The L.A. family reached its peak in the 1940s and early 1950s under Jack Dragna
Jack Dragna
Jack Ignatius Dragna was an American Mafia member and Black Hander who was active in both Italy and the United States in the 1900s. He was active in bootlegging in California during the Prohibition Era in the United States...
, who was on The Commission
The Commission (mafia)
The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia. Formed in 1931, the Commission replaced the "Boss of all Bosses" title, with a ruling committee, consisting of the New York Five Families bosses and the boss of the Chicago Outfit...
, although the L.A. family was never bigger than the New York or Chicago families. Since his death the crime family has been on a gradual decline, with the Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
representing them on The Commission.
In the late 1970s, Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno
Jimmy Fratianno
Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno was a Cleveland, Ohio, mobster and later acting head of the Los Angeles crime family before becoming a government witness...
became the second member in American Mafia history to testify against the Mafia. In 1981 a biography of Fratianno was published, The Last Mafioso
The Last Mafioso
The Last Mafioso: The Treacherous World of Jimmy Fratianno is a biography novel detailing the life of American Mafia member Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno. It chronicles Fratianno's life from a kid in Cleveland to becoming the acting Boss of the Los Angeles crime family...
by Ovid Demaris
Ovid Demaris
Ovid Demaris was a native of Biddeford, Maine and an author of books and detective stories...
, which along with his court testimonies is the source for a lot of information on the history of the family. Since the 1980s, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization...
(RICO Act) became a highly effective law in convicting mobsters and shrinking the American Mafia. Like all families in the United States, the L.A. Mafia only holds a fraction of its former power.
The current boss of the family is Peter Milano
Peter Milano
Peter John Milano is a Los Angeles based, Italian-American mobster, and current Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. Milano has been active in organized crime since the 1950s...
. The current family is small compared to other families and is involved in fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
, extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
ing, illegal gambling, drug trafficking
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
, and legitimate businesses. Although not having to share power with other Mafia families like New York's Five Families
Five Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
, never having a strong Italian-American population in the region leaves the family to contend with the many street gangs in the "Gang Capital of America". The Los Angeles crime family is the last Mafia family left in the state of California.
Origins and predecessors
The early years of organized crime in California were marked by the division of various Italian street gangs such as the Black Hand organizations in the early 20th century. The most prominent of these was the Matranga family, a gang ran by relatives of Charles Matranga, founder of the New Orleans crime familyNew Orleans crime family
The New Orleans crime family is one of the oldest American criminal organizations in activity. It is based in New Orleans and parts of southern Louisiana in the United States. Its status today is unknown, as it remained in the shadows since 1993...
. Their legitimate business was in fruit vending. Otherwise they used threats, violence, arson and extortion to control the Plaza area, which was the heart of the Italian American community of Los Angeles at the time. Its first leader was Orsario "Sam" Matranga who started leading the family in 1905. Sam's relatives Salvatore Matranga, Pietro "Peter" Matranga, and Antonio "Tony" Matranga were other members of the gang.
Joseph Cuccia was a well-respected criminal amongst the underworld, who served as a translator in court for Italians who didn't speak English. This made him a well liked man in the Italian community. When prominent Black Hand leader Joseph Ardizzone
Joseph Ardizzone
Joseph "Iron Man" Ardizzone was an early Los Angeles mobster, who became the first Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. He was involved in a long-standing feud with the Matranga family, and became the only Los Angeles boss to be murdered by his own men...
was involved in a dispute with George Maisano, a member of the Matranga gang, they both went to Cuccia to mediate the dispute. Cuccia was a relative of Ardizzone and member of his crime family. He ruled in Ardizzone's favor, causing the Matrangas to threaten harm on Cuccia. In response, Ardizzone shot and killed Maisano on July 2, 1906. Ardizzone then fled authorities and was a wanted fugitive.
With Ardizzone gone, the Matrangas fulfilled their promise of revenge. On September 25, 1906 Cuccia was shot and killed, allegedly by Tony Matranga. With both Ardizzone and Cuccia gone, the Matrangas were the dominant force in Los Angeles. However, their power was limited to within the Plaza community. To change this they cooperated with the police. Giving up information on their enemies and receiving immunity for most of their crimes, the Matrangas were able to expand their power and influence. Ardizzone returned to Los Angeles in 1914 and resumed his feud with the Matranga family. Sam and his successor Pietro "Peter" Matranga, were both murdered within 33 days of each other in 1917. Mike Marino (aka Mike Rizzo), an Ardizzone ally was responsible for the murders. While their next leader, cousin Tony Buccola was able to get revenge and kill Marino in 1919, many years of violence ruined the Matranga family. It was becoming clear that Ardizzone's faction was winning the war. With the rise of bootleggers in the 1920s, the Matranga's power declined and was eliminated with Buccola's disappearance in 1930.
Vito Di Giorgio
Vito Di Giorgio
Vito Di Giorgio was an early crime boss of the Los Angeles crime family. Originally from Palermo, Sicily, Di Giorgio lived most of his life as a grocer in New Orleans. While he lived in Los Angeles he was known as a wealthy food importer. During his New Orleans years he was an active Black Hander...
, a Black Handler and grocery store owner, moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from Palermo, Sicily in 1904 Los Angeles from New Orleans in 1920. He was possibly the first boss of what would become the Los Angeles crime family. With the continuing Ardizzone-Matranga feud, Di Giorgio was able to relocate to Los Angeles and bring some order to the Los Angeles underworld. Di Giorgio was known as an intimidating and forceful man who was in conflict with several local underworld factions. He maintained strong connections with mobsters in New Orleans, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and was a cousin, close friend and had connections to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
mobster Giuseppe Morello
Giuseppe Morello
Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello , also known as "The Old Fox", was the first boss of the Morello crime family and later top adviser to Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. He was known as Piddu and his rivals the Castellammarese knew him as Peter Morello...
, the first boss of the Morello crime family
Morello crime family
The Morello crime family is the direct ancestor of the Genovese crime family, the oldest of New York City's Five Families.-From Corleone to America:...
. He survived two attempts on his life before he was murdered in Chicago in 1922 while having a haircut. His underboss Rosario DeSimone
Rosario DeSimone
Rosario "the Chief" DeSimone , was the head of an Italian crime family that was the predecessor to the Los Angeles crime family of the American Mafia from 1922 to 1925. Rosario was the father of the future California mob boss, Frank DeSimone.-Biography:DeSimone was born in Salaparuta, Sicily in...
, who moved from Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
to Los Angeles around the same time as Di Giorgio, was another longtime power figure who took control of rackets quietly in Los Angeles County. DeSimone officially stepped down from the top position in the 1920s, but was still the real power within his organization.
Albert Marco
Albert Marco
Marco Albori, better known by his alias Albert Marco, was an Italian bootlegger who was active in Los Angeles during the Prohibition Era in the 1920s. He is said to be the first to transport Canadian whiskey to Los Angeles. Marco worked closely with Charles H. Crawford, who ran city politics along...
seized control of Los Angeles in the 1920s not by working with the local Mafia, but with the "City Hall Gang", a political machine
Political machine
A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses , who receive rewards for their efforts...
in Los Angeles run by Kent Kane Parrot
Kent Kane Parrot
Kent Kane Parrot was an American political figure and attorney who was considered the "boss" of municipal politics in Los Angeles, California, in the 1920s.Kent Kane Parrot Kent Kane Parrot (c. 1882 - March 11, 1956) was an American political figure and attorney who was considered the "boss" of...
and Charles H. Crawford
Charles H. Crawford
Charles H. Crawford was an American political figure. In the 1920s, his loosely organized crime syndicate in Los Angeles, California was known as the “City Hall Gang.” Crawford was reportedly a model for some of Raymond Chandler’s villains.-Early years:In the early 1900s, Crawford operated...
. This transformed Marco into the Vice Lord of Los Angeles, earning $500,000 from bordello prostitution alone. With Crawford and Parrot controlling city hall and the local press, the City Hall Gang was able to operate bootlegging, prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, and illegal gambling rackets in the shadows with little law enforcement scrutiny. This all changed when Marco was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in 1928 and the City Hall Gang broke down after a reform movement
Reform movement
A reform movement is a kind of social movement that aims to make gradual change, or change in certain aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes...
swept L.A. in the late 1920s. Since then a host of mobsters fought to take control of liquor operations that Marco and the City Hall Gang previously dominated. In 1928 August Palumbo was the seventh bootleggers killed in a six week period. Palumbo was Marco’s lieutenant and was killed for refusing to merge his criminal operations with Rosario DeSimone. DeSimone’s lieutenant Dominic DiCiolla (aka Dominick De Soto) was acquitted of the murder and took control of Palumbo's liquor operations. When he tried to challenge higher powers by moving into syndicated gambling rackets, he was murdered in 1931.
History
Joseph "Iron Man" ArdizzoneJoseph Ardizzone
Joseph "Iron Man" Ardizzone was an early Los Angeles mobster, who became the first Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. He was involved in a long-standing feud with the Matranga family, and became the only Los Angeles boss to be murdered by his own men...
returned to California in 1914 and was acquitted of murdering Maisano in 1915 due to lack of evidence and no witnesses willing to testify. He quickly returned to power and took control of rackets
Racket (crime)
A racket is an illegal business, usually run as part of organized crime. Engaging in a racket is called racketeering.Several forms of racket exist. The best-known is the protection racket, in which criminals demand money from businesses in exchange for the service of "protection" against crimes...
in Los Angeles. Ardizzone teamed up with Jack Dragna
Jack Dragna
Jack Ignatius Dragna was an American Mafia member and Black Hander who was active in both Italy and the United States in the 1900s. He was active in bootlegging in California during the Prohibition Era in the United States...
and they worked closely together for over 10 years. During prohibition the two were successful in running bootlegging operations in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
as well as gambling and extortion. By the end of the 1920s he was rapidly expanding his power and influence. Under Ardizzone's tenure, organized crime began consolidating under his banner as he dominated criminal activities in L.A. In the late 1920s, Dragna and Johnny Roselli
John Roselli
John "Handsome Johnny" Roselli , sometimes spelled John Rosselli, was an influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped them control Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. Roselli was also involved with the Central Intelligence Agency plot to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the early 1960s...
constantly battled Charlie Crawford for control of the lucrative bootlegging rackets. With the deaths of Buccola and DiCiolla in 1930 and 1931, respectively, Ardizzone (who was the prime suspect in both murders) was the undisputed leader of crime in L.A. He set up the Italian Protective League, with Dragna as its president, Ardizzone as its vice president, and California State Senator Joseph Pedrotti as its Chairman. The organization had some political and social motives, but mostly served as a strong-arm muscle for the crime family. His reign as boss was short-lived when he mysteriously disappeared in 1931. Ardizzone was in conflict with the Mafia's National Crime Syndicate
National Crime Syndicate
The National Crime Syndicate was the name given by the press to a loosely-organized multi-ethnic organized crime syndicate. Its origins are uncertain....
on the East Coast, leading to Ardizzone's elimination.
Dragna era
Jack Dragna
Jack Ignatius Dragna was an American Mafia member and Black Hander who was active in both Italy and the United States in the 1900s. He was active in bootlegging in California during the Prohibition Era in the United States...
took control of the family after Ardizzone's death in 1931 and made peace with the National Syndicate. In addition, his brother Tom Dragna
Tom Dragna
Tom Dragna was a Sicilian-American bootlegger and mobster who became a member of the Los Angeles crime family. He is the brother of Jack Dragna and the father of Louis Tom Dragna...
was made his consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
while his nephew Louis Tom Dragna
Louis Tom Dragna
Louis Tom Dragna is a former mobster and nephew of Jack Dragna and son of Tom Dragna. He was active in the Los Angeles crime family from the 1940s until the early 1980s.-Early life:...
became a made man
Made man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
in 1947. Dragna was the most successful boss the L.A. family ever had. Although he wasn't able to infiltrate many of the labor unions in the entertainment industry, he involved the Los Angeles family in the entertainment business and brought the L.A. Mafia onto the national stage. He was honored with a place on The Commission
The Commission (mafia)
The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia. Formed in 1931, the Commission replaced the "Boss of all Bosses" title, with a ruling committee, consisting of the New York Five Families bosses and the boss of the Chicago Outfit...
, the only boss west of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to hold a spot on the council. When prohibition ended in 1933, Dragna operated a massive loan shark and illegal gambling business. Along with close supporter John Roselli
John Roselli
John "Handsome Johnny" Roselli , sometimes spelled John Rosselli, was an influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped them control Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. Roselli was also involved with the Central Intelligence Agency plot to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the early 1960s...
, Dragna's Mafia family ended local gang wars by driving older gambling syndicate headed by Guy McAfee and Milton "Farmer" Page out of business. Dragna and Roselli worked with Joe Shaw (the brother of Mayor Frank Shaw
Frank L. Shaw
Frank L. Shaw was the first mayor of a major American city to be recalled from office, in 1938. He was also a member of the Los Angeles City Council and then the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors...
) to muscle out L.A. bookies, many of whom fled to Las Vegas. By 1937, Dragna controlled the gambling in Los Angeles.
For independent bookmakers, Dragna would use extortion to collect money from their operations. While most mobsters simply threatened harm on a business for not paying tribute to their organization (protection racket
Protection racket
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a criminal group or individual coerces a victim to pay money, supposedly for protection services against violence or property damage. Racketeers coerce reticent potential victims into buying "protection" by demonstrating what will happen if they...
), Dragna’s family came up with a more sophisticated course of action. Dragna would send in men to threaten businesses, then the owners would pay Dragna for protection (unaware that these were Dragna's own men). Dragna wasn't however, able to control 100% of independent gambling rackets. Along with Dragna avoiding the spotlight and public life, he often was given the reputation as a weak ruler. According to Mickey Cohen
Mickey Cohen
Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen was a gangster based in Los Angeles and part of the Jewish Mafia, and also had strong ties to the American Mafia from the 1930s through 1960s.-Early life:...
, Dragna was very powerful and very well respected, but did not put things together the way the East Coast bosses preferred. Although there was not a big pool of Italians to recruit on the West Coast like back East, the L.A. family worked around this by accepting members from across the country, such as Johnny Roselli
John Roselli
John "Handsome Johnny" Roselli , sometimes spelled John Rosselli, was an influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped them control Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. Roselli was also involved with the Central Intelligence Agency plot to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the early 1960s...
from Chicago, Nick Licata
Nick Licata (mobster)
Nick "Old Man" Licata was an Italian American mobster who was the Boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1967 until his death in 1974.-Early life:...
from Detroit, and Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno
Jimmy Fratianno
Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno was a Cleveland, Ohio, mobster and later acting head of the Los Angeles crime family before becoming a government witness...
and Dominic Brooklier
Dominic Brooklier
Dominic Phillip Brooklier , was an Italian American mobster and head of the Los Angeles crime family of the Mafia during the mid-1970s who mainly worked in pornography, extortion, and burglary.-Early years:...
from Cleveland. Armed with top hitman Frank Bompensiero and Jimmy Fratianno (who committed over 30 murders on the orders of their superiors), Dragna muscled his way into controlling territory stretching throughout California and Southern Nevada
Southern Nevada
Southern Nevada is the region of Nevada which includes the Las Vegas Valley. Southern Nevada also includes the areas in and around Goldfield, Hawthorne, Pahrump, and Pioche. Geographically, Southern Nevada is partly, and in some cases, fully within the Mojave Desert. The population of the...
. The Dragna family also had connections within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
, who were more corrupt than the city police (LAPD
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
). Although not having a big hand in labor union rackets, the Dragna crime family did infiltrate some unions in the laundromat and dress importing business.
When Lucky Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
sent Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
Bugsy Siegel
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was an American gangster who was involved with the Genovese crime family...
from New York City to Los Angeles to take control of their interests on the West Coast (including Las Vegas) he formed an uneasy partnership with Dragna. Siegel was able to get independent bookies to pay tribute to Dragna's already flourishing gambling business. Aside from this however, Dragna resented Siegel's power to infiltrate unions in the movie industry. Siegel made millions extorting movie production companies and only had to pay Dragna a tribute for working on his territory. With New York on Siegel's side there was little Dragna could do to take control of The Commission's grip of the city. The main reason Siegel came to California was to organize a horse racing wire service on the West Coast for the National Syndicate, which Siegel and Dragna worked closely together on setting up. Dragna and Siegel tried many methods to take over Continental Press Service (the main wire service at the time). Attempts to buy out the company and to strong arm its owners didn't work, so they set up their own company called Trans-America. The Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
eventually took over rival Continental Racing Services and gave the entire percentage of the racing wire on the West Coast to Dragna, enraging Siegel.
Once Siegel ran out of favor with New York, he was ordered to be killed. Although his murder officially remains unsolved, one theory is that Dragna's men were given the order to kill him. Siegel's chief lieutenant Mickey Cohen
Mickey Cohen
Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen was a gangster based in Los Angeles and part of the Jewish Mafia, and also had strong ties to the American Mafia from the 1930s through 1960s.-Early life:...
took charge of his gambling and loan shark operations in Los Angeles County and eventually became Dragna's next target. Dragna first began recruiting Cohen's Italian men such as Dominic Brooklier
Dominic Brooklier
Dominic Phillip Brooklier , was an Italian American mobster and head of the Los Angeles crime family of the Mafia during the mid-1970s who mainly worked in pornography, extortion, and burglary.-Early years:...
to his family and killing his other men such as David Ogul, Frank Niccoli, Neddie Herbert, and Herman "Hooky" Rothman. However, through sheer luck Cohen survived many attempts on his life (John Roselli
John Roselli
John "Handsome Johnny" Roselli , sometimes spelled John Rosselli, was an influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped them control Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. Roselli was also involved with the Central Intelligence Agency plot to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the early 1960s...
compared Cohen to Bugs Moran
Bugs Moran
George Clarence Moran , better known by the alias "Bugs" Moran, was a Chicago Prohibition-era gangster born in St. Paul, Minnesota. Moran, of Irish and Polish descent, moved to the north side of Chicago when he was 19, where he became affiliated with several gangs...
). In 1951 Cohen was imprisoned for tax evasion
Tax avoidance and tax evasion
Tax noncompliance describes a range of activities that are unfavorable to a state's tax system. These include tax avoidance, which refers to reducing taxes by legal means, and tax evasion which refers to the criminal non-payment of tax liabilities....
and the L.A. family moved in on his gambling business.
The number of high profile murders and gangsters moving into the West Coast combined with the recall of Mayor Frank L. Shaw
Frank L. Shaw
Frank L. Shaw was the first mayor of a major American city to be recalled from office, in 1938. He was also a member of the Los Angeles City Council and then the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors...
because of corruption charges related to organized crime, caused law enforcement to stop accommodating the Mafia. In the late 1930s, California Attorney General
California Attorney General
The California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" The Attorney General carries out the responsibilities of the office through the California Department of Justice.The...
Earl Warren
Earl Warren
Earl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
took command of a tough assault on Dragna's empire, most notably shutting down the gambling ship
Gambling ship
A gambling ship was a barge or other large vessel used to house a casino and often other venues of entertainment. Under the old three-mile limit of territorial waters they were anchored usually just over three nautical miles off the United States coastline to avoid governmental interference...
s run by Anthony Cornero
Anthony Cornero
Anthony Cornero Stralla also known as "the Admiral" and "Tony the Hat" was a bootlegger and gambling entrepreneur in Southern California from the 1920s through the 1950s...
. On February 14, 1950, the California Commission on Organized Crime singled out Dragna as the head of a crime syndicate that controlled crime in Southern California. Soon after several of his family members were arrested for the bombing of Mickey Cohen's home. Dragna fled the state and was wanted for questioning. He later surrendered, and was questioned in the Kefauver hearings
Kefauver hearings
The United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce was a special committee of the United States Senate which existed from 1950 to 1951 and which investigated organized crime which crossed state borders in the United States...
along with Roselli and Bompensiero, but denied all accusations against him. Dragna's family however, remain strong throughout the early 1950s.
DeSimone and Licata
While other Mafia families in the country were prospering in the 1950s, the L.A. family was beginning its decline. When William H. Parker became Chief of Police for the Los Angeles Police Department in 1950, the police started cracking down on the organized crime instead of assisting it. The weakened Los Angeles family lost ground to the Chicago Outfit and New York familiesFive Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
. Due to over 50 unsolved gangland killings in the first half of the century, the L.A.P.D. formed a special task force to deal with the problem: "The Gangster Squad". These group of men harassed the Mafia throughout the 1950s. Frank Bompensiero and Jimmy Fratianno
Jimmy Fratianno
Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno was a Cleveland, Ohio, mobster and later acting head of the Los Angeles crime family before becoming a government witness...
started serving prison sentences in 1953 and 1954, respectively. In 1956 Jack Dragna died of a heart attack and a vote was made by the senior members of the family to elect its new boss. Johnny Roselli
John Roselli
John "Handsome Johnny" Roselli , sometimes spelled John Rosselli, was an influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped them control Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. Roselli was also involved with the Central Intelligence Agency plot to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the early 1960s...
was seen as the most logical choice, but lawyer-turned-gangster Frank DeSimone
Frank DeSimone
Frank A. DeSimone was the Boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1956 to 1967. DeSimone was the son of former don Rosario DeSimone. He was sometime referred to as "One Eye" because one of his eyes drooped, in the same way as Charles "Lucky" Luciano...
was victorious. A disappointed Roselli, who felt that DeSimone rigged the election, transferred back to the Chicago Outfit. Fratianno did the same after his release from prison in 1960.
With Dragna gone and his brother Tom retired after his death, the crime family slipped out of control. It quickly became apparent that DeSimone was an incompetent boss. According to an unidentified informant, he raped the wife of former underboss Girolamo "Momo" Adamo
Momo Adamo
Girolomo "Momo" Adamo was an Italian mobster in the American Mafia. He lived in Chicago and Kansas City before moving to Los Angeles in the 1930s and soon became Underboss to Jack Dragna in the Los Angeles crime family. His brother Joseph Adamo was also a member of the crime family...
, which caused Adamo to shoot his wife (who survived) and kill himself. This meant the top three men from Dragna's era, the boss, underboss, and consigliere were all inactive in Los Angeles almost immediately after DeSimone took charge. DeSimone was present at the ill-fated Apalachin Meeting
Apalachin Meeting
The Apalachin Meeting was a historic summit of the American Mafia held on November 14, 1957, at the home of mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara in Apalachin, New York. The meeting was attended by roughly 100 Mafiosi from the United States, Canada, and Italy...
with his second underboss Simone Scozzari
Simone Scozzari
Simone "Sam" Scozzari was a Sicilian mobster was a member of the American Mafia in Los Angeles. He served as a soldier in the Los Angeles crime family during the 1940s and 1950s. When Frank DeSimone became boss of the L.A. crime family in 1956, he promoted Scozzari Underboss.Scozzari was born on...
. When the meeting was raided by police, DeSimone was outed as a mobster. He previously had no arrest record and was believed to be a simple lawyer. Scozzari came under law enforcement scrutiny after the meeting and was deported to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1962 for being an illegal immigrant. By 1965, it was estimated that the number of members of the L.A. family living in Los Angeles dwindled to 30, while the family actually had a strong presence in San Diego. DeSimone worried about "shaking down" gamblers and bookmakers for fear that they would run to the police. In the 1960s, Bonanno crime family
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
Boss Joseph Bonanno plotted to have DeSimone killed for failing to exploit the criminal opportunities in Los Angeles. The plan was thwarted, but caused DeSimone to become very paranoid, never leaving his house at night. DeSimone's unsuccessful reign concluded with his death in 1967, after 11 years in power.
DeSimone's third underboss Nick "Old Man" Licata
Nick Licata (mobster)
Nick "Old Man" Licata was an Italian American mobster who was the Boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1967 until his death in 1974.-Early life:...
succeeded him. Licata had strong ties with Mafia families in the Midwest and South and maintained contact with the mob in Las Vegas. By then, law enforcement knew much about mob activities in Los Angeles, which was helped by top hitman Frank Bompensiero becoming an undercover informant in 1967. In 1963 Joe Valachi
Joe Valachi
Joseph "Joe Cargo" Valachi , Italian American, also known as "Charles Chanbano" and "Anthony Sorge" was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. He is also the person who made Cosa Nostra a household name.-Career:Joseph Valachi was born in East Harlem, New York...
ousted the Mafia as a secret criminal society, aiding in law enforcements attacks on organized crime and fingered Licata as a high ranking mobster in Los Angeles. A bright spot during the period was that Louis Tom Dragna
Louis Tom Dragna
Louis Tom Dragna is a former mobster and nephew of Jack Dragna and son of Tom Dragna. He was active in the Los Angeles crime family from the 1940s until the early 1980s.-Early life:...
's company "Roberta Dress Manufacturing" was turning into a $10 million a year business. This was possible because in the 1950s, Jack Dragna flew labor union expert Johnny Dio in from New York City to teach Louis how to manipulate labor unions in the Garment District
Garment District
Garment District has several uses including:*Garment District, Manhattan - in New York City*Garment District - in Cambridge, Massachusetts*Los Angeles Garment District, also known as the Fashion District*Garment District...
. Licata had high hopes of restoring the declining family, but with the police and FBI constantly monitoring his family, Licata wasn't able to do much of a better job than DeSimone. On July 9, 1969 Licata was taken into custody after refusing to answer questions at a federal grand jury session about L.A.'s crime syndicate structure. He was held in contempt of court for refusing to testify after being given immunity from prosecution and eventually served six months in prison. A pair of indictments in the mid 1970s threaten to put most of the working family in prison. In March 1973, seven men were arrested for running a rigged gambling operation in Los Angeles that brought in up to $250,000 a month. Their trial was delayed when the key informant and witness, former Mafia associate John Dubcek, was shot and killed in Las Vegas. Although this scared other informants from testifying, they still were convicted and given light sentences. Four months later another 12 men, were indicted for conspiracy, racketeering and extortion against bookmakers, loan sharks, and pornographers. Licata's underboss Joseph Dippolito
Joseph Dippolito
Joseph Charles Dippolito, also known as "Joe Dip", was an Italian American Mafia member in the Los Angeles crime family. The son of fellow Mafioso Salvatore Charles Dippolito , he rose to become Underboss of the Los Angeles crime family...
had a large influence in San Bernardino
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
and the Inland Empire
Inland Empire (California)
The Inland Empire is a region in Southern California. The region sits directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Inland Empire most commonly is used in reference to the U.S. Census Bureau's federally-defined Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, which covers more than...
in both legitimate and criminal enterprises. He was seen as Licata's successor, but died unexpectedly of a heart attack in January 1974 at the age of 59. On October 19, 1974 after a long battle with illnesses, Nick Licata passed away at age 77.
Fratianno flips
Licata's successor, Dominic BrooklierDominic Brooklier
Dominic Phillip Brooklier , was an Italian American mobster and head of the Los Angeles crime family of the Mafia during the mid-1970s who mainly worked in pornography, extortion, and burglary.-Early years:...
, was initially able to stabilize the family's businesses, but later endured considerable damage done by FBI informants. Brooklier was able to make a lot of money in pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, and drugs, but wasn't able to take back control of the independent bookmaking rackets in Los Angeles. The Last Mafioso
The Last Mafioso
The Last Mafioso: The Treacherous World of Jimmy Fratianno is a biography novel detailing the life of American Mafia member Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno. It chronicles Fratianno's life from a kid in Cleveland to becoming the acting Boss of the Los Angeles crime family...
described several instances during the time when the family would shake down people in the porno industry. These men would then pay a fee to their Mafia backers, usually on the East Coast, to set things straight. Once they paid, the Mafia backers would secretly split the money with the L.A. family. Brooklier also ordered the death of Frank Bompensiero for his growing criticism of the family, and later finding evidence that he was cooperating with the FBI. When Brooklier was sentenced to a short prison stint along with his underboss Samuel Sciortino in 1975, Jimmy Fratianno
Jimmy Fratianno
Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno was a Cleveland, Ohio, mobster and later acting head of the Los Angeles crime family before becoming a government witness...
transferred back to the L.A. family and was named acting boss. Fratianno took this position to heart, traveling across the country making connections and deals. Fratianno's goal was to bring back the ailing families stature and reputation amongst the Mafia. Since Jack Dragna's death, Los Angeles was starting to be seen as an "open city" where any family could do business, but Fratianno hoped that by restoring the ailing family he'd be a candidate to officially run the family even when Brooklier was released. However, Brooklier quickly took back control of the family after his release and Fratianno was left back to being a low level soldier
Soldato
A Soldato is the lowest level of the formal Mafia hierarchy, both in America and in Sicily. However, a soldier is much greater in rank and prestige than any ordinary associate of the crime family. In order to become a soldier, the primary requisite for an associate is to become a made man...
.
The fall came when Fratianno became the second American Mafioso to turn state's evidence
Turn state's evidence
To turn state's evidence is when an accused or convicted criminal testifies as a witness for the state against his associates or accomplices. Turning state's evidence is occasionally a result of a change of heart or feelings of guilt, but more often is done in response to a generous offer from the...
and testify against the Mafia in court. He made this decision upon learning from the F.B.I. that Dominic Brooklier ordered his death. Brooklier, who didn't trust Fratianno, ordered the hit because Fratianno was presenting himself as boss of the family and felt that he was trying to usurp him. Fratianno testified against mobsters not only in Los Angeles, but across the country. Although the Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
thought it finally crippled the Mafia in Los Angeles, a Federal Judge gave Brooklier, Sciortino, Michael Rizzitello
Michael Rizzitello
Michael Anthony Rizzitello also known as "Mike Rizzi", was an Italian American mobster in the Los Angeles crime family. Rizzitello's criminal record stretched back to 1947...
, Dragna, and Jack LoCicero light sentences ranging from two to five years in 1981 for racketeering and extortion. Brooklier still ran the family from his prison cell until he died of a heart attack in 1984. With Brooklier's imprisonment, capo
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
Peter Milano quickly stepped up and began running the family in 1981.
The Milano brothers
Peter MilanoPeter Milano
Peter John Milano is a Los Angeles based, Italian-American mobster, and current Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. Milano has been active in organized crime since the 1950s...
was officially made boss of the Los Angeles crime family with Brooklier's death in 1984. He made his brother Carmen "Flipper" Milano
Carmen Milano
Carmen Joseph Milano was a disbarred lawyer who eventually became a member of the American Mafia, serving as Underboss of the Los Angeles crime family. The criminal organization he served is headed by his older brother Peter Milano...
his underboss. Since Milano's reign, the family was heavily involved in narcotics, pornography, gambling and loan sharking. 20 reputed organized crime figures were arrested in 1984, in what law enforcement officials said was a bid to take over a $1 million-a-week bookmaking operation in Los Angeles. Neither of the Milano brothers (nor six of the others originally arrested) were charged due to lack of evidence. When Peter Milano became boss, he rejuvenated the depleted family by inducting new members such as Stephen "Steve the Whale" Cino, singer Charles "Bobby Milano" Caci, Luigi "Louie" Gelfuso Jr. and shylock brothers Lawrence and Anthony "The Animal" Fiato
Anthony Fiato
Craig Anthony Fiato, also known as Anthony the Animal and Tony Rome, was an American mobster and hitman for the Los Angeles crime family who later became an undercover informant and government witness...
into the family. Mobster turned informant Kenny Gallo
Kenny Gallo
Kenny "Kenji" Gallo is a Japanese-Italian American gangster-turned-informant and a former director and producer of pornographic films...
credited the brothers with "help[ing] Pete Milano revamp the L.A. Family". With a beefed up family Milano succeeded in having nearly every bookie in Los Angeles pay a mob tax to the L.A. family. Robert "Puggy" Zeichick gave Anthony Fiato a $1 million dollar loan which was used to finance a huge loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
operation. The L.A. family became the dominate loan shark operators in the area. The family's influence stretched all the way to Las Vegas, where the family had long standing ties to what the Mafia considered an "open city" where any family could work in.
The entire hierarchy of the family including the Milano brothers, captains Mike Rizzitello
Michael Rizzitello
Michael Anthony Rizzitello also known as "Mike Rizzi", was an Italian American mobster in the Los Angeles crime family. Rizzitello's criminal record stretched back to 1947...
, Jimmy Caci
Jimmy Caci
Vincent Dominic Caci, known by his peers as Jimmy, was a Los Angeles crime family member and a Caporegime in the family.Originally from the East Coast, was born August 1, 1925 in Westfield, New York to Alfonzo and Josephine Caci. Caci grew up around the Buffalo-Western New York area...
, and Luigi Gelfuso along with many other mobsters were arrested on various charges in the late 1980s, due largely to information and recordings collected by the Fiato brothers. These charges to so many members permanently crippled the family and put the family on the brink of extinction. While Rizzitello, who was acquitted of his original charges at trial, was sentenced to 33 years in prison in 1989 for attempted murder (where he would die in 2005) the Milano brothers plead guilty to lesser charges; Peter received a six year prison sentence and Carmen received six months. Almost every member of the family charged pleaded guilty to receive lesser sentences and the F.B.I. considered the Mafia finished in Los Angeles.
However, since Peter Milano's paroled release in 1991, he took back control of the weakened family. The Los Angeles family since made moves into Las Vegas with the Buffalo crime family
Buffalo crime family
The Buffalo crime family, also known as the Magaddino crime family and The Arm, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Buffalo, United States. As part of the American Mafia the family operates throughout Western New York and Canada.The Buffalo crime family, gained power during the...
. The family made headlines again with the murder of Chicago Outfit associate Herbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein
Herbert Blitzstein
Herbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein was a loanshark, bookmaker and lieutenant to Tony "The Ant" Spilotro and the Chicago Outfit in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Biography:...
by Buffalo and Los Angeles family members in 1997. Blizstein had a lucrative loan shark and auto insurance fraud business the two families moved in to take over. This caused a great deal of scrutiny from the FBI on both families. Members like Stephen Cino and Alfred Mauriello were convicted on related charges along with other associates who cooperated with officials to receive a reduced sentence, putting the L.A. crime family on its last leg. By the 1990s the L.A. family was estimated to have 20 official members.
Current position and leadership
Much of the crime families activities has become unknown since the Las Vegas indictments. Law enforcement has moved its attention towards other gangs like the Russians and Triads who are "more sinister and far more prevalent and widespread". Peter Milano is still believed to be the official Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. However his involvement in crime along with other members has been greatly reduced since the 1980s. Some members like Rocco Zangari and Russell Massetia have moved out of the state and left the family all together. Others members like Carmen MilanoCarmen Milano
Carmen Joseph Milano was a disbarred lawyer who eventually became a member of the American Mafia, serving as Underboss of the Los Angeles crime family. The criminal organization he served is headed by his older brother Peter Milano...
and Jimmy Caci
Jimmy Caci
Vincent Dominic Caci, known by his peers as Jimmy, was a Los Angeles crime family member and a Caporegime in the family.Originally from the East Coast, was born August 1, 1925 in Westfield, New York to Alfonzo and Josephine Caci. Caci grew up around the Buffalo-Western New York area...
have died of old age and no younger people have replaced them. Los Angeles doesn't have a high concentration of Italians like the East Coast to support them, so recruiting new members is challenging. With Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
's many racial groups, the Cosa Nostra faces an uphill battle to challenge the many street gangs in the area over criminal rackets. Law enforcement also considers East Coast Mafia members moving to California as a threat.
Current administration
- BossCrime bossA crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
- Peter John MilanoPeter MilanoPeter John Milano is a Los Angeles based, Italian-American mobster, and current Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. Milano has been active in organized crime since the 1950s...
- A bookmaker who became a made-member of the Los Angeles crime family when Nick Licata was boss. Originally from Cleveland, moved with his family to Los Angeles. His father Anthony MilanoAnthony MilanoAnthony "Tony" Milano was an Italian mobster who rose to power in America working for the Cleveland crime family in the American Mafia. He served as the long time Underboss in the Cleveland crime family from 1930 until his retirement in 1976...
, was underboss in the Cleveland crime family and his uncle Frank Milano was Boss of the Cleveland family. Peter, promoted his brother CarmenCarmen MilanoCarmen Joseph Milano was a disbarred lawyer who eventually became a member of the American Mafia, serving as Underboss of the Los Angeles crime family. The criminal organization he served is headed by his older brother Peter Milano...
to underboss of the family in the mid 1980s. He has been convicted three times of RICO related charges. His legitimate source of income is the Rome Vending Company while he also owns properties around the Greater Los Angeles AreaGreater Los Angeles AreaThe Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
. - UnderbossUnderbossUnderboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
- Tommaso "Tommy" Gambino - Not to be confused with Thomas GambinoThomas GambinoThomas "Tommy" Gambino is a New York mobster and a longtime Caporegime of the Gambino crime family who successfully controlled lucrative trucking rackets in the New York City Garment District.-Early life:...
, Tommy is the son of jailed Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
mobster Rosario GambinoRosario GambinoRosario "Sal" Gambino is an Italian mobster in the Gambino crime family. He became nationally known when he and his brothers set up a multimillion dollar heroin cartel during the 1970s and 1980s...
, nephew of John GambinoJohn GambinoJohn Gambino , is an American mobster. He became a made member of the Gambino crime family in 1975 and a capodecina or captain, and head of the crime family's Sicilian faction, appointed by family boss John Gotti in 1986, according to Mafia turncoat Sammy Gravano.-Transatlantic Mafia clan:Together...
, and is first cousin to Frank CaliFrank CaliFrancesco Paolo Augusto Calì , known as "Frank" or "Franky Boy", is a reputed acting captain in the Staten Island faction of the Gambino crime family. Law enforcement considers Cali to be the Gambino "ambassador to Sicilian mobsters" and have linked him to the Inzerillo Mafia family from Palermo...
. Moved to California in the 1990s and became a made manMade manA made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
shortly after.
Capos and Soldiers
- CapoCaporegimeA caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
- Louis "Louie" Caruso - Currently lives in Arizona and owns an air conditioning company. - SoldierSoldatoA Soldato is the lowest level of the formal Mafia hierarchy, both in America and in Sicily. However, a soldier is much greater in rank and prestige than any ordinary associate of the crime family. In order to become a soldier, the primary requisite for an associate is to become a made man...
- Stephen Anthony "Steve the Whale" Cino - Originally from Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and a member of the Buffalo crime familyBuffalo crime familyThe Buffalo crime family, also known as the Magaddino crime family and The Arm, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Buffalo, United States. As part of the American Mafia the family operates throughout Western New York and Canada.The Buffalo crime family, gained power during the...
. Cino has an arrest record dating back to 1962 which included robbery, extortion, bank fraud and bribing a union official. Switched to the Los Angeles family and was put in the Nevada Black Book in 1997. Was incarcerated on extortion charges, but was acquitted for involvement in the Herbie BlitzsteinHerbert BlitzsteinHerbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein was a loanshark, bookmaker and lieutenant to Tony "The Ant" Spilotro and the Chicago Outfit in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Biography:...
murder. Was released in 2008. - Soldier - John Joseph Vaccaro Jr. - Has a criminal history dating back to 1971. In 1985 he was convicted in federal court for being the mastermind of a sophisticated slot cheating ring which stole millions of dollars from Nevada casinos. Was convicted along with his wife Sandra Kay Vaccaro and both are in the Nevada Black Book. Was incarcerated in Mississippi for another gaming offense involving members of the New Orleans crime familyNew Orleans crime familyThe New Orleans crime family is one of the oldest American criminal organizations in activity. It is based in New Orleans and parts of southern Louisiana in the United States. Its status today is unknown, as it remained in the shadows since 1993...
in the 2000s, but was released in 2003. Vaccaro is currently a resident of Las Vegas and owns his own company "Four Square Construction/Roofing". - Soldier - Rocco James "Bigfoot" Zangari - Was a Palm Springs resident. Once managed a card room for the Cabazon Indian tribe in Riverside, CaliforniaRiverside, CaliforniaRiverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
. Moved to Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and is currently inactive in the family. - Soldier - Michael "Porno Mike" Esposito - Michael Esposito owns the porn production and distribution company Gentlemen's Video. His father, Salvatore Esposito, was a driver for former Lucchese family boss Anthony CoralloAnthony CoralloAnthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo was a New York City mobster and boss of the Lucchese crime family.-Early life:...
. - Soldier - Robert George "Fat Bobby" Paduano - Was a member of Michael RizzitelloMichael RizzitelloMichael Anthony Rizzitello also known as "Mike Rizzi", was an Italian American mobster in the Los Angeles crime family. Rizzitello's criminal record stretched back to 1947...
's crew in the 1980s. Was arrested along with many members in the late 1980s, but is still currently active in Orange CountyOrange County, CaliforniaOrange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
as a loan shark. During the 1980s he was accused of trying to take over the narcotic trafficking in Newport BeachNewport Beach, CaliforniaNewport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
. - Soldier - Paulo "Paulie Tattoos" Rossi - Owns a tattoo parlor and runs an illegal sports betting business.
- Soldier - Leonard "Limping Lenny" Montana Jr. - Son of actor Lenny MontanaLenny MontanaLenny Montana was an American actor, who played the role of feared hitman Luca Brasi in The Godfather. Prior to becoming an actor, he had a successful career as a professional wrestler,...
, "Limping Lenny" is a bookie and owns "Enzo's Pizzeria" in WestwoodWestwood, Los Angeles, CaliforniaWestwood is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles .-History:...
.
Bosses
- 1909–1922: Vito Di GiorgioVito Di GiorgioVito Di Giorgio was an early crime boss of the Los Angeles crime family. Originally from Palermo, Sicily, Di Giorgio lived most of his life as a grocer in New Orleans. While he lived in Los Angeles he was known as a wealthy food importer. During his New Orleans years he was an active Black Hander...
- 1922–1925: Rosario DeSimoneRosario DeSimoneRosario "the Chief" DeSimone , was the head of an Italian crime family that was the predecessor to the Los Angeles crime family of the American Mafia from 1922 to 1925. Rosario was the father of the future California mob boss, Frank DeSimone.-Biography:DeSimone was born in Salaparuta, Sicily in...
- 1925–1931: Joseph ArdizzoneJoseph ArdizzoneJoseph "Iron Man" Ardizzone was an early Los Angeles mobster, who became the first Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. He was involved in a long-standing feud with the Matranga family, and became the only Los Angeles boss to be murdered by his own men...
- 1931–1956: Jack DragnaJack DragnaJack Ignatius Dragna was an American Mafia member and Black Hander who was active in both Italy and the United States in the 1900s. He was active in bootlegging in California during the Prohibition Era in the United States...
- 1956–1967: Frank DeSimoneFrank DeSimoneFrank A. DeSimone was the Boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1956 to 1967. DeSimone was the son of former don Rosario DeSimone. He was sometime referred to as "One Eye" because one of his eyes drooped, in the same way as Charles "Lucky" Luciano...
- 1967–1974: Nick LicataNick Licata (mobster)Nick "Old Man" Licata was an Italian American mobster who was the Boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1967 until his death in 1974.-Early life:...
- 1974–1984: Dominic BrooklierDominic BrooklierDominic Phillip Brooklier , was an Italian American mobster and head of the Los Angeles crime family of the Mafia during the mid-1970s who mainly worked in pornography, extortion, and burglary.-Early years:...
- 1984–present: Peter MilanoPeter MilanoPeter John Milano is a Los Angeles based, Italian-American mobster, and current Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. Milano has been active in organized crime since the 1950s...
Underbosses
- 1920s–1931: Jack DragnaJack DragnaJack Ignatius Dragna was an American Mafia member and Black Hander who was active in both Italy and the United States in the 1900s. He was active in bootlegging in California during the Prohibition Era in the United States...
- 1931–1956: Girolamo "Momo" AdamoMomo AdamoGirolomo "Momo" Adamo was an Italian mobster in the American Mafia. He lived in Chicago and Kansas City before moving to Los Angeles in the 1930s and soon became Underboss to Jack Dragna in the Los Angeles crime family. His brother Joseph Adamo was also a member of the crime family...
- 1956–1962: Simone "Sam" ScozzariSimone ScozzariSimone "Sam" Scozzari was a Sicilian mobster was a member of the American Mafia in Los Angeles. He served as a soldier in the Los Angeles crime family during the 1940s and 1950s. When Frank DeSimone became boss of the L.A. crime family in 1956, he promoted Scozzari Underboss.Scozzari was born on...
- 1962–1967: Nick LicataNick Licata (mobster)Nick "Old Man" Licata was an Italian American mobster who was the Boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1967 until his death in 1974.-Early life:...
- 1967–1974: Joseph Charles "Joe Dip" DippolitoJoseph DippolitoJoseph Charles Dippolito, also known as "Joe Dip", was an Italian American Mafia member in the Los Angeles crime family. The son of fellow Mafioso Salvatore Charles Dippolito , he rose to become Underboss of the Los Angeles crime family...
- 1974: Dominic BrooklierDominic BrooklierDominic Phillip Brooklier , was an Italian American mobster and head of the Los Angeles crime family of the Mafia during the mid-1970s who mainly worked in pornography, extortion, and burglary.-Early years:...
- 1974–1979: Samuel Sciortino
- 1984–2006: Carmen "Flipper" MilanoCarmen MilanoCarmen Joseph Milano was a disbarred lawyer who eventually became a member of the American Mafia, serving as Underboss of the Los Angeles crime family. The criminal organization he served is headed by his older brother Peter Milano...
- 2006–present: Tommaso "Tommy" Gambino
Consiglieres
- 1931–1956: Tom DragnaTom DragnaTom Dragna was a Sicilian-American bootlegger and mobster who became a member of the Los Angeles crime family. He is the brother of Jack Dragna and the father of Louis Tom Dragna...
- 1956–1962: Nick LicataNick Licata (mobster)Nick "Old Man" Licata was an Italian American mobster who was the Boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1967 until his death in 1974.-Early life:...
- 1962–1975: Tommy Palermo
- 1975–1977: Frank "Bomp" Bompensiero
- 1977–1980s: Giacomo "Jack" LoCicero
Caporegimes
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Dominic Brooklier Dominic Phillip Brooklier , was an Italian American mobster and head of the Los Angeles crime family of the Mafia during the mid-1970s who mainly worked in pornography, extortion, and burglary.-Early years:... (1969–1974) Jimmy Caci Vincent Dominic Caci, known by his peers as Jimmy, was a Los Angeles crime family member and a Caporegime in the family.Originally from the East Coast, was born August 1, 1925 in Westfield, New York to Alfonzo and Josephine Caci. Caci grew up around the Buffalo-Western New York area... (1984-2011) |
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Soldiers
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Associates
- George "Les" Bruneman (1920s–1937)
- Joseph SicaJoseph SicaJoseph "JS" Sica was a New Jersey mobster involved in armed robbery, murder for hire, extortion, and narcotics distribution. Sica mentored many West Coast mobsters, including Mike Rizzitello and Anthony "the Animal" Fiato. Chistopher "Chris" Petti was Sica's longtime partner in the Los Angeles and...
(1940s–1970s) - Alfred "Nuncio" Sica (1940s-1970s) brother of Joseph
- Jack WhalenJack WhalenJack Whalen , also called Jack O'Hara and "The Enforcer", was a freelance contract killer, who most often worked for the Los Angeles crime family, although he also was associated with Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, the Shannon brothers and Mickey Cohen during the 1940s and 1950s.Whalen's father Fred—who...
(1940s–1959s) - Leo "Lips" Moceri (1930s–1960s) Later became a member of the Cleveland crime family.
- Mickey Fine (1960s–1970s)
- Ray FerrittoRay FerrittoRaymond W. Ferritto was an Italian American mobster from Erie, Pennsylvania. Ferritto is best known for the 1977 murder of Irish mob boss Danny Greene....
(1960s–1974) - Frank BuccieriFrank BuccieriFrank "The Horse" Buccieri , also known as "Frank Russo" or "Big Frank", was a Chicago Outfit mobster who headed mob operations on the West Coast of the United States during the 1970s and 80s. He was the brother of Outfit hitman Fiore "Fifi" Buccieri.In 1936, the 17 year-old Buccieri was arraigned...
(1960s–1980s) - Anthony Brooklier (1970s–present)—Lawyer, Dominic BrooklierDominic BrooklierDominic Phillip Brooklier , was an Italian American mobster and head of the Los Angeles crime family of the Mafia during the mid-1970s who mainly worked in pornography, extortion, and burglary.-Early years:...
's son - John Patrick DiMattia (1980s–present)
- Stephan Mauriello (1980s–1997)
- Isador "Teddy" Matranga son of Joseph Ernest
- Albert Nunez (1980s–1990s)
- Robert Ralph "Dino" D'Agostino (1980s)
- Steve Munichiello (1980s)
- Michael Gelfuso (1980s)
- Kenny GalloKenny GalloKenny "Kenji" Gallo is a Japanese-Italian American gangster-turned-informant and a former director and producer of pornographic films...
(1980s–early 2000s) - Robert "Puggy" Zeichick (1980s–present)
- Dominic "Donnie Shacks" Montemarano (1990s–present)— Colombo family capo based in L.A.
- Ronald A. "Ronnie" Lorenzo (1980s–present) — Bonanno soldier based in L.A.
- Johnny Means (1980s–early 2000s)
- Joe IsgroJoe IsgroJoe Isgro is an Academy Award nominated producer and Purple Heart veteran.- Early life :Joseph Isgro was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and at the age of 19, he was presented with a Purple Heart for his bravery and wounds received during combat in the Vietnam War...
(1980s–present) — Gambino family soldier based in L.A. - Albert Sanchez (1990's- 2006)
- Steve "Stevie Boy" "Steve-O" Segura (1990s-present)
Informants
- Frank "Bomp" Bompensiero (undercover informant)
- Aladena "Jimmy The Weasal" FratiannoJimmy FratiannoAladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno was a Cleveland, Ohio, mobster and later acting head of the Los Angeles crime family before becoming a government witness...
(government witness) - Craig Anthony "the Animal" FiatoAnthony FiatoCraig Anthony Fiato, also known as Anthony the Animal and Tony Rome, was an American mobster and hitman for the Los Angeles crime family who later became an undercover informant and government witness...
(government witness) - Lawrence "Larry Boy" Fiato (government witness)
- Stephen Mauriello (government witness)
Further reading
- Gallo, KennyKenny GalloKenny "Kenji" Gallo is a Japanese-Italian American gangster-turned-informant and a former director and producer of pornographic films...
, Randazzo, MatthewMatthew Randazzo VMatthew Randazzo V is an American true crime writer and historian originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, who currently lives on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Randazzo is of Sicilian-American, Isleño, and Cajun descent...
. Breakshot: A Life in the 21st Century American Mafia. Phoenix Books, 2009. ISBN 1597776157 - Moore, Judith. A Bad, Bad Boy: The Most Feared Mobster in Southern California for 30 Years. Reader Books, 2009. ISBN 0615298796
- Smith, John L. The Animal in Hollywood. Barricade Books. 1998. ISBN 1-569-80126-6
External links
- Los Angeles Descriptions of historical Italian gang leaders of Los Angeles
- Mob Murders in L.A. - Addresses of what the L.A.P.D. said were Mafia killings from 1906 to 1951.
- Cosa Nostra guys Louie Caruso Pete Milano Jimmy Caci Bobby Milano Keely Smith video by Kenny GalloKenny GalloKenny "Kenji" Gallo is a Japanese-Italian American gangster-turned-informant and a former director and producer of pornographic films...
published on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. - Will the last guy left in L.A. mob please turn out the lights? - John L. Smith, Las Vegas Review-JournalLas Vegas Review-JournalThe Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
. November 16, 1997