I just finished "Kill the Irishman" by Rick Porrello. I enjoyed the book but I'm curious about the impact of the Danny Green mob war in Cleveland. In the book Porrello states that the murder of Danny Green and the subsequent investigation led to the downfall of not only the Cleveland crime family but also other midwest LCN families like Milwaukee and Kansas City. We do know that it led to Jimmy Frattiano flipping and also Cleveland underboss Angelo Lonardo. Pretty sure Lonardo testified in the Strawman II trial about the Vegas skimming. How big was the Danny Green saga in bringing down the mob, at least in the midwest?

Idk that it literally brought them families down but prolly caused some disruption.as far as cleveland goes it probably did destroy them.you gotta figure they never really recovered after all that.the boss, ub, capos and soldiers all being taken off the street and there was no1to replace them cus scalish hardly made any members during his reign.and I don't think jimmy the weasel flipping ever did major damage as in alot of guys being locked up just because of him

It was the last nail in the coffin for the Cleveland mob for sure on top of the fact that John Scalish hardly made anybody during his reign as boss. The simple fact that they used bombs to fight the war caused not only public uproar but national calls for the violence to stop. Instead of taking guys to a secluded spot and killing them they endangered civilians, most of the bombs that were used consisted of military grade explosives and some of them leveled a whole city block. Cleveland was called bomb city USA and i think in 1977 alone over 30 bolbs went off, the amount of destruction and bloodshed was too much for any family to hold uP to. Danny Greene affair did affect those families but wasn't responsible for Kansas City or milwaukees downfall they were due to their own problems

I believe that Youngstown shared the illustrious title "Bomb Town USA"! Those were the days my friends, I thought they would never end. Thank God, they did!

Your rite it was Youngstown.and for all the bombs goin off I don't think the death rate was that high.some of the earlier Youngstown bombings were worse.1mobster was blown up with his 2young sons in his car.1of them was killed and1 survived. I think I read it was remote controlled to so the kids had to b seen

Just my opinion and I could be wrong but I feel the demise really happened when the Cleveland Family went down a wrong road in the narcotics biz.
Before the drugs were ran by independents and ghetto lords like Herman Stephens.
In the Greene trial,they only found Cisternino and Carrabia guilty. Thats it.
Carmen Zagaria really brought down the family. The drug trade brought in paranoia, inexperienced workers and too much greed. Then Zagaria flips.
His testimony locked up Licavoli, Lonardo.
Joe Gallo had all the makings of a good underboss..he got life.
Tommy Sinito knew how to earn. He was sentenced at 22 years.
The whole Greene ordeal would have been squashed if John Nardi would have been made.
If Nardi gets made,then you have no war. Greene would have been a afterthought. Heck maybe he gets outed as a informant.
Clevelands's problem is that they never had a plan B or enough to supplement their losses. They could never overcome the Zagaria flipping, and when the Vegas skim stopped,their went a alot of $$$$ out the door.

So what went on with the Cleveland family after the Danny Greene situation?

From what I understand, not much. The feds put most of their guys in prison in the 1980's. Scalish didn't make any new members before he died so I can't imagine there are many of them left.

They were mentioned in wiretaps by Rudy Fratto from Chicago so they must have things going still.

If they still got "things going still" then my money would be on the side of the Irish not the Italians!

There wasn't really a 'Irish Mafia" in Cleveland. It was Danny Greene and his gang.
Funny thing after Greene got eliminated,the remains of his gang,Ritson,McTaggert and whoever else joined the crew that blew him up.
The Irish have had a strong hold in the Cuyahoga Co.courts.
let no one fool you, Licavoli feared Nardi more than Greene.

This is what he's talking about in case you haven't read it - http://www.fivefamiliesnyc.com/2012/09/chicago-mobster-gets-1-year-sentence.html

Chicago and Cleveland have been working "white collar" medical billing scams
going back to the late 90s. Thats Fratto's specialty.

Here is a Justice Department file on the Danny Greene murder. Scroll down to page 388.

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/reportvols/vol5/pdf/HSCA_Vol5_0928_2_Salerno.pdf

Scams are scams...Loose is not recognized as a boss...PERIOD! He was a self proclaimed boss, basically one of two made guys left with a city full of wannabees. Loose was NEVER approved as boss by the family representing them on the commission, The Genovese Crime Family.

Joe Iacobacci and RJ Papalardo are the only two made guys left on the street and Loose has been long rumored to be a snitch.

I know Fratto isn't a rat, it was Cullotta.

Here is the most accurate Cleveland LCN chart from 1980:

Boss James Licavoli
Underboss Angelo Lonardo
Consigliere John Tronolone
Consigliere Milton "Maishe" Rockman (John Scalish's brother in law, Jewish-not made but highly respected)

East side Captains
Joe Gallo
Tony Liberatore (union liason)

East side Lieutenants
Tommy Sinito
John Calandra

Soldiers
Collinwood Crew
Joe Iaccobacci
Allie Calabrese
Tony Delguyd
Joe Bonnarigo
Tony Occhinero
John Delzoppo
Joe Ilacqua

Other Soldiers
John Oliverio (associate)
John Montana (informant)
Russell Papalardo
Dominic Lonardo (Ange's brother)


East side associates
Phil Bonnadona
Michael Dubalo
Eugene Ciasullo
Butchie Cisternino
Anthony Delmonti
Angelo Lonardo (nephew of Big Ange)
Martin DeFabio (informant)
Peter Sanzo
Sam Vecchio aka El Porko
Jimmy Pallendino (waste management)
Danny Dzina
Sam Lucarelli
William "Billy D" Dileno (associate)
William Denova (associate)
Anthony Hughes (Pressers right hand man,informant)
Glen Pauley

Union and City Hall Liasons
Tony Liberatore
Chester Liberatore
Nicholas Nardi (made, Brother of John)
Frank Scalish (son of John)
John Felice Jr
Carmine Parise

Inactive Made Members
Tony Milano
Frank Embescia

Numbers Racket Liasons
Michael Panzarella (made)
Ronnie Bey
Virgil Olgetree
Monk Tolliver

Inner City "Powers"
Bill Seawright
Geechy Bell
Donald "The Fixer" Peppers

The West Side
Captain Carmen Basile

Soldier
Joe "Joey Spags" Spaganlo (gambling kingpin)

Youngstown/Warren, OH Faction
Ronald "Ronnie the Crab" Carabbia
Charles "Charlie the Crab" Carabbia
Orlando "Orlie the Crab" Carabbia
Joseph Perfette (Trumbull County-Kicked to Peanuts Tronolone until 1983 and then answered directly to Pittsburgh's Charlie Imburgia, Consigliere who resided in Warren)
Dominic "Junior" Senzarino (Carabbia cousin gunned down at his house in 1980)
Joe DeRose Jr (went missing during the Pittsburgh/Cleveland war and is presumed dead)


Narcotics movers
Hans and Fritz Graewe
Jimmy Coppola
Keith Ritson (killed Nov 1978)
Brian O'Donnell
Kevin McTaggert
Carmen "Mr. Z" Zagaria

The A team....Lawyers
Gerald Gold
James Willis

some thoughts on the chart nice work . I try to give some imput on it later when I have more time.

Kevin Mctaggert was a informant gave info on ritson murder even though he went down for life on the drug thing.

Embrecia and Milano had died by 1980

when was panzarella made? You referring to Tonys son?

Was martin defabio a informant in 1980? he flipped but then changed his mine in 1989 or so.

Was Danny Greene an informant?

Great job on chart @JCB

The Cleveland mob was brought down by an Irish man and a couple of his associates who sat on sun chairs outside of a trailer. The Celtic club kicked collective greaseball ass. So funny when you think about it....

http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthreads.phpubb=showflat&Number=581778#

What remains of the Cleveland Family

The list on the link is from the Informer Magazine

Joseph "Joe Loose" Iaccobacci (?-Pr)
* made in 1983
* boss

Russell "RJ" Papalardo (1943-Pr)
* made in 1983
* acting boss

Ralph Bucci (1951-Pr)
* made in 2001
* soldier

William "Billy" DeNova (1942-Pr)
* made in 1992
*soldier

William "Billy D" Dileno (1938-Pr)
* made in 1990
* soldier

John Iorillo (1945-Pr)
* made in 1992
* soldier

Ronald "Ron" Lucarelli Jr. (1958-Pr)
* made in 2000
* soldier

John Oliverio (1954-Pr)
* made in 1990
* soldier

Anthony "Tony" Velotta (1943-Pr)
* made in 1994
* soldier


9 made men left

Bill aka Limey from the RD's blog list
http://mafiamembershipcharts.blogspot.it/search/label/Cleveland

date of birth
Ciarillo-John* 1946- Sol
Ciasulo-Eugene* The Animal 1931 Sol
Cirelli-John* Sol
Cirricullo-Paul*Paul Lish Sol
Comella-James 1960- Sol
Denova-William 1940- Sol
Dileno-William Billy D 1937- Sol
Iacobacci-Joseph Joe Loose 1949- Boss Retired ?
Lucarelli-Ronald 1958- Sol
Lucarelli-Samuel Sol
Massetta-Russell Rusty 1952- Sol Poss. L,A.
Massimiani-John* 1967 Sol
Oliviero-John 1952 Sol
Papalardo-Russell 1941
Perrotti-Paul* Sol
Sirna-Salvatore* Sam Sol
Vellotta-Anthony 1941 Sol
Zingale-Thomas* 1930 Sol

18 made men left

So with numbers like that, would they even be considered a Family anymore?

I ask: But today in Cleveland, there is a recruitment pool for the mafia?
Or all the italian wannabes are over,and the black and irish take the control ?

Honestly as I'm sure someone else stated, Cleveland LCN is quickly faded away because John Scalish didn't make anyone for decades. I'm sure Danny Green was a huge pain in the ass but it's kinda hard to have an organization exist without new members

Informant? Anybody?

http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/birns_greene/22.html

Says he was here. Don't know how truthful that is.

He was on a list of names that a clerk in the FBI gave to the mafia members in Cleveland, Jackie Presser name was also on that list, there was six or seven names on that list I think. Fratiano's name was not on that list cause he was with one of the West Coast FBI offices, Los Angeles I believe. It was Jimmy that contacted the feds about that list from the Cleveland office.

Didn't he die back in 2010?

Ralph Bucci (1951-Pr)
* made in 2001
* soldier

William "Billy" DeNova (1942-Pr)
* made in 1992
*soldier

William "Billy D" Dileno (1938-Pr)
* made in 1990
* soldier

John Iorillo (1945-Pr)
* made in 1992
* soldier

Ronald "Ron" Lucarelli Jr. (1958-Pr)
* made in 2000
* soldier

John Oliverio (1954-Pr)
* made in 1990
* soldier

Anthony "Tony" Velotta (1943-Pr)
* made in 1994
* soldier

I don't know which source you got this from, but none of these guys were made because nobody by 1994 was a recognized boss. There are two made guys left, RJ Papalardo and Joe "Loose" Iacobacci