New York supposedly put the freeze on Pittsburgh making new members years ago. The reason for that is still not completely known.

Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti is the only for sure made member remaining. Robert "Bobby I" Ianelli, Anthony Imburgia, and Mauro Matone have also been listed as members on the forums though I'm not sure about them.

While there is no formally structured, viable family left there, there has been some mob-related activity in recent years. Back in 2000, Ciancutti and 14 others were busted for running gambling operations. In 2001, LIUNA Local 1058 was put under oversight for ongoing connections to organized crime. In 2006, mob associate John "Duffy" Conley and several others were busted for illegal gambling. And just this last September, 16 people (including some with mob ties) were busted illegal gambling.

Sonny Ciancutti is the only made guy left. The last 5 guys who were made by Michael Genovese were Sonny Ciancutti and Chucky Porter in 1986, Joey Naples and Lenny Strollo (both from Youngstown) in 1987 and Henry "Zebo" Zottola in 1989.

The Ianelli family ALWAYS operated independently from LCN, but kicked a percentage. Bobby I and his son Rodney I took over Tony Grosso's numbers operation when he went to prison, which was a $30 million dollar a year business. The operation was so big, with over 5000 numbers writers, that the Ianelli's brought in Salvatore Williams and his brother Adolfo Williams and split the business into territories.

Anthony Imburgia, nephew of longtime consigliere to Mike Genovese, Charles "Murgie" Imburgia, aka Charlie Murgie, was the owner of Verona Auto Sales, former L.A. Motors, where Genovese was employed as a salesman for over 30 years. Genovese used this business to meet with many of his underlings.

Mauro Matone was a middle man drug dealer, connected to Chucky Porter. He had a conviction in NY for narcotics distribution, and also fenced stolen goods. Considered an associate, only through Porter.

If you look at the history of the Pittsburgh Mafia, everybody was either blood related or married to the sisters of other members. When Porter was convicted, Genovese felt totally betrayed because he did not sanction narcotics dealing. Mike went to Vincent Gigante in NY where they had a meeting at Rao's in Harlem and Gigante instructed him to hold off on making any new members. In line to be made were Ernie Biondillo, Bobby Poghen and Frankie Lentine (all from Youngstown), Joey Rosa, who became the key government witness against Porter and Louis Raucci, Rocco Feruccio (Pat Feruccio's son from Canton, OH), Frank Unis Jr. (Aliquippa), Larry Amodie from New Castle, PA and Primo Mollica (Glassport, PA), considered one of the biggest bookmakers in Pennsylvania and was involved heavily with New Jersey, New York, West Virginia and Ohio in an interstate gambling operation.

Could have Mike made some guys later on? Probably...by that time, Gigante was indicted and it had become known that Porter was cooperating from prison, so he chose to keep things as is and relied heavily at that point on Henry Zottola and John Bazzano Jr. Henry died in 1998 and Bazzano was in his early 70's at that point. Very similar to how John Scalish ran Cleveland for so many years, relying on blood relatives and people who married into the family. Detroit was set up the same way as well.

Technically, there are three made guys left in Pittsburgh if you count former underboss Charles "Chucky" Porter and former chieftain of the Youngstown rackets, Lenine "Lenny" Strollo...both of them cooperated and both are living out in the open.

Thanks for all of the info...they say that someone named Tim has a lot of pull with Sonny he may be made...and Sonny has a deal with the local Pagans for work that needs to be done...

Interesting topic, I was also curious about the mafia in Pittsburgh. I live in Altoona Pa about 2 hours from pittsburgh and there used to be a mob family here that did dealings with the mob family in pittsburgh in the 80's if the information I read about was accurate.

The mob "family" in Altoona was not a family...they were part of Pittsburgh and were a "crew" led by longtime John LaRocca friend named Joesph "Little Joe" Regino and he oversaw a guy by the name of John Verilla, a made member of the LaRocca Crime Family. Altoona NEVER had their own family, it was all Pittsburgh. Verilla had some guys that were his associates. After Verilla was sentenced to prison for the murder of a drug dealer, the Altoona faction all but closed down shop except for some bookmakers by the mid 1980's. Alfred Corbo of Altoona took over for Verilla and he was closely associated withJack Miraglia, 58; Samuel Rametta, 63; Joseph Jacobs, 62; Walter Nichols, 28; Stephen St. Clair, 40; and Chris Boring, 57. Corbo was affiliated with Verilla during the 1970s, but later became a major competitor. The Pittsburgh LCN warned Verilla not to attempt a hit of Corbo, since Corbo's operation
was making more money for the Family. Corbo took over Verilla's
operation after Verilla's 1984 conviction. Other criminal associates of Corbo include: Paul "No Legs" Hankish, a Pittsburgh LCN associate from Wheeling, WV; and Steven
Hatzimbes, an associate of Pittsburgh LCN member Thomas Ciancutti. Besides Corbo and Verilla, the major gambling operatives in the Altoona area during the 1980s have been
Joseph "The Weep" Ruggiero, 55, 4304 Second Avenue, Altoona, and Paul Folcarelli, also known as Paul Farrell, 77, 2519 Quail Avenue, Altoona. Ruggiero at one time was part of the Verilla organization. Folcarelli had been associated with Frederick Piera, a major gambling operative in Johnstown and with deceased Pittsburgh LCN underboss Gabriel "Kelly" Mannarino. Folcarelli has also been involved in loansharking.

so unis jr and unis sr were never made? just associates?

That is correct...neither one of them were made, they were considered "associates." One thing I could tell you for certain is that Michael Genovese liked Unis Sr., and tolerated Unis Jr. because his gambling operation in Beaver was a cash cow...and once Unis Sr. passed away, Mike Genovese and Sonny Ciancutti squeezed Unis Jr. for over 50% of his profit, as they respected Unis Sr's arrangement with LaRocca of 25% when he was running the operation.

Nobody is being made in Pittsburgh...there's nothing to be made into. Sonny has a lot of contacts and he dealt with "mostly" non-Italians for a reason...so he could control them. Sonny's closest associate was/is Jeff Risha, who he took under his wing from the ground up and taught Risha how the gambling operations work.

Sonny has a network of independent operatives who pay him "minimal" cuts on gambling proceeds, not like it used to be in the old days. He's getting 10% of Fayette County operations and he still runs his own gambling in Allegheny County. Sonny is in his 80's and he spends "every day" at the Meadows betting on the ponies...he is a huge gambler himself and always gravitated to the ponies as well as the dogs when he is in Florida.

I'm not saying that I don't believe you, but Sonny NEVER dealt with motorcycle clubs/gangs. Sonny was old school and felt that he was getting rich enough on his illegal gambling operations which raked in on a normal week about $500k during pro/college football season and $250k during pro/college basketball season. It would SHOCK me if he was involved with the Pagans while he is 83 years old. Which is why he was never indicted nor linked to any other racket except gambling. He was not into unions, extortion, prostitution or drugs. However, he did have a cousin named Gary Golden who was indicted back in 1982 for a major cocaine trafficking charge.

There is a common misconception,that outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs)have arrangements with OC members in which they are basically on retainer to perform tasks at the behest of the Families.I know that in some areas,in the past,there might have been some arrangements made in the drug,gambling,and strip club rackets,but these were mostly territorial sitdowns as opposed to long term mutual business deals.
In the Western Pa area,there isn't any OC/OMG alliance,mainly because there isn't really any OC left.Occasionally,an individual OMG member might pick up a few bucks by providing services from time to time.
An example is when Duffy Conley used a member of the local dominant MC club to collect gambling debts.This individual was a friend and his activities were not done while wearing a Club cut.This was not official OMG business,although I'm sure a piece was kicked up,as is customary.
Generally speaking,if you are known and trusted by an OMG,are involved in any illegal activities,and need a job done,you can usually approach a Member on his own to assist you.
Normally he will not wear his Colors while doing the job and it will not be considered Club business ,but he will still kick up the usual piece(normally 10%)to the Mother Chapter.
As with everything,there are exceptions,but this is normally how it's been in this area for a while.

When Big John LaRocca was alive, his nephew, Anthony LaRocca, former leader of the Pagans, did a lot of business together. His nephew was convicted of drug dealing and murder and sentenced to prison.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=weRRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D3ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6500,4951983&dq=john+larocca+and+motorcycle+gangs&hl=en

**Copy and paste this link to your browser bar to view.

Thanks JCB for the info about Altoona, that was very interesting to read about, I hear stories from old timers about there being activity in my area. And it's cool to know I wonder if there is still any activity here lol but probaly not. Any more info you can share, I know alot of the names you said about there are still succesful buisness owners here from there family and it makes me wonder sometimes.

There may be some illegal gambling going on, which I'm sure that there is, but not like it used to be. No made members of the mafia, no mafia family in Pittsburgh left. Cleveland is the same way, some leftover knock around guys taking bets, nothing more.

Here is the complete report by the Pennsylvania Crime Commission in 1989 and 1990. Both of these reports have quite a bit of detail on organized crime families in Philly, Pittsburgh and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and give some names of illegal gambling operatives in Altoona/Johnstown/Harrisburg.

1. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitiz ... 8NCJRS.pdf (1990-A Decade of Change)

2. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitiz ... 6NCJRS.pdf (1989)


Here is the 1984 PA Crime Commission Report on Organized Crime:

http://books.google.com/books?id=soOaYK ... &q&f=false

Pittsburgh and Cleveland are both defunct. There are remnants of former associates and "a few made guys" left. Sonny Ciancutti is the last made guy left alive in Pittsburgh (not counting Lenny Strollo and Chucky Porter, both informants) and in Cleveland, RJ Papalardo and Joe Iacobacci are still alive. There are associates who still run their own gambling but no family hierarchy or structure.