The Italian mob were mostly active East Coast and then Vegas - what did they get up to in LA? Drug dealing? Infiltration of existing industries? Blackmail?

The LA mafia was involved in the same rackets as the other families back east. Gambling and loan sharking were their bred and butter. They also owned legitimate businesses, ran scams (e.g. they ran a scam with the Mexican Mafia to steal money from rehab clinics), some low to mid level drug dealing, prostitution/pornography, and extortion.

Their extortion scams usually involved the families back east. If I had to say the two rackets they were most known for it would be gambling, and pornography. Due to their location to the San Fernando Valley (the Mecca of porn)they had interests in production and distribution of legal, illegal and semi-legal pornography.

So I guess there pretty good at using the internet these days then, LOL? Funny thing is, I heard the porn industry has kinda died because so many people were willing to film and upload internet porn for free.

isnt the LA mob almost dead and gone by now?

I think this was the major miss of the mob in the last 50 years, after being so heavily involved in the porn business they should have pioneered internet porn and gone legit with it.

Yes. There isn't a formally structured, viable family there anymore. Less than 10 total members left at this point and some of them don't even live in LA now.

Ivy is right. Mike Esposito is the only guy who lives in Los Angeles proper. I do not believe Lenny Montana is a member but he lives in LA as well. Bobby Paduano lives in Newport Beach, but that is technically not Los Angeles.

You also have Louie Caruso who lives in Arizona, Russell Massetta who lives in Cleveland, and Rocco Zangari who moved back to Buffalo.

Is Vaccaro still alive? I know he was last in vegas.

Also Rocco Zangari at this point is not active is he?

Vaccaro is still alive. I think he lives in Vegas. Basically no one in the family is active. A few guys that were associates such as Paulo Rossi still make book but that is it. The family is dead.

Yes they are my friend.

There is still mob activity in LA, but these activities are from members of other crime families that are operating in LA. LA family was on the ropes, but with the passing of of some of thier members and other members that have moved away, and as Gingello has said none of the "Made Members" are active, the family is dead.

My guess is that any type of "mob" activity in LA is either
out-of-towners from the East Coast or Midwest. But local-wise, I'd say it's probably Asian or E.European OC. But that's just my assumption.

Going back to the 1990's and into the 2000's there was still a fair amount of mob activity from families back east in LA. But there has been little in the way of discernible activity there for over a decade now. The California OC reports stopped even mentioning the LCN around 2005 or so.

Do mob guys have deep ties to the pornography industry in Los Angeles? I find it difficult to believe that some of those sick fucks are able to get away with cranking out some of the more stomach-churning stuff that hits the video shelves (talking about the non-illegal stuff between adults that involves near fatal acts of choking or other just plain disgusting stuff) without any significant connections to powerful players in the underworld.

Deep ties? I don't think so. At least there's not much evidence of it anymore. There was a time when the mob was able to have a significant interest in the porn business because it was still fringe entertainment and the means for production and distribution were limited. However, over time social mores loosened up and porn became mainstream which led to more legit corporations getting involved. At the same time you had changing technology with video tape (easy duplication), DVD, and eventually the internet (where much of it is free).

That said, there are still a few holdouts. LA family member Mike Esposito owns Gentleman's Video, a porn production/distribution company. But you have Rob Spallone selling Italian ice in NYC because, as he claims, there's no money to be made in the business anymore.

Where you'll still find deep mob involvement in the sex business is strip clubs. And, of course, porn retail outlets are always a favorite shakedown target for the mob.

I heard that the Whale passed recently and that he was also living in Vegas, as far as the other groups go theres at least a handful of New York guys there, Shacks, Isgro, Pisello, Lorenzo, plus Tommy Gambino who's retired out there, not to say that there doing anything because there probably not

Cino March last year.

I meant to say he died March last year.

Hey Tony you are right none of the guys you mentioned have anything going here. Joe Isgro is an interesting guy. Everyone in LA thinks he is a mafia big shot. He is no more shady than most of the people in the entertainment business. Isgro likes to play gangster for sure. Ronnie Lorenzo is a low key guy who does consulting for movies. He was a consultant on the movie The Family with Robert Deniro. Shacks, Pisello and Tommy Gambino are just enjoying the weather here.

For those of you who have never seen a picture of Joe Isgro, here you go.

http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/special/birthofhits/page003.pdf