Members of the San Francisco Mafia Family


Abati, Michael "Mike"
* boss from 1953 until 1961
* deported to Italy on July 8, 1961
* born on February 12, 1895 in Corleone, Sicily
* died on September 5, 1962 in San Francisco, CA

Barrisa, Vincent
* soldier
* born on June 27, 1903 in San Francisco, CA
* died in 1959

Bruno, Vito
* soldier
* born on December 28, 1895 in Trapani, Sicily
* died around 1968 in San Francisco, CA

Genovese, Gregory William
* capo
* son of Joseph Genovese, member of the Bonanno Mafia Family
* married to Catherine Bonanno, daughter of Joseph Bonanno
* became a made member in 1965
* born on April 18, 1935 in Pittston, PA
* died on December 11, 1989 in San Mateo, CA

Lanza, Francesco "Frank"
* boss from 1932 until 1937
* co-owner of Fisherman's Wharf
* born on February 23, 1880 in Palermo, Sicily
* died on June 14, 1937 in San Francisco, CA

Lanza, Anthony "Tony"
* capo
* son of Francesco
* born around 1898 in Palermo, Sicily
* died on May 8, 1975 in San Francisco, CA

Lanza, James "Jimmy The Hat"
* boss from 1961 until 1989
* son of Francesco
* owner of Lanza Olive Oil Company
* born on October 25, 1902 in Palermo, Sicily
* died on February 14, 2006 in San Mateo, CA

LaRocca, Alphonse "Al"
* soldier
* co-owner of LaRocca & Sons Fish Company
* owner of A. LaRocca Sea Food
* born on February 9, 1912 in San Francisco, CA
* died on June 18, 1985 in San Francisco, CA

LaRocca, Pasquale
* soldier
* brother of Alphonse
* co-owner of LaRocca & Sons Fish Company
* born on March 21, 1914 in San Francisco, CA
* died on April 27, 1988 in Oakland, CA

Lima, Anthony
* boss from 1937 until 1953
* replaced when sentenced to five years in prison on April 27, 1953
* born on January 15, 1905 in Johnstown, PA
* died around 1973 in San Francisco, CA

Maita, Frank
* soldier
* born on July 12, 1890 in Palermo, Sicily
* died around 1964 in San Francisco, CA

Maita, Filippo "Phil"
* consigliere
* brother of Frank
* born around 1885 in Palermo, Sicily
* died in 1985

Maranghi, Sergio
* soldier
* owner of Anchor Bay Cafe
* moved to the Bay Area in 1978
* became a FBI informant in 1991
* born around 1937 in Florence, Italy
* reported to be still alive

Nani, Sebastiano
* soldier
* born on August 26, 1901 in Villabate, Sicily
* died around 1959 in New York City

Scappatura, Frank
* capo
* co-owner of Sunland Sales Company
* born around 1902 in Chicago, IL
* died around 1968 in San Francisco, CA

Sciortino, Gaspare "Bill"
* underboss
* cousin of Samuel Sciortino, member of L.A. Mafia Family
* born around 1914 in Palermo, Sicily
* died on September 25, 1990 in San Francisco, CA

Infusino, Vincenzo
* capo
* born on November 8, 1898 in Palermo, Sicily
* died on July 6, 1975 in Modesto, CA

Siragusa, Pasquale
* soldier
* born around 1893 in Siragusa, Sicily
* died on February 18, 1966 in San Francisco, CA

Taranto, Salvatore
* soldier
* born around 1896 in Palermo, Sicily
* died in 1971

Trifiro, Giacomo "Jack"
* soldier
* born around 1893 in Palermo, Sicily
* died in 1968

Trifiro, Steve
* soldier
* son of Giacomo
* became a made member in 1967
* born on October 10, 1915 in San Francisco, CA
* died around 2001 in Carmichael, CA

As far as I'm concerned the worst thing that can happened to the many Italians in the SF area is a new NIAF branch.

Seriously now, SF has no organization.
Italian OC might use the area to launder money via bars\pizzerie\stuff but it's no foothold.

Congratulations you posted a list of dead people...

I don't think his intention is to say there is a still a family there. Simply to list known members over the years.

great work. people don't understand your posting these charts out of posterity. for history's sakes. nostalgia, whatever. thank u for doing so!

Nice find Stern...Appreciate you finding this chart. I have been hoping that somebody does a biography on Jimmy Lanza. Albeit SF was a small family indeed, that doesn't mean that they were not a highly profitable organization that carried weight in their respected city.

Anyone know around when that family in San Francisco was stopped being considered a functioning family?

JCB, Joe was kind enough to send me a pm thanking me for putting up the other chart and asking if there was a San Fran chart floating around and this is the one. Unfortunately the creator is banned. He did some great charts. There's only a few associates around and one informant who was made in SF.

What was frank Violetta role in San fran?

Agreed. NJ did great charts. Having the charts right here makes them easily accessible for further reasearch, for anyone who´s interested. The names can be used as keywords in old newspaper archives for example. Too bad NJ is gone. He contributed a lot to this forum.

Skinny Velotta was nothing more than a Los Angeles family associate that was part of a burglary crew that Jimmy Fratianno ran when he lived in SF. After Fratianno became an informant Skinny end up getting locked up and died later. He was never a made guy. Lanza hated Fratianno and didn't like his pals either. Skinny was an associate with the Cleveland Mob before joining the L.A. guys.

NJBoy55 did a great job with the chart. Sad to hear he is banned. He missed Mario Balistreri. Correct Skinny Velotta was with Fratianno and was never a SF associate.

I didn't see Giovanni Toracca mentioned. I'm not sure if he's still active but a few years ago he was under investigation for narcotics and supposedly "connected". I knoe that he was a partner in a North Beach (SF version of Little Italy) deli that closed almost as soon as it opened and is also currently a partner in a sports bar called Taps. Anybody have any info?

Giovanni Toracca is independent, not connected with LCN or any other Italian group. There is a very small Ndrangheta group that operates in San Francisco, not much is known about them.

Actually Giovanni Pietro Toracca was connected to mafia members in SF and in Sicily. He was an associate of the SF mob and before that the leader of a small Italian-American gang in San Francisco called NBB (North Beach boys) that were involved in money laundering, drug dealing, illegal gambling and theft. He was not a made member but was close to Sergio Maranghi and a few other SF mob made members and associates. Gaetano Balistreri who owned The Portifino Cafe was a close friend of Toracca. Gaetano was an associate of the SF family who died in 2007. His two boys Vince and Frank were also associates. Both of his sons owned Palermo Deli in North Beach from 2007-2010.

The Balistreri bro's were definitely members of the SF mob, just not made guys like I said. Some think the father Gaetano was made but he wasn't. Toracca grew up with the Balistreri bro's and is a part owner of the Grant & Green, a blues bar named after its corner location, and used to own the Condor, which was a famous strip joint at Columbus Avenue and Broadway. He was charged in 1978 with assault with a deadly weapon and in 1983 with drug sales, but both cases were dropped. In 1986 he was convicted for misdemeanor receipt of stolen property. That same year he was charged with gambling, but the case was dropped. In 1988, Toracca came to the FBI's attention during a federal probe of alleged cocaine dealing at the Portofino Cafe, a Columbus Avenue saloon that was packed on weekends with elderly Italian men playing cards. Toracca in 1990 was charged with murdering restaurant worker Francesco Tarsitano in front of Calzone's restaurant on Columbus Avenue. Tarsitano was having an affair with Toracca's wife. Toracca followed Tarsitano outside Calzone's. They exchanged words and Toracca stepped back and drew a .357-Magnum and shot him. Toracca admitted killing Tarsitano but said it was self-defense. A jury acquitted him of murder and deadlocked on lesser charges of manslaughter. The acquittal boosted Toracca's profile in North Beach and gave him an "aura of invincibility," the FBI said. In 1991, the FBI, state narcotics agents and San Francisco police began to focus on suspected cocaine dealing at the Portofino Cafe and the Columbus Cafe, around the corner on Green Street. Agents snapped "numerous" photographs of Toracca holding almost daily meetings on the sidewalk in front of the cafe.

Vince Balistreri now is the manager of the popular Mulinari Deli in North Beach. Here is a very recent picture of Vince and article about the deli. Click on the link below.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nativeson/...ity-5065676.php

Great info Stern49!

Skinny was a master burglar in his day. He was locked up in 1984 for cocaine conspiracy. I did find it puzzling he was listed as a under-boss of the San Fran family. Thanks for the info

stern49 - Thanks for the info! I remember the shooting outside Calzones. I don't know if it's true but the story I heard was after he shot the guy he walked inside, sat at the bar and waited for police to arrive. While waiting he commented "there's never a cop around when you need one." I can't believe I missed tat article yesterday but SFGate probably bumped it to cover Neil Schons wedding. I'm craving an "Enzo Special" or "Molinari Special" sandwich right now! With extra Zampino!

Thanks for your post. Heard about his remark to the cops. He's a crazy dude and a true blue mobster. If he was a little older I'm sure Giovanni would have been made.

Who was skinny selling cocaine in cali with? He seemed to have a big operation going

Good info Stern. I had always thought that Giovanni was independent. Not sure who skinny was selling cocaine with in cali, but it was Fratianno's testimony that sent Velotta to Prison.

fratiannos testimony didn't send him to prison at least in the drug case in 1983. He was only a bad character witness against Skinny. Since Fratianno wasn't involved in the deal his testimony was only used in background. He was already sunk. Skinny had a weak defense that he was only guilty of setting up the informant to rob him not sell him dope.

Thanks to both of you. Skinny sure did a lot of time, went to prison in 1983 or 1984 and got out in 1995. That's a lot of time away.

I am sure Skinnys long criminal record didn't help. But ultimately he can thank Allie Calabrese of Cleveland for getting pinched. He is the one who set up the deal .

Here is some info on Jimmy Lanza and his dealings with San Jose:

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=90783&relPageId=1

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=94994&relPageId=2

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=95113&relPageId=3

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=95155&relPageId=3

Here is some info on Jimmy the Weasel Frattiano, Cleveland native, California transplant:

http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=92421&relPageId=2