1. True
2. Many other non-union states had a strong LCN presence, such as Florida, Louisiana, and Kansas.
3. Same as 2
4. True
5. Up until 1990, Texas did not have that many Hispanics except in the Valley. Since then, they have surged across the state.

You're right, the Dallas "family" was never more than 10 or so people. The main names were the Piranio's, Civello's and Campisi's. They were nothing more than some loosely connected Italian bootleggers who moved into gambling. They owned some bars, strip clubs, and restaurants.

Tony speaks many truths. Also, the first time I came down to Texas for any length of time was around 1990, staying with an Uncle in north Dallas and I happened to come in off I-35 via Frisco...

This seems to be lost bit of Texas lore but for those who don't know, Frisco, from I think the 1970s through the early 1990s was an open town of not much but ...

... roadside brothels! Some on the main drags, some out a buddy and me passed bike riding out in the country on FM whatever...

Then J.C. Penney moved their headquarters to Frisco and that was that; haven't been back in a while but I reckon it's now contiguous with the Dallas sprawl.

Denver wasn't very different in that way.

the great book the green felt jungle has a chapter about dallas- the binion and Harold the cat noble fued. an old timer named nick in dallas in 1991 told me about it. dallas had rackets just like every city and lots of oilmen had money and gambled. joe civello , campisi formed alliances with the Dixie mafia and ruby had the fix with the police.

Agreed, TonyG, the Maceos ran a model operation and did so with honor. While Chicago leaned on New Orleans, Galveston somehow flew below the radar (in spite of the fact that Galveston was equally viable, even more viable during Prohibition because of its geography as a long and relatively undeveloped barrier island.) Illegal gaming was a gentleman's agreement with the Maceos... Jakie Freedman, who would later found the Sands in Las Vegas, had the Domain Privee only an hour away in Harris County. When "Colonel" W.L. Moody, self-proclaimed emperor of Galveston, who'd made his fortune in hotel monopolies, threw his weight with the Maceos, Sam responded coolly. He counseled Moody to stay out of Maceo business and the Maceos would stay out of hotels. Moody knew the only reason he hadn't already been ruined was because the Maceos had chosen to let him be. The only tax? Moody had to let them be in return. In a thirty-year span, the only aspect of Galveston the Maceos couldn't persuade was an over-zealous, Elliot Ness wannabe named Jim Simpson. After crushing Maceo Syndicate in the late '50s, Simpson, a long-time Texas City attorney, lived long enough to see Galveston erode into the ghetto shit-hole it became in the '60s, '70s and '80s. The crack peddled by the moulinyans on the island, and the crank cooked and peddled by the biker trash on the mainland (all of Galveston County was run by the Maceos) would never have stood under Sam and Rose. Only with gentrification beginning in the mid-'90s has Galveston slowly begun to return to her Maceo-era glory.

But like Las Vegas, she will never be the same.

The most comprehensive telling of the Maceo empire is in Gary Cartwright's book, Galveston: A History of the Island

When was the last time something mob related actually happened in Texas that was related to Texas???

And the Lucchese's don't count thats NY.

The JFK assassination!

When "Colonel" W.L. Moody, self-proclaimed emperor of Galveston, who'd made his fortune in hotel monopolies, threw his weight with the Maceos, Sam responded coolly. He counseled Moody to stay out of Maceo business and the Maceos would stay out of hotels. Moody knew the only reason he hadn't already been ruined was because the Maceos had chosen to let him be.

According to the book you mentioned it was the opposite. Sam Maceo was building a luxury complex on the island, Moody Jr heard about it, summoned Russ Maceo to HIS office, and told him I stayed out of gambling, you stay out of hotels. Apparently construction stopped the very next day.

Check it out. Page 238

http://books.google.com/books/about/Galveston.html?id=RFRu8kYThEcC

Also check page 240. Moody may have tried to frame Maceo for drug dealing at some point. A lot of his co-defendants plead guilty to heroin distribution though so maybe they weren't as clean as they acted.

The Maceos made a lot of money, but it wasn't really their town.

Houston is the only city I can think of that might have some LCN activity but I am doubtful about that as there has not been any arrests or investigations for some time There is an old Lucchese associate living in the Houston area.

There was a bona no capo mickeys bats cardello I think. He left NYC after a prison bid but when vitale rolled he got indicted for 3 old murders he was living in texas retired not to old. Anyway I'm pretty sure he didn't cooperate got 10 yes and probably living back in Texas. He sweet deal probably was cause he claimed to retire to Texas any one no anything about him.

Pmac, there was a Cardello family living in Dallas that were friends with the Ianni family, both Frank and Joe Ianni were made members of the Dallas crime family. Weather Michael mickey bats Cardello is related to this family I do not know. Mickey bats is definitely retired.

Houston is where Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo moved to in WITSEC and got busted for promoting prostitution in his strip club there. The only family I am aware of was from Dallas, the Civello Crime Family. They had strong ties to Traficante and Marcello back in the 1940's-1960's. Don't know much else about the Civello's.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/st...rticle-1.402629

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/10/03/40233.htm

Thank you for the post JCB. So Vinny Ocean was living in Houston at the time, so there is really no more LCN presence in that city. Houston is the biggest city in Texas and is the hardest for the street gangs and drug cartels to have complete control of the city. Joe Marcello had interests in Houston around the late 1950's till the late 1990's. Dallas did have a crew in the city but rumor has it that they pulled out of Houston after their capo over the city was murdered in the late 1940's.

The Civello's were related through marriage to New Orleans, Rockford, and Denver crime families. Blood relations through members of Los Angeles, Kansas City and Tampa crime families. They were also close to the Lanza's of San Francisco crime family, and the Cerrito's of the San Jose crime.

Being from Dallas i can say there is no Family there since the old man Campisi pasted away and even then it was a small crew. There are a few guys with clubs, Bars, and Strip joints. But there not connected to a family and most are wannabe clowns. Gambling is huge in Dallas and Albert Reed Jr was a big player when it came to bookmaking, Mr E is a well connected guy. The good ole boys kept the gambling rings under wraps. The fertitas that own UFC and Stations casinos father was a player in the Corpus gambling which was huge from what i hear

true story, the dallas police force was corrupt from top to bottom. they let jack ruby in the basement knowing he had a gun, it was a classic texas set-up. with the mob and all.

Yep, big time gambling in Texas, poker and sports. LCN just never had enough guys or connections to take over. The good ole boys own most of it.