Hey guys first post.

I would like to preface this with I could be completely wrong, on both matters, but I figured I would ask.

But two questions: what is the status of the Pitt family? I've heard maybe a dozen wise guys and even less associates, any truth to this? Seems like it would be a solid place to make money as its big but not too big and has enough violent crime to actually take some of the heat away from like a shy business or some other small rackets. Anyone got anything on them?

Also, I read somewhere, can't find it now that years ago some LCN guys would 'escape' to the small mountains in WV? I could imagine, my parents lived there a while, and most of the police force was pretty easy going and would let almost anything slide. Also, I ran into a decent amount of pretty legitimate trattorias owned by other Italians from elsewhere, doesn't exactly mean they are connected by any means, but who knows.

No, there isn't a dozen members. Not even half that. Maybe only one - Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti.

The family was pretty active up through the 1990's, and there has been some residual activity by remnants in the 2000's, but the family itself is now gone.

The Pittsburgh family was still operating until 2006. The last three made members standing are Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti, Charles "Chucky Porter (defected) and Lenine "Lenny" Strollo (defected). Sonny Ciancutti's last bust was in 2000 and Frank "Sonny" Amato Jr and John Bazzano Jr were still operating until their deaths in 2003 and 2008. Pittsburgh had an unusually large number of associates, some who were respected as much as the made members. The Wheeling, WV faction died in 1990 after the conviction of Paul "No Legs" Hankish, the longtime boss of Wheeling. Hankish reported to Chucky Porter, the Pittsburgh Underboss from 1987-1991.

The place that many of the Pittsburgh wiseguys went to was a hunting camp in Tionesta, PA called Charlie's Roost and owned by longtime Pittsburgh Underboss Joseph "Jo Jo" Pecora. Many of the Bufalino Family, Philadelphia family and Genovese Family in NYC would meet with the Pittsburgh contingent up there to discuss business. Mike Genovese, Charlie Imburgia and Jo Jo Pecora would hold court after hunting, fishing and shooting high powered firearms for fun. I never read anything about the Pittsburgh guys going to the mountains of WV, I'm not saying you are wrong but I just never came across that in my 12+ years researching this family.

Tandem, sir......not sure where you'd hear a dozen made members around Pittsburgh......to the best of those in the know...many freelancers that handle vending, sports book but not much else.

There are quite a few former associates who still operate some gambling in Pittsburgh, Youngstown and Altoona/Johnstown. Also, sons and nephews of former members and associates still operate some gambling. Guys like John Conley, Frank Unis Jr, the Sabatini brothers, Manny Xenakis, Jeff Risha, Bobby I and his son Rodney and many many others. The family is not recognized any longer and only remnants are left fending for themselves.

Made Men

Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti b.1929
Robert "Bobby I" Iannelli b.1930
Mauro P. Matone b.1943

Associates

John Francis "Duffy" Conley Jr.
Ralph "Big Head" Maselli
John V. "Johnny A" Adams
Christopher Paul Hankish
William R. "Billy" Spina Jr
Salvatore A. "Sonny" Williams
Eugene "Nick the Blade" Gesuale

Members that flipped

Charles "Chuckie" Porter b.1933
Dante Strollo b.1927
Lenny Strollo b.1930

Associates or made men died since 2000

Adragna-Vito*
Amato-Frank Jnr.
Bazzano-John Jnr.
Capizzi-Anthony
Chiarelli-Eugene
Ferruccio-Pasquale
Genovese-Michael
Imburgia-Charles
Leone-John
Martrano-Anthony*
Romeo-Michael*


???

Imburgia-Anthony* Murgie
Romeo-Paul Jnr.*


Why the genovese family that rappresent the Pittsburgh family put a freeze on making new members in the family ? The genoveses wanted the end of the family ?

I admire your dedication to the lists that you post, Furio. I'm a Bronx guy. I don't know shit about Pittsburgh, but I just wanted to tell you that.

So if and when you accidentally get something wrong, don't let people get to you. You're a good kid and a valuable addition here.

I'm just throwing that out there because I've been meaning to speak up for awhile.

Non arrendersi mai .

Wiseguys used to escape to the WV mountains you say Tandem? Could you give me a list of a few places I need to help a guy I know out. See, he robbed an old lady and in November he is facing the prospect of a long prison term. He is very fat and smells like curry so I don't think he will hold up well. Also the prison system in his state doesn't do suboxene maintenance so he will be going through withdrawals for about a month, which I know won't be fun on top of getting his ass reamed out by a black man named Mango. If you could shoot me a PM and give me a list of places he can hide out that would be great.

has the philly family moved into pittsburgh at all? i would think theyd be right in there...

Oscar, I respect your posts. Any idea on whose currently active the Altoona way? Corbo passed, Verilla if still alive must be up there....

Sonny Ciancutti, Chucky Porter and Lenny Strollo are the last 3 made guys standing. Porter and Strollo defected to the government. The Pittsburgh family had hundreds of associates and there are many associates still living. The family died with Mike Genovese in 2006.

This link is the 1990 PA Crime Commission Reports on Organized Crime. Scroll down to page 113.

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/133208NCJRS.pdf

Joseph "Little Joe" Regino ran that area for decades under John LaRocca. Regino was very close friends with Big John and was his neighbor down in Pompano Beach, FL. Once Regino was in semi retirement around 1982, John Verilla took over. After Verilla and his couple of cronies were indicted and convicted of murdering a drug dealer, Mike Genovese never put anybody back in charge because the gambling wasn't what it was. However, Alfred Corbo still ran a major book. Corbo was considered a "high ranking" associate and Verilla wanted to whack Corbo, but Mike Genovese told Verilla not to lay a finger on Alfred Corbo because his book brought in twice the amount of money that Verilla brought in. Corbo ran his operation out of Brunswick Billiards in Altoona along with Jack Miraglia, Samuel Rametta, Joseph Jacobs, Walter Nichols, Stephen St. Clair and Chris Boring. After Verilla was convicted in 1984, Corbo took over everything and was also associated Paul "No Legs" Hankish, a Pittsburgh LCN associate from Wheeling, WV; and Steven Hatzimbes, an associate of Pittsburgh LCN member Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti.

Besides Corbo and Verilla, the major gambling operatives in the Altoona area during the 1980s were Joseph "The Weep" Ruggiero, and Paul Folcarelli, also known as Paul Farrell. 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 member Gabriel "Kelly" Mannarino. Folcarelli has also been involved in loansharking.

From my understanding through some friends, Folcarelli and Ruggiero take football action.

If anything, Buffalo or Detroit would have scooped up Pittsburgh. Keep in mind that Philly can't just come into Pittsburgh and plant a flag. They have no contacts in politics, law enforcement or with any judges. That's like saying why didn't Chicago go into Milwaukee or Cleveland.

I can't imagine Joey Merlino (if he is indeed the boss) having any such contacts. I have a hard enough time believing he has those contacts in Philly, let alone Pittsburgh.

He's being watched way too closely for such meetings to take place, even through his emissaries. Just my opinion. I'm a New Yorker and part-time Floridian lol.

Aside from Mrbigglesworth, thanks for the responses. Now a follow up about the Pittsburgh family...

Seeing as Pittsburgh is or was Genovese turf, would it be considered disrespectful for say as it was put; for philly to be right in there? Would they have to clear it through NY?

Let's play hypothetical here, do any of you see anything in Pittsburgh sparking up again as far as LCN goes? Why, why not? And if so, through who?

Thanks for taking the time to answer guys, it's crazy what can't be found through searches on the web, but is found through someone else, appreciate it gents.

Hope you enjoy getting pounded by a Mr. T look alike in prison. That is if you don't succumb quitting the smack cold turkey

ahh i see, good point.

A few people on this board keep talking about some guy that robbed an old lady and is going to trial in November.

What is the name of the guy may I ask?

Just look in the mirror and you'll have the answer wiseass.

Ouch. Outed again. He must be on the run from someone he owes money too since he has the time to post on a board with new names OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER again. That or he's a loser that has no job and has to sit in Daddy's basement posting all day. Think I'll go with Mr. Bigglesworth and say loser posting in Daddy's basement!

Next time don't PM folks right way, that kind of gives you away don't ya think?

Yes I'm well aware a few members on this board think I'm that guy. I just want to know his name and any background info anyone might have to share.

I'll try a different approach....

I've got fucking really bad amnesia and forgot my fucking name so could someone tell me my name please?

Furio great list. Vito Adragna was an associate to that family before he transferred to San Jose in the early 1950's to help Angelo Marino with the cheese factory. His father Frank and brother George were both made into the Pittsburgh family. Vito was tapped to be made in 55 or 56' but had debts to payoff. He was sponsored by his father Frank in The 1960's and was made into the San Jose family. Anthony Martrano was with the Trenton crew of Bufalino family I believe. The Romeo's had connections to Manhattan and the Bronx. Michael I think was made with the Genovese family of NewYork. Paul Jr. Was only an associate.

If you have amnesia then why would you want to know your name? Wouldn't you forget it again?

Your vernacular is American. It doesn't jibe whatsoever with the English that's been written here in the past by Australians and New Zealanders (and we've had loads of such posters, some of them very high quality, like Sonny Blackstein and Mickey Meatballs).

The guy in question is a lowlife scumbag who keeps coming back here to wreak havoc on an otherwise peaceful and polite board, so many of us are a bit paranoid and possibly overreacting a bit. The best thing for you to do is to just try to fit in without going into the sections that this fella was famous for baiting people in (namely the Bronx, Harlem, Pittsburgh and Ohio).

I'm trying to help. If you want to tell me to stick it up my ass, go right ahead. But going on the offensive won't do your cause a bit of good here. Sit back and read for awhile. Make a post here and there. And THEN create your own threads. People who follow this mantra tend to last a lot longer than some of the guys who have been banned recently.

Easy PB, I too am giving Neo the benefit of the doubt, but like you said his vocabulary doesn't match up with someone from New Zealand, and I had a fling with someone from there for a couple of months back in high school.

Yeah I always thought there was a Trenton crew in the Bufalino family but could never prove it. Where did you find this out? Who else was in the Trenton crew, its capos, etc? I just do research in my free time and there's only anything out there about the upstate NY and northeast PA groups.

Really interesting stuff man. If you ever get the time I think we would all learn a lot from a big rundown of the SJ family. Like Toodoped does for the outfit. The knowledge of this forum is totally east coast based.

Also wondering which Genovese guys visiting that lodge in PIttsburgh

I'm a Maori and if there was another New Zealander on this board they could easily confirm it with a little Q&A.

BerrettM, I meant Scranton, not Trenton. You can find connected guys in other cities and towns and a hell of a lot of half-assed wiseguys in some out of the way places that were scared off by made members and associates in other cities.

I just woke trying to figure this thread out.

But if you are saying Skinny has rackets or people in Pitt .it may hold a little water.
We have a lot family that went to Pitt or Pitt to Philly from the last century .
These people from the west and north are reaching back out for some reason .
I have been hearing about a minor things going on from these towns lately and lots of family reaching out .

There were many family through the years pushed out west that were making waves in Philly and the shore