Rick Porrello - Kill the Irishman

I would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their contributions to this project:

Jim Ahearn; the Akron, Ohio, Police Department; the Bakersfield, California, Coroners Office; Michael Bartone; Thomas Michael Basie; Lisa Beck; Tom Bird; Kimberly Bonvissuto; Tom Buford; the California Crime Commission; the California Office of the Attorney General; Lou Capasso; Bob Cermak; Sister Veronica Cipar; Cleveland Magazine; the Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Police Department; the Cleveland Police Museum; Cleveland State University (Cleveland Press Archives); Judge Donna Congeni-Fitzsimmons; Faith Corrigan; Vince Crawford; the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court; Susan Daniels; Sandy Deak; Carl Delau; Peter DiGravio; Bob Dinsfriend; Peter Elliott, U.S. Marshals Service; Sister Barbara Eppich; the Euclid, Ohio, Police Department; the Euclid Public Library; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Jim Fiore; Judge Norman A. Fuerst; Gary Garisek; Rich Gazarich; Lloyd Gladson; John Griffith; Ron Guenttzler; Dennis Gunsch; Heather Hall; Richard T. Henshaw; Scott Hodes; John Carroll University; Emily Johnson; Wayne Kapantas; David Kerr; Lora Kong; Sue Kovach; Vic Kovacic; Dr. John Langer; Jim Litnar (Licavoli); Mike LoPresti; Mike Malone; Carmen Marino; Jim McCann; Nan McCarthy; Patricia Meade; Ann Millett; the Moreland Hills, Ohio, Police Department; the National Military Personnel Records Center; Dennis Nicklas; Lisa Nussbaum; J. Kevin OBrien; Doris ODonnell-Beufait; the Ohio Organized Crime Investigative Commission; Mike OMara; Bill Ouseley; Tony Paglia; Pat Parisi; the Parmadale Catholic Home; Paul Patterson; Dick Peery; the Pennsylvania Crime Commission; the Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation; Lennie Piazza; Joe Plisevich; Rocco Poluttro; Skip Ponikvar; Lee Porrello; Ray Porrello; Dan Poynter; George Qua; Michael V. Renda; S. A. Reuscher; the late Bill Roemer; Tom and Marilyn Ross; Bob Rowe; St. Jeromes Catholic High School; Gini Graham Scott; Susan Porrello Shimooka; Bernard Smith; Roger Smyth; Don Stevens; Chuck Strickler; James Ridgway de Szigethy; Barbara L. Tajgiszer; Bruce Thomas; Judge William K. Thomas; Serell Ulrich; the United States Federal District Court; the United States Drug Enforcement Administration; the United States Marshals Service, Witness Protection Division; Ray Villani; Joe Wagner; the Warrensville Heights, Ohio, Police Department; Joe Wegas; Adam Wezey; Sandy Whelchel; Edward P. Whelen; Chuck Whitten; Bob Wilson; Dean Winslow; Mairy Jayn Woge; Ken Wuchte; Tom Yovich; and those persons who wished not to be named.

Special thanks to the Cleveland, Ohio, Police Department; the Lyndhurst, Ohio, Police Department; Frank DeMaio; Ed Kovacic; Patrick Dearden, who encouraged me to pursue this project; Peter Miller, my book and film manager; Abby Zidle of Pocket Books; and my Heavenly Father for His multitude of gifts, especially those of faith and perseverance.

Rick Porrello

October 2009

Organized Crime (OC) in the United States in the 1980s included four specific sectors of La Cosa Nostra: Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Southern California, and Kansas City. Even today, La Cosa Nostra is perhaps the most significant OC threat in the country.

Each sector had its own hierarchy, including a boss, underboss, consigliere, captains, lieutenants, soldiers, and others. They often were divided even further into groups by region. The following pages list the alleged and reputed members, associate members, and associates of each of the four above-mentioned sectors.

THE CLEVELAND
COSA NOSTRA

Circa 1980

Boss: James Jack White Licavoli

Underboss: Angelo Big Ange Lonardo

Consigliere: John Peanuts Tronolone

Maishe Rockman

Eugene the Animal
Ciasullo
Butchie Cisternino

Allie Calabrese

Tony Delguyd

Joe Bonarigo

John Del Zoppo

Jimmy Martino

Tony Occhionero

John Oliverio

Raymond Ferrito

Carmen Basile

John Calandra

Jimmy the Weasel Fratianno

Tony Liberatore

Joey Gallo

Tommy Sinito

Joe lacobacci

Russell Papalardo

Curly Montana

Tony Dope Delsanter (deceased 1976)

Ronnie Ronnie Crab Carabbia

Charlie Charlie Crab Carabbia
(missing, presumed dead)

Orlie Orlie Crab Carabbia

Joe Derose
(missing, presumed dead)

THE PITTSBURGH
COSA NOSTRA

Circa 1984

Boss: John Sebastian LaRocca

Underboss: Joseph Jo-Jo Percora

Consigliere: Michael Genovese

Gabriel Kelly Mannarino

Thomas Ciancutti

Charles Imburgia

Charles Porter

John Bazzano

Antonio Ripepi

Joseph Regino

Joseph Sica

Samuel J. Fashionatta

John C. Fontana

Michael Trafi cante

Henry Zottola

Vincent Jimmy Prato

Joey Naples

Lenine Strollo

Ernest Biondillo

Bernard Altshuller

Frank Lentine

Paul Pinto Holovatick

Peter Cascarelli

Alfred Corbo

Joseph Ruggiero

John Verilla

Victor Schiappa

Carl Venturato

John Caramadre

Vincent Caraciollo

Dennis Colello

THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
COSA NOSTRA

Circa 1985

Boss: Peter Milano

Underboss: Carmen Milano

Consigliere: Jack LoCicero

Capos

Mike Rizzitello

Vincent Caci

Luigi Gelfuso Jr.

Charles Caci

Stephen Cino

Rocco Zangari

Albert Nunez

Craig Fiato

Lawrence Fiato

John Demattia

John Vaccaro

Russell Masella

THE KANSAS CITY
COSA NOSTRA

Circa 1984

Bosses: Nick Civella Carl Cork Civella

Underboss: Carl Tuffy Deluna

Consigliere: Unknown

Tony Ripe Civella

Peter Simone

Peter Tamburello

Charles Moretina

Tommy Lococo

Felix Ferina

Tommy Cacioppo

Willy Cammisano

Sam Ancona

Angelo Porrello

Joe Agosto

Carl Thomas

Some of the players involved in La Cosa Nostra vanished without a trace. Others were caught and lived under scrutiny from that moment on.

Frank Brancato, partner in the Licatese faction of the Cleveland Mafia, was seventy-six when he died of natural causes in 1973.

Allie Calabrese died in prison in 1999 while serving a sentence for attempting to defraud a New Jersey bank.

John Calandra, Jack Licavolis right-hand man, died of natural causes in 1992.

Ronnie Ronnie Crab Carabbia, Youngstown mobster convicted of killing Danny Greene, served almost twenty-three years in prison before being paroled in 2002.

Eugene the Animal Ciasullo, now in his sixties and semiretired, is perhaps the most successful of modern-day Cleveland Cosa Nostra figures. He has maintained a widely respected reputation nationwide while managing to serve minimal time in prison. He did spend two years in prison for a 1981 assault conviction. Ciasullo has two residences in Pennsylvania and spends winters at a third in Florida.