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The Cleveland crime family, also known as the Scalish crime family or the Cleveland Mafia, is an Italian American American Mafia crime family based in Cleveland, Ohio, and throughout the Greater Cleveland area. The organization formed during the 1900s, and early leadership turned over frequently due to a series of power grabs and assassinations. In 1930, Frank Milano became boss and was able to bring some stability to the Cleveland family. Under the control of the family's longest-serving boss, John T. Scalish, who led the organization from 1945 until his death in 1976, the Cleveland family exerted influence over the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), profiting from labor racketeering and the skimming of revenue from Las Vegas . The family's membership peaked at around sixty "Made man" during the 1950s.
When Scalish died unexpectedly during heart surgery without naming a successor in 1976, the Cleveland family fell into turmoil. A violent gang war erupted during the late 1970s when Irish Mob Danny Greene attempted to take over the city's criminal rackets. James T. Licavoli, who became boss of the Cleveland family after Scalish's death, hired hitman Ray Ferritto to kill Greene. After several failed attempts on Greene's life, Ferritto succeeded with a car bomb, ending the mob war. The war drew significant law enforcement attention, however, reducing membership and influence of the family. Much of the family's weakening can be attributed to Jimmy Fratianno, who turned government witness and provided the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with incriminating information on the organization.
Following a series of convictions, including those of bosses Licavoli, Angelo Lonardo and John Tronolone, the Cleveland family nearly ceased to exist during the 1980s and 1990s. Lonardo became the highest-ranking member of the Mafia to turn government witness when he began cooperating with authorities in 1983. Lonardo told FBI elections were rigged United Press International (May 16, 1986) During the early 2000s, law enforcement agencies believed the family was a smaller group attempting to rebuild itself. In the 2020s, the organization has been characterized as a small crime family involved in illegal gambling and loansharking. One Of The Last Of The Mohicans In The Ohio Mafia, βBilly Dβ DiLeno Made His Mark: Cleveland Button Man Moves On To Big Casino In The Sky Scott Burnstein, The Gangster Report (April 13, 2022)
Loosely organized gangs emerged again in the 1910s. One Italian American gang, known as the Mayfield Road Mob, formed in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood about 1913. Elsewhere in Little Italy, notary public Angelo Serra oversaw a gang primarily specializing in auto theft that at one point yielded $500,000 ($ in dollars) a year. At roughly the same time, Dominic Benigno led a gang which monopoly in payroll robbery. Meanwhile, another Italian American gang, the Collinwood Crew, operated around the intersection of St. Clair Avenue, E. 152d Street and Ivanhoe Road in Collinwood. A less organized criminal organization was the "reservoir gang", a group of criminals engaged in armed robbery, auto theft, burglary and other property crimes which established a base at the Baldwin Water Treatment Plant reservoir.
Following the institution of Prohibition in 1919, and nationally throughout the United States on January 16, 1920. many small, organized gangs emerged to illicitly import liquor from Canada, diverting alcohol from legitimate purposes (such as medicine and industry) and distilling and distributing home-brewed alcohol. Small rum-running operations were run by formerly legitimate businessmen like Michelino Le Paglia, August L. Rini and Louis Rosen. A number of small bootlegging gangs, run by residents, began operating in the "Little Hollywood" area of Hough, an area bounded by Lexington and Hough Avenues between E. 73rd and E. 79th Streets. The , Speakeasy and gambling halls of Little Hollywood became the favorite hangouts of small gang leaders throughout Cleveland, many of whom established their offices in the city's tiny red-light district. Larger organizations included an Italian American gang centered on Woodland Avenue and E. 55th Street, and an Italian American gang centered on Woodland and E. 105th Street. The Mayfield Road Mob grew larger as it focused more on bootlegging.
At the start of Prohibition, Joseph "Big Joe" Lonardo, the second eldest of the Lonardo brothers, became the first crime boss of the Cleveland crime family. His top lieutenant, Joseph Porrello, supervised various criminal operations throughout the early to mid-1920s. Angelo "Big Ange" Lonardo, One-time Highest-Ranking Mobster to Become a Federal Witness, Dead at age 95 Rick Porrello, AmericanMafia.com (April 2006)
In the summer of 1927, "Big Joe" Lonardo left Cleveland for Sicily amongst rising tension between the two factions. He left his brother John and his adviser, Salvatore "Black Sam" Todaro, as acting heads of the Cleveland family. When Lonardo returned, a sitdown was scheduled between the Lonardos and the Porrellos. On October 13, 1927, Big Joe and John were to meet with Angelo Porrello in a Porrello-owned barbershop. After the brothers were relaxed into playing a card game, they were ambushed and killed by two Porrello gunmen. This allowed Joseph Porrello to take over as boss of the Cleveland family and become the most influential corn sugar baron in Greater Cleveland.
To establish dominance, the Porrellos needed backing from the top Mafia bosses in New York City, as well as other leading Mafia families across the U.S. On December 5, 1928, one of the earliest-known Mafia summits in American history was held at Cleveland's Statler Hotel. Joseph Porrello, with the help of his top lieutenant Sam Tilocco, hoped to urge the other bosses, which included Joe Profaci and Vincent Mangano of New York, to declare him the official boss of Cleveland. However, the meeting turned into a fiasco as some of the well-known attendees were recognized by local law enforcement and arrested along with their associates. The Porrellos arranged for their associates to be bailed out of jail. In spite of the chaos, Joseph Porrello was declared the boss and recognized nationwide as head of the Cleveland family. The Golden Era of the Cleveland Mob Frank Kuznik, Cleveland Magazine (August 1, 1978)
On June 11, 1929, "Black Sam" Todaro was murdered. By the end of Prohibition, most of the Porrello brothers and their supporters had been killed or had sided with the Mayfield Road Mob. Joseph Porrello himself was ambushed and killed along with an underling at the Venetian Restaurant, owned by Porrello rival Frank Milano. Vincenzo "Jim" Porrello succeeded his brother as Cleveland boss, but was shot and killed three weeks later in a grocery store on East 110th Street and Woodland Avenue, in an area considered a Porrello stronghold. Raymond Porrello declared revenge, and on August 15, 1930, an explosion leveled his home. He was not present at the time.
On February 25, 1932, Milano finished off the Porrello brothers by having Raymond and Rosario Porrello, along with their bodyguard Dominic Gueli, murdered in a smoke shop on East 110th Street and Woodland Avenue while playing cards. The remaining Porrellos subsequently backed out of the Cleveland underworld and fled the area.
In 1935, Milano fled to Mexico after being indictment for tax evasion. Alfred Polizzi, another leading member of the Mayfield Road Mob, seized power and reigned as boss until 1944, when he himself was convicted of tax evasion.
In the 1950s, the Cleveland family reached its peak in size, with about sixty "made man" members, and several times as many associates. By the 1970s, however, the family's membership began to decrease after Scalish chose not to induct new members. The family's main streams of revenue during this period came from two primary sources; a partnership with other Midwestern crime families which allowed the organization to profit from the "skim" of various Las Vegas casinos, and an arrangement with the Pittsburgh crime family which entitled the Cleveland family to twenty-five percent of the Pittsburgh family's profits from rackets in Youngstown. The Cleveland, Kansas City and Milwaukee crime families also exerted influence over the multibillion-dollar Central States Pension Fund of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), and in 1974 the three groups backed a $62.75 million Pension Fund loan to buy two Las Vegas casinos. 3 Mob Families Linked to Teamsters Fund George Lardner Jr., The Washington Post (November 22, 1985) Additionally, the Cleveland family collected protection money from casinos in Western Pennsylvania and Northern Kentucky.
Moceri's murder resulted in a violent mob war between the Cleveland family and Greene's gang, during which almost forty took place in the city of Cleveland. Due to the number of bombings in the area, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) opened an office in northeast Ohio and doubled their staff in the region. 1976: The Year Cleveland Became Bomb City, USA Lisa Sanchez, Cleveland Public Library (October 20, 2017) Among the casualties was Nardi, who was killed on May 17, 1977, by a car bomb in the parking lot of the local Teamster Hall.
Eventually, Licavoli and his crew began attempting to kill Greene. On one occasion, bombs were planted around Greene's home, one in the front and one in the back; the first bomb went off but the second failed, allowing Greene and his young girlfriend to escape. After several similarly failed hits, it became evident that the Cleveland family needed outside help, which came in the form of contract killing Ray Ferritto.
On October 6, 1977, while Greene was performing a scheduled visit to his dentist, a car with a radiofrequency bomb placed inside its door was parked next to his. Upon return to his vehicle, the bomb was exploded remotely by Ferritto and Ronald βRonnie the Crabβ Carabbia. The two men were seen by a woman named Debbie Spoth, who was able to help police identify Ferritto. Greene's body lay under the ruins of his vehicle for at least an hour before his corpse was removed. Following the assassination, Ferritto heard that the Cleveland family wanted him dead and turned state's witness, leading to the arrest of Licavoli and other Cleveland mobsters.
Emboldened by the sudden death of Cleveland consigliere Anthony "Tony Dope" Delsanter from a heart attack in August 1977, Vincent "Two-Gun Jimmy" Prato, the local caporegime from the Pittsburgh family, attempted to establish a monopoly over gambling and extortion rackets in Youngstown, a territory which had historically been shared between the two families. This resulted in a mob war, consisting of twelve murders, which lasted between 1978 and 1981. The Flames Of Discontent In Youngstown (CrimeTown USA): Cleveland-Pittsburgh Mob War II Murder Timeline Scott Burnstein, GangsterReportr.com (November 10, 2016) Crimetown USA: The city that fell in love with the mob David Grann, The New Republic (July 10, 2000) This Week in Mob History AmericanMafia.com (December 3, 2001) The Pittsburgh family emerged victorious after the disappearances of Cleveland capo Charles "Charlie the Crab" Carabbia in December 1980 and his crew's top hitman, Joseph DeRose, Jr., in April 1981. Steel City Mafia: Blood, Betrayal and Pittsburghβs Last Don Paul N. Hodos (2023) According to testimony from Pittsburgh mobster-turned-government witness Lenny Strollo, Carabbia was lured to a meeting at a Youngstown donut shop and killed on the orders of Prato and his chief underling, Joseph "Little Joey" Naples, in order to give the Pittsburgh family undisputed control over Youngstown. The killing, as per Strollo's testimony, was carried out with the permission of the Cleveland family leadership. End of the Line Mike Tobin, Cleveland Scene (April 8, 1999)
Eventually, Licavoli was sent to prison for RICO charges related to the murder of Greene in 1982. Angelo Lonardo, the son of Joseph Lonardo, took control of the Cleveland family until 1984, when he was convicted of running a drug ring and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Angelo Lonardo then became an informant, making him the highest-ranking Mafia turncoat up to that time. He informed on powerful mafiosi from numerous families while in prison and caused serious damage to the Mafia's infrastructure. Introduction to Criminology: Theories, Methods, and Criminal Behavior Frank E. Hagan, and Leah E. Daigle (2018)
After Lonardo became an informant, John Tronolone, a long-time Miami Beach resident and South Florida point man for the Genovese family, was named the new boss of the Cleveland family. In 1989, Tronolone became the only Mafia boss to have the distinction of being arrested in a hand-to-hand undercover transaction by local law enforcement when he accepted jewelry from Dave Green, an undercover Broward County deputy in exchange for bookmaking and loansharking debts. Tronolone died in 1991 before he could start his nine-year state prison sentence. John Tronolone, Reputed Cleveland Mob Family Chief South Florida Sun Sentinel (June 1, 1991)
By 1990, the Cleveland family had been so aggressively dismantled by law enforcement agencies that the family had no "made" members who were not imprisoned, and the organization was reported to be virtually defunct. Cleveland Mob β Ohio Mafia History clevelandcrib.org In addition to convictions, defections and deaths, the loss of the family's influence over the IBT also significantly weakened their stature. After Tronolone's death, Anthony "Tony Lib" Liberatore took over the remnants of the Cleveland family until he was imprisoned for racketeering and money laundering in 1993. Vintage Photos of Cleveland's Most Notorious Mobsters Cleveland Scene (March 28, 2016)
Following the imprisonment of Liberatore, two mafiosi who had been inducted into the family by Angelo Lonardo in 1983 β Joseph "Joe Loose" Iacobacci and Russell "R.J." Papalardo β became the leading figures in the Cleveland Mafia. Iacobacci, along with Alfred "Allie" Calabrese, was convicted of bank fraud and sentenced to three years in federal prison in 1995, during which time Papalardo served as acting boss of the family.
In May 1998, Anthony P. Delmonti, an associate of the Cleveland family and the Rochester, New York faction of the Bonanno crime family, became a confidential informant for the FBI's Cleveland office and provided the Bureau with information on a Mafia-controlled Rochester-to-Cleveland stolen car ring, a Los Angeles-to-Cleveland cocaine ring headed by Cleveland businessman Robert E. Walsh and a $10 million-per-year numbers racket operated by Virgil Ogletree, a former associate of Shondor Birns and Don King. Rat: Rejected by the Mafia, Tony Delmonti joined a less discriminating group: the FBI Thomas Francis, Cleveland Scene (October 8, 2003) Tony P. Delmonti: Secretly worked for the feds Joel Rutchick and John Caniglia, AmericanMafia.com (February 24, 2001) Delmonti covertly recorded over 500 audio and videotapes which led to the seizure of $100,000 in illicit gambling money, $250,000 in stolen vehicles and 700 kilograms of cocaine, and over a hundred convictions in Cleveland and Rochester between 2000 and 2002. Mob has ebbed, but drug crime surges Gary Craig, Democrat and Chronicle (April 28, 2004) Mob informant's work is done, U.S. says Democrat and Chronicle (October 27, 2005) Adventures with a made man of the Mob: Minister of Culture Michael Heaton, The Plain Dealer (June 14, 2016)
| Cleveland crime family boss Todaro was shot by Angelo Lonardo and Dominic Sospirato, the son and nephew, respectively, of Joseph Lonardo, as revenge for killing the elder Lonardo. |
| Cleveland crime family associate Nardi was killed with a car bomb after aligning himself with the Irish mob boss Danny Greene in a war against the family. |
| Rival gang boss Greene was killed in a car bombing by Ronald Carabbia and Ray Ferritto after starting a mob war against the Cleveland crime family over control of local rackets. |
| Pittsburgh crime family associate Grisham was killed with a sniper rifle by Joseph DeRose, Jr. in Howland Township, Ohio after he and James "Peeps" Cononico attempted to take over gambling rackets in Warren, Ohio controlled by Cleveland crime family associate Joseph Perfette. Organized Crime: Report to the Governor of Ohio Law Enforcement Consulting Committee (1982) |
| Cononico, an associate of Charles "Spider" Grisham, was shot by Joseph DeRose, Jr. in Youngstown, Ohio. |
| "Black Jack" Tobin, a bookmaker, nightclub owner and Pittsburgh crime family associate, was killed with a shotgun after engaging in a gunfight with by Joseph DeRose, Jr. in Austintown Township, Ohio during a gang war between the Cleveland and Pittsburgh crime families over racket territory in the Mahoning Valley. |
| An enforcer for Jack Tobin, Magda was asphyxiated by Joseph DeRose, Jr. and his body was found in a garbage dump in Struthers, Ohio. End of an Era AmericanMafia.com (December 31, 2001) |
| DeCerbo was killed with a shotgun by Joseph DeRose, Jr. in Beaver Township, Ohio after switching sides from the Cleveland faction to the Pittsburgh faction during the Mahoning Valley mob war. |
| Cleveland crime family associate David "Cowboy" Perrier was shot by Thomas Sinito and found dead in a ditch in Trumbull County, Ohio due to suspicions that he was an informant and after he had insulted family boss James Licavoli. |
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