Primarily Greater Cleveland, with additional territory throughout Ohio, Northern Kentucky, Western Pennsylvania and Western New York, as well as South Florida and Las Vegas[1]
Ethnicity
Italians as "made men" and other ethnicities as associates
The Cleveland crime family, also known as the Scalish crime family or the Cleveland Mafia, is an Italian-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 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 Mafia exerted influence over the Teamsters union, profiting from labor racketeering and the skimming of revenue from Las Vegas casinos. The family's membership peaked at around 60 "made men" during the 1950s.[2]
Scalish died unexpectedly during heart surgery without naming a successor in 1976, leaving the Cleveland family in turmoil. Following his death, a violent gang war erupted in the streets of Cleveland during the late 1970s when Irish mobster Danny Greene attempted to take over criminal rackets in the city. James T. Licavoli, who became boss of the family after Scalish's death, hired hitman Ray Ferritto to kill Greene.[5] After several failed attempts on Greene's life, Ferritto succeeded in killing Greene with a car bomb, ending the mob war. The war drew significant law enforcement attention, however, reducing membership and influence of the Cleveland family. Much of the family's weakening can be attributed to Jimmy Fratianno, who turned government witness and provided the FBI with incriminating information on the organization.[6]
Following a series of convictions, including those of Cleveland Mafia bosses Licavoli, Angelo Lonardo and John Tronolone, the family nearly ceased to exist in 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.[7] During the early 2000s, law enforcement agencies believed the Cleveland family was a smaller group but was attempting to rebuild itself. In the 2020s, the organization has been characterized as a small crime family involved in illegal gambling and loansharking.[8]
^
Crime: Mob's Labors Lost Time (November 28, 1968) Archived April 29, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
John Tronolone, reputed Cleveland mob family chief Larry Keller, South Florida Sun Sentinel (June 1, 1991) Archived May 7, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
End of the Line Mike Tobin, Cleveland Scene (April 8, 1999) Archived December 11, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
The Cleveland Mafia: The end of an era and demise of a Don John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer (November 23, 2015) Archived August 7, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
How one Kentucky town almost became Vegas Chez Chesak, Los Angeles Times (August 3, 2019) Archived May 7, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
Kentucky constable's disappearance linked to mafia Shay McAlister and Taylor Weiter, WHAS-TV (May 6, 2021) Archived May 7, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
Cleveland Mob – Ohio Mafia History clevelandcrib.org Archived August 13, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
Northern Kentucky, The State’s Stepchild: Origins and Effects of Organized Crime Richard Challis Archived May 7, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
^ abNotable organized crime figures throughout Cleveland history Evan MacDonald, The Plain Dealer (July 29, 2015) Archived June 3, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
^
The day the Cleveland mob died Ken Prendergast, AmericanMafia.com (October 2002) Archived August 3, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
The Cleveland Mafia: The end of an era and demise of a Don John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer (November 23, 2015) Archived August 7, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
End of the Line Mike Tobin, Cleveland Scene (April 8, 1999) Archived December 11, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
^Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs USA Overview p. 13 United States Department of Justice (May 1991) Archived May 26, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
^"United States v. Licavoli". Retrieved 23 May 2024.
^Porrello, Rick (August 10, 2023). The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia (1 ed.).
^Lonardo told FBI elections were rigged United Press International (May 16, 1986) Archived May 24, 2024, at archive.today
^One Of The Last Of The Mohicans In The Ohio Mafia, “Billy D” DiLeno Made His Mark: Cleveland Button Man Moves On To Big Casino In The Sky Scott Burnstein, The Gangster Report (April 13, 2022) Archived April 14, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
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