View source for Cleveland crime family

{{Short description|Italian-American organized crime group}}
{{Infobox criminal organization
| name              = Cleveland crime family
| image             = <!-- filename only -->
| image_size        =  <!--(defaults to 220px)-->
| caption           = 
| founded           = {{Circa}} {{start date and age|1920}}
| founder           = [[Joseph Lonardo|Joseph "Big Joe" Lonardo]]
| named_after       = [[John T. Scalish|John Scalish]]
| founding_location = [[Cleveland]], Ohio, United States
| years_active      = {{circa|1920{{ndash}}present}}
| territory         = Primarily [[Greater Cleveland]], with additional territory throughout [[Ohio]], [[Northern Kentucky]] and [[Western Pennsylvania]], as well as [[Las Vegas]] and [[South Florida]]<ref>
* [https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,840406,00.html Crime: Mob's Labors Lost] ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' (November 28, 1968) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429224418/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,840406,00.html |date=April 29, 2024 }}
* [https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-florida-sun-sentinel/43360450/ John Tronolone, reputed Cleveland mob family chief] Larry Keller, ''[[South Florida Sun Sentinel]]'' (June 1, 1991) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507203404/https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-florida-sun-sentinel/43360450/ |date=May 7, 2024 }}
* [https://www.clevescene.com/news/end-of-the-line-1472059 End of the Line] Mike Tobin, ''[[Cleveland Scene]]'' (April 8, 1999) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211161012/https://www.clevescene.com/news/end-of-the-line-1472059 |date=December 11, 2023 }}
* [https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2015/11/the_cleveland_mafia_the_end_of.html The Cleveland Mafia: The end of an era and demise of a Don] John Petkovic, ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' (November 23, 2015) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807194646/https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2015/11/the_cleveland_mafia_the_end_of.html |date=August 7, 2020 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20240507175238/https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2019-08-02/newport-kentucky-las-vegas-gambling-big-name-stars-mob How one Kentucky town almost became Vegas] Chez Chesak, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' (August 3, 2019) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507175238/https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2019-08-02/newport-kentucky-las-vegas-gambling-big-name-stars-mob |date=May 7, 2024 }}
* [https://www.whas11.com/article/news/crime/unsolved/newport-george-hawkins-constable-cleveland-mafia/417-40d79657-45e9-4498-8beb-6a647b1a6cea Kentucky constable's disappearance linked to mafia] Shay McAlister and Taylor Weiter, [[WHAS-TV]] (May 6, 2021) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507184641/https://www.whas11.com/article/news/crime/unsolved/newport-george-hawkins-constable-cleveland-mafia/417-40d79657-45e9-4498-8beb-6a647b1a6cea |date=May 7, 2024 }}
* [https://www.clevelandcrib.org/mob-mafia/ Cleveland Mob – Ohio Mafia History] clevelandcrib.org {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813232058/https://www.clevelandcrib.org/mob-mafia/ |date=August 13, 2020 }}
* [https://dspace.nku.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/1ba72c87-0a1c-4db4-b49b-76e8e832dd6c/content Northern Kentucky, The State’s Stepchild: Origins and Effects of Organized Crime] Richard Challis {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507185430/https://dspace.nku.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/1ba72c87-0a1c-4db4-b49b-76e8e832dd6c/content |date=May 7, 2024 }}
</ref>
| ethnicity         = [[Italians]] as "[[Made man|made men]]" and other ethnicities as associates
| membership_est    = 60 made members (1950s)<ref name="Notable organized crime figures">[https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2015/07/notable_organized_crime_figure.html Notable organized crime figures throughout Cleveland history] Evan MacDonald, ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' (July 29, 2015) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603143841/https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2015/07/notable_organized_crime_figure.html |date=June 3, 2023 }}</ref>
| leaders           = 
| activities        = Racketeering, murder, car bombing, drug trafficking, skimming, labor racketeering, extortion, illegal gambling, construction, garbage collection, loansharking, bookmaking, bribery, assault<ref>
* [https://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_241.html The day the Cleveland mob died] Ken Prendergast, AmericanMafia.com (October 2002) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803071634/https://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_241.html |date=August 3, 2021 }}
* [https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2015/11/the_cleveland_mafia_the_end_of.html The Cleveland Mafia: The end of an era and demise of a Don] John Petkovic, ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' (November 23, 2015) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807194646/https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2015/11/the_cleveland_mafia_the_end_of.html |date=August 7, 2020 }}
* [https://www.clevescene.com/news/end-of-the-line-1472059 End of the Line] Mike Tobin, ''[[Cleveland Scene]]'' (April 8, 1999) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211161012/https://www.clevescene.com/news/end-of-the-line-1472059 |date=December 11, 2023 }}
</ref>
| allies            = {{plainlist|
* [[Bufalino crime family]]
* [[Chicago Outfit]]
* [[DeCavalcante crime family]]
* [[Detroit Partnership]]
* [[Gambino crime family]]
* [[Genovese crime family]]
* [[Kansas City crime family]]
* [[Los Angeles crime family]]
* [[Milwaukee crime family]]
* [[New Orleans crime family]]
* [[Pittsburgh crime family]] 
* [[Hells Angels Motorcycle Club|Hells Angels MC]]{{sfn|Richardson|1991|p=13}}
}}
| rivals            = {{plainlist|
* [[Danny Greene#The Celtic Club|Celtic Club]]
* and various other gangs in the Cleveland area
}}
| notable_members   = 
}}
The '''Cleveland crime family''', also known as the '''Scalish crime family''' or the '''Cleveland Mafia''', is an [[Italian Americans|Italian American]] [[American Mafia|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 (mobster)|Frank Milano]] became [[Boss (crime)|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 (fraud)|skimming]] of revenue from [[Las Vegas]] [[casino]]s. The family's membership peaked at around sixty "[[Made man|made men]]" during the 1950s.<ref name="Notable organized crime figures"/>

When Scalish died unexpectedly during heart surgery without naming a successor in 1976, the Cleveland family fell into turmoil. A violent [[Gang#Gang violence|gang war]] erupted during the late 1970s when [[Irish Mob|Irish mobster]] [[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.<ref>{{cite web |title=United States v. Licavoli |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=9909540152062974273&q=United+States+of+America,+Plaintiff-appellee,+v.+James+T.+Licavoli+(82-3498),+Anthony+Liberatore+(82-3509,82-3606),+John+P.+Calandra+(82-3510),+Pasquale+Cisternino(82-3511),+Ronald+Carabbia+(82-3512),+Kenneth+Ciarcia(82-3513),+Defendants-appellants&hl=0en&as_sdt=2006 |access-date=23 May 2024}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Porrello |first1=Rick |title=The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia |date=August 10, 2023 |edition=1}}</ref> 

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.<ref name="Lonardo told FBI">[https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/05/16/Angelo-Lonardo-the-former-underboss-of-the-Cleveland-Mafia/5567516600000/ Lonardo told FBI elections were rigged] [[United Press International]] (May 16, 1986) {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20240524191334/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/05/16/Angelo-Lonardo-the-former-underboss-of-the-Cleveland-Mafia/5567516600000/ |date=May 24, 2024 }}</ref> 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]].<ref name="Last Of The Mohicans">[https://gangsterreport.com/one-of-the-last-of-the-mohicans-in-the-ohio-mafia-billy-d-dileno-made-his-mark-cleveland-button-man-moves-on-to-the-big-casino-in-the-sky/ 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) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414003313/https://gangsterreport.com/one-of-the-last-of-the-mohicans-in-the-ohio-mafia-billy-d-dileno-made-his-mark-cleveland-button-man-moves-on-to-the-big-casino-in-the-sky/ |date=April 14, 2022 }}</ref>

==History==
===Early organized crime in Cleveland===
Semi-organized [[Sicilian American]]- and [[Italian American]]-run "[[Black Hand (extortion)|Black Hand]]" [[extortion]] rackets first emerged in [[Cleveland]] around the year 1900. The [[Cleveland Division of Police]] (CDP) soon established an "Italian squad" (also known as the "Black Hand squad") to deal with the problem. After a series of Black Hand-related murders in the city in 1906, the Italian squad largely suppressed this first expression of [[organized crime]] in Cleveland.{{sfn|May|2014|page=71}}{{Efn|"Black hand" murders continued into the 1920s.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kelly|first=Ralph|title=Murder in Cleveland: The Prohibition Toll. Chapter 1-The Bodies in the Snow|work=The Plain Dealer|date=December 26, 1933|pages=1, 9}}</ref>}}

Loosely organized gangs emerged again in the 1910s. One Italian American [[gang]], known as the Mayfield Road Mob, formed in Cleveland's [[University Circle#Little Italy|Little Italy]] neighborhood about 1913.{{sfn|Griffin|DeNevi|2002|page=166}} Elsewhere in Little Italy,{{sfn|May|2014|page=67}}{{Efn|Now part of Cleveland's [[Central, Cleveland|Central]] and [[Downtown Cleveland|Downtown]] neighborhoods, Big Italy ran along Woodland Avenue from Ontario Street/Orange Avenue in the west to E. 40th Street in the east. Initially Sicilian (with Italians coming after 1910), the Big Italy community formed about 1900. It was home to most of the city's wholesale and retail produce stores, and most residents worked as laborers and tradesmen. It began to decline significantly during the 1930s, and vanished in the 1940s as whites moved out and [[African Americans]] moved in.{{sfn|Bonocore|2005|page=20}}{{sfn|Mitchell|2008|page=7}}{{sfn|Miller|Wheeler|1997|page=103}}}} [[Notary public (United States)|notary public]] Angelo Serra oversaw a gang primarily specializing in [[auto theft]] that at one point yielded $500,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|500000|1916|r=-5}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) a year. At roughly the same time, Dominic Benigno led a gang which [[monopoly|monopolized]] in payroll [[robbery|robberies]].<ref name=merrick>{{cite news|last=Merrick|first=Frank J.|title=Giving the Low-Down on Cleveland Rackets|work=The Plain Dealer|date=August 27, 1933|pages=Plain Dealer Magazine 3, 5}}</ref>{{sfn|May|2014|pages=67-79}}{{Efn|Cleveland crime historian Allan R. May says Benigno was the first head of the Mayfield Road Mob.{{sfn|May|2014|page=67}} But Cleveland public prosecutor Frank J. Merrick said that after Benigno was executed in June 1922, there was no successor as head of the gang,<ref name=merrick /> which makes the case for a distinction between the Benigno Gang and the Mayfield Road Mob.}} Meanwhile, another Italian American gang, the Collinwood Crew, operated around the intersection of St. Clair Avenue, E. 152d Street and Ivanhoe Road in [[Collinwood]].{{sfn|McCarthy|2011|pages=109-110}} 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]].{{sfn|May|2014|page=171}}

Following the institution of [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] in 1919,<ref>{{cite web|last=Birkhimer|first=Lily|title=The Prohibition Era Begins|website=Ohio Memory|date=June 1, 2012|access-date=August 22, 2018|url=http://www.ohiohistoryhost.org/ohiomemory/archives/641}}</ref> and nationally throughout the United States on January 16, 1920.{{sfn|Anderson|2003|page=96}} 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.<ref name=kelly2 /> Small [[rum-running|bootlegging]] operations were run by formerly legitimate businessmen like Michelino Le Paglia, August L. Rini and Louis Rosen.<ref name=kelly3>{{cite news|last=Kelly|first=Ralph|title=Murder in Cleveland: The Prohibition Toll. Chapter 3—Rise of the Rum Kings; the 'Bloody Corner|work=The Plain Dealer|date=December 28, 1933|pages=1, 5}}</ref> A number of small bootlegging gangs, run by [[Jew]]ish residents, began operating in the "Little Hollywood" area of [[Hough, Cleveland|Hough]],<ref name=kelly5>{{cite news|last=Kelly|first=Ralph|title=Murder in Cleveland: The Prohibition Toll. Chapter 5—Death in Ambler Park: A Bootleg Joke|work=The Plain Dealer|date=December 30, 1933|page=7}}</ref> an area bounded by Lexington and Hough Avenues between E. 73rd and E. 79th Streets.<ref>{{cite report|author=Cleveland City Planning Commission|title=Civic Vision 2000 Citywide Plan|location=Cleveland, Ohio|date=1991|page=92|access-date=August 25, 2018|url=http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/cwp/2000/assets/Civic_Vision_2000_RegionII.pdf}}</ref> The [[brothel]]s, [[Speakeasy|speakeasies]] 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]].<ref name=kelly5 /> 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.{{Efn|These gangs existed prior to Prohibition, but were much smaller, less organized, and focused primarily on small-time crimes like auto theft, burglary, and the occasional raid of goods from unattended [[boxcar]]s in railroad yards.<ref name=kelly2 />}} The Mayfield Road Mob grew larger as it focused more on bootlegging.<ref name=kelly2>{{cite news|last=Kelly|first=Ralph|title=Murder in Cleveland: The Prohibition Toll. Chapter 2-Rosen and Adelson Got Better Publicity|work=The Plain Dealer|date=December 27, 1933|pages=1, 5}}</ref>

===The Lonardo and Porrello brothers===
[[File:Lonardo family memorial - Calvary Cemetery.jpg|thumb|The Lonardo family plot at [[Calvary Cemetery (Cleveland, Ohio)|Calvary Cemetery]] in Cleveland]]
The four Lonardo brothers ([[Joseph Lonardo|Joseph]], Frank, John and Dominic) and seven Porrello brothers (Rosario, Vincenzo, Angelo, Joseph, John, Ottavio and Raymond) were immigrants to the United States from [[Licata]], [[Sicily]], [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]]. Initially establishing themselves as legitimate businessmen, the Lonardos and the Porrellos dabbled in various criminal activities including robbery and [[extortion]] but were not considered a major organization prior to Prohibition.{{sfn|DeVico|2007|page=142}}

At the start of Prohibition, Joseph "Big Joe" Lonardo, the second eldest of the Lonardo brothers, became the first [[crime boss|boss]] of the Cleveland crime family.{{sfn|DeVico|2007|page=142}} His top lieutenant, Joseph Porrello, supervised various criminal operations throughout the early to mid-1920s.<ref name="Lonardo Dead">[https://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_343.html Angelo "Big Ange" Lonardo, One-time Highest-Ranking Mobster to Become a Federal Witness, Dead at age 95] Rick Porrello, AmericanMafia.com (April 2006) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060411160445/https://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_343.html |date=April 11, 2006 }}</ref>

===Split factions (1926–1927)===
In 1926, the Porrellos broke away from the Lonardos and formed their own faction, establishing their headquarters on upper Woodland Avenue, around E. 110th Street. In 1927, hostilities between the Lonardos and the Porrellos escalated as the families competed in the manufacture of [[glucose|corn sugar]], the prime ingredient in bootleg liquor.<ref name="Lonardo Dead"/>

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 Todaro (mobster)|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.<ref name=twobrothers>{{cite news|title=Two Brothers Murdered in Bootleg War|work=The Plain Dealer|date=October 14, 1927|pages=1, 5}}</ref><ref name=hitsnew>{{cite news|title=Hits New Lead in Murder of Two Lonardos|work=The Plain Dealer|date=October 15, 1927|pages=1, 8}}</ref> This allowed Joseph Porrello to take over as boss of the Cleveland family and become the most influential corn sugar baron in [[Greater Cleveland]].<ref name="Lonardo Dead"/>

===The Porrellos (1927–1930)===
[[File:Porrellograve.jpg|thumb|250px|The grave marker for Joseph and Vincenzo Porrello at Calvary Cemetery]]
Through late 1927 and much of 1928, the remaining Lonardo loyalists, which included members of the Mayfield Road Mob and various Jewish allies within the Cleveland Syndicate, continued to rival the Porrellos for the leadership within the Cleveland underworld. They vied for control of the most lucrative rackets outside of the corn sugar business, which included gambling, the most profitable hustle for crime families of the period after bootlegging.<ref name="Lonardo Dead"/>

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 [[The Statler (Cleveland)|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.<ref name="Lonardo Dead"/> 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.<ref name="Golden Era">[https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/articles/the-golden-era-of-the-mob The Golden Era of the Cleveland Mob] Frank Kuznik, ''[[Cleveland Magazine]]'' (August 1, 1978) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116183716/https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/articles/the-golden-era-of-the-mob |date=Nobvember 16, 2022 }}</ref> 

On June 11, 1929, "Black Sam" Todaro was murdered.{{sfn|Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations|1988|pages=96-97}} 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 (mobster)|Frank Milano]].<ref name="Golden Era"/> 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.

===Mayfield Road Mob (1930–1944)===
[[File:Public Square, szemben a polgárháború katonáinak és matrózainak emlékműve (Scofield, 1894.). Fortepan 52869.jpg|thumb|Cleveland's [[Public Square, Cleveland|Public Square]], 1930]]
During the early 1930s, Frank Milano and the Mayfield Road Mob gradually replaced the Porrello brothers as the Cleveland area's premier Mafia group, with Milano becoming the official boss of the Cleveland family.<ref name="Golden Era"/> In 1931, Milano joined the [[National Crime Syndicate]], a network of powerful criminals which included [[Charlie Luciano|Charles "Lucky" Luciano]] and [[Meyer Lansky]]. By 1932, Milano had become one of the top Mafia bosses in the country and a charter member of [[The Commission (mafia)|The Commission]], the Mafia's governing body.<ref name="Golden Era"/>

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.<ref name="Golden Era"/> The remaining Porrellos subsequently backed out of the Cleveland underworld and fled the area.

In 1935, Milano fled to Mexico after being [[indictment|indicted]] for [[tax evasion]].<ref name="Golden Era"/> 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.<ref name="Golden Era"/>

===Scalish era (1944–1976)===
[[File:CommissionChart1963.jpg|thumb|1963 [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] La Cosa Nostra [[The Commission (American Mafia)|Commission]] chart]]
Following Polizzi's ouster in 1944, [[John T. Scalish|John Scalish]] began the longest reign of any Cleveland boss. Under his leadership, the Cleveland family developed ties with important crime figures such as Lansky, [[Shondor Birns]], [[Moe Dalitz]] and [[Tony Accardo]], as well as the [[Chicago Outfit]] and the [[Genovese crime family]] in New York. Additionally, the family expanded its influence to areas throughout the [[American Midwest|Midwest]], [[California]], [[Florida]] and [[Las Vegas]].<ref name="demise of a Don">[https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2015/11/the_cleveland_mafia_the_end_of.html The Cleveland Mafia: The end of an era and demise of a Don] John Petkovic, ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' (November 23, 2015) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807194646/https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2015/11/the_cleveland_mafia_the_end_of.html |date=August 7, 2020 }}</ref> The family helped finance the construction of Las Vegas' [[Desert Inn]] [[casino hotel]] in the late 1940s and received a percentage of profits from the resort in exchange for providing protection.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=87}}

In the 1950s, the Cleveland family reached its peak in size, with about sixty "[[made man|made]]" members, and several times as many associates.<ref name="Notable organized crime figures"/> By the 1970s, however, the family's membership began to decrease after Scalish chose not to induct new members.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=87}} 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 "[[Skimming (fraud)|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, Ohio|Youngstown]].{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=87-88}} The Cleveland, [[Kansas City crime family|Kansas City]] and [[Milwaukee crime family|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.<ref name="3 Mob Families">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1985/11/23/3-mob-families-linked-to-teamsters-fund/fffb0a69-9233-4517-8da5-64090281d6a1/ 3 Mob Families Linked to Teamsters Fund] George Lardner Jr., ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (November 22, 1985) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324181118/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1985/11/23/3-mob-families-linked-to-teamsters-fund/fffb0a69-9233-4517-8da5-64090281d6a1/ |date=March 24, 2024 }}</ref> Additionally, the Cleveland family collected protection money from casinos in [[Western Pennsylvania]] and [[Northern Kentucky]].{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=88}}

===War with Danny Greene (1976–1977)===
[[File:Danny Greene (1959).jpg|thumb|Irish mobster [[Danny Greene]]]]
John Scalish died during [[open heart surgery]] in 1976, without officially naming a successor.<ref name="demise of a Don"/> It was decided afterward by the family's members that James "Jack White" Licavoli would take over as boss.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=88}} During Licavoli's reign, an [[Irish Mob|Irish gangster]] named [[Danny Greene]] began competing with the Cleveland family for control of the city's rackets.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=89}} Greene partnered with [[John Nardi]], a rogue Mafia associate and Teamster, who arranged the murder of Calogero "Leo Lips" Moceri, Licavoli's [[underboss]].{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=89}} Moceri disappeared after attending a [[Feast of the Assumption]] festival in Little Italy on August 22, 1976; his blood-stained car was found in [[Akron, Ohio|Akron]] days later, although his remains were never recovered. Moceri was allegedly killed by Keith Ritson, an enforcer for Greene.<ref name="Hit List">[https://gangsterreport.com/cleveland-top-5-mob-hits/ Mafia Hit List – Top Cleveland Mob Murders] Scott Burnstein, GangsterReport.com (July 17, 2014) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105091625/https://gangsterreport.com/cleveland-top-5-mob-hits/ |date=November 5, 2022 }}</ref>

Moceri's murder resulted in a violent mob war between the Cleveland family and Greene's gang, during which almost forty [[car bomb]]ings took place in the city of Cleveland.<ref>{{cite news|last=Petkovic|first=John|title=The Cleveland Mafia: Death of a don ignites Bomb City, USA|work=The Plain Dealer|date=May 26, 2016|access-date=June 23, 2017|url=http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/05/the_cleveland_mafia_death_of_a.html}}</ref> 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.<ref name="The Year">[https://cpl.org/1976-the-year-cleveland-became-bomb-city-usa/ 1976: The Year Cleveland Became Bomb City, USA] Lisa Sanchez, [[Cleveland Public Library]] (October 20, 2017) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023172410/https://cpl.org/1976-the-year-cleveland-became-bomb-city-usa/ |date=October 23, 2017 }}</ref> 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.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=89-90}}

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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-06 |title=Bomb City U.S.A.: The untold story of Cleveland's mobster dynasty |url=https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/investigations/bomb-city-usa-cleveland-mobster-dynasty/95-ff184a7c-f95e-478b-986b-c4469c69ad9a |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=wkyc.com |language=en-US}}</ref> After several similarly failed hits, it became evident that the Cleveland family needed outside help, which came in the form of [[contract killing|hitman]] [[Ray Ferritto]].{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=89-90}}

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 “Ronnie the Crab” Carabbia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-06 |title=Bomb City U.S.A.: The untold story of Cleveland's mobster dynasty |url=https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/investigations/bomb-city-usa-cleveland-mobster-dynasty/95-ff184a7c-f95e-478b-986b-c4469c69ad9a |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=wkyc.com |language=en-US}}</ref> The two men were seen by a woman named Debbie Spoth, who was able to help police identify Ferritto.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-06 |title=Bomb City U.S.A.: The untold story of Cleveland's mobster dynasty |url=https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/investigations/bomb-city-usa-cleveland-mobster-dynasty/95-ff184a7c-f95e-478b-986b-c4469c69ad9a |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=wkyc.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Greene's body lay under the ruins of his vehicle for at least an hour before his corpse was removed.<ref>{{cite news|title=Car bomb kills Danny Greene|work=The Plain Dealer|date=October 7, 1977|access-date=June 23, 2017|url=http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2011/02/car_bomb_kills_danny_greene.html}}</ref> Following the assassination, Ferritto heard that the Cleveland family wanted him dead and [[turn state's evidence|turned state's witness]], leading to the arrest of Licavoli and other Cleveland mobsters.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=90}}

=== Decline (1978–1990s)===
[[File:Cleveland crime family by FBI in 1983.png|thumb|FBI chart of the Cleveland family in 1983]]
In 1978, the CDP warned then-[[Mayor of Cleveland|Mayor]] [[Dennis Kucinich]] that the Cleveland family had put out a hit on him because of some of his initiatives were hindering their criminal activities. Police informed Kucinich that a hitman was planning on shooting the mayor while he marched in the [[Columbus Day]] parade; Kucinich missed the parade as he was hospitalized with a ruptured [[ulcer]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Renner|first=James|title=The Mafia Plot To Kill Dennis Kucinich|work=The Cleveland Free Times|date=July 8, 2007|access-date=June 23, 2017|url=http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/9/the-mafia-plot-to-kill-dennis-kucinich|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708205903/http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/9/the-mafia-plot-to-kill-dennis-kucinich|archive-date=July 8, 2007}}</ref> However, the mayor took note of the threat and began keeping a gun in his home for protection.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dubail|first=Jean|title=Kucinich packed heat after 1978 Mafia death plot|work=The Plain Dealer|date=April 27, 2007|access-date=March 26, 2018|url=http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2007/04/kucinich_packed_heat_after_197.html}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Flames Of Discontent">[https://gangsterreport.com/the-flames-of-discontent-in-youngstown-cleveland-pittsburgh-mob-war-ii-murder-timeline/ The Flames Of Discontent In Youngstown (CrimeTown USA): Cleveland-Pittsburgh Mob War II Murder Timeline] Scott Burnstein, GangsterReportr.com (November 10, 2016) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102204802/https://gangsterreport.com/the-flames-of-discontent-in-youngstown-cleveland-pittsburgh-mob-war-ii-murder-timeline/ |date=November 2, 2018 }}</ref><ref name="Crimetown USA">[https://newrepublic.com/article/68973/crimetown-usa Crimetown USA: The city that fell in love with the mob] David Grann, ''[[The New Republic]]'' (July 10, 2000) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127170333/https://newrepublic.com/article/68973/crimetown-usa |date=January 27, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="This Week">[https://www.americanmafia.com/Mob_Report/12-3-01_Mob_Report.html This Week in Mob History] AmericanMafia.com (December 3, 2001) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040511010616/https://www.americanmafia.com/Mob_Report/12-3-01_Mob_Report.html |date=May 11, 2004 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Steel City Mafia">''[https://books.google.com/books?id=eWvDEAAAQBAJ&dq=charles+spider+grisham+warren+ohio&pg=PT77 Steel City Mafia: Blood, Betrayal and Pittsburgh’s Last Don]'' Paul N. Hodos (2023) {{ISBN|9781467153751}}</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.clevescene.com/news/end-of-the-line-1472059 End of the Line] Mike Tobin, ''[[Cleveland Scene]]'' (April 8, 1999) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211161012/https://www.clevescene.com/news/end-of-the-line-1472059 |date=December 11, 2023 }}</ref>

Eventually, Licavoli was sent to prison for [[RICO]] charges related to the murder of Greene in 1982.<ref name="demise of a Don"/> 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.<ref name="Introduction to Criminology">''[https://books.google.com/books?id=E7-cEAAAQBAJ&dq=russell+papalardo+boss&pg=PT598 Introduction to Criminology: Theories, Methods, and Criminal Behavior]'' Frank E. Hagan, and Leah E. Daigle (2018) {{ISBN|9781544339023}}</ref>

After Lonardo became an informant, [[John Tronolone|John "Peanuts" 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 (police officer)|Dave Green]], an undercover [[Broward County, Florida|Broward County]] deputy in exchange for [[bookmaking]] and loansharking debts. Tronolone died in 1991 before he could start his nine-year state prison sentence.<ref name="Reputed Chief">[https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1991/06/01/john-tronolone-reputed-cleveland-mob-family-chief/ John Tronolone, Reputed Cleveland Mob Family Chief] ''[[South Florida Sun Sentinel]]'' (June 1, 1991) {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20240324011718/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1991/06/01/john-tronolone-reputed-cleveland-mob-family-chief/ |date=March 24, 2024 }}</ref>

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.<ref name="Introduction to Criminology"/><ref name="Reputed Chief"/><ref name="Cleveland Mob History">[https://www.clevelandcrib.org/mob-mafia/ Cleveland Mob – Ohio Mafia History] clevelandcrib.org {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813232058/https://www.clevelandcrib.org/mob-mafia/ |date=August 13, 2020 }}</ref> In addition to convictions, defections and deaths, the loss of the family's influence over the IBT also significantly weakened their stature.{{sfn|Capeci|2002|page=101}} 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.<ref name="Cleveland Mob History"/><ref name="Vintage Photos">[https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/vintage-photos-of-clevelands-most-notorious-mobsters/Slideshow/38343045 Vintage Photos of Cleveland's Most Notorious Mobsters] ''[[Cleveland Scene]]'' (March 28, 2016) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131000847/https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/vintage-photos-of-clevelands-most-notorious-mobsters/Slideshow/38343045 |date=January 31, 2023 }}</ref>

Following the imprisonment of Liberatore, two ''mafiosi'' who had been inducted into the family by Angelo Lonardo in 1983 – Joseph "Joe Loose" Iacobacci and Russell "R.J." Papalardo – became the leading figures in the Cleveland Mafia.<ref name="Cleveland Mob History"/> 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.<ref name="Introduction to Criminology"/><ref name="Vintage Photos"/>

In May 1998, Anthony P. Delmonti, an associate of the Cleveland family and the [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]], [[New York (state)|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]].<ref name="Cleveland Mob History"/><ref name="Rat">[https://www.clevescene.com/news/rat-1484103 Rat: Rejected by the Mafia, Tony Delmonti joined a less discriminating group: the FBI] Thomas Francis, ''[[Cleveland Scene]]'' (October 8, 2003) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207094611/https://www.clevescene.com/news/rat-1484103 |date=December 7, 2022 }}</ref><ref name="Secretly worked for the feds">[https://www.americanmafia.com/News/2-24-01_Delmonti_Worked_For_Feds.html Tony P. Delmonti: Secretly worked for the feds] Joel Rutchick and John Caniglia, AmericanMafia.com (February 24, 2001) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010405100508/https://www.americanmafia.com/News/2-24-01_Delmonti_Worked_For_Feds.html |date=April 5, 2001 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Rat"/><ref name="Mob has ebbed">[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-april-28-2004-mo/6582091/ Mob has ebbed, but drug crime surges] Gary Craig, ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'' (April 28, 2004) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240325232958/https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-april-28-2004-mo/6582091/ |date=March 25, 2024 }}</ref><ref name="work is done">[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/137190768/ Mob informant's work is done, U.S. says] ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'' (October 27, 2005) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240325233620/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/137190768/ |date=March 25, 2024 }}</ref><ref name="Adventures with a made man">[https://www.cleveland.com/ministerofculture/2016/06/adventures_with_a_mob_made_man.html Adventures with a made man of the Mob: Minister of Culture] Michael Heaton, ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' (June 14, 2016) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218050223/https://www.cleveland.com/ministerofculture/2016/06/adventures_with_a_mob_made_man.html |date=December 18, 2021 }}</ref>

=== Current position ===
Despite the imprisonment of Iacobacci in the late 1990s, he and Papalardo were reportedly able to steadily rebuild the organization in the 21st century.<ref name="Cleveland Mob History"/><ref name="Introduction to Criminology"/> Iocobacci inducted new members into the family, forged ties with the Chicago Outfit, the [[Detroit Partnership]] and the [[DeCavalcante crime family]] of [[New Jersey]], and reportedly oversaw rackets in Cleveland, Youngstown, Pittsburgh and Rochester.<ref name="Joe Loose">[https://americanmafiahistory.com/joseph-iacobacci-joe-loose-of-the-cleveland-mob/ Joseph Iacobacci - "Joe Loose" of the Cleveland Mob] Mike Dickson, AmericanMafiaHistory.com (June 21, 2020) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101011840/https://americanmafiahistory.com/joseph-iacobacci-joe-loose-of-the-cleveland-mob/ |date=November 1, 2020 }}</ref><ref name="Ohio Mourns">[https://gangsterreport.com/ohio-mourns-loss-of-don-midwest-mob-chief-joe-loose-dies-in-cleveland/ Ohio Mourns Loss Of Don, Fmr. Midwest Mob Chief “Joe Loose” Dies In Cleveland] Scott Burnstein, GangsterReport.com (April 17, 2020) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109141629/https://gangsterreport.com/ohio-mourns-loss-of-don-midwest-mob-chief-joe-loose-dies-in-cleveland/ |date=November 9, 2022 }}</ref> Iocobacci retired in the 2000s after he reportedly relinquished much of his family's territory to the Chicago Outfit.<ref name="Last Of The Mohicans"/> Papalardo succeeded Iacobacci as boss of the Cleveland family upon Iacobacci's retirement.<ref name="Cleveland Mob History"/>{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}} In 2020, crime reporter Scott Burnstein described the organization as: "These days, the Cleveland crime family is a small group of mostly old-timers, bookies and loansharks".<ref name="Ohio Mourns"/> According to Burnstein, the Cleveland Mafia is an "almost-benign group ... with a limited formal structure."<ref name="Last Of The Mohicans"/>

==Historical leadership==

===Boss (official and acting)===
*1920–1927 – [[Joseph Lonardo|Joseph "Big Joe" Lonardo]] – murdered in 1927.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}
*1927–1929 – [[Salvatore Todaro (mobster)|Salvatore "Black Sam" Todaro]] – murdered in 1929.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}
*1929–1930 – Joseph "Big Joe" Porrello – murdered in 1930.
*1930–1935 – [[Frank Milano (mobster)|Frank Milano]] – fled to Mexico in 1935, moved to California in the late 1950s; died of natural causes in 1970.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}
*1935–1945 – [[Alfred Polizzi|Alfred "Big Al" Polizzi]] – arrested in 1944, retired to [[Florida]] in 1945, died of natural causes in 1975.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}
**''Acting'' 1944–1945 – [[John T. Scalish|John T. "John Scalise" Scalish]] - died of complications during heart surgery in 1976.
*1945–1976 – John T. "John Scalise" Scalish{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}
*1976–1985 – [[James Licavoli|James "Jack White" Licavoli]] – imprisoned in 1981, died of natural causes in 1985.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}
**''Acting'' 1981–1983 – [[Angelo Lonardo|Angelo "Big Ange" Lonardo]] – turned informant in October 1983, died of natural causes in 2006.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}
**''Acting'' 1983–1985 – [[John Tronolone|John "Peanuts" Tronolone]]
*1985–1991 – John "Peanuts" Tronolone – died of natural causes in 1991{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}
*1991–1993 – Anthony "Tony Lib" Liberatore – imprisoned in 1993, died of natural causes in 1998.{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}<ref name="Vintage Photos"/>
*1993–2004 – Joseph "Joe Loose" Iacobacci – retired, died 2020{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}<ref name="Joe Loose"/>
*2004–present – Russell "R.J." Papalardo{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}

===Underboss===
*1930–1976 – [[Anthony Milano]] – retired in 1976, deceased in 1978.{{sfn|Capeci|2002|page=100}}
*1976 – Calogero "Leo Lips" Moceri – disappeared and murdered in 1976.
*1976–1983 – Angelo "Big Ange" Lonardo – turned informant in October 1983, deceased in 2006.<ref name="Vintage Photos"/>
*1983–1985 – John "Peanuts" Tronolone – became boss in 1985.
*1985–1991 – Anthony "Tony Lib" Liberatore – became boss.
*1991–1995 – Alfred "Allie" Calabrese – imprisoned in 1995.
*1995–2004 – Russell "RJ" Papalardo – became boss

===Consigliere===
*1930–1972 – John DeMarco – died in 1972{{sfn|Capeci|2002|page=100}}
*1972–1973 – Frank "Frankie B" Brancato
*1973–1977 – Anthony "Tony Dope" Delsanter - died of natural causes in August 1977<ref name="Vintage Photos"/>
*1977–1983 – John "Peanuts" Tronolone – became underboss in 1983.
*1983–1993 – Louis "Bones" Battista aka "The Bulldog" (deceased)
*1999–2010 – Raymond "Lefty" LaMarca (deceased 2010) <ref>{{cite web |title=Raymond C. "Papa Duck" LaMarca |url=https://obits.cleveland.com/obituaries/cleveland/obituary.aspx?n=raymond-c-lamarca-papa-duck&pid=146605962&fhid=2379 |access-date=29 November 2020 |ref=November 2010}}</ref>

== Current members ==
=== Administration ===
* '''Boss''' – '''Russell J. "R.J." Papalardo''' – born on July 4, 1941.<ref name="Papalardo">[https://www.cleveland.com/pdextra/2010/01/russell_papalardo.html Russell Papalardo] Rachel Dissell, ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' (January 31, 2010) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328204120/https://www.cleveland.com/pdextra/2010/01/russell_papalardo.html |date=March 28, 2024 }}</ref> Papalardo was inducted into the family in 1983.<ref name="Early Years Part 1">[https://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_377.html Tommy James Sinito AKA The Chinaman: The Early Years Part 1] Amy A. Kisil, AmericanMafia.com (February 2007) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123142410/https://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_377.html |date=November 23, 2007 }}</ref> In 1986, he was convicted for his role in a multimillion-dollar cocaine ring operated by the Cleveland crime family and served four years in federal prison.<ref name="Dimora's neighborhood">[https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/dimoras_neighborhood_attracts.html Dimora's neighborhood attracts friends, the powerful, some linked to probe] ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' (December 7, 2008) {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20240328203344/https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/dimoras_neighborhood_attracts.html |date=March 28, 2024 }}</ref> Papalardo was made acting boss while Joseph "Joe Loose" Iacobacci was imprisoned in the late 1990s and he succeeded Iacobacci as boss of the family in the mid-2000s.<ref name="Introduction to Criminology"/>{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=84}}

=== Soldiers ===
* '''Ronald "Ronnie" Lucarelli Jr.'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Scene |title=Vintage Photos of Cleveland's Most Notorious Mobsters |url=https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/vintage-photos-of-clevelands-most-notorious-mobsters/Slideshow/38343045/38286675 |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Cleveland Scene |language=en}}</ref> – soldier and major cocaine distributor in the Cleveland area.<ref name="Feds say">[https://www.news-herald.com/2000/06/15/feds-say-area-men-guided-drug-ring/ Feds say area men guided drug ring] ''[[The News-Herald (Ohio)|The News-Herald]]'' (June 15, 2000) {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20240524200812/https://www.news-herald.com/2000/06/15/feds-say-area-men-guided-drug-ring/ |date=May 24, 2024 }}</ref> He was among 28 members of a drug ring indicted on federal charges in June 2000. On December 27, 2000, Lucarelli was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.<ref name="Drug plea nets prison">[https://www.news-herald.com/2000/12/28/drug-plea-nets-prison/ Drug plea nets prison] Tracey Read, ''[[The News-Herald (Ohio)|The News-Herald]]'' (December 28, 2000) {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20250529155547/https://www.news-herald.com/2000/12/28/drug-plea-nets-prison/ |date=May 29, 2025 }}</ref> He was released on November 10, 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ronald Lucarelli |url=https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ |access-date=May 29, 2025 |website=Bureau of Prison Inmate Locator}}</ref>

== Former members ==
* '''Amato "Tuttie" Bucci''' – former soldier. Born in 1927. Bucci was allegedly involved in drug trafficking and armed robbery. He died in January 2005.<ref>{{cite web |title=Amato Bucci Obituary |url=https://obits.cleveland.com/us/obituaries/cleveland/name/amato-bucci-obituary?id=17341620 |website=Cleveland.com |access-date=27 April 2025}}</ref>
* '''Alfred "Allie Con" Calabrese''' – former underboss. Calabrese survived an attempted car bombing in September 1976 when an explosive device attached to his vehicle detonated and killed his neighbor when the neighbor tried to move Calabrese's car.<ref name="Moceri dead">[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal/109300188/?locale=en-GB Moceri dead... Agents say crime chief slain in mob war] John Dunphy and Douglas Balz, ''[[Akron Beacon Journal]]'' (December 20, 1977) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328230618/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal/109300188/?locale=en-GB |date=March 28, 2024 }}</ref>
* '''John Calandra''' – former capo{{sfn|Capeci|2002|page=101}}
* '''Ronald "Ronnie the Crab" Carabbia''' – took control of the [[Youngstown, Ohio|Youngstown]] faction for the family following the death of Anthony Delsanter in August 1977.<ref name="Moceri dead"/> Carrabia was an accomplice to [[Ray Ferritto]] in the October 6, 1977 car bomb murder of [[Danny Greene]].<ref name="Last of the Northeast Ohio Gangsters">[https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/news/articles/the-last-of-the-northeast-ohio-gangsters The Last of the Northeast Ohio Gangsters] Vince Guerrieri, ''[[Cleveland Magazine]]'' (December 28, 2021) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328221617/https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/news/articles/the-last-of-the-northeast-ohio-gangsters |date=March 28, 2024 }}</ref> In May 1978, he was convicted of aggravated murder for the killing.<ref name="Mobster Released">[https://www.cleveland19.com/story/945834/mobster-released-on-parole-despite-objections/ Mobster Released On Parole Despite Objections] (September 24, 2002) {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20240328220859/https://www.cleveland19.com/story/945834/mobster-released-on-parole-despite-objections/ |date=March 28, 2024 }}</ref> Carrabia was paroled from [[Chillicothe Correctional Institution]] on September 24, 2002. He died on December 22, 2021, aged 92.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ronald Carabbia, former mob boss in Valley, dies at 92 |url=https://www.vindy.com/news/local-news/2021/12/ronald-carabbia-former-mob-boss-in-valley-dies-at-92/ |access-date=20 November 2022 |agency=News |publisher=Vindy |date=December 24, 2021}} {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20240328215810/https://www.vindy.com/news/local-news/2021/12/ronald-carabbia-former-mob-boss-in-valley-dies-at-92/ |date=March 28, 2024 }}</ref>
* '''Eugene J. "The Animal" Ciasullo''' – former soldier. Ciasullo was raised in [[Collinwood]] and became a debt collector, bookmaker and loan shark in the family under John Scalish and James Licavoli.<ref name="Tamed">[http://gangsterreport.com/historic-cleveland-mafia-enforcer-eugene-the-animal-finally-tamed-by-father-time-dies-at-85/ Historic Cleveland Mafia Figure ‘Eugene the Animal’ Finally Tamed By Father Time, Dies At 85] Scott Burnstein, GangsterReport.com (August 8, 2016) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403192656/http://gangsterreport.com/historic-cleveland-mafia-enforcer-eugene-the-animal-finally-tamed-by-father-time-dies-at-85/ |date=April 3, 2019 }}</ref> He was believed by the FBI to have been a hitman.<ref name="whelan">{{cite news|last=Whelan|first=Edward P.|title=The Life and Hard Times of Cleveland's Mafia: How Danny Greene's Murder Exploded The Godfather Myth|work=Cleveland Scene|date=February 15, 2011|access-date=August 23, 2018|url=https://clevelandmagazine.com/entertainment/film-tv/articles/the-life-and-hard-times-of-cleveland's-mafia-how-danny-greene's-murder-exploded-the-godfather-myth}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324003916/https://clevelandmagazine.com/entertainment/film-tv/articles/the-life-and-hard-times-of-cleveland's-mafia-how-danny-greene's-murder-exploded-the-godfather-myth |date=March 24, 2024 }}</ref> On July 21, 1976, Ciasullo was severely wounded in a bombing at his home in [[Richmond Heights, Ohio|Richmond Heights]].<ref name="Bombings, bullets, bodies">[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal/47571642/?locale=en-GB Bombings, bullets, bodies fill crime war's calendar] ''[[Akron Beacon Journal]]'' (December 20, 1977) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413193254/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal/47571642/?locale=en-GB |date=April 13, 2024 }}</ref> He died of natural causes in August 2016, at the age of 85.<ref name="Tamed"/><ref name="Ciasullo Obituary">[https://obits.cleveland.com/us/obituaries/cleveland/name/eugene-ciasullo-obituary?id=6905889 Eugene Ciasullo Obituary] ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' (August 6, 2016) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413182153/https://obits.cleveland.com/us/obituaries/cleveland/name/eugene-ciasullo-obituary?id=6905889 |date=April 13, 2024 }}</ref>
* '''Pasquale "Butchie" Cisternino''' – former soldier. Cisternino assembled the bomb which killed [[Danny Greene]].<ref name="Moceri dead"/> He died in 1990.
* '''Anthony "Tony Dope" Delsanter''' – former ''consigliere'' and leader of the Youngstown faction
* '''William E. "Billy D" DiLeno''' – former soldier. DiLeno was a member of the Eastside faction of the Cleveland family. He was initiated into the family in the early 1990s.<ref name="Last Of The Mohicans"/> DiLeno died of natural causes at the age of 85, on April 6, 2022.<ref name="Dileono obituary">[https://www.vitantonio-previtefuneralhomes.com/obituary/William-Dileno Official Obituary of William E. "Billy" Dileno] ''Vitantonio - Previte Funeral Homes'' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527145852/https://www.vitantonio-previtefuneralhomes.com/obituary/William-Dileno |date=May 27, 2022 }}</ref>
* '''Joseph Gallo''' – former capo{{sfn|Capeci|2002|page=101}}
* '''Joseph "Joe Loose" Iacobacci''' – powerful member of the family, serving as boss from 1993 to 2005. Iacobacci was able to partially rebuild the family, with the help of the [[Chicago Outfit]]. He died in April 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=JOSEPH IACOBACCI Obituary (2020) - The Plain Dealer|url=https://obits.cleveland.com/amp/obituaries/cleveland/195987077|access-date=2021-01-13|website=obits.cleveland.com|language=en}}</ref>
* '''Calogero "Leo Lips" Moceri''' – former underboss and leader of the family's [[Akron, Ohio|Akron]] faction.<ref name="Moceri dead"/> In 1952, he was arrested and questioned over the murder of [[Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel]].<ref name="Moceri dead"/> Moceri disappeared on August 22, 1976; his killing was arranged by [[John Nardi]] and carried out by Keith Ritson, an enforcer for [[Danny Greene]].{{sfn|Martinelli|2011|page=89}}<ref name="Hit List"/>
* '''[[Thomas Sinito]]''' – former capo{{sfn|Capeci|2002|page=101}}

== Former associates ==
* '''Milton "Maishe" Rockman'''<ref name="whelan"/> – former associate, Rockman was a [[Jewish-American organized crime]] figure affiliated with the Cleveland crime family.<ref>{{cite news|last=Koziol|first=Ronald|title=Reputed Mob Boss Sentenced|work=Chicago Tribune|date=March 27, 1986|access-date=August 23, 2018|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/03/27/reputed-mob-boss-sentenced/}}</ref> Rockman was the brother-in-law of Cleveland crime family bosses John T. Scalish<ref name="whelan" /> and Angelo Lonardo, and was a top Cleveland crime family associate involved in labor racketeering and the Las Vegas casino interests of the Cleveland Mafia.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cardarella|first=Toni|title=Reputed mob figure Milton Rockman, who was held without...|work=United Press International|date=January 28, 1986|access-date=July 16, 2018|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/01/23/Reputed-mob-figure-Milton-Rockman-who-was-held-without/5789506840400/}}</ref>

== Government informants and witnesses ==

* '''James K. Coppola''' – Associate and gambling and narcotics operative of capo [[Thomas Sinito|Thomas "The Chinaman" Sinito]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Sixth Circuit |first=United States Court of Appeals |date=May 29, 1985 |title=763 F.2d 1504 |url=https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/763/763.F2d.1504.83-3803.83-3804.83-3339.83-3292.83-3290.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=June 23, 2025 |work=Public Resource}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations |first=United States Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs |url=https://www.google.es/books/edition/Profile_of_Organized_Crime/TiEqd4SP6d4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=James+Coppola+Cleveland+Mafia&pg=PA26&printsec=frontcover |title=Profile of Organized Crime - Great Lakes Region - Hearings Before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, January 25, 26, 31, and February 1, 1984 |publisher=[[National Institute of Justice]] |year=1984 |location=United States |pages=26–27 |language=English}}</ref> He was a tavern owner and became part of the West Side bookmaking group that also included [[Danny Greene]] in 1974.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Marino |first=Jim |date=November 24, 1979 |title=Article |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1164249432/ |access-date=June 23, 2025 |work=[[Cleveland Press]]}}</ref> A year after Greene's car bomb-murder in 1977, Coppola, drug dealer Carmen "Mr. C" Zagaria and their partners, on instruction from Sinito, established a joint East Side-West Side barbotte game to generate proceeds for the family. He was involved in the murder of peddler Keith Ritson, one of the game's organizers, after he failed to carry out a hit on fraudster attorney Harvey Rieger for which Coppola had forwarded him a $2,500 advance from Sinito: Ritson was shot dead by associate Hartmut "Hans" Graewe after Coppola lured him to Zagaria's tropical fish store on November 16, 1978.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=November 17, 1982 |title=Key Witness Testifies About Merger, Murder |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tribune/136313040/ |access-date=June 23, 2025 |work=[[Tribune Chronicle]]}}</ref> Coppola and Longshoremen's official Chauncey J. Baker were arrested for the assault of police patrolman Alan Simon in 1979.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 22, 1979 |title=2 plead guilty to police assault |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1164533886/ |access-date=June 23, 2025 |work=[[Cleveland Press]]}}</ref> He also later entered the cannabis and cocaine trade, supplying Greene's former enforcer Kevin McTaggart with product for distribution.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> Coppola later testified against his former associates, including the Graewe brothers, in 1982, having been awarded federal protection by authorities in exchange for information on the gambling-narcotics ring.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Paul |first=Stephanie |date=November 17, 1982 |title=Coppola weaves tale of murders about drug ring |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1066797247/ |access-date=June 23, 2025 |work=[[The Plain Dealer]]}}</ref>

* '''Anthony P. Delmonti''' – associate involved in narcotics trafficking. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment in 1987 after being informed on by his cocaine supplier, Carmen Zagaria. Owing $150,000 in restitution and addicted to drugs, Delmonti became a confidential informant for the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] in 1998.<ref name="Rat" /> Following a series of successful prosecutions resulting from Delmonti's cooperation, he went into hiding in [[Marco Island, Florida]] and died from a heart attack on April 26, 2007, aged 61.<ref name="Cleveland Mob History" /><ref name="Adventures with a made man" />

* '''[[Ray Ferritto]]''' – associate and hitman who turned government witness after being implicated in the murder of [[Danny Greene]] in 1977.<ref name="Last of the Northeast Ohio Gangsters" />
* '''[[Angelo Lonardo]]''' – acting boss of the family; turned government witness in 1983 after being sentenced to life imprisonment for drug trafficking and racketeering.
* '''[[Jackie Presser]]''' – associate. Presser was a [[labor union]] official and [[International Brotherhood of Teamsters|Teamsters]] president under control of the Cleveland family who became a confidential informant for the FBI in 1972.<ref name="Media Muscle Man">[https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/articles/jackie-presser-media-muscle-man Jackie Presser: Media Muscle Man] Greg Stricharchuk, ''[[Cleveland Magazine]]'' (October 1, 1980) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414225028/https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/articles/jackie-presser-media-muscle-man |date=April 14, 2024 }}</ref><ref name="Presser Ties">[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-05-14-mn-5397-story.html Presser Ties to Mafia Alleged: N.Y. Grand Jury Probes Efforts to Control Union] Ronald J. Ostrow and Robert L. Jackson, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' (May 14, 1986) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414223413/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-05-14-mn-5397-story.html |date=April 14, 2024 }}</ref><ref name="Mobbed Up">[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-10-22-bk-737-story.html Mobbed Up: Jackie Presser’s High-Wire Life in the Teamsters, the Mafia and the FBI] Bob Sipchan, ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' (October 22, 1989) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414225258/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-10-22-bk-737-story.html |date=April 14, 2024 }}</ref>
* '''Carmen "Mr. C" Zagaria''' – soldier and leader of a drug ring who turned government witness after being indicted on several murders.<ref name="Rat" />

== List of murders committed by the Cleveland crime family ==
{{incomplete list|date=May 2025}}
{| border="1" class="wikitable"
|-
! Name || Date || Reason
|-
| [[Salvatore Todaro (mobster)|Salvatore Todaro]] || June 11, 1929 || 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.<ref name="Lonardo Dead"/><ref name="Hit List"/>
|-
| [[John Nardi]] || May 17, 1977 || 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.<ref name="Hit List"/>
|-
| [[Danny Greene]] || October 6, 1977 || 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.<ref name="Hit List"/>
|-
| Charles F. Grisham || December 3, 1978 || [[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.<ref name="Flames Of Discontent"/><ref name="This Week"/><ref name="Steel City Mafia"/><ref name="Organized Crime Report">[https://books.google.com/books?id=iH5KAQAAMAAJ&dq=charles+spider+grisham+warren+ohio&pg=PA43 Organized Crime: Report to the Governor of Ohio] Law Enforcement Consulting Committee (1982) </ref>
|-
| James Cononico || January 11, 1979 || Cononico, an associate of Charles "Spider" Grisham, was shot by Joseph DeRose, Jr. in [[Youngstown, Ohio]].<ref name="Flames Of Discontent"/><ref name="Steel City Mafia"/><ref name="Organized Crime Report"/>
|-
| Jack R. Tobin || July 25, 1979 || "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]].<ref name="Flames Of Discontent"/><ref name="Steel City Mafia"/><ref name="Organized Crime Report"/>
|-
| John Magda || January 6, 1980 || An enforcer for Jack Tobin, Magda was asphyxiated by Joseph DeRose, Jr. and his body was found in a garbage dump in [[Struthers, Ohio]].<ref name="Flames Of Discontent"/><ref name="Steel City Mafia"/><ref name="Organized Crime Report"/><ref name="End of an Era">[https://www.americanmafia.com/Mob_Report/12-31-01_Mob_Report.html End of an Era] AmericanMafia.com (December 31, 2001) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030619161807/https://www.americanmafia.com/Mob_Report/12-31-01_Mob_Report.html |date=June 19, 2003 }}</ref>
|-
| Robert J. DeCerbo || February 13, 1980 || DeCerbo was killed with a shotgun by Joseph DeRose, Jr. in [[Beaver Township, Mahoning County, Ohio|Beaver Township, Ohio]] after switching sides from the Cleveland faction to the Pittsburgh faction during the Mahoning Valley mob war.<ref name="Flames Of Discontent"/><ref name="Steel City Mafia"/>
|-
| David Perrier || January 4, 1981 || 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]].<ref name="Flames Of Discontent"/><ref name="Lonardo">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Reading%20Room%20Documents/Cleveland%20LCN%20-Statement%20of%20Angelo%20Lonardo%20(1988).htm |title=Hearings on Organized Crime: 25 Years After Valachi |access-date=2008-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005061739/http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Reading%20Room%20Documents/Cleveland%20LCN%20-Statement%20of%20Angelo%20Lonardo%20(1988).htm |archive-date=2008-10-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|}

==In popular culture==
* The 2011 [[biopic]] crime film ''[[Kill the Irishman]]'' highlights three prominent figures in the Cleveland crime family: [[James Licavoli|James "Jack White" Licavoli]] (the boss of the Cleveland crime family from 1976 to 1985), [[John Nardi]] (a key associate of the Cleveland crime family and nephew of [[Anthony Milano]], the longest-serving [[underboss]] of the Cleveland crime family), and [[Ray Ferritto]] (a notorious [[Contract killer|hitman]] who worked for both the Cleveland crime family and the [[Los Angeles crime family]]). They are played respectively by [[Tony Lo Bianco]] ([[James Licavoli]]), [[Vincent D'Onofrio]] ([[John Nardi]]) and [[Robert Davi]] ([[Ray Ferritto]])

== See also ==
* [[Crime in Ohio]]
* [[List of Italian Mafia crime families]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Sources ==
=== Books ===
*{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Raymond G.|chapter=Beer|title=Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia. Volume 1|location=Santa Barbara, Calif.|publisher=ABC-CLIO|date=2003|isbn=9781576078334|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BuzNzm-x0l8C}}
*{{cite book|last=Bonocore|first=Joseph|title=Raised Italian-American: Stories, Values and Traditions From the Italian Neighborhood|location=New York|publisher=iUniverse|date=2005|isbn=9780595357215|url=https://archive.org/details/raiseditalianame00jose|url-access=registration}}
*{{cite book|last=Capeci|first=Jerry|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia|location=Santa Barbara, Calif.|publisher=Alpha Books|date=2002|isbn=9781592573059|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o64XJkmUPr0C&dq=joseph+iacobacci+prison+drug&pg=PA102}}
*{{cite book|last=DeVico|first=Peter J.|title=The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra|location=Mustang, Okla.|publisher=Tate Publishing|year=2007|isbn=9781602472549}}
*{{cite book|last1=Griffin|first1=Joe|last2=DeNevi|first2=Don|title=Mob Nemesis: How the FBI Crippled Organized Crime|location=Amherst, N.Y.|publisher=Prometheus Books|date=2002|isbn=9781573929196|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lI7qedvddcYC}}
*{{cite book|last=Martinelli|first=Patricia A.|title=True Crime: The State's Most Notorious Criminal Cases|location=Mechanicsburg, Pa.|publisher=Stackpole Books|date=2011|isbn=9780811744409|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tAeLw74tEAoC}}
*{{cite book|last=May|first=Allan R.|title=The Sly-Fanner Murders: The Birth of the Mayfield Road Mob, Cleveland's Most Notorious Mafia Gang|location=Cleveland|publisher=Con-Allan Press|date=2014|isbn=9780983703747}}
*{{cite book|last=McCarthy|first=Dennis M.P.|title=An Economic History of Organized Crime: A National and Transnational Approach|location=New York|publisher=Routledge|date=2011|isbn=9780415487962|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s2KrAgAAQBAJ}}
*{{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=Carol Poh|last2=Wheeler|first2=Robert A.|title=Cleveland: A Concise History, 1796-1996|location=Bloomington, Ind.|publisher=Indiana University Press|date=1997|isbn=9780253211477|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qJgpDMlCOPEC}}
*{{cite book|last=Mitchell|first=Sandy|title=Cleveland's Little Italy|location=Charleston, S.C.|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|date=2008|isbn=9780738552132|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=laqrFtLh9ucC}}
*{{cite book |author=Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations |title=Organized Crime 25 Years After Valachi: Hearings Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate. S. Hrg. 100-906. 100th Cong., 2d sess |series=S. HRG. ;100-906 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |date=1988 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015028778994}}
*{{cite book|last=Porrello|first=Rick|title=The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia: Corn, Sugar, and Blood|location=New York|publisher=Barricade Books|date=1995|isbn=9781569800584}}
*{{cite book|last=Porrello|first=Rick|title=To Kill the Irishman: The War that Crippled the Mafia|location=Novelty, Ohio|publisher=Next Hat Press|date=2004|isbn=9780966250893}}

=== Reports ===
* {{cite report|last=Keeney |first=John C. |author-link=John C. Keeney |date=January 31, 1984 |publisher=Deputy Assistant Attorney General Criminal Division |title=Organized Crime in the Great Lakes Region |via= [[National Criminal Justice Reference Service]] |url= https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/94480NCJRS.pdf}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722085927/https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/94480NCJRS.pdf |date=July 22, 2023 }}
* {{cite report|last=Celebrezze Jr. |first=Anthony J. |author-link=Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr. |date=1987 |publisher=[[Attorney General of Ohio]] |title=1986 Report of the Organized Crime Consulting Committee |via=[[National Criminal Justice Reference Service]] |url=https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/108043NCJRS.pdf }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630192116/https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/108043NCJRS.pdf |date=June 30, 2022 }}
* {{cite report|last=Richardson |first=A. |date=May 1991 |publisher=State of California Department of Justice, Bureau of Organized Crime and Criminal Intelligence |title=Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs – USA Overview |via= [[United States Department of Justice]] |url= https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/147691NCJRS.pdf}} {{Webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230526143251/https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/147691NCJRS.pdf |date=May 26, 2023 }}

{{Cleveland crime family}}
{{American Mafia}}
{{Organized crime groups in the United States}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland Crime Family}}
[[Category:Cleveland crime family| ]]
[[Category:1920 establishments in Ohio]]
[[Category:Gangs in Ohio]]
[[Category:Italian-American crime families]]
[[Category:Italian-American culture in Cleveland]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Cleveland]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1920]]
[[Category:Organized crime in Cleveland]]