Dragna family

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The Dragna family (Los Angeles Crime Family) is an Italian-American mafia family of the US-American Cosa Nostra with headquarters in Los Angeles and subsidiary offices in San Diego , Orange County and Riverside .

Jack Dragna - Mugshot
"Los Angeles Crime Family" Chart (Late 1960s)

Since its inception in the early 20th century, the organization has spread throughout southern California and, like most Mafia families in the United States, gained most of their power through alcohol smuggling during Prohibition. The LA family peaked in the 1940s and early 1950s under the leadership of Jack Dragna as the boss , who had a seat and vote on the so-called American Mafia Commission .

The sources for much of the family history information are based on the testimony of Pentito Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno , who became a government witness in the late 1970s, and his book The Last Mafioso: The Treacherous World of Jimmy Fratianno .

history

Joseph Ardizzone

When Joseph Ardizzone became a member of La Cosa Nostra is unknown. What is certain is that Ardizzone came to the fore in organized crime, after which Rosario DeSimone retired for reasons unknown. He organized illegal activities in the field of alcohol procurement and distribution during Prohibition in the United States .

In 1931 Joseph Ardizzone was assassinated while he was traveling in a car with his friend Jimmy Basile : Basile was fatally wounded and Ardizzone injured. He had himself taken to the house of Leon DeSimone , the son of his predecessor Rosario DeSimone . There he was cared for and taken to a hospital, where a second attack was soon committed. It was rumored that he would now retire as chief.

It was obvious that Ardizzone had opponents in his own family. In particular Jack Dragna , who had excellent connections with Lucky Luciano . On October 15, 1931, he was Ardizzone with a 1930 Ford Coupe with the registration number SRW7653 on the way to his cousin in Etiwanda, a town of Rancho Cucamonga in southern California and disappeared without a trace. He was probably the victim of a Lupara Bianca . His brother Tom was considered to be his consigliere ; but was less involved in the family's activities than his son Louis Tom Dragna .

Dragna era

With Dragna, the leading families on the east coast hoped for greater influence on the west coast of the USA , since after the end of Prohibition more investments were to be made in gambling . Games were moved to ships to be safe from raids . In the city of Los Angeles, Dragna and his Los Angeles family basically dominated illegal gambling. The classic business - as u. a. Extortion of protection money - continued and there were also drug smuggling activities ; especially with heroin . There was a close collaboration with gangsters and bullies like Girolamo "Momo" Adamo and John Roselli from Chicago Outfit .

Bugsy Siegel was sent to the west coast to organize gambling activities. At Luciano's direct instruction, Dragna therefore worked closely with Siegel. When Siegel was assassinated in June 1947, however, Dragna was no longer willing to accept similar dominance from Mickey Cohen - Siegel's bodyguard and successor. Numerous assassinations have been committed on Cohen . Even against other Kosher Nostra as Moe Sedway and Doc Stacher went Dragna against violent.

Frank DeSimone

After Dragna died as the head of the family after a heart attack in 1956, there was a vote within the family and Frank A. DeSimone became the third elected head of the family. Under DeSimone, the family's reputation and integrity waned ; other members saw his election as manipulated and directly joined the Chicago outfit , which now played a dominant role on the west coast of the USA anyway . This was made clear by the fact that - in contrast to the late Dragna - DeSimone did not get his seat in the National Crime Syndicate , although he took part in the 1957 Apalachin meeting . This exposed his role as a leading mobster .

Although DeSimone was listed as one of the classiest gangsters by Look Magazine in 1965 , the family was ridiculed as "The Mickey Mouse Mafia".

Rise of Licata

The Mafia soldier Nicolò Licata always had good connections with Mafia families in Detroit, Dallas, Kansas City and New Orleans. When Dragna died in 1956 and DeSimone became the new boss of the family, Licata was named the new consigliere . When underboss Simone Scozzari was deported to Italy in 1962, Licata became the new underboss. When DeSimone died of a heart attack in 1967, Licata became the new head of the family and Joseph Charles Dippolito rose to be the new underboss.

The LAPD and FBI cracked down on organized crime in Los Angeles, and while Licata has been a more efficient boss than DeSimone, mafia families from other cities have been tasked with expanding their power on the west coast.

Licata died - like Underboss Dippolito - nine months after his death from a heart attack. His funeral was attended by around 150 people and a newspaper described him as "a true godfather in every way".

Change of power and betrayal

Dominic Phillip Brooklier , who was elected the new underboss after the death of Dippolito, was elected the new boss of the family 9 months later - after the death of Licata.

In 1925 Brooklier was imprisoned for 20 months and named Jack Dragna's nephew Louis Tom Dragna as "acting boss" during this time. He accepted on the condition that he would share this responsibility with Jimmy Fratianno, who would bear most of the responsibility. Fratianno saw the opportunity to become the constant boss of the family, even if Brooklier was released from prison. Brooklier returned from prison after 16 months in October 1976 and demoted Fratianno to a soldier on February 11, 1977 after a transition period. Due to the fact that Fratianno questioned Brooklier's authority during his time in custody and he was afraid that he would try to take power again, Brooklier ordered his assassination. However, Fratiano had heard of the contract through the FBI and became a government witness after they put him under pressure.

In 1981, leading members of the family, including Dominic Brooklier, were sentenced to long prison terms under the RICO Act . The Capo Peter John Milano moved to the top of the family and acted as the "acting boss" of the imprisoned bosses. When Brooklier died in 1984, he became the new head of Los Angeles and brother Carmen Joseph Milano - until then a lawyer - his underboss.

Milano has always had good connections with the Cleveland Mafia , as his uncles Frank Milano and Anthony Milano were heads of the Cleveland Crime Family .

In 1988 Milano was indicted and sentenced to six years. Other accused were his brother Carmen , Charles Caci , Vinvent Caci , Stephan Cino , Albert Nunez and Rocco Zangari . Milano was paroled on April 4, 1991 and was able to avoid further charges afterwards.

Historical tour

Head of the family

The head of a family can not always be identified so clearly; especially if another family member comes to the fore due to a prison sentence. The external view does not always make it easy to recognize a new head as such or to determine his exact term of office. In addition, a presidential system seems to be establishing itself to a certain extent; ie the head shifts his power more to a so-called “acting boss” and / or “street boss”, who in turn continue to recognize the head as such, even if he is, for example, in custody.

Period Surname Nickname Lifetime Cause of death annotation
1905-1931 Giuseppe Ernesto Ardizzone Joseph the Iron Man 1884-1931 fell victim to a Lupara Bianca
1931-1956 Ignatius Dragna Jack 1891-1956 Heart attack
1956-1967 Frank A. DeSimone One Eye 1909-1967 Heart attack Son of Rosario and nephew of Thomas DeSimone
1967-1974 Nicolò Licata Nick the Old Man 1897-1974 Heart attack
1974-1984 Dominic Phillip Brooklier 1914-1984 Heart attack Imprisoned 1975–1976 and 1981–1984
1984-2012 Peter John Milano 1925-2012 natural death Imprisoned 1988–1991
2012-present Tommaso Gambino Tommy 1974-today Son of Rosario and nephew of John Gambino

Acting boss

  • 1975-1975: Louis Tom Dragna ; 1913-1993
  • 1975-1977: Jimmy Fratianno ; Nickname: "Jimmy the Weasel"; 1920-2012; became a government witness
  • 1981–1984: Peter John Milano; Nickname: "Johnny"; 1925-2012; became boss in 1984

Underboss of the family

The underboss is number two in the criminal family, he is the deputy director of the syndicate. He gathers information for the boss, gives orders and instructions to the subordinates. In the absence of the boss, he leads the organization.

Period Surname Nickname Lifetime Cause of death annotation
1925-1931 Ignatius Dragna Jack 1891-1956 Heart attack became boss in 1931
1931-1956 Girolomo Adamo Momo 1895-1956 Suicide Deposed by Frank DeSimone
1956-1952 Simone Scozzari Sam 1900 - ???? was expelled in 1962
1962-1967 Nicolò Licata Nick the Old Man 1897-1974 Heart attack became boss in 1967
1967-1974 Joseph Charles Dippolito Joe Dip 1914-1974 Heart attack
1974-1974 Dominic Phillip Brooklier 1914-1984 Heart attack became boss in 1974
1974-1979 Samuel Orlando Sciortino 1919-1983 natural death Imprisoned 1981–1983
1984-2006 Carmen Joseph Milano 1929-2006 Cardiac arrest Imprisoned 2000–2002 / brother of Peter Milano
2006–2012 Tommaso Gambino Tommy 1974-today became boss in 2012

Consigliere of the family

At the same level as the underboss is the consigliere , the advisor to the criminal family. It is usually an older member of the family who has not reached the position of boss in his criminal career and has now partially withdrawn from active criminal activity. He advises the boss and the underboss, giving him considerable influence and power.

Period Surname Nickname Lifetime Cause of death annotation
1931-1956 Gaetano Dragna Tom 1889-1977 natural death Brother of Jack and father of Louis Tom Dragna
1956-1952 Nicolò Licata Nick the Old Man 1897-1974 Heart attack became Underboss in 1962
1962-1975 Thomas Palermo Tommy
1975-1977 Frank Bompensiero Bomp 1905-1977 on February 10, 1977 Client: Dominic Brooklier
1977-1982 Giacomo LoCicero Jack 1913-1988 natural death

Films and documentaries

  • 1991: Bugsy ; Film about film from Bugsy Siegel's last ten years . Jack Dragna is played by Richard C. Sarafian.
  • 2013: Gangster Squad ; Film about the "Gangster Squad unit" and their fight against Mickey Cohen . Jack Dragna is played by Jon Polito.
  • 2013: Mob City ; Series about the "LAPD" and mobsters in Los Angeles in the 1940s. Jack Dragna is played by Paul Ben-Victor.

literature

  • John L. Smith: The Animal in Hollywood , 1998, ISBN 1-56980-126-6
  • Judith Moore: A Bad, Bad Boy: The Most Feared Mobster in Southern California for 30 Years , 2009, ISBN 0-615-29879-6
  • Kenny Gallo, Matthew Randazzo V: Breakshot: A Life in the 21st Century American Mafia , 2009, ISBN 1-59777-615-7

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Mob in Decline ( July 16, 2011 memento on the Internet Archive ), The New York Times, October 22, 1990.
  2. Cecilia Rasmussen: Rampart Site Was Noir Landmark . In: Los Angeles Times , September 26, 1999. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
  3. Kim Murphy: Not Entrenched Like Eastern Families - The LA Mob: Eking Out a Living Working Streets . Los Angeles Times . June 29, 1987. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  4. Jerry Capeci: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia . Alpha Books, 2002, ISBN 0-02-864225-2 , pp. 92-93.
  5. ^ State of California, Final report of the Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime (Sacramento, 1953).
  6. Frank DeSimone ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at www.onewal.com (English)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.onewal.com
  7. ^ A b Peter Devico: The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra . Tate Publishing, 2007, ISBN 1-60247-254-8 , pp. 152-154 (accessed September 11, 2009).
  8. Joseph Charles Dippolito (1914 - 1974) - Find A Grave Memorial . Findagrave.com. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  9. ^ Rites for Licata, Mafia Figure, Attended by 150 in Los Angeles . In: The New York Times , October 25, 1974. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
  10. ^ "Crime Bosses of Los Angeles" American Mafia
  11. Demaris, Ovid. The Last Mafioso: The Treacherous World of Jimmy Fratianno. Bantam Books, 1981, p.284
  12. Demaris, Ovid. The Last Mafioso: The Treacherous World of Jimmy Fratianno. Bantam Books, 1981, p.361
  13. Fred McGunagle: Cleveland's Killer Celebrities, Part 1 . In: Crime Library . truTV . Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  14. "Chronological History of La Cosa Nostra" ( Memento of the original from July 3, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. The Nevada Observer January 8, 2006  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nevadaobserver.com
  15. Los Angeles Mob Figure and 6 Others Plead Guilty The New York Times , AP. Published: March 31, 1988
  16. ^ State of California, Final report of the Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime (Sacramento, 1953).
  17. Gambling Figure Sent to Italy , Daytona Beach Morning Journal. June 14, 1962.