Digressing a bit to the mafia’s early history in Cleveland, there had been a lot of strife as the various Italian mobs and gangs jockeyed for position for the city’s rackets. Among the many who fought for supremacy were the Porrello and Lonardo brothers. Each blood family had multiple siblings – the Porrello’s had seven and the Lonardo’s had four. At one point in time, they were said to have been allies but at some point split and became archrivals.
Dating to the earliest days of Prohibition, the city of Cleveland has always played a major role in the development of organized crime in this country. In fact, one of the earliest known national meetings of the original Sicilian mafia, who had established themselves in America, took place at the Hotel Statler in Ohio back in 1928.
