Father and Son Capodecina: The Iannis of Dallas, Texas

Although Joe Ianni was literally born into the “tradition” and groomed very early on by his father, Frank, to be a devout Mafia adherent, Joe was, by all accounts, also a very hard-working man who ran a number of successful restaurants alongside his dad. But innate habits and family tradition run deep…

When Joe discovered that a local "negro" (as the local media reported) had viciously assaulted and raped an innocent young waitress who worked for him, Joe instinctively took matters into his own hands and went out hunting for her attacker. When Joe caught up to him, the mafioso beat and whipped the man so severely that he later died from his injuries.

Initially arrested for atrocious assault, Joe’s charges were later upgraded to 1st-degree murder. But nobody was convicting Joe Ianni of anything -- especially not for killing a rapist -- least of all, the people sitting on that Dallas County Grand Jury hearing the evidence against a local neighborhood mafioso.

Giuseppe (Little Joe) Ianni -- aka Joseph Ianni, Pino Ianni, Joe Danni -- was born on August 23, 1913, in the little seaside town of Cannitello, Calabria, Italy. Joe was the second of three children born to parents of Calabrian ancestry, Francesco Ianni and Marianna (nee’ Calabro). Joe had two sisters. An older sister named Francesca, also known as Frances, and a younger sister named Evelyn.

The seaside town of Cannitello, Calabria

When Joe was still a boy, his parents decided to immigrate to the United States. So they booked passage on the S.S. Pannonia at the Port of Naples and sailed for the U.S., arriving in New York Harbor at Ellis Island on January 10, 1921.

Early 1960s FBI mugshot of succeeding capodecina Giuseppe Ianni.

Once on U.S. soil, the Iannis initially established roots, settling in New York City. Some years later, Frank and Marianna decided to relocate to Texas. This is where the Ianni clan would finally set down permanent roots and remain for generations to come.

Frank and his wife were initially drawn to the City of Dallas because of the many “amici” and extended family they had there, as well as Frank’s underworld contacts, who had already established themselves in Texas years earlier.

In 1930, the Iannis lived at 1231 S. Ewing Avenue, Dallas. By 1940, Frank and Marianna had upgraded to Dallas’ affluent Highland Park section and were now residing at 3449 Potomac Avenue.

It’s interesting to note that on several U.S. Government census forms, Joe stated he had attended college for 4 years and had graduated. If true, having even attended college back in the 1930s -- let alone graduated -- was a very rare and significant accomplishment indeed.

1231 S. Ewing Avenue, Dallas

The Honored Society

Joe’s father, Francesco (Big Frank) Ianni, was suspected of having been a well-respected member of the Societá Onorata back in their hometown of Calabria.

When he decided to immigrate to America, word was sent ahead to the proper underworld contacts in the United States that he was on his way. By the time he arrived, Ianni received a warm welcome and was immediately accepted into the local Italian underworld.

Some years later, when Frank decided to relocate down to Texas with his family, his underworld friends sent word informing their brethren of the Dallas-based Piranio Family.

Originally founded by a Sicilian-born mafioso named Carlo Piranio, he and his brother, Giuseppe, held the titles of boss and underboss, respectively.

Rare photograph of early mafioso, Francesco (Frank) Ianni

By the time of Frank’s arrival, the Piranio “Family” had long since established itself as the sole recognized Mafia network in control of the Lone Star state.

Because of his underworld credentials, forceful personality, and aggressiveness, Frank Ianni quickly reestablished himself within the Texas borgata and distinguished himself among his fellow “men of honor” as a serious individual.

He was a man not to be trifled with, so much so that he quickly rose to a position of prominence with the Family.

Frank was thought to have long held a top hierarchy position -- ranked as a senior “capodecina” -- and quite possibly, even a higher status within the Family as the years progressed.

But regardless of the “official” position he may have held, Francesco Ianni was unquestionably one of the highest-ranking mafiosi within the State of Texas.

With the eventual deaths of both Piranio brothers, in 1956, the torch was passed to a longtime member of their borgata by the name of Giuseppe (Joe) Civello .

Texas Mafia boss Giuseppe (Joe) Civello

Although he was said to be quite reserved, low-key, and quiet, Civello also had a reputation as a very capable mafioso, one who had proven himself time and time again to the Family.

From 1956 forward, the Texas borgata would come to be known as the Joseph Civello Family.

And with a nod toward the Ianni family’s recognized capabilities, Frank and, later, his son Joe’s position under the newly elected boss would only increase with time.

A Strong Paternal Influence

Aside from whatever other responsibilities he may have had to Joe Civello and their borgata, Frank was known to have also made it his focus to invest his money and time in legitimate business. He became the original founder and longtime operator of several popular local Italian eateries.

But apart from his expertise in the kitchen or his expertise with a pistol on behalf of Cosa Nostra, Frank’s very presence and strong personality greatly impressed his son as Joe was growing up and was later thought to have had a great influence over the boy.

By all accounts, Joe and his dad were very close, and as a boy, it’s only natural that he gravitated to his father. By the time Joe had become a young man, he was already steeped in the ways of the Mafia and had been drawn into his father’s lifestyle.

By his early twenties, Joe was already well on his way to becoming a full-fledged member of Cosa Nostra himself.

As mentioned, although he was literally born into the “tradition” and groomed very early on by his father to be a mafioso, Frank also taught his son the value of hard work and the value of legitimate business. Over the years, he and Joe ran several legal enterprises, including the very successful Vesuvio Ristorante.

Located at 5120 West Lovers Lane, The Vesuvio was known for its delicious southern Italian cuisine, specifically, homemade Calabrian specialties that Frank would prepare each day for their patrons.

5120 W. Lovers Lane, Dallas. This location formerly housed the Vesuvio Ristorante

Side Note: By 1940, Joe was also listing himself as an employee of the restaurant industry. That year, he stated he was affiliated with Sevilles Restaurant, located at 3401 W. Davis Street, off West Commerce, Dallas. This eatery was most probably also owned by the Iannis .

Through the years, the locals all flocked to Ianni’s eatery. For that matter, so did a good portion of the Dallas Police Department, not to mention a whole slew of local underworld figures. In fact, as the years passed, the Vesuvio became a well-known hangout and something of a “home base” for local mafiosi.

FBI Agents also considered it a suspected primary contact point and meeting place for both local and out-of-state racket figures who came to conduct business with the Ianni family, boss Joe Civello, as well as other key members of the Family’s leadership.

Aside from the Vesuvio, as he came into his own, through the years, Joe Ianni became well known for also holding ownership interests in several other local eateries, including Vicks Restaurant and Poor Boy Restaurant.

Federal and local law enforcement sources say that the Vesuvio and the Iannis' other restaurants served for years as the underworld headquarters from which Joe and his father ran large interstate gambling and narcotics trafficking operations.

After interviewing numerous locals, by 1958, the FBI had received reliable information that, because of a heavy gambling habit, Joe Ianni fell into debt, forcing him to borrow money from a local bank to continue running his restaurant successfully.

But, subsequently, Ianni eventually fell behind on his monthly loan payments, forcing him to ask Joe Civello for help. Civello paid off the bank loan for Ianni, and in return for this help, Ianni brought Civello in as his partner in the Vesuvio Ristorante.

Thereafter, the FBI noticed that Charlie Civello, Joe’s brother, would often be at the Vesuvio, helping Ianni operate the place.

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

Frank also maintained close connections and lifelong friendships with many fellow Calabrian racketeers.

In particular, since his earliest days when he first immigrated to New York City -- and probably earlier, dating back to their boyhood days in Calabria -- Ianni was known to be very close with Rocco (The Old Man) Pellegrino.

And since the boys had known one another way back as children, the sons of Pellegrino and Ianni also became good friends. And just like Joe Ianni, the FBI also considered Carmine and Peter Pellegrino to be mafia soldiers serving within their father Rocco’s regime.

Rocco (The Old Man) Pellegrino

The elder Pellegrino was widely regarded as a top capodecina within New York’s old Luciano/Genovese Family, and the undisputed “boss” of Westchester County rackets for that particular borgata.

In fact, during their early years in New York, it is believed that Frank Ianni and his wife and children actually lived, for a time, in the Westchester area with Pellegrino and his family. Ianni’s daughter, Evelyn, was actually born in Port Chester, New York, in Westchester County in 1921.

Newlyweds — Mr. & Mrs. John Carcelli — pose for a photograph with Evelyn’s parents, Frank and Marianna Ianni.

Evelyn Ianni on her wedding day, flanked by her father and mother, Frank and Marianna.

It is alleged that the close relationship forged between Pellegrino and Ianni served both the Luciano/Genovese and Piranio/Civello Families very well through the years.

The Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) both say this relationship enabled Ianni to conduct a long-running “New York to Dallas” interstate narcotics smuggling ring that steadily supplied the Civello Family with multi-kilo loads of heroin for redistribution throughout Texas, Louisiana, and other southern states.

In fact, the solid relationship between the Pellegrino and Ianni families was so close that years later, Rocco Pellegrino’s son, Carmine, relocated to Texas for several years to help organize and actually operate a large sports and horse bookmaking business that the two fathers had established for their sons.

Closer to home, aside from Family boss Joe Civello himself, the Ianni’s were on intimate terms with Civello’s underboss Rosario (Ross) Musso, as well as Family capodecina Biagio (Big Angelo) Angelica and Vincent Vallone Sr.

Vincent Vallone Sr.

Still others included soldiers Louis J. Marino, Victor Maddi , Joseph (Joe Luke) Lucca, and Joe Civello’s cousins, Leone (Leon) Civello and Salvatore (Sam) Civello, who were also Family soldiers.

Side Note: The Ianni and Vallone families, whose ancestors originated from the Calabria Province, were also related through marriage. Frank Ianni’s eldest daughter, Francesca, then 19 years old, married 20-year-old Vincent J. A. (Tony) Vallone Jr., of Houston, on September 24, 1930. Vallone was the son of Vincent Vallone Sr., a top Houston-based capodecina who was later murdered gangland-style by shotgun, nineteen years later, in July 1949.

Frank and Joe were also intimate with top New Orleans mafiosi, including Family boss Carlos Marcello, his capo Anthony S. Carolla, as well as deported former Louisiana boss Silvestro (Silver Sam) Carolla.

Texas-Style Mafioso

Giuseppe Ianni reportedly stood 5 feet 6 inches tall and had a slim build, weighing approximately 140 pounds. He had dark-brown eyes, a thick head of jet-black hair that had turned prematurely gray by the time he reached the age of forty, and a ruddy, dark olive Mediterranean complexion.

He initially made a formal Declaration of Intention for U.S. citizenship on October 25, 1937. Some years later, on April 27, 1944, in San Antonio, Texas, Joe was finally naturalized as a United States citizen.

Then, several years later, on October 16, 1940 -- during WWII -- twenty-seven-year-old Joe went down and officially registered at his local draft board for the United States Armed Forces.

Around the same time, in the late 1930s, Joe started dating and eventually married a local Italian girl named Marie Elizabeth (Tootsie) Pinto. They were wed at the town of Rockwall, Texas, on September 19, 1941. Shortly thereafter, Tootsie gave birth to their daughter, whom they named Marilynn.

By 1950, Joe rented a home for the family at 7903 Amherst Avenue in Dallas.

7903 Amherst Avenue, Dallas

Then, several years later, Joe and Marie bought a pretty 3-bedroom ranch-style home of their own, located at 5024 W. Stanford Avenue, Dallas. This is the house that would become the family’s compound for many years to come. By this point in time, Joe’s mother-in-law Lena -- Marie’s mom -- had also moved in with them.

FBI #3426142, Dallas-PD #21660, INS-Alien Registration #5826442

The Ianni family’s reputation was such that, as the old biblical saying goes, “The sins of the father are often revisited on the son.”

As the son of one of Texas’s most notorious and important Mafia leaders, over the years, Joe would also attract lots of attention from the Dallas Police Department, federal agents of the local FBI office, and various other law enforcement agencies.

Not that Joe didn’t warrant intensive law enforcement scrutiny all on his own. By all accounts, it certainly appears that the son was just as devout a mafiosi as his dad ever was.

Obviously, this point was not lost on those in law enforcement who kept track of Cosa Nostra’s movements and activities.

That said, notwithstanding his father’s prominence among the local underworld gentry, over the years, various local and federal law enforcement agencies gave more than a passing glance to the son as well.

A Serious Rap Sheet

And judging from his limited -- but quite serious -- criminal record, Button Guys thinks Joe’s rap sheet speaks for itself and reveals volumes about the man.

Joseph Ianni’s rap sheet started in 1946 when he was already thirty-three years old and well on his way to becoming a top Mafia figure, which, admittedly, was relatively late in life for such an active and promising young gangster.

But although he was a late bloomer and his criminal record is somewhat limited in comparison to some others, Joe more than made up for it with the “quality” of his arrests.

Over the years, he was arrested on charges involving violations of the Federal Liquor Laws, illegal bookmaking, gambling conspiracy, criminal investigation, illegal immigration investigation, and premeditated 1st-degree murder.

On March 26, 1942, during the middle of WWII, FBI Special Agent J.R. Calhoun submitted an internal department report regarding the agency’s investigation of the Ianni family as “enemy aliens” of the United States.

Special Agent Calhoun was apparently in charge of the Ianni case, which was initiated around 1941. It continued for almost five years before hitting a dead end due to a lack of viable evidence. Subsequently, the decision was made by higher-ups within the FBI and Immigration Bureau to close the case.

It was around this same point in time that the Ianni family as a whole -- Frank, Joe, and Marianna -- each became the subjects of a second intensive federal criminal probe titled, “Joe Ianni, Frank Ianni, Marianna Ianni, wa. Mariana Ianni — IS-I, Alien Enemy Control” investigation.

Then, on July 17, 1946, Joseph Ianni came under investigation for income tax evasion regarding his criminal activities by Special Agents affiliated with the Dallas Office of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Division for violations of the Internal Revenue Act.

But, try as they might, after unearthing as much as they could about Ianni’s underworld business, the IRS agents ended up with the same results as their federal brethren. They determined that no criminal case could be sufficiently developed to return a criminal indictment.

But five years later, in 1951, law enforcement authorities finally caught the break they needed regarding their pursuit of the Ianni family.

A Rapacious Drug Peddler

Not to be outdone by his son, the Ianni family’s patriarch, Francesco (Frank) Ianni -- better known to the authorities as FBI #58733 -- had a respectable criminal record all his own.

Back on May 1, 1926, he was first arrested by the New Orleans Police Department on a charge of violating the Federal Harrison Narcotics Act and for carrying a concealed weapon.

He was later convicted and sentenced to serve one year and one day at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia.

Then, on December 2, 1936, Frank was arrested once again, for possession of narcotics after the police found heroin inside his automobile where he was at a local racetrack.

At the time he was picked up, Frank owned several race horses. So he tried explaining away the drugs to the arresting officers by telling them the only reason why he possessed the heroin was because his racehorse had become an addict, and he was trying to soothe her addiction.

He later pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to serve two years in Leavenworth Federal Prison. The judge also gave him another five year suspended sentence and fined him $500.

Side note: Ianni -- an avid horse breeder and owner -- was suspected of having used hard narcotics to dope several race horses he owned. One of the racehorses he owned was “Biff,” described as a fine 5-year-old gelding weighing 122 pounds.

The Largest Narcotics Ring in the U.S.

Several months later, on January 14, 1937, Frank Ianni was nabbed yet again for trafficking regarding his involvement with a major narcotics trafficking organization that dealt in hard narcotics, including opium, morphine and heroin. He was one of 31 individuals named in 25 separate indictments brought by a Federal Grand Jury in Texas for their involvement in a vast multimillion-dollar narcotics operation that spanned across the country.

The specific indictment involving Ianni included six other men later identified as being fellow mafiosi who were members of the Civello crime family. They were identified as Joseph Civello himself, his cousins, Samuel Civello and Leon Civello, Joseph Cascio, Jack Donnin and Dick Smith.

At a press conference announcing the indictments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde Hood said, “The government seized about $150,000 in dope during the first series of raids, largely from members of the Joe Civello faction.”

Prosecutors said that the indictments involved key defendants from across the entire northern United States, including the cities of Dallas, Abilene, Amarillo, Lubbock and Forth Worth within the state of Texas.

Authorities said the ring also sold their narcotics in such far-flung locations as Salt Lake City, Utah; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York City, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; and Kansas City, Missouri.

Frank Ianni was specifically charged with “the purchase, concealment and of facilitating the transportation of 166 grains of heroin between Dallas and New Orleans.”

Federal prosecutors accused the ring of operating for at least two years under the blind eyes of several federal agents who the ring had been bribing. The district attorney said, “The drug gang had, on one or two instances, bribed agents especially assigned to break up the gang, successfully blocking prosecution.” He continued, “As a result, over $200,000 in narcotics was stolen from a safe in Houston.”

Ianni later pleaded guilty in the case and got two years in federal prison (running concurrently with the previous term imposed). But Ianni’s boss got hit the hardest. Named as the ring leader of the entire operation, Joe Civello received a hefty 15 years behind bars.

The remaining defendants, Sam Civello, Leon Civello and Dick (Elon) Smith each received 10-year jail terms. Jack Donnin and Joe Cascio, described by prosecutors as only “delivery boys,” were given 18 months each.

At the time of the arrests, U.S. District Attorney Clyde Eastus said the recent roundups constituted “one of the greatest steps ever taken in the southwest toward cleaning up the country’s vile dope racket.”

Federal narcotics agents further stated that, “It was the largest narcotics ring ever uncovered in the United States.”

Deportation

Frank Ianni was later arrested and detained by federal immigration agents seeking to deport him back to his native Italy. As a twice-convicted narcotics peddler, with other arrests and convictions on his record as well, the U.S. Government wanted Ianni thrown out of the country as an undesirable.

But several years later, before they could deport him -- through the Mafia’s influence -- a “connection” was allegedly made directly to the White House on his behalf.

Frank Ianni subsequently received a full “Presidential Pardon” from then-President Harry S. Truman. This immediately knocked the wind out of the government’s sails and halted all their efforts to have Ianni deported from the United States and returned to his native country.

Villain or Hero?

Regarding Frank’s son, without a doubt, the most serious criminal offense Joe Ianni would ever face had very little to do with his Mafia activities or underworld criminal rackets, per se. Although his "mafioso" mindset undoubtedly played into the mix.

His arrest and the subsequent criminal case had more to do with the unique value system instilled in him as a boy. It was just how he viewed the world around him.

The incident reportedly occurred in 1951 when Joe was picked up by the police and placed under arrest regarding a vicious beating he had doled out. Initially charged with atrocious assault and battery, local newspapers reported that Ianni had been specifically accused of having merciless beaten and whipped a "negro" man who had molested a white waitress working at his family’s restaurant.

Giuseppe (Joe) Ianni

The man later died from his injuries, and on September 8, 1951, the charges against Joe were subsequently upgraded to a formal charge of premeditated murder in the first degree. Ianni was held without bail in the county jail to await trial on homicide charges.

But, when the prosecutor presented the pertinent evidence and background information to a local grand jury to vote an indictment, the jury pool declined to indict Ianni and declared a "no true bill" regarding the murder case.

Subsequently, the county prosecutor was forced to dismiss the entire case against Ianni, and he was immediately released from custody.

Side Note: It must be remembered that this incident took place in the early 1951 -- in the Deep South, no less -- when racial prejudice was still very prominent within America. The times were very different, as were many people's viewpoints. And I think the handling of this case, as well as the outcome, reflects that.

His Father's Son

As his father grew older, the FBI noted that Joe was being assigned more and more responsibilities, not only regarding the family’s restaurant, but also the Iannis' "deeper" responsibilities to the Mafia in general, and their Family boss, Joe Civello, in particular.

By at least the mid-1940s, it's believed that Joe had already been formally inducted into the family as a soldier. Within a few years, he was thought to have risen up the chain of command, so that he was now considered one of the most powerful and sought-after soldiers of the entire Civello Family.

By the late 1950s, he was already considered to be a top leader -- one who possibly held the rank as an “acting capodecina” on behalf of his father Frank.

After his father died in early 1958, it is believed that Joe was formally installed as the new “official” capodecina overseeing his father’s former crew.

During that same era -- the late 1950s -- Joe was being described by agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in their internal memos as follows: “Giuseppe Ianni is a Mafia member from the Dallas area who has since taken over the position of his deceased father Frank, a ranking member. He is closely associated with the Pellegrino Family of New York City, and is active with the Pellegrinos’ interstate gambling rackets and narcotics trafficking.”

A confidential federal informer, identified only as (Dallas T-1), told his FBI handler that “all activity in Dallas among the Italian hoodlums centers around Joe Ianni at the present time.”

That may or may not have been a bit of a stretch, but it also goes to show how prominent Ianni had become among the local criminal underworld in Dallas at that time.

Joe's Turn at Steering the Ship

Over the years, law enforcement agencies connected Joe Ianni to a slew of important mafiosi and racketeers, not only throughout the State of Texas, but also the neighboring State of Louisiana as well.

And this doesn't include the previously stated close connections he and his father had to top members of the Luciano/Genovese Family up in New York.

According the the FBI, through the years, Frank and Joe Ianni were closely associated with Family boss Joe Civello himself, as well as the vast majority of that Family’s membership, including a notorious opium trafficker named Biagio (Big Benny) Angelica, and such Mafia soldiers Louis Marino, Giuseppe (Joe Luke) Lucca, Victor (Vic) Maddi, and Vincent D’Ingianni.

A Close Associate Sings

As previously discussed, many years back during their younger days, Joe Civello and Frank Ianni had been arrested together in a major narcotics case. Both men were also later convicted by a jury trial of having violated the Federal Narcotics Laws.

Decades later, one of their codefendants in that case, a man named Sam Lachinsky -- described as a well-known narcotics peddler also convicted on drug charges -- turned informer for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs.

During his subsequent debriefing by federal drug agents inside the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary where Lachinsky was still serving out his prison term, the informer stated in sum and substance the following words, which FBN Agents, who were present, recited verbatim:

“Four years prior to his arrest and conviction for narcotics peddling at Dallas, Lachinsky had been in partnership in selling narcotics with Frank Ianni and Joe Civello, and that these two men were still operating in Dallas under police protection and made their ‘handouts’ at a drug store on the corner of Ross and Peak Streets. They also dealt in counterfeit money. Ianni would make a trip to New York every two-three months to purchase narcotics, usually 100 ounce lots from ‘Dominick’ at a barber shop at 168 Mott Street (NYC) who has as a partner, Rocco Pellegrino (a well known contact of Civello and Frank Ianni, and currently his son Joe Ianni, who is the subject of a Dallas AR investigation and LCN member) who hangs out at the same place.”

The report continued:

“Lachinsky stated that Pellegrino has a large scar on his face. Between trips should Ianni run out of narcotics, Ianni would wire Dominick and a load of narcotics would then be shipped by baggage check, mailed special delivery to Ross Musso (Rosario Musso), to a ‘shoe store’ -- believed to have actually been a grocery store used as a blind. Ianni would make bank deposits in the name of his daughter Francis, in an account in the ‘Old North Texas’ Bank which was later consolidated with another bank.”

Civello Family underboss, Rosario (Ross) Musso

Lachinsky also told the agents that “Joe Glaviana was a large dealer in narcotics who carried on operations in the Wilson Building in Dallas, using a loan office as a blind.”

The agent then inserted into his report, “It must be noted that Lachinsky was a longtime associate of Joe Civello, and during Civello’s first arrest for narcotics in 1928, Lachinsky figured prominently into the investigation at that time.”

Eventually, this initial narcotics case that the FBN was first hoping to build against Civello fell apart. After hearing all the evidence presented by prosecutors, the judge overseeing the trial dismissed all charges against Civello due to entrapment.

Nationwide Underworld Contacts

As top members of the Texas Family, other close contacts they had included such underworld potentates as Tampa, Florida boss Santo Trafficante Jr. , and his underboss, Francesco (Daddy Frank) Diecedue .

But it didn’t stop there. The Iannis were also known to be on intimate terms with the notorious Carlos Marcello , long recognized as the boss of Louisiana, and other key members of the New Orleans-based Family he headed.

In fact, Dallas Police Lieutenant Souter once revealed that, through several confidential informant sources, he had learned that “Joe Ianni quite frequently talks by telephone to Carlo Marcello at Gretna and New Orleans, Louisiana. Marcello is known as a police character. Information has also been obtained from confidential sources that Ianni has had numerous calls to and from White Plains, New York, telephone number 81730 [listed under the fictitious name, Domenico Carlo] but reported to really be the telephone number of a ‘big shot’ labor racketeer.”

Side Note: Although the phone number was connected to address 200 Corrigan Avenue, White Plains, NY (and officially listed in the name of Domenico Carlo, in reality, the big shot labor racketeer Souter’s sources were referring to was of course the aforementioned New York capodecina Rocco Pellegrino, one of the most senior and important bosses of the Luciano/Genovese Family. The Pellegrino and Ianni families both hailed from the southern Italian region of Calabria. Subsequently, they were believed to have been close “paisans” and brethren from the old country. They were known to still be in regular telephone contact with one another as of the late 1960s.

Apparently, Rocco Pellegrino was a hot commodity among Texas’s top wiseguys, because Dallas Family boss Joe Civello himself was also known to call the Pellegrinos in White Plains on almost a weekly basis over a number of years.

After debriefing several of his informants, believed to be Dallas-T-9 and, Dallas-T-10, on January 27, 1955, an FBI special agent generated an internal FBI agency memo stating, “Carmine Pellegrino is the son of Rocco Pellegrino, latter identified as a member of the La Cosa Nostra, and Carmine is listed as a suspected member. The files of the Dallas Office show that Civello and Joe Ianni are well known to the Pellegrinos and the files of the Intelligence Unit, Dallas Police Department, show that Ianni is a cousin of the Pellegrino family.”

Collateral Damage

In the aftermath of the infamous “Apalachin Mafia Summit,” which occurred on November 14, 1957, local and federal law enforcement authorities nationwide made a concerted effort to infiltrate the Mafia, gather evidence against them, and learn more about their operations.

To that end, Texas Family boss Joe Civello -- one of the attendees captured at that historic meeting -- became a major target in the federal investigation that followed.

During the intense probe that followed, Civello, as well as many of his known associates, and their activities, came under intense scrutiny.

Subsequently, law enforcement authorities soon became acutely aware of the strong connections that existed between Frank and Joe Ianni and their close “compare” up in New York, Rocco Pellegrino -- and, by extension, to Ianni’s boss, Joe Civello.

They soon discovered that Rocco’s son, Carmine Pellegrino, had relocated down to Texas and was now a full-time resident of the area.

Carmine Pellegrino

Further investigation into the activities and purpose of Pellegrino’s movements led to the arrests of Carmine and two other men by officers of the University Park, Texas Police Department.

On the afternoon of October 22, 1958, Carmine Pellegrino, who by then had already relocated to Texas and was now residing there full-time, was behind the wheel of an automobile, with an associate, Teddy Mogavero, when several detectives waved them over to the curb.

As it turned out, local authorities had been keeping tabs on Pellegrino since he arrived in the state, and on that fateful afternoon, he was observed exiting a private home they had under surveillance. He entered a black-colored 1958 Oldsmobile, accompanied by Mogavero, and started the car.

After a few minutes, the two hoodlums backed out of the driveway and started to drive away. That's when the detectives decided to pull them over.

Through previous surveillances and background checks, Police Capt. Joe Churchman of the University Park, Texas Police Department, and his companion that day, Detective Homer Barnes, knew that neither Pellegrino nor Mogavero possessed a valid driver's license.

The men were asked to exit their vehicle, and the driver identified himself as Pete Pellegrino. The other occupant identified himself as Theodore Mogavero.

The policemen then said that Pellegrino could not produce a driver's license or any other form of identification and was also refusing to answer any questions.

Subsequently, both men were arrested and taken to the station house to be held for further investigation.

When the suspects were fingerprinted and searched, it was discovered that Pellegrino had $671.35 in his pockets. Pellegrino then stated that he had only been in town for a few days and was staying at the home of his friend, Joe Ianni, at 5024 West Stanford Street, Dallas.

Pellegrino’s 24-year-old companion, Teddy Mogavero, was found in possession of $659.30. He told police he was on his honeymoon and had been staying in a nearby Dallas apartment for the past few days, located at 4380 San Carlos. But then Mogavero clammed up and refused to answer any more questions.

Side Note: A background check revealed that Mogavero was the son of a major New York area mobster by the name of Rosario (Saro) Mogavero, who law enforcement officials knew better as inmate #32241 of Clinton State Penitentiary, up in Dannemora, New York. Saro Mogavero also happened to be a son-in-law to, and top-ranked underworld subordinate of, Rocco Pellegrino.

The Gambling Network

That same day, October 22, police made an application to a judge to obtain a search warrant. The jurist obliged them. With said warrant now in hand, the cops quickly drove to a home located at 4380 San Carlos, in hopes of finding narcotics, gambling records, or other contraband.

When police entered the residence they found Peter Piccola inside, sitting at a table equipped with two telephones that had cut-off switches, a sheet of lined paper containing the names of various customers in code and the dollar amounts they bet, as well as a schedule listing all the college and professional football games played for that previous week.

One column listed football bets ranging from $10 to $15,400. A second column contained approximately 20 entries with the code names of bettors and the amounts they had wagered.

The records listed the amount of money the bookmakers had to collect, which totaled $24,665, and the amount listed as payouts was $6,282. The gambling records reflected a net win of $18,383 for the gambling office.

The arresting officers reported that they strongly believed the bookmaking ring Pellegrino headed was a partnership between himself and his two buddies, Joe Ianni and Joe Civello.

In addition to Pellegrino and Pete Piccola, police also stated they believed numerous local mafiosi and gamblers were part of the Pellegrino-Ianni gambling network.

They then named the following known gamblers; Ralph Patrono, his son, Johnny Ross Patrono, John M. Carcelli, Jesse Chilton, Philip Bosco, Sam Campisi, James (Joe) Colletta, Samuel (Radio Sam) Lomonaco, Garland Pollard, Police Detective Charles Sansone, Norvell Stanfield, and Harry (Remer) Urban.

After further investigation, Joe Ianni was also eventually charged in this ever-expanding gambling investigation.

Police arrested him weeks later for conspiracy to commit bookmaking in relation to this case. Several more associates were also arrested at that time and charged with bookmaking-related offenses, including Johnny Ross Patrono, Joe Colletta, and Harry D. Kahn.

Side Note: After their arrest for operating a motor vehicle without an operator’s license, the police used the erroneous charge of suspected auto theft to hold Pellegrino and Mogavero in county jail pending further investigation while the cops went to obtain the search warrant. The following day, after the search, Pellegrino and Mogavero were rearrested on additional charges of vagrancy, criminal investigation, and operating a gambling-bookmaking establishment.

Dirty Cops

On October 20, 1966, federal informant Dallas-T-14 advised his FBI case agent that “Joe Civello had a 50% interest in the bookmaking operation of mob associate Philip S. Bosco, after Civello provided the money to ‘bank’ Bosco’s gambling business. "The informant then stated that “Joe Ianni may have a percentage also,” although he was unable to state what this percentage might be.

The FBI agent’s report continued, “During the course of the investigation of Bosco, and periodic spot checks and physical surveillance of Bosco’s Gulf service station, the automobiles of both Civello and Ianni have been observed at that location.”

The FBI agent then stated in his report, “Dallas-T-14 advised that Detective Charles Sansone, Dallas Police Department, is very close to Bosco, Civello and Ianni and knows that Sansone bets with Bosco and is at Bosco’s service station nearly every day.”

Sources also reported that Phil Bosco was a possible in-law of Ianni.

The report then continues, “On November 22, 1966, Detective H.M. Hart and Detective T.T. Wardlaw, of the Intelligence Unit of the Dallas Police Department, confirmed that it had been known for some time that Detective Charles Sansone was real close to Bosco and Ianni and had been frequenting the Gulf service station owned by Bosco on almost a daily basis. They also advised that Sansone is reportedly a cousin of Joseph Civello. They also advised efforts by the Dallas Police Department in the past had failed to get rid of Sansone.”

The Dallas Police Department finally made some headway, though.

On January 9, 1967, Lieutenant Anthony Ingargiola, with the Special Service Bureau of the Dallas Police Department, informed the FBI that Police Detective Sansone, who had been immediately suspended from the department after his arrest, had submitted his resignation papers, effective December 5, 1966. Sansone reportedly did this to avoid a formal hearing on the charges before the Civil Service Board, which was scheduled for January 18, 1967.

Interestingly enough, Lt. Ingargiola reported that soon after Sansone’s arrest and suspension from the Police Department, he immediately went to work for Joe Ianni at Vick’s Restaurant, an eatery secretly owned by Ianni, located on South Akard Street, Dallas.

Likewise, Dallas Police Department Lieutenant George Butler advised that through his own confidential sources, he learned that “Ianni has in the past talked by telephone with Anthony Gambino, identified as a major hoodlum and racketeer who operates in and around Kansas City.”

Police Chief Carl F. Hansson of the Dallas Police Department once stated, “Our Rackets Squad keeps a very close check on Joseph Ianni inasmuch as Ianni’s restaurant at 2900 Ross Avenue is known to be a hangout for thugs and thieves. Ianni was a very close friend of Angelo Piranio -- deceased 1958 -- who was an underworld criminal attorney in Dallas, Texas.”

More Rats Open Their Yap

Another internal police report written by Chief Hannson stated that during a recent police scandal involving several of his officers, Chief Hannson was not able to definitely establish who -- but did believe -- that certain police officers in his police department would go into the parking lot of Ianni’s restaurant, located in the rear of the restaurant, during the late hours of the night and then divide up stolen loot which they had obtained. He believed that this was done with Ianni’s knowledge.

Then, on January 29, 1968, FBI Agents reported that a confidential informant known only as Dallas-T-1, advised that "Joe Civello, whom he considers to be the top man among the Italian element in Dallas, is extremely close to Joe Ianni. Joe Ianni’s father, Frank (deceased), was also very close to Joe Civello.”

Dallas-T-1 further advised that Joe Ianni’s sister had been married to John Carcelli, a fellow bootlegger and gambler, who later committed suicide. Although he didn’t know the particular circumstances involved, the informant believed that Joe Ianni had been pressuring Carcelli for money.

Another confidential informant known as Dallas-T-2 told his FBI handler, Special Agent Harold J. Edgerton, that, previous to his death, Carcelli -- a known racketeer and former bootlegger himself -- had once been partners with his brother-in-law, Joe Ianni, in the Vesuvio Ristorante on West Lovers Lane in Dallas. While they were in business together, one evening, a major fire broke out at the restaurant, causing considerable damage.

Although it was never proven, the fire was later suspected of having been an arson job committed by Joe Ianni to collect money from the fire insurance policy.

Father Time Waits for No One

Giuseppe Ianni died in Dallas on May 29, 1973. Joe was only 59 years of age. He was buried in Calvary Hill Cemetery and Mausoleum, Dallas.

The family’s patriarch, Francesco Ianni, outlived his son Joe by thirteen years. Born June 10, 1886, Frank died on January 9, 1958. He was 71 years old.

Photo of an aging Joe Ianni with his chef’s hat

Joe’s mother, Marianna (nee’ Calabro) Ianni, born in Calabria on June 18, 1882, died at the age of 87, on February 10, 1970.

Joe’s wife, Marie Elizabeth (nee’ Pinto) Ianni, died on November 29, 1992. Marie was 72 years old.

Until next time…”The Other Guy”

Gravestone of Joe and Marie Ianni

Father and Son Capodecina: The Iannis of Dallas, Texas

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Father and Son Capodecina: The Iannis of Dallas, Texas

Often Imitated. Never Duplicated. Button Guys of The New York Mafia...There's Only One!

Tour the Underworld with Button Guys

Dive Deeper into the Underworld

Syracuse Mafia Soldier Sam Farrar

Binghamton Mafia Soldier Frank Cannone

Canada’s Elusive Santo Scibetta

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