Jimmy Tripodi - The Shadowy Capo of Steubenville

Vincenzo (Jimmy) Tripodi was born on December 28, 1899 to Ignazio and Giuseppina (nee Morabito) Tripodi in Archi, Reggio Calabria, Italy. He immigrated to the U.S. via the S.S. Rossore, arriving at the Port of Philadelphia on March 12, 1921.

After arriving in the U.S., Jimmy and a brother named Giuseppe (Joe) traveled to Ridgeway, Pennsylvania, where they first settled. Within a few years, he and Joe then moved again to the little town of Steubenville, Ohio.

Steubenville is where the Tripodi brothers would settle and make their permanent home and stomping grounds for the rest of their lives.

In 1925, the then twenty-six-year-old Jimmy Tripodi met a pretty seventeen-year-old local Calabrian-born girl from the neighboring town of Cosenza back in Calabria named Amelia Buffone. Less than one year later, on November 6, 1926, he took her as his bride.

Jimmy Tripodi

Vincenzo and Amelia, who were now better known by their anglicized names of Jimmy and Mabel, would eventually have four children; two boys named Ignazio Vincent and Paul, and two girls named Josephine and Jenny.

When Tripodi first arrived in Steubenville, he lived at 132 North Sixth Street. But after getting married, Jimmy moved his wife and kids into another home he purchased nearby for his growing family at 638 Broadway Avenue.

A Dominant Power

Tripodi quickly established himself within the local underworld and soon became the dominant power over the city’s rackets.

Jimmy also had an eye for legitimate business initially opening up a poolroom which later doubled as an illegal card and dice game parlor in the store’s basement.

Known as “Little Chicago”

Within a few years' time, Tripodi had expanded his holdings by leasing a storefront that he turned into The Venetian Cafe, located a few doors down from his family’s residence at 124 North Sixth Street in the so-called “Manhattan Subdivision.”

He later bought the building and property that housed his cafe, but he was just getting started.

Side note: Steubenville was where one of the most iconic famous Italian crooners of all time was born and raised. Dino Crocetti, better known the world over as the one and only Dean Martin hailed from this little town of only 30,000 residents.

In fact, while growing up as a young man before he became world-famous as an international singer and movie star, Dean tried his prowess as a prizefighter.

He also worked as a croupier at several of Jimmy Tripodi’s gambling clubs before heading west to Hollywood….Steubenville was very proud of their favorite hometown boy!

Steubenville’s own Dean Martin

As a young man, Tripodi stood almost 5-feet 8-inches tall and was built solid like a middleweight at 165 pounds. Jimmy had dark brown hair and eyes and a dark-olive Mediterranean complexion.

An old photograph shows a serious-looking man with an angular face sporting a thick wavy crop of dark hair.

Tripodi went by several aliases, including “Jimmy Tripodi,” “James Trepod,” “James Vincent Tripod,” “James Vincenzo Tripodi,” “Vincent Tripodi,” “Vincenzo Trepod” and “Jimmy T.”

FBI #2235508, Steubenville-PD #915, IN&S #C-6530007

Just Getting Started

Tripodi's criminal record dated to the mid-1920s and recorded ten arrests:

1925 - Liquor law violations (bootlegging) in Bloomfield, Ohio

1926 - Carrying a concealed weapon (6 months in the workhouse, $100 fine - suspended)

1927 - Arrested on three counts of first-degree murder. Jimmy was accused of being the reputed gunman in three separate murders: Dominic Spinetti the previous spring, the homicide of James Fratini in Steubenville, and the murder of Dr. Diego Delisa in Brooke County, West Virginia. But after a sensational trial for the Spinetti murder, Tripodi was acquitted of all counts.

Stung and shaken by their loss, Jefferson County authorities decided to drop the two remaining murder counts against him. Under a plea agreement, Tripodi agreed to cop out to gun possession charges and serve three years in state prison. He wasn’t unhappy because a gun rap sure beat three murder raps!

Nonetheless, Tripodi's lawyer quickly file an appeal to a higher court to overturn his conviction but his “petition in error” was soon withdrawn from the Court of Appeals. He later got his $1000 bail bond forfeited when authorities said he didn’t turned himself into prison on the date promised and couldn’t be found anywhere by the police.

They later worked out another three-year “suspended sentence” plus the payment of a criminal fine by him.

July 10, 1933 - Arrested and detained in connection with murder investigations regarding a string of “Italian” homicide victims.

September 22, 1934 - Arrested on a charge of criminal investigation. The charge was later dropped for a lack of evidence.

July 16, 1937 - Charged with criminal conspiracy (bootlegging) on a Federal arrest warrant.

November 13, 1937 - Arrested again on a Federal Bench Warrant and later released after posting up $5000 bond. Tripodi was named as one of the ringleaders in a giant illicit-liquor bootlegging syndicate that operated in his tri-state area district.

September 9, 1938 - Nabbed again along with two of his men, Pietro (Pete) Rarella and Giuseppe (Joe T) Tegano, in conjunction with operating another illegal gambling den.

1940 - Arrested for “permitting gambling” for his “maintenance of a dice game” at a private club.

1955 - Disorderly conduct.

Side Note: Starting in 1936, Tripodi applied for a Certificate of Naturalization to become a citizen of the United States. But because of his dubious background and prior criminal record, he would be turned down on four different occasions.

Eventually, the INS discontinued their investigation and prosecution of him, and a Certificate of Naturalization, Number C-6 530 007, was subsequently issued to Tripodi. He was granted U.S. citizenship on April 16, 1947, in the U.S. District Court at Steubenville, Ohio, under the name Vincenzo Tripodi.

A No-Nonsense Hoodlum

During this time period, Jimmy was quickly building his underworld reputation as that of a no-nonsense hoodlum.

As a Calabrian by birth, Tripodi was said to have first started out under the flag of the Camorra. But at some point in time, he became affiliated with the Sicilian Mafia.

The shadowy Tripodi was never officially documented by the FBI as being with a particular Mafia clan, but he most likely was either affiliated with Cleveland’s Frank (Ciccio) Milano family or Pittsburgh’s Sebastian LaRocca family.

Reportedly, he was close to both borgatas but usually reliable informants placed him firmly under the auspices of boss John LaRocca. But he was also reportedly extremely close to both Frank and his brother Anthony (Nino) Milano.

The Milano brothers were bosses of Cleveland’s mafia family.

Jimmy would make semi-regular trips to Cleveland’s Mayfield Road “Little Italy” section where he would visit Nino Milano at the Italian-American Brotherhood Social Club to divide up various racket money from underworld ventures they were partnered in.

Tripodi was also said to be very close to mafiosi Charles Carbone and Stefano (Steve) Zoccoli who were both former Pennsylvania residents who had later relocated and became top members of the family based in San Jose, California.

It’s said that Tripodi and Zoccoli were longtime friends and that Jimmy was the godfather to one of Zoccoli’s children.

Dating back to the earliest days of the brotherhood, Tripodi was said by a reliable mob informant to have been extremely close to a former old-time original boss in Cleveland named Giuseppe Pindilli. This informant felt that Tripodi had first gained his underworld prominence and influence due to this close relationship.

Tripodi was also said to be a close friend of another important Calabrian power based in Westchester, New York.

It was said he kept in regular contact with a top Genovese family “capo di decina” named Rocco (The Old Man) Pellegrino who was the longtime head of all mafia operations in Westchester County for that particular family.

But even before he was formally inducted as a Mafia member, Jimmy had been the recognized leader over Steubenville’s underworld.

The Steubenville Underworld

After his formal induction to “soldier” status he was believed to have consolidated his underworld power and was most probably later elevated to quickly serve in a “capo di decina” status over the territory.

As he went along, Tripodi inducted into his “regime” a small contingent of his fellow Calabrian mob associates who had proven their loyalty to Jimmy through the years.

Local hoodlums known to be close to him, some of whom later became “made” soldiers in his crew, included his ‘righthand man’ Philip Mattucci, Pasquale (Patsy) Barilla, Joseph Tegano, Bruno Tegano, John Tegano, Pietro (Pete) Barella, Rocco Augustine, Robert (Rab) Carducci, Anthony Panebianco, Ernest Giannamore, Frank Di Butch, Adamo Pirgolini, and John (Stoogie) De Saro. Other crew associates included Joseph Monteleone, Freddy Vitas, and Joseph Prestia.

But from approximately the late 1920s forward, Jimmy’s “compare” and “second in command” was Cosmo Quattrone. These two mafiosi led their crew successfully and operated mostly unimpeded for the next fifty years.

Most of the time, Tripodi and Quattrone operated through their above-mentioned crew associates.

Tripodi was thought to have had his fingers in many of Steubenville’s legitimate bar and restaurant businesses and various illicit underworld rackets alike over the years.

In 1962, federal law enforcement authorities released a list of legitimate businesses he was suspected of holding hidden ownership in or have under his control. These included;

Venetian Bar and Restaurant, 124 North Sixth Street, Steubenville (Jimmy’s reputed headquarters)

Diamond Cafe, 155 North Fourth Street, Steubenville

Hy Hat Tavern, 167 North Fourth Street, Steubenville

Bar-B-Bar, 718 Market Street, Steubenville

The Naples Lounge, 162 South Third Street, Steubenville

Fort Steuben Musical Bar, 160 North Fourth Street, Steubenville

Wildwood Tavern, 605 South Street, Steubenville

Bruno’s Cafe, 500 North Seventh Street, Steubenville

Townhouse Restaurant, 602 Commercial Street, Mingo Junction, Ohio

Rex Cigar Store, Steubenville (gambling den in basement)

132 Midway Club, State Route #7, Jefferson County, Ohio (gambling den)

Paul’s Grill, Steubenville

Vets Cigar Store, Mingo Junction, Ohio (numbers gambling operation)

Jefferson Wholesale Beer Distributing Company, Steubenville

Star Cigar Store, 136 North Sixth Street, Steubenville (numbers gambling operation)

Many of his crew members or their legitimate blood relatives served as the fronts for the liquor licenses and permits required by law to operate these licensed establishments.

Steubenville’s small-town feel

Into the Shadows

As he got older and wiser, Jimmy retreated more to the shadows and background.

Through his men, he held hidden ownerships and control over a bevy of licensed area bars and taverns, nightclubs, and restaurants.

Since at least the 1940s, his minions had also fronted for Tripodi in running what was described as a variety of extensive rackets including a city-wide “numbers” operation, horse and sports bookmaking, Greek-styled Barbute games and floating dice and card games, slot machines, shylocking, brothels and prostitution, and other types of rackets.

By the 1970s, Jimmy was already well into his mid-seventies. By that point in time, he was thought to have been semi-retired from the rackets and was now living low-key.

He enjoyed his golden years and lived quietly for the rest of his days. Whatever members may have remained in his former crew seem to have done the same.

Always such close partners and friends during their lifetimes, it seems that they had made an unwritten pact to exit this world together as well.

Vincenzo (Jimmy) Tripodi died in 1987, at the ripe old age of 88 years old. His “compare” and lifetime partner Cosmo Quattrone passed away less than one year earlier in 1986, at the respectable age of 85.

Until next time…”The Other Guy”

Jimmy Tripodi – The Shadowy Capo of Steubenville

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