The LaRocca Family of Pittsburgh

Few Italian underworld Families have ever operated as smoothly and internally peaceful as the Mafia borgata based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania .

Although one of the smallest in size by Cosa Nostra standards, it was nonetheless active in all the typical criminal pursuits of gambling rackets, alcohol bootlegging, labor racketeering, and political corruption.

At their 1950s peak, the actual formally “inducted” rank and file members probably numbered no more than 25 to 30 or so mafiosi, serving in either a soldier, capo, or administration status. But they commanded and oversaw an extended group of LaRocca mob associates that numbered several hundred.

Side Note: Their size was very typical of the structure of traditional Families (or Cosca) in Sicily, with an average of 10 to 50 members.

Initially, there was much underworld strife through the 1920s and 30s. A fledgling mafia was reorganized throughout the country, and Pittsburgh was no different. There was a succession of killings, especially at the top level, in those early years, with a series of mafia leaders being murdered one after another until the dust settled.

Some died natural deaths or abdicated power. Others were forcibly removed from the seat of power by bloodshed.

Early leaders included Gregorio Conti, Stefano Monastero, Giuseppe Siracusa, John Volpe, Giovanni Bazzano Sr., and Vincenzo Capizzi -- until Francesco Amato Sr. firmly established himself as the “Official Representante" of the Pittsburgh Family.

Frank Amato

Side Note: Amato was able to do this by his forceful personality and guile...but his “compare” in New York City, Luciano underboss Vito (Don Vitone) Genovese helped pave the way by his firm support for his landsman. You see both Genovese and Amato hailed from the same Italian village back in Naples, Italy. Genovese was a Fox in that he wisely did his best to install Napolitani in positions of power around the United States whenever possible.

They got their start in the Prohibition era’s Volstead Act as was typical of Italian racketeers across the country, which outlawed liquor in 1920. After the repeal of prohibition 11 years later, with the great wealth many of them achieved, the mafiosi expanded into the various gambling rackets, specializing in the numbers lottery or policy racket.

They also started their pervasive infiltration of the labor unions, legitimate businesses and a wide range of industries.

During the mid-1940s through 1957, this borgata also enjoyed a significant ownership interest in Havana, Cuba’s San Souci Hotel & Casino, through the efforts of their key Kensington-based capo Gabriel Mannarino.

Side Note: It all ended after Cuban strongman Fidel Castro seized power in a military coup. Mannarino actually tried to salvage their interests by placating Castro, supplying his rebels with a shipment of arms. But that’s a story for another day. Lol.

The Pittsburgh Family would come to epitomize this style of underworld control. Insisting that their members invest in legal businesses and diversify their “portfolios” so to speak. It was a mindset that served them extremely well through their existence.

Concentrating on the numbers and lottery racket, the Pittsburgh mob would all but consume all independent policy operations in the city and its outer counties until they alone dominated this racket field. They appointed different capos to man and oversee each county.

It would essentially allow them to create their own little fiefdoms, which each capo governed but shared with the Family. Collectively, it was a huge lottery network they all contributed to.

Another major cash cow for the Family was their infiltration into the vending machine field. Cigarette machines, jukeboxes, pinball games, and illegal slot machines became big business for the Pittsburgh mob.

Within a few short years, by the late 1940s, the Family completely dominated that industry within the city and its outer counties and jurisdictions. Stifling any outside competition in the process.

If you look at the Family’s roster of membership, it shows that nearly every key member had interests in the vending business. Many had ownership in several vending companies, often in partnership arrangements with fellow mafiosi.

It made for a zig-zagging patchwork of cigarette machines and jukebox distributors that virtually covered the entire area and all territories under their jurisdiction. All untraceable cash, C.O.D., every week, for years and years -- it was to become another steady and reliable income for the borgata; its soldiers and hierarchy.

This was the perfect business “model” -- a rare thing in Mafia Families, which the LaRocca Family later expanded on in years to come. This allowed for most everyone in the Family to eat without stepping on each other’s toes.

Sebastiano (Big John) LaRocca

Because of this intelligent mentality, the LaRocca borgata was kept small intentionally. It became more or an exclusive racketeers club. In that many were affiliated with it as “associate members”, but few were chosen to actually be initiated by the ancient Sicilian blood “Oath of Omertà”, and sharing in its profits.

But once in, those that were members enjoyed prominence and steady incomes. Each ran their own separate districts and counties where they alone were the mob czar.

In many other cities, wiseguys and hoodlums mostly tripped over each other competing for racket earnings. It created a lot of jealousy and dissension over the years, often leading to strife and killings, which of course led to messy police investigations and unwanted publicity.

But the Pittsburgh Family of LCN never had that. It made for a well-oiled, stable mafia machine.

Much of their strength also came from their ability to infiltrate local and state governments. Because Pittsburgh was a smaller city, and many hoodlums had grown up with men who would later become local policemen, councilmen, judges, mayors, and even politicians in the state government, those affiliated with the Family were able to buy immunity from criminal prosecution.

Side Note: This ability to quietly operate in tandem with local government officials was duplicated in several other smaller cities and towns by other small borgatas.

In the larger cities like New York (13 million people just within the five boroughs alone), although there was tremendous corruption, it was more difficult to keep under the radar. The Five Families were never able to completely dominate the Big Apple’s judiciary and political arena the way their blood brothers elsewhere were able to do.

Operating quietly from the shadows, these same connections allowed the LaRocca Family to win no-bid contracts for the awarding of government work, and other patronage plums.

It also greatly helped to indemnify and keep the borgata stable and protected over the years. Only when the federal government made the big nationwide push against Cosa Nostra in the later decades of the 1980s and 90s, did the Pittsburgh Family finally succumb to law enforcement pressure; arrests, indictments and convictions.

This is what finally dismantled their crew -- that and the fact of “death by attrition.” John LaRocca and his successor, Mike Genovese, both chose not to initiate any new members into their inner circle. That successfully diminished the Family hierarchy over the years more than any federal assault ever could.

The Pittsburgh Family of LCN - circa 1957-1997 (text)

N ote: As stated above, in any given era, there were no more than 20-30 inducted members, who shifted positions within the hierarchy over the years as required. Soldiers were inducted at, and deceased in, different time frames. Most of those elevated to the hierarchy at some point are noted with an asterisk .

Note: For a fully structured pictorial chart, see The LaRocca Family Leadership Chart .

REPRESENTANTE Sebastiano John LaRocca

UNDERBOSS/ACTING BOSS Michael Genovese

CONSIGLIERE Francesco Amato Sr. Charles Imburgia

CAPOREGIMA Antonio Ripepi Gabriel Mannarino Joseph Sica Louis Volpe Joseph Regino

SOLDIERS Frank Amato Jr. * Giuseppe Rosa Joseph Pecora * Samuel Mannarino John Fontana John Bazzano Jr. * Thomas Ciancutti Frank Valenti *(moved to Rochester) Costenze Valenti (to Rochester) Felix Genovese Frank Rosa Dominick Anzalone (moved to CA.) Paul Romeo Sr. * Michael Romeo Vincenzo Prato Dominick Mallamo Frank Adragna Joseph Volpe Charles Imburgia * Salvatore Marino (moved to CA.) John Scardina Anthony Capizzi Samuel Fashionatta Sandy Naples Billy Naples Joseph Naples Pasquale Ferrucci * Charles Porter * Lenine Strollo Louis Raucci Sr.

Associates were often highly placed and held power similar to “made” men, often leading to confusion by law enforcement and knockaround guys alike, as to who was indeed an officially inducted mafioso. Some of those misidentified are noted with an asterisk.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Fiore (Fio) Genovese * John (Jack) Verilla * Vincent (Vince) DeNiro * Michael Trafficante * Henry Zottola * Pasquale Meola * Robert (Bobby I) Ianelli * Anthony (Murgie) Imburgia * Primo Mollica Nicholas Stirone Gerald Pecora Joseph LaQuatra Theodore (Teddy) Cozza Louis (Dennis) Martire Joseph Scoleri Mauro Matone Albert (Al) Zeid William (Willie) Sams Michael (Nicky Jerome) Giorano Frank Phillips Archie Nelson Hyman (Hymie) Martin “Boots” Bellini Thomas Pecora Jack Cancellieri Kirk Mollica Ralph (Big Head) Masselli Al Ladish Jeff Risha John Caramadre Samuel Lanzino Philip Scassera Louis Masco Joseph Ruggerio Victor Schiappa Joseph Rosa Ronald (Farmer) Brown Charles Margiotti August (Augie) Ferrone John (Johnny Boy) Leone Carl Venturato Peter Mecurio Paul (No-Legs) Hankish Dante (Danny) Strollo Salvatore (Sonny) Williams Adolfo (Junior) Williams Eugene Williams Felix (Philly) Pizzarelli Lanzino brothers Anthony (Ninny) Lagattuta Eugene (Nick the Blade) Gesuale Anthony Gesuale Eugene (Gino) Chiarell Ernest (Ernie B) Biondillo Dennis (Denny) Colello John Adams Michael Mattarella Daniel (Speedo) Hanna Anthony (Tony) Grosso Ronald Plisco Vincent Caracciolo William (Billy) Porter Robert (Bobby) Sabatini Gerald Sabatini John Sabatini Frank Unis Manual (Manny) Xenakis Peter Cascarelli Paul Scolieri Joseph Scolieri Michael (Mike Cyrak) Serrecchio Joseph (Joe Cyrak) Frank (Ball Bat Frankie) Lentine Bernard (Bernie the Jew) Altshuler Lawrence (Jeep) Garono Jack DeSarro Raymond Hertz Charles (Chucky) Joseph Samuel Vona Sr. Samuel Vona Jr. Robert Poghen Thomas Peters Paul (Pinto) Holavatick James Griffin Charles (Buddy) Jacovetti Theodore (Teddy) Tsoras Ronald (Porky) Melocchi John (Duffy) Conley

Over the decades, they made many millions, and wisely, most invested in legitimate businesses and real estate.

But more importantly, was that they had very little violence. No public outcry. Because of that, for the most part, they were able to keep under law enforcement’s radar. It also made for a peaceful, satiated and happy membership that didn’t have to look over their shoulders every minute for either the FBI or maybe getting shot in the head by another wiseguy.

On review, it seems the first boss of the Pittsburgh Family was thought to be Gregorio Conti, followed by Stefano Monastero. After Monastero's murder, Giuseppe Siracusa succeeded him for a short time until his murder during a purging of old-timers in the aftermath of the Castellammarese War.

Next up was Giovanni Bazzano who was slaughtered in NYC by the Mafia’s high Commission for the unsanctioned murders of the three Volpe brothers, early Calabrian mob powers who commanded in the Italian district of Pittsburgh.

Then came Vincenzo Capizzi for a short time until he stepped down in favor of Frank Amato Sr who successfully led the troops for years until he chose to semi-retire and step down as well. But he remained on as underboss and an elder statesman of sorts.

But the boss with the longest tenure and prominence was Sebastian John LaRocca, who became “Representante” in 1956 after Amato and would reign for nearly thirty years.

In later years former underboss Michael Genovese would assume the mantle of power after LaRocca died in 1984.

By the 1980s, much of their traditional racket activity had dried up and faded, which encouraged some top wiseguys to go into the narcotics field...it would become their doom and spelled their death knell. Within a few years, then-underboss Charles (Chuckie) Porter and several key soldiers were indicted in a massive drug network. Porter, among several others, would turn rat to avoid long jail terms. It tore at the very fabric of the borgata.

“Johnny Come Lately” Youngstown soldier Lenny Strollo (who was believed to have been inducted in 1987) also flipped and cooperated with federal prosecutors, exposing the pervasive corruption at the highest levels of local government in that city, testifying against several top corrupt politicians and police officials.

Side Note: Although technically in Ohio, the Pittsburgh Family had staked a claim and formed an uneasy alliance and a profit-sharing system years earlier with the Cleveland Family.

Still, through the years there were many gangland-style killings as various mob guys jealousies or vie for power spilled blood among each other. This was the only faction of their Family that saw any constant violence over the years...Youngstown was always a whacky, unstable city.

But it was with an outside entity, never strife amongst the Pittsburgh members themselves.

Side Note: That tenet held true for many years. But when Lenny Strollo became a made man and gained power, it changed.

Youngstown, Ohio was always a volatile city with near-constant mob strife through the years. In their later years, when not at odds with the Cleveland Family, Youngstown’s small Pittsburgh faction competed amongst themselves. The Naples brothers (Jimmy, Sandy, Joey, and Billy)...led by older brother Sandy, had been a violent bunch. Sandy and Billy were killed years earlier.

As the years passed until his own murder in 1991, a rebellious Joey Naples later warred with Lenny Strollo, each vying for supreme power over the territory. Strollo plotted his murder as well as others in a failed effort to consolidate his power.

By the year 2000, the old LaRocca Family of LCN was largely a ghost of its former self. One or two aging soldiers were still breathing, but the borgata was not. It was a memory of bygone days when the Mafia ruled the city and its outer environs with an iron fist.

They had been a very successful mafiosi bunch, who had, with the exception of the Apalachin debacle in 1957, mostly stayed off the radar while earning untold millions for their personal families, their children, and future generations of grandchildren.

After the wild roaring 1920s and the development and establishment of Cosa Nostra in the 1930s, there was little strife or gangland-style killings amongst the troops through the decades.

This Family epitomized what the mafia was truly designed to be: a cohesive and tightly knit brethren of like-minded friends who all pulled together for their common cause, watching each other’s backs in the process.

A wonderful thought, huh? One that even legitimate people can identify with. To be able to have a fabric of support to help each other through life’s trials and tribulations.

Today, the Pittsburgh Family is largely a ghost. There may be one or two made members still around who are active...or not. But that’s about it.

Of course there are still gambling racketeers and a few former Italian hoodlum mob “associates” operating, but there is no formal structure as before. They operate independently of any central command...and I don’t believe that they’re gonna make a requiem any time soon!

Can you blame them? Who wants to kick up money and share profits with a hierarchy who may very well flip and testify against you down the road one day.

Until next time..."The Other Guy"

The LaRocca Family of Pittsburgh

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