Mafia Moon Over Miami – The Mob In South Florida

Despite Meyer Lansky having been an early proponent for the mob to move into Florida gambling, he was certainly not the undisputed leader or the only top operator there. In my opinion, Lansky could best be viewed as the “grandfather” so to speak of Florida gambling in that he opened the door with the idea of its development.

Since at least the early 1920s, the Mafia has been in South Florida. Up north, the city of Tampa specifically developed into a bonafide town with its very own Cosa Nostra Family with all the trimmings, Capo, Sottocapo, Consigliere, Capodecina, and soldiers many years before that.

The borgata that would later become known as “The Santo Trafficante Family” was always a small but influential mafia organization active first in the Tampa and Saint Petersburg section of the state that later expanded down into the Miami area, Cuba, and beyond.

But I’m talking more about the rackets and wide variety of racketeers who would later gravitate to the South Florida area of Miami and Miami Beach, Hollywood, Hallandale, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano, Boca Raton, and all the towns and neighborhoods in-between.

Florida’s warm inviting weather, palm trees, white sandy beaches, and crystal blue ocean waters were an immediate hit with the “bent nose” set. And it would become the drawing card and magnet for mob guys from across the nation, especially those from the cold northern cities of New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit.

In fact, you would be hard-pressed to think of any given town or city where wise guys and major hoodlums operated that wasn’t drawn down to the Sunshine State.

An Open City

This fact became one of the prime catalysts for the Italian underworld to declare Florida an “Open City” that was available to any mob family or racketeer who chose to operate there.

Initially, most racket guys would visit the area for a quick weekend or extended getaway from the hustle and bustle of their daily mob grind. But gradually, the allure of its warm balmy breezes and sandy shores encouraged them to settle down there on either a seasonal or permanent basis. Some “lammed” it there when the heat was on back home. Others came by choice.

But wiseguys fell in love with South Florida, and this love affair has continued unabated for the last ninety years!

Among the first to be drawn to Florida were Jewish mobsters from New York City. And of course the most famous of these Jewish racketeers was Meyer (Bugs Meyer) Lansky. Aside from simply enjoying what the area had to offer in the way of leisure and relaxation, Lansky quickly recognized the racket potential of this virgin territory.

The Little Man

“The Little Man” as he was widely known, would become a first among equals in its early development and expansion. Having first started out in New York as a major bootlegger during Prohibition, illicit alcohol is where Meyer would make his first fortune, but his true love and his most important attribute to Cosa Nostra would come later with his affinity and uncanny abilities as a top gambling power.

It was said that Lansky was quick with numbers and had a mathematical mind. He put his head to good use calculating odds and percentages for himself and his Mafia partners in future decades as one of their foremost point men and “pioneers,” so to speak, in the development of casino gambling in Las Vegas, Cuba, The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Aruba as well as other Island destinations.

In Florida, his operations ran a bit differently, because try as he might, in those early decades, legalized casino gambling would never become a reality.

Nonetheless, Lansky made major inroads with illegal gambling operations in Florida at every turn. He partnered with his New York associates in those early years to develop and later consolidate many different types of gaming rackets. Bookmaking on horses and sports, numbers lotteries, Bolita numbers (which because of Florida’s large Hispanic population was always a very popular game), floating dice games, high-stakes card games, etc.

Carpet Joints

During the 1940s-1950s era, it has been well documented that the Mafia built and ran some of the plushest illegal casinos one could imagine. Called “carpet joints,” these elaborate casinos offered slot machines, roulette, craps, blackjack, poker, keno, chemin de fer, and many other games of chance typically only found in the fanciest of Las Vegas casinos.

The local police departments and politicians were easily bought off or made limited partners in the various gambling operations which mostly insured against police raids and arrests. In those early decades, it was a very rare occurrence indeed to experience a surprise raid from the cops. This became the most important factor for gambling to develop in Miami and its outer areas.

During those years, it was very common to see plush casinos operating wide open without a seeming care in the world. These well-advertised combination restaurants-nightclubs and entertainment venues were in reality nothing more than fancy excuses to draw high society people to the crap tables and rows of slot machines they offered.

In those early years, it was very common to actually see advertisements in the local newspapers for these dining-entertainment-gambling venues, and its dining tables and games were often filled with the “hoi-polloi” of high society.

Movie stars and Hollywood types, politicians, big business people, and other celebrities flocked to these popular mob-operated venues like flies to a flame. They operated in the wide-open without any fear of raid or arrest. That could only happen if the right palms were regularly greased…and they were.

Top Operators

Despite Meyer Lansky having been an early proponent for the mob to move into Florida gambling, he was certainly not the undisputed leader or the only top operator there. In my opinion, Lansky could best be viewed as the “grandfather” so to speak of Florida gambling in that he opened the door with the idea of its development.

For that matter, he and his Jewish mob associates can be considered the “pointmen” and “frontmen,” in a sense, for the larger Italian racketeer contingent who most often preferred to stay in the background and work through their Jewish associates in this field.

The likes of family bosses Salvatore (Charlie Lucky) Luciano, Francesco (Frank Costello) Castiglia, and Vito (Don Vitone) Genovese trusted Lansky and his men to “run the business,” so to speak. Gambling would become Lansky’s “baby” and his lifelong love. But he always operated under the auspices of the Luciano/Genovese Family axis of which he was an “associate.”

He was known to have worked with many crews and families throughout the United States. His close association and value to Luciano helped to insure this respect was afforded to him.

The top mafioso to whom Lansky was closest was, unquestionably, the Bronx-based “capo di decina” Vincent (Jimmy Blue Eyes) Alo.

Jimmy Blue Eyes

Early in his career, Alo had reputedly been a top gunman for the New York City mob. But by the early 1940s, he had been elevated to a capo status and allegedly ran a huge regime in the Bronx.

Somewhere along the line in their early lives, Lansky and Alo became good friends, and either by design or direction, Alo became Lansky’s lifelong “Rabbi” and protector.

Some say that he was assigned to watchdog Lansky to protect the mob’s millions that had been entrusted to Lansky for investment. Others suggest Jimmy Blue Eyes and Meyer just really loved one another and gravitated to each other naturally. Regardless, their names would almost become synonymous with each other.

Side Note: Alo was said to have actually assigned one of his formally “inducted” Bronx-based soldiers to be a sort of “runner” or “aide de camp” to Lansky. Nicholas (Bobby Blanch) Belangi became a very close lifelong associate of both Meyer himself and Lansky’s Jewish crew. Belangi was a sort of watchdog for Meyer and an important courier of money from the Las Vegas casinos “skim” on behalf of Lansky and Alo.

Many of New York City’s most notorious mafiosi and racketeers soon converged on the area. By the late 1940s, Miami and its surrounding territories were like “Mob Central.” Once the word got out top racketeers from all over such as East Harlem’s Michael (Trigger Mike) Coppola and Anthony (Fat Tony) Salerno from the Genovese Family, capo Joseph Massei from the Joe Zerilli Family in Detroit, Philadelphia boss Angelo Bruno Annaloro, and Chicago’s Charlie Fischetti and his brothers started making Miami their own.

And who could forget one of America’s most notorious gangsters - the inimitable Alphonse (Scarface Al) Capone who made Miami his retirement home after being released from Alcatraz Penitentiary. He had a sprawling compound where he lived out his last days.

The Five Families Converge

By the mid-1950s, each of New York’s Five Families had at least several individual members, if not entire crews, operating in the area.

One of the best known became a Genovese soldier named Pasquale (Patsy) Erra. He became something of an “unofficial” greeter in those early years for any “connected” guy visiting Miami Beach.

Another top hoodlum was the Lucchese Family’s Frank (Frankie Dio) Dioguardi. The brother of notorious labor racketeer Johnny Dio, Frankie earned a notorious reputation himself in Miami with his wild racketeer antics.

He was a “jack of all trades” of rackets as it were, with operations over the years that included bookmaking, shylocking, jukebox vending rackets and strong-arm extortion, robberies, and other scams to name but a few of his gangster shenanigans.

But after playing fast and loose for far too long, Frankie Dio fell on a heroin smuggling conspiracy rap and pulled a 15-year federal bid…and that was that as they say.

Another Anastasia/Gambino soldier and ex-New Yorker who was to become a very notorious guy in 1950s-1960s Florida was Joseph (Joe Scootch) Indelicato. He had served a decades-long armed-robbery sentence for a $300.000 plus jewel heist back in New York.

After making parole he migrated down to Miami Beach and never looked back. In later years, Indelicato became known as a prolific Miami shylock and extortionist.

Low-Key Mafiosi

Unlike the cowboy-style antics of Dio and Indelicato, there were many other mafiosi and racketeers of various ethnicities that operated in Florida for years in a low-key fashion and were very successful in avoiding the spotlight and the subsequent law enforcement “heat” that usually comes along with it.

Top mafiosi such as Agostino (Augie) Amato and his sons, who although were well-known to local police and the Miami FBI office, kept off law enforcement's radar. The Amatos ran a very successful jukebox-vending machine business from their Miami base. Amato was also known as a major loanshark with hundreds of thousands of dollars out “on the street” weekly.

In time, many various mobsters would infiltrate a host of businesses in the area. Restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, hotels and motels, cigar stores, haberdasheries, taxicab companies, construction firms, import-export companies, vending machines, dry cleaners, etc… you name it, the mob infiltrated it.

Whether it was investing their illicit funds legitimately and purchasing the business, building the place from the ground up, or strong-arming their way in and just shaking the joint down. Sometimes, it was an unpaid gambling debt or defaulted shylock loan that opened the door.

But regardless of the methods, the mob would come to call South Florida their own. And whether law enforcement wants to admit it or not, the American organized Italian and Jewish underworld are largely responsible for South Florida’s early explosion and growth.

Commuter Gangsters

By the late 1960s into the 1970s era many New York mobsters were “commuter” gangsters. “Made guys” and associates alike often flew back and forth from LaGuardia or Kennedy Airports in Queens down to Fort Lauderdale or Miami International on a weekly or monthly basis, with mob operations and schemes actively going in both cities.

Among the better-known wiseguys who became “frequent flyers” were Genovese capo Pasquale (Paddy Mack) Macchiarole and his minions; Gambino capo Anthony (Fat Andy) Ruggiano and his crew; Lucchese capos Joseph (Joey Narrow) Laratro and their New Jersey-based capo Anthony (Tumac) Accetturo; Colombo Family acting boss Vincent Aloi and his capo father Sebastiano (Buster) Aloi as well as some of their top men such as Pasquale (Checko) Fusco.

Colombo capo John (Johnny Irish) Matera and former capo Nicholas (Jiggs) Forlano also started up racket operations in Miami and the Hallandale areas.

The Bonanno capo Michael (Mimi) Sabella also had several soldiers like Joe Puma and Willy (The Tilemaker) Dara planting the Bonanno flag where they could. In fact, Puma opened up and ran the “Little Italy Ristorante” in Hallandale which became a popular destination point for visiting hoods from New York City.

Not to be outdone, the DeCavalcante Family of New Jersey was well represented by their sitting boss Simone (Sam the Plumber) DeCavalcante himself who had relocated there to permanently live in semi-retirement while his “Acting Boss” John Riggi maintained the fort up north in Linden, New Jersey.

One of Sam’s top captains, Frank (Big Frankie) Cocchiaro, who originally flew down south to hide out from a New Jersey State grand jury subpoena, liked the area so much that he later chose to relocate down there permanently.

He was soon joined by his Queens County-based brother Carmelo (Milio) Cocchiaro and nephew Russ, two soldiers who were later indicted for operating a lively loan shark ring charging upwards of 3-5% weekly interest on a laundry list of outstanding loans.

Underworld Bigwigs

The list goes on and on. By the 1980s Pittston-Scranton, Pennsylvania Family boss Rosario (Russ) Bufalino as well as his acting boss Edward (The Conductor) Sciandra, the aforementioned DeCavalcante, Buffalo boss Joseph (Lead-Pipe Joe) Todaro Sr., Gambino boss John Gotti Sr., and Philadelphia boss Nicodemo (Little Nicky) Scarfo were all documented regulars among a sea of underworld bigwigs flocking to Florida.

Former Philadelphia boss Angelo Bruno was another top mafioso who made it his business to travel to Florida regularly before rival hoods put a gaping hole in the back of his head one evening back in Philly.

Gambino capo Nicholas (Little Nicky) Corozzo and several of his men were actually arrested by FBI agents while vacationing in South Florida a few years back.

After an indictment had been filed back in New York, federal agents in suits and ties actually pulled Corozzo out of the surf while he was enjoying himself at the beach one afternoon and brought him to the Miami House of Detention to await extradition back to The Big Apple to face the music. He pulled a big bid on that case.

Another well-documented case was that of Bonanno capo Dominick (Sonny Black) Napolitano of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He was snagged along with his soldier Benjamin (Lefty Guns) Ruggiero and others by the famed FBI undercover agent “Donnie Brasco” after they were lured by the prospect of establishing mob operations down in Florida.

After opening up a phony illegal “after-hours club” and gambling den, the feds came down on them with a historic indictment against the Bonanno mob. Florida played a major role in this probe.

The Genovese soldier Carmine Romano who was a former mob bigwig at the Fulton Fish Market in Downtown Manhattan and went to prison for waterfront collusion in a related racketeering conviction, later migrated down to the Fort Lauderdale area after being paroled. Within a few years, he was nabbed in a major bookmaking case along with several dozen others who accepted sports bets across South Florida.

The Trend Continues

It is a trend that continues to this very day. In recent decades, there have been numerous other FBI documented mob cases and the subsequent indictments to prove this out.

As I stated earlier, nearly every Mafia Family in the United States has staked a claim to Florida at one time or another. It would be a monumental task to even attempt to name all the mafiosi and top hoods who have traversed its borders.

Many Family bosses have either made winter homes for themselves or relocated to Florida permanently. DeCavalcante, Scarfo, Genovese boss Gerardo (Jerry) Catena. The Colombo Family’s consigliere Tommy (Mix) Farese and the aforementioned Vinny Aloi. Lucchese acting boss Ettore (Little Eddie) Coco. The list goes on and on.

Narcotics smuggling from Cuba and the Islands and other drug-running schemes has always been another huge allure for the underworld. Not only for the Italian mob, but Cubans, Colombians, and independents alike have repeatedly tried their luck at smuggling literally tons of narcotics and other dangerous drugs onto its shores through the years.

In large part, the cocaine explosion of the early and mid-1970s, and the subsequent “cocaine cowboys” and drug wars that came along with it were largely a South Florida phenomena.

Bodies were dropping like flies daily as organized Cuban and Colombian drug gangs (among many others) and independents alike vied for control of the cocaine trade and the untold millions of dollars that could be made from it. Miami became nothing less than a war zone and a very dangerous place to live and operate for many years. Bodies littered the streets daily!

The movie theme made famous by iconic actor Al Pacino in the classic remake “Scarface” centered around this cocaine era and its effect on Miami. He played the infamous “Tony Montana,” a Cuban refugee who comes to Miami and quickly gets involved with the drug rackets, rising to become one of its top leaders.

Side Note: The original Scarface was filmed around 1931, I believe, and its “Tony Montana” was an alcohol bootlegger during 1920s Prohibition. It makes sense that in the 1980s movie version, Montana would be a drug lord in keeping with the new era of forbidden products, which substituted liquor for cocaine.

PHI BETA MAFIA

What I have compiled below are short thumbnail profiles of over 62 mafia members and associates who were some of the more colorful underworld characters who have called South Florida home through the years. They were representative of but a speck of literally thousands of racketeers and underworld associates who visited the Florida area over the years.

Some were steady annual vacationers. Others became part-time residents. Some become full-time Floridians. And some only stayed for a few years. But all listed would play a role to a greater or lesser degree in the Cosa Nostra’s overall control and dominance of the area. Collectively, they would cast a significant “shadow” to put it mildly!

Lawrence (Larry Baccala) Abbandando

North Miami Beach

Originally out of the East New York section of Brooklyn, Abbandando was the son of the Murder Inc. executioner Frank (The Dasher) Abbandando who went to the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in 1941. He first affiliated with the Franzese regime of the Colombo Family. In later years, he transferred to the Gambino Family serving under Anthony (Fat Andy) Ruggiano.

Abbandando was very active in the 1950s-1970s in bookmaking in partnership with Franzese regime member Albert Maione (the nephew of another Murder Inc. killer Harry “Happy” Maione who also went to the chair in 1941 with The Dasher.) He also had a piece of a Times Square pornography peep-show operation until moving to Miami by the mid-1970s.

Once in Florida, he continued his affiliation with both Colombo and Gambino mob figures. His sons also became mobbed-up as adults. Unfortunately, Frank Jr, aka “Junior Abbandando,” was shot dead on a Miami street one day in a suspected drug transaction gone wrong or a prior personal vendetta that caught up to him.

Anthony (Tumac) Accetturo

5000 Grant Street, Hollywood Hills

Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Tumac became a capo and top figure who ran the Jersey branch of the Lucchese Family for years. He was a wild man who operated all types of far-flung rackets and schemes up North and down South after buying a home in the late 1960s in South Florida. Narcotics, horse race-fixing, gambling, loansharking, labor rackets, business infiltration, etc.

He originally fled a New Jersey State Grand Jury subpoena by fleeing to South Florida, but his wild exploits would again soon bring him to the attention of both local Florida and federal officials. In time, he would fall on several cases but his “Achilles heel” was a racketeering case brought in the late 1980s-early 1990s that saw him convicted and facing a life sentence for murder and racketeering.

He was also on the outs with the Family leadership of Vic Amuso and Gaspipe Casso who had ordered his murder and those of his son and other key men. He decided to “flip” to the federal government and become an informant. Although he and his son Anthony Jr. betrayed their oaths, they later settled back into North Carolina and South Florida, respectively, where they lived in recent years. Junior just died not too long ago. Senior is still alive and hanging in there.

Gus Alex

3750 Galt Ocean Drive, Fort Lauderdale

An iconic Chicago syndicate hoodlum dating back to the Prohibition era. Although not of Italian ethnicity, Alex was held in the highest regard by the old Capone mob. He was without a doubt one of the top rulers of the “Windy City Outfit” for decades.

He was an intimate of Alphonse (Scarface Al) Capone, Anthony (Joe Batters) Accardo, Paul (The Waiter) Ricca, and Samuel (Mooney) Giancana. He was one of their gambling overlords, controlled several labor unions, and was heavily invested in many legitimate businesses.

As he got older, Alex became a regular on the South Florida underworld circuit where he was warmly received by the New York crowd and mobsters from other cities. His fellow “Outfit” member, capo John (Jackie the Lackey) Cerone, also bought a home down in Dade County in later years.

It became like old-home week for the Chicago mob at one point. Joey and Charlie Fischetti had blazed the trail years earlier in the 1940s when they started coming to the Miami area for vacations.

Vincent (Jimmy Blue Eyes) Alo

1248 Monroe Street, Hollywood

Born in 1904 in New York City, Alo kept residences in both Florida and Riverside Drive in Midtown Manhattan. He was one of the most respected and iconic “capo di decina” to ever operate within the Luciano/Genovese Family. He was a contemporary of Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, Joe Adonis, Vito Genovese, Little Augie Pisano, among others.

A lifelong friend and partner of Meyer Lansky, it was thought that Jimmy Blue Eyes had been “assigned” Lansky as his “pet project.” Alo was a behind-the-scenes financier and overseer of gambling in the United States, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, among other destinations.

He also ran a huge Genovese regime based in the Bronx thought to have approximately 15-20 inducted soldiers in its ranks that controlled a huge policy network governed by Battisto (Black Bart) Salvo and Sammy (Sammy Schlitz) Schlitten and his brother Moishe (Moe). He also controlled a multimillion-dollar shylock operation which was run by his brother Frank Alo.

Jimmy spent most of his time in Florida where he invested with his friend Meyer in various gambling operations, both legal and illegal over the years.

Sebastiano (Buster) Aloi

1720 Moffitt Street, Hollywood

One of the “originals” of the old Profaci Family of Brooklyn, Buster Aloi was an old bootlegger who later rose to lead a major faction of that borgata. By 1975, he had relocated from Queens down to Florida where he semi-retired but continued his high status as an “elder statesman” of the syndicate.

Aloi was active in bookmaking, policy, hijacking, extortion, strong-arm, and other various activities overseeing his crew from his home in Hollywood with the help of his sons Vinny and Benny. Many future top members of the Family had gotten their starts under him including Sonny Franzese, his three sons, the Lombardo brothers, and others.

At one time, he ruled the North Brooklyn and Queens segments of the Family including Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Maspeth, Middle Village, and the South Queens area of Ozone Park.

In 1973, he was indicted for bilking a Las Vegas Casino after receiving $3,000 in chips on credit and then cashing them in. He was later acquitted after a jury trial in Miami. His son Vinny eventually took over control of his father's old crew.

Dominick (Cokey Dom) Alongi

aka “Fat Dom” 520 NE 38th Street, Miami

He was a longtime key Genovese soldier and intimate of both Vito Genovese, Thomas (Tommy Ryan) Eboli, and later Vincent (Chin) Gigante. As a young hood, Alongi was indicted for his participation in an interstate auto-theft ring. He later became involved in the policy racket on Manhattan’s Westside.

By at least the late 1960s forward, this habitué of Lower Manhattan and Little Italy bought a residence in Miami. From that point forward, “Cokey Dom” became a steady “commuter racketeer” flying back and forth from New York to Miami as his borgata required. Alongi also had another good reason to frequent the Southeast United States. He was a blood cousin to Frank Gagliano of Carlos Marcello’s New Orleans Family. I’m sure Alongi and Gagliano used the opportunity to meet whenever Cokey Dom was down south.

He was the president of Vindom Inc., a construction company that planned to rebuild the old Colony Club on Biscayne Boulevard but later folded because of financial problems. In 1970, he was also accused by a U.S. Senate Committee of attempting the strong-arm takeover of a New York bagel company.

Frank Amato

1160 NE 137th Street, Miami

He and his brother Vincent were the sons of old-line mafioso Agostino (Augie) Amato who was a respected Miami-based “capo di decina” in the old Anastasia Family. Both sons would later become inducted soldiers at their father's request.

The Amatos ran a very successful and extensive jukebox and cigarette vending machine company in Miami since the late 1940s. They were also known to operate as big-time loan sharks. Their father Augie was an intimate of Tampa boss Santo Trafficante and the Family boss Carlo Gambino.

Anthony (Tony the Enforcer) Altamura

1075 NE 88th Street, Miami

He was born in 1913 and raised in the Corona section of Queens. He operated a checkered career as a gunman before relocating down to Miami by the mid-1950s after making parole from several armed-robbery convictions he served prison terms on. He quickly gained a reputation in South Florida as one of the Gambino Family’s main figures operating there.

He was an intimate of Tampa boss Santo Trafficante Jr., and one of Santo’s top men Jimmy Costa Longo who were almost daily visitors and companions of Altamura. He was a respected mafioso who had the well-earned reputation as an “enforcer” for the mob, hence his nickname. A person who was said to have performed a lot of “work” for various Families as requested of him.

Altamura operated as a bookmaker, strong-arm, shakedown artist, and shylock in the greater Miami area until coming into conflict with another up and coming hoodlum named Anthony (Tough Tony) Esperti who also started flexing his mob muscles in Miami. The men did not like each other and Altamura had threatened Esperti on a number of occasions to stay “off the strip” or else.

On October 31, 1967, Altamura was shot dead in broad daylight while having a drink at the bar in the Harbor Lounge in Miami. Tough Tony decided to confront Tony the Enforcer once and for all. Esperti was convicted of murder in a slam dunk case for the prosecution and sent away for life. It was a highly publicized case and another shocking example of the mafia on display in Miami at the time.

Modeste (Mickey Morris) Barra

3152 Nailer Drive, Fort Pierce

Originally from the Bronx, this old-time mob veteran, and Genovese soldier, and thrice-arrested currency and U.S. Postage stamp counterfeiter later relocated down to Ft. Pierce where he involved himself in the construction business. He was instrumental in building a series of tract homes in Fort Pierce.

Mickey’s two sons Rocco and Joseph (Gijo) were also in the gambling and loanshark rackets and soldiers in the same crew as their father. And they too frequented the Fort Pierce area. As the old saying goes, “The Mob Family That Plays Together Stays Together.”

Ruggiero (Richie the Boot) Boiardo

Although he resided in New Jersey, Boiardo also held residences down in Miami and Havana, Cuba as well. He was one of the top Genovese bosses in control of the Northern New Jersey rackets for decades.

A very feared mafioso, Bioardo was said to have a pit at the back of his sprawling Livingston, NJ estate where he would torture and then burn his victims alive in a furnace he kept on the property…a scary guy indeed!

Among other South Florida interests, he was said to have ownership in the Sea Gull Hotel of Miami Beach. He also held interests and “points” in both Cuban and Las Vegas casinos.

Rosario (Russ) Bufalino

aka “McGee” 2933 Jefferson Street, Hollywood

This iconic mafioso was the longtime boss of the Northeastern-Pennsylvania Bufalino Family. He resided both in the Pittston-Scranton area and part-time in South Florida. He was a snowbird who would visit periodically to both enjoy himself and check on his troops, some of whom had also migrated down south.

The man that became his acting boss, Edward (The Conductor) Sciandra, and his top longtime capo overseeing Upstate New York Anthony (Gov) Guarnieri, had also relocated down south by the late 1970s. In fact, Guarnieri was later swept up in a Florida State Police undercover probe that snagged a bevy of hoods on a variety of state RICO charges.

Guarnieri later received 2-years in prison for a failed marijuana smuggling scheme and the sale of counterfeit goods such as “fugazy” watches and clothes.

Emanuele (Nello) Cammarata

1050 NE 107th Street, Miami Shores

This veteran Profaci soldier was born back in Villabate, Sicily in 1903. After decades of service to Cosa Nostra in NYC and NJ, Cammarata moved down to Florida where he owned the Club Harmony, located at 184 NE 79th Street in Miami.

A well-respected mafioso and Joe Profaci confidante, he attended the infamous 1928 Sicilian Mafia conference at Cleveland, Ohio, where over a dozen top mafiosi from across the country were arrested for conspiracy and suspicious persons. He was later shot to death coming out of a Florida nightclub he owned in 1972.

Gerardo Vito Catena

aka “Jerry” “Jerry Allen” 2100 Coconut Road, Boca Raton

One of the most important and successful mafioso of the Genovese Family, by the 1960s, Catena had moved to Miami where he lived in Coconut Grove. Attended the 1957 Apalachin Meeting in Upstate New York as a leader from the New York City area.

He was in control of vast jukebox-vending machine operations in the New York-New Jersey area and casinos in Las Vegas and The Bahamas. A revered hoodlum who later rose to “Acting Boss” over the Family when Vito Genovese was jailed for 15 years in 1959. A multimillionaire many times over.

Salvatore (Sal the Sailor) Ciccone

102-25 Collins Avenue, Bal Harbour, Miami

This Lucchese soldier migrated to Florida by the 1960s where he operated as a shylock and gambler. He was also suspected of handling narcotics. He was an associate of capo Little Eddie Coco and others.

Originally a native of East Harlem, Ciccone mostly kept a low profile in his later years. I also suspect that he was either the brother or cousin of Lucchese hood Anthony (Tony Moon) Ciccone, a longtime mob-connected narcotics trafficker who also hailed from the East Harlem area.

Samuel Cohen

2995 Flamingo Road, Mi ami Beach

He was the former owner of The Eden Roc Hotel, a famous Miami vacation destination that Meyer Lansky was suspected of holding a hidden interest in. He was a minion and disciple of Lansky. Cohen pleaded guilty in 1973 to illegally ”skimming” revenue from the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. He was sentenced to one year in prison.

Cohen was also the business partner of Alvin Malnik, another Lansky disciple and former Miami attorney who came to the attention of federal investigators after he gained ownership interests in several Las Vegas casinos, according to the Nevada Gaming Commission.

Michael (Trigger Mike) Coppola

4431 Alton Road, Miami Beac h

One of the top bosses of the East Harlem mob for many decades, and a very feared and respected “Capo di decina.”

By the later 1940s, he had firmly established himself in South Florida and was soon in control of many gambling and shylock sub-operations. His top soldier in the Miami area was Pasquale (Little Paddy) Erra, but Coppola oversaw large regimes in both New York City and Florida that numbered over 100 members and associates.

His main overall “aide de camp” was another top mafioso by the name of Anthony (Fat Tony) Salerno who had cut his teeth under Coppola. Together, they held interests in many licit and illicit interests over the years. After Coppola’s death, Salerno would take over this regime.

Paul (Frankie) Carbo

2637 Taft Street, Hollywood

A top soldier in the Genovese Family, Carbo was an infamous mafioso in charge of “prizefight” rackets for the mob. In his younger years, he was also known as a capable hitman. Carbo was a prime suspect in the 1940s murder of Jewish gangster Benjamin (Bugsy) Siegel out in Las Vegas.

He was sometimes misidentified as a Lucchese member because of his close association with men from that crew. Carbo was a highly independent mafia soldier who traveled to Philadelphia, Florida, Las Vegas, and California as his superiors instructed. It was suspected that many of these trips had to do with Carbo filling murder contracts in various cities ordered by the bosses.

Frank (Frankie Coch) Cocchiaro

aka “Big Frankie” 7545 Bounty Avenue, North Bay Village

He was originally from Astoria, Queens, but, in time, he would become affiliated with the DeCavalcante Family of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Cocchiaro started off as a bookmaker and heist-man. He was nabbed in 1955 with several associates for the daring daytime $305,000 robbery of the Bank of Woodside. He also operated extensively in Brooklyn and North Jersey where he ran a crew active in gambling, shylocking, and heists.

In 1970, while living in Jersey, he fled a New Jersey State Commission of Investigation hearing while under oath during a cigarette break, becoming a fugitive from justice. He flew to South Florida where he hid out until one fateful afternoon he was stopped by a local policeman for a traffic infraction and presented the cop with a phony driver’s license. He was arrested and returned to Jersey where he faced the music.

In later years, he migrated to Florida permanently as did his mafioso brother Carmelo. They prospered until a RICO indictment in the late 1980s saw them both convicted and jailed. Frank received 20-years in federal prison.

Ettore (Little Eddie) Coco

6941 Bay Drive, Miami Beach

Born in 1908 in Palermo and although only 5-feet 2-inches tall, Eddie Coco was a very feared guy. He was another of the Lucchese Family’s top men who specialized in the “prizefight rackets” in which he was partnered with Frankie Carbo, Frank (Blinky) Palermo, Harry (Champ) Segal, and Felix Bocchiccio. They were collectively called “The Combination.”

Coco was also suspected of being into narcotics smuggling as a financier and was a documented extortionist as well. He later received a life sentence by a Florida State Court judge for shooting to death a black parking lot attendant who Coco felt had disrespected him by not moving fast enough and ogling Coco’s female companion one evening while they were at a Miami nightspot.

Joseph (Demus) Covello

707 Diplomat Parkway, Hallandale

Born in 1924, he also hailed from North Jersey before moving south to the Broward County area. Demus Covello was active as a Gambino soldier serving in the crew of New Jersey capo Joseph Paterno. Covello was one of over a dozen New Jersey-based hoods who fled the jurisdiction down to Florida in order to avoid a State Grand Jury subpoena.

His primary activity was bookmaking for which he sustained many arrests both in New Jersey and later in Florida. He also figured into several undercover investigations aimed at stemming mob infiltration of the area. Covello had actually followed his “skipper” Joe Paterno down south after the aging wiseguy permanently relocated there several years earlier.

William Joseph Dara

“Willy the Tile Maker” 15301 NE Sixth Avenue, North Miami

He was born in 1905 and originally came from New York but had migrated down to South Florida by at least the early 1950s. Supposedly related to a Little Italy-based Bonanno soldier later turned capo Michael (Mimi) Sabella, Dara was reputed to have been inducted into the Bonanno Family as a soldier serving in Sabella’s crew by the early 1960s.

He had a checkered career as a mob figure. Dara never seemed to really be “in the chips.” He mostly operated high-risk-type ventures such as burglaries, robberies, jewel heists, and other “spur of the moment” desperado schemes.

He is thought to have become a paid federal informant at some point in his mob career, providing limited and somewhat conflicting information about the 1960s Banana War and about his various Florida mob associates. He was once sentenced to 7-1/2 years in prison on an extortion conviction for shaking down a Miami beauty contest director…this case is where they may have turned him into a rat.

Emelio (The Count) Delio

18733 North Bay Road, North Miami Beach

This Genovese Family soldier was born back in 1913 and was an operative based in Northern New Jersey active in gambling operations until he chose to move to Florida in order to avoid a State Grand Jury subpoena. He chose the Miami area where he resumed his bookmaking activities.

Delio was affiliated with Accetturo, Gambino capo Joe Paterno and soldier Demus Covello, Genovese Capo Andy Gerardo, and other Jersey mob figures. He ended up moving down there permanently and his name later surfaced in several gambling probes and arrests.

He was charged in 1976 with the extortion of a Hollywood businessman after the man fell behind on a shylock loan Delio had extended to him. Two years earlier in 1974, he was one of those nabbed by police who raided a suspected illegal Miami gambling den at 4 am in the morning.

Giuseppe (Joe the Wolf) DiCarlo

530 South Shore Drive, Miami Beach

One of the original controlling figures of Mafia operations in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area. DiCarlo was a feared killer for the Magaddino Family and headed gambling operations there until being forced out of the area by police.

He later relocated to Youngstown, Ohio, before moving down to Miami where he again resumed his gambling rackets in Miami. The son of an old Sicilian “Mustache Pete,” the DiCarlos were both highly respected mafiosi.

Frank (Frankie Dio) Dioguardi

1021 NE 162nd Street, North Miami Beach

One of the three “Dio Brothers,” Frankie was in garment racketeering with his brothers up in New York before relocating down to Florida in the early 1950s and setting himself up in the local rackets. He was a respected “associate-member” of the Lucchese Family under his “capo” brother Johnny’s wing.

Dio was active in a litany of illicit and semi-legitimate businesses over the years. He owned numerous bars, nightclubs, and restaurants. He owned a cigarette vending machine firm that strong-armed businesses to install his machines. His mother's brother was the infamous Lucchese capo “Jimmy Doyle” Plumeri.

Max (Little Maxie) Eder

Originally from the Bronx, Eder relocated down to the greater Miami area by the 1950s. He was affiliated with the Trigger Mike Coppola regime of Harlem and continued this association after relocating.

He was a convicted burglar and wholesale narcotics dealer who later turned to the gambling rackets once in Florida. He operated in tandem with soldiers Patsy Erra, Freddy Felice, and other Genovese figures.

Eder was entrusted to oversee steady, high-stakes card games operated in private lounges at the Eden Roc and Fountainbleu Hotels along Collins Avenue in Miami.

Pasquale (Little Paddy) Erra

aka “Patsy” 5609 NW 7th Ave., Miami

One of the earliest Genovese soldiers to ever relocate to Miami and settle the area, a former professional prize-fighter, Erra became a sort of “emissary” and “goodwill ambassador” to other mafiosi who later visited South Florida.

He was active as a shylock, nightclub operator, bookmaker, dice, and card game operator. He was also long suspected of sometimes trafficking in heroin. The “right-hand man” of his capo Trigger Mike Coppola.

Paddy Erra held ownership and management interests in some of the most popular Collins Avenue nightclubs and watering holes of the era. He was like the Mafia “Mayor” of Miami.

Albert (Chinky) Facchiano

aka “The Chink” 1300 Stillwater Drive, Miami Beach

Born in 1910, Facchiano had been a Florida resident for decades and became a near iconic mob figure when he was indicted with many, much younger mafiosi in South Florida several years back.

At the time, Chinky was well into his early nineties and was caught on tape offering his services to his much younger “capo” should the Family need any “heavy work” to be done. He claimed that as a formally inducted “soldier” of the borgata you are never too old to be called upon.

He was later charged by the FBI with operating an extensive loan shark business and helping to coordinate Genovese activities in the area.

James (Jimmy Black) Falco

6905 Willow Lane, Miami Lake

Felice (Philly Black)

Born in 1912, this veteran low-key Lucchese soldier was originally from East Harlem and later grew up in Corona, Queens. He and his “soldier” brother Felice (Philly Black) were close associates and served in the crew of capo Antonio (Tony Ducks) Corallo.

They mostly operated numbers, shylock, and vending machine rackets. They were known to control a large policy-numbers network in the Harlem/Bronx sections.

By the mid-1960s, Jimmy had moved down to Florida joining other Lucchese hoods staking their claim to the area. He was followed a few years later by Philly. Once there, they operated a significant shylock business in tandem with their relative capo Ettore Coco and several of their Jewish hoodlum associates.

Salvatore Falcone

1652 NW 62nd Street, Miami

The original “boss” of Utica in Upstate New York. By 1947, Falcone had relocated permanently to Florida where he and his son Joe opened and operated Falcone & Son Wholesale & Retail Italian Grocers Inc. at 5609 NW 7th Avenue in Miami. This was a large distributor of Italian-styled food products that supplied various pizzerias and restaurants in the area.

Ostensibly under the overall umbrella of the Magaddino Family of Buffalo/Niagara Falls, New York, Sal left his brother Joseph Falcone in charge as the “acting capo” back home in Utica. Originally among the biggest bootleggers in Upstate New York, Joe continued to control their large regime for the next forty-plus years with his older brother Sal’s guidance. And although to still be at the helm, Sal served in more of a consigliere position in his later years while in Florida.

Overall, the Falcone brothers both enjoyed extremely successful careers. Neither of them ever spent a single day of their lives behind prison walls… now THAT’S what I call “wiseguys!”

Robert (Bobby Green) Falvo

NE 43rd Court, Coral Springs 3400 Galt Ocean Drive, Apt #1204, Fort Lauderdale

Born in Brooklyn in 1926, he mostly operated in Queens and Long Island. Falvo was listed as a Colombo Family soldier serving in the regime of capo John (Sonny) Franzese. He was active as a bookmaker, shylock, dice game operator, and was reported to have extensive interests in various garment factories, bars, and nightclubs.

By 1971, he had relocated to Florida to avoid several state grand jury subpoenas. By 1973, authorities had documented his involvement in a Fort Lauderdale nightclub he named Bobby G’s Headliner Club and a partnership in the C. & F. Construction & Development Company that was building a condominium complex in Coral Springs.

In 1975, the FBI noted his ownership interests in Euro Import-Export Corp. and Compass Sales & Trading Ltd. By 1982, these firms figured into an FBI indictment for him heading a complex international fraud scheme based from South Florida that fleeced major pharmaceutical companies of over $10,000,000.

Alfredo (Freddy Red Shirt) Felici

aka “Alfred Felice” 1770 Normandie Drive, Miami Beach 7710 Beachview Drive, North Bay Village

A veteran Genovese soldier. In his early years, he was reputedly a strong-arm and gunman for the Family suspected in several homicides.

After relocating to Miami, he bought into the LaRue Club along the famed Collins Avenue. There he operated as a bookmaker and gambler but was also suspected of heavily trafficking in the interstate narcotics trade for which he had a prior conviction.

Joseph (Joe Fisher) Fischetti

6701 Miami View Drive, Miami Beach

Along with his brother Charlie, he was one of the notorious “Fischetti Brothers” of Chicago and the cousins of Scarface Al Capone. He was himself a major power in the Chicago bootlegging and gambling rackets since the 1930s era.

After relocating to Miami, he again became engaged in the gambling rackets. He also opened up the Fount-Whip Corp. (an ice cream business) in Miami and listed his employment there.

The Fischetti brothers were also documented to be very good, close friends to the iconic Italian singer Frank Sinatra.

Anthony (Tony Jack) Giacalone

5500 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Giacalone was one of the Detroit mob’s most important members for decades. He and his brother Vito (Billy Jack) both later became “capo di decina” in the Joseph Zerilli Family. They were in charge of overseeing most street rackets for Zerilli that included numbers, bookmaking, card games, and the Greek dice game Barbut, extortion, and other such activities.

In 1975, the “Giacalone Brothers” became the prime suspects in the disappearance and presumed murder of ex-Teamsters president James R. Hoffa from the Machus Red Fox Restaurant that fateful day Hoffa vanished. The Giacalone brothers became regular visitors to South Florida over the years, enjoying the golf and other activities the area offers.

John Battista Ignizio

201 N. 14th Avenue, Hallandale

Ignizio was another old-line, little-known soldier in the Gambino Family who resided down in Florida. Not much was ever known about him by the FBI, but he was a known associate of soldier Frank (The Wop) Gagliardi and capo Ettore Zappi.

Ignizio was listed on government charts during the 1983 U.S. Senate Hearings held in Washington to probe organized crime in this country.

Joseph (Joe Scootch) Indelicato

385 82nd Street, Apt #25, Miami Beach 800 W. Drive Harbor Island, North Bay Village

A notorious Gambino soldier who established himself in Miami soon after being paroled from a 40-year armed robbery sentence. Indelicato quickly became a well-known hoodlum and top loan shark figure. He “pushed in” on several businesses including nightclubs and restaurants.

He listed employment variously at the Sunshine State Transport Co. (a trucking firm), South Florida U-Drive-It Co., (an auto rental agency), and has had hidden interests in several eateries and a vending machine business.

Jacob (Jake Lansky) Suchowlansky

1146 Harrison Street, Hollywood

The younger brother and lifelong partner of Meyer, Jake has always operated in his brother's shadow in tandem with their various early bootlegging and gambling operations. The Lansky brothers also bought, built, or partnered in various Florida property deals and businesses over the years.

Jake was ostensibly the owner-operator of The New Plantation Restaurant in Hallandale. He also owned the property and later received rental incomes from several other parcels.

By the end of his life, it was said that Jake Lansky had become a wealthy man by sticking close to his older brother and being prudent with his earnings. Ostensibly, Jake held more assets on paper than did Meyer. Although that's not necessarily indicative of the true scope and division of their wealth.

Meyer (Little Meyer) Suchowlansky

aka "Meyer Lansky" "Bugs Meyer” “The Little Man”

He lived for years at 612 Hibiscus Drive in Hallandale, before later moving to 5255 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, and later to a condominium waterfront location. This man needs no introduction!

He held interests over the years in numerous South Florida gambling establishments such as the Colony Club and The Green Acres. He also held “points” and hidden interests in the Havana Riviera, Capri Hotel, San Souci Gambling Casino, all in Cuba, and the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

He was one of the major controlling interests in the mob's gambling rackets in partnership with various top mafiosi. It was also highly suspected but never proven that Lansky held ownership interests in several top hotels along the Collins Avenue strip in Miami Beach. The federal government also alleged that years earlier he had invested large funds into the Mary Carter Paint Company which made him millions.

Through his Jewish mob minions in his personal crew, he also maintained control of certain garment district dress factories, trucking firms, and other garment center racket operations such as shylocking and policy/bookmaking. Men such as “Red Hymie” Siegel, “Bobby Blanch” Belangi, and Phil “The Stick” Kovolick were assigned to oversee things of this nature for him.

Joseph (Joey Narrow) Laratro

543 Palm Drive, Hallandale

He was born in 1916 and had been a top Queens-based capo and gambling overseer for the Lucchese Family. He was partners with boss Tommy Lucchese’s brother Joseph (Joe Brown) in operating a huge bookmaking-policy network throughout Queens County from the 1940s through the late 1960s.

By 1971, Laratro decided to permanently relocate down south. He left his “right-hand man” Neil Migliore as his eyes and ears back in New York. In Florida, he purchased a private garbage-sanitation business with his son Danny.

Laratro would soon semi-retire and was astute enough to have never served one day in jail. Unfortunately, in later years, his son was not as savvy or lucky. Danny Laratro was indicted, convicted, and jailed for heading a massive marijuana smuggling ring.

Pasquale (Paddy Mack) Macchiarole

A seasonal resident of Fort Lauderdale. Born 1922. By the mid-1960s, Paddy Mack had risen to a position of prominence in the Genovese Family. Based from his home in Middle Village, Queens, he had expanded into extensive gambling, loanshark, and extortion operations.

He was a hidden owner of the popular Golden Chariot in Forest Hills, but in truth, controlled many other restaurants, bars, and nightclubs through the extortionate strong-arm tactics he and his crew of hoods had brought to bear on businesses in Queens, Long Island.

By the late 1960s, he had expanded into the South Florida area, specifically Fort Lauderdale and its surrounding towns. He focused on “shaking down” every nightclub he could get his hands on. He quickly became a fixture on the Fort Lauderdale nightclub circuit, and just as quickly, his reputation grew so much that he became a major target of law enforcement. He was also known to hold interests in several trucking firms and the Frigid Express Company in New Jersey, a large freight and food carrier that served as a linchpin for a lucrative truck hijacking and fencing operation conducted by his minions.

Macchiarole was said to have become an intimate of acting boss Frank (Funzi) Tieri, his partner in Frigid Express, among other rackets. But he must have zigged when he should have zagged because, in 1978, Macchiarole’s body was found in the trunk of his Cadillac parked on a desolate street in Brooklyn. He had been gutted by a knife and shot several times in the head. His trussed-up corpse was discovered by police when an anonymous caller directed them to the body after he went missing for over a week

Salvatore (Lefty) Mangiamelli

Fort Lauderdale (no exact address available)

Originally a member of the old Gallo Gang of Brooklyn, Mangiamelli was a key combatant in the Profaci-Gallo War of 1961-63, and later in the early 1970s with the next go-around between Joe Colombo and Joe Gallo. But by the early 1980s, Lefty had already relocated down to Florida to get away from it all.

He had been active in his day with bookmaking, shylocking, extortion, and stolen securities rackets. In Florida, he seems to have kept a lower profile for the rest of his life.

Samuel (Sam) and Gabriel (Kelly) Mannarino

Samuel (Sam) and Gabriel (Kelly)

Born 1906 and 1916 respectively, the Mannarino brothers were top figures in Pittsburgh’s Mafia for decades. Although they technically resided in New Kensington, PA., they were both frequent visitors to South Florida and Cuba where they conducted various gambling operations and other rackets.

It was alleged by authorities that they were invested in several Miami Beach nightclubs and a hotel over the years as well. One of Kelly’s favorite haunts was the famous Joe Sonken’s Stone Crabs Restaurant. An acknowledged meeting place for hoods from all over the country,

He and the owner Joe Sonken (a former Chicago bookmaker) were the best of friends. So much so that when Mannarino was in Florida his associates all knew they could reach him daily at Sonken’s restaurant. When he was away, the restaurant served as a sort of makeshift message center for him. Joe Sonken would take messages and phone calls and be sure to follow up to give Kelly his messages.

Joseph (Joe Martin) Martinelli

aka “Georgie Blue Eyes” 4480 Michigan, Miami Beach

Born 1914 in Brooklyn, by the later 1960s, he resided at 4480 Michigan, Miami Beach. He was a close associate and crew member of Gambino capo Carmine (The Doctor) Lombardozzi and soldier Arthur (Artie Todd) Tortorello.

With the Lombardozzi brothers, he engaged in shylocking, extortion, frauds, and stolen securities rackets. He was actually once arrested with John Lombardozzi in a related stolen stocks case involving hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Alfonso (Don Alfonso) Marzano

729 NE 3rd Street, Hallandale

Born 1890 in Naples, this old-line Cammorista relocated to Florida from NYC where he held ownership interests in the famous Saratoga Springs Mineral Water. Since 1929, he had arrests for possession of a gun, counterfeiting, and narcotics violations.

After migrating south, he was suspected of engaging in international heroin trafficking with his mafia associates. A respected mafioso. He was associated with the Napolitano faction of the Family such as Vito Genovese, Frank Celano, and Lorenzo Brescia.

Giuseppe (Joe) Massei

520 Lakeview Drive, Flamingo Bay, Miami Beach

Massei was a top mafiosi who was active in both Cleveland and Detroit before later relocation down to Miami in the later 1940s. A very wealthy and business savvy mafioso, he held interests in the Miami Provision Co., Grand Hotel, Sands Hotel of Miami, Tellman Casting Company, and Hamtrack Motor Co., both of Detroit, and the Webster Inn and Victory Club of Toledo, Ohio.

He was a longtime associate and partner of the Angersola brothers of Cleveland and Miami. Massei later got involved in large-scale bookmaking operations down in the Miami area.

John (Johnny Irish) Matera

1943 NE 175th Street, Miami Beach

Born in 1932 in the Little Italy section of Manhattan, Matera started his mob career under the tutelage of Profaci/Colombo capo John (Sonny) Franzese. By the mid-1960s, Matera was deeply engaged in strong-arm work, shylocking, high-end robberies, and extortion.

He beat a murder case in 1966 with Franzese but later fell hard on several armed robbery convictions. The most significant was the daring $2,000,000 jewel robbery of safe deposit boxes at the Harbor Island Spa in Miami. He was sentenced to a life term but was released after serving 10 years.

He decided to stay in Miami and was quickly elevated to a “capo” post. Matera was said to control a regime active in gambling, shylocking, extortion, and narcotics smuggling. By 1981, he had fallen from favor and disappeared forever. Some accounts say he was killed, chopped up, and thrown in the Atlantic Ocean off the Miami shore.

Vincent (Jimmy Dee) Palmisano

108-25 NW 29th Manor in Sunrise

Born in 1914. By the early 1950s, Jimmy Dee was living and operating down in Miami. He was known as a shylock and bookmaker allied with Joe Indelicato and other Gambino figures.

Palmisano himself was listed in U.S. Senate hearings as a soldier in that Family and suspected of being “under” capo Augie Amato. He was also said to have held an interest in several eateries over the years.

Frank (Frankie Hialeah) Pelliccio

116 Palm Avenue, Hialeah

He was born in 1915 and had migrated south many decades before. A Genovese soldier, he was mostly known as a bookmaker and gambler. Pelliccio was generally a low-key guy that the feds didn’t know much about.

Guido (The Bull) Penosi

19916 NE 22nd Avenue, North Miami

Born in 1930, Penosi was the brother-in-law to Connecticut Gambino capo Frank Piccolo. He was known as a narcotics trafficker who traveled back and forth from the Northeast to California to transact his narcotics deals.

He was also active in the policy rackets early on. Penosi was later killed as was Piccolo, although it was not suspected to have been for the same reasons. They both once figured into a failed extortion attempt against singers Wayne Newton and Lola Falana.

Anthony (Tony Plate) Plata

aka “TP” 1230 101st Street, Harbor Island

A longtime, vicious soldier in the Gambino Family who served in the Little Italy regime of capo Aniello (O’Neil) Dellacroce. Plata himself originally came out of West Harlem, but early on, relocated to the Bronx where he ran a crew who specialized in policy and shylocking, stolen stocks, and securities.

He always had a well-deserved reputation as a hothead and vicious strong-arm. After he chose to move to Florida, he continued his loan shark rackets.

Tony Plate was suspected as the prime triggerman in several gangland homicides. There is a story that went around that one day he walked into the office of a recalcitrant shylock customer, spewing curses and half-foaming from the mouth, jumped onto the man's desk and literally bit the man's ear, ripping it from his head….that was TP. Nobody to play with.

After he was indicted with his capo/underboss Dellacroce on racketeering charges that included the alleged murder of Gambino associate Charles (Charlie Bear) Calise, Plata disappeared shortly thereafter. Word has it that Dellacroce had dispatched the late John Gotti and Angelo Ruggiero down to Florida to help sever ties with Plata so that Dellacroce with have a better chance to beat the case…after Tony Plate’s disappearance,

O’Neil did indeed beat the case. In gangland, everything always works out for the best - except for Tony Plata, of course!

Vincenzo (Jimmy Doyle) Plumeri

9224 Dickens Avenue, Surfside

Seasonal resident who lived at 9224 Dickens Avenue, in Surfside. One of the most notorious and “iconic” of New York’s racketeers. He was a top garment center extortionist and mob figure as well as a controlling force in the “prizefight” rackets along with his partners Frankie Carbo and Blinky Palermo.

Plumeri was the uncle of the equally notorious Dioguardi brothers and actually groomed them into the rackets. He was regarded as one of the top Lucchese Family ”capos” before his murder in the early 1970s. He was partnered with his nephew Frankie Dio in “Angelo Palange’s Pizza Restaurant,” which was the Miami version of a popular Queens establishment.

Unfortunately, years later Jimmy Plumeri would be found strangled to death, discarded on a Queens street corner. But in his day, Jimmy Doyle had been one of the most important garment racketeers the city had ever seen.

Alfonso (Big Al) Polizzi

aka “Al Polizzi” 6857 Granada Blvd., Coral Gables

Polizzi was one of the top bosses of the Cleveland mob before migrating to Florida. He was also one of the most respected mafioso in the entire United States.

In Florida, he established a large construction firm he named the Thompson-Polizzi Construction Company in Coral Gables. On par with such mob luminaries as Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, and Joe Profaci. He was long suspected of engaging as an international narcotics trafficker as a financier.

He also engaged in bookmaking after semi-retiring in Miami. In his later years in Florida, he kept a very low profile but maintained his high status in the underworld.

Alexander (Al Ross) Rosato

Born in East Harlem and serving under “capo” Michael Coppola, Rosato had the well-earned reputation as one of New York’s most vicious shylocks. He operated for years from a barbershop and private mob social club next door where he loaned out his money to various customers.

Rosato had the reputation of being unmerciful if his loanshark customers ran even an hour late in dropping off their payments. More than once he allegedly gave out vicious beatdowns to tardy customers. Once when a black guy from West Harlem who had borrowed money had the temerity to backtalk Rosato, he placated the man encouraging the fellow to come and have a cup of coffee and iron out their discrepancy. Upon arriving at Al Ross’ club, Rosato ushered the man into the alleyway to chat in private. Once there, Al immediately shot the man to death and threw his body in the trunk of a car for later disposal.

Rosato made weekly trips for years down to Miami to deliver racket proceeds to his boss Mike Coppola. He was in charge of loanshark and policy racket collections from the Harlem crew. So, years later, Rosato himself permanently relocated to Florida joining so many other of his mob buddies in the Florida sun.

Louis Rotondo

198-30 N. Miami Avenue, Miami

He was born in 1910 and originally operated in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. He was a Genovese soldier under the wing of Family boss Frank (Funzi) Tieri. Rotondo was utilized by Tieri as a sometime driver-bodyguard.

He operated as a strong-arm and shylock before moving down to Florida where he seems to have kept a low profile.

Luigi (Louie Black) Saccaroma

aka “Blackie” 805 NW 109th Street, Miami

With arrests since 1916 for armed robbery, assault, and a federal narcotics conviction, Saccaroma was a well-rounded hood who was active as a “prize-fight racketeer” who “fixed” major boxing matches and horse races. He held ownership interests in the Surf Restaurant, 7417 Collins Ave. in Miami, and the contracts for several prizefighters.

He was an associate of Frankie Carbo, Patsy Erra, Salvatore Falcone, and Mike Coppola, among many other well-known hoodlums.

George (Georgie Blair) Smurra

aka “Blah-Blah”

He was born in Brooklyn on January 1, 1910, and resided at 2142 76th Street. By the late 1950s, he was also a seasonal resident of Miami Beach where he often flew down to mingle with his mob contemporaries.

Smurra became a top soldier under the Brooklyn faction of the Genovese Family. He had a lengthy record for burglary, felony assault, assault and robbery, and murder. He was indicted in 1947 along with Vito Genovese himself, capo Mike Miranda, soldier Gus Frasca and several others for the highly publicized 1934 murder of a small-time hustler named Ferdinand (The Shadow) Boccia.

Aside from his strong-arm work as an enforcer for the Family, Smurra was active in bookmaking, running high-stakes baccarat and dice games, and extortion schemes. In the early 1960s, he was busted along with 10 others for operating a high-end baccarat game on Third Avenue and 60th in Manhattan where police confiscated $32,000 in cold cash on the tables. A tidy sum for that era.

Smurra was also questioned by Miami homicide detectives about the murder of his close associate Joseph Moscardino who was shot to death in Miami in 1963. At the time of his killing Moscardino was under indictment for murder. Smurra held interests in various nightclubs over the years including the Elegante and Balinese Supper Clubs in Brooklyn and several clubs in Miami. He was a well-respected original.

Salvatore (Salvy) Spitale

“The Greek”

Born in 1897 in Petralia, Sicily, he was a little-known but respected mafia member who was involved with Jewish racketeer Irving (Itsy-Bitzy) Bitz in the New York City and Long Island newspaper monopoly extortion rackets. He had a record dating to 1912 for delinquency, bootlegging, burglary, homicide by gun, felony assault, weapons, grand larceny, and conspiracy.

Spitale figured prominently in the infamous Lindbergh kidnapping case as a go-between with the kidnappers, the police, and the child’s parents. He was a seasonal Miami resident who stayed at the Shore Park Hotel. He held ownership interests over the years in the Count Casino Nightclub in Miami and Shore Park Hotel.

Charles (Chuck White Jr) Tourine Jr.

1413 N. Venetian Way, Miami

In 1953, he legally changed his name to Charles Del Monico. Born in 1927 in New Jersey, by the late 1950s, he was residing at both Midtown Manhattan and 4120 Pine Tree Drive in Miami. The son of the infamous “Charlie the Blade,” Del Monico had arrests for possession of a weapon, vagrancy, and lottery.

He was ostensibly a salesman for the Central Art Gallery in Manhattan, but in truth had followed in his father's footsteps and was active in gambling and narcotics rackets in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Cuba.

Charles (Charlie the Blade) Tourine Sr.

9101 East Bay Harbor Drive, Miami Beach

Tourine was an “internationally” active mafioso who maintained addresses in Manhattan, Florida, Cuba, and Europe. One of the most well-known mobsters of his era. A highly respected “soldier” in the regime of Ruggiero (Richie the Boot) Board of NJ.

He was thought to have invested his funds into the Treasure Isle Motel and the Casablanca Hotel (which offered casino gambling), both in Miami. At one time, he also held gambling interests in Havana, Cuba, and London, England.

Santo Trafficante Jr.

740 NE 155th Street, North Miami

Although he was the longtime boss of the Tampa-based Family, Trafficante maintained residences in both cities to better connect to his mafiosi brethren. Santo dealt with the likes of mafia members from most Families that visited “his” Sunshine State.

John (Peanuts) Tronolone

8090 Hawthorne Avenue, Miami Beach

Starting out in Buffalo, New York, “Peanuts” later relocated to Cleveland before migrating further south to Miami. He ran mob rackets in all three cities for decades. A respected soldier who was later elevated to a capo post. He was ostensibly “employed” at the Tahiti Bar in Miami Beach, but was known as a prolific bookmaker and enforcer of mob dictates.

Sebastiano (Babo) Vento

aka “Joseph Vento”

Although he technically resided in Malba, Queens, this veteran Lucchese soldier was a constant visitor to Miami for many years. When flying to Florida, Vento would most often reside at either the Helen Mar Hotel, Golden Nugget Hotel, or the famed Eden Roc Hotel, all in Miami.

Babo was a product of East Harlem where he operated policy and narcotics rackets for years until he fell on a heroin conspiracy case in the 1950s. Vento was well known as both a smuggler/distributor and operator of clandestine laboratories that produced kilogram quantities of heroin.

He was most closely associated with the thrice-convicted Lucchese capo John (Big John) Ormento, who later received 40 years in prison for narcotics trafficking. Narcotics agents believed that Vento’s frequent trips south were to facilitate his drug network.

Santo Virusso

aka “Santo Russo” 2750 N. Surf Road, Hollywood

This little-known “sleeper” was a trusted Sicilian-born mafioso who operated in Chicago before relocating to Florida. He was the owner-operator of the Shorecrest Apartments at 2750 N. Surf Avenue, an apartment rental complex he bought and ran.

He had been arrested three times for murder (once in Italy) and (twice in Chicago). He was a close associate of Louis (Little New York) Campagna.

Ettore (Terry) Zappi

aka “Tony Russo” 2300 N. Atlantic Avenue, Fort Lauderdale

Born in Naples, Italy in 1904, he resided for many years at 2300 N. Atlantic Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Zappi was the next-door neighbor of his “compare” Carlo Gambino in Massapequa, Long Island, and was one of Gambino’s closest and trusted confidantes.

Zappi served the borgata for decades as one of its top capos. He specialized in labor racketeering and shylocking. He and Gambino installed his son Tony Zappi as the secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local #854, and they held a secret ownership interest for years in the famous Castro Convertible Company.

Zappi was very heavy into business infiltration and legitimate investments. Over the years, he was a controlling partner in Bobby Rubino’s Famous Ribs which originated in South Florida, and several other restaurants such as the T & D Drive-Up Restaurant. He was also a hidden partner in Goldfingers, the popular nude dance club that started in Florida in the early 1980s.

Today, Florida is still an ever-popular place for mob guys to vacation and reside. Along with more and more people who relocate south and call the “Sunshine State” their home, mob guys equally enjoy the area’s attributes; always have and always will.

Until the next time….”The Other Guy”

Mafia Moon Over Miami – The Mob In South Florida

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Mafia Moon Over Miami – The Mob In South Florida

Unlock This Door to the Underworld

Take the Journey!

You May Also Enjoy

The Anthony Strollo Regime of NY/NJ

The Day Charlie (the Bug) Workman Saved a Horse

Racketeer Profile – San Francisco’s “Jimmy the Hat” Lanza

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