The Acting Capo of Steubenville, Ohio: Cosmo Quattrone

One of the most important mafioso to ever operate within the City of Steubenville, Ohio, was Cosmo Quattrone. The longtime “second-in-command” to caporegime Jimmy Tripodi himself, Quattrone was extremely loyal to Tripodi and helped him oversee their crew for decades.

Cosimo Antonio (Cosmo) Quattrone - aka “Cosmo Anthony Quattrone” - was born on June 20, 1900, in Archi Reggio Calabria, Italy. He immigrated to the U.S. from the Port of Naples, Italy, on March 20, 1920, arriving in the Port of New York (via Ellis Island) on March 27 on the freighter ship S.S. America.

A few years after he arrived in this country, he met and later married a fellow native Calabrian named Maria Carmella. She was only 17-years-old. The couple wed on June 19, 1926, in Steubenville.

Cosmo Quattrone

Cosmo and Maria first resided at 217 Broadway Avenue. Later, they moved to a home at 641 Broadway. In June 1927, the Quattrones gave birth to a daughter they named Domenica. Unfortunately, Cosmo and Maria ended up getting divorced just a few years later.

Cosmo subsequently then met and married another woman by the name of Elizabeth (Betty) Quattrone. They resided for years at 242 South Seventh Street. Later, the couple moved to 218 Tech Drive in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

242 South Seventh Street

Quattrone stood about 5 feet 11 inches tall and was solidly built at 235 pounds. He had jet black hair that turned salt and pepper as he aged, dark brown eyes, and a dark olive complexion. An old photograph shows him as a nice-looking man.

FBI #1028886, Steubenville-PD #3556, Buffalo-PD #27939, IN&S #5209013

For many years, starting in the mid-to-late 1920s forward, Cosimo (Cosmo) Quattrone was considered to be one of the leading racketeers in Steubenville and the number two man to Vincenzo (Jimmy) Tripodi.

Tripodi was unquestionably viewed as the top underworld leader in firm control of the city’s rackets.

Caporegime Jimmy Tripodi

Both men originally hailed from the southern Italian province in Calabria. So, it was only natural that they first aligned to what was commonly referred to as the Camorra or the “Societa Honore" or "Honored Society" in English. The Societa Honore was composed of hoodlums known as “Camorrista” from the Campania and Calabria regions of Southern Italy.

By the early 1930s, the Camorra and Sicilian-based Mafia had amalgamated into what became known as “Cosa Nostra,” a blended mix of men hailing from the South of Italy and the island of Sicily. Tripodi and Quattrone were invited to join as members. Subsequently, they become “mafiosi.”

Side Note: Jimmy Tripodi’s daughter Josephine later married a man named Joseph A. Quattrone Jr., a distant blood cousin of theirs. S o, it seems that the two racketeer “compare” had an even deeper relationship than just coming from the same village in Italy. They were related by blood and marriage as well.

By all accounts, Quattrone was a tough individual who would, in time, gain a reputation as a feared member of the underworld in both Ohio and Pennsylvania where he operated. He became known as something of a strong-arm man who enforced the dictates of the local Mafia and worked side by side with his close friend, partner, and capo, Jimmy Tripodi.

Quattrone’s criminal record started in 1928 and lists at least 14 arrests, 5 of which were gambling-related. It reads as follows:

June 10, 1926 - Carrying a concealed weapon (60 days in the workhouse or a $100 fine.)

April 13, 1927 - First-degree murder (One of four men charged, the case was dismissed after Tripodi was acquitted on the same charge.)

June 27, 1928 - Federal liquor bootlegging conspiracy (Six months in Harrison County Jail, Cadiz, Ohio, later suspended.)

September 27, 1928 - Arson and conspiracy (dismissed.)

August 5, 1932- Selling unlicensed alcohol, operating a speakeasy ($250 fine.)

October 2, 1933 - Failing to stop at a stop sign.

June 3, 1935 - Parking auto in a restricted area, blocking traffic (one-year probation.)

October 16, 1936 - Operating a gambling house on Market Street (no disposition.)

June 24, 1937 - Keeping a gambling establishment ($50 fine.)

December 26, 1937 - Maintaining a gambling establishment (bond set at $500.)

July 13, 1938 - Charged along with his wife Maria for “permitting gambling” on the premises. ($300 fine.)

September 23, 1938 - Maintaining a gambling den ($50 fine.)

October 22, 1940 - Trafficking in the sale of untaxed cigarettes (dismissed.)

April 16, 1947 - Alien registration, Investigation (perjury charge considered but later dismissed.)

Naturalization Woes

Quattrone had first filed a Petition for a “Certificate of Naturalization” to be granted citizenship to the United States way back in 1935 in Buffalo, NY. But six years later, by 1941, the Department of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) had still not granted him citizenship to the U.S.

It seems that their investigation and hearings into his background and moral character revealed multiple convictions for violations of the Volstead Act (bootlegging,) carrying concealed weapons (revolver,) operating illegal gambling establishments, and suspicion of premeditated murder.

After years of legal wrangling, his petition was again denied by the INS on October 20, 1944, because Quattrone had failed to show he had "good moral fiber."

A year later, on June 26, 1945, the INS opposed Quattrone yet again and he was denied a third time. On January 6, 1947, he filed a new petition for naturalization asking the INS and the Federal Court to reconsider their findings. The hearing was set for June 16, 1947, but this time around, the INS said it was recommending Quattrone’s petition be granted.

Despite pleas to the contrary from various local people and several ministers, Federal Judge Mell G. Underwood granted Cosmo Quattrone permanent citizenship to the United States of America, some twelve years and four petitions later.

The following day on June 17, an anonymous letter was mailed to a local Steubenville daily newspaper and the Ohio State Attorney General claiming government corruption and chastising them for allowing “this corrupt Judge who moved over to Steubenville and appoints the biggest bootlegger and racketeer a U.S. citizen. He is not fit to be a judge.”

The Rex Cigar Store

For years Cosmo was the registered owner of the Rex Cigar Store, located at 523 Market Street. He could usually be found there daily running the shop.

Rex Cigar Store also doubled as a numbers drop for a large policy game he and Tripodi ran where "runners" delivered the daily bags of gambling slips they’d collected from numbers players around town. In the shop’s backroom, Cosmo was known to also run a lively high-stakes card game for gambling patrons as well.

Side Note: On December 23, 1937, Maria Quattrone purchased this property for $100,000. It was a huge amount of money at the time. So, it seems that by at least the late 1930s, Cosmo had already become a somewhat wealthy man.

Side Note: On February 13, 1942, Quattrone was the subject of a civil lawsuit brought against him by Chappell and Company, Inc., Famous Music Corporation, Paramount Music Corporation, and Stanley-Joy Select Inc. According to the lawsuit, Cosmo was doing business as Rex Cigar Store. He was accused of the distribution and sale of certain song sheets and record albums. Quattrone pled innocent and denied the charges. On March 7, 1944, just as the case was about to finally be called on the court calendar, it was dismissed.

The City of Steubenville, Ohio

Another favorite hangout of Cosmo’s was the Baron Cafe located next door to the cigar shop where he "held court" daily for his crew. Over the years, he was known to also hold ownership or interests in a wholesale grocery store, a confectionary shop, and had hidden interests in several bars and taverns.

At one point, the captain of the Steubenville Police Department reported that Quattrone was "a former member of the so-called “Black Hand Gang” better known as the Mafia." He added that other members of the gang included Jimmy Tripodi, Joseph Tegano, Anthony Panebianco, Ernest Giannamore, Adamo Pergolini, Charles Greenberg, and John (Stogie) DeSaro.

Additional close criminal associates of Cosmo’s were said to include Philip Mattucci, Pasquale (Patsy) Barilla, Eugene Di Carlo, Rocco Augustine, Bruno Tegano, John Tegano, Robert (Rab) Carducci, Americo (Ernie) Carducci, Michael Oreste Sidari, Angelo Antonucci, Albert Rea, Polly Rutkowski, Frank Di Butch, Pietro (Pete) Barella, Joseph Monteleone, Freddy Vitas, and Joseph Prestia.

Quattrone was also followed by investigators to a mob social club in Cleveland’s Mayfield Road section where he met with that city’s "acting boss,” Anthony (Nino) Milano, on several different occasions.

Little Chicago

Through the years, Tripodi, Quattrone, and their men were known to engage in many different rackets. Starting with their operation of alcohol-stills and liquor bootlegging back in the 1920s, the Tripodi regime controlled most other forms of racketeering in Steubenville and its surrounding territories.

These rackets included a city-wide numbers lottery ring ; bookmaking; various dice games, including the Italian card game Ziganette and the Greek dice game barbut; one-armed bandits (slot machines,) and prostitution and brothels. The regime was also involved in loansharking, strong-arm, shakedowns and “tribute” payments, thefts, and fencing stolen goods.

Back in those days, little ole' Steubenville had a well-deserved reputation as a very corrupt “wide open” town where gambling and other types of vice, although technically illegal, were largely tolerated by the local politicians and general populous.

In fact, Steubenville was dubbed “Little Chicago” for its wide-open criminality and vice. Police bribery and corruption of public officials and the local judiciary were considered commonplace. It allowed for a perfect atmosphere for racketeers and gangsters to operate in. This pervasive, corrupt little town seems to have served its purpose for its resident gangsters very well through the decades.

By all accounts, although they were arrested on occasion, the Tripodi crew operated mostly unimpeded from serious arrests and convictions through the years. Even when they were convicted of a crime it seems that none of them ever really served any serious jail time. This could only have been accomplished with the complete acquiescence of a corrupt and compromised Steubenville government. So, it seems “The Boys” did very well for themselves through the years!

By the mid-late 1970s, both Cosmo and Jimmy had largely faded from the public eye. They were already in their mid-70s and, for the most part, retired. Steubenville’s organized Italian underworld had since gone the way of the Model-T Ford automobile. Their time in the sun had faded away as well.

Cosimo (Cosmo) Quattrone passed away in June 1986 at the respectable old age of 85.

His “compare” and lifelong partner in crime, Jimmy Tripodi, outlived him by one year, dying in 1987, at age 88.

Until next time…”The Other Guy!”

The Acting Capo of Steubenville, Ohio: Cosmo Quattrone

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The Acting Capo of Steubenville, Ohio: Cosmo Quattrone

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