The New Kensington, PA Regime of Legendary Capo Gabriel "Kelly" Mannarino

One of the most recognized and notorious mafiosi ever associated with Pittsburg’s Sebastian (Big John) LaRocca Family was Gabriel Mannarino. Better known simply as “Kelly” Mannarino, for upwards of five decades he and his older brother Sammy played pivotal roles within the borgata as the resident caretakers and overseers for the City of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, one of the most lucrative territories under that Family’s jurisdiction.

Viewed as a very capable and loyal member, the ever-ambitious Mannarino not only controlled New Kensington and its outer neighborhoods with an iron fist on behalf of the LaRocca Family, but also later became their “point man” as Cosa Nostra expanded its reach during the 1940s and 1950s into Havana, Cuba’s multimillion-dollar legalized gambling industry in partnership with Cuban President Fulgencio Batista and his government.

Havana

Largely through Kelly’s efforts and business savvy, the Pittsburgh mob gained hidden ownership in the San Souci Hotel & Casino. Throughout the 1950s — until Cuban strongman Fidel Castro and his rebel forces overthrew the Batista regime and seized power in 1959 — the American Mafia, with Mannarino leading the charge on behalf of Pittsburgh’s LaRocca Family, operated unimpeded, earning untold millions in the process.

Through bribing corrupt top-level Cuban politicians, in partnership with Batista and his allies, the Mafia had a field day in Havana, investing their ill-gotten gains in the develop and construction of luxurious hotels and casinos and turning the island into a world-class tourist destination.

But that all ended in 1959 when Castro and his forces overthrew the Batista government and seized power. Castro immediately closed all underworld casinos and expelled the mobsters out of his country.

Castro and his rebels would end up costing the Mafia a fortune — both figuratively and literally.

But despite their eventual misfortune in Cuba, back home in the states the Mannarino brothers never missed a beat as the city of New Kensington continued to be the cash-cow it had always been.

Since the Roaring Twenties Prohibition era when it was awash in bootleg booze and illicit “speakeasies” dotted every block, New Kensington was a town tailor-made for the mob.

New Kensington, Pennsylvania, is situated in Westmoreland County. Located along the Allegheny River, it is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan area and is situated in the western part of the county.

Yet, although it only covered a little more than four square miles in size, and at its peak in 1950 only had a population of approximately 25,000 residents, for many years, New Kensington was viewed as a vibrant and robust territory that virtually printed money for its local Cosa Nostra.

For, you see, in reality New Kensington’s small town feel and homey unassuming atmosphere belied what really lay beneath the surface, which was a robust criminal fiefdom second to none.

New Ken's Biggest Employer

After Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Pittsburgh’s mob seamlessly transitioned into the next big racket of the day, illegal gambling. And before long dozens and dozens of hidden gambling casinos sprung up all around New Kensington.

On nearly every street “handbooks” were available to eager gamblers who wanted to place a wager on a sporting event. Operating out of innocuous looking storefronts or from the back of little retail shops neighborhood bookies accepted bets on horse races, prize fights, baseball, football, basketball and other types of sports.

And local mob guys were smart, Mannarino and his men propositioned local residents and small businesses with offers of earning some extra money by becoming numbers runners or bookies for Mannarino’s gambling network.

Subsequently, through the years hundreds of local businessmen earned a little extra money for themselves by accepting a nickel or dime numbers-lottery bet or a horse bet from their customers.

The city was also known for the many Las Vegas-styled casinos they operated around town which offered a full gamut of games of chance for their customers, ranging from craps games to blackjack, poker and roulette. You name it, they offered it.

And that’s not to mention the dozens of unlicensed “after-hours” drinking clubs that sprung up all around the city.

Despite the fact that Prohibition had been over for years already, Kelly Mannarino and his men continued their bootlegging with a new twist -- selling unlicensed (and untaxed) liquor into the wee hours of the morning without paying any related taxes to Uncle Sam.

It was not unlike the old-time “speakeasies” of Prohibition where patrons could quench their thirst anytime they liked without the nuisance of the rules and regulations enforced by Pennsylvania’s State Liquor Authority.

Subsequently, New Kensington quickly became known as “Little Las Vegas” for its honky-tonk atmosphere, unbridled corruption, wide-open gambling and criminal underworld.

The Art of Greasin' Palms

The Mannarino brothers underworld operations were underwritten by a pervasive system of bribery and corruption — and when deemed necessary — the judicious use of mayhem and murder.

According to federal law enforcement officials, a short list of all the corrupt policemen and local politicians who had the palms out for bribe money, and were subsequently under Mannarino’s thumb because of it, ran the gamut right on down the line from the State of Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Charles J. Margiotti, and Pennsylvania State Executive Secretary Norman L. (Skip) Wymard, to New Kensington Mayor Raymond Gardlock, Police Lieutenant Arthur Baker, right down to foot patrolmen walking the beat like Michael Antonucci and Stanley Kowalski.

And the above named men represent just a drop-in-the-bucket.

Over the course of the decades hundreds of other politicos and cops were suspected of having also been corrupted, insuring Mannarino and his associates unbridled access to plunder New Kensington as they wished.

One memorable scandal that rocked the area and exposed its corruption occurred back in 1955 when a Pennsylvania State Grand Jury handed down a massive series of indictments naming 38 defendants in relation to a years-long criminal investigation into alleged widespread corruption during New Kensington’s public elections held several years earlier, in 1952.

Prosecutors alleged a major conspiracy was at hand to rig the election process after their evidence ppointed to a massive amount of “phantom votes” having been cast within the 2nd-Precinct of New Kensington’s First Ward District.

It became a highly-publicized scandal that resulted in dozens of convictions through plea deals or jury trials.

And ultimately when it came to punishment, the judge hearing these cases meted out prison sentences to nearly all the defendants, ranging from 6 months, up to three years behind bars.

Those jailed included public officials and voting poll employees alike, many of whom were later identified as local hoods and organized crime figures.

Side Note: Originally, much of Kelly Mannarino’s underworld power stemmed from his blood-ties to Francesco (Frank) Amato , widely acknowledged as the former boss of Pittsburgh’s Cosa Nostra. You see, Kelly had married Frank’s daughter, making him Amato’s son-in-law. That fact helped pave an easier path for Kelly within the Mafia.

Subsequently, Kelly soon became the old mans eyes-and-ears within the Family, which allowed for Mannarino’s quick rise up the underworld ladder, which eventually translated to his ascension to Family “capodecina” and the “overseer” of New Kensington for newly installed Family boss, John LaRocca.

Little Las Vegas

Among the many little storefronts and backroom locations that served as horse rooms and betting parlors, the gambling casino located inside the Garibaldi Building, at 1195 Fifth Avenue, stands out as a first among equals.

For many years this illicit casino operated was an open secret among New Kensington’s populous and members of its police department alike.

Buried deep within the Garibaldi building, this massive gambling den operated behind a reinforced steel door on the 2nd-floor of the building, above the Triangle Billiard Parlor.

Entrance to the casino was further protected by an external and internal buzz-in system, a number of doormen and security men who screened all visitors, and several lookouts posted on the street outside the building to guard against possible police raids.

Long considered the Mannarino gang’s flagship operation, FBI agents say that behind the door operated a thriving $2,000,000-a-year gambling casino that offered its patrons high-stakes crap games, the Greek dice game Barbout, blackjack, poker, roulette, slot machines, and other games of chance.

As a profitable sideline the mob also simultaneously operated a lively after-hours drinking club inside the casino for those gamblers wishing to also imbibe the alcoholic beverages as they lost their hard-earned money.

This gambling/drinking business model ended up becoming a very profitable “One-Two Punch” for Kelly and his gang.

Mannarino appointed a trusted Family soldier named John (Fon) Fontana in charge of the entire operation and the overseeing of its 50-odd employees, ranging from croupiers and card dealers to bartenders, waitresses and security personnel.

From time to time Fontana was assisted in this effort by other crew associates like Sonny Ciancutti, Andy Mangini, Artie DeFelice, Nicky Giorano and Willie Sams.

Unbridled Ambition

But despite this particular gambling operation being a major cash-cow for many years Kelly Mannarino’s ambitions hardly ended there. Not by a long shot!

Although not nearly as large, Mannarino’s crew ran a myriad of other gambling locations all across the city, many of which also doubled as after-hours joints.

These included such popular locations as the Lateus Club, which was also located on Fifth Avenue, just a few doors down from the Garibaldi building.

Another combination “after-hour” club and gambling den was the Almono Sportsmen’s Association Inc., at 516 Court Place, which John Fontana also operated.

Or the Aluminum City Club, at 1001-05 Barnes Street, which was operated by crew members Anthony Spina, Edmund Brodale and Frank Philips.

And these places didn’t even scratch the surface of all the establishments the New Kensington underworld was known to operate through the years. Here are some others:

Club 30, 145 Penn Avenue, run by crew associate Aladino (Al) Colangelo

Sunny Boys Athletic Association, 6308 Penn Ave., managed by mob associates Nathan Mattis and Louis Botti

The Aloysius Section Two Club, at 5703 Penn Avenue, operated by soldier Henry (Zebo) Zattola

Bloomfield Athletic Club, 5866 Baum Blvd., operated by John Keller

Lindy Club, 508 Court Place, run by John Calabretta

The Beacon Club, 1928 Murray Avenue, owned by Milton Saul and Abe Silverhart

The Bachelors Club, owned by John (Shriggs) Cirigliano

The Skunk Club and Spartan-American Club, at 715 W. Diamond Street, managed by mob associate Martin Tyler

Beside selling illegal whiskey, each of the above named locations also operated either a card or dice game, or both.

Many also offered rows of Las Vegas quality slot machines — or “One-Armed Bandits” — as they were known in the trade. All of which was provided courtesy of Kelly Mannarino via his coin-vending machine business, Nu-Ken Novelty Company.

One-Armed Bandits

Headquartered from a small warehouse in New Kensington, at 1242-63 Third Avenue, through the years Nu-Ken Novelty had supplied hundreds and hundreds of jukeboxes, pinball games, slots and cigarette machines to bars and grills, nightclubs, diners, restaurants, candy stores, laundromats, factories and a host of other businesses around the city.

After conducting a lengthy investigation into Nu-Ken’s activities the FBI determined that the company maintained a virtual monopoly on all coin-operated machines in New Kensington and it’s outer suburbs since at least the early 1940s.

According to corporation files, there were six documented partners in this company. Besides Gabriel and Samuel Mannarino, the other four principals were Thomas Tannas, William Sams, Albert Sams, and F.W. Zogg.

Federal authorities later said that all of six these men had been identified as either members or associates of organized crime, and specifically connected to the Mannarino brothers crew.

The FBI also noted that although he wasn’t listed on any incorporation papers or official company documents, they strongly suspected that Pittsburgh Family boss John LaRocca also maintained a hidden ownership interest in Nu-Ken Novelty.

Quiet, But Powerful

Although each of the above listed rackets were breathtaking in their own right, the reader must realize that each of these lucrative operations were in addition to all the other criminal activities Kelly and members of his crew were involved with, which included a massive horse and sports bookmaking business and a vibrant policy-numbers and lottery operation.

When you take into consideration the crew also dabbled in shylocking money, labor racketeering, an occasional truck hijacking, and all their other activities, Mannarino and his men did just fine for themselves. In fact, they did more than fine for themselves.

And with the steady underworld tribute that Kelly most definitely paid to his borgata and its upper administration over the years, I’m sure that Big John and Company did just fine for themselves too.

For more background data about Gabriel Mannarino and a complete history of the iconic regime he led, as well as stories about John LaRocca and the Pittsburgh Family, please take a look at the following articles:

The Mannarino Crew of New Kensington - New Kensington always had a plethora of independent racketeers, but the Mannarino brothers would become the most well-known and dominant.

A Rare Peek Behind the Curtain of the Pittsburgh Mob - One of the less notorious, yet durable, Cosa Nostra networks to ever operate within the United States was the one headed by Sebastian (John) LaRocca.

Louis Volpe - Mob Pillar - Lou Volpe was a capo in Pittsburgh's LaRocca Crime Family involved in illegal gambling and other rackets during his long underworld career.

The Rank-N-File Membership

What follows below is a general overview of the membership of the Gabriel Mannarino Regime. This hierarchy chart and pictorial gallery lists 138 crew functionaries. It includes 8 so-called “made guys” or soldiers, another 10 top-ranked members and tons of criminal associates, including a number of hoods who later became future “recruits” for the borgata.

But also keep in mind that these men represent but a fraction of all the men and women who played a part — to a lesser or greater degree — within New Kensington’s underworld.

During the course of the many federal investigations conducted over the years targeting Mannarino and his crew, the FBI recognized that Mannarino employed literally hundreds and hundreds of New Kensington’s townspeople in the myriad of operations he and his crew controlled.

In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that Mannarino was New Kensington’s largest employer and the man who essentially put food on the tables of many area residents.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation came to believe this was one of the key reasons why Cosa Nostra was able to operated their rackets so successfully, for so many years, and why the feds felt they had such a hard time making any type of criminal case against Mannarino stick.

Sources say the vast majority of New Kensington’s population never wanted to provide any incriminating information against Kelly or his men for fear of hurting the “good thing” area residents had going for themselves in New Kensington. After all, Kelly and the gang were all hometown boys.

Such was the way of the world — once upon a time — anyway,

Until next time..."The Other Guy"

The New Kensington, PA Regime of Legendary Capo Gabriel “Kelly” Mannarino

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