Italian Mafia #CR0000247 (Also... Some alternate names are aliases, other are names for specific subgroups or cells). La Cosa Nostra Source: FBI, CIA, ATF, DEA, RCMP, CSIS, Interpol, Local Law Enforcement Type: Corporate sabotage and extorsion Scope: Acts of corporate and political repression and extorsion. Also other acts of racketeering and organized crime. Affiliations: Each organization has it's own links and affiliations with other local crime syndicates, some are strongly tied to gangs, Tongs, Triads and the Yakuza, while others are opposed to such affiliations. Personnel: More than 2000 worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of lesser thugs and members Operating Since: Early 1900's in Italy and Europe, around 1920 in North America. Structure: Many gang-like independent cells, where the strongest group dominates the weaker organizations. North American groups are overseen by the National Commission of La Cosa Nostra. Leaders: Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo [#LL6409852], the reputed head of the Gambino Family in New York, Vincent "Chin" Gigante [#LL1078413], Genovese Family, New York, Joe De Fede [#LL6954414], Luchese Family, New York, Joey Massino [#LL6532182], Bonnanno Family, New York, John "No Nose" Difronzo [#LL6215174], Chicago, Ralph Natale [#LLLL6941106], Philadelphia Legitimate Connections: Organizations own and operate hundreds of legitimate businesses that are used to launder money and maintain a semi-legitimate business fronts. Resources: Smallarms, explosives and military equipment of varying quality. Very solid funding through a wide variety of criminal operations. Suspected Criminal Activity: Many, see attached reports from major North American localities. Additional Commentary: New York City/New Jersey New York City is the place of origin for organized crime in the United States. Currently, there are five families in the New York City outfit of La Cosa Nostra. This page will give background information on each of the five families. First of all, the five families are Gambino, Genovese, Colombo, Bonanno, and Luchese. These names come from Joe Valachi [#LL1099367]. He was a low ranking soldier who was the first man to break the omerta, or code of silence. The family names come from him, because he testified as to who the bosses were of the five families at the time of his arrest in 1959. The only difference is the Colombo family. It was under the control of Joe Profaci [#LL1148723] in 1959, but Joe Colombo [#LL3526815] became famous in the 1960's and therefore, his name has been used to identify the family since then. GAMBINO The first boss of the Gambino family was Salvatore D'Aquila [#LL0041286]. He was the boss of Bosses until he was murdered in October, 1928, in Brooklyn, NY. He was succeeded by Frank Scalise [#LL0097142], who was in control until 1931. Vincent Mangano [#LL0198624] represented stability for the family as he was in control from 1931 to 1951. Albert Anastasia [#LL0841900] took over in 1951 and ruled until his murder in a barbershop in 1957 by the Gallo brothers [#LL0968241]. He formed Murder, Inc., the group that killed an estimated 400 people in his time as boss of the family. Carlo Gambino [#LL1097481] took over in 1957 and ruled until 1976. He is generally known as the best boss of the family. He tried to keep a low profile. He was not a man who like his name in the papers. This helped when some of the other wiseguys in the city were always on the front page of the New York Times. When Carlo was on his deathbed in 1976, he chose Paul Castellano [#LL5862140] to succeed him. Castellano was Carlo's second cousin, and Carlo thought it was a good choice to let Paul take over. This move upset Aniello "Neil" Dellacroce [#LL5900331], who had been family underboss since 1965. Dellacroce thought that he would be taking over the family, but he obeyed Gambino's wishes and was rewarded by Castellano by remaining in the number two spot in the family. In 1985, Paul Castellano and his bodyguard, Tommy Bilotti [#LL5927617], were assassinated in front of Sparks Steak House in NYC in a move that was orchestrated by Gambino capo John Gotti [#LL6087457]. Gotti then took control of the family and was known as the "teflon don" for his acquittal in three separate trials in the late 1980's. In 1992, Gotti was convicted on murder and racketeering charges, and is serving a life sentence in a federal prison in Marion, IL. His son, John Gotti Jr. [#LL6453098], is currently the acting boss of the Gambino family. The elder Gotti would like for his son to remain as boss, but the national commission of LCN will not allow it because John Jr. is known to have a quick temper and is not thought of to be as strong a leader as his father. Late in 1996, Jerry Capeci, a writer for the N.Y. Daily News, reported that Gambino capo Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo [#LL6409852] was chosen by the commission to take over for Gotti after one last chance for legal appeals. The appeals failed, but Corozzo was then indicted on racketeering charges while in Florida, and he is currently incarcerated in New York City along with fellow Gambino capo Leonard DiMaria [#LL6687247]. The Gambinos were the strongest family in the city only seven or eight years ago, but now they are at a key time that will determine how far they go in the future. GENOVESE The Genovese family's first boss was Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria [#LL0050327]. He became the boss of bosses after the murder of Salvatore D'Aquila. He ruled until 1931. He was succeeded by one of the most famous mobsters in history, Charlie "Lucky" Luciano [#LL0083648]. He got the nickname Lucky because he was assaulted by a rival gang and was left for dead, but he survived and gained even more power. Luciano was in power until he was forced to go to Sicily in 1936 because of criminal charges against him in New York City. Luciano was succeeded by Frank Costello [#LL0115791]. Costello was a close friend of Luciano's and kept the power in the family that Luciano had. He remained in power until he was shot in the head by Vincent "Chin" Gigante [#LL1078413] who was on orders from Vito Genovese [#LL1095487]. The next boss of the family was its namesake, Vito Genovese. He was in charge for four years, until 1959. The family was then ruled by a three man "ruling council". This consisted of Tommy Eboli [#LL1376520], Jerry Catena [#LL1385436], and Mike Miranda [#LL1425754]. They were in power until 1972. Frank "Funzi" Tieri [#LL6012483] took over then. Funzi was the boss for nine years. He died in 1981. Phillip Lombardo [#LL6438975] became the boss in 1981. He was replaced only a few weeks after he took over. Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno [#LL6681483] became the family's boss from 1981 to 1987. He was jailed in 1987 on racketeering charges, and he was replaced by the current boss, Vincent "Chin" Gigante [#LL1078413]. He is currently awaiting trial on murder charges. He is claiming that he is insane, and he is not fit to stand trial. He has wandered around his neighborhood in his pajamas in the past, and he has had two other trials dismissed because of mental incompetence. However, this trial may prove to be different. The judge has ruled that Gigante "feigned" insanity for twenty years and will have to stand trial. LUCHESE The Luchese family was first led by Gaetano Reina [#LL0099875]. He was in control until 1930. From 1930 to 1953, the family was led by Gaetano Gagliano [#LL1067362]. He was on the original National commission of La Cosa Nostra. From 1953 to 1967, Gaetano "Thomas" Luchese [#LL1095381] headed the family. He headed the family during its most powerful days. One of his capos was Paul Vario [#LL2457204], who is the basis for the character of Paul Cicero in the movie GoodFellas. Henry Hill [#LL5152424] was an associate of the Lucheses as well as Jimmy "the Gent" Burke [#LL6248352]. Carmine Tramunti [#LL5495562] took over the family after Luchese's death in 1967. He ruled for seven years, until his imprisonment on murder charges. Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo [#LL6157560] became the new don. He stabilized the family, and was the head for twelve years. He died in 1986. Vic Orena [#LL6524921] ruled until his incarceration in 1992. He was succeeded by Vittorio Amuso [#LL6725322], who is currently imprisoned awaiting trial on RICO charges. The acting boss of the family is Joe De Fede [#LL6954414]. De Fede is an old friend of Amuso's who is waiting for his boss to regain control. COLOMBO Joe Profaci [#LL0086424] was the first boss of this family that originally beared his name. He ruled from 1930 to 1962. He was a very prominent boss. Profaci was frequently in the papers, and he liked the attention. The only problem he ever encountered was when a lieutenant, Crazy Joey Gallo [#LL0107433], launched an all out war against his boss in an attempt to gain control of the family. However, Gallo did not have much support, and he was soon defeated by Profaci's faction of the family. Joseph Magliocco [#LL2048654] took over after Profaci's death, but he died in 1963. Joe Colombo [#LL3526815] took over, and quickly became known in the city. He ruled until 1971, when he was shot at an Italian-American Day rally which he had helped to plan. He was in a coma for seven years, but died in 1978. Joseph Yacovelli [#LL4826265] took over after this and ruled for two years. Joseph Brancato [#LL4936812] was in charge for five months in 1973, but he was jailed on murder charges, so he gave up control of the family to Thomas DiBella [#LL5658191]. He negotiated peace with the remaining members of the faction of the family that was headed by Crazy Joey Gallo. He was deposed of in 1978 by Carmine Persico [#LL6182681]. Persico, also known as "Junior", was given the nickname "the Snake" by the media because of his ability to get out of certain situations. Persico was convicted on racketeering charges and given a 100 year sentence. He was replaced by Gennaro Langella [#LL6682572], also known as Gerry Lang. He was in power until his death in 1987. The acting boss was Alphonse "Little Al" Persico [#LL6812591], Carmine's son. His father is technically still the boss of the family, but the last known acting boss was Persico's nephew Andrew Russo [#LL6912574]. Russo took over in 1996, but was indicted on RICO charges and it is not known who the acting boss is right at this moment. BONANNO Cola Schiro [#LL0057386] was the first boss of the Bonanno family. He was the boss until 1930. He was succeeded by Salvatore Maranzano [#LL0095789]. Maranzano was the boss of bosses until the other mobsters grew weary of his power and a few of them, including Charlie Luciano [#LL0083648], conspired to murder him in 1931. After his death, Luciano formed the National Commission of La Cosa Nostra. Joe Bonanno [#LL0178436] succeeded Maranzano as the family boss, and he was in power until 1964. He was the first ever boss to break the omerta. He did not testify against his friends, however he wrote a book that described his life as the boss of a crime family. Frank LaBruzzo [#LL1582489] was the don for the next two years. Gaspare DiGregorio [#LL1695159] followed with a two year rule of his own. Paul Sciacca [#LL1991545] was in power from 1966 to 1966. A ruling council of Phillip "Rusty" Rastelli [#LL2883574], Joseph Zicarelli [LL2835489], Joseph DiFillippi [#LL2871710], and Natale Evola [#LL2880057 was in control for three years. Evola then became the sole boss for a year. Rastelli was the boss from late 1973 to 1974, until he was incarcerated on racketeering charges. Carmine Galante [#LL4935751] was the boss until his murder in 1979. Galante, known for smoking his cigars, was murdered at Joe and Mary's Italian Restaurant in Brooklyn. He still had his cigar in his mouth when he died. One of his bodyguards, a Sicilian named Caesar Bonaventre [#LL5104005], was said to have been involved in the assassination of his boss. After Galante's death, Bonaventre became the youngest capo in history at the age of 24. Phillip "Rusty" Rastelli got out of jail and resumed control of the family. Two of his top aides were Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano [#LL5927454] and Benjamin "Lefty Guns" Ruggiero [#LL6068185]. They are he two main mobsters that FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone was working with in his top secret undercover role as jewel thief "Donnie Brasco". Napolitano disappeared after it was found that Brasco was an agent. Ruggiero was put in jail and died of lung cancer about two years after his release from prison in 1992. Rastelli was imprisoned again in 1989, and he gave up the leadership position in the family to Joey Massino [#LL6532182]. Massino has brought back some prominence to the family. He is still in control of the family. NEW JERSEY The New Jersey factions of La Cosa Nostra often struggled to find ways to make money without upsetting their stronger partners in New York City and Philadelphia. The only established faction of LCN in the state was in Newark. Its first boss was Filippo Amari [#LL2871436]. He ruled from the establishment of the family until his death in 1957. Nicholas Delmore [#LL4372588] ruled from 1957 to 1964. Samuel DeCavalcante [#LL4843205] was the most prominent boss of the New Jersey LCN. He ruled until early in the 1970's. He was succeeded by John Riggi [#LL5535872], who is currently imprisoned. It is not known who is the boss in his absence. One other capo of notice is Anthony "Tough Tony" Provenzano [#LL6102584]. He was a vice-president in the Teamsters' Union, and he is said to be one of the conspirators in Jimmy Hoffa's [#LL4925100] murder. CHICAGO Anthony D'Andrea [#LL0092571] founded the Chicago faction of LCN. He controlled it until 1921. Michele Merlo [#LL1086158 was in control from 1921 to 1924. Antonio "Big Tony" Lombardo [#LL2041224 was the boss from 1924 to 1928. He was succeeded by Alphonse Capone [#LL2915785], perhaps the most famous gangster in history. Capone moved to Chicago from New York because Lombardo brought him to the city to be his top hitman. Capone was relentless. Violence was no big deal to him. It was a part of him. He ruled the outfit until his death in 1931. Francesco "Frank" Nitti [#LL2958581] was the boss until 1943. He was followed by Tony Accardo [#LL3065025]. He is regarded as Chicago's best boss. He kept the mob focused on continuing its very successful rackets, political corruption, controlling the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund and the skim from mob controlled casinos in Las Vegas. Wisely, he kept a low profile and insisted that other members do the same. He retired in 1956 and was replaced by Sam Giancana [#LL4005985], who ruled for ten years. Giancana was replaced by Sam Battaglia [#LL4725846] who died two years later. Accardo was brought back to stabilize the family and was the boss until 1969, when he appointed Felix Alderisio [#LL4926524] to be the new boss of the outfit. Joseph Aiuppa [#LL5132580] was the boss until 1987, when he was replaced by Joe Ferriola [#LL5385214. Ferriola was succeeded as outfit boss by Sam "Wings" Carlisi [#LL6037915]. Carlisi's death brought a time when the FBI was unsure of the Outfit's boss. Many people thought that Joe Lombardo [#LL6198960], who had just gotten out of jail, would take over the operations. However,a new Chicago Crime Commission report says that John "No Nose" DiFronzo [#LL6215174] is the boss of the outfit. Joe Lombardo and Angelo LaPietra [#LL6363004] are listed as his top advisors. Anthony Centraccio [#LL6664890] is the boss of the west side and Dupage County. Joe Monteleone [#LL6675154] is the boss on the south side. Joe Andriacchi [#LL6676854] is the boss of the north side. The commission estimates that there are 40 to 50 made men in the outfit. They are said to be forging new alliances with the other ethnic criminals, like the Russian mobs and the Chinese triads. LOS ANGELES, CA The first boss of the Los Angeles, California outfit of La Cosa Nostra was Joseph Ardizzone [#LL0098724], who was in control until 1931. He was succeeded by Jack Dragna [#LL0162351], who led the family to national prominence. Dragna got the family involved in the entertainment industry and, to this day, remains the only LA boss ever on the national commission. He died in 1956. His replacement, Frank DeSimone [#LL2501546], was in power for eleven years, until 1967. DeSimone's nephew, Tommy [#LL2635123], was the man who Joe Pesci portrayed in the movie GoodFellas. Nick Licata [#LL3800351] was the boss until 1974. Licata's underboss, Aladena Frattiano [#LL4764919], is famous because he is the second man to break the mob vow of omerta. Jimmy the Weasel, as he is known, testified against mobsters in L.A., St. Louis, and Detroit. Licata's successor was Dominick Brooklier [#LL5648305]. He stabilized the family and ruled until his imprisonment in 1984. His successor was Peter Milano [#LL5990137]. Milano's brother, Carmen [#LL6438391], was his underboss. It is not known if the Milano's are still in charge of the LA operations or if they have been succeeded. The L.A. family is one of the many LCN families in the U.S. that have lost most of their power in the last 10 to 15 years. The new info on the L.A. family is that Carmen and Peter Milano are back out of prison and have retained their power in L.A. In fact, they are attempting to move into Las Vegas. They are the main suspects in the murder of Herbie Blitzstein [#LL6930643], a mob associate who was killed in Las Vegas early in 1997. TAMPA, FL The first boss of the Tampa family was Santo Trafficante, Sr. [#LL3078731] He ruled from 1950 until his death in 1954. The family was active in the bolita games, which were a type of lottery game that was highly profitable for its proprietors. Santo Trafficante, Jr. [#LL3997642] succeeded his father in 1954. Even though he was not the oldest son, he was chosen by his father because of the incompetence of his brothers. He became one of the most powerful mob bosses in the country. He was once marked for death while in Cuba. He ran a few casinos in Havana, and was in trouble when Castro became dictator. Castro held him for death, but he was saved by his Tampa lawyer, and good friend, Frank Ragano [#LL5307625], who would later become Jimmy Hoffa's [#LL4925100] personal attorney. Ragano would helpTrafficante get acquited on various charges over his 33 years as boss. Trafficante was present at the Little Apalachin meeting of top bosses. He took the Fifth Amendment when pressed to answer questions about the meeting before a New York grand jury. Trafficante was brought to court one last time in 1986. This case was about his involvement in a club called King's Court that was run by FBI agents posing as associates of the Bonanno family in New York. One of these men, Joseph Pistone, a.k.a. Donnie Brasco, went on to write a book about his trials and tribulations. The agents got the backing of Bonanno capo Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano [#LL5927454] to open King's Court, but they had to get Trafficante's approval because it was in his territory. Ragano and Trafficante were reunited after many years in this case. Ragano had stopped defending Trafficante after the boss had failed to help him out with an income tax case that the government had brought against him. He came back to Santo reluctantly, but mainly because of the frail don's bad health. Ragano won Trafficante an acquital, but it was a short lived victory. Trafficante died in early 1987. The family has since faded out of the national picture. The latest news on the Tampa family has Vincent LoScalzo [#LL5882617] as the boss. LoScalzo and Santo Carollo [#LL6185135], an associate, plead guilty in early October to securities fraud. Both men received probation for their offenses. BOSTON, MA: Boston is the site of one of the more prominent families in the American Cosa Nostra. The first boss of the Boston family was Gaspare Messina [#LL0033681]. Messina started the family in 1916 and died in 1924. Phil Buccola [#LL0079364] succeeded him and started the move up of the Boston family. Most of his money came from mob staples like loansharking, numbers, and bootlegging. Buccola retired in 1954, and he was succeeded by Raymond Patriarca, Sr. [#LL2388160] He changed the way that the family was run. Patriarca moved the base of the family to Providence, Rhode Island and appointed an underboss, Jerry Angiulo [#LL2877319], to run the family's rackets in Boston. Angiulo organized all of the gambling in the city. Pretty soon, he had a cut off of every game in Boston. He was sending tributes up to Providence, so it was perfectly fine with Patriarca. Patriarca stayed in power until his death in 1985. He was succeeded by his son, Raymond Patriarca, Jr. [#LL6199382]. This was not a very smooth transition. Underboss William Grosso [#LL5933210] was killed shortly after Jr. took over. The family took a real hit in 1989, when Patriarca and the entire hierarchy of the family was recorded by an FBI bug in an induction ceremony of four new members. This was the first time the FBI had ever recorded an LCN induction ceremony. The hierarchy was sent to jail as a result of the tapes. Francis P. "Cadillac Frank" Salemme [#LL6812970] took over as boss. He was in control until 1995, when he was arrested on RICO charges. His underboss, Nicholas "Nicky" Bianco [#LL6972388] is said to be the acting boss of the family. PHILADELPHIA, PA: The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania faction of La Cosa Nostra has been one of the strongest families in the American Cosa Nostra since its start in 1911. Salvatore Sabella [#LL0028416] was sent to Philadelphia by the bosses of the Sicilian Mafia to organize the city's rackets. Sabella was the boss of the Philadelphia mob from 1911 until his death in 1927. He was succeeded by Joseph Bruno [#LL0381950]. Bruno was in power essentially from 1927 until 1946. There was a period during his rule when his power was challenged by John Avena [#LL2000913]. This was sometime between 1934 and 1936. Bruno retained his power, but died in 1946. Joseph Ida [#LL2408830] was the family's next boss. He was in control of the family until a narcotics conviction forced him to flee to Sicily in 1959. His successor was Angelo Bruno [#LL3143150. Bruno, son of Joseph Bruno, would be the man to put the Philadelphia Mafia on the map. Bruno was one of the men who got Atlantic City started up. He established close contact with the New York families, especially the Genovese family. The Philadelphia mob was raking in more money than the families in cities such as Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee. They were only behind the New York and Chicago families in terms of importance to La Cosa Nostra. Angelo Bruno sat on the Mafia's ruling commission. His consigliere, Antonio "Tony Bananas" Caponigro [#LL4409337], had been griping to associates about Bruno. He was unhappy that Bruno seldom used violence as a means to achieve his goals. He began plotting to kill Angelo Bruno. His plan coincided with Bruno's assassination on March 21, 1980. He was gunned down as he was riding in a car driven by soldier John Stanfa [#LL5007930]. Stanfa pulled up to Bruno's house, rolled down the passenger side window, and watched as Bruno was blown away. Stanfa caught bullet fragments on his shoulder, but had no serious injuries. This was one of the biggest mob hits in history. Caponigro was sent to New York for a meeting with the heads of the five families, where a Genovese family crew headed by Vincent "Chin" Gigante [#LL1078413] strangled and beat Caponigro and associate Alfred Salerno [#LL6113448]. Meanwhile, Phil Testa [#LL5933074] had been chosen by the New York families to be the next boss in Philadelphia. He apponted Pete Casella [#LL6289741] as his underboss. He also chose Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo [#LL6299410] as his consigliere. Scarfo had been banished to Atlantic City by Bruno, but he was now back in the picture in Philadelphia. On March 15, 1981, Phil Testa was blown away. Literally. A bomb was hidden under the porch of his duplex. It was detonated by a remote control when Testa was on the porch. The bomb was packed with roofing nails and explosives. Underboss Pete Casella and capo Frank Narducci [#LL6615920] blamed the attack on the Philadelphia roofers union. They said that this was evident because of the roofing nails in the bomb. Later, it was discovered that Casella and Narducci were behind the killing of Phil Testa. Casella called a meeting of the family and said that he had been cleared by New York to be the next boss of the family. Scarfo didn't believe him, though. Scarfo, on the day of Testa's funeral, went to New York and met with the heads of the Genovese and Gambino families. He learned that no one had approved Casella's ascension to the throne. Scarfo convinced them to proclaim him as the next boss of the family. Scarfo's rule brought more violence to the Philadelphia mob than it had ever seen. In the four years after Bruno's assassination, 30 mobsters and associates were killed in mob-related disputes. Scarfo would be hurt by those whom he thought were loyal to him. He had become a man that could not be trusted. One example of this was Salvatore "Salvie" Testa [#LL6773105]. Testa was an up and comer in the mob who had been elevated to the rank of capo in the months after his father Phil's death. Testa was extremely violent. Scarfo used him as a hitman in over 15 murders. Then, for some unknown reason, Scarfo thought that Testa was getting jealous of him. He ordered Testa killed. Now, none of Scarfo's closest friends could trust him. He elevated his nephew, Philip Leonetti [#LL6813290], to the rank of underboss. He and Leonetti were based in Atlantic City. The two men in Philadelphia running the operations were capo Tommy DelGiorno [#LL6837721] and Frank "Faffy" Iannarella [#LL6838810]. Scarfo would eventually be brought down by his own people. From 1987 to 1989, five made members of the Philadelphia mob would become government informants. They included underboss Philip Leonetti, capo Tommy DelGiorno, capo Lawrence Merlino [#LL6839417], soldier Gino Milano [#LL6429860], and soldier Nicholas "Nicky Crow" Caramandi [#LL6728419]. A whole generation of leadership was taken out in an extensive RICO case by the FBI against the Philadelphia mob. Scarfo was convicted in 1989 of the murder of Frank "Frankie Flowers" D'Alfonso [#LL6318159]. He maintained his control over the family until 1991, but is currently serving two lengthy federal prison sentences. In 1991, the FBI revealed that John Stanfa [#LL5007930] had taken over the family. He was driving Angelo Bruno home the night that Bruno was shot. Stanfa was criticized by some members of the organization for importing soldiers from his homeland of Sicily. In 1994, he was convicted on narcotics charges and is currently in prison. His successor, and the current boss, is Ralph Natale [#LL6941106]. Natale is a former president of the Camden County (N.J.) bartenders union, which was the controlling union in Atlantic City. Under him, the family has begun to prosper once again, but it is not even near the power which it once had. BUFFALO, NY Joseph Peter DiCarlo [#LL0079861] came from New York City to start the Buffalo faction of LCN. He died in 1922, but the power was turned over to Stefano Maggadino [#LL0199826], who was the don from 1922 to 1974. Fifty two years was a record for tenure for a mob boss. He was a member of the original National Ruling Commission of LCN and was as highly respected as the bosses in New York City and Chicago. He died in 1974, but he was succeeded by Salvatore Pieri [#LL6725250], who ruled until 1987. Joseph Todaro [#LL6941483] then took over and is still in power in Buffalo. KANSAS CITY, MO The first boss of the Kansas City faction of La Cosa Nostra was Paolo DiGiovanni [#LL0098912]. He was succeeded by Nicolo Gentile [#LL0199548], who ruled until 1932. John Lazia [#LL0199992] took over the family until his death in 1934. Charles Carollo [#LL1065269] was in power from 1934-1939. Charles Binaggio [#LL1163320] was the boss from 1939-1950. Anthony Gizzo [#LL2500743] held the position of the don until 1953, when Nicholas Civella [#LL3737025] took over and remained in power until his death in 1983. He was indicted on charges of skimming money from Las Vegas casinos along with Milwaukee boss Frank Balistrieri [#LL3348129]. Civella and Balistrieri frequently worked together to get their share of the profits from mob-controlled casinos in the Nevada desert. The Kansas City LCN has faded since Civella's imprisonment. They are no longer regarded as a serious threat by the FBI.
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