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The Pittsburgh crime family, also known as the LaRocca crime family or the Pittsburgh Mafia, was an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The LaRocca family is one of the original 26 Mafia families in the United States.
Learn about the origins, leaders and activities of the Pittsburgh crime family, also known as the LaRocca family. The web page covers the period from 1915 to 1929, when the Mafia fought for control of the city's rackets and faced rival gangs and law enforcement.
- History
- Historical Leadership
- Current Associates
- Former Members
- Former Associates
- Former Factions
- Rivals
- Government Informants and Witnesses
- References
Prohibition era bosses
In the city of Pittsburgh the Italian criminals were divided into two ethnic factions the "Sicilians" and the "Neapolitans". Territory within the city was also divided as the Sicilian Mafia clans controlled the North and Southsides, while the Neapolitan Camorra clans controlled the East End. The earliest known Pittsburgh Sicilian Mafia boss was Salvatore "Banana King" Catanzaro, who started his fruit and produce company in 1888, in Downtown Pittsburgh. Catanzaro served as the treasurer for th...
Bazzano against the Volpe brothers
After the murder of Siragusa, the family came under the control of John Bazzano. The new boss Bazzano had immigrated to the United States from Calabria in the 1890s and built a bootlegging empire selling yeast and sugar to home breweries and thereby allowing them to manufacture illegal beer. Bazzano was a protégé of early Pittsburgh mobster Nicola Gentile and learned to keep a low profile. He owned a coffee shop in the Middle Hill and a mansion in Mt. Lebanon a neighborhood outside of Pittsbu...
The reign of LaRocca
In 1956, Sebastian "Big John" LaRocca became the boss of the Pittsburgh family and reigned as boss for nearly thirty years. LaRocca was born in 1901, in Sicily and moved to the United States in 1910, he later moved in 1933, with his wife to Pittsburgh. He started a business selling beer equipment and concrete blocks in Oakland. LaRocca later gained control of multiple illegal rackets and was convicted on several occasions for larceny, receiving stolen property and operating an illegal lottery...
Boss
1. c.1888–1914 – Salvatore "Banana King" Catanzaro – stepped down, died on February 17, 1916 2. c.1915–1919 – Gregorio Conti – murdered on September 24, 1919 3. 1919–1925 – Salvatore Calderone – retired 4. 1925–1929 – Stefano Monastero – murdered on August 6, 1929 5. 1929–1931 – Giuseppe "Yeast Baron" Siragusa – murdered on September 13, 1931 6. 1931–1932 – John Bazzano – found dead on August 8, 1932, in Red Hook, Brooklyn 7. 1932–1937 – Vincenzo Capizzi – retired to Italy 8. 1937–1956 – Fran...
Underboss
1. c.1915–1919 – Peppino Cusumano – nephew to boss Gregorio Conti 2. 1925–1929 – Salvatore "Sam" Monastero – brother to boss Stefano Monastero 3. 1937–1956 – Sebastian "Big John" LaRocca– became boss 4. 1956–1962 – Frank Amato – became consigliere, died 1973 5. 1962–1969 – Gabriel "Kelly" Mannarino – stepped down after indictment; died July 11, 1980 6. 1969–1987 – Joseph N. "Jo Jo" Pecora – imprisoned 1979–1983, died 1987 7. 1987–1990 – Charles "Chucky" Porter – arrested April 1990; convicted...
Consigliere
1. 1931–1937 – Nicola Gentile 2. 1962–1973 – Frank Amato – died 1973 3. 1973–1980 – Charles "Murgie" Imburgia – stepped down 4. 1980–1984 – Michael James Genovese– promoted to boss 5. 1984–2002 – Charles "Murgie" Imburgia – died 6. 2002–2006 – Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti – became underboss
Southwestern gambling ring
1. Robert "Bobby I" Iannelli – is an associate to the Pittsburgh family and the leader of the "Southwestern gambling ring" who controls illegal sports gambling and numbers lottery in Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties from his Chub's Place restaurant in North Park. Iannelli was fined by Pittsburgh police in 1959, with football pool sheets. Iannelli started his criminal career under Tony Grosso a Pittsburgh gambling boss. After Grosso was imprisoned Iannelli took over the illegal gambling in...
McKeesport gambling ring
1. Ronald "Porky" Melocchi – is an associate of the Pittsburgh family and leader of the "McKeesport gambling ring". In 2013, Melocchi was indicted along with Jeffery Risha, Rodney Iannelli and fourteen others on illegal gambling charges. Melocchi was accused of run the illegal gambling operation from his defunct business the Coffee Pot in McKeesport. The indictment also charged Melocchi with selling illegal gambling machines and with controlling illegal gambling activity of lotteries and book...
Fayette and Allegheny gambling ring
1. Ralph "Big Head" Maselli– is an associate of Pittsburgh family. In October 2000, Maselli along with Pittsburgh made member Thomas Ciancutti, associate Jeffery Risha, his wife Karen Maselli and ten other associates were charged with illegal gambling in Fayette County. It was revealed in court that Maselli and Jeffery Risha were Thomas Ciancutti's top lieutenants who operated from Pittsburgh before moving into the "New Beacon Club" in Bloomfield. The courts described Maselli as Ciancutti's l...
Frank Amato – a former boss. Amato controlled rackets in New Kensington and West Virginia he expanded the crime family's territory throughout Braddock, Pennsylvania and Allegheny County. He stepped...Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti – a former boss. Ciancutti took over Gabriel "Kelly" Mannarino's New Kensington gambling rackets. In October 2000, Ciancutti along with his wife Sylvia Thorpe Ciancutti, hi...Jeffrey "The Biscuit" Risha – is an associate of Pittsburgh family. Risha was considered Thomas Ciancutti's top lieutenant and who controlled sports betting and video poker gambling. In October 200...Eugene "Nick the Blade" Gesuale – was released from prison on October 31, 2014 after serving 28 years related to drug trafficking During the 1970s and mid-1980s Gesuale was a narcotics trafficker a...John V. "Johnny Three Fingers" Leone – a Pittsburgh associate who was involved in narcotics trafficking. Leone was Eugene Gesuale's top lieutenant and a major player in the "Pittsburgh Connection"...Frank P. Unis Jr. (March 16, 1954 – May 15, 2020) a former Pittsburgh associate who controlled illegal gambling in Aliquippa. He operates a large illegal gambling in Beaver County and was a close a...Youngstown faction
The Pittsburgh family used associates to control the illegal gambling and loansharking operations in Youngstown, Ohio and throughout the Mahoning Valley. During the early 1970s the faction gained control of the gambling rackets in Youngstown and shared some of the profits with the Cleveland crime family. 1. 1930s–1960s – Paul Romeo – born 1894 in Calabria and entered the American in 1913.Romeo controlled an independent Calabrian organization but maintained ties to the Calabrian factions in Cl...
Wheeling faction
The Pittsburgh family used associates to control the illegal gambling and loansharking operations in Wheeling, West Virginiaand the surrounding areas. 1. c.1930–1970 – William G. “Big Bill” Lias – born on July 14, 1900. After Prohibition ended Lias moved into illegal gambling and controlled casino-nightclubs in Wheeling. In 1945, Lias purchase Wheeling Down racetrack.In 1964, Lias rivaled with Paul Hankish and was suspected of ordering the car bombing of Hankish. The U.S. government tried to...
Anthony "Tony" Grosso – controlled gambling operations in the Pittsburgh area. The FBI never categorized Grosso as an organized crime member. Grosso was linked to Charles "Chucky" Porter, and Gross...
Charles "Chucky" Porter – former underboss who became the highest-ranking member in the Pittsburgh family to cooperate with the government. He became a soldier in 1986. Porter was the right-hand ma...Lenine "Lenny" Strollo – (April 21, 1931 – May 19, 2021) – former caporegime of the Youngstown, Ohio faction before becoming a government witness. He began his criminal career in Pittsburgh before...Joseph "Joey" Rosa– was an associate of the LaRocca family, who later testified on behalf of the federal government and provided information that led to the largest organized crime prosecution in W...Bobby Mancini – cooperated with Pennsylvania State Police in a probe into Adolpho "Junior" Williams mob crew and political and police corruption.Mancini was killed on October 24, 1988, shot in the...Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002.Devico, Peter J. The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra.Porrello, Rick. To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia. 2004Ciancuiit, Thomas Little Chicago: A History of Organized Crime in New Kensington, Pennsylvania - Book by Dennis L. MarsiliMay 12, 2024 · In the annals of Pittsburgh legal history, the 1990 Pittsburgh Mafia trial stands out as a significant turning point in the battle against organized crime. This trial not only crippled a major crime family but also marked a pivotal shift in law enforcement strategies.
John LaRocca was the boss of the Pittsburgh Crime Family who oversaw a borgata that was one of the most successful in the entire United States. ...more.
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- Mob Fireside Chat - American Mafia History
Oct 21, 2016 · Stefano Monastero is one of the earliest mob bosses of the Pittsburgh family, according to reporter and organized crime expert Jerry Capeci in the Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia.
Apr 14, 2021 · There are very few members and associates left in Pittsburgh’s crime family, as many were arrested in the late 1990s and others have passed away. The Commission has also barred Pittsburgh from inducting any new members since Pittsburgh associates were found to be colluding with the government.
