Los Angeles crime family

Los Angeles crime family

Mug shot of Joseph Ardizzone, the first official Boss of the Los Angeles family.
Founded by	Joseph Ardizzone
Founding location	Los Angeles, California, United States
Years active	c. 1900-present
Territory	Southern California, Las Vegas
Ethnicity	Italian, Italian-American
Membership (est.)	approx. 10-15 made members
Criminal activities	Racketeering, conspiracy, loansharking, money laundering, murder, extortion, gambling, skimming, drug trafficking, fencing, and fraud.
Allies	Buffalo crime family
Rivals	Various L.A. street gangs

The Los Angeles crime family is an Italian American criminal organization based in Los Angeles, as part of the American Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). It has since spread throughout Southern California. Like most Mafia families in the United States, the L.A. family gained power bootlegging during the Prohibition Era. The L.A. family reached its peak in the 1940s and early 1950s under Jack Dragna, who was on The Commission, although the L.A. family was never bigger than the New York or Chicago families. Since his death the crime family has been on a gradual decline, with the Chicago Outfit representing them on The Commission.

In the late 1970s Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno become the second member in American Mafia history to testify against the Mafia. In 1981 a biography of Fratianno was published, The Last Mafioso by Ovid Demaris which is the source for a lot of information on the history of the family. In the 1980s, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO act), became a highly effective law in convicting mobsters and shrinking the American Mafia. Like all families in the United States, the L.A. Mafia only holds a fraction of its former power.

The current boss of the family is Peter Milano. The current family is small compared to the families on the East Coast and Chicago and is involved in fraud, extortion, loansharking, gambling, and legitimate businesses. Although not having to share power with other Mafia families like New York's Five Families, never having a strong Italian-American population in the region the L.A. leaves the family to contend with the many street gangs in the "Gang Capital of America." The Los Angeles crime family is the last Cosa Nostra family left in the state of California.

History

Early years and prohibition

Los Angeles Times newspaper in 1917. Pictured in the top left corner are Sam Matranga and Tony Buccola. The drawing is a depiction of the murder of Pietro Matranga.

The early years of organized crime in California in the early 20th centuries were marked by the division of various Italian street gangs as well as the Black Hand organizations. The most prominent of which was the Matranga family, a gang ran by the Matranga brothers Sam and Peter whom were relatives of Charles Matranga, founder of the New Orleans crime family. They’re legitimate business was in fruit vending. Otherwise they used threats, violence and extortion to control the Plaza area, which was the heart of the Italian American community of Los Angeles at the time. Its first leader was Orsario "Sam" Matranga who started leading the family in 1905. Sam's brothers Salvatore Matranga, Pietro "Peter" Matragna, and Antonio "Tony" Matranga were other members of the gang.

Joseph Cuccia was a well respected criminal amongst the underworld who served as a translator in court for Italians who didn't speak English. This made him a well liked man in the Italian community. When Joseph Ardizzone was involved in a dispute with George Maisano, a member of the Matranga gang, they both went to Cuccia to mediate the dispute. Cuccia was a relative of Ardizzone and ruled in his favor, causing the Matragnas to threatened harm on Cuccia. In response, Ardizzone shot and killed Maisano on July 2, 1906. Ardizzone then fled the state and was a wanted fugitive.

With Ardizzone gone, the Matrangas fulfilled their promise of revenge. On September 25, 1906 Cuccia was shot and killed, allegedly by Tony Matranga. With both Ardizzone and Cuccia gone, the Matrangas were the dominate force in Los Angeles. However, their power was limited to within the Plaza community. To change this they cooperated with the police. Giving up information on their enemies and receiving immunity for most of their crimes, the Matrangas were able to expand their power and influence. Sam Matranga and his successor Pietro "Peter" Matranga were both murdered within 33 days of each other in 1917. While their next leader, cousin Tony Buccola was able to get revenge and kill their murderer Mike Marino (aka Mike Rizzo) in 1919, many years of violence ruined the Matranga gang. With the rise of bootleggers in the 1920s, their power declined and was eliminated with Buccola’s disappearance in 1931.

Vito Di Giorgio, a Black Handler and grocery store owner, moved to Los Angeles from New Orleans in 1920. He was possibly the first boss of what would become the Los Angeles crime family. Di Giorgio was known as an intimidating and forceful man who was in conflict with several local underworld factions. He survived two attempts on his life before he was murdered in Chicago in 1922. His close associate Rosario DeSimone was another longtime power figure who took control of rackets quietly in Los Angeles County. DeSimone officially stepped down from the top position in the 1920s, but was still the real power within his organization.

Mugshot of Jack Dragna in 1915.

Albert Marco seized control of Los Angeles in the 1920s by bribing and working with members of city hall including Kent Kane Parrot and Charlie Crawford. He worked closely with Anthony Cornero in bootlegging operations in Los Angeles. Marco was the first to deliver bootlegged Canadian liquor to Los Angeles. This transformed Marco into the Vice Lord of Los Angeles, earning $500,000 from bordello prostitution alone. Marco’s demise came in 1927 when he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but only served six months and was paroled upon agreeing to return to Italy. Marco’s lieutenant August Palumbo took control of Marco’s bootlegging operations but was killed in 1928 for refusing to come under Rosario DeSimone’s control. DeSimone’s lieutenant Domenico DiCiolla was acquitted of the murder and took control of Palumbo’s liquor operations. When he tried to challenge DeSimone’s power by moving into syndicated gambling rackets, he was murdered in 1931.

Joseph "Iron Man" Ardizzone returned to California in 1914 and was acquitted of murdering Maisano in 1915 due to lack of evidence and no witnesses willing to testify. He quickly returned to power and took control of rackets in Los Angeles. Ardizzone teamed up with Jack Dragna and they worked closely together for over 10 years. During prohibition the two were successful in running bootlegging operations in Southern California as well as gambling and extortion. By 1927 he was the most powerful Italian in Los Angeles. During Ardizzone's reign the family became part of the National Crime Syndicate and developed closer into the modern day American Mafia such as the ones in New York City structured by Salvatore Maranzano and later by Lucky Luciano in 1931. Under Ardizzone's tenure the Mafia consolidated and took control of organized crime. By 1931 Italian criminals in Los Angeles were uniting under one organization led by Ardizzone. He was boss until he mysteriously disappeared 1931, when he was murdered, possibly by his own men.

Dragna era

From left to right: Louis Dragna, Tom Dragna, Frank Dragna, Girolamo Adamo, and Frank Paul Dragna.

Jack Dragna took control of the family after Ardizzone's death in 1931. In addition his brother Tom Dragna was made his consigliere and his nephew Louis Tom Dragna was became a made man in 1947. Dragna was the most successful boss the L.A. family ever had. Although he wasn't able to infiltrate many of the labor unions in the entertainment industry, he involved the Los Angeles family in the entertainment business and brought the L.A. Mafia onto the national stage. He was honored with a place on The Commission, the only boss west of Chicago to hold a spot on the council. When prohibition ended in 1933, Dragna operated a massive loan shark and illegal gambling business.

For independent bookmakers, Dragna would use extortion to collect money from their operations. While most mobsters simply threatened harm on a business for not paying tribute to their organization (protection racket), Dragna’s family came up with a more sophisticated course of action. Dragna would send in men to threaten businesses, then the owners would pay Dragna for protection (unaware that these were Dragna's own men). Dragna wasn't however, able to control 100% of independent gambling rackets. Along with Dragna avoiding attention and the public life, he often was given the reputation as a weak ruler. Either way he did not put things together the way the East Coast bosses preferred. Armed with top hitman Frank "The Bomp" Bompensiero and Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno (who committed over 30 murders on the orders of their superiors), Dragna muscled his way into controlling territory stretching throughout California and Southern Nevada.

When Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky sent Bugsy Siegel from New York City to Los Angeles to take control of their interests on the West Coast (mainly Las Vegas) he formed an uneasy partnership with Dragna. Siegel was able to get independent bookies to pay tribute to Dragna's already flourishing gambling business. Aside from this however, Dragna resented Siegel's power to infiltrate unions in the movie industry and build casinos in Las Vegas such a short way from his own territory. Siegel made millions extorting movie production companies and only had to pay Dragna a tribute for working on his territory. With New York on Siegal's side there was little Dragna could do to take control of The Commission's grip of the city. The main reason Siegal came to California was to set up a wire service on the West Coast for the National Syndicate, which Siegal and Dragna worked closely together on setting up. Dragna and Siegal tried many methods to takeover Continental Press Service (the main wire service at the time). Attempst to buy out the company and to strong arm its owners didn't work, so they set up their own company called Trans-America. The Chicago Outfit eventually took over rival Continental Racing Services and gave the entire percentage of the racing wire on the West Coast to Dragna, enraging Siegal.

File:Roselli and DeSimone.gif

John Roselli (right) with Frank DeSimone in 1948.

Although there wasn't a big pool of Italians to recruit on the West Coast like back East, the L.A. family worked around this by accepting members from across the country; like Johnny Roselli from Chicago, Nick Licata from Detroit, Jimmy Fratianno from Cleveland, and Dominic Brooklier from Mickey Cohen's gang. Once Siegel ran out of favor with New York, Dragna was given the order to kill him. Siegal's chief lieutenant Mickey Cohen took charge of his gambling and loan shark operations in Los Angeles and eventually became Dragna's next target. Through sheer luck Cohen survived many attempts on his life, though many of his underlings were killed in the process. Eventually Cohen was forced to step away from the mob life and the L.A. family moved in on his gambling business.

The number of high profile murders and gangsters moving into the West Coast combined with the recall of Mayor Frank L. Shaw because of corruption charges related to organized crime, caused law enforcement to stop accommodating the Mafia. In the late 1930s, California Attorney General Earl Warren took command of a tough assault on Dragna's empire, most notably shutting down the gambling ships run by Anthony Cornero. Dragna's family however, remain strong throughout the 1940s.

DeSimone and Licata

While other Mafia families in the country were prospering in the 1950s, the L.A. family was beginning its decline. When William H. Parker became chief of Police for the L.A.P.D. in 1950, the police started cracking down on the Mafia instead of assisting it. The weakened Los Angeles family lost ground to the Chicago Outfit and New York families. Due to over 50 unsolved gangland killings in the first half of the century, the L.A.P.D. formed a special task force to deal with the problem: "The Gangster Sqaud". These group of men harassed the Mafia throughout the 1950s. Frank Bompensiero and Jimmy Fratianno started serving prison sentences in 1953 and 1954, respectively. In 1956 Jack Dragna died of a heart attack and a vote was made by the senior members of the family to elect its new boss. Johnny Roselli was seen as the most logical choice, but lawyer-turned-gangster Frank DeSimone was victorious. A disappointed Roselli, who felt that DeSimone rigged the election, transferred back to the Chicago Outfit. Fratianno did the same after his release from prison in 1960.

With Dragna gone and his brother Tom retired after his death, the crime family slipped out of control. It quickly became apparent that DeSimone was an incompetent boss. According to an informant he raped the wife of his underboss Girolamo "Momo" Adamo, which caused Adamo to shoot his wife (who survived) and kill himself. This meant the top three men from Dragna's era, the boss, underboss, and consigliere were all inactive in Los Angeles almost immediately after DeSimone took charge. DeSimone was present at the ill-fated Apalachin Meeting with his second underboss Simone Scozzari. When the meeting was raided by police, DeSimone was ousted as a mobster. He previously had no arrest record and was believed to be a simple lawyer. Scozzari came under law enforcement scrutiny after the meeting and was deported to Italy in 1962 for being an illegal immigrant. DeSimone's unsuccessful reign concluded with his death in 1967, after 11 years in power.

DeSimone's third underboss Nick "Old Man" Licata succeeded him. Licata had strong ties with Mafia families in the Midwest and South and maintained contact with the mob in Las Vegas. By then, law enforcement knew much about mob activities in Los Angeles, which was helped by top hitman Frank "the Bomp" Bompensiero becoming an undercover informant. By 1963 Joe Valachi revealed to America the secret criminal society known as Cosa Nostra. This created increased police attention to Mafiosi across the country. With the police constantly monitoring his family, Licata wasn't able to do much of a better job then DeSimone. A bright spot during the period was that Louis Tom Dragna's company "Roberta Dress Manufacturing" was turning into a $10 million a year business. This was possible because in the 1950s, Jack Dragna flew labor union expert Johnny Dio in from New York City to teach Louis how to manipulate labor unions in the Garment District. On October 19, 1974 after a long battle with illnesses, Nick Licata passed away.

Brooklier and Fratianno

File:Bompensiero FBI photo.jpg

Bompensiero, killed in 1977 after ruling crime in San Diego for over 30 years.

Licata's successor, Dominic "Jimmy Regace" Brooklier, was initially able to stabilize the family's businesses, but later endured considerable damage done by FBI informants. Brooklier was able to make a lot of money in pornography, extortion, and drugs, but wasn't able to take back control of the independent bookmaking rackets in Los Angeles. Brooklier also ordered the death of Frank Bompensiero for his growing criticism of the family, and finding evidence that he was cooperating with the FBI. When sentenced to a short prison stint along with his underboss Samuel Sciortino in 1975, Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno transferred back to the L.A. family and was named acting boss. Fratianno took this position to heart, traveling across the country making connections and deals. Fratianno's goal was to bring back the ailing families stature and reputation amongst the Mafia. Since Jack Dragna's death, Los Angeles was starting to be seen as an "open city" were any family could do business, but Fratianno hoped that by restoring the ailing family he'd be a candidate to officially running the family even when Brooklier was released. However, Brooklier quickly took back control of the family after his release and Fratianno was left back to being a low level solider.

The fall came when Fratianno became the second American Mafioso to turn state's evidence and testify against the Mafia in court. He made this decision upon learning from the F.B.I. that Dominic Brooklier ordered his death. Brooklier, who didn't trust Fratianno, ordered the hit because Fratianno was presenting himself as boss of the family and felt that he was trying to usurp him. Fratianno testified against mobsters not only in Los Angeles, but across the country. Top family member Michael Rizzitello also spent time in and out of prison during Brooklier's reign. After ruling for five years, Brooklier along with Sciortino, Rizzitello, Dragna, and Jack LoCicero were imprisoned for racketeering and extortion and were sentenced to federal prison in 1981. Brooklier still ran the family from his prison cell until he died of a heart attack in 1984. With Brooklier dead, and most the top members of the family in prison, capo Peter Milano quickly stepped up and became the man in charge.

The Milano brothers

Peter Milano was officially made boss of the Los Angeles crime family with Brooklier's death in 1984. He made his brother Carmen "Flipper" Milano his underboss. Since Milano's reign, the family was heavily involved in narcotics, pornography, gambling and loan sharking. When Peter Milano became boss, he rejuvenated the depleted family by inducting new members such as Stephen "Steve the Whale" Cino, singer Charles "Bobby Milano" Caci, Luigi "Louie" Gelfuso Jr. and shylock brothers Lawrence and Anthony "The Animal" Fiato into the family. Mobster turned informant Kenny Gallo credited the brothers with "help[ing] Pete Milano revamp the L.A. Family". With a beefed up family Milano succeeded in having nearly every bookie in Los Angeles pay a mob tax to the L.A. family. Robert "Puggy" Zeichick gave Anthony Fiato a $1 million dollar loan which was used to finance a huge loan shark operation. The L.A. family became the dominate loan shark operators in the area. The family's influence stretched all the way to Las Vegas, where the family had long standing ties to what the Mafia considered an "open city" where any family could work in.

The entire hierarchy of the family including the Milano brothers, captains Mike Rizzitello, Jimmy Caci, and Luigi Gelfuso along with many other mobsters were arrested on various charges in the late 1980s, due largely to information and recordings collected by the Fiato brothers. These charges to so many members permanently crippled the family and put the family on the brink of extinction. While Rizzitello, who wasn't a part of the indictment, was sentenced to 33 years in prison in 1989 for attempted murder (where he would later die in 2005) the Milano brothers plead guilty to lesser charges; Peter received six years in prison and Carmen received two years. Almost every member of the family charged pleaded guilty to receive lesser sentences and the F.B.I. considered the Mafia finished in Los Angeles.

However, since Peter Milano's release in 1991, he took back control of the weakened family. The Los Angeles family since made moves into Las Vegas with the Buffalo crime family. The family made headlines again with the murder of Chicago Outfit associate Herbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein by Buffalo and Los Angeles family members in 1997. Blizstein had a lucrative loan shark and auto insurance fraud business the two families moved in to take over. This caused a great deal of scrutiny from the FBI on both families. Members like Stephen Cino and Alfred Mauriello were convicted on related charges along with other associates who cooperated with officials to receive a reduced sentence, putting the L.A. crime family on its last leg.

Current position and leadership

Much of the crime families activities has become unknown since the Las Vegas indictments. Law enforcement has moved its attention towards other gangs like the Russians and Triads who are "more sinister and far more prevalent and widespread". Peter Milano is still believed to be the official Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. However his involvement in crime along with other members has been greatly reduced since the 1980s. Some members like Rocco Zangari and Russell Massetia have left the family all together. Others members like Carmen Milano and Bobby Milano have died of old age and no younger people have replaced them. Los Angeles doesn't have a high concentration of Italians like Chicago or the East Coast to support them, so recruiting new members is challenging. With Southern California's many racial groups, the Cosa Nostra faces an uphill battle to challenge the many street gangs in the area over criminal rackets.

Current membership

• Boss - Peter John Milano - A bookmaker who became a member of the Los Angeles family when Nick Licata was boss. Originally from Cleveland, his father was Anthony Milano, who was underboss of the Cleveland crime family. Moved with his brother Carmen to California. Has been convicted three times of RICO related charges. Owns Rome Vending Company and owns property in the Greater Los Angeles Area.
• Underboss - Tommaso "Tommy" Gambino - Not to be confused with Thomas Gambino, Tommy is the son of jailed Gambino crime family mobster Rosario Gambino, nephew of John Gambino, and is first cousin to Frank Cali. Moved to California in the 1990s and became a made man shortly after.
• Consigliere - vacant spot/unknown
• Capo - Vincent Dominic "Jimmy" Caci - Spent time in Attica before moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s. Was street boss when Peter and Carmen Milano were in prison. Spends time in Palm Springs and Las Vegas. His younger brother Charles "Bobby Milano" Caci was a singer and soldier in his crew until his death in 2006.
• Capo - Louis "Louie" Caruso - Currently lives in Arizona and owns an air conditioning company.
• Soldier - Stephen Anthony "Steve the Whale" Cino - Originally from Buffalo, New York and a member of the Buffalo crime family. Cino has an arrest record dating back to 1962 which included robbery, extortion, bank fraud and bribing a union official. Switched to the Los Angeles family and was put in the Nevada Black Book in 1997. Was incarcerated on extortion charges, but was acquitted for involvement in the Herbie Blitzstein murder. Was released in 2008.
• Soldier - John Joseph Vaccaro Jr. - Has a criminal history dating back to 1971. In 1985 he was convicted in federal court for being the mastermind of a sophisticated slot cheating ring which stole millions of dollars from Nevada casinos. Was convicted along with his wife Sandra Kay Vaccaro and both are in the Nevada Black Book. Was incarcerated in Mississippi for another gaming offense involving members of the New Orleans crime family in the 2000s, but was released in 2003. Vaccaro is currently a resident of Las Vegas and owns his own company "Four Square Construction/Roofing".
• Soldier - Rocco James "Bigfoot" Zangari - Was a Palm Springs resident. Once managed a card room for the Cabazon Indian tribe in Riverside, California. Moved to Buffalo, New York and is currently inactive in the family.
• Soldier - Michael "Porno Mike" Esposito - Michael Esposito owns the porn production and distribution company Gentlemen's Video. His father, Salvatore Esposito, was a driver for former Lucchese family boss Anthony Corallo.
• Soldier - Robert "Fat Bobby" Paduano - Was a member of Michael Rizzitello's crew in the 1980s. Was convicted along with many members in the late 1980s, but is still currently active in Orange County as a loan shark.
• Soldier - Paulo "Paulie Tattoos" Rossi - Owns a tattoo parlor and runs an illegal sports betting business.
• Soldier - Leonard "Limping Lenny" Montana Jr. - Son of actor Lenny Montana, "Limping Lenny" is a bookie and owns "Enzo's Pizzeria" in Westwood.

Historical membership

Bosses

• 1920–1922 — Vito Di Giorgio
• 1922–1925 — Rosario DeSimone
• 1925–1931 — Joseph Ardizzone
• 1931–1956 — Jack Dragna
• 1956–1967 — Frank DeSimone
• 1967–1974 — Nick Licata
• 1974–1984 — Dominic Brooklier
• 1984–present — Peter Milano

Underbosses

• 1920s—1931 — Jack Dragna
• 1931—1956 — Girolamo "Momo" Adamo
• 1956—1962 — Simone "Sam" Scozzari
• 1962—1967 — Nick Licata
• 1967—1974 — Joseph Charles "Joe Dip" Dippolito
• 1974 — Dominic Brooklier
• 1974—1979 — Samuel Sciortino
• 1984—2006 — Carmen "Flipper" Milano
• 2006—present — Tommaso "Tommy" Gambino

Consiglieres

• 1931—1956 — Tom Dragna
• 1956—1962 — Nick Licata
• 1962—1975 — Tommy Palermo
• 1975—1977 — Frank "Bomp" Bompensiero
• 1977—1980s — Giacomo "Jack" LoCicero

Caporegimes

• Frank "Bomp" Bompensiero (1941-1956)
• Anthony "Tony" Mirabile (1956-1958) - San Diego rackets leader
• Louis Tom Dragna (1950s-1980s)
• Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno (1953-1960)
• Frank Anthony Matranga (1960s-1969)
• Michael "Mike Rizzi" Rizzitello (1977-1988)
• Vincent "Jimmy" Caci (1970s-present)
• Luigi "Louie" Gelfuso Jr. (1980s-1990s)
• Louis "Louie" Caruso (1980s-present)
• John Louis Aguilante (1980s-??)

Soldiers

• Gaspare Matranga (1930s-??)
• Joseph Adamo (1940s-1961) - Girolamo Adamo's brother
• James Iannone (1940s-??)
• Johnny Roselli (1944-1956) - Worked directly under Dragna
• Biaggio Bonventre (1940s-1950s)
• Sam Bruno (1940s-1960s)
• Salvatore "Charlie Dip" Dippolito (1947-1960s) - Father of future underboss Joseph Dippolito
• Salvatore "Dago Louie" Piscopo (1947s-1970s)
• Salvatore Pinelli (1950s-1970s)
• Aladena "Jimmy The Weasel" Fratianno (1947-1953, 1977)
• Charles "Charley Bats" Battaglia (1952-1970s)
• Frank Stellino (1960s-1970s) - Nick Licata's son in law
• Angelo Polizzi (1952-1970s)
• Stephan "The Whale" Cino (1984s-present)
• Thomas Ricciardi (1970s)
• Stephan Mauriello (1980s-1997)
• Craig Anthony "the Animal" Fiato (1984-1987)
• Lawrence "Larry Boy" Fiato (1984-1987)
• Charles "Bobby Milano" Caci (1984-2006)
• Robert "Fat Bobby" Paduano (1980s-present)
• Rocco James Zangari (1984-1995)
• Russell "Rusty" Massetta (1980s-1999) - Peter Milano's son in law
• Michael "Porno Mike" Esposito (1990s-present)
• Leonard "Limping Lenny" Montana Jr. (1990s-present)
• Paulo "Paulie Tattoos" Rossi (1990s-present)

Associates

• George "Les" Bruneman (1920s-1937)
• Joseph Sica (1940s-1970s)
• Jack Whalen (1940s-1959s)
• Leo "Lips" Moceri (1930s-1960s)
• Mickey Fine (1960s-1970s)
• Ray Ferritto (1960s-1974)
• Frank Buccieri (1960s-1980s)
• Anthony Brooklier (1970s-present) - Lawyer, Dominic Brooklier's son
• John Patrick Dimattia (1970s-present)
• Albert Nunez (1980s-1990s)
• Robert Ralph "Dino" D'Agostino (1980s)
• Steve Munichiello (1980s)

• Tony Davi (1997)
• Dominic "Donnie Shacks" Montemarano (1990s-present) - Colombo family capo based in L.A.
• Ronald A. "Ronnie" Lorenzo (1980s-present) - Bonanno soldier based in L.A.
• Johnny Means (1980s-early 2000s) - Also associated with the Pueblo Colorado family.
• Joe Isgro (1980s-present) Works in the music business, Gambino family member.

Informants

• Frank "The Bomp" Bompensiero (undercover informant)
• Aladena "Jimmy The Weasal" Fratianno (government witness)
• Craig Anthony "the Animal" Fiato (government witness)
• Lawrence "Larry Boy" Fiato (government witness)
• Stephen Mauriello (government witness)

References

• Capeci, Jerry (2002), The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia, Alpha Books, ISBN 0028642252, retrieved September 11, 2009
• Demaris, Ovid (1981), The Last Mafioso: The Treacherous World of Jimmy Fratianno, Bantam Books, ISBN 0553202308 {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
• DeVico, Peter (2007), The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra, Tate Publishing, p. 152–154, ISBN 1602472548, retrieved September 11, 2009
• Gatto, Mariann (2009), Los Angeles's Little Italy, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 0738571881 {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
• Rayner, Richard (2009), A Bright and Guilty Place: Murder, Corruption, and L.A.'s Scandalous Coming of Age, Random House of Canada, ISBN 0385509707, retrieved November 30, 2009
• Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
• Warner, Richard N. "The First Mafia Boss of Los Angeles? The Mystery of Vito Di Giorgio, 1880-1922." On The Spot Journal (Summer 2008), 46-54.

Further reading

• Gallo, Kenny, Randazzo, Matthew. Breakshot: A Life in the 21st Century American Mafia. Phoenix Books, 2009. ISBN: 1597776157
• Moore, Judith. A Bad, Bad Boy: The Most Feared Mobster in Southern California for 30 Years. Reader Books, 2009. ISBN: 0615298796
• Smith, John L. The Animal in Hollywood. Barricade Books. 1998. ISBN 1-569-80126-6

External links

• Organized Crime in California
• L.A. Mob Does Vegas
• Mob Murders in L.A. - Addresses of What the L.A.P.D. said were Mafia killings from 1906 to 1951.
• Mob Leader Makes Getaway In California - St. Petersburg Times - February 15, 1950