Talk:Salvatore Todaro (mobster)/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: MX (talk · contribs) 17:12, 30 January 2020 (UTC)

Review

Happy to review this one! I enjoy writing criminal biographies so I hope to learn a lot from your articles. Stay put! MX (✉ • ✎) 17:12, 30 January 2020 (UTC)

@Tim1965: pinging the major contributor as a heads up. I cleaned up most of the tweaks, but hoping you can address some of the comments related to sourcing or who a person is, etc. Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 17:18, 30 January 2020 (UTC)

Overall the article is in great shape. The sources used are reliable (kudos on using offline sources that I'm sure were difficult to find)! The level of detail is excellent too, and there wasn't an instance where I felt we were going off-topic. Below are a few points I wanted to bring up before promotion. My biggest concern in this review is the names and how they are used throughout the article. There are many instances of full names (i.e. Sam Todaro) when they are not needed, and then instances where people are mentioned without giving us a short description of who they are or their relationship with other individuals (they often share last names but they could very well be gangsters, siblings, or other people). A thorough check and read is required by the nominator to make sure that is clear. MX (✉ • ✎) 21:38, 30 January 2020 (UTC)

Thanks MX. I fully agree with you about the usage of names. I think I've addressed that problem. I didn't add a description for Frank or John Lonardo where you said because, as I mentioned, they were already introduced earlier on as Joseph's brothers. Hope that's alright. I leave it up to Tim1965 to follow up on the sourcing comments as he's the one who did a great job with the sourcing. Regards, Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 22:26, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

@MX: I think every point has been addressed now. Thanks Tim! Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 17:23, 4 February 2020 (UTC)

Early life

• and arriving in Cleveland the next day. - Link Cleveland for our international readers
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• Todaro was not alone in America. - Why not “in the U.S.”? I tried looking for a policy for this but could not find any. But MOS:US is all I could find and does not mention America.
  •  Done United States. Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• His cousin, Joseph "Busy Joe" Patitucci, - Possible WP:REDLINK or not? I will leave it up to you.
  • I've not come across many references to him, and my (admittedly non-expert) opinion is to not redlink it. - Tim1965 (talk) 16:28, 4 February 2020 (UTC)

Criminal career with the Lonardos

• known as the Mayfield Road Mob formed - Is this the Cleveland crime family? If so, please link and remove any links elsewhere after this.
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• Once Prohibition began - Link Prohibition in the United States for our readers.
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• Lonardo brothers, Sam Todaro, - Todaro alone is fine.
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• became the illegal liquor of choice in northeast Ohio.[17][18][19][20] - Do we need these many sources to back up a single sentence? I am worried it may be an instance of WP:CITEKILL. Consider trimming or merging.
  • It seemed a fairly contentious claim. I used multiple cites as a means of reinforcing that this wasn't just some casual claim by a source or something just one source claimed - Tim1965 (talk) 16:26, 4 February 2020 (UTC)
• including Sam Todaro; - Todaro alone is fine.
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• Licarti had killed Cleveland police patrolman Elmer Glaefke on September 12, 1917 - Could this murder possibly be a redlink? I ask because the murder of a policeman is notable, but I’m not sure if there are enough print sources since I do not have access to them.
  • In reading sources used in making this article, the murder of Cleveland police at the time was not unusual. When researching this article in The Plain Dealer and Cleveland News, the murder of Glaefke drew notice only for a short period and I never came across national news sources that mentioned it or histories that mentioned it except in passing. So I'd not redlink it, but others can do so. - Tim1965 (talk) 16:32, 4 February 2020 (UTC)

• Although federal records indicated that Licarti sailed for Italy on April 4, 1925, he in fact returned to Cleveland where he lived on the west side. - Wow!
  • Yeah, the city was fairly corrupt. :) - Tim1965 (talk) 16:32, 4 February 2020 (UTC)

Involvement with the Buffalo crime family

• About 1919, "Busy Joe" Patitucci introduced Sam Todaro - Why not the surnames only?
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• Sam Todaro asked Patitucci to relocate to Cleveland - Same here
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

“DiCarlo and fellow gang member Peter Gallelo attempted to murder Patitucci as he walked on the street.” - I thought Patitucci was convicted (in prison)? Was he released during trial?

• • It says the trial was delayed—maybe he was out on bail? Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)
    • Done. He was out on bail. Clarified in footnote, and cited. - Tim1965 (talk) 16:50, 4 February 2020 (UTC)

• Sam Todaro became involved in the case - No Sam needed
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• Patitucci then attempted to shoot his wife on March 10 - Mary or Todaro’s wife? Since you mentioned Todaro was called to Buffalo I wasn’t too sure.
  • Done. His own wife. Fixed for clarity. - Tim1965 (talk) 16:37, 4 February 2020 (UTC)

• in a notebook at Natalia Patitucci's home. - His mother, right? We mentioned her already so you can keep it simple and add her mother’s home instead. Otherwise readers may not know her relation to Patitucci other than the fact that they share a last name.
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• Todaro later told federal investigator - One or multiple? If one, it would be “a federal investigator”. If multiple, “investigators”
  • Done. More than one. Fixed. - Tim1965 (talk) 16:39, 4 February 2020 (UTC)

• the D.A. believed, Patitucci would flee the state - What is D.A.? Consider spelling it out for our international readers
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

Tenure as Cleveland crime boss

• Lonardo told capo Lawrence Lupo to carry out the assassination; - No redlink for Mr. Lupo? Is he notable enough to have his own page?
  • Done. He is notable enough. He was redlinked in the section "Lonardo's involvement in Prohibition". - Tim1965 (talk) 16:59, 4 February 2020 (UTC)

• This individual may have been Charles "Chuck" Polizzi, the Jewish foster younger brother of Mayfield Road Mob member Alfred Polizzi. Chuck Polizzi worked the rackets regularly with Al Polizzi and Lawrence Lupo.[64] Nicola Gentile, however, indicates that the individual was a low-ranking bootlegger, possibly someone running a still. - This footnote seems out of place. What individual was in question? I thought we were reading about Gentile and Lonardo.
  • Done. It was out of place. I moved it to the end of the first sentence in the section, which is where it belonged. - Tim1965 (talk) 16:59, 4 February 2020 (UTC)

• John Lonardo lacked good judgment - First mention of this man yet no introduction. Who is he? Lonardo’s brother? Please add a short description since we thought all along it was Joseph.
  •  Not done John introduced here. "In the early 1920s, Joseph Lonardo, his brothers Frank and John, and Todaro were working in the Lonardo confectionary business." Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• acknowledge that he owed his station in life to Lonardo - Social status? I had to look up what “Station in life” is since it is an idiom.
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• A few minutes after 8:30 - Morning or evening?
  •  Done Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)

• They point out that Masseria had been the de facto boss of bosses since the death of Umberto Valenti (D'Aquila's patron) in August 1922 and D'Aquila's flight from his Brooklyn home in 1925-1926,[105][lower-alpha 20] most of Masseria's extended family lived in Cleveland, and Cleveland was the most likely site for a confirmation meeting. - Run-on sentence that needs to be fixed. Consider making it shorter.
  • Done. Fixed the run-on nature of it. - Tim1965 (talk) 16:59, 4 February 2020 (UTC)

Death and interment

• Frank Lonardo also spent much time consulting Todaro - Who’s this? I assume a sibling? Please add a short description so we know who it is.
  •  Not done Frank introduced here. "In the early 1920s, Joseph Lonardo, his brothers Frank and John, and Todaro were working in the Lonardo confectionary business." Vaselineeeeeeee^★★★ 02:56, 31 January 2020 (UTC)