Pittsburgh crime family


The Pittsburgh crime family, also known as the LaRocca crime family or Pittsburgh Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.

History

Prohibition era bosses

In Pittsburgh the Italian underworld was broken into two ethnic factions, with the "Sicilian Mafia" controlling the North and South sides of the city and the "Neapolitan Camorra" controlling the East End of the city. In the early 1920s, the two factions became involved in bootlegging, the illegal making, selling and transporting of alcohol. Throughout the Prohibition era the factions fought in the city for control over the Italian neighborhoods of Larimer, Homewood, the Hill District and Downtown. In the outer suburbs of southwestern Pennsylvania the factions fought over New Kensington, Arnold, Wilkinsburg, McKees Rocks, Wilmerding and Braddock. During the late prohibition era, from 1926 to 1933, there were over 200 murders in Allegheny County.
The earliest known Pittsburgh family Mafia boss was Stefano Monastero, who in 1925 was distributing bootlegging supplies throughout several warehouses on the North side of Pittsburgh. During Monstero's reign he was suspected of ordering the bombings of rival bootleggers facilities and for ordering the murder of his competitor Luigi "Big Gorilla" Lamendola in May 1927. Monastero was murdered on August 6, 1929 in front of St. John's hospital.
After Monastero's murder Giuseppe Siragusa became the new boss of the Pittsburgh family. Siragusa emigrated in 1910 from Sicily to Brooklyn and later to Pittsburgh, where he manufacture and trade of illegal alcohol in Allegheny County. He became known as the “Yeast Baron” after becoming the largest supplier of yeast to illegal beermakers. Siragusa was a close ally to the Castellammarese Clan in New York City and paid tribute to Salvatore Maranzano. On September 13, 1931, Siragusa was murdered in his Squirrel Hill home, just days after Salvatore Maranzano was murdered.

Bazzano vs. the Volpe brothers

After the murder of Siragusa, the family came under the control of John Bazzano. The new Sicilian boss Bazzano had immigrated to the United States in 1890's and built an bootlegging empire selling yeast and sugar to home breweries and thereby allowing them to manufacture illegal beer. Bazzano formed an alliance with the eight Volpe brothers, whom he allowed to operate out of a coffee shop in the Middle Hill. The Volpe brothers were the leaders of the "Neapolitan faction" and controlled illegal rackets throughout the Turtle Creek Valley and Wilmerding.
Bazzano became upset when the Volpe brothers began expanding into East Liberty and the North Side. On July 29, 1932 Bazzano he sent a hit team to murder the Volpe's and had three of the Volpe brothers murdered two of the brothers managed to survive. The surviving Volpe brothers went to the "Commission" in New York and it was decided Bazzano would be held responsible for his unsanctioned hit. On August 8, 1932 Bazzano's body was in Red Hook, Brooklyn he had been stabbed and strangled to death.
Vincenzo Capizzi became the new boss after Bazzano's murder, but he eventually resigned in 1937, and was replaced by Frank Amato. Amato began expanding his influence over the gambling rackets in and around Allegheny County, but in 1956 he became ill of a kidney ailment and resigned, becoming underboss.

The LaRocca era

In 1956, John Sebastian 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. In 1953, Immigration and Naturalization Service tried to use LaRocca's criminal record to deport him but several prominent figures testified on his behalf during the hearings and he was able to remain in the country until his death in 1984.
As boss of Pittsburgh LaRocca attended the 1957 Apalachin Meeting along with his capos Gabriel Mannarino and Michael James Genovese. When the Police raided the Apalachin meeting LaRocca was able to escaped the federal authorities but Mannarino and Genovese were unsuccessful and were arrested. LaRocca and capo Mannarino became partners with Tampa crime family boss Santo Trafficante, Jr. in the Sans Souci hotel-casino in Havana, Cuba. In 1959, Fidel Castro took control of Cuba and forced out all the mobsters in the country. Through bribery LaRocca became a powerful Mafia boss by controlling politicians, police officers and other officials in the Pittsburgh area. His family also maintained control of labor unions through Local 1058. LaRocca's influence also grew through close ties to Gambino crime family boss Carlo Gambino, Bufalino crime family boss Russell Bufalino, Philadelphia crime family boss Angelo Bruno and Kansas City crime family boss Nick Civella. In the 1960s, LaRocca's family started a conflict with the Cleveland crime family when they expanded into Youngstown, Ohio. In 1964, LaRocca supported Frank Valenti's takeover of the Rochester crime family from Jake Russo. LaRocca died on December 3, 1984.

Genovese and Porter

became the new boss of the Pittsburgh crime family, with the death of LaRocca. As the new boss Genovese pursued members of the Pittsburgh mafia to begin illegal drug trafficking. The family's drug trafficking activities led to more police and federal authorities focusing on the Pittsburgh family. On March 3, 1987 longtime Underboss and West Virginia gambling leader Joseph N. "Jo Jo" Pecora died. After Pecora's death Genovese promoted Charles "Chucky" Porter to Underboss of the family. By the late 1980s, the Pittsburgh family was in decline as they weren’t accepting new members and their leadership was growing older, according to a 1989 report by the Pennsylvania Crime Commission. During the late 1980s the FBI investigation into Pittsburgh's top cocaine traffickers, Charles Porter and Louis Raucci, Sr. continued. In 1990, the indictment was released and charged Charles Porter along with other members of the family on racketeering and drug trafficking. Porter the underboss of the family decided to cooperate with the government leading the conviction of many Pittsburgh mobsters.
By 1992, there was only a few members and associates operating in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. The Pittsburgh family’s main source of income was illegal sports and numbers gambling. On October 31, 2006 boss Michael Genovese died after of years of fighting with bladder cancer and heart disease.

Current status

After the conviction of the top members in the late 1990s and the death of many important members in the last decade the family has few members left. Most recently discovered in Grand Jury testimony of "Operation Pork Chop" there has been cooperation of high-ranking associates leading to new information of the family. In 2013, retired FBI special agent Roger Greenbank spoke about the Pittsburgh family and said "There's no real structure anymore. There's no real family."
The family is mostly involved in the local gambling rackets and has maintained a low profile in recent years.

Historical leadership

Boss (official and acting)

Fayette and Allegheny gambling ring

Youngstown faction

The Pittsburgh crime family operated a faction from 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.
The Pittsburgh crime family controlled illegal gambling operation in Wheeling, West Virginia and the surrounding areas.