u/Own_Nobody4532

In December 1980, FBI agents monitoring Cleveland Mafia capo Joe Gallo for evidence of drugs and gambling overheard a peculiar request: a friend wanted a building “washed a little bit.” That afternoon, Gallo, Tony Baudo and Glen Pauley discussed gallons, “the spot,” and doing something late into that night. Hours later, Pauley was stopped near a Macedonia shopping plaza, and, before dawn, an employee discovered smoke coming from the credit union next door.

Part One of Cleveland Mafia Capo Joe Gallo and a Fire in Macedonia follows the men and the agents listening to them as a seemingly ordinary conversation takes on a far more troubling meaning.

People mentioned in Part One include Cleveland Mafia capo Joe Gallo, Glen Pauley, Tony Baudo, Carmen Zagaria, Danny Greene, Judge Frank Battisti, William H. Stein, Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes, Domenic Spirito, Mafia boss Jack Licavoli, Joseph Bonarrigo, Keith Ritson, Kevin McTaggart, Susan Winters and Fire Chief Carl Stewart.

https://timgill924.substack.com/p/cleveland-mafia-capo-joe-gallo-and?r=1ixz1x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

John Scalish did not look much like a Mafia boss. He was quiet, difficult to find, and so close-mouthed that some people considered him unfriendly. Yet he ruled Cleveland’s underworld for roughly three decades without a serious challenge.

Part Two follows Scalish from his stickup years through Buckeye Cigarette Service, Apalachin, organized labor, Las Vegas, and his relationship with Milton Rockman, the childhood friend and brother-in-law who became his closest adviser.

https://timgill924.substack.com/p/john-scalish-and-the-quiet-years-a8b?r=1ixz1x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Today I’m publishing Part Two of my three-part series on Henry “Boom Boom” Grecco and the Cleveland mob underworld. After disappearing on May 29, 1977, Grecco quickly became the focus of a murder investigation that led police from a bloodstained Toyota in Twinsburg to his remains in Hudson.

Part Two looks at the eyewitness who saw the aftermath of Grecco’s shooting, the evidence that led investigators to the culprit, and the falling out police believed had motivated the killing. By the end, however, a second and much larger explanation begins to emerge from FBI files.

Names and Places mentioned in Part Two: Henry “Boom Boom” Grecco, Nancy Spehar, John Nardi, James Paolucci, Dominick Bartone, Bob Cermak, Shorty Rivers, Andrew Vanyo, Joseph Bonarrigo, Allie Calabrese, Glenn Pauley, Kenneth Argie, Mario Durrant, Pasquale “Butchie” Cisternino, the Italian-American Citizens Club, Collinwood, and Guerino’s Restaurant.

Lastly, a warning that this post contains a black and white photo of human remains provided by the Cleveland Police Museum.

https://timgill924.substack.com/p/henry-boom-boom-grecco-and-the-cleveland-00c?r=1ixz1x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Today I’m publishing Part One of a three-part series on Henry “Boom Boom” Grecco, one of the more obscure figures to move through Cleveland’s underworld during the 1970s. Grecco was connected to fraud, gunrunning, arson, bomb-making, and some of the most important figures in the city’s criminal world, including John Nardi, Danny Greene, and members of the Cleveland Mafia.

Part One looks at who Grecco was, how he became useful to so many different people, and why investigators were especially interested in him after John Nardi was blown up in May 1977. Just twelve days later, Grecco himself disappeared.

https://timgill924.substack.com/p/henry-boom-boom-grecco-and-the-cleveland?r=1ixz1x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Part Three is out now of my new three-part Substack series on the thirty-year friendship between three of the most notorious Northeast Ohio mobsters: Jack Licavoli, Tony Delsanter, and Leo Moceri.

This part covers the three individuals’ final years, including, in part, their later charges, war with Danny Greene and his crew, and their deaths.

Some names that come up along the way in this part, include: John Scalish, Frank Brancato, Angelo Lonardo, John Calandra, Butchie Cisternino, Eugene Ciasullo, John Nardi, Danny Greene, Keith Ritson, Ray Ferritto, Jimmy Fratianno, and more.

Thank you for reading and please consider subscribing.

Here is Part Three.

https://timgill924.substack.com/p/from-cleveland-to-warren-and-youngstown-b0b?r=1ixz1x&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer

Part Two is out now of my new three-part Substack series on the thirty-year friendship between three of the most notorious Northeast Ohio mobsters: Jack Licavoli, Tony Delsanter, and Leo Moceri.

The story begins in 1950, when two FBI agents sat down with a 45-year-old Jack Licavoli and he told them, apparently without much concern, that he lived part-time with a good friend named Tony Delsanter and that his only income came from a Warren company running slot machines and the numbers racket. Within two years, the two of them had told Mike Farah, the man who’d given Licavoli his stake, and who a former Youngstown police chief called one of “the warlords of Trumbull County” that he was finished. In 1961, Farah was shot to death in his own backyard, and two FBI informants named the man who did it.

From there the series follows all three through the decade the FBI spent listening to them with a microphone went into Licavoli’s house in Little Italy in 1965. From there, it details some of their rackets, their activities, and their final demise.

Other names that come up along the way in this series: John Scalish, Frank Embrescia, John DeMarco, Frank Brancato, Mike DeAngelo, Mike Farah, Sandy Naples, John Nardi, Danny Greene, Keith Ritson, Ray Ferritto, Jimmy Fratianno, Angelo Lonardo, and Yonnie Licavoli, and more.

All three parts of this series will be free.

Here is Part Two.

https://timgill924.substack.com/p/from-cleveland-to-warren-and-youngstown-8bc?r=1ixz1x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

I've written a new three-part Substack series on the thirty-year friendship between three of the most notorious Northeast Ohio mobsters: Jack Licavoli, Tony Delsanter, and Leo Moceri.

The story begins in 1950, when two FBI agents sat down with a 45-year-old Jack Licavoli and he told them, apparently without much concern, that he lived part-time with a good friend named Tony Delsanter and that his only income came from a Warren company running slot machines and the numbers racket. Within two years, the two of them had told Mike Farah, the man who’d given Licavoli his stake, and who a former Youngstown police chief called one of “the warlords of Trumbull County” that he was finished. In 1961, Farah was shot to death in his own backyard, and two FBI informants named the man who did it.

From there the series follows all three through the decade the FBI spent listening to them with a microphone went into Licavoli’s house on Murray Hill in 1965. From there, it details some of their rackets, their activities, and their final demise.

People that come up along the way in this series: John Scalish, John DeMarco, Frank Brancato, Mike Farah, Sandy Naples, John Nardi, Danny Greene, Keith Ritson, Ray Ferritto, Jimmy Fratianno, Angelo Lonardo, and Yonnie Licavoli, in addition to the others, and more.

The series is a companion to my forthcoming book, Unraveling the American Mafia: Angelo Lonardo, Carmen Zagaria, and the Beginning of the End in Cleveland (Bloomsbury, 2027). Before it arrives, I'll be publishing side stories from this world on my Substack. Subscribe to follow along. That way, the stories come straight to your email inbox.

All three parts of this series will be free.

Here is Part One.

https://timgill924.substack.com/p/from-cleveland-to-warren-and-youngstown?r=1ixz1x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

When Future Cleveland Mafia Boss Jack Licavoli Went to Jimmy Hoffa (Part Three)

I've written a three-part Substack series on Cleveland Mafia Boss Jack Licavoli and the lengths he went to free his cousin, Yonnie Licavoli, from a life sentence for murder in the Ohio Penitentiary.

Please note that while the first two stories in this series were free, the third part is for paid subscribers only. Subscriptions are $8/month, all of which goes to supporting the ability to continue this Substack by acquiring trial transcripts, court documents, and other pieces of evidence.

Here is the final part of this story.

https://open.substack.com/pub/timgill924/p/when-future-cleveland-mafia-boss-970?r=1ixz1x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

I've written a three-part Substack series on Cleveland Mafia Boss Jack Licavoli and the lengths he went to free his cousin, Yonnie Licavoli, from a life sentence for murder in the Ohio Penitentiary.

The story begins in Prohibition-era Toledo, where Yonnie built a bootlegging empire, sought to eliminate his rivals including Jack Kennedy (no relation to the future president), and was convicted in 1934 of masterminding Kennedy’s murder, among several others, despite likely never pulling the trigger himself. By 1971, Yonnie's case had become a national scandal, with Life magazine investigating Ohio Governor James Rhodes's mysterious commutation of his sentence, and reports of a $250,000 Free Yonnie fund circulating in the underworld.

What's never been reported before is the FBI's own paper trail on how the effort to free Yonnie actually worked, including a direct approach Jack Licavoli made to Jimmy Hoffa, asking him to trade the Teamsters' labor vote for clemency.

The Substack series is a companion to my forthcoming book, Unraveling the American Mafia: Angelo Lonardo, Carmen Zagaria, and the Beginning of the End in Cleveland (Bloomsbury, 2027). Before it arrives, I'll be publishing side stories from this world on my Substack. Some didn't make the book and others simply deserve more attention than the book allowed or was focused on. Subscribe to follow along. That way, the stories will come straight to your email inbox.

Please note that the first two stories in this series will be free, but the third will be for paid subscribers only. Subscriptions are $8/month, all of which goes to supporting the ability to continue this Substack by acquiring trial transcripts, court documents, and other pieces of evidence.

Here is the second part of this story.

https://open.substack.com/pub/timgill924/p/when-future-cleveland-mafia-boss-1c4?r=1ixz1x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

I've written a three-part Substack series on Cleveland Mafia Boss Jack Licavoli and the lengths he went to free his cousin, Yonnie Licavoli, from a life sentence for murder in the Ohio Penitentiary.

The story begins in Prohibition-era Toledo, where Yonnie built a bootlegging empire, sought to eliminate his rivals including Jack Kennedy (no relation to the future president), and was convicted in 1934 of masterminding Kennedy’s murder, among several others, despite likely never pulling the trigger himself. By 1971, Yonnie's case had become a national scandal, with Life magazine investigating Ohio Governor James Rhodes's mysterious commutation of his sentence, and reports of a $250,000 Free Yonnie fund circulating in the underworld.

What's never been reported before is the FBI's own paper trail on how the effort to free Yonnie actually worked, including a direct approach Jack Licavoli made to Jimmy Hoffa, asking him to trade the Teamsters' labor vote for clemency.

The Substack series is a companion to my forthcoming book, Unraveling the American Mafia: Angelo Lonardo, Carmen Zagaria, and the Beginning of the End in Cleveland (Bloomsbury, 2027). Before it arrives, I'll be publishing side stories from this world on my Substack. Some didn't make the book and others simply deserve more attention than the book allowed or was focused on. Subscribe to follow along. That way, the stories will come straight to your email inbox.

Please note that the first two stories in this series will be free, but the third will be for paid subscribers only. Subscriptions are $8/month, all of which goes to supporting the ability to continue this Substack by acquiring trial transcripts, court documents, and other pieces of evidence.

Here is the first part of this story.

https://open.substack.com/pub/timgill924/p/when-future-cleveland-mafia-boss?r=1ixz1x&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer

The final story in this three-part Substack series is here.

The story details how Robert Dumas, a Cleveland police official, who was once the city’s Assistant Safety Director, ended up working as an armed enforcer for Carmen Zagaria, the man who ran the city's Mafia-financed cocaine and drug trade through the late 1970s and into the 1980s.

The story begins in 1980 with Dumas as one of two men Zagaria turned to for a robbery of one of his own drug runners at a hotel on West 150th in the West Park neighborhood of Cleveland. The other man involved with the robbery was Fritz Graewe, another known accomplice of the drug ring and brother of Hans Graewe.

The relationship between Dumas and Zagaria deepened when Dumas brokered Zagaria's introduction to Dr. Lambert DePompei, a renowned physician who also turned to corruption to enrich himself. Dr. DePompei served as the ring's inside doctor and built an insurance fraud scheme out of staged accidents.

The Substack series is a companion to my forthcoming book, Unraveling the American Mafia: Angelo Lonardo, Carmen Zagaria, and the Beginning of the End in Cleveland (Bloomsbury, 2027). Before it arrives, I'll be publishing side stories from this world on my Substack. Some didn't make the book and others simply deserve more attention than the book allowed or was focused on. Subscribe to follow along. That way, the stories will come straight to your email inbox. I'll periodically post here though.

Please note that while the first two stories in this series were free, the final story is for paid subscribers only. However, you can redeem a free seven-day trial to finish the story. Subscriptions are $8/month, all of which goes to supporting the ability to continue this Substack by acquiring trial transcripts, court documents, and other pieces of evidence.

Here is the final part of this story.

https://open.substack.com/pub/timgill924/p/how-a-cleveland-cop-worked-for-the-ab4?r=1ixz1x&utm\_medium=ios

I've written a three-part Substack series on how a Cleveland police official, who was once the city’s Assistant Safety Director, ended up working as an armed enforcer for Carmen Zagaria, the man who ran the city's Mafia-financed cocaine and drug trade through the late 1970s and into the 1980s.

The story begins in 1980 with Robert Dumas as one of two men Zagaria turned to for a robbery of one of his own drug runners at a hotel on West 150th in the West Park neighborhood of Cleveland. The other man involved with the robbery was Fritz Graewe, another known accomplice of the drug ring and brother of Hans Graewe.

The relationship between Dumas and Zagaria deepened when Dumas brokered Zagaria's introduction to Dr. Lambert DePompei, a renowned physician who also turned to corruption to enrich himself. Dr. DePompei served as the ring's inside doctor and built an insurance fraud scheme out of staged accidents.

The Substack series is a companion to my forthcoming book, Unraveling the American Mafia: Angelo Lonardo, Carmen Zagaria, and the Beginning of the End in Cleveland (Bloomsbury, 2027). Before it arrives, I'll be publishing side stories from this world on my Substack. Some didn't make the book and others simply deserve more attention than the book allowed or was focused on. Subscribe to follow along. That way, the stories will come straight to your email inbox. I'll periodically post here though.

Here is the second part of this story.

https://substack.com/home/post/p-207299885

I've written a three-part Substack series on how a Cleveland police official, who was once the city’s Assistant Safety Director, ended up working as an armed enforcer for Carmen Zagaria, the man who ran the city's Mafia-financed cocaine and drug trade through the late 1970s and into the 1980s.

The story begins in 1980 with Robert Dumas as one of two men Zagaria turned to for a robbery of one of his own drug runners at a hotel on West 150th in the West Park neighborhood of Cleveland. The other man involved with the robbery was Fritz Graewe, another known accomplice of the drug ring and brother of Hans Graewe.

The relationship between Dumas and Zagaria deepened when Dumas brokered Zagaria's introduction to Dr. Lambert DePompei, a renowned physician who also turned to corruption to enrich himself. Dr. DePompei (the subject of the next three-part Substack) served as the ring's inside doctor and built an insurance fraud scheme out of staged accidents.

The Substack series is a companion to my forthcoming book, Unraveling the American Mafia: Angelo Lonardo, Carmen Zagaria, and the Beginning of the End in Cleveland (Bloomsbury, 2027). Before it arrives, I'll be publishing side stories from this world on my Substack. Some didn't make the book and others simply deserve more attention than the book allowed or was focused on. Subscribe to follow along. That way, the stories will come straight to your email inbox. I'll periodically post here though.

Please note that the first two stories in this series will be free, but the third will be for paid subscribers only. Subscriptions are $8/month, all of which goes to supporting the ability to continue this Substack by acquiring trial transcripts, court documents, and other pieces of evidence.

Here is the first part of this story.

https://open.substack.com/pub/timgill924/p/how-a-cleveland-cop-worked-for-the?r=1ixz1x&utm\_medium=ios

Here is the third and final part of the series on Cleveland Mafia capo Tommy Sinito and attorney Harvey Rieger, a companion to my forthcoming book, Unraveling the American Mafia: Angelo Lonardo, Carmen Zagaria, and the Beginning of the End in Cleveland (Bloomsbury, 2027).

Before the book arrives, I'll keep publishing side stories from this world, some that didn't make the book and others that deserved more room than it could give them. Subscribe to have them come straight to your inbox.

Next week, I will begin a three-part series on Robert Dumas, once Cleveland police detective and thereafter Assistant Safety Director for the City of Cleveland under Mayor Ralph Perk. Later, he became an accomplice of Carmen Zagaria and a Mafia associate, failing into corruption and devious schemes around Cleveland.

Most of that story will likely be open to the public and all free subscribers, but soon some stories will be for paid subscribers only. Paid subscriptions are only $8/month. Consider subscribing, so that I can continue to finance the collection of trial transcripts and other documents to provide the fullest stories possible for you.

Have an excellent week and take care.

https://open.substack.com/pub/timgill924/p/he-knows-too-much-tommy-sinito-harvey-065?r=1ixz1x&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer

I've written a three-part Substack series on the relationship between Cleveland Mafia capo Tommy Sinito and attorney Harvey Rieger. It started when a tuxedo shop operator who owed money to both of them were introduced to one another in the Commodore Tuxedo in Ohio City in 1974. The relationship deepened when Angelo Lonardo walked into a Beachwood bank branch carrying $50,000 in a grocery bag destined for Rieger and ended with a murder contract.
 
The Substack series is a companion to my forthcoming book, Unraveling the American Mafia: Angelo Lonardo, Carmen Zagaria, and the Beginning of the End in Cleveland (Bloomsbury, 2027). Before it arrives, I'll be publishing side stories from this world on my Substack. Some didn't make the book and others simply deserve more attention than the book allowed or was focused on. Subscribe to follow along. That way, the stories will come straight to your email inbox. I’ll periodically post here though.
 
Here is the second of three posts regarding this story.
 
https://timgill924.substack.com/p/he-knows-too-much-tommy-sinito-harvey-529

I've written a three-part Substack series on the relationship between Cleveland Mafia capo Tommy Sinito and attorney Harvey Rieger. It started when a tuxedo shop operator who owed money to both of them were introduced to one another in the Commodore Tuxedo in Ohio City in 1974. The relationship deepened when Angelo Lonardo walked into a Beachwood bank branch carrying $50,000 in a grocery bag destined for Rieger and ended with a murder contract.

The Substack series is a companion to my forthcoming book, Unraveling the American Mafia: Angelo Lonardo, Carmen Zagaria, and the Beginning of the End in Cleveland (Bloomsbury, 2027). Before it arrives, I'll be publishing side stories from this world on my Substack. Some didn't make the book and others simply deserve more attention than the book allowed or was focused on. Subscribe to follow along. That way, the stories will come straight to your email inbox. I’ll periodically post here though.

Here is the first of three posts regarding this story.

https://open.substack.com/pub/timgill924/p/he-knows-too-much-tommy-sinito-harvey

Tommy Sinito, 1975, amid the Model Cities shooting investigation

Model Cities Director Robert Doggett was shot by a man named Jerald Johnson who had allegedly rented a car from Sinito's rental car agency and then drove to Cincinnati. Johnson was found shot dead in the Ohio River just days after renting the vehicle.

Sinito later became a Cleveland Mafia capo. He died in prison in 1997.

Some of you may be interested in this.

Just got the cover.

Unraveling the American Mafia: Angelo Lonardo, Carmen Zagaria, and the Beginning of the End in Cleveland

Coming June 2027, with Bloomsbury

It is mostly set in Cleveland, but the effects ricochet from New York to Las Vegas to Washington DC.

Today marks 50 years since long-reigning Cleveland Mafia Boss John Scalish passed, setting off a power vacuum in Cleveland that Danny Greene and the Celtic Club sought to seize upon. Here are a few photos of Scalish and stories from the paper, in addition to his WWII card. Interesting stuff.