Frank Milano (mobster)
Frank Milano | |
---|---|
Born | Ciccio Milano February 27, 1891 |
Died | September 15, 1970 | (aged 79)
Nationality | Italian |
Citizenship | American |
Occupation(s) | Real estate owner, developer, crime boss |
Predecessor | Joseph Porrello |
Successor | Alfred Polizzi |
Spouse | Marie Milano |
Relatives | Anthony Milano |
Allegiance | Cleveland crime family |
Frank Milano (born Ciccio Milano; Italian pronunciation:
Early life
Ciccio Milano[1][2] was born on February 27, 1891, in the village of San Roberto in the Province of Reggio Calabria in Italy to Pietro and Grazia (née Mazza) Milano.[3] He had an older brother, Antonio.[4] He emigrated from Italy to the United States in 1907, and was arrested on counterfeiting charges in 1912. He was not convicted.[5]
Cleveland crime family
Mayfield Road Mob and rise to power
Milano moved to Cleveland in 1913.[5] He became involved in criminal activities immediately after arriving in the city,[3] joining[6] the newly formed Mayfield Road Mob.[7] He and his brother Anthony quickly rose to positions of importance in the gang,[5] and Frank became involved in counterfeiting, murder, and various liquor law violations.[3]
By the early 1920s, the
Porrello began reasserting his power, and demanded that Milano turn over cash owed to him as well as make a large monetary payment as a sign of his loyalty. Milano agreed to do so. On July 5, 1930, Porello and his bodyguard, Sam Tilocco, went to Milano's restaurant, the Venetian, at 12601 Mayfield Road in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood.[10] The two sat at a table with Milano[11] and Milano associates John Angersola, Charles Colletti, and Chuck Polizzi.[12] Within minutes, Porrello was dead. Tilocco crawled outside, and died on the sidewalk.[11]
A series of revenge killings left Milano's Mayfield Road Mob in control of the Cleveland crime family.[8]
Activities as head of the Cleveland crime family
He was a close associate of Cleveland crime family members
With the start of Prohibition in 1920, Milano got involved in the distribution and sale of illegal alcoholic beverages. He and fellow mobster Louis Cohen ran a speakeasy at 7310 Lexington Avenue in Cleveland. After police closed it down in 1926, Milano and Cohen opened a restaurant on Hough Avenue.[16]
In 1929, Milano met
In April 1931,
Frank Milano and Moe Dalitz became partners in the Molaska Corporation, which manufactured dehydrated molasses for use in alcohol distillation. Other criminal investors in the Molaska Corporation included Lansky, Luciano, and Frank Costello (Luciano's lieutenant). Dehydrated molasses was sold to alcohol manufacturers nationwide,[21] allowing Milano to accumulate a large fortune during Prohibition.[3] As Prohibition came to a close, Dalitz advised Milano to expand into new criminal activities. Beginning in 1930, Dalitz and Milano joined with Cleveland mobster Thomas J. McGinty to open casinos (of which the Thomas Club and Harvard Club were two) and lease illegal slot machines to local businesses.[17]
According to Angelo Lonardo, he sought permission from Milano to kill Giuseppe "Dr. Joe" Romano whom Lonardo believed to be involved in the murder of his father, Joseph "Big Joe" Lonardo. Milano approved the assassination, which occurred on June 10, 1936.[22][23] Lonardo claims that Milano later denied authorizing the killing.[24]
While a member of the Cleveland crime family, he lived in Akron, Ohio, and made extensive real estate purchases there.[3]
Flight to Mexico
On January 30, 1935, Milano fled to Mexico[25] to avoid prosecution for income tax evasion.[11][26] He took up residence in Vera Cruz.[27] As he could not run the Cleveland crime family from across the border, he stepped down as boss and was succeeded by Alfred Polizzi. The Mexican government granted Milano a permanent visa on April 13, 1942.[25]
While living in Mexico, Milano engaged in a wide range of criminal activities. According to Alvin G. Sutton, Cleveland's top law enforcement officer, Milano smuggled individuals who had been deported from the U.S. back over the American border.[26]
When
Milano also purchased a good deal of real estate in Mexico.[3] He owned a coffee plantation[26] and extensive timberlands.[27]
Los Angeles criminal activities
Milano relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he associated with Mickey Cohen and Lucky Luciano.[3] According to nightclub owner and former police officer Barney Ruditsky, Milano helped protect Cohen from being murdered by other crime families.[32] According to the Los Angeles Police Department, he owned a wire service that reported the results of horse racing.[33] Using his wealth, Milano financed a wide range of illegal activities, although poor health kept him from any active participation in organized crime. He continued to purchase real estate in and around Los Angeles, as well as in Miami, Florida[3] (where Alfred Polizzi had retired in 1948).[30] He was considered one of the "top echelon" figures in organized crime nationwide.[3]
Death
Milano died in Los Angeles on September 15, 1970, of natural causes.[34] He was buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
Relatives
Frank Milano's wife, Marie, was at one time a close friend of Mickey Cohen's.[32]
Frank Milano's brother, Antonio (also known as Anthony Milano, Anthony Milana, and Tony Milano), was born in 1888.[3] From 1930 to 1976, he was underboss of the Cleveland crime family. Anthony Milano's sons, Frank Angelo Milano (also known as John J. Gallo), John J. Milano, and Peter John Milano, were also suspected members of organized crime families in Los Angeles.[35]
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ Cockayne 2016, p. 123.
- ^ Messick 1972, p. 76.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bureau of Narcotics 2007, p. 48.
- ^ Bureau of Narcotics 2007, pp. 47, 48.
- ^ a b c d Newton 2007, p. 38.
- ^ Capeci 2004, p. 100.
- ^ a b c Griffin & DeNevi 2002, p. 166.
- ^ a b Roth 2017, p. 134.
- ^ "Grill Widow in Rum Killing". The Plain Dealer. June 12, 1929. pp. 1, 4.
- ^ a b Schwarz 2010, p. 16.
- ^ a b c Schwarz 2010, p. 17.
- ^ Newton 2007, p. 52.
- ^ Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce 1951a, p. 749.
- ^ Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce 1950, pp. 294, 307.
- ^ Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field 1959, p. 25.
- ^ Messick 1967, p. 86.
- ^ a b Burbank 2006, p. 70.
- ^ Newton 2007, pp. 11–20, 38.
- ^ Newton 2007, pp. 52–53.
- ^ Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations 1988, p. 300.
- ^ Burbank 2006, p. 24.
- ^ Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations 1988, pp. 87, 98.
- ^ "Probe Mystery in Doctor's Murder". The Plain Dealer. June 11, 1936. p. 19.
- ^ Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations 1988, pp. 98–99.
- ^ a b Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations 1988, p. 302.
- ^ a b c Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce 1950, p. 41.
- ^ a b Messick 1967, p. 158.
- ^ "Jail 10 in Drive on Racketeers". The Plain Dealer. August 23, 1930. p. 5.
- ^ Newton 2007, pp. 135.
- ^ a b Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations 1988, p. 87.
- ^ Committee on the Judiciary 1967, pp. 993, 996.
- ^ a b Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce 1951b, p. 193.
- ^ Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations 1961, p. 588.
- ^ Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations 1988, p. 324.
- ^ Bureau of Narcotics 2007, pp. 49–51.
Bibliography
- Burbank, Jeff (2006). Las Vegas Babylon: True Tales of Glitter, Glamour, and Greed. London: Robson Books. ISBN 9781861059666.
- Bureau of Narcotics (2007). Mafia: The Government's Secret File on Organized Crime. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780061363856.
- Capeci, Jerry (2004). The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books. ISBN 9781592573059.
- Cockayne, James (2016). Hidden Power: The Strategic Logic of Organized Crime. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190627331.
- Committee on the Judiciary (1967). Controlling Crime Through More Effective Law Enforcement. United States Senate. 90th Cong., 1st sess. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. .
- Griffin, Joe; DeNevi, Don (2002). Mob Nemesis: How the FBI Crippled Organized Crime. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. ISBN 9781573929196.
- Messick, Hank (1967). The Silent Syndicate. New York: Macmillan.
- Messick, Hank (1972). John Edgar Hoover: An Inquiry Into the Life and Times of John Edgar Hoover, and His Relationship to the Continuing Partnership of Crime, Business, and Politics. New York: McKay.
- Newton, Michael (2007). Mr. Mob: The Life and Crimes of Moe Dalitz. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. ISBN 9780786435166.
- Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (1961). Gambling and Organized Crime. Part 1. Committee on Government Operations. United States Senate. 87th Cong., 1st sess. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. .
- Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (1988). Organized Crime 25 Years After Valachi: Hearings Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate. S. Hrg. 100-906. 100th Cong., 2d sess. S. HRG. ;100-906. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. .
- Roth, Mitchel P. (2017). Global Organized Crime: A 21st Century Approach. New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781138639478.
- Schwarz, Ted (2010). Shocking Stories of the Cleveland Mob. Charleston, S.C.: History Press. ISBN 9781596299184.
- Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field (1959). Second Interim Report of the Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field. Sen. Rept. No. 621. United States Senate. 86th Cong., 1st sess. United States. 86th Cong., 1st sess. Senate. Reportno. 621, pt. 1-2. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. .
- Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce (1950). Investigation of Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce. Part 6. United States Senate. 81st Cong., 1st sess. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. .
- Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce (1951). Investigation of Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce. Part 7. United States Senate. 81st Cong., 1st sess. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. .
- Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce (1951). Investigation of Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce. Part 10. United States Senate. 81st Cong., 1st sess. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. .