John LaRocca
John LaRocca | |
|---|---|
 The Pittsburgh Press, January 1, 1953 | |
| Born | May 1, 1901 |
| Died | December 3, 1984 (aged 82) |
John Sebastian LaRocca (May 1, 1901 – December 3, 1984) was the Sicilian-born American boss of the Pittsburgh crime family from the 1950s until his death in 1984.
Born in
coal mines
. In 1922, at age 20, he was arrested for assaulting a young woman and sentenced to three years in state prison.
In 1956, LaRocca succeeded longtime crime boss Frank Amato as head of criminal operations in Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania. LaRocca and two of his
Apalachin Meeting
in 1957.
LaRocca was considered by many to be the most successful of all Pittsburgh godfathers. He worked closely with several bosses including
Havana, Cuba
.
LaRocca remained boss until his death from natural causes on December 3, 1984, at age 82.
Further reading
- Moldea, Dan E. The Hoffa Wars. New York: Charter Books, 1978. ISBN 0-441-34010-5
- Scott, Peter Dale. Deep Politics and the Death of JFK. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. ISBN 0-520-08410-1
- Pennsylvania Crime Commission. St. Davids, Pennsylvania: DIANE Publishing, 1984. ISBN 0-8182-0000-6
References
- Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
External links
- The American "Mafia" - Pittsburgh Bosses
- Mafia has long history here, growing from bootlegging days by Torsten Ove
- New York Times: Figure in Pennsylvania Crime Dies at 82 in His Bed at Home
- The Mafia Made Easy Peter J. Devico (June 5, 2007)
