John T. Scalish
John T. Scalish (September 18, 1912 – May 26, 1976), also known as "John Scalise", was an Ohio mobster who became the boss of the
Biography
Born in 1912, Scalish was the brother-in-law of Cleveland crime family boss Angelo Lonardo and Cleveland mob associate Milton Rockman.
In 1944, Scalish succeeded
Scalish was involved in
Dalitz also led the development of other casinos, a major hospital, and other Las Vegas projects, many of which were financed by the mob-controlled Teamsters union. Scalish was a very powerful and respected mob boss and commanded underlings who controlled gambling, loansharking, and large-scale union corruption. His rap sheet dated back to 1930 and included arrests for burglary and robbery.
Scalish was also a powerful labor racketeer in Cleveland. During Scalish's reign as boss, Cleveland mobsters had much control over the Teamsters Union. By the 1950s, the Cleveland Mob reached its peak, with 60 made members, and many more associates, according to the FBI. By the 1970s, however, the family's membership began to decrease, because Scalish didn't induct many new members.[2]
Scalish brought the Cleveland crime family a lengthy period of stability and maintained violence at a minimum, concentrating more on expanding the family's influence and fortunes than gaining a reputation for fear and unnecessary violence. He forged ties between Italian and Jewish underworld forces during his reign to make substantial amounts of illicit money.[3]
He also knew many prominent local politicians and judges on a first-name basis, which helped the crime family to stay under the radar for many years. Scalish once sat in on
On May 26, 1976, John Scalish died during heart surgery at Lakeside Hospital in Cleveland.[5] He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Cleveland.[6]
A full-scale gang war for control of the Cleveland rackets broke out after his death between James T. Licavoli, Scalish's successor, and Irish mob boss Danny Greene.[3]
References
- ^ The Mafia at Apalachin, Michael Newton
- ^ a b [z&sig=08lRZ5V9JVzdla88yamNdkeg8JY&hl=it&sa=X&ei=vVlqU9mLA6yv7Abel4GwBA&ved=0CG0Q6AEwDDgK#v=onepage&q=john%20scalish%20leadership&f=false The Rise of the Mafia], Martin Short
- ^ a b c [1], Cleveland Magazine, August 1978
- ^ F.B.I. Official Cites Depletion Of Crime Leaders in Cleveland, New York Times, January 13, 1985
- ^ "John T. Scalish Dies, Was Crime Figure Here". The Plain Dealer. May 27, 1976. p. C2.
- ^ "Death Notices". The Plain Dealer. May 27, 1976. p. C2.
- Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8160-5694-1
"The Life and Hard Times of the Cleveland Mafia," Cleveland Magazine, August 1, 1978.
Further reading
- Davis, John H. Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. ISBN 978-0-06-016357-0
- Messick, Hank. Lansky. London: Robert Hale & Company, 1973. ISBN 978-0-7091-3966-9
- Moldea, Dan E. The Hoffa Wars. New York: Charter Books, 1978. ISBN 978-0-441-34010-1
- Neff, James. Mobbed Up: Jackie Presser's High-Wire Life in the Teamsters, the Mafia, and the FBI. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-87113-344-1
- Turner, William W. Hoover's FBI. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 1993. ISBN 978-1-56025-063-0
External links
- New York Times: F.B.I. Official Cites Depletion Of Crime Leaders in Cleveland
- The American Mafia: Crime Bosses of Cleveland
