Cleveland crime family
The Cleveland crime family, also known as the Scalish crime family or the Cleveland Mafia, is an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Cleveland, Ohio and throughout the Greater Cleveland area. The organization formed during the 1900s, as leadership turned over frequently due to a series of power grabs and assassinations. In 1930, Frank Milano became boss and was able to bring some stability to the family. Under the control of the family's longest-serving boss, John T. Scalish, who led the organization from 1945 until 1976, the Cleveland Mafia exerted influence over the Teamsters union, profiting from labor racketeering and the skimming of revenue from Las Vegas casinos.
| Founded | c. 1920 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Joseph "Big Joe" Lonardo |
| Founding location | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Years active | c. 1920–present |
| Territory | Primarily Greater Cleveland, with additional territory throughout Ohio, Northern Kentucky, Western Pennsylvania and Western New York, as well as South Florida and Las Vegas |
| Ethnicity | Italians as "made men" and other ethnicities as associates |
| Membership (est.) | 60 made members (1950s) |
| Activities | Racketeering, murder, bombing, drug trafficking, skimming, labor racketeering, extortion, prostitution, illegal gambling, construction, garbage collection, loansharking, bookmaking, bribery, assault |
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Following Scalish's death, a violent gang war erupted in the streets of Cleveland during the late 1970s after Irish mobster Danny Greene attempted to take over criminal rackets in the city. The war drew significant law enforcement attention reducing membership and influence of the Cleveland family. The crime family nearly ceased to exist in the 1990s, after many high-ranking members were imprisoned. During the early 2000s, law enforcement agencies believed the Cleveland family was a smaller group but was attempting to rebuild itself.