#15: History of Colorado Mob (Part 1): The Carlino Brothers, the Dannas, and Giuseppe "Joe" Roma

In the second episode of this multi-part series, we cover Angelo Bruno, Boss of the Philadelphia Mafia during the "Golden Age" of the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra from the years 1960-1969. We recap Bruno's ascension to Boss of the Philly Mob during 1959 when a dispute between himself and Acting Boss Antonio "Mr. Mig" Pollina, along with support from Bruno's good friend Carlo Gambino, resulting in Bruno taking the top chair in the Philadelphia underworld and joining The Commission as the first boss from Philadelphia to do so. From there, we also recap Bruno's underworld dealings leading up to his time as boss and his involvement as the top numbers man in Philadelphia during the 1950's and 1960's, as well as his illegitimate and legitimate business interests in several vending companies, the Maggio Cheese Company, and even companies down in Florida as well as an amusement park in the Dominican Republic. In the early 1960's, we cover the hierarchy of the family as well as a 1962 dispute between Bruno and his Underboss, Ignazio Denaro, which led to a major Commission beef. We also cover various arrests throughout the 1960's, some of which Bruno handled with great ease, and an extortion case from 1963 that caused Bruno to go on the lam to Italy and landed his trusted advisor Phil Testa in jail for over a year in the early 1960's. Once Bruno deals with the 1963 extortion case, which was taking place at the same time as the infamous Valachi Hearings, we walk you through the key members of the Philadelphia underworld and the various goings-on in the mid-to-late 1960's, including the death of Felix "Skinny Razor" DeTullio and the rise in Atlantic City of Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo. Bruno closes out the 1960's hitting his stride in the Philly underworld, batting away cases with ease as the Bruno Crime Family significantly expands it's influence and wealth. By the end of the decade, Angel Bruno is ranked as one of the Top 6 Costa Nostra bosses nationally by a Justice Department report. We cover all of this, with a lot of details and amazing stories in between. Watch Part One: https://youtu.be/7CpCcc2e_Ls

16 Sep 20232h 27min

We cover instances of FBI wiretaps picking up mobster conversations related to both the FBI in the early 1960's and the Kennedy brothers pre-and-post JFK's assassination. We share and help you interpret excerpts from the 1978-1979 Senate report entitled, "House Select Committee on Assassinations: Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy" which breaks down possible mob-involvement in the 1963 assassination of the 35th President John F. Kennedy, as well as other potential players and scenarios. We briefly cover the mob's involvement in the election of the 35th president, and discuss his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, who was named Attorney General in the early 1960's, and who'd launched an all-out war on the American Mafia, spear-headed by advancements within the FBI focused on the outing Cosa Nostra in this country. Robert F. Kennedy's efforts led to significant increases in legal action against the Mafia across the United States, and put immense pressure on many of the mob's key players. We briefly touch on the findings of the 1964 Warren Commission, and then dive into the wiretaps, first sharing more well-known stories, but then sharing lesser-known conversations. Mobsters mentioned in this episode include: Carlos Marcello Santo Trafficante, Jr. Sam Giancana Charles "Chuckie" English Tony Accardo Jackie Cerone Dominic "Butch" Blasi Stefano Magaddino Peter Magaddino Antonio Magaddino Sam Rangatore Fred Randaccio Anthony DeStafano Carlo Gambino Carmine Lombardozzi Mike Scandifia Peter "Petey Pumps" Ferrara Michelino "Big Mike" Clemente Angelo Bruno Charles "Pinky" Costello Salvatore Maggio Peter Maggio Mario Maggio Willie Weisburg Morris Schlitten Joe Magliocco Sal Profaci Joe Biondo Joseph Riccobono Joseph Valachi Russell Bufalino Others mentioned: Ed Becker Frank Ragano James Riddle Hoffa Jack Ruby Lee Harvey Oswald Frank Sinatra Michael Fiorito John D'Arco Anthony DeTolve Madeline Costello Selwyn Raab Ben Golub Harry Zimand So it’s clear that they, the Mafia, had the means and the motive to commit the crime. But did they actually play a part in it? My personal opinion is that maybe they were the primary executioners, but we’d be naïve to believe that they played no part at all. That being said, we may never actually know the truth until the government releases every single record, many of which are still classified to this day, about the plot. Until then, I’ll let you decide.

2 Aug 20231h 6min

In today’s episode, we’ve recorded an amazing interview with Jeff Canarsie, the host of Mob Talk Radio. I’m really excited and honestly very appreciative that this guest was able to take time out of their busy life to sit and talk with me for a few hours to talk about his life, his show, and much more. In the interview, we discuss a range of topics including: Jeff's early life growing up in Providence, Rhode Island Jeff's mother and father, as well as his "extended" family What life was like growing up within a mob-connected family Stories about Jeff's grandfather including the infamous beach story, the story of his mom borrowing his grandfather's car, and much more When he realized his family was a part of the mob in Providence His cousin, Joseph "Joe" Badway, who was an alleged associate of the Patriarca family What is was like growing up Providence during the turbulent 1980's and early 1990's How the darker side of the mob lifestyle affected his family We also cover: Jeff's initial entry into crime and how things escalated for him When Jeff was arrested, informed on by several of his counterparts, and nearly sent to a long prison stretch The background of Jeff's personal stance on government informants (aka "rats") Turning his life around and starting Mob Talk Radio, which is now a decade old Turning Mob Talk Radio into a success and a viable business -How Jeff developed relationships with alleged wiseguys in Philadelphia and New York How he became a member of several social clubs What's coming next for Jeff and the future of Mob Talk Radio

17 Juli 20232h 17min

In this episode, we cover the Cerrito Crime Family of the American Cosa Nostra who operated in and around San Jose, California, and who were a significant entity controlling organized crime in the San Jose area for many decades beginning around the 1940’s and were in existence until at least the 1990’s or early 2000’s. My research will show that this particular LCN family was likely the most risk-averse and least-aggressive family of all 20+ families across the country during the Mafia's hey-dey, but I'll let you decide. We discuss: Their official founding in the 1940's The first alleged Boss, Onofrio Sciortino The ascension of the family's namesake, Joseph X. Cerrito Cerrito's history as a used car salesman Cerrito's presence in 1957 at Apalachin Cerrito's ascension to Boss in 1959 Drama within the Cerrito family in the 1960's A failed plot to murder a Nevada casino operator The lack of respect nationally The LIFE Magazine lawsuit and national implications Joe Cerrito's waning years and death in 1978 Included prominently in this article are the family's long-time Underboss, Emanuel “Manny” Figlia, Angelo Marino, Alex Camarata, Pete Misuraca, as well as many other colorful characters and cameos from important Cosa Nostra figures throughout the country. Read more: https://membersonlypodcast.com/cerrito-crime-family-part-one/

5 Juli 20231h 49min

In this video, we cover Angelo Bruno, the man known as the "Docile Don" and/or "Gentle Don" who ruled over the Philadelphia underworld as the city's Cosa Nostra don from around 1959 until his murder in 1980. Bruno presided over one of the most, relatively speaking, peaceful eras of the Philly mafia. In this video, we cover: Bruno's birth in Villalba, Sicily (and his original surname of Annaloro) The Bruno's immigration to the United States His early family life and eventual move to Philadelphia Bruno's early connections to the mob and how he eventually got into the life How a young Angelo began to rise as a racketeer and businessman The Bruno and Carlo Gambino connection Bruno's involvement in prohibition, illegal alcohol sales, numbers, and more Bruno's involvement in several relatively unknown homicides The early history of the Philadelphia Mafia family Bruno's making in the 1950's and ascension to capo of Marco Reginelli's crew in the mid-1950's Bruno's involvement in legitimate businesses Bruno's involvement in Cuban casinos Bruno's ultimate dispute with Antonio "Mr. Mig" Pollina, which led to his being crowned Boss of the family in 1959 or 1960 Read more: https://membersonlypodcast.com/angelo-bruno-the-docile-don-part-one/

25 Maj 20231h 49min

In today's episode, I do my first-ever interview with author Sam Carlino, who is is in fact the Grandson of the infamous Colorado gangster Pete Carlino, dubbed in the late 1920's as the "The Al Capone of Southern Colorado" by the local media. The Carlino brothers (Pete and Sam) established a bootlegging empire beginning around 1916 until 1931 when they were murdered by rivals. We discuss the following: Introduction to who Sam is and his family background Background on Sam's grandfather Pete and great Uncle's Sam and Carlo How the Carlino's got started in bootlegging The war with the Danna family (and what the feud going back to Sicily was really about) The Carlino's relationship with Joe Roma relationship The 1931 Bootlegger's Convention in Denver, Colorado The death of his Great Uncle Sam Carlino The death of Pete Carlino The death of Joe Roma and who he believes killed Roma The connections of Pete Carlino's death with Salvatore Maranzano's murder in New York City (and the legend of the Night of the Sicilian Vespers) How the death of Sam's grandfather and great uncle affected his family How he found out he was related to the "mob" Sam's upbringing and what led him to write his book, 'Colorado's Carlino Brothers: A Bootlegging Empire' Link to buy book: https://carlinobrothers.com/index.php/product/colorados-carlino-brothers-a-bootlegging-empire/ Read more: https://membersonlypodcast.com/interview-sam-carlino-grandson-of-pete-carlino/

22 Mars 20231h 9min

We cover the era of the Smaldone brothers including Clyde Smaldone, Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone, and Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone.  We dive into the history behind this family which ran most of the rackets in and around Denver, Colorado throughout the 1930’s through the 1980’s.  We’re also going to touch on their connection to the Mafia in Pueblo, Colorado, and discuss some of the players in that family as well. Topics that we dive into: The Smaldones involvement in the Joe Roma murder The family background of the Smaldone family How the Smaldones operated during Prohibition The Smaldones and bootlegging in Denver and Pueblo The background of Clyde and Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone The Smaldone's relationship with Al Capone The Smaldones, Clyde and Eugune first prison sentence in 1933 The Smaldone's involvment in the attempted assassination of Leo Barnes The Smaldone's second prison sentence from the late 30's to early 1940's How the Smaldone brothers built their gambling empire The Smaldone involvement in several underworld murders The Smaldone's 1953 prison sentence of 60 years The rise of Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone and Paulie Villano The increased law enforcement scrutiny from the 1960's through the 1980s The Smaldone's final prison sentences The Pueblo, Colorado Mafia (Calogero "Charley" Blanda, Vincenzo "Black Jim" Coletti, Joseph "Scotty" Spinuzzi) Mentioned in this episode: Clyde "Flip Flop" Smaldone, Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone, Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone, Paul "Fat Paulie" Villano, Raffaele "Ralph" Smaldone, Eugene "Young Gene" Smaldone, Giuseppe "Joe" Roma, Paul Enrichi, Frank "Blackie" Mazza, John "Porky" Routta, Joe "The Ram" Salardino, Calogero "Charles" Blanda, Vincenzo "Black Jim" Coletti, Joseph "Scotty" Spinuzzi, Leo Barnes, Mike "Fats" Falbo, Harold "Murph" Cohen, Robin "Walkie Talkie" Roberts, Sam Shanks, Pauline Smaldone, John "Skip" LaGuardia, Ralph Pizzalato If you haven't watcehed to Part one, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72WhjfPxUq8 Also, here are the links to buy the books I cited within the episode...   'Smaldone: The Untold Story of An American Crime Family' by Dick Kreck: https://www.amazon.com/Smaldone-Untold-Story-American-Family/dp/1555917062  'Colorado's Carlino Brothers: A Bootlegging Empire' by Sam Carlino: https://www.amazon.com/Colorados-Carlino-Brothers-Bootlegging-Empire/dp/1467143278/ Blog Post: https://membersonlypodcast.com/colorado-mob-history-part-two/

9 Mars 20232h 7min