What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

Post a reply

Confirmation code
Enter the code exactly as it appears. All letters are case insensitive.

BBCode is OFF
Smilies are OFF

Topic review
   

Expand view Topic review: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by B. » Thu Aug 24, 2023 8:12 pm

There was a Midwest source who said Bazzano expected to be killed at the meeting and at one point was giving a speech and said something to the effect of "What are you waiting for, aren't you going to kill me?" and that the 32 men in attendance then took turns stabbing him with icepicks. The informant had some things mixed up, though, like he thought Joe Masseria was involved in the meeting.

I also question whether all of these high-ranking members directly participated in the murder itself. More likely to me is it was carried out by some of the rank-and-file members who were arrested like Ciro Gallo, John Oddo, and Tony Bonasera. Curious though whether all of the attendees witnessed the murder or if he was taken somewhere else where the murder took place. If all of the leaders in attendance did participate or personally witness the murder it's pretty crazy.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by PolackTony » Thu Aug 24, 2023 1:02 pm

Good discussion. As with many of these rulings, there is a “first order” justification and then one or more “second order” reasons or causes. As Rick pointed out, the background context or “second order” reasons very likely had to do with the ties between Ciccio Milano and the Lonardos, and the politics surrounding the resolution of the Lonardo-Porello conflict. The “first order” reason was what Lonardo reported as the justification the Commission allegedly cited for sparing his life. From his 1988 Congressional testimony:
Angelo Lonardo wrote: As a result of the Romano murder, Demarco was condemned to death by the Commission for killing a boss without okaying it with the Commission. I was excused for my part in the murder, since I was not an LCN member and did not know the rules.
There was a background context to why Lonardo got spared, but as is often the case a more immediate, “legalistic” justification was cited (as is the case for inverse rulings, where guys get clipped for some specific immediate offense, but the murder often has roots in deeper issues). As a “first order” justification, Lonardo wasn’t yet a member so it could be ruled that it wasn’t fair to hold him to the same standards as a member. Like a child, he wasn’t yet a “man” and thus had neither the full rights nor obligations conferred upon a “man”. Mafia leaders are, of course, masters at leveraging the legalistic reasoning of their system in their own interest and to advance their own objectives.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by johnny_scootch » Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:52 am

Antiliar wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:09 am
johnny_scootch wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 5:44 am
Stroccos wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 11:49 pmAngelo Lonardo was given a pass because he wasn't made.
This explanation never made sense to me. He gets a pass for not being made? Usually that would be the first guy to go. I’m inclined to believe there was more to it than that.
My guess on the "more to it than that" part is that the then-current administration led by Frank Milano had been loyal to Lonardo's father. After all, the Porrellos, who were reportedly part of the plot to kill Joseph Lonardo, were nearly completely wiped out allegedly by Milano.
I had completely forgetten the politics surrounding all that, it's been years since I read the Sugar Wars. Todaro gets killed but the Porrellos take over for a while before Milano does right? It should have been them who killed Angelo Lonardo. Maybe he hid out for a while and eventually Milano gave him a pass?

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by Antiliar » Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:09 am

johnny_scootch wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 5:44 am
Stroccos wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 11:49 pmAngelo Lonardo was given a pass because he wasn't made.
This explanation never made sense to me. He gets a pass for not being made? Usually that would be the first guy to go. I’m inclined to believe there was more to it than that.
My guess on the "more to it than that" part is that the then-current administration led by Frank Milano had been loyal to Lonardo's father. After all, the Porrellos, who were reportedly part of the plot to kill Joseph Lonardo, were nearly completely wiped out allegedly by Milano.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by johnny_scootch » Thu Aug 24, 2023 5:44 am

Stroccos wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 11:49 pmAngelo Lonardo was given a pass because he wasn't made.
This explanation never made sense to me. He gets a pass for not being made? Usually that would be the first guy to go. I’m inclined to believe there was more to it than that.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by B. » Wed Aug 23, 2023 9:52 pm

There was a Frank Adragna from Monte San Giuliano in Sharon PA and Ohio who was the same age as the one arrested for the Bazzano murder but the murder suspect was from Alcamo and lived in the actual Pittsburgh area. The one in Sharon married a non-Italian while the mafioso married a woman with heritage in Avellino who was originally from PA. Adragna's father and brothers were also mafiosi with Families in Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, and the Bay Area.

His half-brother Joe is a suspected Bonanno member, same with their father Giuseppe. Fellow Bazzano suspect Ciro Gallo of the Bonanno Family was married to a woman from Alcamo and lived near Williamsburg where the Adragnas lived. I couldn't find any links between Gallo's wife and the Adragnas beyond that, though both Gallo and the Adragnas had close ties to the CA Bay Area and became members there. George Adragna was a Pittsburgh member who transferred to San Jose and another brother Vito was a Pittsburgh associate later proposed into the San Jose Family. Another half-brother of Frank was Antonino Dragna who was heavily active in crime and died in a 1928 still accident.

A Pittsburgh member called "Joe l'Alcamese" (Joe the Alcamese) was involved in the Pittsburgh Family's turmoil circa 1932 and according to Gentile it resulted in his murder as he chose to stay in Pittsburgh with his fiancee rather than move to New York and transfer like his allies Gentile and Charles Cavallaro. I've seen speculation that Joe l'Alcamese was Giuseppe Adragna Sr., Frank's father, but he was living in Williamsburg in 1930 with his wife and Frank's half-brothers and died in New York in 1931. Nothing to substantiate the idea that he was in Pittsburgh, had a new fiancee, and was murdered there, especially not in 1932. However he was a mafioso named Joe from Alcamo and two of his sons joined the Pittsburgh Family so there could be a connection, especially given that Alcamo doesn't otherwise show up in what we know of Pittsburgh.

More likely is that Gentile was referring to someone else entirely but I do think it's significant that both Joe l'Alcamese and Frank Adragna from Alcamo were linked to the conflict(s) in Pittsburgh at this time. Ciro Gallo's involvement is interesting too not just because his wife was from Alcamo like the Adragnas but because his brother Joe was the suspected driver in the 1931 murder of previous Pittsburgh boss Giuseppe Siragusa. Joe Gallo and the other killers allegedly came from NYC but Gallo only ever lived in California from what I've found before the Siragusa hit and afterward, becoming a San Jose member; his brother Ciro was living in Brooklyn at the time so maybe Joe was staying there. Ciro and Joe Gallo apparently never lived in Pittsburgh but odd that both Gallo brothers were suspects in the 1931-1932 murders of two Pittsburgh bosses.

I believe Joe Adragna Jr.'s wife came from Menfi, Agrigento. One of the Bay Area informants who was close to Vito Adragna knew that Joe Jr. was a member of an unspecified New York Family. His Trapanese heritage and Williamsburg residence make the Bonannos most likely. Giuseppe Adragna Sr. would be another likely Bonanno member, same with his brother Vito who had a son named Francesco/Frank as well though this Frank Adragna lived out his life in NY.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by JoelTurner » Tue Aug 22, 2023 8:53 pm

Mike Russo was born in Cerda but his mother was from Trabia, same hometown as Mike Bua.

Carlo Sparlino was from Castlevetrano and Frank Adragna was from Monte San Giuliano (Erice).

I don’t know how much this stuff would have mattered in this instance considering that the core issue was an affair between a Calabrian Bazzano and the Neopolitan Volpe bros.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by JoelTurner » Sun Sep 18, 2022 11:52 am

I remember reading that Vito Genovese blamed both Milano and Anastasia for giving Bazzano the go-ahead.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by Angelo Santino » Sun Sep 18, 2022 3:51 am

That's the rumor and the fallout may have cost Milano his office but beats the same fate as Bazzano.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by Stroccos » Sat Sep 17, 2022 11:49 pm

Chris Christie wrote: Fri Sep 16, 2022 1:16 pm
Pogo The Clown wrote: Fri Sep 16, 2022 12:53 pm Were the Volpes Pittsburgh members? If so why would a Boss get killed by NY so soon after for authorizing a murder within his own family?


Pogo
John was confirmed as a member when he was killed, Louis and the other one were ID'd in the 60's.

In theory, part of the function of the commission was to protect the soldiers, no murders were to be committed without a commission ok. Now, I'm sure we can find examples of bosses killing underlings, what we don't know in many cases if the commission (or someone on it) was consulted. I imagine if a boss killed a nobody who had no connections to anyone else or groups it might not matter. But the Volpes were connected outside of Pittsburgh, had a strong ally in Genovese so their killing had political impacts in that world.
Wasnt Frank Milano Clelveland boss Allegedly the one to sign off on the Volpe hit?
Also MIlano Allegedly signed off the Dr ROmano ( former boss of cleveland ) hit in Cleveland and Al polizzi had to go to a commission to meeting get made man John Demarco a pass , Angelo Lonardo was given a pass because he wasn't made.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by JoelTurner » Sat Sep 17, 2022 4:00 am

B. wrote: Fri Sep 16, 2022 7:54 pm Here's the manifest where the Giallombardo brothers came to the US in 1902. You can see Belmonte on the far right:
Image

CC found Pietro witnessed Tampa member Steve Italiano's marriage and it looks like he was gumbata to the DiLeonardos but his surname is butchered on that record.
Thank you!

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by B. » Fri Sep 16, 2022 7:54 pm

Here's the manifest where the Giallombardo brothers came to the US in 1902. You can see Belmonte on the far right:
Image

CC found Pietro witnessed Tampa member Steve Italiano's marriage and it looks like he was gumbata to the DiLeonardos but his surname is butchered on that record.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by JoelTurner » Fri Sep 16, 2022 5:58 pm

B. wrote: Fri Sep 16, 2022 12:29 pm This article goes into some of the arrestees' backgrounds: https://mafia.substack.com/p/a-different-set-of-gallos
This was super interesting. It says that Giallombardo was from Belmonte Mezzagno, do you have the source for this? I wasn’t able to find anything on him outside of the census that I posted in the Trenton thread.
B. wrote: Fri Sep 16, 2022 12:29 pm Gentile was accused by Vito Genovese of helping Bazzano with the Volpe murders as allegedly Bazzano used three Pittsburgh members who were compaesani of Gentile and it was felt they acted on his orders. No idea who they were but it would imply they were from Agrigento like him.
A quick glance at Pittsburgh’s Mafia chart of that era shows a couple of members from Agrigento: Gregorio Conti and Giuseppe Cusumano.

I don’t think there were that many guys from there though.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by Antiliar » Fri Sep 16, 2022 2:27 pm

It probably had something to do with killing all three brothers at once, almost wiping out a complete biological family.

Re: What Happened to Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano?

by Angelo Santino » Fri Sep 16, 2022 1:16 pm

Pogo The Clown wrote: Fri Sep 16, 2022 12:53 pm Were the Volpes Pittsburgh members? If so why would a Boss get killed by NY so soon after for authorizing a murder within his own family?


Pogo
John was confirmed as a member when he was killed, Louis and the other one were ID'd in the 60's.

In theory, part of the function of the commission was to protect the soldiers, no murders were to be committed without a commission ok. Now, I'm sure we can find examples of bosses killing underlings, what we don't know in many cases if the commission (or someone on it) was consulted. I imagine if a boss killed a nobody who had no connections to anyone else or groups it might not matter. But the Volpes were connected outside of Pittsburgh, had a strong ally in Genovese so their killing had political impacts in that world.

Top