Kansas city mafia leadership

[Dwalin2014]

I just read in the book "Mafia and the machine" by Frank Hayde about an interesting theory: that all those bosses - Lazia, Carrollo, Binaggio, Gizzo, were just front men for boss Joseph DiGiovanni, while Peter DiGiovanni was underboss and Jim Balestrere was consigilere. But what about Nick Civella? Was he their puppet too until they died? And were all those gangster/politicians really just errand boys for the DiGiovannis? And how is that those "real" bosses were never indicted in that massive trial when even Tom Pendergast went to jail, and the chief of police and Carrollo too?
What's your opinion about this theory?

[bobbybats]

In the early days of the Kansas City Family you had two factions, the Sicilian born and the American born members the Sicilian faction was the true power behind the family but the connection to Pendergast came through the American born members who were active in political recruiting and the unions. Prior to Pendergast the mobs boss was DiGiovanni and he remained boss until Lazia was installed which was around the same time that Pendergast came to power. Civella was a young guy during the time of Sicilian control and in fact was ran out of town for robbing the Sicilian gambling houses, he fled to Chicago where he became close to Auippa. Joe Filardo later brokered a deal to allow Civella to return and he worked under Filardo. It remained this way until the Sicilian faction started dying off and the American born faction increased in numbers. When Gizzo died there was a split in what was left of the Sicilian faction Filardo liked Civella and Balestrere hated him and in fact at one time tried to have him killed. Eventually Filardo won Balestere over and Civella was made boss. It was Filardo who was with Civella at the Apalation meeting. Penderghast was not a puppet for the mob, the mob was Pendergasts muscle and in exchange for that they were give political and judicial protection. There was no one more powerful than Pendergast. The DiGiovannis were indicted as was Jim Balastere and Joseph Deluca was convicted for Narcotics trafficking.

[bobbybats]

I am not sure if either Digiovanni or Balastere were convicted but I highly doubt it. Civella was the first American born boss of Kansas City, he was also not under the control of the Sicilian faction although he did seek counsel from Filardo and Joe Cusimano. Civella forged close ties with other families and most importantly with Chicago. He expanded the rackets and spheres of political and judicial protection, during his tenure Kansas City grew stronger than it had been and had a presence on the national level.

[JCB1977]

Good info, never heard that...I have the book but need to find some time to read it.

[Hailbritain]

I was under the impression the Kansas mob never had the rank of consigliere and never used one

[bobbybats]

I was under the impression the Kansas mob never had the rank of consigliere and never used one

They never had the rank of consigliere, that just comes from the natural tendency humans have to label everything.

[Hailbritain]

As I suspected , thanks Bobby