Pittsburgh LCN (Wheeling, WV Faction)

[Ivan]

JCB,

Awesome work. The mentioning of Clarksburg interested me because my father played with his rock band in a bar there (probably in the early 70s, I'll have to ask him) and everyone told him it was a mob bar. If true, it would have meant that probably the LaRoccas had a "branch office" down in Clarksburg, right? Do you know about anything that would have been going on in Clarksburg back then? I was actually kind of dismissive of what my father had been told (I figured it was probably hillbillies stereotyping local Italian-Americans as mobsters) but since you mentioned Clarksburg having a Black Hand lodge I'm not so sure now.

[JCB1977]

The Corbi group in Baltimore was later absorbed as a crew in the Gambino family.


Pogo

The Corbi brothers were partners with Antonio Ripepi and Dominick Anzalone in Pittsburgh, they were of Calabrian descent and Ripepi was close to Rocco Pellegrino of Westchester County.

[JCB1977]

JCB,

Awesome work. The mentioning of Clarksburg interested me because my father played with his rock band in a bar there (probably in the early 70s, I'll have to ask him) and everyone told him it was a mob bar. If true, it would have meant that probably the LaRoccas had a "branch office" down in Clarksburg, right? Do you know about anything that would have been going on in Clarksburg back then? I was actually kind of dismissive of what my father had been told (I figured it was probably hillbillies stereotyping local Italian-Americans as mobsters) but since you mentioned Clarksburg having a Black Hand lodge I'm not so sure now.

West Virginia and Western PA as well as Northeast Ohio had some the earliest reportings of Black Hand Scoiety activity. Calabrians migrated to the area because it was flush with work (railroads, steel mills, mines, coal fields, manufacturing etc) and most Calabrians were laborers. As far as the LaRocca's in Clarksburg, not that I am aware of. However, they did dominate the Chester and Wheeling, West Virginia area.

[JCB1977]

If anybody is interested, I posted a few articles of the Black Hand in the late 1800's and early 1900's under the FBI File section because I had to attach the articles as I took digitial photos of the articles.

[Dwalin2014]

If anybody is interested, I posted a few articles of the Black Hand in the late 1800's and early 1900's under the FBI File section because I had to attach the articles as I took digitial photos of the articles.

Thanks

[Five Felonies]

Black Hand activity that was dominating the Fairmont, WV area

this photo is allegedly of a group of black hand members arrested in 1923 in fairmont...

[JCB1977]

I've see that before, great photo. Good group of fellas I'm sure-:)

[JCB1977]

And the gambling in Wheeling still continues in 2016

[JCB1977]

Here are a few files with some very good background and information on the Wheeling, WV faction of the LaRocca Crime Family. The longtime boss was William "Big Bill" Lias and then Paul "No Legs" Hankish

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html ... =Bill_Lias

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html ... 2&tab=page

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html ... 0&tab=page