Los Angeles odds & ends

[B.]

Magaddino had a low opinion of Frank Desimone as well, said he shouldn't have even been "amico nostra" let alone rappresentante:



It actually speaks to Desimone's credit that he was never killed or deposed given how bad the odds were against him.

[davidf1989]

Thanks for your recent message although I think that Bonanno was thought to have a placed a contract on Desimone's head.

Did Brooklier have a bad reputation among the rank and file? as Fratianno doesn't write very highly about him in his books

[Costigan]

I don't know that Brooklier had a bad rep among the rank and file, but Fratianno certainly led a small group that had no use for him, ie Mike Rizzi, Bompensiero, maybe others. Fratianno seemed to look down on anyone but himself, he badmouthed everyone but a select few.

[davidf1989]

Thanks Costigan and wasn't Mike Rizzi originally from New York?

[Costigan]

He came to California from New York where he was involved in the Gallo war. I think he was originally from Canada.

[sisterray]

Thanks for your recent message although I think that Bonanno was thought to have a placed a contract on Desimone's head.

Did Brooklier have a bad reputation among the rank and file? as Fratianno doesn't write very highly about him in his books

It seems to me that past DeSimone, every LA boss inherited what was basically a very gentrified operation, so they made guys that were close to them and formed the hierarchy from scratch. It was certainly the case with Milano. If I remember correctly from browsing the forums, Brooklier intended to (or made) guys who were involved in smut shops and porn distribution.

Also, I don’t think you could consider the LA family as having any „rank and file”. If you look at the Cali OC commission report, most of the guys made in LA lived in suburbs that were at an hour/hour and a half’s distance from one another. I don’t think that makes for a tight-knit organization, I guess it would be relatively easy for a „weak” boss to take over provided they were recognized by other families.

Just my two cents, I’m barely a long time lurker over here.

[Costigan]

That's a good assessment. You are right about Brooklier, he made smut shop operators, etc. I guess in an attempt to get a piece of that action.

[Pogo The Clown]

He came to California from New York where he was involved in the Gallo war. I think he was originally from Canada.

Interestingly Frattiano said that Rizzi was made by the Gallos but that it didn't count because the Gallos didn't have the authority to make anyone so Rizzi went to California looking to get made for real.


Pogo

[davidf1989]

Did the wiseguys of the Dragna family have a long relationship with the Chicago Outfit? Bompensiero worked with Spilotro a few times.

This interesting article says that Fratianno believed that Spilotro and Brooklier ordered him to be killed. I have posted the link below.

http://mafiahistory.us/a011/f_spilotro.html

[Costigan]

I would say that LA & Chicago had a long relationship. There seemed to be some transfers between the two families, Fratianno & Roselli come to mind. Chicago was a powerful family in those days and controlled everything west of the Mississippi.
When Brooklier decided he'd had enough of the Weasel, he went to Cleveland & Chicago, maybe other places, building his case against him. It's most likely that Spilotro was told by someone in Chicago, "see if you can't help these guys out with their problem". In spite of the hit on Bomp, LA really didn't have a lot of capable hitters, and Jimmy the Weasel would be hard to pin down and clip, so it's understandable that a killer like the Ant would be ordered to help out. The writer of the article probably embellished what Fratianno was saying to him.

[Antiliar]

LA and Chicago had a relationship that went back to at least Mike Merlo. Vito Di Giorgio was killed in the Windy City undoubtedly to meet Merlo to get his support to cancel the contract on his life. Since we don't know who the bosses were before Di Giorgio we can't say if the relationship went back even farther.

[davidf1989]

I would say that LA & Chicago had a long relationship. There seemed to be some transfers between the two families, Fratianno & Roselli come to mind. Chicago was a powerful family in those days and controlled everything west of the Mississippi.
When Brooklier decided he'd had enough of the Weasel, he went to Cleveland & Chicago, maybe other places, building his case against him. It's most likely that Spilotro was told by someone in Chicago, "see if you can't help these guys out with their problem". In spite of the hit on Bomp, LA really didn't have a lot of capable hitters, and Jimmy the Weasel would be hard to pin down and clip, so it's understandable that a killer like the Ant would be ordered to help out. The writer of the article probably embellished what Fratianno was saying to him.

Thanks for your succinct explanation Cositigan and didn't Bompensiero was thought to have assisted Spilotro in the murder of Tamara Rand? I think that particular murder was shown in the film Casino with different names.

[Costigan]

Bomp insinuated as much to Fratianno. It happened in San Diego IIRC, and Jimmy asked him about the Rand hit. Bomp says, "Hey, that wasn't me! Well, I helped out a little bit." I think he drove Spilotro over to her house, was a wheel man on the hit.

[Pogo The Clown]

The bosses decided to settle out of court.


Pogo

[davidf1989]

What was the Blitzstein murder all about? I think that he was an associate of Spilotro.

https://themobmuseum.org/blog/late-mob-hit-las-vegas/