What do we Know about the 1928 Cleveland Meeting?

[JoelTurner]

This is a relatively well-known event yet it’s shrouded in mystery. I'm making this post to share what I know and organize the information that's readily available; I think that a clear membership list is the best way to go about this.

———-

This article is from 1928 and has some errors:



————

I found that Scott Deitche's 2018 write up about it, Hoodlums at the Statler, was better.

https://themobmuseum.org/blog/hoodlums-at-the-statler/

————

Attendees:

The information for the following attendees is fairly clear

Colombo Family

Joseph Profaci - 31 - 8877 15th Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Joseph Magliocco - 30 - 279 Bay 11th St, Brooklyn, NY

Gambino Family:

Joseph Traina - 46 - 1778 73rd St, Brooklyn, NY

Vincent Mangano - 40 - 254 President St, Brooklyn, NY

Tampa Family

Ignazio Italiano - 68 - 1802 Tampania Ave, Tampa, FL

Joseph Vaglica - 35 - 1117 Cypress St, Tampa, FL

Newark Family

Salvatore Lombardino - 38 - 298 14th Ave, Newark, NJ

Andrew Lombardino - 24 - 292 Fairmont Ave, Newark, NJ

St. Louis Family

Charles San Filippo - 28 - 2323 Macklind Ave, St. Louis, MO

John Mirabella - 21 - 6670 Delmar Blvd, University City, MO

Buffalo Family

Sam DiCarlo - 24 - 280 Prospect Ave, Buffalo, NY

Cleveland Family

Sam Tilocco - 36 - 3383 Norwood Rd, Cleveland, OH

-------------> Here's where it gets complicated

I’m not sure if these people were in the Chicago Outfit.

Gary Family - ?

Paul Palazzolo - 33 - 1321 Ellsworth Place, Gary, IN

Frank Alo - 25 - 1517 Adams St, Gary, IN

Chicago Outfit

Pasqualino LoLordo - 43 - 1921 W North Ave, Chicago, IL

Joseph Giunta - 41 - 1756 North Lockwood Ave, Chicago, IL

James Intravaia - 34 - 1428 Sedgwick St, Chicago, IL

Sam Oliviera - 33 - 1952 Paulding Ave, Bronx, NY [This is from the 1930 census; he probably moved between 1928-30]

Philip Bacino (Tony Bello) - 26 - 14 163rd St, Calumet City, IL

Emmanuel Cammarata - 25 - Couldn't find any Illinois information

Joseph Sacco - 24 - 2011 North California Ave, Chicago, IL

Family Unknown

Michael Russo - 33 - 105 Ridgely Ave, Iselin, NJ

The article says he lived in Iceland (Iselin), NJ which matches his residence in 1940. However, his census record says that he was living in NYC in 1935. Plus, at his arrest in 1932 for the Bazzano murder, he listed his address as 1202 5th Ave, Pittsburgh, PA. He bounced around so it's hard to tell.

Giuseppe Palermo/Paleesine - No idea who this is

[PolackTony]

From what we know based on later info from Frank Bompensiero, Gary was its own independent Family, though obviously in the immediate orbit of Chicago. Like the Chicago Heights Family, it seems to have been absorbed into Chicago and became a decina. Our best guess is that Paolo Palazzolo, who was from Cìnisi, was the last boss of that Family and after he was murdered in Gary in 1935, Gary probably ceased to be independent. Francesco Abbate, aka Frank Alo, aka Frank Agrusa, was also from Cìnisi and was probably a member of that family in 1928 (he was also connected to STL) and then later probably joined Chicago. He was murdered in the 1940s in Hot Springs, AR, apparently a casualty of the Chicago “Cheese War”.

Salvatore Oliveri was a Chicago mafioso from Corleone. His brother Giovanni Oliveri was murdered in 1928 in Little Sicily along with his partner Giuseppe Salamone, who was from Àlcamo. The story from investigators was that they were staunch allies of Lombardo/Capone who were murdered by the Aiello faction. Salvatore Oliveri subsequently fled Chicago for the Bronx, as he was related to Gaetano Reina by marriage. In 1931 (IIRC, Cavita will have more details), he in turn seems to have fled the Bronx and arrived seeking refuge in Rockford accompanied by armed bodyguards. He seems to have been a Chicago member who transferred to the Luccheses and then transferred to Rockford, where he operated a funeral home for the remainder of his days.

Patsy LoLordo needs no introduction. From Ribera, boss of Chicago. One of the main points of business of the 1928 Statler meeting was probably officially ratifying him as boss of Chicago, following the murder of prior boss Tony Lombardo in September (the other likely point of business almost certainly being ironing out the politics in the national mafia following the D’Aquila murder). LoLordo didn’t last long, as he was murdered in his Chicago home in January 1929, apparently by gunmen from the Aiello/Bugs Moran group. The St Valentine’s Day Massacre was likely retaliation for the LoLordo hit, and basically wiped out the Moran gang. Patsy’s brother Joe LoLordo was a bodyguard to Lombardo who was present when the latter was whacked. He was a suspect in the SVDM and afterwards left Chicago for NYC and transferred to the DeCavalcante Family.

Phil Bacino, Chicago member from Ribera, close to LoLordo (was probably attending as LoLordo’s aide). Nello Cammarata was the cousin of Joe Profaci and a well-known Profaci member, from Villabate. He may never have been a Chicago member but maintained close ties there and kept an address in Chicago for decades (Profaci himself had also lived in Chicago for a period before moving to Brooklyn). In the 30’s, Cammarata was found with Nicola Diana, a Chicago mafioso from Ribera, at LoLordo’s old social club in Chicago when Diana was arrested for the murder of a cop.

Giuseppe “Hop Toad” Giunta was a Chicago member, but a Cinisese paesan’ of Palazzolo and Abbate/Alo. He seems to have been a pretender for the throne of Chicago after LoLordo’s murder, but was then murdered in May 1929. Reportedly, he had tried to double-cross Capone with former Genna allies Giovanni Scalise and Alberto Anselmi; their bodies were found beaten and shot, dumped in Hammond, IN, just over the state line from Calumet City.

Girolamo Intravaia, from Monreale, was a Chicago mafioso who seems to have been an Aiello guy. If so, he may have been at Statler to represent the interests of that faction. He disappeared after this; he may have returned to Sicily, he may have been killed, or assumed a different name. I’ve seen it claimed that he died in May 1930 in Chicago, though I haven’t been able to find any record to confirm this. If he was murdered then, it would make sense, as a number of other apparent Aiello guys were whacked around then (would seem to correspond with the period that Bonanno said Aiello was forced to flee Chicago and seek refuge under the protection of Maggadino in Buffalo).

Joseph Sacco no one has figured out. The surname is too common and we don’t have enough to go on. Could also be an alias, which these guys commonly used. For example, it wasn’t until decades later that investigators figured out the “Tony Bello” was actually Phil Bacino.

[Antiliar]

The lack of representation from the Masseria borgata suggests this was partially in response to the recent killing of D'Aquila (Mike DiLeonardo also noted this), maybe a strategy session to deal with the new regime.

I think it's possible the Giunta was being introduced as the new Chicago representante and perhaps a truce or arrangement with the Aiellos. I think as the hosts the new Cleveland leaders wanted to put on a good show. It obviously didn't turn out that way.

Could it have been a National Assembly? It's possible. When Gentile wrote about them he described hundreds of members attending, but maybe this was on the smaller end or he exaggerated the numbers. Or there were more arrivals who fled upon hearing of the arrests.

[PolackTony]

As I mentioned recently on the Genovese ‘63 thread, Salvatore Lombardino’s lawyer, Salvatore LoPresti, told the Cleveland press that Capone was in town at the time but had been told to leave Cleveland as it wasn’t safe (presumably due to LE pressure). Who knows if he was actually there, but if he was, then he’d obviously have been a Masseria representative (though, in the context of the LoLordo succession, he also presumably would’ve been going to the meeting to give his support, even though he wasn’t formally a Chicago member yet).

[Antiliar]

I have serious doubts about LoPresti's claim, although it's possible and I won't rule it out entirely. At any rate, there wasn't anyone from NYC representing Masseria as far as we know. It seems to me that for such an important meeting someone from his borgata should have appeared unless they wanted to leave him out intentionally.

[PolackTony]

I have serious doubts about LoPresti's claim, although it's possible and I won't rule it out entirely. At any rate, there wasn't anyone from NYC representing Masseria as far as we know. It seems to me that for such an important meeting someone from his borgata should have appeared unless they wanted to leave him out intentionally.

Agreed on both counts, obviously just reporting what was put out so that it’s part of the discussion.

[PolackTony]

On another note, I was able to finally figure out who the Joseph Sacco at the Hotel Statler was, based on the age and address given at his arrest.

Joseph Sacco was born in 1904 in North Tonawanda, NY, to Giovanni Sacco and Angelina Ponterio, of Carpanzano, Cosenza, Calabria. By 1910, the Saccos had relocated to Superior and Rockwell (my hood) near Smith Park in Chicago’s Grand Ave Patch Italian colony. Giovanni worked as a tinsmith and later for the large railroad yards immediately to the south of Grand Ave.

In April 1927, Joseph Sacco was arrested sitting in a car with a group of armed men at Oak and Larrabbee, near the infamous “Death Corner” in Chicago’s Little Sicily. The other men included Sam Vitello (brother of Unione Siciliana bigshot Constantino Vitello), Sam Virso (either Santo or Salvatore Virruso), and John Oliveretti (almost certainly Giovanni Oliveri, murdered in the same area the next year). In 1930, Joseph Sacco was living in Buffalo (1930 was a year that a lot of people got out of Chicago, for obvious reasons). But, Sacco retuned to Chicago and was shot to death in 1933. He was living at 2011 N California in the Logan Square neighborhood (same address as he gave in Cleveland) and working as a janitor at nearby Chase elementary school (he must’ve been making great money as a janitor, as his pockets were full of cash and he wore a diamond watch and $500 diamond pinkie ring when he was found slain). The police had no leads in his murder, and the papers reported that he had recently separated from his wife and sent her to WI with the kids. A lady friend with him the night he was killed said that he had received a phone call from a man called “Phil”, at which point Sacco became very nervous (D’Andrea? Bacino?).

As it turns out, one of the attendees at the infamous Hotel Statler meeting was a Calabrese-American kid.

[Antiliar]

Very informative follow-up, Tony.

[cavita]

On another note, I was able to finally figure out who the Joseph Sacco at the Hotel Statler was, based on the age and address given at his arrest.

Joseph Sacco was born in 1904 in North Tonawanda, NY, to Giovanni Sacco and Angelina Ponterio, of Carpanzano, Cosenza, Calabria. By 1910, the Saccos had relocated to Superior and Rockwell (my hood) near Smith Park in Chicago’s Grand Ave Patch Italian colony. Giovanni worked as a tinsmith and later for the large railroad yards immediately to the south of Grand Ave.

In April 1927, Joseph Sacco was arrested sitting in a car with a group of armed men at Oak and Larrabbee, near the infamous “Death Corner” in Chicago’s Little Sicily. The other men included Sam Vitello (brother of Unione Siciliana bigshot Constantino Vitello), Sam Virso (either Santo or Salvatore Virruso), and John Oliveretti (almost certainly Giovanni Oliveri, murdered in the same area the next year). In 1930, Joseph Sacco was living in Buffalo (1930 was a year that a lot of people got out of Chicago, for obvious reasons). But, Sacco retuned to Chicago and was shot to death in 1933. He was living at 2011 N California in the Logan Square neighborhood (same address as he gave in Cleveland) and working as a janitor at nearby Chase elementary school (he must’ve been making great money as a janitor, as his pockets were full of cash and he wore a diamond watch and $500 diamond pinkie ring when he was found slain). The police had no leads in his murder, and the papers reported that he had recently separated from his wife and sent her to WI with the kids. A lady friend with him the night he was killed said that he had received a phone call from a man called “Phil”, at which point Sacco became very nervous (D’Andrea? Bacino?).

As it turns out, one of the attendees at the infamous Hotel Statler meeting was a Calabrese-American kid.

Nice research buddy... I love it when we can plug in good info!

[cavita]

On another note, I was able to finally figure out who the Joseph Sacco at the Hotel Statler was, based on the age and address given at his arrest.

Joseph Sacco was born in 1904 in North Tonawanda, NY, to Giovanni Sacco and Angelina Ponterio, of Carpanzano, Cosenza, Calabria. By 1910, the Saccos had relocated to Superior and Rockwell (my hood) near Smith Park in Chicago’s Grand Ave Patch Italian colony. Giovanni worked as a tinsmith and later for the large railroad yards immediately to the south of Grand Ave.

In April 1927, Joseph Sacco was arrested sitting in a car with a group of armed men at Oak and Larrabbee, near the infamous “Death Corner” in Chicago’s Little Sicily. The other men included Sam Vitello (brother of Unione Siciliana bigshot Constantino Vitello), Sam Virso (either Santo or Salvatore Virruso), and John Oliveretti (almost certainly Giovanni Oliveri, murdered in the same area the next year). In 1930, Joseph Sacco was living in Buffalo (1930 was a year that a lot of people got out of Chicago, for obvious reasons). But, Sacco retuned to Chicago and was shot to death in 1933. He was living at 2011 N California in the Logan Square neighborhood (same address as he gave in Cleveland) and working as a janitor at nearby Chase elementary school (he must’ve been making great money as a janitor, as his pockets were full of cash and he wore a diamond watch and $500 diamond pinkie ring when he was found slain). The police had no leads in his murder, and the papers reported that he had recently separated from his wife and sent her to WI with the kids. A lady friend with him the night he was killed said that he had received a phone call from a man called “Phil”, at which point Sacco became very nervous (D’Andrea? Bacino?).

As it turns out, one of the attendees at the infamous Hotel Statler meeting was a Calabrese-American kid.

Just looked into this further. The photos don't match for the Cleveland Sacco and the one killed in 1933. The one from Cleveland looks much older.

[PolackTony]

On another note, I was able to finally figure out who the Joseph Sacco at the Hotel Statler was, based on the age and address given at his arrest.

Joseph Sacco was born in 1904 in North Tonawanda, NY, to Giovanni Sacco and Angelina Ponterio, of Carpanzano, Cosenza, Calabria. By 1910, the Saccos had relocated to Superior and Rockwell (my hood) near Smith Park in Chicago’s Grand Ave Patch Italian colony. Giovanni worked as a tinsmith and later for the large railroad yards immediately to the south of Grand Ave.

In April 1927, Joseph Sacco was arrested sitting in a car with a group of armed men at Oak and Larrabbee, near the infamous “Death Corner” in Chicago’s Little Sicily. The other men included Sam Vitello (brother of Unione Siciliana bigshot Constantino Vitello), Sam Virso (either Santo or Salvatore Virruso), and John Oliveretti (almost certainly Giovanni Oliveri, murdered in the same area the next year). In 1930, Joseph Sacco was living in Buffalo (1930 was a year that a lot of people got out of Chicago, for obvious reasons). But, Sacco retuned to Chicago and was shot to death in 1933. He was living at 2011 N California in the Logan Square neighborhood (same address as he gave in Cleveland) and working as a janitor at nearby Chase elementary school (he must’ve been making great money as a janitor, as his pockets were full of cash and he wore a diamond watch and $500 diamond pinkie ring when he was found slain). The police had no leads in his murder, and the papers reported that he had recently separated from his wife and sent her to WI with the kids. A lady friend with him the night he was killed said that he had received a phone call from a man called “Phil”, at which point Sacco became very nervous (D’Andrea? Bacino?).

As it turns out, one of the attendees at the infamous Hotel Statler meeting was a Calabrese-American kid.

Just looked into this further. The photos don't match for the Cleveland Sacco and the one killed in 1933. The one from Cleveland looks much older.

The photo in the Daily News is almost certainly old and taken when he was a kid.

The Tribune ran a different photo:




Note that Sacco stated that he was 24 yo, which matches the 1904 birthdate for the Joseph Sacco who lived at the same address and was killed in ‘33.

[JoelTurner]

I think it's possible the Giunta was being introduced as the new Chicago representante and perhaps a truce or arrangement with the Aiellos.

Was he ever a boss? I know he was famously killed by Capone.

Could it have been a National Assembly? It's possible. When Gentile wrote about them he described hundreds of members attending, but maybe this was on the smaller end or he exaggerated the numbers. Or there were more arrivals who fled upon hearing of the arrests.

I think it could have been a much bigger event. Looking at the pattern of having 2 per city, I wouldn’t be surprised if the cops missed some additional people.

Plus, a lot of people from Cleveland may not have stayed at the hotel. They would have just driven from home. Seeing as they were hosting, they probably had more people involved.

[Antiliar]

I believe Giunta was a boss - one of Capone's "puppets" until he allegedly turned on him with Scalise and Anselmi.

I saw the 1933 photo of Joseph Sacco years ago and passed on it. To me, they don't look alike or similar. The 1928 Sacco is heavier and the hairline is farther back than the 1933 Sacco, whose hair looks fuller. Plus according to the reports from 1928, Sacco was 27 years-old, so he was born ~1901. The one who was killed in 1933 was 28, so born ~1905 (Sep 15, 1904). The original police photos gave his name as "Scacco," which made me wonder if it was really Sciacca. Moreover, the police photos had everyone else's age but his. Unfortunately I didn't find any matches. So for me it's still an open mystery.

[JoelTurner]

On another note, I was able to finally figure out who the Joseph Sacco at the Hotel Statler was, based on the age and address given at his arrest.

He was living at 2011 N California in the Logan Square neighborhood (same address as he gave in Cleveland) and working as a janitor at nearby Chase elementary school

This was the guy that I found too.

The school janitor thing really through me off though. Like I find it to imagine a mob heavyweight cleaning up after kids.

In 1930, Joseph Sacco was living in Buffalo (1930 was a year that a lot of people got out of Chicago, for obvious reasons).

Could he have been a Buffalo member in 1928?

Hypothetically, their leadership could have sent him with Sam Di Carlo because of his connections in Chicago.

It would make sense that they sent 2 members like the other families.

[JoelTurner]

Had no idea about Giunta - was he a boss/puppet boss at the time of his murder ?