What do we Know about the 1928 Cleveland Meeting?

[JoelTurner]

Thanks for the info!

[JoelTurner]

Does anyone know anything about the 2 on the right?



John Gomsota and John Giacchi

I couldn’t find anything on them so I’m guessing their names were misspelled. I don’t know where they from or their ages.

Couldn’t find anything on Gomsota. There was a John Giacchi who was arrested for forgery in California in 1915, but the one in the photo looks like he wasn’t born back then.

[PolackTony]

Does anyone know anything about the 2 on the right?



John Gomsota and John Giacchi

I couldn’t find anything on them so I’m guessing their names were misspelled. I don’t know where they from or their ages.

Couldn’t find anything on Gomsota. There was a John Giacchi who was arrested for forgery in California in 1915, but the one in the photo looks like he wasn’t born back then.

Last we discussed these two here on the board, the thinking was that they may have been two unconnected guys who just got swept up in the raid on the Statler. From what Eric found, “Gomsota” seems to have been a Romanian dude.

viewtopic.php?p=217073#p217073

[JoelTurner]

Does anyone know anything about the 2 on the right?



John Gomsota and John Giacchi

I couldn’t find anything on them so I’m guessing their names were misspelled. I don’t know where they from or their ages.

Couldn’t find anything on Gomsota. There was a John Giacchi who was arrested for forgery in California in 1915, but the one in the photo looks like he wasn’t born back then.

Last we discussed these two here on the board, the thinking was that they may have been two unconnected guys who just got swept up in the raid on the Statler. From what Eric found, “Gomsota” seems to have been a Romanian dude.

viewtopic.php?p=217073#p217073

I guess that makes sense why they aren't in any articles about the whole affair

[Antiliar]

Does anyone know anything about the 2 on the right?



John Gomsota and John Giacchi

I couldn’t find anything on them so I’m guessing their names were misspelled. I don’t know where they from or their ages.

Couldn’t find anything on Gomsota. There was a John Giacchi who was arrested for forgery in California in 1915, but the one in the photo looks like he wasn’t born back then.

Last we discussed these two here on the board, the thinking was that they may have been two unconnected guys who just got swept up in the raid on the Statler. From what Eric found, “Gomsota” seems to have been a Romanian dude.

viewtopic.php?p=217073#p217073

I guess that makes sense why they aren't in any articles about the whole affair

The most detailed article is in the Jan 2010 issue of Informer, and like you said it doesn't mention them.

[quadtree]

What is there about Giuseppe Palermo.

Bill Feather has the following information about him. I don’t know where he got it from and whether it is true, but I quote it as it is.
"PALERMO-GIUSEPPE 1896 ? , Sicily / USA ?

Associates - G. Traina, V. Mangano.

This member was arrested at the 1928 Cleveland meeting, in company with Joseph Traina and Vincent Mangano. He described himself as a merchant living in Brooklyn.
Information from Sicily stated he was a suspect in the murder of several people in Trapani Province. It may be that he was deported back to Italy to face these charges. But if he remained in America, the best match for him was a man called Joseph Palermo who died in 1961."

Feather attributes him to the Gambino family. According to him, he entered the United States around 1902. Do you have anything about him?

[Woofinator]

Does anyone know anything about the 2 on the right?



John Gomsota and John Giacchi

I couldn’t find anything on them so I’m guessing their names were misspelled. I don’t know where they from or their ages.

Couldn’t find anything on Gomsota. There was a John Giacchi who was arrested for forgery in California in 1915, but the one in the photo looks like he wasn’t born back then.

Last we discussed these two here on the board, the thinking was that they may have been two unconnected guys who just got swept up in the raid on the Statler. From what Eric found, “Gomsota” seems to have been a Romanian dude.

viewtopic.php?p=217073#p217073

I guess that makes sense why they aren't in any articles about the whole affair

I looked at the older thread. I'm not sure there's enough to connect John Ciacchi and John Giacchi as the same people. His lack of a tie in the booking photo kind of makes me he was an innocent picked up by the police but he could've been staying in the hotel from anywhere in the country. I do think its extremely likely that Romanian immigrant John Comsuta is "Gomsota". I looked into his life and in a weird way it kind of makes a lot of sense that he would be arrested by police if he was at that hotel in 1928.

Here is what I could find about the life and times of John Johan Comsuta:

- According to his American records, he was born on February 8, 1898 in Porumbacu, Transylvania. It's currently in Romania but prior to the end of World War I, Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

- Comsuta immigrated to the US as a teenager around 1914, just missing being conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I.

- According to a 1921 Cleveland directory his job his listed as a riveter. And throughout the succeeding decades, he always seems to be working in different steel mills

- Comsuta adopts the English name John and make his original first name, Johan, his middle name ("John John"?)

- He married his wife in Cleveland in 1926. They would go on to have three children.

- He becomes a US citizen in 1927.

- Arrested at the Hotel Statler in Dec. 1928, just 2 and a half weeks before the birth of his first child, a daughter.

- During the Great Depression he seems to have fallen on hard times because in the 1930 census he's an inmate at the Stark County, Ohio workhouse.

- In March 1936 he's shot three times by his wife during a domestic dispute. Here's the newspaper article from page 6 of the 16 March 1936 edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer with the whole story:

Comsuta shot by wife Cleveland Plain_Dealer_16 March 1936_pg. 6.png

(Comsuta's refusal to tell his wife his whereabouts that night in 1936, brings up the question what exactly he was doing, dressed in a suit, at the Hotel Statler with his very pregnant wife presumably at home?)

- The Comsutas divorced sometime after the shooting.

- In August 1944 Comsuta's son his hit by a truck while riding his bike,but luckily survived with relatively minor injuries.

- John Comsuta dies in July 1971, I couldn't really find anything from the last few decades of his life

[JoelTurner]

Does anyone know anything about the 2 on the right?



John Gomsota and John Giacchi

I couldn’t find anything on them so I’m guessing their names were misspelled. I don’t know where they from or their ages.

Couldn’t find anything on Gomsota. There was a John Giacchi who was arrested for forgery in California in 1915, but the one in the photo looks like he wasn’t born back then.

Last we discussed these two here on the board, the thinking was that they may have been two unconnected guys who just got swept up in the raid on the Statler. From what Eric found, “Gomsota” seems to have been a Romanian dude.

viewtopic.php?p=217073#p217073

I guess that makes sense why they aren't in any articles about the whole affair

I looked at the older thread. I'm not sure there's enough to connect John Ciacchi and John Giacchi as the same people. His lack of a tie in the booking photo kind of makes me he was an innocent picked up by the police but he could've been staying in the hotel from anywhere in the country. I do think its extremely likely that Romanian immigrant John Comsuta is "Gomsota". I looked into his life and in a weird way it kind of makes a lot of sense that he would be arrested by police if he was at that hotel in 1928.

Here is what I could find about the life and times of John Johan Comsuta:

- According to his American records, he was born on February 8, 1898 in Porumbacu, Transylvania. It's currently in Romania but prior to the end of World War I, Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

- Comsuta immigrated to the US as a teenager around 1914, just missing being conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I.

- According to a 1921 Cleveland directory his job his listed as a riveter. And throughout the succeeding decades, he always seems to be working in different steel mills

- Comsuta adopts the English name John and make his original first name, Johan, his middle name ("John John"?)

- He married his wife in Cleveland in 1926. They would go on to have three children.

- He becomes a US citizen in 1927.

- Arrested at the Hotel Statler in Dec. 1928, just 2 and a half weeks before the birth of his first child, a daughter.

- During the Great Depression he seems to have fallen on hard times because in the 1930 census he's an inmate at the Stark County, Ohio workhouse.

- In March 1936 he's shot three times by his wife during a domestic dispute. Here's the newspaper article from page 6 of the 16 March 1936 edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer with the whole story:

Comsuta shot by wife Cleveland Plain_Dealer_16 March 1936_pg. 6.png

(Comsuta's refusal to tell his wife his whereabouts that night in 1936, brings up the question what exactly he was doing, dressed in a suit, at the Hotel Statler with his very pregnant wife presumably at home?)

- The Comsutas divorced sometime after the shooting.

- In August 1944 Comsuta's son his hit by a truck while riding his bike,but luckily survived with relatively minor injuries.

- John Comsuta dies in July 1971, I couldn't really find anything from the last few decades of his life

That’s really interesting, especially that he was imprisoned by the 1930 census.

It would be funny if he was involved but got away because he wasn’t Italian

[JoelTurner]

1) Sam Oliveri was in the Bronx as early as Nov 1925; his son Philip was born there. I wonder if he may have maintained a residence in Chicago like what Emmanuel Cammarata may have done.

2) Mike Russo had been involved in crime in Cleveland before. In Jan 1920, his brother Salvatore Russo and Buffalo member Frank Ulizzi were killed there. Mike was questioned and may have been present at the scene depending on the account. He himself previously lived in Buffalo in the early ‘20s so he may know DiCarlo too.

[PolackTony]

1) Sam Oliveri was in the Bronx as early as Nov 1925; his son Philip was born there. I wonder if he may have maintained a residence in Chicago like what Emmanuel Cammarata may have done.

Sam Oliveri moved to the Bronx sometime between 1924 and 1925, as his prior child, Paulina, was born in Chicago in December of 1923. Given this window, I’ve previously speculated that he may have left Chicago around the time that boss Mike Merlo died, as a serious war erupted there in 1925 following Merlo’s death when the Gennas attempted to seize control of the Chicago Family. It can also be assumed that he transferred at some point to the Reina Family, given his Bronx residence, the fact that his first cousin Angelina Oliveri was Gaetano Reina’s wife, and that Chicago was in a state of near constant warfare through 1930. That he used a Chicago address in the Statler raid could be an indication that he was still a Chicago member at that time, or alternatively could have just been to evade LE scrutiny. Keep in mind also that his older brother, Giovanni “Bowlegs” Oliveri remained in Chicago, where he was murdered in June of 1928, allegedly by Aiello gunman Antonino Califiore (it was reported that he had left the Aiello camp and allied himself with the Capone/Lombardo faction). The Oliveris were closely connected to the Nicolosi brothers, also Chicago mafiosi from Corleone, and there was a notable Corleonese colony in Chicago, so the Oliveris may have had other relatives there that we don’t know about.

[Woofinator]

Does anybody have a copy of the booking photo 32778? And if so, who was it? The image above is missing that number. If it's not one of the attendees, then the Giacchi mugshot could have come from a little bit later in the day and been mistakenly put with the others due to his Italian surname.

[Woofinator]

Does anyone know anything about the 2 on the right?



John Gomsota and John Giacchi

I couldn’t find anything on them so I’m guessing their names were misspelled. I don’t know where they from or their ages.

Couldn’t find anything on Gomsota. There was a John Giacchi who was arrested for forgery in California in 1915, but the one in the photo looks like he wasn’t born back then.

Last we discussed these two here on the board, the thinking was that they may have been two unconnected guys who just got swept up in the raid on the Statler. From what Eric found, “Gomsota” seems to have been a Romanian dude.

viewtopic.php?p=217073#p217073

I guess that makes sense why they aren't in any articles about the whole affair

I looked at the older thread. I'm not sure there's enough to connect John Ciacchi and John Giacchi as the same people. His lack of a tie in the booking photo kind of makes me he was an innocent picked up by the police but he could've been staying in the hotel from anywhere in the country. I do think its extremely likely that Romanian immigrant John Comsuta is "Gomsota". I looked into his life and in a weird way it kind of makes a lot of sense that he would be arrested by police if he was at that hotel in 1928.

Here is what I could find about the life and times of John Johan Comsuta:

- According to his American records, he was born on February 8, 1898 in Porumbacu, Transylvania. It's currently in Romania but prior to the end of World War I, Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

- Comsuta immigrated to the US as a teenager around 1914, just missing being conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I.

- According to a 1921 Cleveland directory his job his listed as a riveter. And throughout the succeeding decades, he always seems to be working in different steel mills

- Comsuta adopts the English name John and make his original first name, Johan, his middle name ("John John"?)

- He married his wife in Cleveland in 1926. They would go on to have three children.

- He becomes a US citizen in 1927.

- Arrested at the Hotel Statler in Dec. 1928, just 2 and a half weeks before the birth of his first child, a daughter.

- During the Great Depression he seems to have fallen on hard times because in the 1930 census he's an inmate at the Stark County, Ohio workhouse.

- In March 1936 he's shot three times by his wife during a domestic dispute. Here's the newspaper article from page 6 of the 16 March 1936 edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer with the whole story:

Comsuta shot by wife Cleveland Plain_Dealer_16 March 1936_pg. 6.png

(Comsuta's refusal to tell his wife his whereabouts that night in 1936, brings up the question what exactly he was doing, dressed in a suit, at the Hotel Statler with his very pregnant wife presumably at home?)

- The Comsutas divorced sometime after the shooting.

- In August 1944 Comsuta's son his hit by a truck while riding his bike,but luckily survived with relatively minor injuries.

- John Comsuta dies in July 1971, I couldn't really find anything from the last few decades of his life

That’s really interesting, especially that he was imprisoned by the 1930 census.

It would be funny if he was involved but got away because he wasn’t Italian

I hadn't thought of it till I read your reply, but the date on the census is April 1930, only 16 months after the raid. After a trial and sentencing on whatever, Comsuta could still have been serving his sentence by the census. Maybe he was picked up on a pre-existing warrant when the police raided the Statler and looked at the names in the guest book. It would explain why his name wasn't included among the arrestee names in the newspaper articles.

[JCB1977]

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.

Joe The Boss’s brother, Charlie Masseria, resided in Cleveland. Could have he been in attendance representing his brother Giuseppe?

[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.

Joe The Boss’s brother, Charlie Masseria, resided in Cleveland. Could have he been in attendance representing his brother Giuseppe?

He had at least two brothers in Cleveland, but none were arrested. It's believed that more attendees were on their way and turned around when they saw the police, so I guess it's possible that a Masseria brother was planning to attend, but that's speculation.

[sdeitche]

Any idea if Ignazio Italiano was related to Vincent mangano?

Forgot to answer this. Yes. Italiano's daughter Mary was married to Vincent Mangano.