Most relevant organized crime trials

[Dwalin2014]

What do you think were the most significant organized crime trials in the 20th century? I mean, ones that really harmed a specific organization or had the potential to do so. Usually, if a boss and a couple of underlings are arrested, they are immediately substituted, but what if the whole gang "administration" is removed and lose all appeals?

The first coming to mind are:

1) The Morello-Lupo mafia trial in 1910; New York (imprisoned for 10 years the boss of bosses Giuseppe Morello, the boss Ignazio Lupo a a number of mafia members of lower position)

2) The Camorra trial in 1918; New York (the main camorra boss Pellegrino Morano sentenced to 20 years to life, boss Alessandro Vollero served 14 years, boss Leopoldo Lauritano sentenced to 5 years, (boss?) Angelo Giordano executed, (Morano's underboss?) Antonio Parretti executed, a number of lower camorristi imprisoned and the corrupt detective Michael Meali removed from service)

3) Egan's rats trial in 1924; St.Louis (boss William "Dint" Colbeck put away for 16 years, also imprisoned another 8 prominent members of the gang, leading to its implosion and division in smaller groups)

4) The 1939 trial in Kansas city (convicted at the same time the mafia boss of the city, Charlie Carrollo, the corrupt police chief, Otto Higgins, and the local corrupt politician n.1, Tom Pendergast, with several associates). This trial in my opinion had a big potential, but wasn't de-facto very effective due to the short sentences.

5) The 1943 Chicago mafia trial (basically put away the whole outfit administration except Tony Accardo, including the power-behind-the-throne, Paul Ricca, while the front boss, Frank Nitti, killed himself). In my opinion, this trial is generally underestimated and overshadowed by the media-overblown "Family secrets" in the 2000s. While Family Secrets only put away a couple of semi-retired individuals with replacements ready for them, the 1943 one had a great potential to throw the whole organization into disarray due to the imprisonment for 10 years of almost all key members. Unfortunately, the effect was nullified due to them having bought the freedom after 3,5 years.

6) The Apalachin conspiracy trial after 1957 (nothing much came out of it, yet it was a great wasted possibility to put away the WHOLE AMERICAN MAFIA LEADERSHIP at least for some time)

7) And, of course, the Commission trial in concluded in 1987 (hit all of the 5 families in New York, even though the Gambino defendants died before trial and the Genovese boss was the front one. Still, a number of important bosses and high-ranking members received up to 100 years).

What do you think, which criminal proceedings could be added to the list? Many, like Family Secrets or the John Gotti trial were in my opinion a little overestimated concerning their alleged effect on the mafia organizations, while some others had more effect of potential, but usually aren't given much credit.

[Pogo The Clown]

The Strawman Trials were pretty big. They took out the top Bosses in the Chicago Outfit and the KC and Milwaukee families and ended the mobs stranglehold over the national teamsters union and the Las Vegas casinos.


The 1987 Rico case in Philly was huge. It really gutted that family and reduced them to a much lower level. Same with the DeCavalcante cases from 1999 and 2000 which effectively wrecked that family.


Pogo

[Dwalin2014]

The Strawman Trials were pretty big. They took out the top Bosses in the Chicago Outfit

I always had the impression they took out the FRONT bosses of the outfit. Accardo never served a day.

[Pogo The Clown]

Accardo was semi-retired by that point. Aiuppa and Cerone were the runs running the Outfit. The indictment also took out two of the top Crew Bosses in Angelo LPietra and Joey Lombardo for several years,


Pogo

[NickyEyes1]

Cooley informing and losing the first ward was no doubt the biggest blow to the outfit

[Dwalin2014]

Cooley informing and losing the first ward was no doubt the biggest blow to the outfit

I agree. But even then Pat Marcy had the last laugh by dying before serving a day.

[J Block]

Nice list, Dwalin.

Now isn't it convenient/suspicious that the trial with the greatest potential to end or cripple the Mafia never fully seized those opportunities?


How about the 'Blue Thunder' case? (early 90's, tying in investigations from the late 80's)
Big heroin bust with huge sentences, for some

[rayray]

The Maxi Trial in Palermo that resulted in over 350 getting convicted. Buscetta was a prosecution witness.

The Pizza Connection trial that resulted in over 20 mafioso getting convicted. Buscetta was also a prosecution witness explaining the workings of the mafia and the heroin trade.

The French Connection, not sure if this was actually considered a trial but did involve many arrests and convictions.

[Meatball]

The Family Secrets Trial in Chicago back in 2007. One of the most significant blows to The Outfit in a long time.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operatio ... #The_trial

[Rocco]

The Family Secrets Trial in Chicago back in 2007. One of the most significant blows to The Outfit in a long time.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operatio ... #The_trial

This is pretty significant because the murders in this case have alluded the law for many decades. And of course the true story about how they went down. Like the Spilotro murders etc. I don't know too much about Chicago so I can't say it decemated the outfit or not. I know some of the guys taken down in the case were already in prison and old.

[Dwalin2014]

The Family Secrets Trial in Chicago back in 2007. One of the most significant blows to The Outfit in a long time.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operatio ... #The_trial

This is pretty significant because the murders in this case have alluded the law for many decades. And of course the true story about how they went down. Like the Spilotro murders etc. I don't know too much about Chicago so I can't say it decemated the outfit or not. I know some of the guys taken down in the case were already in prison and old.

I don't think Family Secrets harmed the Outfit much. Only a semi-retired capo (Lombardo), front boss (Marcello) and a soldier (Calabrese) got life sentences.

[Pogo The Clown]

I'd say the loss of Marcello and Lombardo were pretty big blows. They were 2 of the top guy's and it isn't like the Outft had a deep bench by that point. They were pretty decimated by then.


Pogo

[rayray]

I'd say Family Secrets taking down Marcello was significant and Lombardo, was he completely retired or not? He was worth a pretty penny in real estate but I find it hard to believe he walked away 100 percent.


Even this last trial in Philly basically hog-tying Ligambi was disruptive in it's own way.

[Dwalin2014]

I'd say the loss of Marcello and Lombardo were pretty big blows. They were 2 of the top guy's and it isn't like the Outft had a deep bench by that point. They were pretty decimated by then.


Pogo

I'd say Family Secrets taking down Marcello was significant and Lombardo, was he completely retired or not? He was worth a pretty penny in real estate but I find it hard to believe he walked away 100 percent.


Even this last trial in Philly basically hog-tying Ligambi was disruptive in it's own way.

Maybe, but still 3 life sentences isn't much for an organization that has dozens of members at least (today I think, earlier it was certainly bigger than a couple of dozens). The Hollywood trial was a bigger menace, even though they bought their freedom after 3,5 years, I bet they had to part with a quite big sum of their money to obtain that result. And the Strawman trial was also more important that the latest ones I think because even if it didn't hit Accardo, it damaged more mafia clans at the same time, hitting not only Chicago, but also Cleveland, Milwaukee and Kansas city, all at the same time.

[Chicago]

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