Mafia activity in Pittsburgh (Penn Hills, York: high crime, attorney, wedding)
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The last mafia news in Pittsburgh that was big was when Michael Genovese passed away and before that it was in 1997 when a whole slew of indictments were handed down. When Genovese passed away the Pittsburgh Cosa Nostra was all but extinct and now it is deemed dead by the FBI.
Just for historical accuracy, I felt the need to post a correction of a post from a few years ago. The Volpe brothers weren't from New Kensington, they were from Wilmerding. A couple of the surviving brothers at one time owned Rainbow Gardens amusement park.
However, John Bazzano lived in New Kensington for a while before he moved to Pittsburgh. He's buried there. And after his death, his wife moved the family back to NK.
Great stuff. I've been researching a relative of mine with ties to Grosso and the Pittsburgh mob. Frank Bruno was an elected "Alderman" in Allegheny County. He was tried by Dick Thornburg in the 70's for accepting protection money from Tony Grosso. That money allegedly went to then Sherrif Eugene Coon. Bruno did prison time on multiple occasions. Always involved with shady characters. The county government was so corrupt and mobbed up. Anybody have any info on the 70's Pgh. mob, Frank Bruno or Eugene Coon?
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One thing I've been curious about is whether mafia activity will return now that Pittsburgh's economy is improving. Or is that a closed chapter in Pittsburgh's history?
One thing I've been curious about is whether mafia activity will return now that Pittsburgh's economy is improving. Or is that a closed chapter in Pittsburgh's history?
I'd say its probably a closed chapter and it has little to do with an improved or depressed economy.
Corporate stores aren't going to pay protection, independent shopkeepers aren't likely to be intimidated either. If independents aren't intimidated by Wal-mart, they sure as heck aren't going to be anxious to kneel before a new Black Hand in town.
Gambling is now corporate and state owned. Drug traffic is controlled by street gangs and outlaw bikers.
Unions are in decline.
Unless the Cosa Nostra finds a lot of new sustainable rackets, they won't be making a comeback.
If the mafia was back to da Burgh and the the near by counties what neignborhoods would they control? Maybe McKees Rocks, Esplen, Sharpsburg, Greenfield, Brentwood, and parts of Mon Valley./? A good portion of their old territories like Larimer, McKeesport PA, Garfield, Arnold PA, New Kensington PA, East Dutchtown, etc have been replaced by street gangs & d-boy clicks so it wouldnt be as an epidemic like it was way back when. Personally I think if they mafia ever sprouted back up again they'd just be an underground group of pot dealers that would call themselves the "Costra Nustra""... But its an intersting thought...
My Dad ALMOST stuck his nose in Mafia business until my Mother "wised him up"
My father was a young engineer for Allegheny Ludlum in Brackenridge during the 1950's & 1960's, and apparently would frequent the Clubs in New Kensington after work on occasion. He was a trumpet player and had a band in his youth, so he was attracted by the great jazz bands that used to play at the clubs. Of course, he also enjoyed unwinding after work with a few beers. Apparently he frequented these clubs enough to become acquainted with Gabriel "Kelly" Mannarino. I was a "knee-high" at the time having been born in 19955, so I was not aware of any of this activity at the time... BUT even years later when my father would start to tell some stories about those times, my mother's cold stare was usually enough to shut him up. I never did get to hear "everything," but I remember some details about a particular night he described which I had always thought was a tall tail, until reading this message board thread and doing some Internet research....
And apparently his story was true, despite how outlandish it sounded... similar to another story he used to tell, about how he quarterbacked his team to victory over George Blanda... which was true! My dad freely admitted that George was a much better athlete/quarterback than he, but that Mount Pleasant fielded a much larger team than the "little town over the mountain" - Youngwood could. My dad was actually recruited his senior year from the marching band to play quarterback for his high school because all the older athletes had voluntarily joined the Army to fight the Nazi's in WWII. My dad always insisted that George's younger brother Paul... the only other decent player for Youngwood, was a better football player than George! My father had many "tall tales" like this..... seemingly more than any one person could possibly have experienced - sort of like Forrest Gump! Yet my mother's reaction to his New Kensington Mafia stories lets me know that these seemingly unlikely tales are also true...
As the story goes... my father finally talked my mother into getting a babysitter for us kids so she could discover the New Kensington jazz scene that my father was raving about (or using as an excuse to down a few brews after work?). Being that she also was a musician and loved Jazz, she finally relented and was excited about having a night on the town, like before they had children. Once at the club, my Dad enjoyed introducing my mother to all the friends he had at the Clubs, which apparently included "Kelly" Mannarino... no problem with the story up until this point... and THEN my Dad would go on a tangent with the story... claiming that he and my mother somehow ended-up at some small airport with Mannarino... and they blinked their head-lights as a signal... and then some trucks appeared out of the darkness and men began loading-up an airplane with machine guns & rifles! Apparently they were being smuggled to Cuba in an attempt to arm an insurrection against Castro, or some similarly bizarre plot! My father only causally knew Mannarino, so I have no idea how the night's agenda escalated to such activity... and neither did my mother. She litterally gave my father HELL... and he was NEVER allowed to stop in New Kensington after work for some beers afterwards.
Unfortunately my father died several years ago, so I cannot get anymore details from him - I used to ignore them when he told the story, thinking that it was an exaggeration. However my mother is still living, and I am sure she could provide more details if anyone is interested in learning them.
One thing I've been curious about is whether mafia activity will return now that Pittsburgh's economy is improving. Or is that a closed chapter in Pittsburgh's history?
I was around some activity in the '90's. Remember seeing some of the members with a local motorcycle gang with some of the big names of the mafia in our area. They used to work together and meet at a place very close to my parent's home. I was in there having a beer one time and lots of motorcycle 1%'ers walked in for a meeting with some very well dressed men. I paid my bill and left, but wasn't overly worried, just didn't want to be around. I remember the big bust and knew a few people that knew some of the guys. It was sort of odd that so many would go down.
For the record I am no as convinced as most on here that all this is over. I think it is still around, but very quiet. The motorcycle gang is alive and well and last I heard growing. There was a big decline, but not in this past year. I just saw them on the way to work last month. They must have some size requirement or something. I mean, I am a big guy, but would be very small if I was a member of that gang. Anyway, I think there is activity, but not out in the open. No one could convince me otherwise.
Anyway, I think there is activity, but not out in the open.
Yep, you still have some of the older folks running numbers/cards, etc. The art is slowly dying off, but can be found in traditional ma & pa neighborhoods. Most of the ones doing it are in their 70s-80s.
As far as the prostitution & drugs with mafia ties, I think it is limited to strip clubs.
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