Milwaukee crime family

Milwaukee branch of the American Mafia

Criminal organization

Milwaukee crime familyFounded| c. 1918; 107 years ago (1918)

|

Founder| Vito Guardalabene
Founding location| Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Years active| c. 1918–2010s
Territory| Primarily the Milwaukee metropolitan area, with additional territory throughout Wisconsin, as well as Las Vegas
Ethnicity| Italians as "made men" and other ethnicities as associates
Membership (est.)| 4 made members (2024)[1]
Activities| Racketeering, skimming, gambling, narcotics, murder, extortion, prostitution, bookmaking, bribery, and loan sharking
Allies|

* Bonanno crime family
* Chicago Outfit
* Cleveland crime family
* Kansas City crime family
* Rockford crime family
* St. Louis crime family

Rivals| Various gangs in the Milwaukee area

The Milwaukee crime family, also known as the Balistrieri crime family or the Milwaukee Mafia, was an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[2] The organization maintained links to other Midwestern Mafia families, including those in Chicago and Kansas City,[3] and had over 50 "made" members at its peak.[1] The family's most influential boss was Frank "Mr. Big" Balistrieri, who took control of the organization in the early 1960s and was greatly involved in the skimming of revenue from Las Vegas casinos.[4][5] After the death of Balistrieri in 1993, the Chicago Outfit began gaining control over illegal rackets in the Milwaukee area.[6] The Milwaukee family ultimately ceased to exist as an independent organization and was largely absorbed by the Chicago family.[1][7]

## History

[edit]

### Origins

[edit]

Italian-American organized crime in Milwaukee originated in the city's Third Ward, which was home to the majority of Milwaukee's Sicilian population in the early 20th century.[8] The first known Mafia boss of Milwaukee was Vito Guardalabene, who immigrated to the United States from Santa Flavia, Sicily in 1903 and became naturalized U.S. citizen in 1911.[9] Guardalabene was mentioned in the memoirs of Nicola Gentile as being "the king" of the Little Italy community in Milwaukee's Third Ward circa 1915.[10] The syndicate headed by Guardalabene possibly originated as a branch of the Chicago Outfit.[6] Upon Guardalabene's death from natural causes on February 6, 1921, his son Giovanni Battista "Peter" Guardalabene became boss of the Milwaukee crime family until 1924, when he turned over control of the family to a distant relative, Giuseppe "Big Joe" D'Amato.[9] D'Amato died from pneumonia at the age of 41, on March 28, 1927.[9]

### Vallone, Ferrara and Alioto

[edit]

Following the death of D'Amato, the Milwaukee Mafia was led by Joseph Vallone, who immigrated to the U.S. from Prizzi, Sicily in 1907. Vallone was the co-owner, along with Pasquale Migliaccio, of a wholesale grocery company which supplied sugar and other moonshining ingredients during the Prohibition era. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, a number of Sicilian mafiosi from Chicago were inducted into the Milwaukee family after relocating to the area.[9] When the Commission was formed in 1931, it was decided that the Milwaukee family would remain under the control of and answer directly to the Chicago Outfit.[6] In the early 1930s, Vallone was among 45 defendants indicted by a federal grand jury for operating a regional bootlegging syndicate. Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Vallone and Migliaccio opened the Broadway Liquor Company.[9] Vallone retired from racketeering in 1949, and died from natural causes on March 18, 1952.[6]

Prior to his retirement, Vallone had groomed Salvatore "Sam" Ferrara, a relative and fellow native of Prizzi, to succeed him as boss of the Milwaukee family. In 1952, Ferrara became involved in a dispute with an underling, Frank Balistrieri, when he attempted to acquire an ownership share of the Ogden Social Club, a gambling venue owned by Balistrieri, to which Balistrieri resisted. Ferrara then expelled Balistrieri from the family, causing dissention in the Milwaukee Mafia.[9] The membership of the family subsequently deposed of Ferrara by vote and requested the intervention of the Chicago Outfit to oust Ferrara.[6] In November or December 1952, a panel of senior mobsters from Chicago responsible for overseeing the Milwaukee family, including Tony Accardo, Rocco Fischetti and Sam Giancana, ruled that Ferrara had abused his position and demoted him, installing Balistrieri's father-in-law, John Alioto, as the new boss. Balistrieri was subsequently reinstated as a member of the Mafia.[9]

The Milwaukee family's influence grew significantly under Alioto's leadership, particularly within the labor movement.[6] Alioto also introduced a leadership panel known as sagia to resolve disputes within the family. In 1954, John DiTrapani, a relative and godson of Sam Ferrara, along with Frank LoGalbo and Jack Enea, plotted to seize control of the family from Alioto. The rebellion was quelled with the murders of DiTrapani and Enea.[9] DiTrapani was shot and killed in his car on March 18, 1954,[11] and Enea was found shot to death in a ditch in Waukesha County on November 29, 1955.[12][13] LoGalbo survived by transferring from the Milwaukee family to a Chicago family crew in Chicago Heights, Illinois, although he continued to reside in Milwaukee under the protection of the Outfit.[9]

During his reign, Alioto reportedly groomed his son-in-law Frank Balistrieri to take control of the family when he retired.[6] According to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reports, however, Alioto may have been opposed to Balistrieri becoming boss at the time of his retirement. The catalyst for this change in policy may have been an extramarital relationship that Balistrieri reportedly had outside of his marriage with Alioto's daughter.[9] Nonetheless, Alioto attended a social function on December 27, 1961 which served as the official induction of Balistrieri as the new head of the Milwaukee family.[9]

### Balistrieri era

[edit]

1963 FBI La Cosa Nostra chart

At the time he became boss, Balistrieri was overseeing a lucrative loansharking racket, held a monopoly over illegal sports betting in Milwaukee, and also had significant influence in the vending machine business.[6] Seeking to increase the family's wealth and influence, Balistrieri imposed a "street tax" upon gambling racketeers as well as several legitimate businesses in Milwaukee, recruiting Joseph Gurera and Sebastian "Buster" Balestrere from Kansas City to enforce the protection racket. Balistrieri caused discontent in the family by promoting the newly-arrived Gurera to the rank of capodecina as well as abolishing the sagia process and ruling in an autocratic fashion. He was protected from any insurrection, however, by his close relationship with leaders in the Chicago Outfit, especially Felix "Milwaukee Phil" Alderisio.[9] From the 1960s until the 1980s, Balistrieri and his associates controlled almost a dozen bars, including some of Wisconsin's earliest gay bars.[14]

By the 1960s, the FBI had several informants in the Milwaukee Mafia, including Joseph Gurera and August "Augie" Maniaci.[8][15] The FBI also had an illegal wiretap planted in Balistrieri's office. In March 1967, Balistrieri was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to two years in federal prison.[16] He appointed his underboss and younger brother Peter Balistrieri to serve as acting boss during his absence. Balistrieri was released from the Federal Correctional Institution, Sandstone, Minnesota in June 1971.[6]

On September 11, 1975, Milwaukee mobster and FBI informant August Maniaci was shot and killed outside his home on the city's East Side after feuding with Balistrieri.[17] His brother, Vincent Maniaci, survived an attempted car bombing in August 1977 when twenty sticks of dynamite attached to his Buick Electra failed to explode.[18][19] Vincent Maniaci subsequently fled to Honolulu.[20]

In 1978, the FBI launched an undercover investigation into the Milwaukee family, with the FBI agent Gail T. "Ty" Cobb posing as a vending machine businessman using the undercover alias "Tony Conte".[21] Another undercover FBI agent, Joseph D. Pistone, who was investigating the Bonanno crime family of New York under the alias "Donnie Brasco", introduced Cobb to Bonanno family soldier Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggiero who, in exchange for a fee, assisted Cobb in establishing himself in the vending business.[22] Pistone visited Milwaukee several times in 1978 in an attempt to "form a marriage" between the Milwaukee and New York families.[23] Initially unaware that "Conte" was under the protection of the Bonanno family, Balistrieri allegedly assigned three men to kill Cobb because he had entered the vending business without his permission.[21] Ruggiero later arranged a meeting between Cobb and Balistrieri, at which Cobb obtained permission from Balistrieri to operate in Milwaukee.[22] Frank Balistrieri and his sons, John and Joseph, entered into an agreement with "Conte" in August 1978 in which they became silent partners in the Best Vending Company, an FBI front company.[24] Frank Balistrieri along with his two sons Joseph and John worked with Bonanno crime family capo Michael Sabella, and soldier Benjamin Ruggiero in extorting Best Vending Company from May 1978 to February 1979.[25] The Balestrieri's terminated the partnership in December 1978 due to their suspicions that "Conte" was a government agent.[26] The Milwaukee family did not report these suspicions to the New York or Chicago families, however.[23]

Fifteen members and associates of the Milwaukee and Bonanno families, including Balistrieri and his sons, were indicted by a federal grand jury on October 1, 1980 at the culmination of the FBI's three-year investigation.[27] On April 9, 1984, Frank, John and Joseph Balistrieri were convicted in federal court in Green Bay of attempted extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion.[28]

Simultaneous to the investigation into the vending business in Milwaukee, the FBI was also conducting Operation Strawman, a multi-state racketeering probe which focused on organized crime's infiltration of the casino industry in Las Vegas. Operation Strawman began in May 1978 and was carried out with the cooperation of the Justice Department's Organized Crime Strike Force as well as state and local law enforcement agencies.[29][30] Frank, John and Joseph Balistrieri were among 15 mobsters indicted in September 1983 in relation to the skimming of over $2 million from casinos in Las Vegas.[28] The Balistrieris and six other defendants went on trial in federal court in Kansas City beginning in September 1985.[31] On December 31, 1985, Frank Balistrieri pleaded guilty to racketeering charges related to the skimming of profits from the Stardust and Fremont casinos.[32] John and Joseph Balistrieri were each acquitted in the case.[33] Frank Balistrieri was sentenced to ten years in prison to run concurrently with his previous 13-year sentence.[31] During his imprisonment, Frank Balistireri appointed his brother, Peter Balistireri, acting boss.[6]

The Strawman investigation resulted in the convictions of nineteen senior mobsters and virtually eliminated the leadership of the crime families in Milwaukee, Chicago and Kansas City.[30] Balistrieri's imprisonment reportedly thwarted his appointment to the Mafia Commission.[34] Balistrieri was released from the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner, North Carolina in November 1991.[35] He died from a heart attack on February 7, 1993, at the age of 74.[35][34]

### Current status

[edit]

The Milwaukee family began to decline during Frank Balistrieri's imprisonment and continued to weaken following his death.[1] He was succeeded as head of the family by his brother and former acting boss, Peter Balistrieri, who died of natural causes on August 17, 1997. Joseph "Joe Camel" Caminiti, the former consigliere, then took control of the family.[6] As the Milwaukee family deteriorated, the Chicago Outfit assigned South Side capo and street boss John "Johnny Apes" Montelone to seize control of organized crime in Milwaukee.[36] By the late 1990s, the organization had less than 15 "made" members, and most of the lucrative rackets in the Milwaukee area had been taken over by the Chicago Mafia.[6]

Further diminished by attrition, the Milwaukee Mafia ceased to function as an independent family, and essentially became a faction of the Chicago Outfit, in the late 2000s and early 2010s.[1] Caminiti died, at the age of 87, on January 30, 2014.[36][37] Peter "Pitch" Picciurro, the last known titular boss of the family,[38] died on January 6, 2024, aged 94.[7] As of 2024, there are as many as eight "made" members of the family still living.[1]

## Historical leadership

[edit]

### Boss (official and acting)

[edit]

* 1918–1921 — Vito Guardalabene — died on February 6, 1921, from natural causes.[6][39]
* 1921–1927 — Peter Guardalabene — the son of Vito Guardalabene[6][40]
* 1927 — Joseph Amato — died of natural causes on March 28, 1927.[6][41]
* 1927–1949 — Joseph Vallone — retired from the rackets in 1949 and died of natural causes on March 18, 1952.[42]
* 1949–1952 — Sam Ferrara — in 1952 voted out by his family, so members of the Chicago Outfit forced him to step down.[6] Died in 1977.[9]
* 1952–1961 — John Alioto — trained his son-in-law Frank Balistrieri.[6][43]
* 1961–1993 — Frank "Mr. Big" Balistrieri — imprisoned March 1967-June 1971; imprisoned 1983-1991 involvement in Las Vegas skim racket. Died on February 7, 1993.[6]
* Acting 1967–1971 — Joseph Balistrieri Sr. — Frank's son and capo, became underboss in 1993.
* Acting 1983–1993 — Peter Balistrieri — Frank Balistrieri's brother and underboss.[6]
* 1993–1997 — Peter Balistrieri — died of natural causes on August 17, 1997[6]
* 1997–2014 — Joseph P. "Joe Camel" Caminiti — served as Frank Balistrieri's consigliere; died on January 30, 2014.[6][37]
* 2014–2024 — Peter "Pitch" Picciurro[38] — died of natural causes on January 6, 2024.[44]

### Underboss

[edit]

* 1927–1949 — Steven "Steve" DiSalvo — demoted in 1949, retired in the 1980s, deceased in the 1990s.
* 1952–1961 — Joseph Gumina — moved to Kansas City, deceased in the 1970s.
* 1961–1993 — Peter Balistrieri — became boss.
* 1993–2010 — Joseph "Joey Bal" Balistrieri Sr. — Frank's older son, deceased in 2010.[45]

### Consigliere

[edit]

* 1927–1952 — Vito Seidita — stepped down, retired in 1971, deceased in 1978.
* 1952–1961 — Carmelo "Charles" Zarcone — demoted in 1961, deceased in 1969.
* 1961–1997 — Joseph "Joe Camel" Caminiti — became boss.
* 1997–2014 — Peter "Pitch" Picciurro — became boss.
* 2014–2024 — John "Johnny Bal" Balistrieri — Frank's younger son, deceased on June 7, 2024.[45][46]

## Current members

[edit]

### Soldiers

[edit]

* John Candela — former member of the Madison crime family; transferred to the Milwaukee family after the family disbanded.[1]
* Joseph "JoJo" Fugarino — initiated into family in 1993 by Peter Balistrieri.[1]
* Dennis "Libby" LiBrizzi — former capo.[1]
* Giovanni "Johnny Italy" Safina — became a "made" member in 1984.[1]

## Former members

[edit]

* John "Johnny Bal" Balistrieri[38] — the younger son of Frank Balistrieri, the former boss of the Milwaukee family. John served as lawyer until 1984, when his license was suspended and he was later disbarred. In August 2014, John Balistrieri's application to reinstate his law license was rejected by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[47] He died on June 7, 2024.

* Peter "Pitch" Picciurro[38] — former family boss, the owner of Pitch's Lounge and Restaurant and blood relative to Frank Balistrieri.[48] The son of Milwaukee mobster John J. Picciurro and cousin to Frank and Peter Balistrieri. He died on January 6, 2024[49]

## List of murders committed by the Milwaukee crime family

[edit]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (May 2025)

|

Name | Date | Reason

|
|

John DiTrapani | March 18, 1954 | 40-year-old DiTrapani was shot six times in his Cadillac in the Third Ward of Milwaukee after leading an insurrection against family boss John Alioto.[9][11]
Jack Enea | November 29, 1955 | 46-year-old Enea, a co-conspirator of DiTrapani, was shot seven times and dumped in a ditch near Sussex.[12][13][9]
August Maniaci | September 11, 1975 | Maniaci, a 66-year-old FBI informant, was shot five times with a silenced pistol in an alley behind his home on the East Side of Milwaukee after he feuded with family boss Frank Balistrieri.[17][19][50]

## See also

[edit]

* August Palmisano

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Burnstein, Scott (2024-06-16). "How The Balistrieri Crime Family Turned Into A Wing Of The Chicago Mob: What's Left Of The Milwaukee Mafia In The 2020s". gangsterreport.com. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
2. ^ Peter J. Devico The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra. (pg.154-156)
3. ^ 3 Mob Families Linked to Teamsters Fund George Lardner Jr., The Washington Post (November 22, 1985) Archived March 24, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
4. ^ United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Searches Conducted on March 8, 1980 Archived January 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ Who was Frank Balistrieri, Milwaukee's reputed organized crime boss? Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (July 24, 2024) Archived July 24, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Jay C. Ambler. "Milwaukee, WI Crime family" (2000) Rick Porrello's American Mafia.com
7. ^ a b Milwaukee Mob Godfather “Pitch” Picciurro Passes Away Peacefully At 94, Linked Back To Old Balistrieri Regime Scott Burnstein, The Gangster Report (January 10, 2024)
8. ^ a b The Milwaukee Mafia: An Interview With Gavin Schmitt Matthew J. Prigge, The Shepherd Express (March 9, 2015) Archived September 25, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Milwaukee (Balistrieri) Mob leaders Thomas Hunt, The American Mafia (2021) Archived February 6, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
10. ^ Mafia history and Nick Gentile Informer (October 18, 2020) Archived January 18, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
11. ^ a b Few Clues in Car Murder The Waukesha Freeman (March 19, 1954) Archived June 22, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
12. ^ a b Hunt Clues In Murder Of Jack Enea The Sheboygan Press (December 5, 1955) Archived June 22, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
13. ^ a b Slain hoodlum's body was dumped off in county Len Worzalla, The Waukesha Freeman (June 3, 1972) Archived June 22, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
14. ^ Did the Mafia control Wisconsin's earliest gay bars? Radio Milwaukee (August 2, 2022) Archived June 1, 2025, at archive.today
15. ^ 'Joey G' drops a dime and a body or two Edmond Valin, The American Mafia (2019) Archived December 11, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
16. ^ A renowned attorney. A powerful mob boss. The untold story of how Franklyn Gimbel won an early case against Frank Balistrieri Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (January 17, 2024) Archived January 17, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
17. ^ a b My cousin was killed by a car bomb in Milwaukee. A mob boss was the top suspect. Now, I’m looking for answers Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (January 17, 2024) Archived January 17, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
18. ^ Mob-Style Killing in Milwaukee Green Bay Press-Gazette (July 1, 1978) Archived June 25, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
19. ^ a b Two Chicago police officers suspected of making and selling pistol United Press International (September 30, 1980) Archived June 25, 2024, at archive.today
20. ^ Murder of a Tyrant Zach Brooke, Milwaukee Magazine (May 29, 2015) Archived March 31, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
21. ^ a b The Balistrieri Tapes, Part 9: "Undercover agent was target for Balistrieri's hit men" Mary Zahn and Bill Janz, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (January 17, 2024) Archived January 18, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
22. ^ a b United States of America v. Frank Peter Balistrieri, John H. Balistrieri, and Joseph P. Balistrieri Justia (May 21, 1985) Archived August 29, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
23. ^ a b How former undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, helped infiltrate the Milwaukee Mafia Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (January 17, 2024) Archived January 18, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
24. ^ Alleged conspiracy was option agreement: Balistrieri Racine Journal Times (March 24, 1984) Archived June 25, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
25. ^ "United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Frank Peter Balistrieri, John H. Balistrieri, and Joseph P.balistrieri, Defendants-appellants, 778 F.2d 1226 (7th Cir. 1986)". US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit - 778 F.2d 1226 (7th Cir. 1986) -- Argued May 21, 1985. Decided Nov. 20, 1985. Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc Denied Jan. 8, 1986. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
26. ^ Agent heard Balistrieri conversation Marshfield News-Herald (August 21, 1982) Archived June 25, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
27. ^ Balistrieri, two sons indicted by grand jury Ray Doherty, United Press International (October 1, 1981) Archived June 18, 2024, at archive.today
28. ^ a b Balistrieris found guilty of extortion Green Bay Press-Gazette (April 10, 1984) Archived June 25, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
29. ^ FBI tip led to Operation Strawman United Press International (October 16, 1983) Archived June 26, 2024, at archive.today
30. ^ a b FBI Milwaukee History fbi.gov Archived December 14, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
31. ^ a b Reputed Milwaukee Crime Figure Pleads Guilty in Kansas City Trial The New York Times (January 1, 1986) Archived August 27, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
32. ^ Reputed Mob Leader Enters Guilty Plea Los Angeles Times (January 1, 1986) Archived July 6, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
33. ^ 5 Reputed Crime Figures Convicted of Skimming Casino Receipts William Robbins, The New York Times (January 22, 1986) Archived February 3, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
34. ^ a b All in the Family: Frank Balistrieri’s Milwaukee Mafia Sarah Biondich, The Shepherd Express (September 30, 2009) Archived June 25, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
35. ^ a b Reputed Milwaukee Mafia don dies United Press International (February 8, 1993) Archived June 25, 2024, at archive.today
36. ^ a b Midwest Mafia on last leg with passing of Joseph Caminiti Dimaiolo Santolo, About the Mafia (July 1, 2014) Archived May 31, 2025, at archive.today
37. ^ a b Joseph P. Caminiti obituary Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (February 2, 2014) Archived May 31, 2025, at archive.today
38. ^ a b c d Santolo, Dimaiolo (November 12, 2014). "Milwaukee mafia boss Frank Balistrieri son to remain disbarred". Retrieved 8 January 2022. Archived May 31, 2025, at archive.today
39. ^ Schmitt, Gavin (25 October 2021). "Vito Guardalabene – Boss of the Milwaukee Mafia". MilwaukeeMafia.com.
40. ^ Schmitt, Gavin (26 October 2021). "Pete Guardalabene – Boss of the Milwaukee Mafia". MilwaukeeMafia.com.
41. ^ Schmitt, Gavin. "Joseph Amato – Boss of the Milwaukee Mafia". MilwaukeeMafia.com.
42. ^ Schmitt, Gavin (26 October 2021). "Joseph Vallone – Boss of the Milwaukee Mafia". MilwaukeeMafia.com.
43. ^ Schmitt, Gavin. "John Alioto – Boss of the Milwaukee Mafia". MilwaukeeMafia.com.
44. ^ "Obituaries in Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel". jsonline.com. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
45. ^ a b Karnopp, John Diedrich and Hope. "John Balistrieri, son of late Milwaukee organized crime boss Frank Balistrieri, dies at 75". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
46. ^ "John Joseph Balistrieri Obituary (1948-2024) | Milwaukee, WI". echovita.com. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
47. ^ Wisconsin Supreme Court rejects crime boss' son John Balistrieri bid to practice law, Journal Sentinel, August 12, 2014
48. ^ Westphal, Caleb (June 2, 2017). "178 consecutive Friday night fish fries and counting: Pitch's Lounge and Restaurant". Milwaukee Record. News Paper. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
49. ^ "Obituaries in Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel". jsonline.com. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
50. ^ New Mafia Killer: A Silenced .22 Time (April 18, 1977) Archived June 25, 2024, at the Wayback Machine

## Further reading

[edit]

* Schmitt, Gavin. Milwaukee Mafia. Arcadia, 2012. ISBN 0738594431
* Schmitt, Gavin. The Milwaukee Mafia: Mobsters in the Heartland. Barricade Books, 2015. ISBN 978-0962303265

## External links

[edit]

* American Gangland: Balistrieri Crime Family
* Dieland: The Milwaukee Family
* Milwaukee Mafia[unreliable source]

* v
* t
* e

Italian-American Mafia

* List of Mafia crime families
* Mafia bibliography

Families|

| Five Families of
New York City|

| Bonanno|

* Calabrian group
* Motion Lounge crew
* New Springville Boys
* Sicilian group

|

Colombo|

Colombo

Gambino|

* Baltimore Crew
* Ozone Park Boys

Genovese|

* 116th Street Crew
* Broadway Mob
* Greenwich Village Crew
* New Jersey faction
* Springfield faction

Lucchese|

* Brooklyn faction
* New Jersey faction
* Tanglewood Boys

East Coast|

* Buffalo
* DeCavalcante (Northern New Jersey)
* Patriarca (New England) (Angiulo's Boston crew)
* Philadelphia (10th & Oregon Crew)

Midwestern/Western|

* Chicago
* Detroit
* Kansas City
* Los Angeles

Mostly defunct|

* Bufalino (Northeastern Pennsylvania)
* Cleveland
* Colorado
* Dallas
* Genna (Chicago)
* Lanzetta (Philadelphia)
* Morello (Italian Harlem)
* D'Aquila (Little Italy, Manhattan)
* New Orleans
* Milwaukee
* Pittsburgh
* Rochester
* Rockford
* San Francisco
* San Jose
* St. Louis
* Trafficante (Tampa)

Structure|

| Chain of command|

* The Commission
* Boss
* Underboss
* Consigliere
* Caporegime
* Soldato
* Associate

|

Members (made men)|

* List of Italian-American mobsters
* List of Italian-American mobsters by organization

Terms|

* Initiation ritual
* Made man
* Bagman
* Black Hand
* Black Hand in Chicago
* Vendetta
* Capo dei capi (boss of bosses)
* Mustache Pete
* Omertà
* One-way ride
* Sixth Family
* Zips

Events|

| Meetings|

* Atlantic City Conference (1929)
* Havana Conference (1946)
* Apalachin meeting (1957)
* Palermo Mafia summit (1957)

|

Hearings|

* Kefauver Committee (1950–1951)
* Valachi hearings (1963)

Wars|

* Mafia–Camorra War (1914–1917)
* Castellammarese War (1929–1931)

Trials|

* Pizza Connection Trial (1985–1987)
* Mafia Commission Trial (1985–1986)

Closely related
and affiliated
organizations|

| Active|

* Luppino crime family
* Musitano crime family
* Papalia crime family
* Jewish Mafia
* Philadelphia Greek Mob
* Rizzuto crime family
* Sicilian Mafia
* Inzerillo Mafia clan
* Stidda
* Velentzas Organization

|

Defunct|

* Broadway Mob
* Bugs and Meyer Mob
* Bumpy Johnson gang
* New York Camorra
* Colacurcio Organization
* The Corporation
* Cotroni crime family
* The Council
* Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan
* Dutch Schultz Mob
* East Harlem Purple Gang
* Five Points Gang
* Forty-Two Gang
* Italian-American National Union
* Maceo Organization
* Marat Balagula gang
* Murder, Inc.
* National Crime Syndicate
* New Springville Boys
* Rudaj Organization
* South Brooklyn Boys
* Tanglewood Boys
* Unione Corse
* Westies
* Winter Hill Gang

Other topics|

| Government
operations|

* Collaborations between the United States government and Italian Mafia
* Operation Family Secrets
* Operation Old Bridge
* Operation Solare
* Operation Underworld
* Operation Wasteland

|

Crimes|

* French Connection
* Hired Truck Program
* Lufthansa heist
* Saint Valentine's Day Massacre
* Rochester bombings

Related articles|

* Barrel murder
* Buster from Chicago
* Cement shoes
* Shotgun Man

Category

* v
* t
* e

Organized crime groups in the United States

African-American|

* 31 Gang
* 39ers gang
* Bailey Boys
* Black Disciples
* Black Guerrilla Family
* Black Mafia
* Junior Black Mafia
* Black Mafia Family
* Black P. Stone Nation
* Bloods
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* Bloods
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* Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods
* Cedar Block Piru
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* Elm Street Piru
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* Pirus
* Sex Money Murder
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* United Blood Nation
* Byrd Gang
* CBL/BFL
* Chambers Brothers
* The Council
* Crips
* Grape Street Watts Crips
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* Nutty Blocc Compton Crips
* Rollin' 30s Harlem Crips
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* Rollin' 90s Neighborhood Crips
* South Side Compton Crips
* Venice Shoreline Crips
* D-Block Boys
* D.C. Blacks
* The Family
* Four Corner Hustlers
* Fruit Belt Gang
* Gangster Disciples
* OutLaw Gangster Disciples
* Hidden Valley Kings
* KUMI 415
* Lenox Street Boys
* LRGP
* Lucerne Street Doggz
* Metz Gang
* Miami Boys
* Mickey Cobras
* Orchard Park Trailblazers
* Savage Nomads
* Schuele Boys
* Somali Outlaws
* Supreme Team
* Vice Lord Nation
* Westmob
* Young Boys Inc.

East and
Southeast Asian|

* Asian Boyz (Southeast Asian)
* Bahala Na Gang (Filipino)
* Born To Kill (Vietnamese)
* Fullerton Boys (Korean)
* Menace of Destruction (Hmong)
* Satanas (Filipino)
* Tiny Rascal Gang (primarily Cambodian)
* Tokyo Boyz (Japanese)
* Yakuza (Japanese)

Chinese and
Chinese-American|

* Bamboo Union
* Big Circle Gang
* Black Dragons
* Chung Ching Yee
* Flying Dragons
* Four Seas Gang
* Fujianese organized crime
* Snakeheads
* Ghost Shadows
* Jackson Street Boys
* Ping On
* Tongs
* Bing Kong
* Four Brothers
* Hip Sing
* Hop Sing
* On Leong
* Suey Sing
* Ying On
* Triads
* 14K
* Sun Yee On
* Wo Hop To
* Wah Ching
* White Tigers

Hispanic and
Latin American|

* 10th Street Gang (primarily Hispanic, also African-Americans)
* 7th Street Gang
* Almighty Saints (primarily Hispanic, also Whites)
* Barrio Azteca (Mexican)
* The Corporation (Cuban)
* Dominicans Don't Play
* Fresno Bulldogs (Mexican)
* Ghetto Brothers
* Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos (primarily Mexican)
* Jheri Curls (Dominican)
* La Raza Nation (Mexican)
* Latin Counts (Mexican)
* Latin Eagles
* Latin Kings (Mexican / Puerto Rican)
* Maniac Latin Disciples
* Marielitos (Cuban)
* Mexican Mafia
* Mexikanemi
* MS-13 (Central American)
* Ñetas (Puerto Rican)
* Norteños (Mexican)
* Nuestra Familia (Mexican)
* Puro Tango Blast (Mexican)
* Savage Skulls
* Los Solidos
* Spanish Cobras
* Spanish Gangster Disciples
* Sureños (Mexican)
* 18th Street gang
* 38th Street gang
* Avenues
* Azusa 13
* Barriox13
* Culver City Boys
* El Monte Flores
* Florencia 13
* Logan Heights Gang
* OVS
* Playboys
* Puente 13
* Santa Monica 13
* Toonerville Rifa 13
* Varrio Nuevo Estrada
* Venice 13
* Vineland Boys
* Westside Locos
* White Fence
* Temple Street
* Texas Syndicate (primarily Mexican)
* Tren de Aragua (Venezuelan)
* Trinitarios (Dominican)
* Vatos Locos
* Young Lords

White American|

* Chicago Gaylords
* Dead Man Incorporated
* Dixie Mafia
* State Line Mob
* Popes
* Simon City Royals (primarily White, also Hispanics)

European-American|

* Albanian mafia
* Albanian Boys
* Rudaj Organization
* Greek mafia
* Philadelphia Greek Mob
* Velentzas crime family
* Polish Mob
* Russian mafia
* Serbian mafia

Irish-American|

* Irish mob
* Charlestown Gang
* Egan's Rats
* Gustin Gang
* Hogan Gang
* K&A Gang
* Mullen Gang
* North Side Gang
* Westies
* White Hand Gang
* Winter Hill Gang

Italian and
Italian-American|

* American Mafia
* Bufalino crime family
* Buffalo crime family
* Chicago Outfit
* Cleveland crime family
* Colorado crime family
* D'Aquila crime family
* Dallas crime family
* DeCavalcante crime family
* Detroit Partnership
* Five Families (New York City)
* Genna crime family
* Kansas City crime family
* Los Angeles crime family
* Lucchese crime family
* Milwaukee crime family
* Morello crime family
* New Orleans crime family
* Patriarca crime family
* Philadelphia crime family
* Pittsburgh crime family
* Rochester crime family
* San Francisco crime family
* San Jose crime family
* Seattle crime family
* St. Louis crime family
* Trafficante crime family
* 10th & Oregon Crew
* Broadway Mob
* Camorra
* New York City
* East Harlem Purple Gang
* Jousters
* Murder, Inc.
* 'Ndrangheta
* New Springville Boys
* Sicilian Mafia
* South Brooklyn Boys
* Tanglewood Boys

Jewish-American|

* Jewish Mob
* Bugs and Meyer Mob
* Eastman Gang
* Lenox Avenue Gang
* Murder, Inc.
* Odesa mafia
* The Purple Gang
* Yiddish Black Hand
* Zwi Migdal
* Israeli mafia
* Abergil crime family
* New York divorce coercion gang

Polynesian and
Native American|

* The Company
* Native Mob
* Red Skin Kingz
* Sons of Samoa
* Tongan Crip Gang

West and South Asian|

* Armenian Power
* Chaldean mafia
* Independent Soldiers
* Israeli mafia
* Punjabi mafia
* Turkish mafia
* VVT (Tamil)

West African|

* Cape Verdean organized crime
* Nigerian mafia

Outlaw motorcycle gangs|

* Bandidos
* Breed
* Brother Speed
* Devils Diciples
* Diablos
* Dirty Dozen
* El Forastero
* Free Souls
* Galloping Goose
* Grim Reapers
* Gypsy Jokers
* Hells Angels
* Red Devils
* Highwaymen
* Iron Horsemen
* Mongols
* Outlaws
* Black Pistons
* Pagans
* Sons of Satan
* Sons of Silence
* Vagos
* Warlocks (Florida)
* Warlocks (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
* Wheels of Soul

White supremacist|

* 211 Crew
* Aryan Brotherhood
* Aryan Brotherhood of Texas
* Aryan Circle
* Aryan Nations
* Aryan Republican Army
* Atomwaffen Division
* Combat 18
* The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord
* European Kindred
* Hammerskins
* Keystone United
* Lynwood Vikings
* Manson Family
* Nazi Lowriders
* The Order
* Public Enemy No. 1
* Soldiers of Aryan Culture
* Spook Hunters
* Universal Aryan Brotherhood
* Volksfront

See also
Gangs in the United States
List of gangs
Organized crime groups in the Americas
*[c.]: circa
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