All language subtitles for Gangland Chronicles S01E12 1080p WEB h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

[♪]

Gangs rule their territories
through ruthless enterprises,

fear,

and a strict code.

Deviate from this code

or challenge their power,

and retribution soon follows...

especially for the calculating

and innovative Cleveland Mafia.

This disciplined outfit

builds an impressive
money-making empire,

only for it to collapse
into ruin.

[sirens wailing]

Here are three stories

from one of the mob's
most industrious crime families.

First,
the Cleveland Mafia bets big

on a risky new venture
in the West.

[Schumacher]
Banks did not want to invest

in Las Vegas,

so it was the mob
that brought that money here.

[Narrator]
Next, an unexpected death

jeopardizes
their control over Cleveland.

The whole thing falls apart
to this total chaos.

[Narrator] Finally,
a member of the family

breaks the code of silence

and exposes the inner workings
of the entire American Mafia.

[Jarroush] It doesn't
matter what the deal is.

You don't snitch, you don't rat.

[Narrator]
These are the stories

from the Cleveland Mafia.

This is Gangland Chronicles.

1944.

Cleveland, Ohio.

After building a fortune
on bootlegging

during Prohibition,

the Cleveland Mafia
expands their operation

in every direction.

[Monastra] Whether
it was from extortion,

the numbers racket,

fixing races at the racetrack,

the Cleveland Mob

dealt in dealing
with whatever they could

to make a buck.

[Narrator] Their numerous
criminal enterprises

are overseen
by Cleveland's shrewd boss,

John Scalish.

John Scalish was known

for being very careful
in his business affairs.

He was focused on the money.

[Congeni Fitzsimmons]
The Cleveland family

tended to want to have one foot

in their organized crime
activities,

and one foot
in legitimate businesses.

[Narrator] But beneath

the appearance
of respectability,

the Cleveland Mafia is ruthless

and cunning.

My grandfather, Frank Brancato,

his legitimate job
was as a car salesman,

but he was a bank robber
and a murderer.

The violence did happen
when it needed to happen,

but the murders are usually
very well planned

and not detected.

[Narrator] Cleveland keeps
its crimes under wraps

by strict observance of Omertà,

the Mafia code of silence.

Once you started talking
about the family business,

it could be your life.

[gunshot]

[Narrator]
Scalish's key advisor,

or consigliere,

is Milton Rockman,

leader of
the Jewish Crime Syndicate.

[Monastra] Milton Rockman
had the connection

in the major cities
of organized crime.

People knew who he was.

[Narrator] Through Rockman,

the Cleveland Mob adds casinos
across Ohio and Kentucky

to their growing list
of cash businesses.

Gambling became
just a centerpiece

of the Cleveland Mob's revenue.

[bells ringing]

[Narrator]
With some local casinos

pulling in
as much as $300,000 a week,

almost four million today,

the Cleveland Mob
is raking it in.

Now they have their eyes
on an even bigger payout,

but it requires a big gamble.

1949.

Las Vegas.

Seeing unlimited potential,

Mafia outfits
from coast to coast

start investing
in this tiny desert town,

but the Cleveland Mob hasn't...

at least, not yet.

Milton Rockman
spots an opportunity

with the Desert Inn,

a casino resort

that is the brainchild

of entrepreneur Wilbur Clark,

but there's a catch...

the resort is only half built.

[Schumacher] Wilbur Clark

did not have the capital
he needed

to complete the Desert Inn.

[Narrator] Rockman pitches
John Scalish on investing,

but the stakes are high.

The Desert Inn
needs a big influx of cash

just to open its doors...

$1.3 million,

16.8 million today.

[Monastra] John was hesitant

about putting the money into it

because you're investing
in outside business

that you can't control.

[Narrator] Other Mafia outfits

have been burned by Vegas...

perhaps none more famous

than the New York Mafia's
disastrous financing

of Bugsy Siegel's
Flamingo Hotel.

The Flamingo cost a lot more

than it was supposed to.

[Monastra]
The New York families got upset

over what was happening there.

[Narrator] Bugsy Siegel
is mysteriously murdered.

Some believe he paid the price
for losing Mafia money.

Now Wilbur Clark
has to make sure

he can deliver
on the Desert Inn.

[Green] When you are a part
of a business with the Mob,

if you cross them,

there's a pretty good chance
you're in serious trouble.

[Narrator] 1950.

Las Vegas, Nevada.

Backed by money
from the Cleveland Mafia,

entrepreneur Wilbur Clark
completes construction

on his hotel casino,

the Desert Inn.

Will Clark be able to satisfy
his investors,

or will its open flop...

[gunshot]

like Bugsy Siegel's Flamingo?

The Desert Inn opened
April 24th, 1950...

[♪]

...and it was a hit right away.

[Narrator] But Wilbur Clark
is not out of the woods yet.

He needs to make sure
the Desert Inn pays off big

for his Mafia backers.

As long as Clark
is not being a problem,

he's fine,

and that's really

how you have to deal
with organized crime,

but don't cross them.

[Narrator] Wilbur Clark
keeps the Cleveland Mafia happy

with a cut of the Desert Inn's
cash profits,

$40,000 a month.

That's almost $5 million a year
today.

What you were seeing
with Las Vegas

was big money right off the bat,

and this went on for years.

[Narrator]
Despite taking control

over a portion of Vegas,

unexpected events

threaten their grasp
over Cleveland.

May 26, 1976.

Cleveland, Ohio.

[medical monitors beeping]

Cleveland Mafia boss
John Scalish

undergoes
a scheduled heart procedure.

[Monastra]
Open heart surgery in '76

was a major concern,

but the doctor said
it went well.

[monitor flatlining]

Unfortunately,

John died in the recovery room.

[Narrator] There's even more
shocking news.

No one knows

who the next boss
of the Cleveland Mafia will be.

[Schumacher]
The fact that Scalish

had not named a successor,

it left a void in Cleveland

that a number
of different people

wanted to fill.

[Narrator]
But there's a problem.

For years,

John Scalish hasn't been
making new members,

and pickings are slim.

In the running to lead
the Cleveland Mafia

are veteran capo
James Licavoli...

the wild card,
local union brass John Nardi,

who was not recognized
as a full member

of the Cleveland Mafia...

John Nardi was always angry,

always looking for a fight.

[Narrator] ...and the favorite,

Scalish's underboss,

Angelo Lonardo.

But Milton Rockman
threw a bomb into the mix.

Scalish wanted James Licavoli
to take over.

[Narrator] But while the rest
of the Cleveland Mob

pledges loyalty to Licavoli,

John Nardi refuses.

Nardi was not going
to play by the rules

of the Cleveland family.

He was going to fight

to try to get
that job of the boss.

[Monastra]
John Nardi needed an ally

that hated
the Cleveland organization

as much as he did,

and that was Danny Greene.

[Narrator] Danny Greene
is an Irish American mobster.

His ambition
and love of violence

makes him the perfect partner
for John Nardi.

[Schumacher] Danny Greene
had great aspirations

to take over the rackets
from the Italian Americans,

so from the Cleveland
Mob standpoint,

he needed to be eliminated.

[Narrator] But in the battle
for Cleveland,

it's John Nardi and Danny Greene
who strike first.

August 22, 1976.

Police find the car

of Cleveland underboss

Leo Moceri.

The trunk is covered in blood.

[Congeni Fitzsimmons] There was
never any trace of a body,

but there was bragging

that Danny Greene asked Nardi
to kill Leo Moceri.

[Narrator]
Licavoli vows revenge,

igniting an all-out war
with Nardi and Greene.

It was just a free-for-all

of who could kill who first.

[Narrator] As the body count
rises on both sides,

the struggle for control
of the city's underworld

puts the Cleveland Mafia's
empire at risk.

[Narrator] 1976.

Cleveland, Ohio.

The deadly battle

between new Mafia boss
James Licavoli

and challengers Danny Greene
and John Nardi

explodes across the city.

There were 31 bombings
in that timeframe.

[Schumacher] Cleveland
became a chaotic violent mess

for several years

when everybody
was vying for this power.

[Narrator] May 17, 1977.

After several failed attempts,

Cleveland Mob boss
James Licavoli

gets another chance
to take out John Nardi.

The Mafia retaliates

by getting Nardi
in the quiet, small parking lot

by the Teamsters Union.

[Narrator] John Nardi's death

does nothing to stop his ally,
Danny Greene.

They tried to kill him
three times.

[Schumacher] Danny Greene
felt like he was invincible,

like he was a cat
with nine lives.

[Monastra] Licavoli was putting
more and more pressure

on his underlings

to get Danny Greene.

"Where is he?

What is he doing?

We have to get to him."

They were desperate.

[Narrator] October 6, 1977,

the Cleveland Mafia
takes their biggest risk yet.

Hitmen park a car
filled with dynamite

next to Danny Greene's car

while he's at
a dental appointment.

When they saw
Danny Greene coming out,

and he got into his car,

they hit the button
to detonate the bomb.

[Narrator] Danny Greene
dies in the explosion,

but the public display
of midday violence

leaves the Cleveland Mafia
exposed.

[Monastra] They got desperate,

doing it in broad daylight.

There were other people
in the area,

and they paid the price for it.

[Narrator] Eyewitness accounts

lead to the conviction
of three men

for Danny Greene's murder,

but Licavoli
remains untouchable.

[Congeni Fitzsimmons] There was
no way that anybody believed

that these three people
just on their own

had come up with this idea
to kill Danny Greene.

In the federal system,

we had better statutes

that we might be able
to get the higher-level people.

[Narrator] 1982.

Federal prosecutors
use the RICO statutes

to convict James Licavoli
and other Cleveland mobsters

with conspiracy to commit
the murder of Danny Greene.

[Congeni Fitzsimmons] Licavoli
never spoke to anyone in jail.

He followed Omertà.

[Narrator] With Licavoli
out of the picture,

Angelo Lonardo becomes
the mob's acting boss.

As he moves into the crosshairs
of federal prosecutors,

his actions
will soon seal the fate

of the Cleveland Mafia.

1982.

Federal prosecutors
go after what's left

of the Cleveland Mafia,

a handful of members

led by acting boss
Angelo Lonardo.

[Congeni Fitzsimmons]
To survive,

they made an alliance
with people

who would probably never
be part of a Mafia family.

They were more or less
career criminals,

especially
very involved in drugs,

and some of them
were very involved in murders,

and that's what led to my case.

[Narrator] In 1983,

federal prosecutors
convict Angelo Lonardo

on RICO charges

for overseeing a drug ring
and eight murders.

[Congeni Fitzsimmons]
At that time,

very few bosses had been
successfully prosecuted.

It was a huge thing nationally

that we had succeeded
in that way.

[Narrator] Angelo Lonardo
is sentenced to prison

for life.

[Monastra] Angelo Lonardo,

he was in his 70s at the time,

in 1983.

It was the pressure of

you're going to spend
the rest of your life in jail,

or do you want to get out
and live a peaceful life?

[Congeni Fitzsimmons]
One of the FBI agents

had been visiting him
and left a card,

and when he heard
that his appeal was denied,

he called that agent and said,

"Are you still there?"

Just those four words.

[Narrator] What he does next

sends shockwaves throughout
the American Mafia.

[Narrator] 1985.

Cleveland.

Faced with spending
his final years in prison,

acting mob boss Angelo Lonardo

calls the FBI,

saying he wants to talk.

The agents
immediately picked him up,

and he said, "I can tell you

about almost every Mafia boss
in the country."

[Narrator] Lonardo
and the government make a deal.

In exchange for his freedom,

Lonardo must testify

in any case
prosecutors demand...

but in saving himself,

Lonardo turns his back

on the Mafia's
most important rule.

One of the rules
when you're in the mob,

when you're in the Mafia,

is this rule of Omertà.

You don't snitch, you don't rat.

It doesn't matter
what the deal is.

He was one of
the highest-ranking Mafia bosses

ever to violate Omertà,

and come forward and say,

"I am going to tell you
everything I know

about this criminal underworld."

[Narrator] Lonardo is
a witness for the prosecution

in Mafia cases
in Chicago and Detroit,

and he's also a star witness

in the landmark Commission Trial

against New York's
Five Families

and the American Mafia's
national leadership.

[Schumacher] The decision
by Angelo Lonardo to flip

put the fear into mob bosses

all over the country,
really,

because Angelo Lonardo
knew people

in every city in America,

and he knew
what they were doing.

[Jarroush] He starts to talk
about how the Cleveland Mob

had teamed up with other outfits

from places like Chicago,
to Milwaukee, to Kansas City,

to not only
skim this money from casinos,

but then use that money

to further invest
the Mafia's interests

in the construction
of Las Vegas casinos.

[Monastra]
He gave the whole gamut

of what was going on
with this operation,

and that helped
to seal the fate

of I think it was
17 different mob guys

throughout the country.

[Congeni Fitzsimmons] Every
prosecution was successful,

and it's pretty much
the upper echelon

of each Mafia family
all across the country.

[Narrator] Finally,
as the last part of his deal,

Angelo Lonardo appears
before the US Senate in 1988,

publicly airing

the American Mafia's
secret inner workings.

My name is Angelo Lonardo.

I am 77 years old,

and I am a member
of La Cosa Nostra.

By pulling back the curtain

and sort of revealing
the Mafia politics

behind how decisions are made,

the government is now seeing

that this is
a multi-tiered organization

with numerous people involved.

That brought the limelight
to what the Mafia was all about,

from the skimming

and the drug-smuggling
aspects of it.

Angelo Lonardo gave it all,

which was something
to where I think

he was cleansing his own soul
for the things he did.

[Narrator] After
the bloody turf war of the 1970s

and the criminal cases
of the 1980s

take out
the Cleveland Mob leadership,

the airing of
its innermost secrets

deals a fatal blow

to this once thriving
criminal organization.

[Congeni Fitzsimmons] Having
the same boss for 32 years,

that was a great thing,

but it led to the whole thing
falling apart,

because a successor

who really probably
wasn't the most qualified

comes in,

and everything
that's happening around him

leads to some bad decisions

that really bring about
the fall of the entire family.

The rise and fall
of the Cleveland Mafia

pretty well follows the pattern
that we have seen

in other cities across America.

During the '50s, '60s, '70s,

this was really Peak Mob.

By the 1980s,
and certainly the 1990s,

the traditional
organized crime in America

was a shadow of its former self.