The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia: Corn Sugar and Blood

This enduring and fascinating chronicle of the Cleveland Mafia was written after the author's many years of research into the murders of his grandfather and three uncles, who were mob bosses. The seven Porrello brothers and four Lonardo brothers, former boyhood friends in Licata, Sicily, had a wholesale lock on corn sugar, a lucrative bootleg ingredient during Prohibition.

After a rogue business manager sparked the infamous Sugar War, teenager Angelo "Big Ange" Lonardo emerged to commit a boldly executed murder. The Porrello brothers attempted to secure their leadership by hosting the first known national meeting of the Sicilian-American Mafia. Meanwhile, bloody vendettas continued. Eventually, the Porrellos were succeeded by the powerful Mayfield Road mob. Its bosses, Frank Milano, Al Polizzi, and later, John Scalish, were allied with influential Jewish mobsters like Moe Dalitz. During the 1930s, the Cleveland crime family was third in power after those in New York City and Chicago and would have a role in developing Las Vegas.

Through the years, Big Ange Lonardo rose through the ranks to become the acting boss. After mob foe Danny "the Irishman" Greene was blown up, local, state, and federal law enforcement cooperated in successfully prosecuting the once-mighty Cleveland Mafia. Lonardo received a life sentence. However, he shocked friends, fellow mobsters, and lawmen when he cut a deal for his freedom. At the time, he was the highest-ranking Mafioso to betray omerta, the Sicilian code of silence. His testimony helped the FBI and federal prosecutors wreak havoc on crime families and their bosses across the U.S. and provided an insider's history of the American Mafia.

Author: Rick Porrello
Publisher: Rick Porrello
Published: 08/01/2023
Pages: 246
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.74lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.52d
ISBN: 9798987831205

About the Author
Porrello, Rick: - Rick Porrello, a former police chief with Mafia roots, has a knack for writing books that attract interest from filmmakers. His first book was the product of curiosity about the murders of his grandfather and uncles. He is the author of To Kill the Irishman, adapted for the film Kill the Irishman. He has several other book and film projects in development including his coming-of-age memoir, Just Play Like You Do in the Basement (Nov. 2025) about playing drums with the legendary performer Sammy Davis, Jr.