As the top Mafia don in Ohio's Mahoning Valley, he presided over the killings and disappearances in and around Youngstown from his farm in nearby Canfield, where he tended his gardens and ate. AAA: Gas prices continue to fall in Ohio. "I don't think about it too much," he says, slapping his hand on his desk with a sense of finality. May 20, 2021 " Disgraced former Youngstown (OH) mob don Lenny Strollo died of natural causes this week at the age of 91, living quietly in the shadows of his old mafia kingdom forced to wear the scarlet letter of a cooperator. The second shot missed Gains but hit his caller ID box, knocking out his home phone. A major drug offender who went to prison for a 1996 mob assassination has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for cocaine and heroin possession and trafficking and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. The balance of power changed irrevocably in 1976, when Cleveland don John Scalish died unexpectedly during open-heart surgery without having named a successor. Buffoons and incompetents succeed to important civic posts. Strollo helped fix the case because he believed Turnage to be one of Altschuler's main guys, i.e. On August 9, 1982, Traficant was indicted for accepting bribes and filing a false income tax return. That's why he accepted the deal and broke omerta--the code of silence he took in Pittsburgh twelve years earlier--and why he could be out of prison in twelve to fifteen years, if his health allows it. "And can you tell us what role you played in that murder?" Instead, he deferred to the government, represented by Craig S. Morford, an assistant U.S. attorney. Once out of prison, Strollo will be on three years' supervised release and must do 250 hours community service. One longtime Strollo friend says Danny always cared much more about his winemaking hobby than he did about the mob rackets. one of the men who participated in Strollo also fingered Riddle and Turnage, black street thugs Strollo had used to recruit drug dealers to gamble in the various card and dice games controlled by the Youngstown mob. Tags: Mafia, Members Only, mob, ohio, ohio mafia, ohio mob, pittsburgh, pittsburgh mafia, Pittsburgh mob, scott burnstein, tiny, youngstown, youngstown mafia, youngstown mob. "It was a tough time for me. With Morford just a few feet away, Milano breezily predicted a happy end for the Youngstown don. Addresses. Strollo said he had his brother pay Campbell police chief Charles Xenakis $500 a month for three years and claimed that Campbell Law Director Mike Rich fixed numerous cases for him. The county prosecutor said maybe getting shot was worth it because what followed was the dismantling of a corrupt organization. He was 89 years old. It was a place of conflict and collaboration as it was considered Pittsburg's turf. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. "Jeff Riddle said, going into this case, 'Don't make me a snitch, and make my accusers look me in the eye,'" Milano says. O'Nesti and Rich pleaded guilty to conspiracy in March 1998. Of the 46 people indicted from a four-year FBI probe of organized crime and corruption in the Mahoning Valley, 42 people took plea bargains, including Lenine "Lenny" Strollo, a made man in the Pittsburgh Mafia who ran the Youngstown rackets. Try again later. The government was able to build its case by convincing lower-echelon criminals to roll over on their superiors. The narrow two-story homes all sorely need fresh coats of paint. Strollo spent 13 years behind bars. "The economy was down, so they needed high rollers to play," Assistant U.S. Attorney James Wooley says. It's a rare moment for the kid who swept floors to put himself through Catholic high school and served as president of the Youngstown Fraternal Order of Police. Dee leaves to cherish her memories, her beloved sisters Jennie Dundee and Vilma Cramer as well as her loving brother and sister-in-law Lenny (Antoinette) Strollo. One year before he died, though, Prato offered Naples and Strollo official induction into La Cosa Nostra. Dee was also the cherished aunt of many nieces and nephews as well as a great aunt and great-great aunt of many more. Turnage, 27, seemed terrified, while 39-year-old Riddle, who hoped to become the first black man ever inducted into the Mafia, appeared amused--either too cocky or too stupid to realize he was about to be sent away for life. Vericora and the data available through this service may not be used to make resolutions about consumer employment, insurance, credit, housing or for any other goals that would require FCRA compliance. Gains, gunned down in his Boardman home Dec. 24, 1996 -- on Strollo's order -- spoke at the Canfield Township man's sentencing Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Court documents show that the 1995 Super Bowl raid Strollo dismissed as an annoyance actually provided the springboard to the investigation that made a defector out of the Strollos and Garono and sent Altshuler, Riddle, and Turnage to prison for life. "Lenny will be on a beach with a couple of blondes and a bag full of hundred-dollar bills, waving, saying, 'No, Bernie, I'll never give you up,'" Milano said with a grin on his face, clearly amused by the image. Even though the mob lost its grip on the local government after Lenny Strollo turned state's witness in 1999, corruption still persists in Youngstown. The Pittsburgh crime family, [3] also known as the LaRocca crime family [4] or Pittsburgh Mafia, is an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Make sure that the file is a photo. "[Strollo's mob] knew they were being watched," says Wooley, pointing out that, even after the 1995 Super Bowl raid, the mobsters continued their gambling and bribery and went ahead with the shootings of Biondillo and Gains. Information he provided Strollo provided information about a number of unsolved homicides and about La Cosa Nostra activities in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit and New York, Morford said. Judge O'Malley, meanwhile, permitted Melissa Biondillo Rich of Boardman to give a victim-impact statement. Convinced that Traficant was responsible for her husband's disappearance, Carabbia's widow approached the FBI with conversations Carabbia had secretly recorded between himself and Traficant. 25020 Divot Dr, Bonita Springs, FL 34135, lived here in 2017 $1,360: C. 21825 . But in March 1996, five months before the Biondillo killing, the unthinkable happened. The indictments included two Clevelanders. "Approximately when did this occur? How long after you were released from the halfway house?". He became a government witness in 1997 after an arrest for . Blair and Wilkins sprayed shotgun pellets and slugs through the rolled-up windows, essentially blowing Biondillo's face off in a bloody gangland execution. YOUNGSTOWN - A former mob boss whose criminal enterprise helped earn Youngstown the name "Crimetown U.S.A" before turning federal witness has died at age 90. Later, Strollo, standing to address the judge, his voice faltering, offered apologies to anyone he'd hurt intentionally or unintentionally and apologized to the court. Read More. Morford, in explaining the extent of Strollo's cooperation to Judge O'Malley, said whatever information he provided was "like money in the bank." As if bribes and campaign contributions weren't enough, one of Strollo's own lawyers, Gary Van Brocklin, was elected to that office in 1984. Under questioning from Morford, Strollo described his induction ceremony, which Strollo said was attended by alleged Pittsburgh crime boss Michael Genovese, among others. The bullet entered and exited Gains's arm, then entered his side and went through his back, exiting near the spine. Featured She said his federal time will include safety considerations to protect him from those he testified against and will run concurrent with two concurrent 10-year state prison terms. Lawyers, FBI agents, federal marshals, reporters, and family members dutifully filed into Judge Kathleen O'Malley's first-floor courtroom. Strollo spent 13 years behind bars, convicted of bribes, money laundering and. Rivals, Drugs, and Money He should know. By Gangsters Inc. Add to your scrapbook. There is a problem with your email/password. February 27, 2023, 5:15 PM. 2023 Rossi & Santucci Funeral Home. Bulger, who viewed the killing of rivals and others who displeased him as just another day in the office, will die with only his demons at his bedside. Prosecutors believe Chance was one of several public officials connected to Lenine "Lenny" Strollo, the area's alleged mob boss who goes on trial Feb. 16 with four co-defendants on a host of. Cleveland Taco Week returns on Monday, April 10th. "I couldn't believe there was a place as corrupt as Mahoning County," Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Stiller said as she left Judge O'Malley's courtroom. On August 19, 1991, as Naples was checking on construction of his new mansion in bucolic Beaver Township, Pennsylvania, a sniper hiding in a nearby cornfield shot him dead. "One prominent member of the community actually said to me, 'Yeah, he was a good guy who wanted to clean house, so of course they shot him,'" says Mark Shutes, an anthropology professor at Youngstown State University. He became a government witness in 1997 . The Strollos were a major force in the Youngstown underworld in the 1970s through to the early 1990s, controlling gambling and extortion rackets. The funeral home handling arrangements on Thursday confirmed Lenine "Lenny" Strollo's death. Morford said he found Strollo to be the most cooperative and productive witness he'd seen in 20 years as a prosecutor. She enjoyed crocheting, cooking and baking for her family and friends and made the best biscotti for everyone. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Morford said that Mahoning County, when the organized crime investigation began in 1994, was corrupt, violent and out of control. 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Jul 16, 2020 - Explore Joe Ortiz's board "Youngstown mob" on Pinterest. The line was dead. Lenny was blessed with a very large and loving family. Strollo told of having cases fixed for Riddle, Turnage, and Harris. During that trial, Traficant's friend Charles O'Nesti testified he delivered envelopes of cash to Traficant from Prato. Strollo had met Altshuler in the mid-1970s, when they set up a craps game together. A system error has occurred. Gains left there at about 1 a.m. and stopped to buy cigarettes and cat food before he went home. Thanks for your help! In 1997, a Pittsburgh jeweler paid Wilkins $255 for a ring. The quarter-mile, one-way street, just east of downtown, has almost as many cars on blocks as it has houses, and certainly more dogs than people. Friends say Strollo always despised the FBI. Watch the Scribbler podcasts about Strollo and the a. He'll die of a heart attack with two bimbos in Barbados.". Armstrong, who over the years has been in touch with this writer, spent 25 months behind bars; Strollo and Serman got six years apiece, but they stayed out on appeal for a time. Our support in your time of need does not end after the funeral services. In lieu of flowers and to honor Dees life, the family requests material donations be made to Hospice of the Valley, 5190 Market St., Boardman, Ohio 44512. Gains's office is in the Mahoning County Courthouse, a magnificent four-story building erected in 1908. After he retired from the FBI, Lynch talked to this writer about Armstrongs role in the crackdown of government corruption and organized crime. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) - Notorious Youngstown mob boss Lenny Strollo has died. That raid led to Youngstown gambler Michael Sabella, who six months later agreed to wear an FBI wire and record his conversations with bookie Michael Serrecchio. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. New York EDINA M. 'DEE' STROLLOCANFIELD - There will be a Mass of Christian Burial held on Monday, Jan. 30, 2017, at 11 a.m. at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 7345 Westview Drive in Boardman, with Father Philip Rogers officiating for Edina M. Dee Strollo, 87, who passed away peacefully Thursday morning, Jan. 26, 2017, with her loving family by her side.Dee will always be remembered and loved by her family and friends for her generosity and kindness. Its marble pillars and ornate gold, green, and maroon fixtures give the building an air of nobility. On May 17, 1977, Nardi was blown to bits when a car packed with explosives was detonated next to his in the parking lot of the Teamsters building. When his stepson was charged with a DUI, Strollo said he took care of Judge Martin Emrich by having landscaping work done at his house. Indeed, he testified on behalf of the mob boss and Serman. May 20, 2021 YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) A former mob boss whose criminal enterprise helped earn Youngstown the name "Crimetown U.S.A" before turning federal witness has died at age 90. Lenine "Lenny" Strollo, 90, of Youngstown, was called home on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Riddle's ex-wife, Angela Scott, entered the courtroom wearing piles of gaudy gold chains around her neck, a stud in her nose, and a football jersey with the word "naughty" emblazoned across her ample back. "I kept questioning why. The ambush flashed into Cleveland's first mob war, which left four Lonardos and seven Porrellos dead. The list of bribes--a story in itself--is long and colorful. Local Mandy Jenkins, digital news pioneer who founded Mahoning Matters, dies at age 42. "While you feel victimized, you are not a true victim within the meaning of the law," the judge told Rich. Strollo pleaded guilty to racketeering and tax charges . Three hours later, following stiff federal sentencing guidelines that left her with little choice, O'Malley sentenced the trio to life in prison. Please try again later. South Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. The only ones who didn't cop a plea, he noted bitterly, were "two shines and a Jew.". Weekly payouts! Further information withheld at the owner's request. The moment Biondillo was trapped, they pulled down their ski masks, brandished shotguns, and rushed his car. Movies This is a carousel with slides. This website no guarantee about the precision of the information accessible. February 28, 2023, 5:00 AM. One of the victims was Charles Carabbia, whose older brother Ronnie palled around with Edward DeBartolo Jr. until Ronnie was convicted in 1979 of flipping the switch that killed Greene. Or, in this case, as a group of small-time flunkies from downstate who turned out to be a bunch of squealers and chumps. 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