Jack Dragna
Encyclopedia
Jack Ignatius Dragna was an American Mafia
member and Black Hander who was active in both Italy
and the United States
in the 1900s. He was active in bootlegging
in California during the Prohibition Era in the United States. In 1931, he succeeded Joseph Ardizzone
as the Boss
of the Los Angeles crime family
after Ardizzone mysterious disappearance and death in 1931. Both James Ragen and Earl Warren
dubbed Dragna the "Capone
of Los Angeles". Dragna remained the boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1931 until his death in 1956.
, Sicily
, on April 18, 1891. On November 18, 1898, Dragna came to America on the S. S. Alsatia
with his mother, older sister Giuseppa, and older brother Gaetano. They stayed in Brooklyn
with Antonio Rizzotti's family, also from Corleone. It is unknown when Dragna's father arrived in the United States. Dragna stayed in New York for ten years before returning to Sicily. As a young man, he joined the Italian Army
and later the Sicilian Mafia.
In 1914, Dragna returned to America. He appears to have had a relationship with Gaetano Reina
, who eventually would lead his own crime family in Manhattan
and the Bronx
. That same year, Dragna was a suspect in the murder of Jewish poultry
dealer Bernard Baff. After the killing, Dragna fled to California and assumed the name Charles Dragna. Dragna was extradited to New York, but never went on trial. In 1915, Dragna was arrested for Black Hand extortion of a Long Beach
man and served three years in prison. At the time of his extortion arrest, Dragna was using the alias Ignazio Rizzoto.
During the Prohibition Era
, Dragna and his brother Gaetano (now named Tom) ran extortion and illegal liquor distillation operations. Ignazio Dragna now became Jack Ignatius Dragna. In 1922, Dragna married Francesca Rizzotto. After his prison stint he worked closely with Joseph Ardizzone
, a prominent mobster in Los Angeles.
as boss of the Los Angeles crime family
. It was rumored that Dragna participated in Ardizzone's disappearance/death. The American Mafia
wanted to make inroads in California, and supported Dragna, as opposed to the "Mustache Pete
" Ardizzone. His brother Tom became his consigliere
, he also had several relatives working in the crime family, but aside from his brother, his nephew Louis Tom Dragna
(Tom's son) was the only other person heavily involved in the family.
As boss, Dragna's chief source of income came from extorting local bookmaker
s for "protection" money
, although he was also the main illegal gambling operator in the city. Other businesses including running gambling ship
s, a heroin smuggling operation, and collecting extortion money. His close supporters included Girolamo "Momo" Adamo
and John Roselli
. Roselli had been a member of the Chicago Outfit
, but left for California and worked with Dragna in gambling. In the 1950s, Roselli left California and became the Mafia's main representative in Las Vegas
. An old bootlegging associate of Dragna's, Anthony Cornero
ran gambling ship
s of the coast of California. Tommy Lucchese
, of the Lucchese crime family
, was Dragna's main contact in New York (and two were relatives according to Mickey Cohen
). Dragna also controlled unions in the laundromat business and dress importing companies.
, an associate of the New York Luciano crime family, relocated to the West Coast during the late 1930s, he started his own rackets and formed an uneasy relationship with Dragna. Siegel brought in much more income for the Los Angeles family and generated a great deal of respect, which Dragna resented. Although many sources speak of a rivalry between them, Dragna and Siegel worked closely together, especially at organizing a racing wire service on the West Coast.
In June 1947, the East Coast crime families murdered Siegel in Los Angeles due to his failure to properly manage the new Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. Mickey Cohen
, who had been serving as Siegel's bodyguard, immediately took over Siegel's rackets and refused to accept Dragna's authority. Dragna ordered several murder attempts on Cohen, but he managed to survive them all. On February 14, 1950, the California Commission on Organized Crime singled out Dragna as the head of a crime syndicate that controlled crime in Southern California
. Soon after, several Los Angeles family members were arrested for the bombing of Mickey Cohen's home. Dragna fled the state to avoid questioning. He later surrendered to authorities, and was questioned in the U.S. Senate Kefauver hearings
, but denied all accusations against him. Cohen was also questioned in the hearings, and as a result was convicted of federal tax evasion
and was forced to give up control of his rackets to the Los Angeles family.
. Back in 1932, Dragna had violated immigration law by illegally entering the United States at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego after a three day stay in Mexico
. However, at the time of his death Dragna was still living in California, appealing the deportation
order.
Dragna was a very private boss who eschewed flashiness and attention. However, in the 1950s the Los Angeles Police Department
under Chief William H. Parker engaged in a campaign of harassment
against organized crime figures. Dragna and his family were frequently arrested. When his wife Frances died in 1953, Dragna lost interest in running the Los Angeles family and instead focused on meeting new women. On one occasion, several members of the Los Angeles Police Department
(LAPD) stationed themselves outside a trailer where Dragna and a girlfriend were socializing. Using listening devices, officers gained enough evidence to arrest Dragna for engaging in lewd acts.
On February 23, 1956, Dragna died of a heart attack in Los Angeles. His body was interred at Calvary Cemetery
in East Los Angeles, California
. Dragna was survived by two children. His son Frank Paul Dragna was a USC
graduate and World War II
veteran who lost an eye in the war and was nicknamed "One Eye" to distinguish him from his cousin who had the same name ("One Eye" also had a glass eye
). Dragna had a daughter Anna Rosalia Dragna, who later married and changed her surname to Niotta.
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
member and Black Hander who was active in both Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1900s. He was active in bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
in California during the Prohibition Era in the United States. In 1931, he succeeded Joseph Ardizzone
Joseph Ardizzone
Joseph "Iron Man" Ardizzone was an early Los Angeles mobster, who became the first Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. He was involved in a long-standing feud with the Matranga family, and became the only Los Angeles boss to be murdered by his own men...
as the Boss
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
of the Los Angeles crime family
Los Angeles crime family
The Los Angeles crime family is an Italian American criminal organization based in Los Angeles, as part of the American Mafia . Since its inception in the early 1900s, it has spread throughout Southern California. Like most Mafia families in the United States, the L.A. family gained power...
after Ardizzone mysterious disappearance and death in 1931. Both James Ragen and Earl Warren
Earl Warren
Earl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
dubbed Dragna the "Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
of Los Angeles". Dragna remained the boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1931 until his death in 1956.
Early life
Dragna was born Ignazio Dragna to Francesco Paolo Dragna and Anna Dragna in CorleoneCorleone
Corleone is a small town and comune of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy....
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, on April 18, 1891. On November 18, 1898, Dragna came to America on the S. S. Alsatia
Alsatia
Alsatia in London, was the name given to an area lying north of the River Thames covered by the Whitefriars monastery, to the south of the west end of Fleet Street and adjacent to the Temple...
with his mother, older sister Giuseppa, and older brother Gaetano. They stayed in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
with Antonio Rizzotti's family, also from Corleone. It is unknown when Dragna's father arrived in the United States. Dragna stayed in New York for ten years before returning to Sicily. As a young man, he joined the Italian Army
Italian Army
The Italian Army is the ground defence force of the Italian Armed Forces. It is all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel, numbering 108,355 in 2010. Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank, and among its aircraft...
and later the Sicilian Mafia.
In 1914, Dragna returned to America. He appears to have had a relationship with Gaetano Reina
Gaetano Reina
Gaetano "Tommy" Reina was the first Boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City.-Early years:Gaetano Reina was born in September 1889 in Corleone, Sicily to Giacomo Reina and Carmela Runmore. In the early 1900s the Reina family moved to New York City and settled on 107th Street in East Harlem...
, who eventually would lead his own crime family in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. That same year, Dragna was a suspect in the murder of Jewish poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
dealer Bernard Baff. After the killing, Dragna fled to California and assumed the name Charles Dragna. Dragna was extradited to New York, but never went on trial. In 1915, Dragna was arrested for Black Hand extortion of a Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
man and served three years in prison. At the time of his extortion arrest, Dragna was using the alias Ignazio Rizzoto.
During the Prohibition Era
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, Dragna and his brother Gaetano (now named Tom) ran extortion and illegal liquor distillation operations. Ignazio Dragna now became Jack Ignatius Dragna. In 1922, Dragna married Francesca Rizzotto. After his prison stint he worked closely with Joseph Ardizzone
Joseph Ardizzone
Joseph "Iron Man" Ardizzone was an early Los Angeles mobster, who became the first Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. He was involved in a long-standing feud with the Matranga family, and became the only Los Angeles boss to be murdered by his own men...
, a prominent mobster in Los Angeles.
Mafia Don
In 1931, Dragna succeeded Joseph ArdizzoneJoseph Ardizzone
Joseph "Iron Man" Ardizzone was an early Los Angeles mobster, who became the first Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. He was involved in a long-standing feud with the Matranga family, and became the only Los Angeles boss to be murdered by his own men...
as boss of the Los Angeles crime family
Los Angeles crime family
The Los Angeles crime family is an Italian American criminal organization based in Los Angeles, as part of the American Mafia . Since its inception in the early 1900s, it has spread throughout Southern California. Like most Mafia families in the United States, the L.A. family gained power...
. It was rumored that Dragna participated in Ardizzone's disappearance/death. The American Mafia
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
wanted to make inroads in California, and supported Dragna, as opposed to the "Mustache Pete
Mustache Pete
Mustache Petes was the name given to members of the Sicilian Mafia who came to the United States as adults in the early 1900s.-History:...
" Ardizzone. His brother Tom became his consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
, he also had several relatives working in the crime family, but aside from his brother, his nephew Louis Tom Dragna
Louis Tom Dragna
Louis Tom Dragna is a former mobster and nephew of Jack Dragna and son of Tom Dragna. He was active in the Los Angeles crime family from the 1940s until the early 1980s.-Early life:...
(Tom's son) was the only other person heavily involved in the family.
As boss, Dragna's chief source of income came from extorting local bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
s for "protection" money
Protection racket
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a criminal group or individual coerces a victim to pay money, supposedly for protection services against violence or property damage. Racketeers coerce reticent potential victims into buying "protection" by demonstrating what will happen if they...
, although he was also the main illegal gambling operator in the city. Other businesses including running gambling ship
Gambling ship
A gambling ship was a barge or other large vessel used to house a casino and often other venues of entertainment. Under the old three-mile limit of territorial waters they were anchored usually just over three nautical miles off the United States coastline to avoid governmental interference...
s, a heroin smuggling operation, and collecting extortion money. His close supporters included Girolamo "Momo" Adamo
Momo Adamo
Girolomo "Momo" Adamo was an Italian mobster in the American Mafia. He lived in Chicago and Kansas City before moving to Los Angeles in the 1930s and soon became Underboss to Jack Dragna in the Los Angeles crime family. His brother Joseph Adamo was also a member of the crime family...
and John Roselli
John Roselli
John "Handsome Johnny" Roselli , sometimes spelled John Rosselli, was an influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped them control Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. Roselli was also involved with the Central Intelligence Agency plot to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the early 1960s...
. Roselli had been a member of the Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
, but left for California and worked with Dragna in gambling. In the 1950s, Roselli left California and became the Mafia's main representative in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. An old bootlegging associate of Dragna's, Anthony Cornero
Anthony Cornero
Anthony Cornero Stralla also known as "the Admiral" and "Tony the Hat" was a bootlegger and gambling entrepreneur in Southern California from the 1920s through the 1950s...
ran gambling ship
Gambling ship
A gambling ship was a barge or other large vessel used to house a casino and often other venues of entertainment. Under the old three-mile limit of territorial waters they were anchored usually just over three nautical miles off the United States coastline to avoid governmental interference...
s of the coast of California. Tommy Lucchese
Tommy Lucchese
Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese , also known as "Tom Brown" or "Three-Finger Brown", was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City...
, of the Lucchese crime family
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
, was Dragna's main contact in New York (and two were relatives according to Mickey Cohen
Mickey Cohen
Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen was a gangster based in Los Angeles and part of the Jewish Mafia, and also had strong ties to the American Mafia from the 1930s through 1960s.-Early life:...
). Dragna also controlled unions in the laundromat business and dress importing companies.
Siegel and Cohen
As boss, Dragna often had to do business with representatives from the more powerful Cosa Nostra families in New York. When Benjamin "Bugsy" SiegelBugsy Siegel
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was an American gangster who was involved with the Genovese crime family...
, an associate of the New York Luciano crime family, relocated to the West Coast during the late 1930s, he started his own rackets and formed an uneasy relationship with Dragna. Siegel brought in much more income for the Los Angeles family and generated a great deal of respect, which Dragna resented. Although many sources speak of a rivalry between them, Dragna and Siegel worked closely together, especially at organizing a racing wire service on the West Coast.
In June 1947, the East Coast crime families murdered Siegel in Los Angeles due to his failure to properly manage the new Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. Mickey Cohen
Mickey Cohen
Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen was a gangster based in Los Angeles and part of the Jewish Mafia, and also had strong ties to the American Mafia from the 1930s through 1960s.-Early life:...
, who had been serving as Siegel's bodyguard, immediately took over Siegel's rackets and refused to accept Dragna's authority. Dragna ordered several murder attempts on Cohen, but he managed to survive them all. On February 14, 1950, the California Commission on Organized Crime singled out Dragna as the head of a crime syndicate that controlled crime in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. Soon after, several Los Angeles family members were arrested for the bombing of Mickey Cohen's home. Dragna fled the state to avoid questioning. He later surrendered to authorities, and was questioned in the U.S. Senate Kefauver hearings
Kefauver hearings
The United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce was a special committee of the United States Senate which existed from 1950 to 1951 and which investigated organized crime which crossed state borders in the United States...
, but denied all accusations against him. Cohen was also questioned in the hearings, and as a result was convicted of federal tax evasion
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
and was forced to give up control of his rackets to the Los Angeles family.
Private life and death
In 1953, the federal government ordered Dragna to be deported to SicilySicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. Back in 1932, Dragna had violated immigration law by illegally entering the United States at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego after a three day stay in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. However, at the time of his death Dragna was still living in California, appealing the deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
order.
Dragna was a very private boss who eschewed flashiness and attention. However, in the 1950s the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
under Chief William H. Parker engaged in a campaign of harassment
Harassment
Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset, and it is characteristically repetitive. In the legal sense, it is intentional behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing...
against organized crime figures. Dragna and his family were frequently arrested. When his wife Frances died in 1953, Dragna lost interest in running the Los Angeles family and instead focused on meeting new women. On one occasion, several members of the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
(LAPD) stationed themselves outside a trailer where Dragna and a girlfriend were socializing. Using listening devices, officers gained enough evidence to arrest Dragna for engaging in lewd acts.
On February 23, 1956, Dragna died of a heart attack in Los Angeles. His body was interred at Calvary Cemetery
Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles
The Calvary Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery operated by the Los Angeles Archdiocese, located at 4201 Whittier Boulevard in Los Angeles, California...
in East Los Angeles, California
East Los Angeles, California
East Los Angeles is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
. Dragna was survived by two children. His son Frank Paul Dragna was a USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
graduate and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran who lost an eye in the war and was nicknamed "One Eye" to distinguish him from his cousin who had the same name ("One Eye" also had a glass eye
Ocular prosthesis
An ocular prosthesis or artificial eye replaces an absent natural eye following an enucleation, evisceration, or orbital exenteration. The prosthetic fits over an orbital implant and under the eyelids. Often referred to as a glass eye, the ocular prosthesis roughly takes the shape of a convex...
). Dragna had a daughter Anna Rosalia Dragna, who later married and changed her surname to Niotta.
In popular culture
- Dragna appears as a character in James EllroyJames EllroyLee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a so-called "telegraphic" prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black...
's L.A. QuartetL.A. QuartetThe L.A. Quartet is a sequence of four crime fiction novels by James Ellroy. The novels, set in the late 1940s through the late 1950s in Los Angeles, are:* The Black Dahlia* The Big Nowhere* L.A. Confidential...
novels, specifically the final 2 books, L.A. ConfidentialL.A. ConfidentialL.A. Confidential is a 1997 American film based on James Ellroy's 1990 novel of the same title, the third book in his L.A. Quartet. Both the book and the film tell the story of a group of LAPD officers in the 1950s, and the intersection of police corruption and Hollywood celebrity...
(1990) and White JazzWhite JazzWhite Jazz is a 1992 crime fiction novel by James Ellroy. It is the fourth in his L.A. Quartet, preceded by The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, and L.A. Confidential....
(1992). Like many real life characters presented in Ellroy's novels, some of Jack Dragna's actions aren't real, but fictional in the story. In White Jazz, the novel's protagonist Dave Klein, approaches Jack Dragna for the favor of killing two gangsters. Klein's sister, Meg, is badly beaten by Tony Brancato and Tony TrombinoAnthony BrancatoAnthony Brancato was a Kansas City, Missouri criminal who served as a freelance gunman to various Mafia and syndicate organizations.-Early career:...
. Dragna allows it, and Dave kills them both. However, after their murders Dave returns to Dragna, but Dragna gives Dave a tape of Dave saying how he will kill the Two TonysAnthony BrancatoAnthony Brancato was a Kansas City, Missouri criminal who served as a freelance gunman to various Mafia and syndicate organizations.-Early career:...
. Dave is now blackmailed into doing mob favors and several mob killings. On Jack Dragna's deathbed, Dave begs Dragna to cancel his debt. Jack changes the subject. Dave suffocates Jack Dragna with a pillow. Sam GiancanaSam GiancanaSalvatore Giancana , better known as Sam Giancana, was a Sicilian-American mobster and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1957-1966...
becomes the one who gives orders to Klein afterwords. - In the 1991 film BugsyBugsyBugsy is a 1991 American crime-drama film which tells the story of mobster Bugsy Siegel. It stars Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Joe Mantegna, Bebe Neuwirth, and Bill Graham....
, the highly-fictionalized story of Bugsy Siegel, Dragna is played by Richard C. SarafianRichard C. SarafianRichard C. Sarafian is an Armenian-American TV and film director. Richard Sarafian has complied a versatile career that has spanned over five decades as a director, actor and writer. He is most popular for his film Vanishing Point . He is the father of: Richard Sarafian Jr., Tedi Sarafian, Damon B...
. - Though he does not make an actual appearance, he is mentioned several times in the video game L.A. NoireL.A. NoireL.A. Noire is a 2011 crime video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. It was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows. It was released as a 3-disc game for the Xbox 360 console, which prompts the player to switch to another disc at certain points in the...
.