Sciortino crime family
Encyclopedia
The San Jose crime family, also known as the Sciortino crime family, was a small Mafia
family based in the city of San Jose, California
.
. In 1964, he was spotted meeting Bonanno crime family
former consigliere Frank Garofalo at a hotel in Palermo, Sicily. Many believe they were discussing the war within the Bonanno Family. Life Magazine listed Cerrito as the Mafia boss of San Jose in 1968. Angry over the accusation, he sued the company for libel. But the case was later thrown out of court. Cerrito died in 1978 from natural causes.
consigliere Frank Bompensiero. He was also close with San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto
. His father, Salvatore, was a big member in the Pittsburgh crime family
who passed his California Cheese Company down to Marino in the late 1940s. Salvatore also owned the Sharon Cheese Company in Pennsylvania. The California Cheese Company controlled 85% of the cheese distribution in California.
Marino was indicted for the murder of Peter Catelli and the wounding of his father Orlando in 1977. The beef was over Peter Catelli trying to extort money from Marino. Orlando survived the shooting and testified in court. Marino ordered his men to murder Peter and Orlando, he testified. Orlando also said he pretended to be dead as the mobsters stuffed them into a cadillac and left it on a San Francisco street. The Police saved his life after a person heard some screaming and pounding from inside the trunk. Marino was convicted of the murder and attempted murder in 1980. But he was released when he won an appeal. He continued to run the Sciortino crime family from a hospitol until he died of a heart attack on February 9, 1983.
and Asian
gangs in the city. Now, the Sciortino family is extinct.
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"...
family based in the city of San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
.
History
The first known Mafia boss of organized crime in San Jose was Onofrio Sciortino. Very little is known about the man except that his rackets included gambling, counterfeiting, shylocking, prostitution and extortion. Sciortino ruled over the San Jose Family from the early 1940s until his death in 1959.Joseph Cerrito Boss 1959
Joseph Cerrito took over the crime family after the death of Sciortino. Cerrito emigrated to the United States from Palermo, Sicily in the late 1920s and eventually settled in San Jose in the early 1940s. He owned three car dealerships in the San Jose area. Cerrito gained some popularity for being caught at the 1957 mob meeting in Apalachin, New YorkApalachin, New York
Apalachin is a census-designated place within the Town of Owego in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,126 in the 2000 census. It is named after the Apalachin Creek. Apalachin means From where the messenger returned in the Lenape.Apalachin is in the southeast part of the...
. In 1964, he was spotted meeting Bonanno crime family
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno 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 ....
former consigliere Frank Garofalo at a hotel in Palermo, Sicily. Many believe they were discussing the war within the Bonanno Family. Life Magazine listed Cerrito as the Mafia boss of San Jose in 1968. Angry over the accusation, he sued the company for libel. But the case was later thrown out of court. Cerrito died in 1978 from natural causes.
Angelo Marino Boss 1978
Cerrito's successor was Angelo Marino, a head caporegime in the crime family. Marino was close to San Francisco Mafia boss James Lanza and Los Angeles crime familyLos 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...
consigliere Frank Bompensiero. He was also close with San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto
Joseph Alioto
Joseph Lawrence Alioto was the 36th mayor of San Francisco, California, from 1968 to 1976.-Biography:...
. His father, Salvatore, was a big member in the Pittsburgh crime family
Pittsburgh crime family
The Pittsburgh crime family, also known as the LaRocca crime family, is an American Mafia crime family based in Pittsburgh, United States.-Prohibition era:...
who passed his California Cheese Company down to Marino in the late 1940s. Salvatore also owned the Sharon Cheese Company in Pennsylvania. The California Cheese Company controlled 85% of the cheese distribution in California.
Marino was indicted for the murder of Peter Catelli and the wounding of his father Orlando in 1977. The beef was over Peter Catelli trying to extort money from Marino. Orlando survived the shooting and testified in court. Marino ordered his men to murder Peter and Orlando, he testified. Orlando also said he pretended to be dead as the mobsters stuffed them into a cadillac and left it on a San Francisco street. The Police saved his life after a person heard some screaming and pounding from inside the trunk. Marino was convicted of the murder and attempted murder in 1980. But he was released when he won an appeal. He continued to run the Sciortino crime family from a hospitol until he died of a heart attack on February 9, 1983.
Emmanuel J. Figlia New Boss 1983
Emmanuel J. Figlia was the boss over the remaining crime family. He was considered an underboss to Marino. In 1998 Salvatore Marino, son of the previously mentioned Angelo, was released from San Quentin Prison. The crime family took a large blow after the deaths of Frank Maestri and Vito Adragna in 2008. Both members were considered soldiers. Figlia died of natural causes on September 25, 2009.Current Status
With the death of Don Figlia in 2009, much of the family's power has been lost to MexicanMexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
and Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
gangs in the city. Now, the Sciortino family is extinct.
See also
- Bonanno crime familyBonanno crime familyThe Bonanno 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 ....
- San Francisco crime familySan Francisco crime familyThe San Francisco crime family was a Mafia crime syndicate in San Francisco. The syndicate was organized in the early 1930s by Francesco "Frank" Lanza. The San Francisco family was a very small organization with 20-25 made members.-Francesco Lanza:...
- Pittsburgh crime familyPittsburgh crime familyThe Pittsburgh crime family, also known as the LaRocca crime family, is an American Mafia crime family based in Pittsburgh, United States.-Prohibition era:...
- MafiaMafiaThe Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
Further reading
- DeMaris, Ovid. The Last Mafioso: Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno. New York: Bantam Books, 1981. ISBN#0-553-27091-5
- Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide To The Mafia. New York: Alpha Books, 2001. ISBN#0028642252
- Lavigne, Yves. Hell's Angels. Yves Lavigne, 2000. ISBN#0818405147
- Mannion, James. The Everything Mafia Book. Adams Media, 2003.