Good morning and Happy Sunday! Here's a little reading material to keep my followers entertained....
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They eventually earned the moniker the 'Mickey Mouse Mafia" for their failure to kill independent gang boss Mickey Cohan, and a few other bumbling incidents along the way.

But in truth, back when boss Jack Dragna led the borgata, and even later when Nick Licata first took over after Dragna's death, they were basically a small but decent crew that earned millions and ran some lucrative rackets.

Many of their 'original' members were old-time mafiosi imported direct from Sicily and Calabria. Tom Dragna, Mimi Li Mandri, Tony and Frank Milano, Tony Pinelli, and so many more.

https://thenewyorkmafia.com/2021/04/11/the-dragna-licata-family-of-los-angeles-ca/

In reading through this story I realize now that I didn't final 'proof' it. There are some grammatical errors and a few other mistakes. Sorry about those. But I do hope you'll enjoy this expose nonetheless.There are a few rare pics I think you'll like

I hesitated to write an expose on the LA Family for the simple reason that I wasn't so sure how many readers would be interested in them.

But in truth, this crew was interesting in their prime. After investigating them, I was going to do a follow up at some point on their later 'second tier' membership in a Part II.

But I see that many forum members are not taking to it. So I may rethink that project.

For whatever reason, the Los Angeles mob always had a weird dynamic to it. And I think thats reflected in what's been written, or hasn't been written, about it.

I liked it.the LA family is intesting cause of really wasted potential
California families should have had imported guys.from the old country
To add strength to.the rank.and file

Operating within a state such as Cali that had such a small Italian populous, they were always challenged for recruits. If it weren't for out of state imports, the Dragna's would have been hard pressed to build a crew in the first place.

I think that if Bompensiero would be the boss the family would be in better shape.ok they was called the mickey mouse mafia but until frattiano flipping the family was still viable and even under the weak leadership of Milano during the Operation thin crust and in the Blitzstein murder,the family continue to be active.
What I want to say is with a best leadership the family could be active like the Detroit family but unfortunaly they was absorbed by the Gambinos like the Tampa family.

Bompensiero was a decades long rat! So in truth the very foundation was weak to begin with. Imagine if the HAD installed an 'informant' as the boss?? Lol It would have been a worse shit show than they already had out there.

Very interesting NYMafia, funny I see the legendary Sidney Korshak in the family chart.

Yes Hollander, he seems to have been a good schemer. Controlled by the Chicago Outfit if I'm not mistaken, but he operated out of Cali as well

Bompensiero wasnt a rat when Dragna died in 1956 and the reason he ratted in 1967 is that he lost the boss position,and was demoted by frank Simone from capo to a soldier,if he would be the boss in the 1960s for sure he would preferenze to went to jail then rat on the family.

Great write up, interesting and informative. Thanks

Yeah and never went to prison his contacts went up to the highest echelons.
Wasn't LA represented on the Commission by the Outfit?

There was more to it than Bompensiero just ratting. It was a combination of a lot of things going on under DeSimone and Licata reign.

The Lucchese family represented L.A. on the Commission until Jack Dragna died. After that Bonanno temporary represented them, then it was the Gambino and finally Detroit before Chicago represented everything west of the Mississippi.

You have guys from Chicago, Lucchese, Gambino, and Detroit on that list.

You are correct Giacomo. The representative on the Commission started out as Tommy Brown. As after Dragna's death and Tommy's death, it morphed to other crews. Eventually, Chicago handled most everything west of the Windy City.

In their later years you are correct. Chicago 'serviced' them.

Thanks majicrat

Because LA was so convoluted, and so many guys resided out that way later in their careers, I didn't try and decipher each individual relationship. Suffice it to say that whether they were technically 'on record' with the Detroit crew, or Gambino's, or Chicago per se. The fact that they resided out west for years and interacted with the LA Family was enough for me.

Most everyone on that list was either a member, or was 'associated' with the Dragna faction, even if they were made elsewhere. For instance Mimi Li Mandri was originally around the Anastasia/Gambino crew in NYC. Yet, he and his son, and son in law, worked hand in glove with Dragna, DeSimone, and Licata.

Did they transfer their memberships? Or did they remain as NYC based guys and just did business with the LA crew? I do think that's a matter of semantics, because essentially nearly ALL of these fellas worked in tandem at one point or another.

Another case in point was Tony Milano and his brother Ciccio, who was literally the boss back in Cleveland years earlier.

Did Ciccio Milano just retire out there? Did he work in tandem with Dragna/Licata? Did he 'affiliate' with the boss of LA? ...... quite frankly, I don't think it really matters.

At the end of the day, each was firmly planted out that way with residences, investments, etc.

They lived and operated in LA. End of story!

Do you get my point Giacomo?

Yes but he ratted after Dragna death as I said.

I read that the L.A. police would threaten wiseguys from back east who came into L.A.. Telling them we know who you are, we will be watching you, etc. I guess that must have put a damper on at least some of the guys who wanted to do business in California.

Yes I think they even did that with Alphonse Capone on a visit.

I believe you guys are right. The local police squads tried damping em down and chasing them out.

I just had a nice conversation with a fella who is the great-grandson of LA boss Jack Dragna. Nice fella.

J. Michael Niotta. He wrote a few books about the LA mob and his relatives. At first he seemed a bit over the top. But he's actually a nice guy.

He critiqued my expose at first, but then later admitted that I had a lot of solid info in there, and that he enjoyed my article about his great-grandfather and the LA Family much more than any other he's ever read. That I brought a very good perspective to that borgata.

I guess thats a ringing endorsement if ever there was one, huh fellas. Lol

Anyway, it was nice speaking with him. He seems like a nice young man.

good job.

So the L.A. family can deeply bribe the police like in the east coast? Damn if the police warm the wiseguys its normal that the family can replace the ranks.

I think Frank Milano had alot of influence and pull in LA after he moved to
Mexico from the harsh Cleveland winters.
He was one of the original Commission members.
In the eyes of the Commssion he probally had more credibility than Dragna.
Dragna was the boss but Im sure the Milano Brothers had their hands
In the LA family cookie jar

I think Dragna was respected after all he WAS a boss, and very close to Lucchese and La Salle too. But I agree in that for at least the years they ruled Cleveland, the Milano brothers, Ciccio especially, was a more pivotal figure to the overall Mafia. Sat on the Commission as a founding member, was head of a key city not far from NYC and integrated with many other crews in nearby states. etc.

They NEVER had the juice or corruption power like certain key deeply corrupted east coast cities had, but the LA crew of course tried bribing the cops just like every other mafioso did. But out in Cali most cops were often very foreign to that sort of thing. They didn't even truly understand who the hell they had in their midst for many years. In other words, they were 'green' themselves and often NOT receptive to bribes, etc. Trying to pull that altruistic bs.

Thank you

I do believe you're correct with that Fleming

Thanks pal. glad you enjoyed it that much