Here is a report I compiled through several sources for the Pittsburgh Family starting in 1989:

A New Hierarchy Begins to Emerge

During the past few years there has been a
noticeable shift in the power structure of the
LaRocca/Genovese Family. Rosa's and Droznek's
• testimonies confirmed that Porter and his closest
associates, Louis Raucci, 58, and Henry "Zebo"
Zottola, 53, are major income producers, and that
Porter has "the ear" of the Family boss, Michael
Genovese, 69. According to Robert "Bobby I"
Iannelli, 58, 315 Thompson Run Road; August
• "Augie" Ferrone, 62, 1079 North Avenue; Adolph
"Junior" Williams, 55, 274 Foxcroft Drive, all of
Pittsburgh; and Paul "No Legs" Hankish, 57, 92
Brentwood Avenue, Wheeling, WV; turn in betting
action to Porter. Rosa and Droznek claimed that
Raucci and Zottola are both active in narcotics
• trafficking and loansharking.
On the surface, Porter's involvement with narcotics
appears inconsistent with Genovese's philosophical
opposition to drugs, but Porter is credited with saying
that he views narcotics as a means to quick capital,
• and not a major source of revenue. He prefers to let
associates rather than members absorb the risk, as can
be seen by the Rosa trial. Although 27 individuals
were eventually convicted of narcotics trafficking or
associated offenses, none were considered LCN
members. •
•
•
•
•
•
The following are members of the LaRocca/
Genovese LCN Family:
• Michael Genovese, 69, 4348 Clendenning Road,
Gibsonia, PA;
• Frank "Sonny" Amato, Jr., 61, 704 Broadway
Street, East McKeesport, PA;
II John Bazzano, Jr., 61, 107 LynnbrookDrive,
McMurray, PA;
• Anthony A. "Wango" Capizzi, 63, 4451 Middle
Road, Allison Park, PA;
• Thomas A. "Sonny" Ciancutti, 59, 1906 Kenneth
Avenue, New Kensington, PA;
• Pasquale Macri "Pat" Ferruccio, 71, owner of
Liberty Vending, 401 High Street, NW, Canton,
OH;
• Charles J. "Chucky" Porter, 55, 3999 Old
William Penn Highway, Penn Hills, PA;
• Louis Raucci, 58, 133 Hulton Road, Verona, PA;
• Antonio "Anthony" Ripepi, 86, 4720 Brownsville
Road, Pittsburgh;
• Joseph Sica, Sr., 80, 1148 Jefferson Heights, Penn
Hills;
• Henry Zottola, 53, 9242 Wedgewood Drive,
Pittsburgh.
The control exercised by this LCN Family can be
seen in the Erie, PA, gambling market. Iannelli, a
close associate of LCN Family member Anthony
"Wango" Capizzi, 63, collected Erie layoff gambiing
23
money from Alfred DelSandro until DelSandro's
death in July 1988. At DelSandro's funeral, however,
Iannelli purposely avoided contact with DelSandro's
successor, John "Jack" Miller, 59, 5449 Pepperwood
Circle, Erie. Miller had in excess of 35 numbers
writers grossing $125,000 weekly in sports and
numbers "action" at that time and, until late 1988,
was considered the largest bookmaker in Erie. Since
then, Miller's organization has declined and is now
ranked third. In March 1989, Miller was indicted by
the IRS on charges stemming from gambling-related
activities.
During the past three months, a new hierarchy has
emerged within the Erie gambling community led by
William J. Anderson, 60, 1809 Treetop Drive, and his
partner, Leonard Alecci, 55, 9 West 4th Street, Apt. 1.
The second largest operation is the province of Phillip
S. Torrelli, 56, 2908 Broadlawn Drive, and Raymond
Ferritto, 59, 724 Brown Avenue, both of Erie. Torrelli
and Ferritto inherited Frank "Bolo" Dovishaw's sports
and numbers action in 1983 after Dovishaw was
murdered.
Anderson and Alecci layoff their betting action to
LaRocca/Genovese LCN Family associates, while
Torrelli and Ferritto layoff to another LCN associate,
Manuel "Mike the Greek" Xenakis, 41,100
Hayeswold Drive, Coraopolis, PA. Xenakis and
Ferritto were arrested together in June 1987 on
gambling charges; that case is still pending. Xenakis,
in turn, lays off to Ciancutti associate John Sabatini,
48, 1693 Seaton Avenue, Coraopolis.
The LaRocca/Genovese LCN Family has invested
in video poker vending, while remaining firmly
entrenched in traditional criminal activities including
gambling, loansharking, extortion, and narcotics. On
January 19,1989, LCN Family member Pasquale
Ferruccio, 71, owner of the Liberty Vending
Company in Canton, OH, was indicted by the
Cleveland Federal Organized Crime Strike Force on
racketeering charges resulting from the illegal use of
video poker machines as a gambling device in Ohio
and Pennsylvania.
Over the past few years, law enforcement agencies
have reported that the LaRocca/Genovese Family is
experiencing a decline in influence. These
observations are based upon an apparent lack of new
"blood," coupled with an aging leadership. Sica and
Ripepi are both in their 80s, and Ferruccio is 71; only
Ripepi remains an active member and Ferruccio's
future is clouded by his recent indictment. Still, the
average age of the LaHocca/Genovese LCN Family
members, currently figured at 65 years, drops to only
60 years when those three individuals are excluded
from the equation.
Age alone will not precipitate the decline of the
LaRocca/Genovese LCN Family; rather, the limited membership will be hard-pressed to withstand a series
of prosecutorial efforts aimed at the Family's
hierarchy. Several convictions would have enormous
impact, perhaps comparable to that encountered by
Cleveland's Licavoli LCN Family, which was
devastated by prosecutions brought by an FBI
Organized Crime Task Force. Notwithstanding
similar circumstances, the LaRocca/Genovese Family
appears capable of enduring.