Mafia in Las Vegas

Does anyone know if the Mafia still has ties in Las Vegas? Just wondering if anyone has any info and names?

The last major hit I know of was Fat Herbie Blitzstein in '97, apparantly LA/Buffalo elements moving in on his longtime rackets there.

Im sure Ive read accounts of the odd mobster from various families (including the Five) based in Vegas. Usually an older guy. I will corroborate with a source hopefully soon.

They are still heavily involved in Vegas. The town is a money machine they will never let it go the FBI is watching them closely though.

The only thing, I found was the two brothers Carmen and Peter Milano. I know Carmen is dead they both come from LA area. Just trying to find which of the five families they represent.

Milano is the current boss of the LA Family. He's semi legitimate these days, but he's of note for getting bookies on his turf to kick up to him, something every predecessor failed at. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to stop his family from dieing out. If he's in Vegas it's probably on business for Rome Vending Company, his front.

I wouldn't be suprised if there are still mafia elements who run some slot machines. And I also wouldn't be suprised that some of them have money invested in real estate over there.

As long as there's easy money to be made and suckers to be fleeced, you'll find the Mob. They may not have hidden ownership in hotels, but you can bet they're involved in non-casino gambling, loansharking, prostitution, showgirl exploitation, you name it...

The mob was gone from the casinos by the mid-1980's. They still hovered on the fringes of things up through the 1990's in the form of slot machine cheating, telemarketing scams, loansharking, escort services, etc. But by the turn of the century the feds said there were only about 10 made members left living there. And if you look over the past decade since then, besides the mob's sports betting networks which still reach out there, there's been really no mob activity beyond the Outfit-connected Crazy Horse Too strip club getting busted in 2003. It's not just a matter if there are businesses in a certain area to be exploited. It's also a matter if there are still the resources to do that. Vegas and the rest of the west is very far away from where most of the mob's presence is now.

Peter Milano is the reputed boss of whats left of the LA Family. He's just another aging mobster in high pants now.

Speaking of the LA family, Jimmy Caci just died recently.

Oh. Thats interesting. It doesn't seem to have made news. He was another interesting guy, and from what Ive read one the the few LA guys with some real balls and acumen.

On Kenji's old Hollywood Mafia website he had a recording of message Caci left on his answering machine. They knew each other and Kenji had been trying to get in touch with him. I guess Caci didn't know it was Kenji leaving messages so this was the message Caci left with him.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTC3HjT4j-U&feature=player_embedded

Caci's obituary -

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thedese...p;pid=153158962

That recording is classic. Cracks me up everytime.

"Everybody wants to hang with Jimmy Caci, thats why Im in so much trouble! You mother-fucker you!"

Thanks for the obituary Ivy. They left a few things out of his "life-story' eh? Obit's are generally done by family though, so thats makes sense.

Without Jimmy Caci, Buffalo and LA never could have collectively conspired to make moves into Vegas. Caci was borrowed from the Buffalo Family, an associate at the time. LA does that a lot, and I guess this is what they give in return. Joint moves on to turf they have some experience with.

Yeah the bulk of the more notable LA mobsters were transplants from other parts of the nation. Mike Rizzitello started of as a Profaci Family associate. Jimmy the Weasel was from Ohio and had ties to the Outfit. The Milano family came from Cleveland, where current boss Peter's uncle and father were ranking members of the Family there. And like you mentioned, there were close ties between Buffalo and LA, with guys like Caci and Steve Cino. And Tommy Gambino, said to be the Underboss of LA, is the son and nephew of Cherry Hill Gambino's Rosario and Giovanni respectively. He was obviously another NY guy before moving to LA in the 90's.

Can we guess at how large in numbers is this faction in LA and in Vegas?

There really isn't a faction, per se. As Mikey was saying, a lot of the LA members were originally from back east, including Buffalo, which led to the rumors of the LA and Buffalo mobs (as well as the Gambinos) attempting to "move in" on Las Vegas back in the 1990's. It was part of what resulted in the Operation Thin Crust case. As I've said before, a decade ago it was said there were only 10 mob members still living in Vegas. And that's about how many remain in what's left of the LA family, give or take.

Check out these articles....


Mob's LV clout doubtful
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1997/Apr-20-Sun-1997/news/5234942.html

FBI deals crippling blow to L.A. mob
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/1998/feb/03/fbi-deals-crippling-blow-to-la-mob/

Organized crime loses its foothold
http://m.lasvegassun.com/news/2002/jul/02/organized-crime-loses-its-foothold/

Outcall industry proved vulnerable to mob
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2002/jul/01/outcall-industry-proved-vulnerable-to-mob/

The Vegas Sting
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2003/nov/01/weekend.clarelongrigg

Great article by Clare Longrigg. I like her work.