Most feared LA mobster

We're always talking about the NY and Outfit guys. Who were the feared and respected guys in the other families besides the bosses? Who were some of the killers?

Largely, NY and the Outfit were the only national crime families. The rest were much more localized. Therefore, they received the most media attention and their tough guys were the most well known.

The LA Family wasn't known for being particularly tough. Anthony Fiato is said to have been of the toughest enforcers. I have no doubt he was tough, but I think some of what he said was exaggerated. He claims to have shaken down Vito Spillone, Michael Esposito and possibly Tommy Sinopoli in the early 1980s. This is highly unlikely.

Spillone is a made guy from Chicago (now shelved), Espo is an LA made guy (close to the Gambinos through a relative) and Sinopoli is a Gambino I believe. Back in the early 1980s, there's no way either Chicago or the Gambinos would let a non made guy push them around.

Right now the most feared LA gangster is probably Dominic Montemarano, "Donny Shacks," because he is the Colombo Underboss.

Donny Shacks moved back to NYC.

Frank Bompenserio

It depends on how much of Jimmy Fratianos stories you beleive. He claims to have been one of the mosdt prolific when he was in LA...I have my doubts.
I do beleive he and Charlie Bats whacked Broncato and Trombino, but beyond that there is sparse evidence he did much else

Donnie Shacks still lives primarily in LA. I know this because he lives in my neighborhood.

Mickey Cohen

Interesting. What neighborhood is that?

Beverly Hills adjacent but on the city of LA side.

It would be between Mickey Cohen and Angelo Governale for me. Governale is said to have made a lot of the Matranga loyalist and allies to disappear or left to bleed out in the streets during the Ardizzone and Matranga war.

Michael Divicino was also fairly violent in Los Angeles.

Divicino was very violent when he was coke. He was under Lorenzo, a made man in the Bonanno crime family. I would not place him as the most feared LA Mobster. Cohen is said to have killed or ordered the deaths of about 50 people. Governale is said to be the triggerman in 12 murders, used a knife in 6 murders, used a rope in about another 12 murders, and used poison in two murders and played a role in many other murders.

Is the Snake still in Lompoc...?? This may be why Donnie Shacks is out there, so they can meet a few times a year when business needs to be discussed. Unless he's on a exclusion list...

He is in Butner in North Carolina.

Donnie Shacks has been out here since the late 1990s. Originally he was deactivated from street rackets and was likely laundering money through legitimate enterprises for the Family.

In 2011, he was elevated to acting Underboss since the entire Family Admin was in custody. It appeared to me that he was running the Family from LA.