IDK, but Dragna and Reina were Corleonesi.

Both Jack and Tom Dragna worked in East Harlem under Charles Salvatore Streva, who was a cousin of theirs and was working for the old Morello family who was also related to the family by marriage. Lucchese was related to Reina, who in turn was also related to the Dragna's mother side to the Rizzotto's, through his brother Antonio Reina. I would not be surprised if Gaetano Gagliano and the Dragna's were also related. There is gaps and the Dragnas may possibly be related to the Bonventre family of Castellammare and Ditato family who had members in both the Genovese and Lucchese crime families.

Frank Lanza was connected to the Palermitani of New York City, which most members split into the Gambino and Profaci crime family. Vincenzo Mangano and Frank Scalise were early members and both would later join the Gambino family, with Frank being the boss for a short time, before Vincenzo officially become the boss of the family and Scalise becoming a Capo before he was bumped up to Underboss by Albert Anastasia. He may also be related to the Lanza of the Gambino crime family. The Genovese crime family represented S.F. on the commission from 1932 to 1936, Lanza was close to the Catania brothers, the LaPadura brothers, and the Terranova family in the Genovese. The boss position was still in dispute til 1932 until Malvese was killed. More than likely cause of the war in New York that spread across the county, Luciano and the Genovese crime family took it upon themselves to insure peace which makes a lot a sense in that regard.

The Sciortino Brothers were also under Charles Salvatore in East Harlem with the Dragna brothers. They too fled when Angelo Gagliano, cousin to Geatano Gagliano flipped. Vito and Tony settled in San Jose Goosetown with Tom Dragna for a while, which was San Jose's little Italy. Vito stayed, while the other brothers moved to S.F. and L.A. Vito's son Onofrio would become San Jose boss.

Joe Cerrito was made in the Profaci family after New Years day to end 1931. He was sponsored by Vincenzo Figlia who was also a made member of the Profaci family. He moved to San Jose in the early 1940s. His brother Salvatore would also be made into the Profaci family in 1952, sponsored by Salvatore Profaci brother Joe Profaci.

Thanks again, Vacari. Great information.

I recall seeing a couple of Genoveses on one of the SF charts. I also saw some LaRoccas, which I assume could be a Pittsburgh connection. Never knew San Jose had so many ties to early Luccheses. I know the Bonannos were active in San Jose. As you said earlier, they'll all connected by family in one form or another.

Don't forget that just because Frank Lanza had those connections, that it did not mean the guys under him did not have connections with other family. Lanza strongest supporters were the Aliotos of Milwaukee. The Genovese and LaRocca families had connections to Pittsburgh. The Sabellas had connections to Philly and Bonanno crime families. The Balistrieri family had connections to Kansas City, St. Louis, and Detroit. Infusino had connections to St. Louis, Cleveland and Profaci families. LaRusso had connections to New Jersey. The Maita family had powerful connections to Detroit, Buffalo, Bonanno and Profaci families. Trifiro had connections to Cleveland. Bottom line if the guys under Lanza felt he was not fit to be boss, they had the connections to remove him. I know I am forgetting others. When you look into the early members, you can see they formed connections. One of the big ones is when families immigrated to the U.S. one or two would go, then go back and return with their families. Also when they moved from city to city they pretty much took their whole family with them, but family members or a member might stay in the city they moved from. It is like how you see Hispanics, Latinos, and Asians do when they move here. In many ways they took care of their blood family and most of the time moved as one.

I'm reading The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy and Jack Dragna and Mickey Cohen are both characters in it.

James Ellroy is one of my favorite authors. If you like his books, you really should check Don Winslow out Moe..

Come to think of it, I probably already told you this, or it was someone else.. But whatever the case, his books are superb..

Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe novels used fictional characters based on Bugsy and Cohen. Chandler was actually around at that time in LA, and always in contact with people who knew the underworld.

James Ellroy is entertaining. He uses a revisionist setting of LA in that era. Very pro-cop, anti-everyone else, especially show biz people but even everyday civilians as well. Ellroy's always thought of LA as being the land of naive idiots. While growing up there, his mother, who he proclaimed to have been an alcoholic and sexually promiscuous, was murdered, so I can understand where he gets the chip on his shoulder. He dissed Chandler when speaking at the recent Noir City festival in LA, and received some boos and hisses. He didn't care.

Thanks again. The last names tell the story. Seems all immigrant groups that migrated to California had a similar experience. The Irish had a lot of influence in California the early 20th century. I'm sure they built most of the Catholic churches and schools that Italians and later Latinos ended up populating. They were the only group that had the money and political influence to build them at that time.