John Tronolone
Encyclopedia
John "Peanuts" Tronolone (December 12, 1910 − May 29, 1991) was a Cleveland, Ohio
mobster who succeeded crime boss
James Licavoli as head of the Cleveland branch of the Licavoli Crime Family
. Tronolone ran the Cleveland family following the Licavoli-Nardi gang war
s from 1985 until 1991.
Born in Buffalo, New York
, Tronolone was arrested three times before the age of 21. In 1975, he was convicted of operating a bookmaking operation with an estimated weekly income exceeding $1 million; Tronolone was sentenced to two years imprisonment with a $2,000 fine. At some point, Tronolone became an active member of the Cleveland family. However, Tronolone maintained his family responsibilities from his residence in Florida
, where he also operated a travel agency
.
Tronolone frequently served as facilitator
between the Cleveland family and the Mafia Commission
in New York. Since Cleveland was not a Commission member, their interests were served by front boss Anthony Salerno
from the Genovese crime family
. Tronlone also helped Salerno with other important jobs. In 1980, Angelo Bruno
, the boss of the Philadelphia crime family
, was killed by rivals within his crime family. The Commission, upset with Bruno's unsanctioned murder, issued a death edict for Philadelphia gangster Johnny "Keys" Simone. Aware that he was in trouble, Simone traveled to Florida to ask Tronolone to intercede for him with Salerno. Tronolone called Salerno, who told him that Simone's fate was sealed. At Salerno's request, Tronolone assured Simone that everything was now OK and that he should return to New York and talk to Salerno. The reassured Simone returned to New York, where his body was discovered several days later.
In 1981, Tronolone and 14 other mobsters were indicted on federal racketeering charges, including 29 counts of conspiracy to murder, labor racketeering, illegal gambling, bid rigging for local food and construction industries, and conspiracy to defraud the Teamsters Union through election fraud. In October 1983, acting boss Angelo Lonardo
became a protected federal witness against Tronolone and other Cleveland family members. http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Reading%20Room%20Documents/Cleveland%20LCN%20-Statement%20of%20Angelo%20Lonardo%20(1988).htm. Tronolone then became acting boss. In 1985, after Tronolone's acquittal on racketeering charges and the death of Licavoli, Tronolone became the permanent boss of the weakened Cleveland family.
In 1989, Tronolone became the only Mafia boss to have the distinction of being arrested in a hand-to-hand undercover transaction by local law enforcement. He accepted allegedly stolen jewelry from Lt. Dave Green, an undercover Broward County deputy in exchange for bookmaking and loan sharking debts. Green was forced to wear a disguise because Tronolone knew his real identity. On May 29, 1991, Tronolone died before he could start his nine year state prison sentence.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
mobster who succeeded crime boss
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
James Licavoli as head of the Cleveland branch of the Licavoli Crime Family
Licavoli Crime Family
The Licavoli Mob was an Italian American mob that was based in Detroit and St. Louis. The mob was formed by the brothers Thomas "Yonnie" Licavoli and Peter "Pete" Licavoli.- Background :...
. Tronolone ran the Cleveland family following the Licavoli-Nardi gang war
Gang War
Gang War is a 1928 gangster film, best known for being the main feature attached to Steamboat Willie, the debut of Mickey Mouse in sound. The film starred Jack Pickford in his last major role, as "Clyde", a saxophone player whose love for a dancer named Flowers traps him in the middle of a gang war...
s from 1985 until 1991.
Born in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, Tronolone was arrested three times before the age of 21. In 1975, he was convicted of operating a bookmaking operation with an estimated weekly income exceeding $1 million; Tronolone was sentenced to two years imprisonment with a $2,000 fine. At some point, Tronolone became an active member of the Cleveland family. However, Tronolone maintained his family responsibilities from his residence in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, where he also operated a travel agency
Travel agency
A travel agency is a retail business that sells travel related products and services to customers on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and package holidays that combine several products...
.
Tronolone frequently served as facilitator
Facilitator
A facilitator is someone who helps a group of people understand their common objectives and assists them to plan to achieve them without taking a particular position in the discussion...
between the Cleveland family and the Mafia Commission
The Commission (mafia)
The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia. Formed in 1931, the Commission replaced the "Boss of all Bosses" title, with a ruling committee, consisting of the New York Five Families bosses and the boss of the Chicago Outfit...
in New York. Since Cleveland was not a Commission member, their interests were served by front boss Anthony Salerno
Anthony Salerno
Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno was a New York mobster who served as front boss of the Genovese crime family to family boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante from the 1970s until his conviction in 1986...
from the Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
. Tronlone also helped Salerno with other important jobs. In 1980, Angelo Bruno
Angelo Bruno
Angelo "The Gentle Don" Bruno was a Sicilian-American mobster who ran the Philadelphia crime family for two decades. Bruno gained his nickname and reputation due to his preference for conciliation over violence.-Early years:Born in Villalba, Sicily, Bruno emigrated to the United States in his...
, the boss of the Philadelphia crime family
Philadelphia crime family
The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Scarfo crime family, Bruno crime family, Philadelphia Mafia, or Philly Mob, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the most active American Mafia families outside of the Five Families of New York...
, was killed by rivals within his crime family. The Commission, upset with Bruno's unsanctioned murder, issued a death edict for Philadelphia gangster Johnny "Keys" Simone. Aware that he was in trouble, Simone traveled to Florida to ask Tronolone to intercede for him with Salerno. Tronolone called Salerno, who told him that Simone's fate was sealed. At Salerno's request, Tronolone assured Simone that everything was now OK and that he should return to New York and talk to Salerno. The reassured Simone returned to New York, where his body was discovered several days later.
In 1981, Tronolone and 14 other mobsters were indicted on federal racketeering charges, including 29 counts of conspiracy to murder, labor racketeering, illegal gambling, bid rigging for local food and construction industries, and conspiracy to defraud the Teamsters Union through election fraud. In October 1983, acting boss Angelo Lonardo
Angelo Lonardo
Angelo Anthony Lonardo was a Cleveland crime family mobster who later became the acting boss of the family in the early 1980s. Lonardo was born in 1911 in Cleveland to Joseph and Concetta Lonardo. His godfather was Anthony Milano...
became a protected federal witness against Tronolone and other Cleveland family members. http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Reading%20Room%20Documents/Cleveland%20LCN%20-Statement%20of%20Angelo%20Lonardo%20(1988).htm. Tronolone then became acting boss. In 1985, after Tronolone's acquittal on racketeering charges and the death of Licavoli, Tronolone became the permanent boss of the weakened Cleveland family.
In 1989, Tronolone became the only Mafia boss to have the distinction of being arrested in a hand-to-hand undercover transaction by local law enforcement. He accepted allegedly stolen jewelry from Lt. Dave Green, an undercover Broward County deputy in exchange for bookmaking and loan sharking debts. Green was forced to wear a disguise because Tronolone knew his real identity. On May 29, 1991, Tronolone died before he could start his nine year state prison sentence.
Further reading
- Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 0-02-864225-2
- Neff, James. Mobbed Up: Jackie Presser's High-Wire Life in the Teamsters, the Mafia, and the FBI. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1989. ISBN 0-87113-344-X
- Porrello, Rick. To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia. Novelty, Ohio: Next Hat Press, 2004. ISBN 0-9662508-9-3
- Smith, John L. Running Scared: the life and treacherous times of Las Vegas casino king Steve Wynn. New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2001. ISBN 1-56858-190-4
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Organized Criminal Activities: south Florida and U.S. Penitentiary, Atlanta, Ga. 1980. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC04442345&id=GScUwkp-faMC&q=John+Peanuts+Tronolone&dq=John+Peanuts+Tronolone&pgis=1
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Organized Crime: 25 Years After Valachi: Hearings Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 1988. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC19099088&id=DQeMhDjHx58C&q=John+Peanuts+Tronolone&dq=John+Peanuts+Tronolone&pgis=1
- United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Criminal Justice. Oversight Hearing on Organized Crime Strike Forces: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice. 1989. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC20541753&id=YPkIsLYUFoYC&q=John+Peanuts+Tronolone&dq=John+Peanuts+Tronolone&pgis=1
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Federal Government's Use of Trusteeships Under the RICO Statute: Hearings Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 1989. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC20848205&id=iVlmru1OaUEC&q=John+Peanuts+Tronolone&dq=John+Peanuts+Tronolone&pgis=1
- United States. Congress. Senate. Impeachment Trial Committee on the Articles against Judge Alcee L. Hastings. Report of the Senate Impeachment Trial Committee on the Articles Against Judge Walter L. Nixon. 1989. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC20437157&id=LIXpNZmNSg8C&q=John+Peanuts+Tronolone&dq=John+Peanuts+Tronolone&pgis=1