John "Peanuts" Tronolone (December 12, 1910 − May 29, 1991) was an American

mobster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level ...

who succeeded

crime boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, mafia don, mob boss, kingpin, or godfather is the leader of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss has absolute or nearly absolute control over the other members of the organization and is ...

James Licavoli as head of the

Cleveland crime family The Cleveland crime family, also known as the Scalish crime family or the Cleveland Mafia, is an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Cleveland, Ohio, and throughout the Greater Cleveland area. The organization formed during the 1900s, an ...

. He was initially affiliated with a faction of the

Buffalo crime family The Buffalo crime family, also known as the Magaddino crime family, the Todaro crime family, the New York State crime family, the Buffalo Mafia, the Upstate New York Mafia, and the Arm, is an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, M ...

which was absorbed by the Cleveland family. After serving as ''

consigliere Consigliere ( , ; plural is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel ''The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a c ...

'' and acting boss, Tronolone ran the Cleveland family from 1985 until his death in 1991 following the Licavoli-Nardi gang wars.

Criminal career

Born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, Tronolone was the oldest of nine children of Maria (''née'' Gnozzo) and Vincenzo Tronolone, an immigrant from San Fele in the

Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...

region of southern Italy.John Tronolone
''Buffalo Mob'' He allegedly gained his nickname "Peanuts" by giving peanuts to neighborhood children visiting his father's laundromat.Trial to Star of Man Police Call Mob Boss
''

South Florida Sun-Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Broward County, an ...

'' (August 6, 1990) Tronolone was arrested three times before the age of 21. In 1932, he was convicted of possession of

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...

tools and sentenced to nine months in prison. During the 1930s, Tronolone was a close associate of Buffalo mobster Joseph DiCarlo, serving as DiCarlo's chief lieutenant in the city's illegal gambling and

bookmaking A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Harry Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795, although similar a ...

rackets. In May 1935, he and several other members of the DiCarlo gang were arrested under New York's anti-racketeering " Brownell law". Tronolone and three others were convicted and sentenced to six-month prison terms, but the sentences were later suspended due to controversy surrounding the newly-passed legislation. In August 1937, Tronolone and DiCarlo were arrested after allegedly assaulting Roman "Whitey" Kroll, who claimed to have been beaten by the two gangsters for refusing to pay

protection money A protection racket is a type of racket and a scheme of organized crime perpetrated by a potentially hazardous organized crime group that generally guarantees protection outside the sanction of the law to another entity or individual from viol ...

on his bookmaking operation. Tronolone and DiCarlo were acquitted in 1937. In 1944, law enforcement began a crackdown on DiCarlo's gambling operations, conducting numerous raids on a betting parlor on Niagara Street. The investigation was aided by Edward J. Pospichal, a "lone wolf" anti-gambling crusader who alleged "collusion" between the racketeers and local police.Gambling In Buffalo Is Probed
''Buffalo Police Then and Now'' (October 5, 1944) Tronolone, DiCarlo and Buffalo police captain Thomas F. O'Neill were among eleven men indicted on December 30, 1944 by an Erie County grand jury investigating gambling activities in Buffalo.Three Convicted in Buffalo Gambling Probe
''Buffalo Police Then and Now'' (April 24, 1945) Pospichal was shot dead in an unsolved murder on January 28, 1945. On April 23, 1945, Tronolone and DiCarlo were convicted of conspiracy to violate gambling laws, and aiding and abetting a police officer to neglect his duty, while O'Neill was found guilty of willful neglect and willful omission of duty in failing to suppress gambling. Tronolone and DiCarlo was each sentenced to serve 18 months at Erie County Penitentiary and fined $500.
''Buffalo Police Then and Now'' (April 27, 1945) Following his their release from prison in 1946, Tronolone, DiCarlo and other members of their gang relocated to

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

, where their faction was absorbed into the

. Under the supervision of Cleveland family ''

capodecina A (literally 'head of ten',Schneider, ''Reversible Destiny'', p. 83 also called caporegime in the American Mafia) is the head of a , a branch within a Sicilian Mafia family. In the larger families, a is selected by the head of the family and coor ...

'' James "Jack White" Licavoli, the DiCarlo gang took control of bookmaking and gambling operations in Youngstown. Tronolone moved to

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean ...

in 1948 and remained a resident Dade County for the rest of his life.John Tronolone, Reputed Cleveland Mob Family Chief
''

'' (June 1, 1991) He continued gambling and bookmaking racketeering in

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

in close association with two other Cleveland mobsters, Sam DiCarlo and John "King" Angersola, and

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

gangster Joseph Massei. In 1949, Tronolone was convicted of operating an illegal gambling house. Tronolone was a regular guest at Joseph Sonken's Gold Coast Restaurant in

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

, which was frequented by other mobsters such as Vincent "Jimmy Blue Eyes" Alo,

Meyer Lansky Meyer Lansky (born Maier Suchowljansky; July 4, 1902 – January 15, 1983), known as the "Mob's Accountant", was an American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Lucky Luciano, Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the dev ...

, Anthony "Tony Jack" Giacalone and Hyman "Pittsburgh Hymie" Martin, as well as entertainers including

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

Audrey Meadows Audrey Meadows (born Audrey Cotter; February 8, 1922 – February 3, 1996) was an American actress who portrayed the deadpan housewife Alice Kramden on the 1950s American television comedy ''The Honeymooners''. She was the younger sister of H ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

and Sammy Davis Jr., and the boxer

Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; ), better known as Rocky Marciano (, ), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955. He held the world heavyweight championship from 1952 to 1956, and re ...

.How One Famed Hollywood Restaurant Became the National Center for the Mob
Matthew Pearl, ''

Miami New Times The ''Miami New Times'' is a newspaper published in Miami, Florida, United States, and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami metropolitan area, and is headquartered in Miami's Wynwood Art District. Overview It was acquired ...

'' (January 30, 2018) Tronolone maintained his family responsibilities from his residence in Florida, where he also operated a

travel agency A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides travel and tourism-related services to the general public on behalf of accommodation or travel suppliers to offer different kinds of travelling packages for each destina ...

, Peter Pan World Travel Inc., in North Miami.Mafia boss arrested in Broward police sting
Gary Kane, ''

The Palm Beach Post ''The Palm Beach Post'' is an American daily newspaper serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and parts of the Treasure Coast. On March 18, 2018, in a deal worth US$42.35 million, ''The Palm Beach Post'' and '' The Palm Beach Daily News' ...

'' (February 10, 1989) In 1971, Tronolone was sentenced to two years’ probation and fined $1,000 after he was convicted of operating an illegal gambling business in Dade County. In 1975, he was convicted of operating a

operation with an estimated weekly income exceeding $1 million; Tronolone was sentenced to two years imprisonment with a $2,000 fine. In the late 1970s, Tronolone became the ''

'', or counselor, of the Cleveland family. In this capacity, he frequently served as

facilitator A facilitator is a person who helps a Social group, group of people to work together better, understand their common objectives, and plan how to achieve these objectives, during meetings or discussions. In doing so, the facilitator remains "neut ...

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 "Fat Tony" Salerno from the Genovese family. Tronolone spent so much time with Salerno that he once joked to Cleveland underboss Angelo "Big Ange" Lonardo that he considered himself a member of both the Cleveland family and the Genovese family. Tronolone also helped Salerno with other important jobs. On March 21, 1980, Angelo Bruno, the boss of the Philadelphia family, was killed by rivals within his crime family.Reputed Leader In Mob Is Killed In Philadelphia; Angelo Bruno Shot Dead in Auto Outside Home A Record of Arrests
Les Ledbetter, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (March 22, 1980) The Commission, upset with Bruno's unsanctioned murder, issued a death edict for Philadelphia gangster John "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 on September 19, 1980 after he was shot execution-style.Power war claims Bruno family lives
''

Asbury Park Press The ''Asbury Park Press'', formerly known as the ''Shore Press'', ''Daily Press'', ''Asbury Park Daily Press'', and ''Asbury Park Evening Press'', is the third largest daily newspaper in the state of New Jersey. Established in 1879, it has been o ...

'' (November 2, 1980)

Crime boss

In October 1983, acting boss Angelo Lonardo became a protected federal witness against Tronolone and other Cleveland family members. Tronolone succeeded Lonardo acting boss. After the death of James Licavoli in November 1985, Trenbolone became the permanent boss of the weakened Cleveland family. On March 21, 1986, Tronolone and 14 other mobsters were indicted on federal

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercion, coercive, fraud, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. ...

charges, including 29 counts of conspiracy to murder, labor racketeering, illegal gambling,

bid rigging Bid rigging is a fraudulent scheme in a procurement action which enables companies to submit non-competitive bids. It can be performed by corrupt officials, by firms in an orchestrated act of collusion, or by officials and firms acting together. ...

for local food and construction industries, and conspiracy to defraud the Teamsters Union through

election fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share o ...

.Reputed Mob Leader Among 15 Indicted On Racketeering Counts
Arnold H. Lubasch, ''

'' (March 22, 1986) He and three others were accused of fixing the election of Teamsters general president Jackie Presser in 1983.Mafia Leader Indicted Over Presser Link
Bob Drogin, ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' (November 26, 1986) Mob Figures Chose Teamsters' Chief, Government Says
Arnold H. Lubasch, ''

'' (November 26, 1986) Tronolone was also charged with conspiring to murder John Simone as a result of Lonardo's testifimony regarding Tronolone's role in the 1980 killing.Williams Backed: Grand Jury Links Mob, Teamsters
Ronald J. Ostrow and JJohn J. Goldman, ''

'' (March 22, 1986) Tapes, testimony tell of existence of mob commission

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

(September 25, 1986) On May 4, 1988, he was acquitted of all charges in Federal District Court in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

.Salerno and 8 Found Guilty As Racketeers
(May 5, 1988) Arnold H. Lubasch, ''

'' Tronolone, a great-grandfather of nine with a pacemaker and cataracts, lived in a two-bedroom apartment in North Miami. James Neff, the senior editor of '' Cleveland Magazine'', described Tronolone as a "senile bumbler" who had turned "the once-proud levelandcrime family into a national joke". Investigators, however, alleged that he oversaw a

loansharking A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high or illegal interest rates, has strict terms of collection, and generally operates outside the law, often using the threat of violence or other illegal, aggressive, and extortionate ...

and bookmaking ring in South Florida that handled as much as $70 million per year.Police think Mafia turf war may only be a matter of time
Larry Keller, ''

'' (April 22, 1990) Tronolone became the target of a

sting operation In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person attempting to commit a crime. A typical sting will have an undercover law enforcement officer, detective, or co-operative member of the public play a rol ...

by the Broward County Sheriff's Office Organized Crime Bureau after William Bale, an informant and convicted bookmaker who was $18,000 in debt to Miami Beach loan shark and newsstand owner Fred Koran, was told by Koran that Tronolone was the financier of his loansharking operation. Acting on the instructions of Broward County deputy Lt. Dave Green, Bale told Koran that he had a new partner, "Jack Roper", a purported outlaw biker and gun shop owner, who would repay the debt. On January 29, 1989, Green, while undercover as Roper, accompanied Bale during a meeting with Tronolone in the parking lot of the Gulfstream Diner in Hallandale Beach. Green first offered to settle Bale's debt by paying Tronolone with a kilogram of

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

, which Tronolone adamantly refused. Green then instead offered diamonds and other gems purportedly stolen in a jewel heist in Europe, to which Tronolone hastily accepted. Tronolone explained he could

fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or net (textile), netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its ...

the jewelry though an associate who was about to embark for Australia. On February 9, 1989, Tronolone met Green, who was disguised as a member of the

Outlaws Motorcycle Club The Outlaws Motorcycle Club, Incorporation (business), incorporated as the American Outlaws Association or its acronym, A.O.A., is an international outlaw motorcycle club. Founded in McCook, Illinois in 1935, the Outlaws MC is the oldest outlaw ...

, in the same parking lot and was arrested after he personally accepted a bag containing $77,000 worth of diamonds, rubies and gold which had been provided by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

(FBI). 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 was charged with racketeering, bookmaking, bookmaking conspiracy, loansharking and dealing in stolen property, and held at Broward County Jail in lieu of a $1 million bail. Tronolone went on trial in

Broward County Broward County ( ) is a County (United States), county in Florida, United States, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the List of the most ...

on charges of racketeering, loansharking and receiving stolen property beginning in August 1990. In October 1990, he was convicted of two counts of racketeering and three other felony charges. In December 1990, he was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment but allowed to remain free on a $250,000 bail while he appealed his conviction.

Death

Before he could start his nine-year state prison sentence, Tronolone died of complications from a heart condition at a hospital in Miami Beach on May 29, 1991, at the age of 80. A funeral mass was held for him at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Miami Beach.

References

External links

The New Criminologist: John Tronolone
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tronolone, John 1910 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American criminals American crime bosses American gangsters of Italian descent American male criminals American people convicted of burglary American prisoners and detainees Buffalo crime family Cleveland crime family Consiglieri Criminals from Florida Criminals from Ohio People acquitted of racketeering People convicted of racketeering Criminals from Buffalo, New York People from Miami Beach, Florida People from North Miami, Florida People from Youngstown, Ohio Prisoners and detainees of Florida Prisoners and detainees of New York (state)

Criminal career

Crime boss

Death

References

Further reading

External links