Los Angeles
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The first boss of the Los Angeles, California outfit of La Cosa Nostra was Joseph Ardizzone, who was in control until 1931.
He was succeeded by Jack Dragna, who led the family to national prominence. Dragna got the family involved in the
entertainment industry and, to this day, remains the only LA boss ever on the national commission. He died in 1956. His
replacement, Frank DeSimone, was in power for eleven years, until 1967. DeSimone's nephew, Tommy, was the man who
Joe Pesci portrayed in the movie GoodFellas. Nick Licata was the boss until 1974. Licata's underboss, Aladena Frattiano, is
famous because he is the second man to break the mob vow of omerta. Jimmy the Weasel, as he is known, testified against
mobsters in L.A., St. Louis, and Detroit. Licata's successor was Dominick Brooklier. He stabilized the family and ruled until
his imprisonment in 1984. His successor was Peter Milano. Milano's brother, Carmen, was his underboss. It is not known if
the Milano's are still in charge of the LA operations or if they have been succeeded. The L.A. family is one of the many
LCN families in the U.S. that have lost most of their power in the last 10 to 15 years. The new info on the L.A. family is that
Carmen and Peter Milano are back out of prison and have retained their power in L.A. In fact, they are attempting to move
into Las Vegas. They are the main suspects in the murder of Herbie Blitzstein, a mob associate who was killed in Las Vegas
earlier this year.
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