Top 15 Global Crime Bosses of 2012

Two issues I have about this post: I just recently did a "list story" or two; and it breaks my mandate, which is to strictly follow traditional Italian organized crime in America -- the Mafia. But I decided to run it because I had solid retorts to both of my concerns: 1.) It is superior to the previous lists in terms of interesting hard news; and 2.) What the hell if I include the Sicilian and Italian Mafias as well as other ethnic crime groups, especially considering the immense power believed to be in the hands of a Russian crime boss.

So, I present the following by way of ListVerse.com:



There are certain people in the world that you don’t want to mess with: those who control some of the largest organized crime operations on the planet. Organized crime has always been a problem, but as we move into 2012 some syndicates have exploded with profit and influence. Criminal groups that used to follow illegal schemes have turned to more reliable forms of profit....

Liborio Bellomo
Bellomo LiborioIn the United States the Mafia is most active in New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, New England, Detroit, and Chicago. In New York there are five main families that run operations, including the Gambino, Lucchese, Genovese, Bonanno, and Colombo clans. The largest and most powerful of these families is the Genovese crime family. The Genovese family is known for running offshore gambling websites. In the 21st century the Genovese syndicate contributed to the U.S. mortgage crisis by taking advantage of easy bank loans. In the history of the crime family only five members have ever turned state’s evidence.

Officially, the current acting boss of the Genovese crime family is an imprisoned man named Daniel Leo, who is scheduled to be released in 2013, but another man named Liborio Bellomo (Big Barney) is said to be one of the fastest rising Mafia members in the United States today. In 1992, Vincent Gigante thought enough of Bellomo to give him control of the Genovese family’s day-to-day operations at the age of 35. Bellomo was considered Vincent Gigante’s logical successor as boss until he was sent to prison in 1996.

In 2008, Bellomo was released and regained his position in the family. His exact role is yet to be revealed, but many assume that Liborio Bellomo is one of the top gangsters of New York. Among the five families of New York the current acting bosses include Vincent Badalamenti (Bonanno), Domenico Cefalu (Gambino), Carmine Persico (Colombo), Steven Crea (Lucchese), and Daniel Leo (Genovese).


John DiFronzo
NormalIn organized crime it is rare for a high profile boss to remain out of jail and in power for a long period of time. John DiFronzo has accomplished this. He is the current leader of the Chicago Outfit. The Chicago outfit is one of the largest crime syndicates in the United States. They are known for violence, turf fighting, and have operations in many cities, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Miami. One of the Chicago Outfits biggest competitors is the Russian Mob. Unlike most organized crime groups, the Outfit has members from other ethnicities besides Italian Americans, including the Polish, Welsh, and Japanese-American populations. To this day, the Outfit has a strong influence from Al Capone.

In 1993, a man named John “No Nose” DiFronzo took over as the boss of the Chicago Outfit. DiFronzo was a veteran enforcer and caporegime of the family. He got the nickname “No Nose” because he sliced off part of his nose while jumping through a window during a 1949 clothing store burglary. DiFronzo is known for his dangerous temper. However, little information is available about his true personality. In 2005, DiFronzo avoided indictment in the “Family Secrets” trial of the top Chicago Mafia leaders. This fact, along with other federal indictments has caused some to question DiFronzo’s true motivations and possible connection with the police. As of 2012, he continues to run the Chicago Outfit.




Adams Family
Snn0739Bush-280 4  797701AThe Clerkenwell crime syndicate or A-team is one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the United Kingdom. The gang was formed in the 1980s by Terry Adams and his two brothers Tommy and Patrick Adams. The family is known for brute force, violence, and wealth. They are said to be involved in drug trafficking, extortion, security fraud, gambling, as well as the hijacking of gold bullion shipments. The A-team has been linked to 25 gangland murders and often uses Afro-Caribbean muscle to influence informants and rival criminals.
Terry Adams is the boss of the syndicate, while his brothers control the finances and enforcement. The overall wealth of the brothers has been placed around $200 million, but due to the nature of the criminal world, it is impossible to determine the true extent of the A-team’s influence. The BBC has asserted that the crime syndicates strength has decreased since 2000. In 2004, Sean “Tommy” Adams gained attention in the UK media when it was discovered that he had been hired by former footballer Kenny Dalglish to secure the sports agency Pro Active’s exclusive management rights to Manchester United and England football striker Wayne Rooney.
In 2007, Terry Adams was convicted of money laundering charges and jailed for seven years. He was ordered to repay £4.7 million in legal aid and £800,000 of prosecution costs. Overall, it was a minor offence for Adams, who has the ability to keep a distance from murder and other serious criminal activities of the organization. Adams was released on June 24, 2010, but recalled to prison in August 2011 for breaching his license. He didn’t report a £7,500 facelift and £7,000 trip to the dentist. Currently, Terry Adams is in jail, but expected to be released in the next couple years. His two brothers are under surveillance by the Serious Organised Crime Agency and police in Spain, but continue to run the Clerkenwell crime syndicate.


Vito Rizzuto
Rizzuto1In the last couple years the organized crime situation in Montreal, Quebec, Canada has become a problem for authorities. A turf war has been waged between the Rizzuto crime family, who has operated in Montreal for decades, and the Italian based ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate. In 2007, the long reigning Godfather of the Italian Mafia in Canada Vito Rizzuto was arrested and given a sentence of 10 years. Since then, many of the high ranking officials in the Rizzuto crime family have been murdered, including Vito’s father Nicolo, his son Nick, Paolo Renda, Agostino Cuntrera, and most recently Salvatore Montagna, who was an acting boss of the Bonanno crime family of New York City.

Vito Rizzuto is scheduled to be released from prison in October of 2012 and the police fear that he will organize a mass retaliation effort against the ‘Ndrangheta with the help of some powerful men. It can only be suspected that Ruzzuto will do whatever it takes to avenge the death of his family. Vito Rizzuto is a smart boss and according to law enforcement officials he oversaw a criminal empire that imported and distributed tones of heroin, cocaine, and hashish into Canada. Rizzuto laundered hundreds of millions of dollars and profited from illegal gambling, fraud, and contract killings. Some people have dubbed the Rizzuto clan the Sixth Family and put them on an equal footing as the Five Families of New York, so you can be sure that some important people are overlooking the situation.


Giovanni Motisi
Giovanni Motisi3The Motisi Mafia clan is a historical Mafia syndicate from the Pagliarelli area in Palermo, Italy. The organization is powerful and has a direct tie to the Sicilian Mafia. In the 1980s, a man named Matteo Motisi took control of the Motisi clan and became connected with the Corleonesi faction of the Italian mob. After Matteo was arrested for murder and sentenced to life in prison, his nephew Giovanni Motisi (u pacchiuni) took over as the new boss of the Pagliarelli family. Giovanni has been a federal fugitive since 1998 and is considered to be one of the more powerful bosses of Palermo.
Giovanni Motisi rose in the ranks of the Mafia with a reputation for violence and a quick wit. Motisi is close friends with boss Bernardo Provenzano, who was arrested in 2006. After Provenzano was jailed, it is thought that Giovanni Matisi was given more responsibly in the Cosa Nostra. Today, the whereabouts of Motisi are unknown. According to some reports he is dead, while others maintain that he is hiding out in Agrigento, in the south of Sicily. If he is in Italy, there is no doubt that Giovanni Motisi plays an important role in the Sicilian Mafia.


Pasquale Scotti
Pasquale Scotti 20020802173506 1011323235The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization that originated in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world and dates back to the 16th century. The word “Camorra” was first used in 1735, when a royal decree authorized the establishment of eight gambling houses in Naples. The word is almost certainly a blend of “capo” (boss) and a Neapolitan street game, the “morra.” Unlike the Cosa Nostra, the Camorra is composed of individual clans that act independently of each other.
In recent years, various Camorra families have formed alliances with Nigerian drug gangs and the Albanian Mafia. In Campania, where the unemployment rate is high, the Camorra have began to offer children jobs in the area of criminal activity, including cigarette smuggling, drug trafficking, and theft. It is difficult for officials to fight the problem because the society of Campania has come to tolerate and accept the mobsters. The area is governed by a code of silence or omertà that persists to this day.
Pasquale Scotti is an Italian criminal and boss of the Camorra. He has been wanted in Italy since 1985 for murder, concealment of corpse, and other crimes. Scotti has been described as a smooth and ruthless personality. He is one of the most able of the lieutenants of the historic leader Raffaele Cutolo and is an extremely popular mobster. On Christmas Eve of 1984, Scotti escaped from the hospital of Caserta where he had been admitted for a wound to the hand.
In 1990, an international arrest warrant was issued against Pasquale Scotti. However, he has since disappeared. In January 2005, he received a life sentence for a series of 26 murders during the 1982-83 Camorra war between the NCO and the Nuova Famiglia. In October 2011, while Scotti had been on the run for nearly 27 years, the Italian police issued a new photo profile on the basis of a mug-shot from the 1980s. The new attention sparked interest in the case and prompted new questions over possible leads. Some people have described the possibly that Pasquale Scotti is dead.


Domenico Condello
12214091 30-Latitanti-Pi-Pericolosi-Italia-Domenico-Condello-4One of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world is the ‘Ndrangheta. The syndicate is based in Calabria, southern Italy. The ‘Ndrangheta operate independently from the Sicilian Mafia and control over 3% of Italy’s total GDP through extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, and other illegal operations. It has been estimated that the ‘Ndrangheta generate an annual revenue of about €35-40 billion. The main difference between the Sicilian Mafia and the Ndrangheta is their recruitment methods.
The ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate is active all over the world, but extremely prevalent in Canada, especially Toronto. Canada’s banking system is very secretive and doesn’t allow investigation, so it is an ideal place to launder money. Inside of the ‘Ndrangheta, the boss is given the title Capo crimine, but unlike other criminal organizations, this person is not the “boss of bosses.” They actually have comparatively little authority to interfere in family feuds or violence. The last known Capo crimine was Domenico Oppedisano, who was arrested in 2010.
 During the late 2000s, the most powerful man inside of the enormous ‘Ndrangheta syndicate was Pasquale Condello. He was known as “Il supremo” (the supreme one) inside of the family.
Condello was regarded as a key figure in the world of trafficking cocaine between Colombia and Italy. He also controlled valuable water purifying contracts in some Calabrian towns. In 2008, Condello was arrested by over 100 policemen who converged on an apartment in the district of Occhio di Péllaro, on the outskirts of Reggio Calabria.
Since the ‘Ndrangheta rely on family blood to organize their hierarchical structure, the next person in line to be the supreme leader of the clan was Pasquale’s cousin Domenico Condello. Domenico is currently one of the most wanted men in Italy and has been evading police for years. In 2012, it was announced that a collection of Domenico’s accomplices and family members were arrested for harboring the fugitive. In 2012, Condello remains at large and a major force behind the ‘Ndrangheta management.


Matteo Messina Denaro
Matteo-Messina-Denaro-Costituisciti-L-5Lbrt6Who is the current capo dei capi of the Sicilian Mafia? This article will focus on a man named Matteo Messina Denaro who is thought to be the godfather. Denaro is currently not in prison, but is heavily wanted all over the world. In Italy, the Sicilian Mafia (Cosa Nostra) is a powerful criminal syndicate that emerged in the middle of the 1800s. The organization is composed of a collection of families who claim a territory in which they operate an extensive racketeering business.
In 2008, it was reported that about 25.2% of Sicilian businesses were indebted to loan sharks, who collected around €1.4 billion a year in payments. The Sicilian Mafia is believed to have a turnover of €6.5 billion through the control of public and private contracts. Mafiosi members reportedly use threats of violence and vandalism to muscle out competitors and win contracts. It is estimated that the Sicilian Mafia costs the Sicilian economy more than €10 billion a year through protection rackets.
All of these facts have put pressure on the Italian police to fight the Cosa Nostra. In 2008, the authorities foiled an attempt by the syndicate to reconstitute a new Mafia Commission. At the meeting a large number of names were nominated as the new godfather, including Benedetto Capizzi, Gaetano Lo Presti, Gerlando Alberti, Gregorio Agrigento, Giovanni Lipari, Gaetano Fidanzati, Giuseppe Scaduto, and Salvatore Lombardo. Some younger bosses include Giovanni Riina, Domenico Raccuglia, Pietro Tagliavia, Gianni Nicchi, and Raccuglia. Most of these people are in prison, but it should be mentioned that a large collection of mafia members continue to run operations while in jail.
Matteo Messina Denaro is a 50-year-old mafia boss that is widely considered to be the current godfather. He is one of the wealthiest fugitives in the world. Denaro is often portrayed as a ruthless playboy and womanizer by the media. He is violent man and has a reputation for fast living and expensive things. Over the last couple years, the Italian government has seized over 3 billion euros from dealings related to Messina Denaro. In 2011, an attempt to arrest Denaro failed and he escaped. Today, he remains one of the top mob bosses in the world.


Semion Mogilevich
6545-751133Semion Mogilevich has been described by the FBI as the most dangerous mobster in the world. He is a Ukrainian-born organized crime boss who is believed to be the leader of the Russian Mafia. All decisions related to the expansion and organization of the syndicate is run by Semion Mogilevich. He is an extremely intelligent and ruthless leader who holds a degree in economics. Mogilevich earned the nicknames “Don Semyon” and “The Brainy Don” because of his smarts. According to Wikileaks, Mogilevich has been connected with some huge companies, including RosUkrEnergo, Raiffeisen Bank, and Gazprom, which is a Russian state energy group.
Semion Mogilevich rose to the position of godfather after he gained control of the Solntsevskaya Bratva. The Solntsevskaya Bratva is a powerful crime organization from Moscow named after the Solntsevo neighborhood in the city. The syndicate is considered to be one of the most dangerous criminal groups in the world. They are known for a strict code of violence, drug smuggling, racketeering, illegal gambling, kidnapping, and contract killings. The Russian Mob is also one of the most profitable in the world and Semion Mogilevich is said to be a secret billionaire.
Some articles have even suggested a link between the criminal kingpin and Vladimir Putin, accusing Putin of keeping Mogilevich safe in return for his presidential support. Whatever the case, Semion Mogilevich is currently the most recognized and powerful organized crime boss in the world. He is protected by a thick line of political defenses and continues to control the most detrimental criminal clan of Russia. On October 22, 2009 Mogilevich was named by the FBI as the 494th fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted list.


To view the complete list, check out: Top 15 Crime Bosses and Drug Lords in 2012

Comments

  1. I live very close to the DiFronzo’s business headquarters near Lake & Mannheim in Melrose Park. I haven't seen Pete in a while, but he used to be pretty visible driving his white Escalade up and down that whole ghetto strip not far from Casa Italia in Stone Park. Johnny DiFronzo acts like a regular guy. His wife doesn't drive, so he chauffeurs her around town on errands. He used to hang out at the Loon (later "My Way") on Thatcher near his apartment on Grand Avenue, but both places closed. Not sure where he goes now. Johnny does his own thing and is a peripheral figure. He is in a Tony Accardo-like state of retirement. There are still some Outfit guys around, though. Mainly bookmakers and juice guys. A handful of them are young (late 30's and early 40's), and dress kind of hip-hop/athletic. In the nicer weather, a lot of them congregate at the patio tables at Wolf & Cermak in Westchester because that's where one of the main guys (M.D.) gets his morning coffee. I have seen as many as 20 pudgy, silver-haired guys over there, meeting right out in the open, pounding on the table and talking with their hands. The government has bigger fish to fry in Chicago than some guys scrambling to make a few hundred thousand a year. The street gangs on the South Side have declared war on the cops, for crying out loud. The Outfit has changed a lot. Nobody is a through-and-through gangster anymore. Most of the guys invest their money in real estate or legitimate business or have patronage jobs, so they can “explain” their income on paper, mostly. The government leaves them alone. The made guys who are left are all Italian (as they have always been) and well-insulated from the government. Most of them are money guys anyway—not heavies. Many of the guys who do the heavy work are non-Italian associates, most of whom did a disappearing act when Frank Schweihs was indicted in Family Secrets. The Chicago Outfit is still around and surprisingly highly visible in the North West and Near West corridors, but they are not much to look at, honestly. 6/ 13/2013

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