Peter Milano | |
---|---|
Born |
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
December 22, 1925
Died | April 21, 2012 Los Angeles, California, U.S |
(aged 86)
Nationality | American |
Other names | Pete |
Known for | Mob Activity |
Parent(s) | Anthony Milano (father) |
Relatives | Frank Milano (uncle) Carmen Milano (brother) |
Peter John Milano (December 22, 1925 - April 21, 2012) was a Los Angeles based, Italian-American mobster, and former boss of the Los Angeles crime family. Milano was active in organized crime from the 1950s until his death. His legitimate businesses were in real estate properties and a vending company called "Rome Vending Company".
Milano was born in 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio to Anthony and Josephine Milano. His father was underboss of the Cleveland crime family from the 1930s until his retirement in 1976. Many members of the Milano family were involved in organized crime, including his uncle Frank Milano, who was boss of the Cleveland family and sat on the original Commission from 1931 until he chose to flee the country to avoid tax evasion charges in 1935. His brothers were also involved in the Mafia except for Carmen Milano who chose to be a lawyer until eventually also becoming a mobster in the 1980s. He is also related through marriage to John Nardi who was a Mafia associate who was killed for switching sides to the Irish Mob, during the Cleveland family's war with Danny Greene. Milano moved with his family to Beverly Hills, California in the late 1930s or early 1940s as a teenager. After graduating from high school, Milano became a part of Mickey Cohen's syndicate and was involved in illegal gambling.
After switching allegiance to the Los Angeles crime family, Milano became a made man in 1970. Soon after, he was promoted to caporegime (captain) in the family. His father Anthony, while also being one of the main criminal powers in Cleveland, also had interests on the West Coast and was closely associated with the L.A family. In March 1973, Milano and six others were charged with running a rigged gambling operation in Los Angeles that brought in up to $250,000 a month. Their trial was delayed when the key informant and witness, former Mafia associate John Dubcek, was shot and killed in Las Vegas. Although this scared other informants from testifying, Milano was still sentenced to four years in prison. Months later Milano and 11 other men were indicted for conspiracy, racketeering and extortion against bookmakers, loan sharks, and pornographers. Milano served four years for both indictments.