James Licavoli
Convicted with five others of RICO violations in Cleveland; the Sixth Circuit, affirming in 1984, stated that the evidence established he was 'a leader of organized crime in Cleveland' who in 1976 'decided that he needed to have one Danny Greene killed'.
- Aliases
- James T. Licavoli, Jack White, Jack Licavoli
- Family
- Cleveland organized crime (Sixth Circuit, 1984); Cleveland LCN (Justice Department, 1983)
- Role
- "a leader of organized crime in Cleveland" (Sixth Circuit, stating what the evidence established, 1984); Cleveland LCN "boss" (Justice Department summary, 1983); boss from 1976 (Lonardo and Griffin, testimony, 1988)
- Rights
- Biography on this page is limited to what the cited federal records and the filed newspaper pages state.
On the record
- 1946 — Kefauver Committee, Cleveland (1951): he said he "copped a plea on extortion" in Toledo, was sentenced "From one to five," and was paroled "In 1946," and that he was a first cousin of Pete and Thomas Licavoli.
- 1959-06-19 — FBI Detroit airtel in his Vault file, captioned "JAMES LICAVOLI, aka Jack White, Pete Corso, Sam Corso, James Licavola, James Licavolo, James White."
- 1976 — Angelo Lonardo, Senate testimony (1988): after Scalish died in 1976, "Scalish's wishes were that Licavoli become 'boss' of our family." FBI SAC Griffin: "Upon the death of John Scalish in 1976 the position of Cleveland LCN 'Boss' was taken over by James T. Licavoli." Testimony.
- 1976/1977 — United States v. Licavoli (6th Cir. 1984): "In the spring of 1976 Licavoli decided that he needed to have one Danny Greene killed." Greene was killed by a remote-controlled bomb on October 6, 1977.
- 1982 — Justice Department summary (June 1983): "The alleged Godfather of the Cleveland LCN, James 'Jack White' Licavoli, was convicted in the summer of 1982 for a 1977 car bomb murder." The wording is the Department's.
- 1984-01-09 — United States v. Licavoli: "We affirm the judgments of conviction of all defendants."
The role line is labelled by kind. The Sixth Circuit’s sentence is its statement of what the evidence established, viewed in the light most favorable to the government, on a RICO appeal; the Justice Department’s words are its own; the 1988 statements are testimony. None is carried onto a family chart. He is not the Peter Licavoli of Detroit, who was his first cousin by his own testimony. No filed record gives his birth date or death.
Records
itemUnited States v. Licavoli, 725 F.2d 1040 (6th Cir. 1984)Sixth Circuit opinion of January 9, 1984 affirming the RICO convictions of James T. Licavoli and five others. Its statement of the facts the evidence established, viewed in the government's favor, describes the 1976-1977 effort to kill Danny Greene and the car bomb of 6 October 1977.itemKefauver Committee, Cleveland: testimony of James Licavoli (19 January 1951)James Licavoli told the committee he had been arrested 'many times', had 'copped a plea on extortion' in Toledo with a one-to-five-year term and a 1946 parole, and that Pete and Thomas Licavoli were his first cousins; he refused to answer questions about his business.itemSenate Report 86: proceedings against James Licavoli alias Jack White (1951)Senate Report No. 86, 82d Congress, 1st Session, on the Kefauver Committee's contempt proceedings against James Licavoli alias Jack White, who refused to answer questions. The report accompanies S. Res. 68 and annexes excerpts of the hearing record.itemFBI Vault file on James LicavoliThe FBI Vault's release of the Bureau's file on James Licavoli, also called Jack White, beginning with June 1959 Detroit and Cleveland airtels and 1961 Cleveland anti-racketeering reports. Only the first 400 pages of Part 01 have been read.
itemJustice Department summary of 'additional successes against organized crime', with the Cleveland convictions (June 1983)A Justice Department summary sent under a cover note of 8 June 1983 lists the April 1983 Cleveland sentencings and says that James 'Jack White' Licavoli, 'the alleged Godfather of the Cleveland LCN', 'was convicted in the summer of 1982 for a 1977 car bomb murder'.itemSenate subcommittee hearing, 1988: testimony of Angelo LonardoOn 15 April 1988 Angelo Lonardo, testifying behind a screen under a court immunity order, told the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that he was 'the former underboss of the Cleveland organized crime family' and described its leaders, its Las Vegas casino income and its dealings with New York and Chicago.itemSenate subcommittee hearing, 1988: testimony of FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Griffin, ClevelandJoseph E. Griffin, head of the FBI's Cleveland office, described two task-force RICO cases, 'Buzzmark' and 'Gangmurs', and walked the subcommittee through the Cleveland conflict of the 1970s between James Licavoli's faction and Danny Greene and John Nardi.itemUnited States v. Sinito, 723 F.2d 1250 (6th Cir. 1983)Sixth Circuit opinion of December 23, 1983 rejecting Thomas Sinito's double-jeopardy challenge to the 1982 Cleveland RICO indictment, which alleged an enterprise known as the 'Cleveland Organized Crime Family'.
itemKefauver Committee exhibit 61: Youngstown police chief's chart of the 'Licavoli gang and associates' (January 1951)A chart drawn by Youngstown Police Chief Edward J. Allen for the committee and printed as exhibit 61, headed 'District Operations of the Licavoli Gang and Associates (aka Purple Gang)', with Peter Licavoli as 'Nominal Leader' above a Cleveland box and four regional boxes.
itemJustice Department summary of 'additional successes against organized crime', with the Cleveland convictions (June 1983)A Justice Department summary sent under a cover note of 8 June 1983 lists the April 1983 Cleveland sentencings and says that James 'Jack White' Licavoli, 'the alleged Godfather of the Cleveland LCN', 'was convicted in the summer of 1982 for a 1977 car bomb murder'.itemSenate subcommittee hearing, 1988: testimony of Angelo LonardoOn 15 April 1988 Angelo Lonardo, testifying behind a screen under a court immunity order, told the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that he was 'the former underboss of the Cleveland organized crime family' and described its leaders, its Las Vegas casino income and its dealings with New York and Chicago.itemSenate subcommittee hearing, 1988: testimony of FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Griffin, ClevelandJoseph E. Griffin, head of the FBI's Cleveland office, described two task-force RICO cases, 'Buzzmark' and 'Gangmurs', and walked the subcommittee through the Cleveland conflict of the 1970s between James Licavoli's faction and Danny Greene and John Nardi.itemUnited States v. Sinito, 723 F.2d 1250 (6th Cir. 1983)Sixth Circuit opinion of December 23, 1983 rejecting Thomas Sinito's double-jeopardy challenge to the 1982 Cleveland RICO indictment, which alleged an enterprise known as the 'Cleveland Organized Crime Family'.itemKefauver Committee exhibit 61: Youngstown police chief's chart of the 'Licavoli gang and associates' (January 1951)A chart drawn by Youngstown Police Chief Edward J. Allen for the committee and printed as exhibit 61, headed 'District Operations of the Licavoli Gang and Associates (aka Purple Gang)', with Peter Licavoli as 'Nominal Leader' above a Cleveland box and four regional boxes.