Frank Lonardo
Long story short …
The four Lonardo brothers (Joseph, Frank, John, and Dominic) and seven Porrello brothers, including Joseph Porello, immigrated to the United States from Licata, Sicily. The Lonardo and Porrello brothers first established themselves as legitimate businessmen. The two groups dabbled in various criminal activities including robbery and extortion, before prohibition, but were not yet considered a major criminal organization.
At the start of Prohibition, Joseph “Big Joe” Lonardo was the boss of the Cleveland crime family.[19] He was the second oldest of the four Lonardo brothers. He and his brothers began by supplying Cleveland’s bootleggers with the corn sugar they needed to produce liquor. His top lieutenant was Joseph Porrello, who supervised various bootlegging and other criminal operations.
In 1926, the Porrello brothers (Rosario, Vincenzo, Angelo, Joseph, John, Ottavio, and Raymond) broke away from the Lonardo family and formed their own faction. Hostilities between the Lonardo and Porrello families escalated as the families competed in the corn sugar business. During Prohibition, corn sugar was the prime ingredient in bootleg liquor.
First to go were Joe and John Lonardo. Lonardo’s death ignited what the press called the “Corn Sugar War”, a series of power-grabs and retaliatory blood feuds that left Frank Lonardo and seven Porrellos dead before it ended.
Cemetery Information:
Final Resting Place:
Calvary Cemetery
10000 Miles Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio, 44105
USA
North America
Map:
Grave Location:
Section 47, Lot 234, Grave 8Grave Location Description
Drive up and into the cemetery until you find the road that goes under the bridge. Make a hard left and drive towards the back to Section 47. About 100 feet from the road you will see the large Lonardo monument.
Grave Location GPS
41.4422708, -81.61105849Visiting The Grave:
Photos:
Read More About Frank Lonardo:
Videos Featuring Frank Lonardo:
