Jack Dragna

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right|150px|thumb|LAPD mugshot of Jack Dragna]

Jack Dragna (April 18, 1891 – February 23, 1956), born Ignazio Dragna in Corleone, Sicily, was an organized crime mobster who was active in Los Angeles, California. He succeeded Joe Ardizonne as a "capo" after Ardizonne disappeared in 1931. Dragna remained the powerful Don of the Los Angeles crime family until his death in 1956.

He was born to Francesco Paolo and Anna Dragna in Corleone on April 18, 1891. On November 18, 1898, Dragna came to America on the "S. S. Alsatia" with his mother, his older sister Giuseppa and older brother Gaetano. [Passenger Manifest for the S. S. Alsatia, 18 November 1898, available at Ellisisland.org.] They stayed in Brooklyn with the family headed by Antonio Rizzotto, also from Corleone. The Dragnas stayed in New York for ten years before returning to Sicily. As a young man he joined the Italian Army and the Sicilian Mafia.

The Dragnas returned to America in the 1910s. He appears to have had a relationship with Gaetano Reina, who eventually would lead his own crime family in Manhattan and the Bronx. He was suspected as being the killer of Jewish poultry dealer Bernard Baff in 1914. New York police tracked him and an associate, Benjamin Rizzotto (son of Antonio Rizzotto) in Los Angeles. At that time he was calling himself Charles Dragna. He was never tried and he returned to California. He was also arrested for extorting a Long Beach, California man in 1915, and for that he was sent to prison, although for only a short time. He and his brother Gaetano, now known as Tom, worked together closely, from extortion to running large stills during Prohibition. Ignazio dropped Charles and renamed himself Jack Ignatius Dragna.

In 1931 he succeeded Joseph Ardizzone as the boss of the Los Angeles crime family. He may have been part of the group that opposed him. His brother Tom became his "consigliere". His close supporters included Girolamo "Momo" Adamo and John Rosselli. Rosselli had been a member of the Chicago Outfit, but he liked California and enjoyed working under Dragna.

Dragna operated gambling ships off the California coastline until the United States Government shut them down in 1939. His enemies included Bugsy Siegel and Siegel bodyguard Mickey Cohen. Although Dragna was reputed by reliable sources to have called the hit on "Bugsy," through "dumb luck," Cohen survived numerous attempts by Dragna's forces to kill him.

Frank DeSimone took over after Dragna's death.

Dragna was a very private boss who eschewed flashiness and attention. However, in the 1950s the LAPD under Chief Parker engaged in a campaign of harassment against organized crime figures. He and his family were frequently arrested. Before his wife died he had an affair with a much younger woman. Several members of the LAPD stationed themselves outside of the trailer where he and his girlfriend were engaged in their affair. The LAPD used listening devices and arrested him for engaging in lewd acts. He ended up leaving Los Angeles for Las Vegas. He also stayed with his daughter in San Diego. He died a free man, of a heart attack.

ources

[1] Passenger Manifest for the "S. S. Alsatia", 18 November 1898, available at Ellisisland.org.

References

* Demaris, Ovid. "The Last Mafioso: The Treacherous World of Jimmy Fratianno". Bantam Books, 1981. ISBN 0-553-27091-5
* Lewis, Brad, "Hollywood's Celebrity Gangster. The Incredible Life and Times of Mickey Cohen", Enigma Books: New York, 2007. ISBN 978-1-929631-65-0

External links

* [http://www.google.com/search?q=%22jack+dragna%22 Google search]
* [http://www.hollywoodmafia.com/LAFAMILYSTORY.html A differing view of events]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6280552 Find-a-grave info]