The Kansas City crime family, also known as the Civella crime family or the Kansas City Mafia or the Clique, is an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Kansas City, Missouri, and throughout the Greater Kansas City area. The organization formed during the early 1910s and is named after Nicholas Civella, the family’s longest serving boss, who headed the syndicate from 1953 until his death in 1983.
History Early history The Italian-American organized crime family began when two Sicilian mafiosi known as the DiGiovanni brothers fled Sicily to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1912. Joseph "Joe Church" DiGiovanni and Peter "Sugarhouse Pete" DiGiovanni began making money from a variety of criminal operations or rackets shortly after their arrival.
Their fortunes greatly improved with the introduction of Prohibition, when they became the only group bootlegging alcohol in Kansas City. Their rackets at this time were controlled by John Lazia, who later became the leading figure when the organization expanded. The gang was given virtually a free hand to operate by boss Tom Pendergast, head of the Pendergast Machine that controlled Kansas City's government at the time. Under Pendergast, Kansas City became a wide-open town, where Prohibition was enforced selectively and strategically by the Pendergast-controlled police department. The DiGiovanni family directly benefited from this lack of enforcement of prohibition laws.
Post-Prohibition When Prohibition ended in 1933, the family, although already involved in various rackets, allegedly began extorting bars. On July 10, 1934, Lazia was assassinated, probably on the orders of his underboss, Charles Carrollo, who ruled as boss until his arrest in 1939 for tax evasion. His underboss Charles Binaggio then became the new boss and expanded the family's areas of labor into racketeering. With the help of Binaggio, Forrest Smith was elected in the Missouri gubernatorial race of 1948, and he took office on January 10, 1949. Binaggio was seen as a liability to the Mafia's nationwide commission, and it was decided that Binaggio should be killed. He was assassinated on April 6, 1950, and his successor Anthony Gizzo died of a heart attack in 1953.
Nicholas Civella The new boss was Nicholas Civella, who greatly expanded the family's rackets and forged alliances with families from other cities, making the organization very powerful. Civella used the Teamsters to fund casinos in Las Vegas. In 1975, Civella was imprisoned on gambling charges for betting on the 1970 Super Bowl, played between the Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs. Around this time, there was a war in the family over control of the River Quay entertainment district, in which three buildings were bombed and several gangsters were killed
Operation Strawman The Kansas City FBI, suspecting mob involvement at the Tropicana Casino in Las Vegas, set up a broad investigation, known as Operation Strawman, which involved wiretapping phones of reputed mobsters and their associates in Kansas City. From the evidence collected by taps and other eavesdropping in the late 1970s, the FBI discovered a conspiracy to skim money from the Tropicana Casino.
Operation Strawman learned that Joe Agosto, head of the Tropicana's Folies Bergere show, controlled the skimming in the Tropicana. Agosto was secretly sending cash from the casino to Kansas City organized-crime chief Nick Civella and Joseph Aiuppa of Chicago, as well as Cleveland and Milwaukee mobsters.
In 1981, a grand jury in Kansas City indicted Agosto, Kansas City mob boss Nick Civella, Civella's brother Carl Civella, mob member Carl DeLuna, and Carl Thomas, who had directed the illegal skimming of cash at the Tropicana with two others. The defendants were convicted in 1983.
In January 1992, James Moretina pleaded guilty to a federal money laundering charge and was sentenced to 37 months. Moretina served as president of a firm that distributed illegal video gambling machines. He and his business partner, purported mob underboss Peter J. Simone, operated the Be Amused Vending and Amusement Co. Moretina is the son of Charles Moretina, who was convicted in the 1980s for skimming Las Vegas casino gambling receipts.
21st century William "Willie the Rat" Cammisano, Sr., became the family's next boss until his death in 1995. Anthony Civella then became the new boss. He died in 2006.
The Kansas City family had an estimated 25 made members as of the late 1990s, according to the FBI.
The current boss of the family is believed to be John Joseph Sciortino, also known as "Johnny Joe", godson of Anthony Civella. A recent underboss was believed to be Peter Simone.
On July 21, 2008, Carl "Tuffy" DeLuna, former underboss to Nick Civella and brother-in-law to Anthony Civella, died.
In the early hours of October 20, 2008, the historic Hereford House restaurant in downtown Kansas City was destroyed in a calculated arson attack orchestrated by Rodney J. Anderson, a co-owner of the establishment. The crime was carried out with the assistance of Vincent Pisciotta, a known soldier in the Kansas City Crime Family, and Mark Sorrentino, a long-time criminal associate with ties to the local underworld. The plot was intended to secure over $2.4 million in insurance payouts amid Anderson’s looming bankruptcy.
According to federal prosecutors, Anderson hired Pisciotta—reportedly a loyal enforcer in the remnants of the Kansas City Crime Family to execute the arson in exchange for a portion of the payout. Using security access provided by Anderson, Pisciotta, Sorrentino, and a still-unidentified co-conspirator entered the premises with 14 five-gallon containers of gasoline, strategically placing them throughout the bar to maximize the explosion. The crew disabled the fire suppression systems and used a delayed ignition device, resulting in a violent blast that rocked downtown but miraculously caused no injuries.
The arson was meticulously planned, with surveillance footage later showing a walkthrough of the premises and the actual placement of accelerants. After the fire, Anderson attempted to collect an advance on the insurance claim, which later served as the basis for a federal mail fraud charge.
In 2012, all three were convicted on federal charges, including conspiracy, arson, use of fire in a federal felony, and in Anderson’s case, mail fraud. Pisciotta received a 20-year sentence, while Anderson and Sorrentino were each sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
On March 9, 2010, the FBI indicted Gerlarmo "Jerry" Cammisano, James Moretina, Michael Lombardo, and James DiCapo for allegedly operating a "multi-million-dollar internet gambling scheme".Four Men, Two Businesses Indicted For $3.5 Million Illegal Gambling Operation justice.gov (March 10, 2010) Jerry Cammisano, son of William "Willie the Rat" Cammisano, served as the "master agent" of the sports bookmaking operation, which was based in the Kansas City area.More Kansas City men are indicted under sports betting operation American City Business Journals (March 10, 2010) Prior to the indictment, six individuals pleaded guilty in connection with the investigation, including three – Vincent Civella and brothers Michael and Anthony Sansone – who are the son and grandsons of former Kansas City boss Anthony "Tony Ripe" Civella.Kansas City Man is Sixth to Plead Guilty to Illegal Gambling fbi.gov (March 3, 2010) Jerry Cammisano's brother, William D. Cammisano, Jr., also pleaded guilty for his role in the sports bookmaking operation.Harrisonville Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Gambling fbi.gov (February 25, 2010)
According to the crime reporter Scott Burnstein in 2015, the Kansas City family is "probably on its last legs" with twelve or fewer "made" members. The family still has some gambling and loansharking with some extortion involving drugs and the strip club industry.
In December 2023, a physical altercation erupted at Cascone's, an Italian restaurant, involving high-ranking members of the organized crime family. Those involved included: underboss Peter "Las Vegas Pete" Simone, his son Joseph "Joe Pete" Simone and several additional associates. The brawl was reportedly sparked by financial issues surrounding Gilhouly's, a bar closely affiliated with the organization, which was experiencing significant losses. Following the incident, family boss John "Johnny Joe" Sciortino swiftly convened a meeting with the individuals involved, issuing stern reprimands.
On June 12, 2025, underboss Peter "Las Vegas Pete" Simone died at the age of 79.Peter Simone obituary Passantino Bros. Funeral Home
Historical leadership Boss (official and acting) 1912–1931 — Joseph "Joe Church" DiGiovanni 1931–1934 — John "Brother John" Lazia — murdered on July 10, 1934 1934–1939 — Charles "Charlie the Wop" Carrollo — convicted in 1939 1939–1950 — Charles Binaggio — murdered on April 6, 1950 1950–1953 — Anthony Gizzo — died on April 1, 1953 1953–1983 — Nicholas Civella — convicted in 1977 and 1980; died on March 12, 1983 Acting 1977–1979 — Carl "Tuffy" DeLuna — imprisoned in 1979 Acting 1979–1983 — Carl "Cork" Civella — became official boss 1983–1984 — Carl "Cork" Civella — convicted in 1984 1984–1995 — William "Willie the Rat" Cammisano — died on January 26, 1995 1995–2006 — Anthony "Tony Ripe" Civella — arrested in 1992, released 1997; died on February 16, 2006 Acting 1995–2006 — John "Johnny Joe" Sciortino — became official boss 2006–present — John "Johnny Joe" Sciortino
Current members
Administration Boss — John "Johnny Joe" Sciortino — current boss of the family; Sciortino was formerly a capo and the godson and protégé of former boss Anthony Civella. He was named acting boss by Civella after Civella’s 1995 imprisonment, and Sciortino became the official boss after Civella’s 2006 death. Sciortino is suspected of being involved in the murder of family associate Larry Strada, who was shot to death in the driveway of his home on May 16, 1990. FBI agents testified that the two mobsters charged in the case, John Mandacina and Patrick McGuire, were seen meeting with Sciortino and Peter Simone at Simone's Social Avenue Club in the hours before Strada's murder.
Soldiers Frank DeLuna — soldier. The FBI in Missouri believes he is the aide to Sciortino. Nick J. Labruzzo — soldier. James Moretina — soldier. In 2010, Moretina pleaded guilty to conducting an illegal gambling business alongside Vincent Civella. He was released from prison on April 27, 2012. Vincent Pisciotta — soldier. A career criminal, Pisciotta was charged with second-degree murder in 1980 for a 1978 killing, but a mistrial was declared when a key witness vanished. The witness later reappeared and claimed that he was beaten out of testifying. In 1988, he was indicted for another murder, but charges were reduced to manslaughter and he served 15 years in jail. In 2013, Pisciotta was convicted of arson in an incident where he helped burn down a restaurant for insurance money. He has a projected release date of December 9, 2029. John Termini (born December 1939) — soldier. In mid-1968, Termini spent three months in a jail in Missouri for refusing to testify before a grand jury. In July 1991, Termini was indicted for illegal gambling and money laundering. According to prosecutors, Termini placed cigarette machines, jukeboxes, pool tables, and electronic amusement machines, video poker and slot machines inside of bars and restaurants. In 1993, Termini was convicted of money laundering and conducting an illegal gambling business, and sentenced to over two years in prison with supervised release and a fine of $6000.
Associates