Angelo Lonardo Mob Oath

Angelo Lonardo
Angelo Lonardo

Angelo Lonardo was the highest ranking mob member to ever break the code of Omerta. Lonardo was born in 1911 in Cleveland to Joseph and Concetta Lonardo. His father, Joseph Lonardo was the first mob boss of the Cleveland family. Joseph Lonardo was murdered in 1929. At the time the 18-year-old Angelo Lonardo swore revenge and murdered the suspected killer, Salvatore Todaro . The young Lonardo was tried and sentenced to life in prison. Within a few years, his lawyer was able to get a second trial and he was released. Angelo or “Big Ange” Lonardo worked his way up to underboss in 1976. He was promoted to boss after the 1980s mob war between Danny Greene and the Cleveland La Cosa Nostra family. Shortly after, Lonardo was convicted in a drug conspiracy and he had

Danny Greene
Danny Greene

enough. He became a government informant and testified against his former colleagues and several mob figures throughout the US. He eventually went into the federal witness protection program, but left it to return to Cleveland. Lonardo died in his sleep on April 1, 2006, aged 95. He was buried in Calvary cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.

Below I have copied his depiction of the scene he remembered when he was inducted into the Cleveland family.

“I was invited into a room at the Statler Hotel in Cleveland and asked if I knew what I was doing there. You naturally say, “No.” Present were John Scalish, the acting boss; Tony Milano, the underboss; John Demarco, a capo; and Frank Brancato. They explained to me that I had been proposed to be made a member of La Cosa Nostra and defined the rules and regulations of the organization. They told me that you cannot fool around with narcotics; you cannot own a house of prostitution or have prostitutes working for you; you cannot fool around with a woman that’s married to a member of La Cosa Nostra; and that whatever illegal activity you engage in, you have to report to the boss and receive permission to engage in that activity: After I was told the rules, I was asked if I still wanted to join the organization.

One can still leave at that time, but the person usually accepts. In my case, I joined and became a member of La Cosa Nostra.

Once you accept the rules of membership, they lift a cloth off a table; underneath is a gun and a dagger. You are told that you now live and die with the dagger and the gun. You die that way, and you live that way. You are then given a card with a picture of a saint on it. This card is placed in the palms of your hands and lit. You shake the burning card back and forth until it is burned down to ashes. They then pinch your finger to draw blood, and then everyone gives you a kiss on the cheek and says, “You are now a member.” I later learned that to be invited to be a member you must have killed somebody and stood up to police pressure.”
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