Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Danny Greene

Daniel John Patrick "Danny" Greene (November 14, 1933 – October 6, 1977) was an Irish-American organized crime figure in Cleveland, Ohio, who transitioned from leadership in the longshoremen's union to involvement in racketeering, loan-sharking, and gambling operations. After embezzlement convictions in the union, Greene entered the criminal underworld, allying with mobster John Nardi to challenge the dominance of the Italian-American Cleveland crime family led by James Licavoli, sparking a violent gang war marked by over 30 bombings that dubbed Cleveland "Bomb City, U.S.A." Known as "The Irishman" for his heritage and audacious style, Greene survived multiple assassination attempts, including shootings and bombs, but was ultimately killed by a car bomb detonated by hitman Ray Ferritto outside his dentist's office in Lyndhurst. His defiance weakened the local mafia but highlighted the brutal tactics of ethnic organized crime factions in mid-20th-century America.

Early Life

Birth and Childhood

Daniel John Patrick Greene was born on November 14, 1933, in , , to Irish-American parents John Greene, a sometime and factory worker, and Irene Fallon Greene.<grok:render type="render_inline_citation"> 13 </grok:render> His mother died three days later from complications related to , leaving the family fractured.<grok:render type="render_inline_citation"> 12 </grok:render><grok:render type="render_inline_citation"> 17 </grok:render> Overwhelmed by grief, Greene's father turned to heavy drinking and proved unable to provide stable care for his young sons, including Danny and an older brother, prompting their placement in the Parmadale Catholic Children's Village, an in .<grok:render type="render_inline_citation"> 10 </grok:render><grok:render type="render_inline_citation"> 11 </grok:render> Greene endured a challenging childhood at Parmadale, characterized by strict discipline, limited resources, and institutional hardships typical of mid-20th-century orphanages, though he later recalled developing resilience and a combative streak amid the environment.<grok:render type="render_inline_citation"> 0 </grok:render><grok:render type="render_inline_citation"> 9 </grok:render> By his teenage years, he had returned to live with relatives in neighborhood, a working-class enclave where he attended Collinwood High School and first exhibited traits of defiance against authority.<grok:render type="render_inline_citation"> 2 </grok:render><grok:render type="render_inline_citation"> 11 </grok:render> This period shaped his self-reliant, confrontational personality, influenced by early instability and the rough socio-economic conditions of Depression-era .<grok:render type="render_inline_citation"> 0 </grok:render>

Family Background

Daniel John Patrick Greene was the son of John Henry Greene and Irene Cecelia Greene (née Fallon), members of Cleveland's -American community. His parents' surnames indicated strong ties to Irish heritage, with Fallon serving as an alias Greene later adopted in his . Irene Greene died three days after Greene's birth on November 14, 1933, leaving the infant without maternal care. His father, , either abandoned the family or died shortly thereafter, contributing to Greene's unstable early environment in the neighborhood. No siblings are documented in available records of his immediate family. Greene's paternal grandparents, and Greene, and maternal grandparents, Patrick and Fallon, represented the immigrant of his , reinforcing the ethnic that Greene later emphasized in his persona as "." This background of loss and working-class descent in industrial shaped his formative years amid economic hardship.

Military Service

Enlistment and Experiences

After expulsion from Collinwood High School in 1951, Greene enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. During his service, Greene demonstrated proficiency in , earning recognition for his skills in that discipline, and qualified as an expert marksman, honing abilities that later factored into his confrontational style in disputes. He also received training in artillery operations. Greene attained the rank of and was honorably discharged in 1953, having served approximately two years without recorded combat deployment during the Korean War's final phases.

Discharge and Transition

Greene received an honorable discharge from the in 1953, having attained the rank of after serving in units and training recruits in that role. His military experience honed physical discipline, marksmanship expertise, and skills, which later influenced his confrontational style in labor and criminal disputes. Upon returning to civilian life in , , Greene transitioned into manual labor on the docks, securing employment as a longshoreman and stevedore amid the pre-mechanized era of waterfront work. This role capitalized on his robust build and aggressive demeanor, developed during service, allowing him to handle demanding physical tasks like loading and unloading cargo from grain boats and freighters. By the mid-1950s, he had married Nancy Hegler, a local waitress, in 1956, establishing a personal foundation as he navigated postwar economic opportunities in the industrial . Greene's entry into dock work positioned him within the (ILA), where his assertiveness propelled rapid advancement; he was elected president of a local chapter by , leveraging military-honed leadership to organize workers against exploitative conditions, though his methods often involved . This phase marked his shift from structured authority to the unstructured power dynamics of union politics, foreshadowing deeper entanglements in organized labor and .

Labor Union Involvement

Entry into Waterfront Work

Following his discharge from the , Danny Greene entered the workforce as a stevedore on the Cleveland docks along in 1957. The physically demanding role involved loading and unloading cargo from ships, exposing workers to harsh weather and heavy manual labor in a pre-automation era when dock operations relied on brute strength and endurance. Greene quickly adapted to the environment, leveraging his robust build from military training to handle the strenuous tasks effectively. He maintained distinctive personal habits amid the gritty conditions, including applying sun lotion to protect his fair complexion before shifts and keeping his boots polished, which drew both ridicule and notice from fellow workers. This period represented his initial immersion in waterfront labor, a sector then undergoing gradual unionization efforts by the (ILA), though Cleveland's local operations remained loosely organized at the outset.

Rise to Union Leadership

Following his discharge from the , Greene secured employment as a stevedore on the waterfront in 1957, joining the ranks of dockworkers handling cargo at a time when the local union was largely inactive and lacked strong organization. Within a few years, leveraging his assertive personality and physical presence, Greene ascended through the ranks of Local 1317 of the (ILA), securing election as its president by 1962. Greene's rapid rise transformed the somnolent local into a more militant entity, as he rallied members disillusioned with stagnant wages and poor conditions, drawing inspiration from figures like those in the film to project himself as a tough, no-nonsense leader. In this role, he immediately pushed for greater union control, negotiating the establishment of a hiring hall in 1962 that allowed Local 1317 to dictate job assignments and bypass employer preferences, thereby consolidating worker loyalty and enhancing the union's leverage against stevedoring companies. This leadership position provided Greene with significant influence over dock operations, including the allocation of lucrative shifts, though it also drew early scrutiny for alleged strong-arm tactics against non-compliant members and employers. By emphasizing his heritage—evident in actions like painting the union office —Greene cultivated a distinct identity that resonated with the predominantly Irish-American workforce, further entrenching his authority until legal challenges in the mid-1960s began to erode it.

Anti-Mafia Efforts and Personal Accusations

Greene ascended to the presidency of Local 1317 of the (ILA) in 1962, where he organized strikes and enforced union hiring rules on stevedoring firms, some of which operated under influence. His tactics included strong-arm enforcement to ensure compliance, positioning him as a defiant figure against entrenched powers in the waterfront rackets, though this control primarily served to consolidate his personal authority rather than eradicate systematically. By 1964, federal scrutiny revealed Greene's own malfeasance, including requiring dock workers to sign over portions of paychecks for a purported building fund that he largely ; he faced charges, which were overturned on appeal, followed by a guilty to falsifying records, resulting in a $10,000 fine and without prison time. These events underscored that Greene's "anti-Mafia" posture in the was selective and self-serving, as he mirrored the he ostensibly opposed by extracting kickbacks and skimming funds, leading to his ouster from the position. Greene leveled personal accusations against Mafia figures tied to union corruption, portraying them as exploitative outsiders infringing on Irish-American workers' interests, though specific public charges during this period focused more on general defiance than named indictments. In turn, he faced counter-accusations of collaborating with Mafia associates like for enforcement muscle in garbage-hauling and other rackets, blurring lines between opposition and opportunistic alliance. His union-era bravado, including threats against non-compliant employers, foreshadowed the violent turf wars that escalated after his departure from organized labor.

Criminal Activities

Initial Forays into Racketeering

Following his 1964 federal indictment for embezzling $11,542.38 from the Local 1317 through falsified expense claims and unauthorized payments, Greene pleaded guilty in 1966 to a reduced charge of falsifying records, receiving a $10,000 fine and a one-year ; the original conviction was overturned on in 1968. This episode marked his initial documented engagement with labor , leveraging his position to divert funds for personal gain. Ousted from union leadership by 1965 amid ongoing investigations, Greene transitioned to private consulting, establishing Emerald Industrial Relations in the late 1960s to provide "labor peace" services to construction firms and other businesses, effectively extorting payments by threatening union disruptions or violence against non-compliant workers and contractors. He expanded into the waste disposal sector by co-founding the Cleveland Trade Solid Waste Guild around 1970, ostensibly to organize independent rubbish haulers but in practice enforcing membership through intimidation, including acid attacks on trucks and bombings of uncooperative operators to monopolize routes and secure kickbacks. Greene simultaneously entered loansharking and numbers racket enforcement, securing employment from Jewish syndicate figure Alex "Shondor" Birns in the early 1970s to collect debts and resolve disputes via strong-arm tactics and early explosive devices, which honed his violent methods while generating personal profits from usurious loans and . These activities, often conducted through informal crews drawn from his Irish-American network, represented his foundational operations, blending labor intimidation with direct criminal before escalating into broader conflicts with established factions.

Expansion of Operations

Following his departure from union leadership in 1970, after pleading guilty to violations of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act and paying a $10,000 fine, Greene broadened his criminal portfolio beyond waterfront shakedowns and into autonomous enterprises. He initiated loan-sharking operations, extending high-interest loans—often at rates exceeding 10% per week—to gamblers, tavern owners, and other debtors unable to secure conventional financing, enforcing repayment through and . Concurrently, he developed gambling rackets, encompassing numbers games, horse-betting bookmaking, and policy wheels, which generated steady illicit revenue in Cleveland's working-class neighborhoods. A pivotal opportunity arose during the imprisonment of Jewish racketeer Alex "Shondor" Birns, convicted in late 1970 for bribing a police officer and , allowing Greene to temporarily seize control of Birns' established numbers and rackets across the city. Greene managed these operations by deploying enforcers to collect from street-level operators and vendors, amassing influence in territories previously dominated by Birns' network. Even after Birns' release, Greene persisted in these activities, refusing to relinquish control, which fueled personal animosities and territorial disputes, exemplified by Greene's fatal shooting of rival racketeer Michael Frato on November 26, 1971—a confrontation Greene described as amid a dispute over proceeds, resulting in his after a . To legitimize and insulate his growing empire, Greene invested in ostensibly lawful businesses, including trash hauling firms that he organized to monopolize contracts through coercive tactics against competitors, and land speculation deals that masked from usurious loans. These fronts not only diversified income—estimated by law enforcement to include tens of thousands in monthly vig from loans alone—but also provided operational cover, enabling Greene to recruit loyal associates from Irish-American circles and challenge Italian-American syndicates' over Cleveland's economy. His aggressive incursions into loansharking and , yielding profits that rivaled union-era graft, positioned him as an independent by the mid-1970s, though they invited retaliation from established families protective of their monopolies.

The Celtic Club as Power Base

The Celtic Club functioned as Danny Greene's core organizational vehicle for criminal endeavors in during the 1970s, drawing on his Irish-American identity and union networks to assemble a crew of enforcers primarily from longshoremen and other workers. Greene headquartered the club in trailers on Waterloo Road in the neighborhood, where he raised an Irish tricolor flag topped by a and posted a sign declaring it the "Future Home of the Celtic Club," using the site as a symbolic and operational hub for planning rackets like , loansharking, and garbage collection control. This setup allowed Greene to project defiance against rivals, including publicly taunting potential attackers by announcing the address in media interviews following bombings. Enforcers affiliated with the club intimidated non-compliant associates, such as union members refusing payoffs, and handled violent enforcement, exemplified by bomb technician Art Sneperger, who perished in a Halloween 1971 explosion while preparing devices for Greene's operations. The group's structure enabled strategic alliances, particularly with dissident , amplifying Greene's challenge to the Italian-dominated syndicate's hold on citywide rackets after boss John Scalish's 1976 death. Through such partnerships, the Celtic Club positioned itself as an Irish counterforce, fueling a turf war that escalated to dozens of car bombings by mid-decade. The 's power derived from its role in coordinating these illicit activities and maintaining loyalty via Greene's charismatic leadership and shared ethnic ties, with representatives distributing green-and-white business cards to assert . Targets like the May 12, 1975, bombing of Greene's adjacent Waterloo Road home underscored its centrality, yet Greene responded by fencing the site and relocating trailers, embodying his resilience as he declared possessing "the luck of the " after strikes on club facilities. This base sustained Greene's expansion until his 1977 assassination dismantled the immediate threat it posed to the .

Conflict with the Cleveland Mafia

Feud with Shondor Birns

Danny Greene initially collaborated with Alex "Shondor" , a prominent Jewish racketeer and numbers operator in , serving as an and later managing Birns's operations during Birns's incarceration in the late 1960s for attempting to a Heights police . While Birns was imprisoned at the Penitentiary in and later Marion Correctional Institution, Greene expanded control over the rackets, collecting debts and enforcing compliance in the numbers game, which generated substantial revenue. Upon Birns's release around 1970, tensions escalated into a power struggle as Greene resisted relinquishing authority over the operations he had assumed, compounded by a dispute over an unpaid loan of approximately $75,000 to $80,000 that Greene had secured from Birns to establish an after-hours known as a "cheat spot." Birns, who had sourced part of the funds through connections to the in , demanded repayment after the venture faltered or Greene defaulted, viewing the debt as tied to broader failed narcotics-related dealings that implicated Greene. Greene refused to pay, leading Birns to place a contract on his life; an initial attempt on Greene failed when one of Birns's associates tipped him off, allowing Greene to discover and disarm the device beneath his vehicle. Suspecting Birns's involvement in the assassination attempt, Greene retaliated by orchestrating a car bombing against Birns on , 1975——outside the Carousel Lounge on Detroit Avenue in 's West Side. Birns, aged 70, exited the bar and entered his when the dynamite bomb, wired to the ignition and possibly enhanced with , detonated, killing him instantly and scattering across the street. Greene emerged as the primary in the , which intensified his broader antagonism toward the , as Birns maintained alliances with Italian figures like James Licavoli. The feud underscored Greene's aggressive expansion into rackets previously dominated by established operators, marking an early phase of the violent confrontations that earned the moniker "Bomb City, U.S.A." during the mid-1970s.

Alliance with John Nardi

In the mid-1970s, Danny Greene formed a strategic alliance with , a Teamsters Local 410 official and associate of the , amid escalating tensions with the Italian-dominated Mayfield Road Mob. The partnership solidified following a failed attempt on Greene via a at his Waterloo Road home in 1975, during which Nardi visited him in the hospital, recognizing shared adversaries in the power struggle for Cleveland's rackets. This collaboration was driven by Nardi's ambition to expand control over vending machines, gambling, and casino skim operations, which clashed with the incoming leadership of James Licavoli (known as ) after the death of longtime boss in 1976. The Greene-Nardi duo targeted key figures aligned with Licavoli, including a July 1976 bombing that injured Eugene Ciasullo, attributed to a Greene . Their joint efforts intensified after Scalish's passing, with Nardi breaking from traditional family loyalties to leverage Greene's independent network of enforcers and union ties, aiming to disrupt the mafia's dominance in loansharking and labor rackets. This alliance represented a rare ethnic crossover, as Nardi, despite his heritage and prior mob affiliations, positioned himself against the Licavoli faction's attempts to consolidate power post-vacuum. The partnership's aggressive tactics, such as the suspected role in the August 22, 1976, disappearance of Licavoli underboss Leo Moceri—whose blood-soaked car was found on September 1—escalated the conflict into open warfare, marked by a surge in car bombings across . Nardi's murder on May 17, 1977, via a remote-controlled outside the Teamsters hall on Carnegie Avenue, planted by Licavoli operatives including Pasquale Cisternino and Ronald Carabbia, severely undermined the alliance, leaving Greene increasingly isolated in the ensuing .

Escalation to Bombing Campaign

Following the death of Cleveland crime family boss John T. Scalish on August 9, 1976, John Nardi sought to assert control over the ensuing power vacuum, allying with Danny Greene against James Licavoli, who had assumed leadership with support from figures like Angelo Lonardo and Jack White. This partnership transformed their rivalry into an overt war characterized by frequent use of car bombs as the primary assassination method, with Greene's crew employing explosives expert Arthur Sneperger to target Mafia associates. The conflict contributed to Cleveland's 37 bombings in 1976 alone, dubbing the city "Bomb City, U.S.A.," as both factions retaliated viciously for control of rackets including gambling, loansharking, and labor extortion. A pivotal early strike occurred in July 1976, when a detonated under the vehicle of Licavoli enforcer Eugene "The Animal" Ciasullo in Richmond Heights, hospitalizing him for three weeks with severe injuries; identified Greene as the . The Mafia responded with attempts on Nardi and Greene, including a botched bombing of Nardi's Cadillac at Hopkins Airport in early May 1977, where the device—planted by allies of —failed to detonate properly due to a wiring fault, sparing both men who had been traveling together. Mere days later, on May 17, 1977, a second bomb succeeded in killing Nardi outside a Teamsters union hall, dismembering him in the blast and temporarily weakening the alliance, though Greene continued the campaign independently. The mutual bombings eroded traditional Mafia codes against such indiscriminate tactics, as Licavoli's faction imported bomb makers like from outside to counter Greene's proficiency with explosives, ultimately crippling the family's operations through and federal scrutiny. While Greene and Nardi's side claimed fewer than half the total blasts, the campaign's intensity—marked by wounds, property destruction, and civilian risks—highlighted the breakdown of organized restraint in 's underworld power struggle.

Public Persona

Emergence as Media Figure

Danny Greene first gained public prominence in the early as of Cleveland's local longshoremen's , where his aggressive tactics in labor disputes, including physical confrontations with non-union workers, drew significant coverage. By 1964, he appeared in televised interviews defending his leadership amid federal indictments for and falsifying union records, charges that accused him of diverting over $11,000 in funds. These events, amplified by investigative such as a Cleveland Plain Dealer exposé based on dock workers' affidavits detailing paycheck skimming, established Greene as a controversial figure in local news outlets. As Greene transitioned into and feuds with the in the , he actively courted media attention to cultivate an image as an independent Irish-American operator opposing Italian-dominated . He frequently posed for photographs displaying explosives and made defiant statements to reporters, such as after a acquittal on federal charges, declaring, "The government tried to frame us." Local television outlets, including a June 4, , interview with Channel 3 News reporter Brian Ross following a failed assassination attempt, captured Greene boasting about his survival and taunting rivals, further elevating his notoriety during the escalating bombing campaign. This pattern of self-promotion, often framing himself as leading the Celtic Club against mafia encroachment, transformed Greene from a agitator into a flamboyant symbol in Cleveland's press, despite his own involvement in and .

Public Statements and Taunts

Greene cultivated a public image of defiance through frequent media appearances, where he mocked his rivals and invited confrontation, often framing himself as protected by Irish heritage and . Following repeated failed assassination attempts, he leveraged local television and press interviews to escalate , denying involvement in violence while goading enemies into . This approach, which included vivid insults and boasts of invincibility, contrasted sharply with the 's preference for discretion and amplified tensions in Cleveland's underworld. In one notable television interview amid the escalating bombings, Greene dismissed his pursuers as "maggots in this so-called ," declaring, "I have no axe to grind, but if these maggots... want to come after me, I'm over here by the Celtic Club. I'm not hard to find." This statement, issued in the months leading to his death, underscored his brazen location of operations at the Celtic Club on and served as an open invitation to retaliation. After the Mafia car bomb killing of his associate on May 17, 1977, Greene heightened his taunts by posing bare-chested outside his Waterloo Road office beneath an flag, reportedly telling reporters, "If they want me, they know where to find me." He frequently attributed surviving multiple blasts—over a dozen attempts by some accounts—to "the luck of the " and positioned himself as an unyielding ethnic counterforce to Italian dominance in . These public provocations, often delivered with theatrical flair such as wearing emerald-green attire, not only rallied supporters but also intensified the Mafia's resolve, contributing to the wave of 37 bombings in during 1976 alone.

Assassination and Immediate Aftermath

Failed Attempts on His Life

In May 1975, during escalating tensions with the , a was thrown through the window of Danny Greene's apartment and consulting office at 15805 Waterloo Road NE in at approximately 3:50 a.m. on May 12. Greene, who was asleep upstairs, heard the glass shatter and moved to the , where the falling and a inadvertently formed a protective shelter that shielded him from the blast's full force as the floor partially collapsed. He sustained only minor cuts and bruises, though the explosion destroyed the building, killed his two pet cats, and wrecked his parked 1975 ; a second at the scene failed to detonate. , including Lt. Edward P. Kovacic, linked the attempt to Greene's suspected role in the March 29 car bombing death of his rival , marking it as the second such effort on his life in seven years following a March 12, 1968, incident that damaged his hearing. By March 1977, amid Greene's alliance with mob associate against the Licavoli-led , assassins attached a to Nardi's vehicle at , targeting both men upon their return from a meeting in . The device, wired by suspected perpetrators including Angelo "Big Ange" Lonardo's associates such as John Calandra Cisternino and Alfred "Allie" Calabrese, malfunctioned due to an improper electrical connection and the detonator's limited range from the bombers' position. Greene and Nardi escaped unharmed, an outcome that intensified the ongoing bombing war in , where 36 explosives detonated in alone amid the feud. Earlier efforts included a failed tracking operation in early 1977, when and Iacobacci trailed Greene to for a cattle feeding lot business deal but could not execute the . These repeated failures, attributed to technical errors and Greene's vigilance, fueled his public taunts toward the while prompting increased federal scrutiny of in the region.

The Fatal Car Bombing

On October 6, 1977, Danny Greene was assassinated by a remotely detonated in . Greene had just exited a dental appointment at Brainard Place when he approached his in the parking lot. A , concealed in a vehicle parked adjacent to his, was triggered via as he neared his car, resulting in his instantaneous death from the explosion. The operation was orchestrated by the Cleveland Mafia's Mayfield Road Mob, with hitman Ray "The Eagle" Ferritto parking the bomb-laden car and Ronald Carabbia executing the remote detonation from a nearby getaway vehicle. Ferritto, recruited from , had staked out Greene and confirmed his target using a photograph published in Cleveland Magazine earlier that year. The bombing marked the successful culmination of multiple prior attempts on Greene's life amid his protracted feud with the Italian-American , which had escalated into a series of over 30 bombings in the area during the . Ferritto's subsequent cooperation with authorities as an provided key leading to convictions of several figures involved in the plot.

Investigation and Convictions

Following the car bombing that killed Danny Greene on October 6, 1977, in a parking lot on Brainard Place in , local police and federal agents from the FBI and ATF launched a joint investigation, interviewing over 600 individuals. Eyewitnesses Gregory and Deborah Spoth provided a crucial description of the perpetrators' vehicle and its license plate, which traced back to , a Los Angeles-based contract killer hired by the . Ferritto, arrested shortly after, confessed and became a protected government witness, testifying that he had executed the bombing by parking the rigged next to Greene's vehicle while Ronald Carabbia remotely triggered the detonator from a nearby vantage point. Ferritto's cooperation, corroborated by other turncoats like Louis Aratari and Vic Guiles, exposed the plot's orchestration by Anthony "Tony" Liberatore and acting boss James T. "Jack White" Licavoli. In the first state murder trial in May 1978, Cuyahoga County prosecutors secured convictions against Carabbia and "Butchy" for aggravated murder, sentencing both to based on Ferritto's and forensic evidence linking them to the bomb's assembly and deployment. Licavoli, , and Charles Sinito were acquitted in that proceeding due to insufficient direct evidence tying them to the execution, though charges against Allie Calabrese were dismissed. A separate state trial convicted John J. "Potato" Ciarcia of the murder later that year. Federal RICO prosecutions in the early 1980s dismantled remaining leadership. Liberatore, who had fled but was captured, was convicted in 1979 of to commit the and sentenced to life. Licavoli was convicted in 1983 on charges encompassing the Greene , receiving a 17-year sentence; the verdict relied on wiretap evidence and witness accounts revealing his approval of the $25,000 contract on Greene. These outcomes, fueled by informant defections amid internecine violence, significantly weakened the Cleveland Mafia's structure without fully eradicating retaliatory bombings or unresolved peripheral figures.

Legacy and Impact

Effects on Cleveland's Organized Crime

The violent confrontation between Danny Greene and the , exacerbated by the power vacuum following boss John Scalish's death on May 26, 1976, resulted in over 37 bombings in during 1976 alone, many involving car bombs targeting associates. This escalation, dubbed the "bombing war," fragmented the family's operations, killed key figures like ally in May 1977, and drew unprecedented public and attention, earning the city the nickname "Bomb City, USA." Greene's car bomb assassination on October 6, 1977, orchestrated by family underboss James Licavoli with involvement from figures like Ray Ferritto, prompted immediate federal scrutiny and the indictment of 15 suspects, including Licavoli, Jack White, Ronald Carabbia, and Ferritto. Ferritto's cooperation as a government witness exposed internal Mafia dynamics, leading to convictions such as Carabbia's in 1978 and Licavoli's 17-year RICO sentence in 1982 for the murder conspiracy; these outcomes dismantled leadership and fueled broader probes, including precursors to the Mafia Commission Trial. The fallout accelerated the Cleveland crime family's decline, eroding its regional dominance in rackets like and loansharking, while inviting a national FBI strike force that intensified prosecutions and recruitment. By the mid-1980s, with Licavoli's until his death in 1985, the organization had effectively dissolved, its reputation tarnished as inefficient and prone to infighting rather than the coordinated structure romanticized in popular depictions. This vacuum allowed rival ethnic groups limited inroads but ultimately diminished overall influence in Cleveland's underworld.

Long-Term Perceptions and Controversies

Danny Greene's posthumous reputation in has often cast him as a defiant outsider who disrupted the Italian-American mafia's control, earning admiration from segments of the city's Irish-American population for his audacious to established syndicates. This view emphasizes his role in igniting a bombing war that ultimately drew intense federal scrutiny, contributing to the fragmentation of the by the late 1970s and early 1980s. Supporters, including some former associates and local historians, highlight Greene's survival of over two dozen attempts and his public taunts against mob bosses as emblematic of personal resilience and ethnic pride. Critics, however, contend that such perceptions romanticize a figure whose criminal enterprises—encompassing fund (initially convicted in for $11,542.38, later overturned on appeal), extortion rackets, and direct involvement in at least 20 bombings—perpetuated widespread violence rather than curbing it. Greene's actions, including ordering hits on rivals like Alex "Shondor" Birns in March 1975 and fueling retaliatory strikes, escalated a cycle of car bombs and assassinations that killed over 30 people and injured dozens more between 1976 and 1977, terrorizing innocent bystanders and alike. This has led to debates over whether Greene's legacy inadvertently glorifies mob warfare, with observers noting that his ethnic-tinged animosity toward exacerbated divisions without achieving legitimate reform. Long-term controversies also surround factual distortions in popular narratives, such as claims of Greene as an FBI informant or philanthropist aiding the needy, which some sources attribute to self-mythologizing rather than verified altruism. While his 1977 assassination by a remote-detonated car bomb on October 6—linked to a coalition of Cleveland, New York, and Kansas City mafia factions—marked the peak of this era's chaos, it underscored Greene's failure to build a sustainable alternative power structure, leaving a vacuum that federal prosecutions exploited. These elements fuel ongoing scrutiny of how Greene's story balances individual agency against the broader toll of organized crime's attritional tactics.

Depictions in Media and Culture

The 2011 biographical crime film , directed by and starring as Danny Greene, dramatizes his rise from dockworker to union leader and his violent feud with the , culminating in his 1977 assassination by car bomb. The film, set primarily in 1970s , depicts Greene as a defiant outsider challenging Italian-American mob dominance through bombings and , drawing from historical events including over 30 bombs detonated in the city during his campaigns. It features supporting performances by as mob boss and as Jack Licavoli, emphasizing Greene's Celtic warrior persona and public taunts against his rivals. The screenplay adapts Rick Porrello's 1998 book To Kill the Irishman: The War that Crippled the , which details Greene's , including , loan-sharking, and his role in weakening the local through internecine violence that led to federal prosecutions. Porrello's account, based on interviews and records, portrays Greene not as a but as a ruthless operator whose actions destabilized in and contributed to convictions of figures in the 1980s. A 2011 documentary titled Danny Greene: The Rise and Fall of , produced for television and later streamed on platforms like , features interviews with Greene's family members, federal agents, and surviving mob associates to chronicle his union presidency at the docks starting in 1961, his expulsion for in 1966, and the ensuing bomb war that claimed dozens of lives. The film highlights archival footage of explosions and Greene's press conferences, underscoring how his brazen media presence—such as wearing a green and —fueled his notoriety while inviting retaliation. The Biography Channel's 2010 episode "Danny Greene" from the series Mobsters examines his early life as a longshoreman, his infiltration of Teamsters Local 1317, and conflicts with enforcers like Alex "Shondor" Birns, framing his story as a clan's standoff against syndicates in the and . No major songs, novels beyond Porrello's work, or other cultural artifacts prominently feature Greene, though his exploits have been referenced in regional true-crime literature on Midwest .

References

  1. [1]
    The Irishman Chronicles - Cleveland Magazine
    Danny Greene lived here 36 years ago, until a bomb crashed through the downstairs window, and the 41-year-old gangster and his 18-year-old girlfriend rode the ...
  2. [2]
    GREENE, DANIEL J. | Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
    He survived a bombing and 2 shooting attempts before he was killed by a car bomb in LYNDHURST on 6 Oct. 1977. Greene was married twice. His first marriage was ...
  3. [3]
    Danny Greene: Facts about the Irish American mobster
    Mar 18, 2025 · Greene, born in 1933 to Irish immigrants, is often cited as the most dominant mobster in Cleveland at a time when the city became known as the bomb capital of ...
  4. [4]
    The Cleveland 50: Mobster Danny Greene Assassinated
    Mar 29, 2022 · When hit man Ray Ferritto staked out Greene on Mafioso orders before killing him with a car bomb in Lyndhurst on Oct. 6, 1977, he reportedly ...
  5. [5]
    The Life and Hard Times Of Cleveland's Mafia: How Danny Greene's ...
    Two years ago, this mob boss suffered an embarrassment as deep as his men's botching of the Greene bombing when he was picked up with two associates for ...
  6. [6]
    Danny Greene - Family, Crimes & Facts - Biography
    Jul 17, 2020 · Known as "The Irishman," Danny Greene was one of most notorious crime figures in the Midwest. He even took on the entire mafia in his quest for power.
  7. [7]
    'The man the mob couldn't kill' Danny Greene had four attempts on ...
    Mar 10, 2011 · CLEVELAND - Nov. 14, 1933: Danny Greene is born in Cleveland to Irish immigrants, John Greene and Irene Fallon. Danny Greene's mother died three ...<|separator|>
  8. [8]
    https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/401
  9. [9]
    Daniel John Patrick “Danny” Greene (1933-1977) - Find a Grave
    Birth: 14 Nov 1933. Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA ; Death: 6 Oct 1977 (aged 43). Lyndhurst, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA ; Burial. Calvary Cemetery.
  10. [10]
    Danny Greene: Celtic Warrior - Gangland Wire
    Mar 13, 2024 · Military Service and Union Involvement: After being expelled from high school, Danny Greene enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he excelled ...
  11. [11]
    Danny Greene | Historica Wiki | Fandom
    Daniel John Patrick Greene was born in Cleveland, Ohio on 14 November 1933, and his mother died three days after his birth. His father later remarried to a ...
  12. [12]
    Danny Greene | Military Wiki - Fandom
    Early life and education. Danny Greene was born in Cleveland, to parents John Henry Greene and Irene Cecelia Greene (née Fallon). His father was born in ...Missing: background siblings origin
  13. [13]
    Danny Greene - "The Irishman" | Cleveland Historical
    The Blast Site A tremendous car bomb resulted in the death of long-suspected racketeer Daniel "Danny" Greene. The day after his murder, the ...
  14. [14]
    Car bomb kills Danny Greene - cleveland.com
    Mar 1, 2011 · He rubbed his fair skin and chest with sun lotion before working the docks in the sun. One stevedore ridiculed him about the lotion, but ...<|separator|>
  15. [15]
    The Explosive Life and Death of Gangster Danny Greene
    In 1964, Greene lost his union job when it came to light that he was allowing corruption to flourish, including kickbacks and having dock workers sign over ...
  16. [16]
    Danny Greene, The Real-Life Crime Figure Behind "Kill The Irishman"
    until his quest for power incited a gang war ...Missing: biography | Show results with:biography
  17. [17]
    Notable organized crime figures throughout Cleveland history (photos)
    Jul 29, 2015 · Gangster Danny Greene established himself as president of the longshoreman's union and later served as an enforcer for Shondor Birns. Teamsters ...
  18. [18]
    SHONDOR BIRNS CONVICTED ON BRIBERY CHARGES 12-23 ...
    ... convicted Wednesday of bribing a Parma policeman and witness tampering. Birns' attorney, Jack Day, said he plans to file a motion for a new trial next Tuesday.
  19. [19]
    1976: The Year Cleveland Became Bomb City, USA
    Oct 20, 2017 · Although Greene allegedly contracted car bombings for years, the turf war escalated after the unexpected death of Cleveland mobster John Scalish ...
  20. [20]
    Kill the Irishman - The Mob Museum
    This is the real story of Danny Greene, a ... Cleveland hosted this almost surreal gang war of the 1970s and 1980s that pitted Greene and his Celtic Club ...<|control11|><|separator|>
  21. [21]
    New Book Details How Cleveland Gangster Shondor Birns Lived ...
    Nov 6, 2019 · ... Bribes" about Cleveland gangster Shondor Birns by Rick Porrello ... corrupt officials to fix cases and bribe jurors to often escape jail time.
  22. [22]
    Shondor Birns: A Look Into the Mobster's Life and Gruesome Death
    Sep 18, 2023 · Greene found the bomb beneath his car, disarmed it, and turned over fragments of the failed bomb to the Cleveland Division of Police. Greene ...
  23. [23]
    The Bombing Business - Cleveland Magazine
    Shondor reportedly repaid the loan himself and then vowed to collect the money, one way or another, from Greene. Among those supposedly retained by Birns to ...
  24. [24]
    Feature Articles 239 - AmericanMafia.com
    Danny had been forcing longshoremen to unload filthy grain boats and "donate" their paychecks to a union hall "renovation fund." The hall had already been ...
  25. [25]
    Danny Greene Bombs Coventry? | Cleveland Historical
    Danny Greene died in a car bombing in suburban Lyndhurst in 1977 after becoming ensnared in a fight surrounding competing claims for leadership of Cleveland's ...Missing: biography | Show results with:biography
  26. [26]
    Why They Blew Shondor Birns Away - Cleveland Magazine
    A few months later, while serving a sentence in the Workhouse for attempting to bribe a witness in a shooting case, Birns gave his first lengthy newspaper ...Missing: date | Show results with:date
  27. [27]
    Cleveland gangster Danny Greene's explosive life captured in 'The ...
    Aug 15, 2010 · Greene, the ultimate street hustler, first became a public figure when he headed up the Longshoreman's union on Cleveland's docks in the ...Missing: emergence press coverage
  28. [28]
    Greene interview 1964 - YouTube
    Mar 10, 2011 · Greene interview 1964. 100K views · 14 years ago ...more. News 5 Cleveland ... Cleveland Mob War: The Murders Of Danny Greene & John Nardi (1977).Missing: figure | Show results with:figure
  29. [29]
    Interview with Danny Greene by Brian Ross - Cleveland Memory
    Brian Ross of Channel 3 News interviews racketeer Danny Greene on attempted assassination. Footage courtesy of The Northeast Ohio Broadcast Archives.Missing: figure | Show results with:figure
  30. [30]
    Danny Greene - Cleveland's Irish mobster - YouTube
    Dec 12, 2019 · Comedian Brian Kenny tells the story of how Danny Greene took on the mafia. From taunting his enemies on a nightly news broadcast to the ...Missing: stevedore 1957<|control11|><|separator|>
  31. [31]
    It's been a long wait but Rick Porrello's Danny Greene story is finally ...
    Mar 10, 2011 · Lyndhurst Police Chief Rick Porrello has waited for his book about Cleveland mobster Danny Greene, “To Kill the Irishman,” to make it to the big screen.
  32. [32]
    On October 6, 1977, Irish-American mobster & associate ... - Facebook
    Oct 8, 2025 · KILL DANNY GREENE Danny Greene, born Daniel John Patrick Greene on ... Greene-Nardi alliance erupted into all-out war. Both sides ...<|separator|>
  33. [33]
    1975: An Early Morning Bomb Nearly Takes Danny Greene's Life
    Jun 28, 2021 · Despite taking out his 1975 Lincoln and two of his cats, Danny Greene escaped from the bombing with minor cuts and bruises.
  34. [34]
    Greene escapes another bomb - cleveland.com
    Feb 28, 2011 · Police guessed that a refrigerator and a kitchen cabinet accidentally formed a shelter that protected Danny Greene from much of the blast's ...
  35. [35]
    'Bomb City U.S.A.': Hit man turns rat | wkyc.com
    May 13, 2021 · The drawing came together moments after mobster Danny Greene was blown to smithereens when a car bomb erupted outside his dentist's office in ...Missing: details | Show results with:details
  36. [36]
    The Last of the Northeast Ohio Gangsters - Cleveland Magazine
    Dec 28, 2021 · They parked a car containing a bomb next to Greene's Lincoln as he visited a Lyndhurst dentist, and Carabbia detonated the bomb by remote ...Missing: office | Show results with:office
  37. [37]
    'Bomb City, USA': The story of Cleveland's mobster dynasty | wkyc.com
    May 6, 2021 · First up, we're digging into Cleveland's most infamous criminal, Danny Greene. ... He spent two years doing surveillance on Cleveland's mafia. He ...
  38. [38]
    United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. James T. Licavoli (82 ...
    All six defendants in the present case were tried for Danny Greene's murder in state court. Cisternino, Carabbia and Ciarcia were convicted of Greene's murder.
  39. [39]
    Anthony Dominic Liberatore.jpeg - FBI Multimedia
    An ex-convict and a Cleveland mobster, Liberatore orchestrated the murder of a rival named Danny Greene. ... Liberatore was convicted in the case and ...
  40. [40]
    On Danny Greene and “Kill the Irishman”
    Mar 30, 2011 · Greene (1933-1977) first burst upon the Cleveland scene in 1961 upon being elected President of Local 1317 of the International Longshoremen's ...Missing: became ILA<|separator|>
  41. [41]
    The Cleveland Mafia: The end of an era and demise of a Don (photos)
    Nov 23, 2015 · ... Cleveland and the Mafia ... By 1982, Licavoli was behind bars, convicted on RICO charges connected to the 1977 murder of mobster Danny Greene.Missing: decline | Show results with:decline
  42. [42]
    Rick Porrello, Producer Tommy Reid fulfill dream by completing ...
    Mar 1, 2011 · “There's a whole generation that doesn't even know Danny Greene, but it's part of the city's history. We don't mean to glorify it in this movie, ...
  43. [43]
    True crime in Cleveland: The rise and fall of 'The Irishman' Danny ...
    Feb 27, 2017 · Greene rose to power by taking over Local 1317 International Longshoremen's Association. He was forced out for embezzling, but found other ...Missing: positions | Show results with:positions
  44. [44]
    The Uneasy Accord of Mobster Danny Greene and a Cop
    Oct 16, 2018 · They had a solid and lucrative hold on the city's criminal activities. They also had a steady revenue stream from their investments in Las Vegas ...Missing: anti- | Show results with:anti-
  45. [45]
    Danny Greene: Cleveland gangster who inspired 'Kill the Irishman ...
    Mar 6, 2011 · Danny Greene: Cleveland gangster who inspired 'Kill the Irishman' was a real-life Hollywood archetype · Full Danny Greene coverage · Other links.Missing: appearances | Show results with:appearances
  46. [46]
    The murder of Danny Greene and the collapse of the Cleveland ...
    Jun 8, 2025 · John Nardi. John Nardi and Danny Greene had become obsessions among the members of the Cleveland Mafia. ... alliance with Danny Greene, the ...
  47. [47]
    Kill the Irishman (2011) - IMDb
    Rating 7/10 (54,088) It is the story of Danny Greene an Irish mobster who would not sell out to the Italian mafia as they fought over turf in Cleveland. And the Director ...Full cast & crew · Parents guide · Filming & production · PlotMissing: anti- | Show results with:anti-
  48. [48]
    Kill the Irishman | Rotten Tomatoes
    Rating 63% (51) Mobster Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson) ignites a turf war in 1970s Cleveland that leads to the collapse of the Mafia in several major U.S. cities.
  49. [49]
    To Kill the Irishman: The War that Crippled the Mafia - Amazon.com
    His 1998 book, To Kill the Irishman, the definitive story of mobster Danny Greene, was optioned for a motion picture. It was adapted for the 2011 movie Kill the ...
  50. [50]
    To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia - Goodreads
    Rating 3.7 (655) His second title, To Kill the Irishman, which he self-published, was adapted for the film Kill the Irishman starring Ray Stevenson and with Christopher Walken, ...
  51. [51]
    Watch Danny Greene: The Rise and Fall of the Irishman - Netflix
    Trace Cleveland mobster Danny Greene's rise to union president, including his involvement in criminal rackets and his battles with the Italian Mafia.Missing: depictions books
  52. [52]
    Danny Greene: The Rise and Fall of the Irishman | Rotten Tomatoes
    Rating 52% (5) Daniel John Patrick "Danny" Greene was an Irish American mobster and associate of Cleveland mobster John Nardi during the gang war for the city's criminal ...
  53. [53]
    "Mobsters" Danny Greene (TV Episode 2010) - IMDb
    Rating 7.8/10 (12) An Irishman through and through, Danny Greene's brazen, Celtic-warrior attitude brought him into fiery conflict with the Cleveland mafia throughout the 1960s ...
  54. [54]
    Rick Porrello – Author | Screenwriter | Musician
    From the host of AmericanMafia.com and the author who brought you To Kill the Irishman – the war that crippled the Mafia, basis for the motion picture Kill the ...News From Rick · BIO · Books · Photos<|separator|>