KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When you hear “Kansas City,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Are they the Chiefs? The barbecue? The hundreds of fountains scattered around the city?
Maybe it’s all of the above. But for many history buffs around the world, the first thought might have been a little more twisted, a little more corrupt and a little more captivating — that’s the story we’ve come to pack.
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You may have heard of the Italian mafia — a notorious group that once dominated the political, economic and cultural life of cities across America during the 20th century.
Many associate the mafia with the five New York City crime families — Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, Colombo and Bonanno — or the Las Vegas gambling scene. But others may know the true story of Heartland’s ties to organized crime, especially in Kansas City.
Mafia expert Gary Jenkins, documentary maker and host of the “Gangland Wire” podcast, says those ties go back to the early 20th century and halfway around the world.
What was once known only as a tiny island far from the Italian pocket, Sicily is now called the birthplace of the “Cosa Nostra,” or the “Sicilian Mafia,” which has since been popularized in mainstream culture through movies like “Goodfellas,” “Casino,” and “The Godfather.“
Jenkins told FOX4 that the mafia emerged as a protective mechanism to combat the unstable government of northern Italy. However, it later evolved after the “Great Sicilian Immigration,” when at least 4 million Italian immigrants landed in the United States by 1920.
From there, the new arrivals set foot in different American cities, expanding westward as the years passed for greater economic opportunities.
But every city, including Kansas City, brought challenges that forced many of these newcomers to take matters into their own hands.
“When you have a large group of immigrants like that, they are looking for an opportunity, they don’t speak the languages, they are a little darker, and they come to Kansas City, and they are struggling for jobs, and the Irish and the English – my people and your people – we got all the jobs sewn up and we are not letting these newcomers said, “.
“So, they start running, and they have eddy joints, and they have restaurants, and the whole family works there. The same thing is happening today. And they bring with them this group called the mafia.”
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Jenkins went on to explain how these Italian-owned brick and mortar businesses in places like the River Quay (now known as the River Market) eventually changed their business models once they began recruiting outside members, usually other Sicilians. From there, power becomes more attractive, and underground deals emerge as a means of commerce with the same success.
Prohibition was one of the catalysts for organized crime in Kansas City, spawning some of the metro’s most notorious mobsters, including one of the city’s first mob bosses John Lazia (born in Lazio).
From there, and with the help of Lazia’s political connections, Tom Pendergast entered the press, and inserted the infamous “Pendergast political machine” an era mired in corruption, collusion and conspiracy.
“[Lazia] met Pendergast; Pendergast ran the whole town,” Jenkins said. “And they took over their own political destiny and became a political power as well. They could influence who was going to be a judge, and who was in the city council, and those kinds of things. So, it just kept going.”
However, after many years of being the puppet in the political strings of Kansas City, Lazia was assassinated. This led to one of Kansas City’s most notorious mob eras, an era in which its organized crime ties stretched beyond the metro’s borders and established itself in a nationwide gambling scheme that would ultimately lead to its demise.
The era in question was the seventies and eighties. A period when mob boss Nick Civella was running the local and national affairs of the metro mob.
His reign involved numerous illegal and corrupt activities, including the infiltration and influence of the Teamsters Union, which had control over the Central States Pension Fund (CSPF). This fund would later be called “the most abused and misused pension fund in America,” according to an article published in Forbes in 1980.
The CSPF was often delegated by and used for mob families, offering its members a direct source of illegal income and power in Midwestern cities, specifically Kansas City.
“[The mafia} had a say so in things that were happening, depending on how many votes they could bring and who they could intimidate, and they got in with the Teamsters Union, and you know, union racketeering,” Jenkins said.
“But Roy Lee Wiliams got in bed with Nick Civella and, you know, one hand watches the other, and if they needed some heavy lifting done by mafia guys, Roy Lee Williams could go to them.”
Jenkins went on to say that the Teamsters Union was a “powerful political animal in any city” because it carried a top-down approach to corruption. This means, the boss could issue an order and tell his guys to vote a certain way, as well as their families, and they would do just that.
“They had their niche,” Jenkins concluded. “Probably the relationship between Roy Lee Williams and Nick Civella was the most important thing that gave them the most power.”
Despite the mob’s influence on Kansas City’s infrastructure over the early-to-late 1900s, Jenkins said they never entirely had their “thumb on the scales.”
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And after years of Civella’s illegal gambling schemes and union racketeering, his crimes were uncovered through the famous FBI-led operation “Strawman.” From there, Civella was arrested, charged, convicted and imprisoned, kickstarting the demise of the metro’s organized crime ties.
By the early 2000s, the words “Italian mob” and “Kansas City” were less of a fear and more of a fascination, reeling in true crime junkies with pieces of gripping local and national history that shaped the landscape of politics, public services, public figures and public consciousness.
Now, all that’s left are the stories people share and the creators, like Jenkins, who do what they can to uphold said history.
The local filmmaker is set to debut his latest film, “Gangland Wire” at the Glenwood Arts Theater for the KC Mafia and True Crime Film Festival.
The festival runs from Dec. 4-13, and Jenkins’ 82-minute documentary is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m.
For more information about the film festival, click here. To learn more about Jenkins and Kansas City mafia history, go to ganglandwire.com.
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