John Tronolone

Who was John Tronolone?

John "Peanuts" Tronolone was a Cleveland, Ohio mobster who succeeded crime boss James Licavoli as head of the Cleveland crime family. Tronolone ran the Cleveland family following the Licavoli-Nardi gang wars from 1985 until 1991.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Tronolone was arrested three times before the age of 21. In 1975, he was convicted of operating a bookmaking operation with an estimated weekly income exceeding $1 million; Tronolone was sentenced to two years imprisonment with a $2,000 fine. At some point, Tronolone became an active member of the Cleveland family. However, Tronolone maintained his family responsibilities from his residence in Florida, where he also operated a travel agency.

Tronolone frequently served as facilitator between the Cleveland family and the Mafia Commission in New York. Since Cleveland was not a Commission member, their interests were served by front boss Anthony Salerno from the Genovese crime family. Tronlone also helped Salerno with other important jobs. In 1980, Angelo Bruno, the boss of the Philadelphia crime family, was killed by rivals within his crime family.