KANSAS CITY, Mo. – When you hear “Kansas City”, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?
Is it the heads? barbecue? 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 cottage, a little more sinister and a little more fascinating — that’s the story we’re about to unpack.
Barstool’s Dave Portnoy Spotlights North Casey Pizzeria in Hit ‘One Bite’ Review Series
You may have heard of the Italian Mafia—a notorious group that dominated the political, economic, and cultural life of cities across America in the 20th century.
Many associate the Mafia with New York City’s five crime families — the Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, Colombo and Bonanno — or the Las Vegas gambling scene. But others may know the real history of Heartland’s ties to organized crime, especially in Kansas City.
Mafia expert Gary Jenkins, a documentary filmmaker and host of the “Gangland Wire” podcast, says those ties go back to the early 20th century and halfway around the world.
Once known as the tiny island of the foot of the Italian boot, Sicily is now known as the birthplace of the “Cosa Nostra” or “Sicilian Mafia”, which has since been popularized in mainstream culture through movies.Goodfellas“”Casino“and”godfather“
Jenkins told FOX4 that the mafia emerged as a defense mechanism to combat an unstable northern Italian government. However, it developed later after the “Great Sicilian Migration”, when at least By 1920, four million Italian immigrants had arrived in America.
From there, the newcomers planted their feet in various American cities, expanding westward as the years went by for more economic opportunities.
But each city, including Kansas City, brought challenges that forced many of these newcomers to take matters into their own hands.
“When you get a large group of immigrants like that, they’re looking for opportunity, they don’t speak the languages, they’re a little bit darker, and they come to Kansas City, and they’re fighting for jobs, and the Irish and the English — my people and your people — we’ve sealed all the jobs and we’re not letting these new ones in,” he said.
“So, they start fighting, and they have Eddie’s joints, and they have restaurants, and all the family works there. The same thing is happening today. And they bring along this group called the Mafia.”
A historic 250-year-old oak tree will be cut down this weekend in Kansas City
Jenkins further describes how these Italian-owned, brick-and-mortar businesses in places like River Quay (now known as River Market) eventually shifted their business models when they began recruiting outside members, usually other Sicilians. From there, power will become more attractive, and underground deals will emerge as an equally successful means of commerce.
Prohibition was one of the catalysts for organized crime in Kansas City, and it spawned some of the metro’s most famous mobsters, including one of the city’s first mob bosses. John Lazio (born Lazio).
From there, and with the help of Lazia’s political connections, Tom Pendergast entered the picture, launching the infamous “The Pendergast Political MachineAn era full of corruption, collusion and conspiracy.
“[Lazia] Pendergast went in with; Pendergast ran the whole city,” Jenkins said. “And they took their own political destiny into their own hands and became a political powerhouse. They were able to influence who was going to be a judge, and who was on the city council, and those kinds of things. So, it kept rolling. “
However, after several years of being a puppet master in Kansas City’s political strings, Lazia was assassinated. This led to Kansas City’s most famous mob era, an era in which its organized crime ties spread beyond the metro’s borders and established a nationwide gambling scheme that would eventually lead to its demise.
The era in question was the 1970s and 1980s. A period in which longtime crowd boss Nick Civella is leading Metro’s local and national crowd affairs.
His reign included many illegal and corrupt activities, including the infiltration and influence of the Teamsters Union, which controlled the Central State Pension Fund (CSPF). The fund would later be called “the most abused, misused pension fund in America.” According to an article published in Forbes in 1980.
The CSPF was often used for clandestine and mob families, providing their members with a direct source of illegal income and power in Midwestern cities, particularly 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.”
Travis Kelce says he and fiancée Taylor Swift have never done what?
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.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
