Pittsburgh Mafia Gambling Boss Bobby Ianelli Dies Age 95
Final figure of Pittsburgh Mafia dies at 95 years old
Iannelli ran multimillion-dollar gambling operation for decades
Avoided prison in 2019 sports betting ring conviction
Bobby Iannelli, a fixture in Western Pennsylvania’s gambling underworld for more than half a century, died peacefully on July 15 at age 95, The Gangster Report reports.
According to his obituary at Devlin Funeral Home, Iannelli — a resident of both Jupiter, Florida, and McCandless Township — died peacefully surrounded by family.
The LaRocca-Genovese Crime Family’s Legacy
Perhaps the final figure of the LaRocca-Genovese crime family’s heyday, Iannelli rewrote the rulebook on sports betting in Steeltown.
He began his career as a small-time bookie, and his first brush with the law came in the 1950s when he was fined for running football pools. Over the years, he grew an underground empire that reportedly handled multimillion-dollar operations across Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
From Small-Time Bookie to Multimillion-Dollar Empire
- Iannelli’s career spanned over five decades, during which he built a reputation as a numbers guy and bookie around Pittsburgh for decades.
- He was described by Penn State criminal justice professor Donald Liddick as “a numbers guy and bookie around Pittsburgh for decades.”
The LaRocca-Genovese Family’s Decline
In 1990, a Pennsylvania Crime Commission report listed Iannelli as an associate of the legendary Pittsburgh LaRocca-Genevse family, aka the Pittsburgh Mafia.
Though the LaRocca-Genovese family once operated as a ruthless criminal syndicate, no allegations of violence were ever brought against Iannelli.
Legal Troubles
- Iannelli served jail time in the 1970s and again in the early 1990s following convictions tied to illegal gambling activities.
- The most recent arrest came in February 2019, when authorities indicted the aging mobster, his son Rodney, and 11 others in connection with a sprawling sports-betting and numbers lottery scheme.
The End of an Era
In September 2020, he pleaded guilty alongside his son and agreed to pay approximately $300K in fines. Sentenced to 10 years, the judge suspended the term in favor of probation, allowing both men to avoid further prison time.
Legacy of an Old-School Gangster
Devlin’s obituary lists him as beloved husband, father to four children, and great-grandfather, surrounded in his final moments by loved ones.
Mob writer Scott Burnstein this week called him “old-school” and one of the gambling trade’s all-time greats in a note marking his death
The Symbolic End of Pittsburgh’s Old Guard
Mob-watchers like Burnstein see his death as the symbolic end of Pittsburgh’s old guard in organized crime.
The once-mighty LaRocca-Genovese family, which in its 1950s to 1980s heyday stretched from the Hill District to suburban diners, has, according to Liddick, “dissolved into informal groups” with no centralized leadership.
Key Facts About Bobby Iannelli
- Iannelli died at 95 years old, making him one of the last figures from Pittsburgh’s gambling underworld still alive.
- The LaRocca-Genovese family once operated as a ruthless criminal syndicate with no allegations of violence against Iannelli.
- Iannelli was sentenced to 10 years in prison but had his sentence suspended in favor of probation due to his age and health.
Conclusion
Bobby Ianelli’s passing marks the end of an era for Pittsburgh’s gambling underworld. As one of the last figures from this world still alive, he leaves behind a legacy that will be remembered for generations to come.