Daniel John Patrick "Danny" Greene (14 November 1933-6 October 1977) was an Irish-American mobster who went to war with the Cleveland crime family during the 1970s as the head of the "Celtic Club" gang. He was killed in a car bombing on 6 October 1977.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Billy McComber and Greene washing a car, 1940s
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 nurse, and Greene ran away from home to live with his paternal grandfather. He served as an altar boy while attending Catholic school, and he was expelled from high school due to his frequent tardiness, caused by bullying from other students. After being expelled from high school, he joined the US Marine Corps, and he served in the artillery before being honorably discharged in 1953 with the rank of Corporal.
Longshoreman[]
Greene as a longshoreman, 1961
During the early 1960s, Greene worked as a longshoreman on the Cleveland docks alongside his childhood friends Billy McComber and Art Sneperger. In 1960, Greene helped Snerperger pay off his debts by giving stolen goods to Cleveland crime family capo John Nardi's crew, and their corrupt boss Jerry Merke demanded a cut of the operation. When Greene went to the machine room to deliver the cut to Merke's enforcer Joe Buka, Buka pulled out a silenced pistol, and Greene convinced Buka to engage in a fistfight with him after telling him two insulting "Polish jokes". Greene beat Buka down, and he then proceeded to confront Greene in his office, slap him around, and force him to leave.
Local president[]
Greene after becoming the local's president
Greene then became interim president of the local chapter of the International Longshoremen's Association in 1961. Greene, who had begun to develop pride in his Irish ancestry, painted his office green after being re-elected, and he raised union dues 25% and pushed workers to volunteer hours to assist in providing a building fund. He fired 50 workers who disagreed with him, and many workers had to turn over their paychecks to Greene. While Greene claimed that he was going to build a union hall, he instead personally pocketed much of the money, and he used workers to beat up union members who did not come in line. He was later exiled from the union and convicted of embezzlement in 1964, and he was fined $10,000 and received a suspended sentence. Afterward, he did not pay the fine or receive and prison time, and he returned to his rackets, where he befriended the Teamsters. He also became an FBI informant, and he used his informant status as a front for his criminal activities.
Mafia work[]
Greene in 1971
While working for the Cleveland Solid Waste Traders Guild, Greene was recruited as an enforcer for Shondor Birns, and he enforced the Mafia's influence over the garbage-hauling contracts and other rackets. He helped to pitch deal to Mafia capo James T. Licavoli: Greene would force the city's garbage haulers to join the union Licavoli controls. Greene, McComber, Sneperger, and ex-Hells Angel Keith Ritson terrorized many into joining, but Greene's friend Mike Frato refused. Licavoli ordered Greene to kill Frato, but Greene balked because Frato had ten children. Nardi told him privately that, "You wanted to play in the big leagues. Sometimes you have to do things you don't wanna do."
As Greene prepared to kill Frato with a car bomb, he learned from the FBI that Sneperger had returned to gambling, and had become an informant for detective Joe Manditski. That night Greene assigned Sneperger to set the bomb under Frato's car and pressed the detonator as he did it. An enraged Frato later shot at Greene in a park. Greene returned fire, killed Frato, and was arrested for murder, but was released after Frato's driver told Manditski that Greene acted in self-defense. Having had enough, Greene's long-suffering wife left him and took their children.
Robin Hood of Collinwood[]
Grace O'Keefe and Danny Greene
Later, Greene saw his elderly Irish neighbor, Grace O'Keefe, being evicted. He intervened, paid her rent, and she gratefully gave him her father's gold Celtic cross to wear for protection. Greene began to use his money and connections to help other Irish-Americans in need, and earned the nickname "The Robin Hood of Collinwood". Greene also sought to open his own restaurant, and asked Shondor Birns to help him. Birns arranged a $70,000 loan from the Gambino crime family, but Birns' courier bought cocaine with the money and got arrested. Birns and Greene argued over which of them should pay back the money; when Greene refused to pay, Birns hired a hitman to kill him. Greene narrowly escaped, and later killed Birns with a car bomb.
After Mafia boss John T. Scalish died, both Nardi and Licavoli were considered for succession. Licavoli was chosen due to his closer ties to the Five Families and decided to charge Greene 30% "street tax" for doing business in Cleveland. Greene refused to pay, crudely mocked Licavoli's Italian heritage, and vowed, "The Irishman's in business for himself now."
Mob war[]
An outraged Licavoli had Greene's house blown up, but he survived. He then attempted to demote Nardi and take away his crew, only to have the latter join forces with Greene. Vowing to take over Cleveland together, Greene and Nardi started by organizing the murders of Licavoli's associates, many of whom were blown up. Thirty-six car bombings occurred during the summer of 1976, drawing national attention and humiliating Licavoli. After failing multiple times to kill Greene, Licavoli was forced to humbly ask Genovese crime family boss Anthony Salerno to help him kill Nardi and Greene.
Having learned of this from the FBI, Greene claimed that he wanted to leave Cleveland and buy a ranch in Texas, but needed to raise $2 million. Wishing to size up their enemies, Greene and Nardi travelled to New York and invited Salerno to invest in the ranch. After they left, Salerno ordered his associates to hire hitman Ray Ferritto to kill them both. Nardi was killed in a car explosion, McComber died in a bombing at the Cleveland docks, and Ritson was shot near his house. Detective Manditski later let Greene know that a master killer was after him. He offered Greene protection, but was told, "My enemies will be taken care of."
Death[]
Greene's death
During a dentist's appointment on 6 October 1977, Greene noticed a car being parked next to his but makes nothing of it because the man who left the car was unknown to him. Returning to his car, Greene was stopped by a small group of young boys riding bikes. In a gesture of admiration to the spunkiest of them, he gave the boy a necklace with a meaningful history to him. He noticed Ferritto driving by slowly, and Greene accepted that he was about to die. Ferritto then detonated a bomb on the car next to Greene's, killing Greene instantly.