Another Day, Another Former Mob House
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So, I bet you think this house looks superordinary. It’s a nice Midcentury Ranch that probably needs a few updates, but it’s a thoroughly ordinary mob house. Nooooothing to see here, right?
Hah! Wrong! Are you new here? It’s the Wednesday WTF. OF COURSE THERE IS SOMETHING TO SEE HERE.
So, I will admit to this: I picked this house so I could encourage you to make an offer they can’t refuse, but then by the time I actually got ready to hit publish, it had a pending offer.
Meet the former home of the late Joey Naples in Youngstown, Ohio. “Who the heck is Joey Naples?” you ask.
Joey Naples was, according to Mafia Wiki, “a member of the Pittsburgh crime family and capo of the Youngstown, Ohio, faction.”
And Joey Naples (seriously, you can’t not say his whole name), ran a gambling operation for the Pittsburgh family, and is known for being one of the Pittsburgh Associates that bribed former athlete James Traficant when he was running for county sheriff, in hopes that he would turn a blind eye should he get elected.
Naples was gunned down by a sniper in 1991, just outside the new home he was building, so even if he had lived, this house would’ve been on the market eventually. It apparently sold in 1992, and again in 1995, and then was listed again this year.
So what does a mob boss’s house look like? Well, we don’t necessarily know how much was changed after the house sold following his death, we can at least get an idea of the layout.
But I did get one interesting detail about the basement (isn’t it always the basement with these guys?): At one point, a search warrant was served on the Naples home because police “had information from an informant that there was a secret room in the cellar of this residence.”
A secret room, y’all.
“Detective Krohn continued the search by hitting the panelled wall, when all of a sudden a door popped open, exposing a room and its contents,” a court document read. “The contents of this room included a quantity of guns of various kinds, gun silencers, ammunition, a Bolex camera, a mink coat, lottery slips, and lottery records.”
No idea if the secret room is still secret, though.
So if you want a former mob house with a potentially secret room in the basement, and have more than $129,000, and really want to live in Youngstown, check here.
Want to see more Wednesday WTF? Click here.
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Apparently folks do want to live in an ex-mafia boss’ house because this home had 3 offers on it within 24 hours of listing, triggering a multiple offer scenario. Anyone familiar with that situation knows the sale basically becomes a silent auction. The home was only allowed to be shown to buyers who already had proof of funding…so no curiosity seekers allowed! By day two of the sale, all potential buyers were given a 3 day deadline in which to submit their highest and best offers. Then a snow storm hit during the last two days, effectively wiping out any showings. I happened across this article, ironically, as I happen to have been the 3rd offer placed on this house on its second day of showing. I viewed it on day one, and returned on day 2 just to make sure I wanted to purchase it. I can say this- there is no longer a secret room there, unfortunately. I had read the same court filings that the author referenced in the article. So, in a few short days, I will be the new owner of this property. As such, it is a bit upsetting to see the interior photos posted and mention of some secret room that no longer exists…well, because this is Impoverished Youngstown, OH. Also, by the way, the sellers did not disclose the infamous history of this home. I happened to speak to an elderly neighbor who gave me the skinny on this property’s history. Good work by this author on knowing the history of this home and that it went up for sale! I would love to know how the author knew or discovered this?!
In 2009 my parents bought the home that he was gunned down in front of. It’s also up for sale and there are photos of it posted on Zillow. 3244 Lynn rd, Canfield oh. If anyone is interested in viewing. There are many hidden basement doors and several full size crawl spaces. It’s an interesting history and we receive countless questions about the property all the time.
I agree with the gentleman’s reply. The house at 164 Roslyn Dr, Younstown,Ohio belonged to Charles “Cadillac Charley” Cavallaro. This house is currently being cleaned out after all these decades. It isn’t as extravagant as the Naples House but it still stands sturdy from the outside.
Why were they selling? I’m interested to know also why the parcels were spilt and a house was built right in front of the mansion essentially changing the address of the original home? Thanks for sharing! Love finding these gems.
My grandfather recently sold this home . I do not recall a secret room in the basement , but there were Italian murals painted in the formal living room. I hated that they were painted over .