He had the support of the D'Aquila crime family of New York City, and engaged in widespread bribery of local judges, police, and politicians.

His criminal organization's reliance on low-quality corn whiskey led to a drop in revenues when consumers began favoring better quality, illegally imported liquor.

He began demanding unquestioning loyalty while taking little risk, alienating many bootleggers, home distillers, and organized crime figures.

[5] By the early 1920s, his brothers Frank and John and family friend Salvatore "Black Sam" Todaro were working in the business.

[10][14] About 1913, a loosely organized Italian American gang known as the Mayfield Road Mob formed in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood.

[27] The Cleveland Syndicate preferred to give a cut of its profits to mobsters in other criminal organizations, who then did the actual work of bootlegging or running the gambling operations.

[29] The Mayfield Road Mob's bootlegging operation moved large amounts of high-quality liquor from Canada into northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania, generating substantial profits for those involved.

[22][g] He and his brothers used their profits from previous criminal activities to invest heavily in corn sugar manufacturing,[31] a completely legal enterprise.

[44] The cottage industry system dispersed distillation operations so that no single raid by law enforcement could seriously interrupt production.

[15][41] The Mayfield Road Mob killed so many small-time corn sugar merchants, distillers, and bootleggers that police claimed hit men were charging a flat fee of $25 ($444 in 2023 dollars) per murder.

In Akron, a large industrial city 40 miles (64 km) to the south, Frank Bellini and Michael Corcelli controlled the imported illegal liquor and home distilling operations (but not corn sugar sales).

[31][l] The distinctiveness of the Mayfield Road Mob as a crime family is supported by mafioso Nicola Gentile, who called the group predominio dei licatesi (dominance of those from Licata).

[52] Lonardo and the Mayfield Road Mob had become so dominant in Cleveland that other mafia families began to take interest in what was happening in the city.

[53] Among the many friends Lonardo made while living briefly in New York City were several who later became important mafioso,[16] including Nicola "Uncle Cola" Gentile (a powerful mafia figure who played a major role in peacekeeping among crime families and helped create The Commission in 1931) and Salvatore "Toto" D'Aquila.

[54][m] D'Aquila, who was rapidly expanding his influence in New York City and was heavily involved in bootlegging, began supporting Lonardo in his efforts to establish himself as the sole boss in Cleveland.

He overcame resistance to his criminal activities by maintaining good relationships with people in Little Italy (the area most affected by his bootlegging), helping to resolve their disputes and donating money to those in need.

The corn whiskey cottage industry system did not emphasize quality, and by the mid-1920s many consumers preferred to purchase high-quality liquor illegally imported from Canada.

More and more distillers and distributors of corn whiskey were joining a new Italian American gang run by the Porrellos that had formed near the intersection of Woodland Avenue and E. 55th Street.

[56][o] Much of Masseria's extended family lived in Cleveland and his brother was involved in the Mayfield Road Mob, so his interest in the city is not surprising.

Law enforcement officials had identified a Porrello-owned barber shop at 10902 Woodland Avenue as a front for the sale of large orders of corn whiskey and, following a sting in early 1927, Raymond Porrello was arrested.

John had little temperament for business and lacked good judgment, and a leadership vacuum emerged in the Mayfield Road Mob.

[70][q] Nicola Gentile says that Joseph Biondo and Paolino Palmieri[r] members of the Buffalo crime family,[s] tried to convince Lonardo to rescind the death sentence, but he refused.

[79] Lonardo bodyguards Lawrence Lupo[81] and Charles Colletti were arrested for suspicion in involvement in the Yorkell-Brownstein murders (although both were released in late October).

[49] Masseria encouraged Todaro to murder Lonardo and take over the Cleveland crime family in order to embarrass Salvatore D'Aquila.

His bodyguards Lupo and Colletti were constantly with him during the day as he conducted his business, but Lonardo was deprived of their services after their arrest in the Yorkell-Brownstein murders.

[15] In the early evening of October 13, 1927, someone telephoned Lonardo and asked him to come to the barber shop owned by Ottavio Porrello at 10902 Woodland Avenue.

[49] Joseph and John Lonardo arrived at the barber shop without any bodyguards (which was highly unusual)[84][v] about 8:15 PM[15][81] and proceeded into the back room, which was used for playing cards.

[15] The name of the conflict is a misnomer, since the struggle for control over Cleveland's corn sugar industry had ended (not begun) with Lonardo's death.

[95] Salvatore "Black Sam" Todaro is widely believed to have taken over Lonardo's criminal enterprises, becoming the second boss of the Cleveland crime family.

[61] Lonardo was nicknamed "Big Joe"[105] because at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) in height and 300 pounds (140 kg) in weight[16] he was taller and heavier than almost all his peers.