Angelo Meli
Angelo Meli (born February 10, 1897 , † December 1, 1969 ) was an Italian-American mobster of the American Cosa Nostra and during the 1930s to the late 1960s the consigliere of the Detroit Crime Family , also known as the Detroit Partnership or Detroit Combination .
Life
Angelo Meli was born in San Cataldo ( Sicily ) and emigrated with his family to the United States in Detroit ( Michigan ) in his youth .
In the early 1920s, Meli, Leonardo "Leo" Cellura, and Cesare "Chester" Lamare opened the Venice Cafe in Detroit. At this time, Meli and his men began to blackmail brothels and gambling dens and were engaged in smuggling. With the support of Meli and his mentor Giovanni Vitale , Lamare became the undisputed king of the beer and spirits market in Hamtramck during Prohibition and ruled there both politically and financially. On the recommendation of Alex Groesbeck , the 30th governor of Michigan state , the state police were to dismantle the organization and so in this unprecedented case, 31 men were arrested and convicted of disregarding alcohol laws; including Hamtramck's mayor Peter C. Jezewski.
The gangster Salvatore Catalanotte was one of the most powerful members of the Detroit mafia in the late 1910s and was widely recognized as its leader from 1920 . Catalanotte formed a strong alliance known as the Westside Mob Detroit and he appointed Angelo Meli as the new leader of a group known as the Eastside Mob . The legendary Mafiosi Vito William "Black Bill" Tocco and Joseph "Joe Z." Zerilli acted as Meli's right-hand man. This combination became known as the Pascuzzi Combine and under Catalanotte, the organization controlled liquor smuggling, black market traffic, gambling, prostitution, drugs and other business areas.
After Catalanotte's death in 1930, Chester Lamare began raiding Meli-controlled whisper bars and warehouses. Meli responded by ordering Lamare's death. In February 1931, Lamare was betrayed by two of his own people and shot in the back when he arrived at his house with them.
"Black Bill" Tocco, "Joe Z." Zerilli and Angelo Meli later allied with Giovanni "John" Priziola and Peter Joseph Licavoli ; five mafiosi, who from then on ruled on one level as a body. Instead of Pascuzzi Combine , the Mafia in Detroit was now also called the Detroit Partnership . Tocco, meanwhile the most powerful man in the Eastside gang, was still the official head of the organization from 1931, with Joe Zerilli as underboss and Angelo Meli as consigliere . Meli became a major figure in arms smuggling and in regulating workers' strikes. His involvement in union corruption helped Jimmy Hoffa rise through the ranks of the Teamsters union . and he also played a large but distant role in the importation of heroin into the country, as part of the French Connection . Regardless of his many years as a key figure in Detroit, as well as the nationwide underworld, Meli had extensive legitimate business interests in the Michigan area and he succumbed to only one conviction for illegal gun possession.
He remained the official Consigliere and an influential figure in the Mafia Detroit until his death in December 1969 at his home in Fort Lauderdale ( Florida ). He was laid to rest in Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Southfield .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Viral Nova - 7 Mafia Families That Are not From New York Or Chicago
- ↑ The American Mafia - Detroit Crime Bosses
- ↑ La Cosa Nostra Database - Angelo Meli
- ↑ The American Mafia - Who Was Who: Lamare, Cesare
- ^ Dan E. Moldea, The Hoffa Wars
- ↑ Find a Grave - Angelo Meli
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Meli, Angelo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian-American mobster |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 10, 1897 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Cataldo , Sicily |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1st December 1969 |
| Place of death | Fort Lauderdale , Florida |