Charles Matranga
Charles "Millionaire Charlie" Matranga ( 1857 - October 28, 1943 ) was an Italian-American mobster of the American Cosa Nostra and from the late 19th century to the early 1920s, the official head of the New Orleans Crime Family .
Life
Matranga was born in Sicily in 1857 and emigrated to the United States as a baby .
In the 1880s, Charles and his brothers began to meddle in illegal business at the New Orleans docks controlled by Joseph "Joe" Provenzano and became part of a rival faction led by Joseph P. Macheca .
In 1888 war broke out between the two groups. The local police chief, David Hennesey, supported the Provenzano faction, whereupon a squad of Matranga's men carried out an assassination attempt on Hennesey; however, he lived long enough to reveal the names of his attackers. Joseph Macheca, Charles Matranga, and others were arrested for the Hennesey murder, but sixteen of the nineteen defendants were acquitted. The people were angry that the "criminal Italians" should get away with this murder and stormed the prison on March 14, 1891, where the accused were waiting for their release. Joseph Macheca was lynched and murdered by the crowd along with others. Matranga, the actual alleged client, was unharmed. These events were filmed in Vendetta - The Law of Violence in 1999 . Gerry Mendicino took on the role of Matranga.
Charles Matranga then became the new head of the criminal underworld in New Orleans and networked his organization with Mafia organizations in Florida and Southern California . A Matranga branch was also located in the Los Angeles area and later relocated its activities to San Diego .
In 1922, Matranga retired. It is still not entirely clear who actually took the lead after Matranga's resignation. Various sources indicate that Sylvestro "Sam" Carolla, who emigrated from Terrasini (Sicily) in 1904, took over the management from 1922 to 1947. Other sources indicate that Corrado Giacona was the head of the family from 1922 until his death in 1944.
Charles Matranga died of natural causes on October 28, 1943.
Individual evidence
- ↑ La Cosa Nostra Database - Joseph Macheca
- ↑ La Cosa Nostra Database - Charles Matranga
- ↑ aboutthemafia - New Orleans mafia shows signs of life?
- ^ The American Mafia - New Orleans, LA
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Matranga, Charles |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Millionaire Charlie (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian-American mobster |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1857 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Sicily |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 28, 1943 |