Gaetano Reina

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Gaetano "Tom" Reina (* 1889 in Corleone ; † February 26, 1930 in New York City ) was an American mobster and head of the Lucchese family of the Cosa Nostra in New York.

Life

Early years

His criminal career began in the Bronx and soon he controlled the trade in stick ice , which was used as a coolant in the non-electric refrigerators of the time. At first the group existed parallel to the Morello family around Peter Morello in Harlem and the Bronx, but was then under the control of Mustache Petes Ciro Terranova , a half-brother of the Morellos. Under Joe Masseria , he became a high-ranking member of the family that today can be considered the forerunner of the Genovese family . The future Pentito Joe Valachi married Reina's eldest daughter Mildred.

War of Castellammare

At the end of the 1920s the conflict between Joe Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano began to emerge , which was then referred to as the Castellammare War .

“In addition to the Masseria group, the Al Mineo gang operated in Manhattan and Brooklyn, closely following Masseria . The Bronx was controlled by Gaetano Reina, the son of Giacomo Reina from Corleone (...). Staten Island was Joseph Profaci's field of work . The fifth group was special as it recruited its members exclusively from immigrants from Castellammare del Golfo . The nominal boss of this formation was Cola Schiro , but Salvatore Maranzano was in charge . The Castellammarese had also chosen Manhattan and Brooklyn as their area of ​​operation. ... "

- Hannelore Gude Hohensinner

Since 1919 there was an alcohol prohibition in the USA and Maranzano began to kidnap alcohol loads from Masseria and penetrated the area by forcibly taking over various " speakeasy ". Masseria had demanded more money from Gaetano Reina and his gang, whereupon the latter turned to Maranzano. However, his change of front had been betrayed to Masseria by Peter Morello . In response to Reina's betrayal plans, Masseria and Gaetano Gagliano planned his assassination. The deed was carried out on February 26, 1930 by Vito Genovese . The murder of Gaetano Reina is seen today as the beginning of the Castellammare War .

He appointed Joseph Pinzola as the new boss over the gang. Neither Gagliano nor Lucchese were enthusiastic about this appointment from the outside, but officially continued to support Masseria. After unknown killers shot Pinzola in September 1930, Gagliano became the boss of the Reina gang. In the meantime, Gaetano Gagliano and Tommy Lucchese had secretly formed an alliance with Lucky Luciano , who played Masseria and Maranzano off against each other. As a result, the gang became independent again and later became notorious as the Lucchese family under Tommy Lucchese .

literature

  • Robert J. Kelly: Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. From Capone's Chicago to the new urban Underworld. Greenwood Press, Westport CT et al. 2000, ISBN 0-313-30653-2 .
  • Carl Sifakis: The Mafia Encyclopedia. 3rd edition. Da Capo Press, New York NY 2005, ISBN 0-8160-5694-3 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hannelore Gude Hohensinner: The Genoveses. A family that turned fear into money. Europaverlag, Munich et al. 1998, ISBN 3-203-77533-6 .

Web links

predecessor Office successor
-, - Head of the " Lucchese family " of La Cosa Nostra
1922 - 1930 		Gaetano Gagliano
personal data
SURNAME Reina, Gaetano
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Reina, Tom
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Mafioso in New York
DATE OF BIRTH 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Corleone
DATE OF DEATH February 26, 1930
Place of death New York City