Morello family
The Morello family ( Morello Crime Family ) was probably the first Italian-American mafia family with the typical structure that is still valid today for the American Cosa Nostra . The family was headquartered in East Harlem (New York City) and is now considered the forerunner of the clan that was later classified as the " Genovese family ". The Morellos gained dominance over the Italian underworld after the so-called Mafia Camorra War between 1914 and 1917.
history
From Corleone to America
The traces of the Morello family go back to Corleone in Sicily . In 1865 Calogero Morello married Angelina Piazza, who gave birth to two children: Giuseppe (Peter) Morello (* 1867) and Maria Morello-Lima (* 1869). Calogero Morello died in 1872 and Angelina Piazza married Cosa Nostra member Bernardo Terranova a year later . There were five children from this marriage. The three sons Vincenzo (* 1886), Ciro (* 1888) and Nicolo "Nick" (* 1890) and two daughters Lucia (* 1877) and Salvatrice (* 1880). According to stories, there was also a third sister named Rosalia Lomonte (* 1892, † October 14, 1915).
Giuseppe (Peter) Morello immigrated to the United States in 1892 at the age of 25. On March 8, 1893, his wife Maria Rosa Marvalisi, his mother Angelina Piazza, his stepfather Bernardo Terranova and his half-brothers Ciro, Nicolo and Vincenzo arrived in New York with their half-sister Rosalia. The Morello Terranova family lived in New York for a while, later moved to Louisiana and then to Texas, but moved back to New York City in 1896.
107th Street Mob
Back in New York, the brothers formed the 107th Street Crew (also known as the Morello Gang), which many years later became known as the 116th Street Crew, and dominated East Harlem and parts of the Bronx . Peter Morello's strongest ally was Ignazio Lupo , who controlled Little Italy and was the founder of the Black Hand Gang . On December 23, 1903, Lupo married Morello's half-sister Salvatrice Terranova. The Morello-Lupo Alliance built a large counterfeit ring with the powerful Sicilian mafioso Vito Cascio Ferro , and printed $ 5 banknotes in Sicily, which were later smuggled into the United States.
Many of the barrel murders that were later practiced were attributed to the Morellos, especially those of the Sicilian counterfeiter and mafioso Giuseppe "Joe" Catania, Sr. , whose body was found in July 1902. On April 13, 1903, the body of Benedetto Madonia, brother-in-law of Black Hand Gang member Giuseppe De Primo , was discovered in a barrel. Benedetto was killed with 18 stab wounds and his genitals were in his mouth. The New York police arrested nine suspects: Peter Morello, Ignazio Lupo, Giuseppe Fontano , Tony Genoa , Giuseppe Favarro , Giovanni Pecoraro , Vito Lo Baido , Vito Cascio Ferro and Tomasso Petto , but could not prove anything.
On November 15, 1909, the police searched a building belonging to the Morellos in Highland, New York, which was used as a facade for their counterfeit operations. Fifteen members of the Morellos (including Peter Morello, Ignazio Lupo and member Pasquale Vassi ) were arrested and charged. The negotiations began on January 26, 1910 and ended on February 19 with the conviction of all those involved. Peter Morello was sentenced to 30 years and Ignazio Lupo to 25 years in prison. Both were incarcerated in the Atlanta Federal Prison .
Mafia Camorra War
After Peter and Ignazio were imprisoned, Nicholas "Nick" (Morello) Terranova took control of the family with the help of his older brothers Vincenzo and Ciro. Under his leadership, the typical structure arose as it still applies to the American Cosa Nostra today. In essence, the expansion policy of the Morellos was decisive for the beginning of the Mafia-Camorra conflict. The Morellos wanted to participate in the gambling business in Manhattan (New York) and murdered some Cammoristi like Nicolo Del Gaudio , led by Pellegrino Morano . When Giosue Gallucci , the notorious King of Little Italy , and his son were murdered on May 17, 1915, the conflict between the various groups finally escalated. Nicholas Terranova arranged a meeting on September 7, 1916 at Vollero's Café on Navy Street, the headquarters of Camorrista and leader of the Navy Street gang , Alessandro Vollero . In addition to the Sicilian Morello family, Morano and members of his Coney Island gang were also invited. Before the actual meeting, Nicholas Morello and his bodyguard Charles Ubriaco took a few drinks with the Camorrista Ralph Danielo to bridge the time until Camorrista Tom Pagano arrived , who was supposed to lead the men to the café where the Camorristi Leopoldo Lauritano and Peter Morano are supposed to be waiting should. The group then walked down Myrtle Avenue together ; At the intersection of Johnson St. and Hudson Avenue , Morello and Ubriaco were attacked by five men, including their companion Tom Pagano, who shot Nicholas Morello. Ubriaco was murdered by Thomas Carillo and Lefty Esposito .
After three years of mutual murders with constantly changing coalitions, the Camorra finally lost the war due to criminal trials. The main leaders such as B. Morano were convicted and expelled or, like Antonio "Tony" Paretti, later executed, as they were held responsible for the murder of Morello head Nicholas (Morello) Terranova. Vollero was also convicted and expelled to Italy. The Sicilian Mafia took control and the "Neapolitans" subordinated themselves to the new bosses, or the remaining Cammoristi finally came under the leadership of the Sicilian Salvatore D'Aquila . This grouping is now considered the forerunner of the clan that was later classified as the “ Gambino family ”.
Morello war
The Mafia Camorra War ended in 1917, and Vincent Terranova was the new boss from 1916 and kept control of the family with his brother and underboss Ciro. While his brother Ciro gained the monopoly on artichokes , Vincent became quite wealthy in the 1920s thanks to alcohol smuggling prohibition . Many former Brooklyn Camorra members (e.g. Umberto Valenti ) joined the Morello family. Much of the Neapolitans of Morrano were taken over by the Sicilian Salvatore D'Aquila and later classified as the Gambino family . A year earlier, Morello thug Joe Masseria got out of jail after being jailed for three years for a robbery in a pawn shop and became a top member of the family. In 1920, Peter Morello, who led the family again, was released from custody with Ignazio Lupo, while D'Aquila was now a powerful boss in Manhattan. He saw his position as threatened by their return and ordered their death. Umberto Valenti also had to fear for his life because he came into conflict with D'Aquila. In order to get on well with him, Valenti tried to weaken the position of the increasingly powerful Masseria. First attempts failed and a war began. On December 29, 1921, Masseria Valentis murdered ally Salvatore Mauro , whereupon Vincent Terranova was the victim of a drive-by shooting at 116th Street / 2nd Avenue on May 8, 1922 , which had been commissioned by Umberto Valenti. Giuseppe Masseria then ordered the murder of Valenti and his bodyguard Silvio Tagliagamba . Masseria's men surprised Valenti and Tagliagamba on Grande Street / Mulberry Street and shot Tagliagamba. Valenti escaped, but he was murdered on August 11, 1922 by Masseria's killers (presumably with Charles "Lucky" Luciano ), which ended the conflict. Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria became the new boss of the Morello family and Giuseppe (Peter) Morello became its underboss.
War of Castellammare
Peter Morello was shot dead in his East Harlem office with his debt collector Giuseppe Periano on August 15, 1930 , a circumstance that is now seen as the beginning of the bloody confrontation known as the Castellammare War . After the murder of Peter Morello and later of Joe Masseria, who was shot in a restaurant on April 15, 1931, Ciro Terranova, especially under his new boss, was considered demotivated and unnerved; In any case, his own involvement in illegal activities was less pronounced than that of other gangsters. Even the police later sorted him out of the files in this regard. Even Lupo no longer played a role after the Castellammare War (1930–1931) and in the new hierarchy of families. On July 16, 1935, he was arrested for extortionately attempting to bring all Italian bakeries under his control, and on July 15, 1936, he went back behind bars. During his imprisonment in 1938 he learned of the death of his brother-in-law Ciro Terranova and was released a short time later because of his allegedly poor health; but he spent nine more years in freedom before he died of natural causes.
The new head after Masseria's death was Lucky Luciano , who had a decisive influence on the outcome of the Castellammare War. Among his best people were the later bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese , after whose last name the family is named today.
Historical tour
Head of the family
| Period | Surname | Nickname | Lifetime | Cause of death | annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890s – 1909 | Giuseppe (Peter) Morello | The clutch hand | 1867-1930 | Imprisoned 1909–1920 | |
| 1910-1916 | Nicholas (Morello) Terranova | Nick Morello | 1890-1916 | murdered on September 7, 1916 | Client: Pellegrino Morano ; Perpetrator: Tom Pagano |
| 1916-1920 | Vincenzo "Vincent" Terranova | Vincent the Tiger | 1886-1922 | murdered on May 8, 1922 | Resigned in 1920; became underboss |
| 1920-1922 | Giuseppe (Peter) Morello | The clutch hand | 1867-1930 | murdered on August 15, 1930 | Resigned in 1922; became underboss |
| 1922-1931 | Giuseppe "Joe" Masseria | Joe the Boss | 1886-1931 | murdered on April 15, 1931 | Client: Salvatore Maranzano ; Organizer: Lucky Luciano |
Underboss
| Period | Surname | Nickname | Lifetime | Cause of death | annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903-1909 | Ignazio Lupo | Lupo the Wolf | 1877-1947 | natural death | Imprisoned 1910–1930 |
| 1909-1916 | incenzo "Vincent" Terranova | Vincent the Tiger | 1886-1922 | murdered on May 8, 1922 | became boss in 1916 |
| 1916-1920 | Ciro Terranova | The Artichoke King | 1889-1938 | stroke | Resigned in 1920; became capo |
| 1920-1922 | Vincenzo "Vincent" Terranova | Vincent the Tiger | 1886-1922 | murdered on May 8, 1922 | |
| 1922-1930 | Giuseppe (Peter) Morello | The clutch hand | 1867-1930 | murdered on August 15, 1930 | |
| 1931-1931 | Joseph Catania | Joe the Baker | 1901-1931 | shot on February 3, 1931 | Client: Salvatore Maranzano |
Web links
- Morello family on gangrule.com (English)
Films and documentaries
- 1991: The Real Bosses - A Diabolical Empire ; Joe Masseria is played by Anthony Quinn
- 1959: The incorruptible (series) ; Ciro Terranova is Jack Weston embodies
literature
- Mike Dash: The First Family: Terror, Extortion and the Birth of the American Mafia ; 2009
- David Critchley: The Origin of Organized Crime in America: the New York City Mafia, 1891-1931 ; 2008; ISBN 978-0-415-99030-1
- Carl Sifakis: The Mafia Encyclopedia ; 2005; ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
- Humbert S Nelli: The Business of Crime. Italians and Syndicate Crime in the United States ; 1981; ISBN 0-226-57132-7
- Herbert Asbury: The Gangs of New York. New York ; 1928; ISBN 1-56025-275-8
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d Critchley pp 51-54
- ^ A b Hunt, Thomas. 'Clutch Hand Confusion Mafia Boss of Bosses Giuseppe Morello ( Memento of the original from January 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. The American Mafia
- ↑ a b Giuseppe Morello Gangrule.com
- ^ Nelli, The Business of Crime , pp. 129-131
- ^ Father and Son Shot , The New York Times, May 18, 1915
- ↑ 2 The In Pistol Fight in Brooklyn Street , The New York Times, September 8, 1916
- ↑ Camorra Secrets Revealed at Trial , The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 15, 1918
- ↑ Gunman Gets 20 Years; Pellegrino Morano Sentenced for Killing 2 Brooklyn Men , New York Tribune, May 21, 1918
- ^ Dash, The First Family , p. 262
- ^ Critchley, The Origin of Organized Crime in America , p. 128
- ^ The Struggle for Control , GangRule.com
- ↑ History of the Mafia Section III ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (1920–1931) on www.onewal.com (English)
- ↑ Ciro Terranova on www.mugshots.com (English)
