Salvatore Sabella

Salvatore Sabella (* 1891 ; † 1962 ) was a Sicilian-American mobster of the American Cosa Nostra and founder of the Philadelphia Crime Family , which later became known as the Bruno family .

Life

Early years

Born in Castellammare del Golfo, in the province of Trapani in Sicily, Sabella began an apprenticeship as a butcher at a young age. Exhausted from his work and his superiors' outbursts of anger, he murdered him in 1905 at the age of 14. In 1908 Sabella was found guilty of murdering the butcher and sentenced to three years in prison, which he served in a prison in Milan . Around this time Sabella came into contact with the original Mafia, the Cosa Nostra in Sicily. After his release, Sabella left Italy and emigrated to the United States, apparently as an illegal immigrant.

In 1912 Sabella came to Brooklyn (New York) and there joined the organization of Salvatore D'Aquila , who in 1916 became the first boss of the later Gambino family , which at that time consisted of many immigrants from Castellammare. During the next few years, D'Aquila trained Sabella for his future in the organization.

Head of the family

In 1919 Sabella was sent to Philadelphia to build another organization for the Sicilian Castellammarese. As a cover, he opened an olive oil and cheese shop and a soft drink cafe while in the background he built his family and defended his operations against other gangsters. He became the boss of well-known men like John Avena and Angelo Bruno , who later also became bosses of the family.

On May 30, 1927, two rebel members Vincent Cocozza and Joseph Zanghi were shot dead on a street corner in Philadelphia. The suspicion fell on Sabella, and Zanghi's brother Anthony then provided the police with sufficient evidence to charge Sabella with the crime. Sabella was acquitted, but authorities discovered that he had entered the States illegally. Because of this, he was deported to Sicily towards the end of 1927; John Avena became his successor.

War of Castellammare

After Sabella's deportation, the so-called war of Castellammare broke out in New York , in which Joe “The Boss” Masseria (boss of the later Genovese family ) for a Neapolitan faction, against Salvatore Maranzano (boss of the later Bonanno family ) for the Castellammare- Faction fought for supremacy in the New York underworld.

In 1929 Sabella returned temporarily to New York to fight at Maranzano's side, as Maranzano had been allied with him due to his origins. On April 15, 1931, the war ended with the murder of Masseria. At this point, Sabella went back to Philadelphia to take over the reins of his family.

retirement

In 1931 Sabella was imprisoned for an attack with a motor vehicle. That same year, at the age of 40, he retired and returned control of the family to Avena. The reason for Sabella's withdrawal is unclear. Perhaps it was the recent carnage in the Castellammare War that made him worry about his safety.

According to stories, he went to Norristown, Pennsylvania , where he worked as a butcher again. In 1962, Salvatore Sabella died of natural causes.

On TV

• 2017: The Corrupt and the Dead ; Documentation about past corruption in Philadelphia and mobsters like Salvatore Sabella, Angelo Bruno , Joseph "Uncle Joe" Ligambi and Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino .

literature

• George Anastasia: Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob - The Mafia's Most Violent Family ; 2004; ISBN 0940159864

Individual evidence

1. ↑ About the Mafia - New Mafia Documentary: The Corrupt and the Dead
2. ↑ La Cosa Nostra Database - Salvatore Sabella
3. ^ AmericanMafia.com - Philadelphia, PA
4. ↑ Gangsters Inc. - Philadelphia Boss: Angelo Bruno
5. ↑ National Crime Syndicate - What was the Castellammarese War?
6. ^ Penn Live - From Sabella to Merlino: Five Philadelphia mob bosses who impacted Pennsylvania and New Jersey
7. ^ Cosa Nostra News - No Respect for Merlino: "Corrupt and Dead" Director