American Mafia
New Orleans newspapers reported a war between Sicilian gangs in the late 1860s. The names of these groups matched their home cities like Palermo, Trapani, and Messina. Giuseppe Esposito became the first known Mafia member to immigrate to the United States. He fled New York after murdering eleven wealthy landowners in Sicily. Police arrested him in New Orleans in 1881 before sending him back to Italy.
The Five Points Gang operated powerfully in Little Italy during the 1890s. Paul Kelly founded this group on the Lower East Side. He recruited street hoodlums who later became famous crime bosses. Johnny Torrio, Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, and Frankie Yale all started with Kelly. These men often fought against Jewish gangs called the Eastmans.
A tragic event occurred on the 15th of October 1890. New Orleans Police Superintendent David Hennessy was murdered execution-style. Hundreds of Sicilians were arrested on baseless charges following the killing. Nineteen defendants faced trial but an acquittal followed. On the 14th of March 1891, angry citizens formed a lynch mob. They killed eleven of the nineteen defendants. Two were hanged while nine were shot.
the 16th of January 1919 marked the start of Prohibition under the Eighteenth Amendment. The law made it illegal to manufacture or sell alcohol despite high public demand. Criminal gangs saw an opportunity to make fortunes by shipping liquor into U.S. cities. Over 900,000 cases of liquor were shipped to city borders.
The majority of alcohol came from Canada, the Caribbean, and the American Midwest. Bootlegging profits far exceeded traditional crimes like extortion or gambling. Gangs hijacked each other's shipments and forced rivals to pay for protection. Armed guards almost always accompanied caravans delivering liquor.
Italian Mafia families waged wars for control over bootlegging rackets in the 1920s. Frankie Yale fought the Irish-American White Hand Gang in New York City. Al Capone massacred the North Side Gang in Chicago. By the end of the decade, two factions emerged led by Joe Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano.
Maranzano divided New York City into five families after Masseria was murdered in 1931. He set up family divisions and established procedures for resolving disputes. This new role received negative reactions. Charles Lucky Luciano orchestrated Maranzano's murder within six months.
Salvatore Maranzano created the modern organizational structure in 1931. Each crime family had a boss, an underboss, capos, and soldiers. All inducted members were called made men. They were untouchable in the criminal underworld unless their own boss gave permission for harm.
The initiation ritual involved pricking a finger with a needle. A few drops of blood spilled onto a card bearing a saint's likeness. The card was set on fire while passed rapidly from hand to hand. The novice took an oath of loyalty known as Omertà. This confirmed in 1986 by pentito Tommaso Buscetta.
A hit or murder of a made man required approval from leadership. Retaliatory hits would follow if this rule was broken. Families went to the mattresses during states of war. This phrase meant preparing for conflict or taking a war-like stance. It derived from the film The Godfather though its true origin remains unknown.
Made members traditionally could not have mustaches due to Mustache Pete customs. Homosexuality was reportedly incompatible with code of conduct. John D'Amato died in 1992 when suspected of engaging in homosexual activity.
Mafia families diversified into illegal gambling operations after alcohol became legal again in 1933. They infiltrated labor unions like the Teamsters and International Longshoremen Association. Crime families gained control over construction, demolition, waste management, trucking, and garment industries.
Michael Franzese ran a gas scandal that stole over $290 million in gasoline taxes. He evaded the Internal Revenue Service before being caught in 1985. Sicilian Mafiosi imported an estimated $1.65 billion worth of heroin through pizzerias between 1985 and 1987.
Las Vegas casinos provided legitimate fronts for money laundering. Mafia families from New York, Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Chicago invested in resorts. They used loans from the Teamsters pension fund to build casinos. Hired men skimmed cash before it was recorded. The unrecorded amount reached hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Nevada State Legislature passed laws making it easier for corporations to own casinos in 1969. This brought new investors who bought casinos from the Mafia. Tourism increased greatly during the 1960s.
A U.S. Senate committee called the Kefauver Hearings determined a sinister criminal organization existed in 1951. Television coverage captured American attention and forced the FBI to recognize organized crime. The agency initiated the Top Hoodlum Program in 1953 to collect intelligence on racketeers.
The Apalachin Meeting occurred on the 14th of November 1957 at Joseph Barbara's home. An estimated 100 Mafiosi attended to discuss loansharking and narcotics trafficking. Police raided the meeting causing many participants to flee into woods. More than 60 underworld bosses were detained and indicted.
Joe Valachi became the first Mafia member to turn state evidence in 1963. He testified before Senator John L. McClellan's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. His televised testimony exposed American organized crime to the world. It broke his blood oath known as omertà.
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act became federal law in 1970. Violation carried penalties of up to 20 years per count. Between 1981 and 1992, 23 bosses from around the country were convicted under this law.
John Gotti and Frank Locascio received life sentences in 1992 for racketeering. Informant Sammy Gravano helped prosecutors secure convictions in exchange for immunity. The FBI placed mobsters in the Federal Witness Protection Program changing their identities.
Bonanno crime family boss Joseph Massino was arrested on the 9th of January 2003. He faced charges including ordering the 1981 murder of Dominick Sonny Black Napolitano. His trial began the 24th of May 2004 with Judge Nicholas Garaufis presiding. A jury found him guilty of all 11 counts the 30th of July 2004.
Massino requested a meeting with Judge Garaufis immediately after conviction. He made an offer to cooperate hoping to spare his life. He faced the death penalty if found guilty of Sciascia's murder. This would have made him the first Mafia boss executed since Lepke Buchalter in 1944.
The Commission Trial indicted nine New York Mafia leaders on the 25th of February 1985. Eight defendants were convicted of racketeering the 19th of November 1986. Anthony Indelicato was convicted instead of the 1979 murder of Carmine Galante.
Paramount Pictures released The Brotherhood starring Kirk Douglas in 1968 as a financial flop. Francis Ford Coppola directed The Godfather which became a huge success both critically and financially. It won Best Picture Oscar and held highest-grossing film status for a year.
A 13-part miniseries called The Gangster Chronicles aired on NBC in 1981. It depicted the rise of major crime bosses from the 1920s and 1930s. HBO produced The Sopranos showing modern day American-Italian mob culture in New Jersey.
Hip-hop music developed mafioso rap as a subgenre characterized by references to Italian-American mobsters. Kool G Rap emerged with this style from the 1980s East Coast scene. Raekwon released Only Built 4 Cuban Linx while Jay-Z issued Reasonable Doubt.
The Mafia series by 2K Czech consists of four games following individuals caught up with fictional families. Rockstar Games features Forelli, Leone, and Sindacco families in Grand Theft Auto titles set within Liberty City. These games reference real Five Families through Ancelotti, Gambetti, Lupisella, Messina, and Pavano names.
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Common questions
When did Giuseppe Esposito become the first known Mafia member to immigrate to the United States?
Giuseppe Esposito became the first known Mafia member to immigrate to the United States in 1881. Police arrested him in New Orleans before sending him back to Italy.
What happened on the 14th of March 1891 regarding Sicilian defendants in New Orleans?
On the 14th of March 1891, angry citizens formed a lynch mob that killed eleven of nineteen Sicilian defendants. Two were hanged while nine were shot following an acquittal for the murder of Superintendent David Hennessy.
How did Prohibition change criminal activities for Italian Mafia families in the 1920s?
Prohibition allowed criminal gangs to make fortunes by shipping over 900,000 cases of liquor into U.S. cities from Canada and the Caribbean. Gangs hijacked shipments and waged wars for control over bootlegging rackets during this period.
Who created the modern organizational structure for American Mafia families in 1931?
Salvatore Maranzano created the modern organizational structure in 1931 after Charles Lucky Luciano orchestrated his murder within six months. Each crime family had a boss, underboss, capos, soldiers, and made men who required permission for harm.
When did Joe Valachi become the first Mafia member to turn state evidence against the organization?
Joe Valachi became the first Mafia member to turn state evidence in 1963 when he testified before Senator John L. McClellan's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. His televised testimony exposed American organized crime to the world and broke his blood oath known as omertà.