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Johnny ‘Dio’ Diuoguardi – The dreadful mobster

January 26, 2016 by admin in

Johnny ‘Dio’ Dioguardi was popularly called as ‘master labor racketeer’ who is said to have known all the illegal ways to make money. It was at a very young age that Dio started to be regarded as a treacherous thug, with Thomas E. Dewey, the U.S. attorney in 1936 was compelled to call him his a young gorilla.

Characteristics of Dio

It was on 28th April 1914 that Dio was born in Downtown Manhattan’s Forsyth Street. Vincent and Frank his two brothers were into legitimate work, while Thomas the third brother became a capo with the Luchesse Mafia Family. Giovanni B. Dioguardi, his father was a bicycle shop owner was killed in August 1930 in Coney Island, which according to the police officials was mob related execution.

Dio is known to have graduated grammar school from Stuyvesant High School. However, he had dropped out before the completion of two years, to work for uncle who was a gangster called James Plummeri ‘Jimmy Doyle’. Dio according to those known to him said to appear like Rudolph Valentino, the silent movie star. He grew up as tough youth, terrorizing the street vendors to give him some portion of the wares for free. His talents were realized by his uncle, who had him to work as leg breaker (schlammer) at Doyle’s Garment Center of Louie Buchalter. The specialty of Dio was said to be union related extortion, in which he had topped.

A trucking association for the garment workers was initiated by Doyle and Dio, where the truckers employed with the Garment Center had been compelled to join the union and pay up hefty union dues.  Failing to make payments would mean facing the threat of broken bones and resistance would mean even death. Moreover, the truckers were also instructed as to where to buy their meats, clothing, wine, and other essential items, how much was to be spent on every item, etc. Strike ensued if the employers did not pay up extortion fees. However, after running out of luck, they found themselves imprisoned for five years.

Later, on being released, they left New York City to Allentown, Pennsylvania. Soon he got into legitimate dress wholesaling business, trucking and real estate and investments in the stock market. When he turned 40, he got inducted officially into the Luchesse Mafia family. Both his sons also became Mafia members, with one Dominick becoming a Made Man with the Luchesse Family and another son joining the Colombo Crime Family.

Carmine Galante –The Mobster called ‘The Cigar’

Carmine Galante –The Mobster called ‘The Cigar’

January 26, 2016 by admin in

Carmine ‘Lilo’ Galante was considered to be working for the Genovese Crime family and as a vicious and ambitious person. But he had been murdered, which is remembered in the Mafia history and among the most memorable of all mob hits until date. His body was noticed to have been filled with lead and sprawled on the back of his tiny Queens restaurant patio, with his trademark cigar that remained between his teeth, tightly clenched.

About Carmine

It was on 21st February 1910 that Camillo was born on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and was the first American- Sicilian generation. He had his name Camillo ditched and was known as Carmine instead. With time, he had his name shortened to ‘Lilo’, while he was popular among his associates as Galante. Initially, he took to petty thefts at the young age of 14 and at 15 dropped from school. He had been to reform school few times and as regarded as ‘incorrigible delinquent’.

220px-Johnny_dio_-_UP_Tretick_photo_-_1957His activities

Between 1923 and 26, he was employed ostensibly with Lubin Artificial Flower Co., West Broadway and got engaged in lucrative criminal career. He was arrested several times, but got released after having the police officials bribed. But in 1926 December, he got arrested for robbery and second degree assault and sentenced to 5 years. After he got released, he again got back to his usual ways of crime. He got involved in the murder of Officer De Castillia and on 30th August, 1930 got murdered. On 8th January 1931, he got remanded to Ossining’s Sing Sing Prison, New York and transferred to Dannemora’s Clinton Correctional Facility, New York, from where he got released on 1st May, 1939.

When in prison, his IQ test found him to be lame, equating to that of 14 years old. He was also diagnosed of having ‘neuropathic psychopathic personality’, while displaying gonorrhea’s early signs.

He was later inducted into the Bonanno Mafia Family as Made Man during the early 1940s and had performed several hits for his boss Vito Genovese, during the 1930s through 1940s. In 1953, he was sent to the Canadian border to have the drug operation to be supervised for about 3 years. But after getting caught by the police, and not having any evidence for making an arrest, Galante was deported to America, as ‘undesirable alien’.

However, the Rastelli and Bonanno family had Galante murdered.

Formation of The Black Hand – The most feared and hated gang

January 26, 2016 by admin in

This gang is known to have emerged from Corleone, Sicily, but they had carried out mayhem and murders on the streets of the city of New York and created chaos conditions.

Formation of the gang

The Black Hand’s co-leader was Giuseppe (Joe) Morello. Being born in 1867, Joe had his right hand to be deformed severely and had just a pinkie elongated finger, grotesquely bent forward. Hence, he was called popularly as ‘Little Finger’, ‘One Finger Jack’ and ‘The Clutch Hand’. After the death of his natural father, his mother had got remarried to Bernardo Terranova, the Mafiaso. His step sister Salvatrice Terranova had married Ignazio Lupo. The Black Gang Mafia family was formed by Joe Morello, Vincent and Nick Terranova, the brothers to Guiseppe and The Wolf Saietta. This gang at that point of time was said to be the most feared and hated. Morello and Saietta, both were said to share equal powers within the organization.

Their activities

In the initial stage of its formation, Joe Morello along with his other half brothers had joined Corleonesi Mafia Family in Corleone, Sicily and earned from murdering anyone that was instructed by their Corleonesi bosses.

Then Morello had determined that he would like to make it big by dealing in counterfeit bills or ‘funny money’. Although for some time, everything went fine, in 1892 with the arrest of Morello for dealing in phony cash, and facing charges, he found it wise to leave secretly the country to settle down in America. It was in New York City’s Lower East Side that he settled in.

On arrival in America, the Terranovas and Morello had tried their very best to escape the American law enforcement officials and had settled in Little Italy region of Manhattan and undertook legal jobs, like plastering. They joined Ignazio Saietta to carry out series of illegal and legal endeavors, including terrorizing the city’s New York Italian immigrants. In 1899 he started what he was a master of, which is counterfeiting American money and printed five and two dollar bills. To have the bills circulated, he hired few men of Irish and Italian descent.

It was in 1898 or 1899 that Ignazio Saietta, Joe Morello along with Terranova brothers Ciro and Vincenzo had formed the American Black Hand extortion plan and started to terrorize Italian local entrepreneurs sending them ‘La Mano Nera’ or ‘Black Hand’ extortion letters. The letters had the local Italian businessmen threatened of their business being bombed or leading to their death, in case, they were not able to give out some money.

Emergence of the Irish Mob in the United States

January 26, 2016 by admin in

New York’s streets were in mayhem caused by some notorious Irish mob gangs such as the ‘The Westies’. Howe Winter of Boston’s Northend led ‘Winter Hill Gang’ was also equally dreaded. A dangerous mobster named Whitey Bulger had not just infiltrated the RBI ranks, but also is considered to be at large, being on the most wanted list of the FBI. ‘The Westies’ infamous leader, Jimmy Coonan had become a legendary,  who as a teenager had stood at the tenement building’s top and fired at Mickey Spillane, the rival gang leader indiscriminately and his men. They were all considered to be the most feared of all criminal Irish men living in America.

The Irish Mob’s origin

The Irish immigrants had entered American city with a hope to make it big. However, upon arrival they lacked the necessary infrastructure and also not welcomed by the city. Hence, they had to fall back to tribal cohesiveness, which their rural communities had governed way back in Ireland. This is how their problem had been addressed to, for taking care of the survival requirements. Although they lacked in status as new comers, it was their strength in numbers, which worked towards their advantage. This way, they could focus power on political level, through the Democratic Party.

Dominance towards developing trade

This political style became a prototype in New York with the Tammany Machine. Bosses Croker and Tweed oversaw the tightly controlled organizations, which offered favors in the form of social services, clothing, food, against votes. Once they got into power, for kick backs, they exchanged jobs. Patronage jobs largely were in construction and law enforcement, contributing to the Irish dominance in developing trades. During this time, the Irish stereotype police officer had become popular. Although eh machine organizations were noticed to be corrupt, they did offer the immigrant communities with necessary services.

Choosing the alternative path

Some immigrants had become cops to take care of their tough conditions, while many selected the alternative path to becoming a mob. The chaos resulting from the fast growing cities of the United States helped the Irish mob in making quick money. They relied upon their old community loyalty and family tradition, combined with rural terrorism. They also organized prostitution, gambling, protection rackets among urban immigrant communities.

Even after not achieving much success, they did survive to enter the 20th century. This mob operated in several cities, mostly in Chicago and Boston along with the Mafia families. With more Irish families slowly moving into middle class segments, the opportunities and support network that was once availed from the insular immigrant community was lost by the mob and it slowly died out.

Carlo Gambino – The powerful Mobster Boss

January 26, 2016 by admin in /

Carlo is considered to be a quiet person, who always remained in control and dressed inconspicuously. Having an enigmatic smile and huge hawk nose, he has been regarded to be among the most powerful bosses till date.

His early life

It was on 24th August 1902, in Palermo, Sicily that Gambino was born. The area of his birth Caccamo was regarded to be dominated by the Mafioso, which made the police as well as the military to refrain from entering it.

His entering the Mafia world

It was his mother belonging to a Mafioso family, had introduce him as a teenager to the ‘Men of Respect’. Gambino was able to have his superiors to be impressed with his intellectual skills, ability to undertake tasks that was essential and his calm nature.

He had been rewarded in 1921 by getting inducted into the crime family that was called ‘Honored Society’. However, he along with other Mafioso in Italy and Sicily had flee to the States to escape the Mussolini’s vendetta. The freighter that he caught in late 1921 was SS Vincenzo Florio, which had docked in Virginia region of Norfolk on 23rd December 1921. He came here as an illegal immigrant, where he was met by his cousin Castellano and headed towards New York City.

Activities in the United States

He started his life in the States with illegal bootlegging that was run by Tommy Lucchese and soon joined Masseria’ s crew, who was at that point of time America’s most powerful Mafioso. With issues being created with Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano, the Castellammarese War erupted in New York between 1929-31 killing scores in the process.

The situation was rectified by Gambio, who understanding his side slowly losing the battle approached secretly Maranzano, offering his services to his gang that was agreed readily. The other partners of Gambina like Anastasia, Costello, Genovese and Luciano also joined Maranzano. Masseria was murdered by the gang on 15th April 1931. After this, Carlo Gambino was made the Mangano family’s capital, while Maranzano become ‘Boss of Bosses’. But Maranzano also was murdered after which Lucian became boss of bosses  and Gambino had become a big money maker among all Mafias in the city of New York.

With the Prohibition being repealed in the year 1933, Carlo Gambino had made sufficient money to enter into legal booze business. Over time, he possessed the biggest system of liquor distribution in America’s East Coast.

Mobster Albert Anastasia – The Mad Hatter

Mobster Albert Anastasia – The Mad Hatter

January 26, 2016 by admin in

Albert Anastasia was considered to be a violent killer, who along with ‘Lepke’ Louis Buchalter headed the Murder Inc.

His early life

It was in Calabria, in Italy’s southern part that Albert was born on 26th September 1902 as Umberto Anastasio. At the age of 15, he along with Tony, his brother had illegally entered the Brooklyn Docks of New York by boarding a ship. He did not even have shoes upon his arrival in America. At Brooklyn, he had lived with some relative and worked as longshoreman with his brother.

His characteristics

However, he was known for his short, but violent temper and had been arrested in 1920 for murdering Joe Torino, a fellow longshoreman. He had been tried, convicted, sentenced to death. During this time, he had his last name to be changed to Anastasia from Anastasio, since he did not want to have his family’s name to get defamed. His brother came to be known as ‘Tough Tony’.

After waiting for his execution to be carried out at Sing Sing Prison, New York, his attorney had managed to get a new trial, where some witnesses changed their opinion about the murder and few simply disappearing from face of Earth. The case got dropped and Anastasia was released. He had learnt the method to have witnesses eliminated in his coming years for avoiding prosecution, with regards to his committed murders.

His activities as a Mafia

On his release, he had joined Joe Masseria’s gang, which at that point of time was America’s top Mafioso. He got close to Frank Costello and Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano mobsters. Luciano in 1930 had planned to eliminate Masseria, his boss Salvatore Maranzao, his successor. The ultimate objective of Luciano was to have all Mafia Crime Families in the United States to be united like the Italian Mafia members, Jewish gangsters such as Meyer Lansky and Irish Gangsters such as Owney Maddon into a single National Crime Commission. It was something that was accomplished in 1931 with the death of Masseria. Five separate families were created from the rest of the made mafia men. Anastasia was made the Underboss as a reward in Vincent Mangano’s family. Anastasia had earned the loyalty of Luciano and hence, along with Louie ‘Lepke’ Buchalter was made in charge of ‘Murder Incorporated’ as it has been named by the press. Being known as ‘Boys from Brooklyn’, this group comprising over a 100 gang members had murdered several people.

About The Vario Crew

January 26, 2016 by admin in

Among the different Mafia families that existed in the United States, one of the most popular was the Vario Crew. This mafia gang is said to have operated in the city of New York and was established by the Lucchese Crime Family. It was Paul Vario, the Capo regime under whose supervision, the Vario Crew is known to have worked. This gang started its operations in 1950s and lasted for about thirty years until 1980s.

Their territory

The Vario Crew is known to have their territory spread to the different neighborhoods of the regions of Queens, Long Island, Staten Island and Brooklyn. The Mafia members of this gang generally were considered to be associates and made men of the American – Italian and Italian ethnicity. But the actual gang members were not known.

Some of its varied allies were the Colombo Crime Family, Bonanno Crime Family, Gambino Crime Family and the Genovese Crime families.

Involvement and activities undertaken by the gang members

This gang was more or less involved actively in different types of criminal activities which included burglary, bookmaking, cigarette smuggling, cargo theft, drug trafficking, conspiracy, fencing, extortion, hijacking, hotel robbery, gambling, jewelry heist, loan sharking, labor racketeering, prostitution and murder.

Leadership

For a period of 10 years, ranging from 1969 to that of 1979, Paul Vario had served the group as its Underboss. However, he got arrested and for about 12 years, received imprisonment sentences and on May 3rd, 1988 he died in prison. After his arrest in 1980, his younger brother Vito ‘Tuddy’ Vario is known to have taken over the gang leadership and was its acting boss until 1988, the death of Paul Vario.  Alphonse D’ Arco ‘Little Al’ from 1988 to 1991 had served as the Street Boss, before getting promoted to become the Acting Boss of the gang. But in July 1991, he got arrested by the law enforcement officials and turned into a government witness, to escape death. The current boss from 1991 until today is Domenico Cutaia also called ‘Danny’.

The Crew is known to have their different types of activities to be carried out from various places, which includes Euclid Taxi Cab Co., Bargain Auto Junkyard, Robert’s Lounge of Jimmy Burke, Kew Motor Inn and The Suit a night club of Henry Hill.

About Mobster Louis ‘Lepke’ Buchalter

January 26, 2016 by admin in

According to historians, Louis was considered to be very bad right from the time of his birth. He had killed with great relish, was strong armed and swindled people in huge numbers. However, for his crimes, he was considered to be the only Mafia boss, who went to die at the electric chair of Sing Sing prison.

His early life

It was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that Buchalter was born on 12th February 1897. His father was the owner of a hardware store and was a Russian Jew. As a child, Buchalter had an uneventful life. He was called affectionately by his mother as ‘Lepkeleh’, which means ‘Little Louis’ in Yiddish. But his friends shorted it to Lepke, something that struck for the rest of the life.

Life as a Mafia

But at 13, his life took a drastic turn, with his father dying unexpectedly and mother facing serious health conditions, compelling her to leave for Arizona. Lepke was under the guidance of his elder sister, who found him to be unmanageable. He left school and could be found hanging on Lower East Side streets seeking trouble. He started to mix with the older gangsters and learnt to steal and rob. He was apprehended when robbing a store in 1915, but still continued this life.  During one of his criminal endeavors, he met Jacob ‘Gurrah’ Shapiro and became fast friends for life. Teaming up, they became a real menace. He was sentenced to Sing Sing Prison, where he became a master in crime and now was a hardened thug. Along with Shapiro, went to New York City and asking protection money from bakeries. There they joined ‘The Gorilla Boys’ to make it big. With Lepke’s murdering of Orgen, his gang got into big time and was regarded instant stars of the underworld.

This is where Shapiro and Lepke enjoyed, since they were had about 250 thugs working under them and getting protection money from garment centers, poultry business, restaurants, dieing and cleaning business, earning over $10 million estimated amount a year. To be on the right side of the law, they had changed the original name of the Mafia family from ‘Gorilla Boys’ to ‘Gold Dust Twins’.

Later, he along with Schultz, Luciano, Costello, Siegel, Lansky, Lucchese and Anastasia had formed the national crime syndicate, thereby controlling all illegal activities within the northeast and mid west. It was Thomas E. Dewey, a Special Prosecutor who had created trouble for Lepke. It was on 4th March, 1944 that Lepke being stiffed by best friends got executed by the law enforcement officials.

Trivia #6

January 26, 2016 by admin in

Login in the game first before submitting your answers! If you were not logged in before, login in the game then refresh the page before submitting your answers. The player with the highest score wins. In the case of a tie, the pot is split. Cheating will prevent your from playing in the future. Sharing your answers with others will decrease your chances of winning the prize.

[viralQuiz id=7]

What is distinctive about the Mafia Family?

January 25, 2016 by admin in

The Mafia families are powerful criminal organizations that dominate the criminal activities that place in the region of their hold. It has been seen that the Mafia family heads are mostly those individuals, who do not have proper educational backgrounds or are uneducated. Most of them are said to have undergone little schooling, but possess capabilities to run big profitable organizations, where their existence is against the law. The Mafia members operate openly in free marketing system, as well as in those places, where communism rules. Furthermore, they do flourish in both the environments. The members and the leaders are more focused on objectives and results and use whatever means available at their disposal for achieving such objectives. The Mafia can be termed to be business that functions like that of a corporation.

Value systems

There are many who may assume that the Mafia Family has different value system, the reason why this organization has been operating in this manner. As a matter of fact, the values shared by most corporations and the Mafia are the same, however, with the game’s rule being different. The employees of the Mafia are treated fairly and its values gives back to the community, thereby creating opportunities for the unemployed, benefitting the society,  by having the law enforcement under its feet. It is also said that the Mafia families supports the workforce and huge budgets of several law enforcement agencies. Although considered to be evil, they have been investing in Corporate America.

Operation principles of the Mafia

  • Trust needs to be earned and not given
  • Not to forget, but forgive
  • Without power, the sharks are likely to get you
  • Deception game is to be learnt and to be used
  • The results are not to be focused upon, but achieving of the objective
  • To perform what is done best and for the rest employ others
  • Better to more always than what is taken
  • Keep in mind those who have supported and favored
  • Forgive those, having tried to harm (since any person may be required in any given circumstance. Once in power, people having hatred are sure to become best friends and also be loyal)
  • The fights are to be picked and chosen carefully (since the person has to live to fight the other day)
  • Speak only what is required and be blunt.

 

It is the above mentioned aspects that make the Mafia to be distinctive from that of a corporation.

The Underworld Prime Minister – Mobster Frank Costello

January 25, 2016 by admin in

Francesco Castiglia or Frank Costello as he was known was born in 1891 in the mountain village of Calabria, named Lauropoli, in Italy. His father had moved to the New York City in 1893 alone, where in East Harlem, he had set up a grocery shop and to save money for sending to his family. It was Edward, the elder brother of Frank who had the latter to get involved with petty crimes.

Initial criminal activities of Frank

Costello, at the small age of 14 had worn over his face a black handkerchief and robbed his landlady, who had recognized him. But being smart, he avoided arrest. But in 1908 and 1912, he got arrested for robbery and assault and somehow is known to have beaten both raps.

For carrying illegal firearms, he got sentenced for a year in prison in 1915 at the age of 24. The decade that followed, he got involved with numerous criminal activities, but for the next 37 years, he had never been imprisoned in a jail cell. He had sworn to himself of never carrying a gun after he was released from jail.

His relationship

On his release, he had met Loretta Geigerman, a Jewish woman and married her, something that was considered to be unusual for the Italian to marry someone outside the Catholic faith. Being different in his thought and approach, he had forged relationships with several Jewish gangsters, which included the well known Mafiosi of that time like Busy Siegel, Louie ‘Lepke’ Buchalter and Meyer Lansky. After marriage, he worked for ‘The Clutch Hand’ murderous Joe Morello. It was he along with Igazio Saietta ‘Lupo the Wolf’ responsible towards the extortion Black Hand racket.

He met Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano when working for Morello, a Sicilian running rackets within Little Italy, on Manhattan’s lower east side. Through him, he strengthened his relationship with mobsters like Tommy Lucchese, Vito Genovese, Siegel and Lansky. Together, they become involved heavily in armed robbery, extortion, burglaries, dealing drugs and gambling activities. With The Volstead Act made law in 1920, the prohibition era started. It is during this time that Costello along with his pals made it big, bringing illegal alcohol from Canada and even England. The entire operation was financed by Arnold Rothstein.

It was in 1973 that he breathed his last due to heart attack at the Manhattan hospital. He got buried in Queens St. Michael Cemetery.

Similarities noticed between Corporate America and the Mafia

January 25, 2016 by admin in

Corporate America and the industry of Hollywood Mafia are said to share similar operational abilities. For instance, the Bonnono Mafia Family being run by Jack Welch and General Motors by Al Capone. Movies, which are larger than life, tend to replicate reality.

Similarity in functioning

Specific values and rules are said to exist in any core relationship. Working for the Mafia is similar to having the suit put on and working for GM. However, the only difference here is that the rules by which each entity is said to operate. The only business of the Mafia is to make profits and so is the corporation which has opened up to earn profits. The very purpose of the existence of any entity is to have its personal agenda to be fulfilled, but the difference noticed between the two is the means that is used for attaining the needs. Corporation exists for a specific purpose and so is the Mafia organization. They both are organized entity sets, which are governed through set of rules that get driven by values of the founding members.

Some similarities

  • Honesty and Loyalty: They are characteristics which are part of the entities. The Mafia as well as corporate America search for employees who would honestly and loyally serve their need and purpose.
  • Strategy derived from top: It is the top from where strategies are derived. CEO and executives is the people who decide as to where the corporation is to head. Similarly, the decision in the Mafia Family comes from Godfather and board of directors. The Don, councilor and the under don are the main decision makers.
  • Policy & Procedures and Rules: Rules are present in the Mafia that needs to be adhered to by its members for smooth operation. The corporation does have procedures and policy in place which their employees are to follow and implement.
  • Association and power politics: Individuals within the Corporation or Mafia work towards attaining power through association and politics. In the corporate setting, if the person is well connected and liked, then he is sure to move higher the ladder quickly. Similar, the person is made a Goodfella, a made man in the Mafia for good behavior and well liked.
  • Titles vs. Ranks: Ranks are significant in the Mafia, since it determines the position of the person within the organization and his scope of authority. Same aspect goes for the corporation, where it is the title which determines the significance of the individual along with his authority and scope.