Category: Famous Gangsters

Giacomo Colosimo was popularly known as ‘Big Jim’ and an Italian immigrant, who started his criminal activities as a pickpocket. Later, he developed the Chicago Outfit, the American mob’s city version. He tried to bring together the pimps, extortionists and the street thugs for building a racket, which went on to dominate the Windy City’s organized crime for over a century.

It was bootlegging and success of Colosimo that made Chicago to become the criminal’s paradise, including his doom. Several future mafia leaders were given birth by him like Johnny Torrio, Al Capone.

Early life

It was on 16^th February, 1879 that he was born to Giuseppina and Luigi Colosimo, Colosimi town, Italy. In 1895 the family moved on to Chicago and settled in the most corrupt district of the city, the First Ward. It is after arriving that he assumed the name of James.

His growth as a Mafia

On his arrival, for income, he started to shine shoes and sell newspapers. Later on, he started petty thievery and organized prostitutes. It was during this time that he got introduced to Victoria Moresco, a madame and got married in 1902, after which they opened together a brothel.

Black Hand’, an Italian extortion scheme was engaged by him, targeting residents and threatening them with violence, in case, huge amounts were not paid to them. The racket got its name with the extortion letters bearing hand stamped with ink. This way, Colosimo got exposed to the Chicago underworld.

Besides this, he also did a legitimate job to work along with fellow Italian immigrants. He had his co-workers to be organized into social club, thereby giving him influence among his fellow hoods and immigrants. A pool hall was opened up to become an activity center for street gangsters.

Through his brothel business, he came in contact with Alderman and Michael, two main Chicago politicians, corrupt to the core, controlling prostitution in the city. In some years, Colosimo was running a huge network of about 200 brothels, gambling as well as different types of racketeering. He came to be called ‘Big Jim’, but due to his notoriety and flashy dresses, he had earned another nickname ‘Diamond Jim’.

He led an organization called the Outfit that still exists today and bears his name. White slavery or sex trafficking ring of violent nature was established during his peak. It was on 11^th May 1921 that Colosimo was shot to death by a gunman.

The Chicago Outfit during the Prohibition years was led by Francesco Raffaele Nitto, popularly called Frank ‘Enforcer’ Nitti. He is known to have become the Outfit’s leader after Al Capone after the Prohibition period. Frank had created a dreadful Mafia organization in the city, but was regarded to be just a boss in name. For avoiding prison time, he had killed himself.

His early life

It was on 27^th January 1886 that Nitti was born in Angri, Salerno, Italy. Rosina and Luigi Nitto were his parents and some historians are of the opinion that he could probably be Capone’s cousin. His father died when he was two years old, after which his mother got remarried to Dolendo Francesco. The family moved to New York when Nitti was just seven years old and got settled in Brooklyn.

After 7^th grade, Nitti dropped from school and worked as pinsetter in bowling alley, as barber, factory worker. At the age of 14, he left home because of a bad relationship with his stepfather. Through his barbershop, he began to fence stolen jewelry and soon befriended brothers of Capone and Navy Street Boys, their gang.

His life as a Mafia

It was in 1919 during the beginning of the Prohibition that he had name a name under Capone as Chicago Mafioso. He had arrived in 1913 in Chicago and established a barbershop, which served as criminal activity front and to make proper connections with the Chicago underworld figures like the boss of North Side Gang, Dean O’Banion.

In Dallas, he married Rose Levitt in 1917, after which he joined the crime syndicate on moving to Galveston, Texas.  In 1918, he duped two Galveston mobsters and fled to Chicago to continue his criminal activities there.

His activities had caught the attention of Giovanni Torrie and Capone. The fencing ring and jewel theft by Nitti is what had impressed them, however, what they were interested was a part of the alcohol smuggling operation. Over time, Nitti boasted of a properly established smuggler network that was able to bring in Canadian whisky into the city from across the border, therefore, making him invaluable to Torrie and Capone. Although he started as Capone’s bodyguard, he soon rose among the ranks. Nitti’s fortunes rose under Capone’s regime. Divorcing Rose, he married a Mafia doctor’s daughter named Anna Ronga.

Nitin later was imprisoned for 18 months for avoiding tax payment. On 19^th March 1943, Nitti shot himself and got buried in Hillside’s Mount Carmel Cemetery, Illinois.

It was during the prohibition heyday that that Alphonse Gabriel Capone called popularly as Scarface is known to have led the Chicago Mafia Family. He started his obscure life as Brooklyn tough and later on became the most known American mobster of all time. He dealt in various illegal activities like Prostitution, gambling and illegal liquor during the 1920s and earned the distinction of being a violent person of the country.

A Mafia legend

On his orders, people in hundreds were murdered. Even after killing many with his own hands, he never got convicted of violent crime. However, he got imprisoned for tax evasion and by his release, he had become insane, while the organized crime world has passed by him. He is said to have died leaving a mayhem legacy, which according to historians is yet to get surpassed by anyone.

His early life

It was on 17^th January 1899 in Brooklyn that he was born to Teresina and Gabriele Capone, Italian immigrants. His father was a barber, while mother sewed for a living. His two brothers joined him in bootlegging, but the third is known to have become federal agent.

His stepping into the criminal world

At the age of 14, he got expelled from school for hitting a teacher. He run small time gangs like Junior 40 Thieves and Bowery Boys and later on moved on to Five Points Gang, which at that time had full  control over Lower Manhattan’s criminal activities. He was able impress a Brooklyn Billiards hall owner and criminal syndicate leader named Giovanni Torrio, popularly called ‘Papa Johnny’, involved in opium trafficking, prostitution and gambling.

He got hired as bartender in 1917 at Harvard Inn, which as Coney Island tavern that was owned by Frankie Yale, Torrio’s partner. It was at this place that Al had earned his nickname ‘Scarface’ due to an incident took place, where the brother of a woman to whom Al had passed lewd comments had cut him on the face’s left side three times.

During the prohibition period, Torrio took over the Chicago Outfit and had made Capone to rise in ranks. Both had developed a strong liquor business that centered more upon the Southern Side as well as Cicero, the neighboring town. Capone created a corrupt political system for backing him in his different ventures. With Torrio out of the way due to his decision to retire from the criminal scene after his involvement with O’ Banion and his failed assassination, Al Capone was given  the reins of the Chicago Outfit.

Paul Kelly is considered to be a high profile gangster of the New York City during the early 1900s. It was in Sicily that he was born in 1879 as Paulo Vaccarelli. During the early 1890s, he migrated to the States and on reaching, became a well known bantamweight boxer. He had his last name to be changed to Kelly that is Irish sounding from his Italian Vacacarelli, so as to gain more fights, as Italians were regarded to be of low class. He was quite an intelligent and erudite person, having knowledge of three languages. He was liked by everyone and well dressed, the reason why, he could recruit several quality gangsters.

Life as a mafia

After his official retirement from boxing, he established Lower Manhattan’s notorious Five Points Gang. This gang had about 1500 members and had been termed to be the breeding ground to few of the most well known gangsters, to immigrate to the United States. Some of the members included al Capone, Johnny Torrio, Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Frankie Yale and Lucky Luciano.

Although his gang comprised mostly of Italians, Monk Eastman was regarded to be his nemesis having a 2000 strong Jewish gang. Both the parties often fought violently with each other. Bowery was their dividing line, with Kelly establishing control of the west and the east by Eastman. The remaining was neutral territory and it is here that the trouble began. Disputes arose as to who controlled where and what.

Both had been employed by Tammany Hall as Election Day head-busters. However, the gangs had become out of control and dangerous for the entire community. The bosses of Tammany Hall had wanted Kelly and Eastman to fight the dispute one on one, with the winner establishing right over the disputed territory. With the fight being a draw, both returned to their own territories.

In November 1908, his fortune luck gave up, when Razor Riley and Biff Ellison, two of his ex-henchmen had him shot, killing his two bodyguards on the spot. Although the shooters were fired back and Kelly recovered from the injuries, his clout was never to be the same again. With him losing the favor of Tammany Hall, he was forced to relocate to the Italian Harlem, where he carried out criminal endeavors to a certain toned point. He got involved with legal and illegal union activities and was elected as VP of International Longshoremen Association. He died due to natural causes in 1936.

John Morrissey is known to have started his career as a bare knuckles feared boxer. However, with time he went on to become a mobster and worked for Tammany Hall politicians as leg breaker.

His early life

It was in 1831 in County Tipperary’s Templemore region, Ireland that he was born. His parents who rightly guessed the potato famine in 1833 immigrated to Troy, New York. Although uneducated, he was considered to be excellent with his fists. The local Irish mafia bosses employed him as collection agent. For a Troy brothel, he worked as bouncer, where he taught himself to write and read. He realized the fact that he had limited opportunities in Troy and hence, went to New York, where he was into rough hooligan fighting for sport, in different piers and bars and made a name for himself.

His nickname

With Tom McCann, he was into an impromptu fight, where a powerful punch from McCann drove him from the overturned hot stove, over the coals. His flesh and clothes got burnt badly and smoke was coming from the backside, which made him to leap forwards, making him senseless. It is at this time, he had earned the nickname as ‘Old Smoke’.

Boxing titles

He then went on to challenge Yankee Sullivan, the world champion for world title, which took place at Boston Corners on 12^th October 1853. Although battered in the fight, he had won during the 37^th round by disqualification, as he got hit by Sullivan, when he was down.

His life as a mafia

His newfound fame and becoming Dead Rabbits’ member, he was employed for protecting polling places from Bowery Boys’ Gang by Tammany Hall. In 1854 on Election Day, he had come across the gang of Butcher Bill Pooole. Poole on noticing his gang being outnumbered by Morrissey left the place without creating any problem, which made Morrissey to become a hero in the eyes of Tammany Hall. They offered him with free gambling house for his heroics.

In 1855, he was almost killed to death by Poole in a fist fight, which made his friend to retaliate and had Poole shot to death. It was Tammany Hall’s influence that helped both Morrissey and his friend to escape being arrested.

He left boxing in 1857 and established 16 gambling houses and from 1867-71, he got elected as New York’s Congressman. He testified against Boss Tweed, the chief of Tammany Hall, for which Tweed was convicted and imprisonment. At 47, he died because of pneumonia.

Jimmy Walker was considered to be liked by everyone and was the mayor of New York City.  Had he been not in this position, he was sure to be branded a scoundrel. It was on 19^th June 1881 that he3 was born in Greenwich Village, New York City. He was an Irish immigrant’s son, who went on to become political mover and shaker in Tammany Hall. He attended Manhattan’s Military school named Xavier High School and Law School of New York.

Music was his first love was music. He was charmed by the bohemian crowd of the Village and wrote songs, rather than practicing law. One of his songs had become an overnight sensation due to its melodious refrains.

His entering the political arena

With prodding from his father and being influenced from mentor, Al Smith, the Tammany Hall titan in 1910 he got elected to Assembly of New York State and served till 1914. He became ambitious and got elected in 1914 to become Senate of New York State until 1925. He was quite popular within the Senate and got elected President-pro-tempore for 1923 and 1924 of Senate of New York State.

Becoming the Mayor

Al in 1925 had become the New York’s Governor found the perfect mayor in Walker for the city, which was reeling under the mafia and criminal activities. John Harlan, the present mayor was unseated and in his place came Walker. However, his biggest roadblock proved to be his being a party animal rather than being a wily politician. The press called him as ‘Beau James’. He got elected as the Mayor of the city and in the initial four years in power, was loved by the citizens. In 1928, he got close to Franklin D. Roosevelt, the new Governor and the latter’s coming to power helped Walker immensely.

His criminal activities

He became a part time mayor and gave huge favors to friends. But in 1929, his luck ran out, with the crash of stock market. He got caught by the police at a gambling house with his gal-pal, which had a scar on his reputation. With people out of job and starving, denied shelter and food, Walker was still enjoying himself. Cardinal Hayes, New York’s Archbishop was dead against Walker and few of his unwanted acts reached the ears of Roosevelt, who at that time was preparing for President Election. On 25^th May 1932, his numerous illegal activities came to light when he had to approach the bench and he got relieved from his post.

Jacob Shapiro was a huge man, strong and had a killer’s temperament. At the same time, he is credited with having an intellect like that of a rock, the reason why, he required brains from Louis Buchalter, the best criminal minds in Mafia history to assist him to achieve success.

His early life

It was on 5^th May 1899 that Shapiro was born to Russian Jew parents in Odessa. They had shifted base to America, to settle in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Hence, Shapiro was known to speak thick Russian-New York accent. One of his favorite statements was ‘get outa here’, which sounded ‘Gurrah dahere’. Therefore, he had this nickname ‘Gurrah’.

He had met Lepke when stealing from a pushcart. At that time, he was 18 years old and Lepke 16. He actually had found the perfect partner, who had answers to all issues faced.

Life as a mafia

Shapiro was enlisted by Lepke to get involved in labor union rackets, where he had to terrorize union locals to pay up. He enjoyed the work and most of all, beating people. Both teamed up with the other gangsters to form the ‘Gorilla Boys’. Using Shapiro’s assistance, Lepke had moved ahead into national crime syndicate. The Gorilla Boys had partners like Meyer Lansky, Albert Anastasia, Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano and made huge money and came to be called ‘Gold Dust Twins’. Lepke was in charge of ‘Murder Inc’ while Shapiro and Anastasia were his main weapons. Shapiro introduced more killers to the mob.

The end

Thomas E. Dewey, the special prosecutor during the mid 1930s had promised to end national crime syndicate. The crime commission syndicate held a meeting called by Dutch Schultz, where the latter declared to kill the prosecutor, which did not go well with the commission. However, Schultz’s opinion was voted by Anastasia and Shapiro, while Lepke was undecided about it. This caused the murder of Schultz by the Commission to ensure that the law did not cause any further trouble. But Shapiro did not like the decision of the Commission sparing the life of Dewey, something he rued throughout his life.

Shapiro and Dewey got indicted in 1936 for Sherman Anti-Trust Act violation and had been charged of using violence for reducing competition and fixing price. But, matters got worse with Lepke hiding in Brooklyn, leaving Shapiro to be on his own in New Jersey, which made him a broken man. Getting sick of not being able to get back to his old ways, on 14^th April 1938, he surrendered to the authorities and was given life imprisonment.