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Vincent Louis “Chin” Gigante – Muscle on Both Ends Part I
Vincent Louis “Chin” Gigante, also known as “The Oddfather” for his largely successful efforts to dodge criminal punishment by faking mental illness, was a one-time boxer who rose from low-level enforcer to become don of one of the infamous “five families” of organized crime in New York City. Unlike most of his predecessors in the [...]
Frank Costello – Luciano Crime Family Boss Part II
Like Masseria, Maranzano was an old-school mob boss, a “Mustache Pete,” as they were known. Costello, Luciano and the other “Young Turks” had had enough of the old ways, and they decided Maranzano, like Masseria, needed to go. In late 1931, less than six months into his reign as “boss of all bosses,” Maranzano called [...]
Vito Genovese – Head of the Family
Vito “Don Vito” Genovese was an early boss and namesake of the Genovese crime family in New York. From Prohibition to Apalachin, he used his wits and reputation for violence to help maintain the organization’s place of infamy among the city’s “five families.” Born in Naples in 1897, Genovese got an early start in crime. [...]
Frank Costello – Prime Minister of the Mob Part I
Frank Costello was one of the most notorious Italian Mafia bosses in American history, with a reach that covered a vast national racket and extended deeper into politics than any other. He was dubbed the “Prime Minister of the Underworld” and led an organization nicknamed the “Rolls-Royce of organized crime.” Born in 1891 in Lauropoli, [...]
American Mafia History
The American Mafia has several aliases such as Mob, Mafia, Organized Crime, and La Cosa Nostra which means “thing of
1920′s American Mafia
ours”. The Mafia made its mark on the United States shortly after Prohibition (the outlaw of manufacturing, selling, and transport of alcohol) began in 1920. They are comprised of Italian-American and Jewish-American men who took Prohibition as an opportunity to make money and control the underground world that sprouted up because the new law. They are independent of the Italian Mafia but work closely with the Sicilians’ and other Italian organized crime groups around the globe.
Despite the actions of federal, state, and local law enforcement, the American Mafia is regarded as the largest organized criminal element in the United States. They have thousands of made members, and thousands of associates across the continent. Some work regular jobs keeping a low profile, some live next to you and me. They don’t drive around in antiquated Fords, with Tommy guns hanging out the windows. They keep to themselves having sworn an oath to Omerta with rules and customs they must live by.
In an attempt to detail the history of the American Mafia, there are a few things this blog is not intended to do. This blog
John Gotti Sr.
is not created to make light of the mob’s acts of violence, greed, and torment that has played out over their existence. It’s not meant to glorify murder, extortion, or corruption that has become commonplace with their description. Those actions are part of history and detailed while showing no prejudice for or against.
