The Everything Mafia Book. True-Life Accounts of Legendary Figures, Infamous Crime Families, and Nefarious...

308 Pages·2009·4.09 MB·English

by  Scott M Dietche

THE
EVERYTHING®
MAFIA BOOK
2nd Edition
Dear Reader,
Let’s face it: America likes gangsters. It always has. The public fascination Dear
Reader, with the criminal element has been part of pop culture for decades. And
no matter how much is written or filmed about the mob, people are intrigued.
There are literally thousands of Mafia stories to be told, and each passing year
brings more and more to the theater, TV screen, and bookstore.
What I tried to do in this book was to highlight some of the more notorious
figures and events in the history of the Mafia in the United States. Accuracy is
something that can be elusive when dealing with the Mafia. They are, after all,
supposed to be a secret organization. Bringing together the latest research in a
readable fashion was my goal. I also wanted to look at some of the lesser-known
figures. The Mafia was far more than John Gotti and Al Capone, though their
importance merits chapters dedicated to each.
So sit back, turn on some Frank Sinatra, and enjoy.
Welcome to the EVERYTHING® Series!
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You can choose to read an Everything® book from cover to cover or just pick
out the information you want from our four useful boxes: e-questions, e-facts, e-
alerts, and e-ssentials. We give you everything you need to know on the subject,
but throw in a lot of fun stuff along the way, too.
We now have more than 400 Everything® books in print, spanning such wide-
ranging categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking, music instruction, foreign
language, crafts, pets, New Age, and so much more. When you’re done reading
them all, you can finally say you know Everything®!
Answers to common questions
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PUBLISHER Karen Cooper
DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS AND INNOVATION Paula Munier
MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing COPY
CHIEF Casey Ebert
ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Lisa Laing SENIOR DEVELOPMENT
EDITOR Brett Palana-Shanahan EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Hillary
Thompson
Visit the entire Everything® series at www.everything.com
THE
EVERYTHING
®
MAFIA
BOOK
2nd Edition
True-life accounts of legendary figures,
infamous crime families, and nefarious deeds
Scott M. Deitche
Copyright © 2009, 2003 by F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions
are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.
An Everything® Series Book.
Everything® and everything.com® are registered trademarks of F+W Media, Inc.
Published by Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com
ISBN 10: 1-59869-779-X
ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-779-7
eISBN:
Printed in the United States of America.
J I H G F E D C B A
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available from the publisher.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject
matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal,
accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services
of a competent professional person should be sought.
—From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as
trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark
claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.
This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.
To my family
Contents
Organization of a Mafia Family
Top Ten Gangsters You Will Get to Know After Reading This Book
Introduction
1
A Beginner's Guide
The Culture of Crime
One Man's Bandit
Mafia What's in a Word
The Old Country
You Need Some Protection
The Omerta Code
2
Mafia The Prequel
The Immigrant Experience
The Gangs of New York
Tong Wars
The Irish
Climbing the Ladder
The Mafia in Sicily
3
The First Family of the American Mafia
Coming to New Orleans
Blood on the Docks
Joseph Macheca-The First American Don
Crusading Cop
National Scandal
Aftermath to the Slaughter
4
The Roaring Twenties
Prohibition
The Jazz Age
Scarface Al
King of Chicagoland
Happy Valentine's Day
Capone's Successors
5
The Real Untouchables
Federal Case
The Taxman Cometh
America's Most Wanted
The Feds
Hoover and the Mafia
Denier of the Mafia
Local Cops
6
Meanwhile Back in the Big Apple
Old-School Dons
Boss of Bosses
The Castellammarese War
The Last in Line
The New Old-Fashioned Mob
7
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano
Luciano-The Early Years
Getting All the Boys Together
The Mob Board of Directors
Dewey Defeats Lucky
Uncle Sam Wants Lucky
The Later Years
8
Essentials of the Modern Mafia
The Commission
The Administration
Middle Management