When Joseph Parisi was in jail in Springfield in the early months of 1923, he shared a cell with Eugenio Scibelli, recently captured in Jersey City, New Jersey, and wanted in the shooting death of Antonio Bonavita in Springfield in December 1920. Bonavita was a shoemaker who did business on Water Street, the main thoroughfare of Springfield’s Little Italy. According to Bonavita’s granddaughter, who wrote about her family in 2017, the shoemaker was also a bootlegger and a rising star in the criminal firmament.
Where Buster from Chicago was born
The identity of the Maranzano contract killer known as “Buster from Chicago” has been debated for years.
Colombo plays Columbus
For organizations like the American Italian Anti-Defamation League, reporting on the Mafia, or even using the term "Cosa Nostra," was an ethnic slur against Italian Americans.
The Godfather is a patron
"The Godfather" exemplifies the institution of Sicilian clientelism and how it conflicts with American justice.
“Pasqualina of Springfield” screening
Short documentary film "Pasqualina of Springfield" is coming to Springfield, Massachusetts on October 30.
South Central Los Angeles, 1906: Attack on Faro Amato and Leoluca Sabella
One newspaper described the attack as the opening salvo in a “race war” between Italians and African Americans, a few blocks west of the Los Angeles River.
Second life of Sam Lima
Society of the Banana extortionists from Trabia had a second criminal career in San Francisco.
Stonewall and the Mafia [Video]
The targets of the protest were corrupt police and the Mafia who paid them. Hear the whole story from a trans activist and Mafia historian, Justin Cascio.
What is a padrone?
John Albano was a “padrone,” a familiar figure in Italian settlements throughout the United States.
Presenting Pasqualina Albano, Springfield’s Bootleg Queen
On 5 May 2023, I'm presenting the life of Pasqualina Albano, a Prohibition bootlegger from Springfield, Massachusetts.