Because family is at the heart of the Mafia
Although Mayor Sarno calls himself a first generation Italian-slash-American, the truth is more complicated. The mayor’s paternal great-grandparents lived in West Springfield as early as 1906, and his grandfather was born here.
Benedetto Madonia was killed for defending his brother-in-law from Giuseppe Morello. While he is known forever as the victim of “the Barrel Murder,” the story of what happened after his death is rarely told.
In a letter dated 7 February 1911, James V. Ortelero asks for a favor from the superintendent of the federal prison in Atlanta, Georgia: obtain a murder confession from Giuseppe Morello.
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The Springfield Crew is led by Amedeo’s son, Ralph Santaniello, with his father’s backing. However Ralph, charged last year in a federal extortion case, is expected to plead guilty on 6 November 2017.
Jack Dragna, the first boss of Los Angeles under Luciano's Commission, was convicted of extortion with ringleader Sam Streva, a gangster whose life story has been conflated with another man's.
Along with Giuseppe Morello, Leoluca “Mr. Luke” Trumbatore, and Ignacio “Jack” Dragna, Carlo and Joe Piranio are among the first Mafia bosses in the United States.
The Genovese crime family has had a presence in Springfield, MA, since the 1920s.
In the summer of 1909, detective William Flynn sought the source of counterfeit bills flooding banks and businesses in several cities across the United States. He tied the counterfeiting operation to Giuseppe Morello’s gang by following one of the passers of bad bills, Giuseppe Boscarino.
Sources claim Vincent Mangano emigrated in 1921 with fellow future Mafia boss, Joe Profaci.
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