Because family is at the heart of the Mafia
Eleven Sicilian men were killed by an organized mob of white men. Eight more escaped their would-be killers by hiding in the prison. The merciless attack on defenseless prisoners in a New Orleans jail is remembered as a hate crime. It also deserves recognition for another reason: as a decisive Mafia battle.
New Orleans Mafia boss Francesco Genova attempted to take over a macaroni factory in Donaldsonville, in northeastern Louisiana. The legitimate owners, Antonio and Salvadore Luciano, fought back, but were unlucky enough to miss....
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.
In Mario Puzo’s novel, “The Godfather,” Vito Corleone is called by the name of his hometown because he was fleeing the mafia. But why was he called “don”? In the US, we don’t have a term similar to this Sicilian honorific. The Southern custom of calling elders “Mister” or “Miss,” along with their given... Continue Reading →
Mafia Genealogy 