The 10th & Oregon Crew, or 10th & O Gang, is a predominantly

Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

and

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

group operating in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania. Active since the 1960s, the gang is associated closely with but independent from the Italian-American

Philadelphia crime family The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Philadelphia Mafia, the Philly Mob or Philly Mafia, the Philadelphia-South Jersey Mafia, or Bruno-Scarfo family is an Italian-American Mafia family based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed and ...

. It is primarily active in

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.South Jersey South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey located between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrative ...

Criminal activities

Conducting drug trafficking,

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

, extortion and loan sharking

rackets Racket may refer to: * Racket (crime), a systematised element of organized crime ** Protection racket, a scheme whereby a group provides protection to businesses or other groups through violence outside the sanction of the law * Racket (sports equ ...

, the 10th & Oregon Crew operates from a series of taverns, bars, restaurants and

social club A social club may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation, or activity. Examples include: book discussion clubs, chess clubs, anime clubs, country clubs, charity work, criminal ...

s in

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.The Pagan's Vs. 10th & O: "Gorilla" Mondevergine Took Philly Biker Club To The Mattress In '99
Scott Burnstein, GangsterReport.com (June 17, 2019) Under different leadership, the group has both been allied closely with and violently feuded against the

at different times. In particular, the gang has established relations with the Philadelphia Mafia's Narducci Crew.

History

Founded in the 1960s, the gang's name stems from a street corner that intersects 10th Street and Oregon Avenue. An early leader of the 10th & Oregon Crew was Rocco Turra, a South Philadelphia career criminal and

Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the u ...

enforcer. Rocco Turra was acquitted along with future

caporegime A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a ''made member'' of an Italian crime family who head ...

Joseph "Chickie" Ciancaglini, Sr. of the August 1967 murder of Robert DeGeorge. In 1995, Louis Turrà – the leader of the 10th & Oregon Crew, overseeing the gang's marijuana, cocaine and heroin dealing and sports betting enterprise – was severely beaten and robbed of his

Rolex Rolex SA () is a British-founded Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex'' as the brand name of ...

watch at an after-hours club by associates of Philadelphia crime family boss

Joey Merlino Joseph Salvatore "Skinny Joey" Merlino (born March 13, 1962) is an Italian-American mobster and reputed boss of the Philadelphia crime family. He rose to power in the mid-nineties after he allegedly fought a war for control of the criminal organ ...

, allegedly for failing to pay a Mafia street tax on the gang's illegal earnings. Angered by the beating, Turra sought vengeance. His father Anthony Turra hosted a meeting at his house during which Anthony, Louis and the gang discussed killing Merlino. The plot failed to materialize as both Turras were indicted in August 1997, along with thirteen others. In addition to drug charges, the gang was charged with the murder of one suspected informant and the attempted murder of another, and as well as conspiring to kill Merlino. While awaiting trial, Louis Turra apparently hanged himself (though there is speculation that he was in fact murdered by the Mafia) in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on January 7, 1998. On March 18, 1998, Anthony Turra – terminally ill with cancer and reliant on a wheelchair – was shot to death outside his home by a gunman in a black ski mask as he left for the federal courthouse, where a jury was deliberating in the racketeering and drug case against him and four other men. "We consider this an organized crime assassination, a mob hit," Police Inspector Jerrold Kane said. Most of the others indicted were convicted of racketeering. Three years later, Merlino was put on trial for helping orchestrate Anthony Turra's murder, but was acquitted. A dispute between the 10th & Oregon Crew and the

Pagan's Motorcycle Club Pagan's Motorcycle Club, or simply the Pagans, is an outlaw motorcycle club formed by Lou Dobkin in 1957 in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The club rapidly expanded and by 1959, the Pagans, originally clad in blue denim jackets a ...

over drug dealing and loan sharking turf began in the late 1990s. On February 28, 1999, Pagans bikers beat five 10th & O Crew members at a bar owned by Eugene "Genie Boy" Miller, who had taken over the remnants of the organization after Louis Turra's death. Miller was beaten, pistol-whipped and shot in the leg and buttocks. Joey Merlino attempted to broker a peace treaty between the two warring gangs and hosted a sit-down in the spring of 1999, which Pagans president Steve "Gorilla" Mondevergine and leading 10th & O Gang member John "Johnny the Hat" Hendri both attended. However, no agreement was reached, and on August 29, 1999, Mondevergine survived being shot eight times at close range as he walked to his mother's house after leaving a bar. He refused to identify his attacker to police. On November 3, 2000, Mondevergine opened fire on Hendri as he left a diner, firing twice and missing both times. Mondevergine was arrested near the scene of the shooting in possession of a firearm later that day by police and

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) agents conducting surveillance in the area. He was imprisoned for racketeering in January 2001 and served a three-year sentence. Tenth & Oregon Crew member Nicodemo "Nicky Slick" DiPietro was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in connection with the February 28, 2000, shooting death of Tad Rice-Green. Following further conflicts with the Philly Mafia and the Pagans, 10th & Oregon Crew leaders temporarily relocated to nearby Deptford Township in

South Jersey South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey located between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrative ...

before later returning to South Philadelphia. In June 2002, three

associates were reportedly beaten and knocked unconscious by 10th & O Crew members after a verbal disagreement at a local South Philadelphia bar. Andrew Micali, a former member of the 10th & O Crew who had left the gang following a dispute with leaders Johnny Garbarino and Eugene "Genie Boy" Miller, was sentenced to five years in state prison on February 27, 2009, for his role in running a sports

bookmaking A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookm ...

network with the Philadelphia crime family that operated inside the

Borgata Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is a hotel, casino, and spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International. The casino hotel features 2,798 rooms and is the largest hotel in New Jersey. Borga ...

Hotel Casino poker room in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

. The gambling ring was dismantled in November 2007 following Operation High Roller, an investigation led by the State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice which involved the assistance of eleven other law enforcement agencies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.Philadelphia man gets suspended sentence in Atlantic City bookmaking case

NJ.com NJ.com is a digital news content provider and website in New Jersey owned by Advance Publications. According to a report in ''The New York Times'' in 2012, it was the largest provider of digital news in the state at the time. In 2018, comScore r ...

(April 9, 2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:10th and Oregon Crew Italian-American organized crime groups Italian-American culture in Philadelphia Gangs in Philadelphia Gangs in New Jersey American Mafia gangs

Criminal activities

History

See also

References