This is a list of

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 ...

in the

1930s File:1930s decade montage.png, From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson shows the effects of the Great Depression; due to extreme drought conditions, farms across the south-central United States become dry a ...

, arranged chronologically.

1930

Events

*In a prelude to the

Castellammarese War The Castellammarese War () was a bloody power struggle for control of the Italian-American Mafia that took place in New York City, New York, from February 1930 until April 15, 1931, between partisans of Joe "The Boss" Masseria and those of Salv ...

in New York City, New York mob boss

Joe Masseria Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria (; January 17, 1886April 15, 1931) was an early Italian-American Mafia boss in New York City. He was boss of what is now called the Genovese crime family, one of the New York City Mafia's Five Families, from 1922 t ...

attempts to mediate a dispute between Chicago gangsters

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

and

Joe Aiello Giuseppe "Joe" Aiello (; September 27, 1890 – October 23, 1930) was a Sicilians, Sicilian bootlegger and organized crime leader in Chicago during the Prohibition in the United States, Prohibition era. He was best known for his long and bloody ...

. However, Aiello ignores Masseria's peacemaking and later threatens him for interfering. Masseria then goes to Aiello's main supporter,

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

mobster

Gaspar Milazzo Gaspar Milazzo (April 25, 1887 – May 31, 1930) was a major organized-crime figure in Detroit, Michigan, during the Prohibition era. He had earlier been a member of the Brooklyn-based gang that would later become known as the Bonanno crime famil ...

, to get his support in ending the Chicago gang war. However, Milazzo refuses to help and is supported by a faction of the Brooklyn Castellamarese organization, led by Nicolo Schirò, and Buffalo mobster

Stefano Magaddino Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino (; October 10, 1891 – July 19, 1974) was an Italian-born crime boss of the Buffalo crime family in western New York. His underworld influence stretched from Ohio to Southern Ontario and as far east as Montreal ...

's organization. Their actions precipitate a general split among American mafiosi and convince Masseria that these mobsters are plotting against him. *New York gangster Charles Luciano, representing the "Young Turks" faction (which included mobsters such as

Vito Genovese Vito Genovese (; November 21, 1897 – February 14, 1969) was an Italian-born American mobster who mainly operated in the United States. Genovese rose to power during Prohibition as an enforcer in the American Mafia. A long-time associate and ch ...

and

Frank Costello Frank Costello (; born Francesco Castiglia; ; January 26, 1891 – February 18, 1973) was an Italian-American crime boss of the Luciano crime family. In 1957, Costello survived an assassination attempt ordered by Vito Genovese and carried out by ...

), and

Ciro Terranova Ciro Terranova (; July 20, 1888 − February 20, 1938) was an Italian-born New York City gangster and one time underboss of the Morello crime family. Early life Terranova was born in the town of Corleone, Sicily. In 1893, Ciro moved to New Yor ...

begins secretly negotiating with

Salvatore Maranzano Salvatore Maranzano (; July 31, 1886 – September 10, 1931) was an Italian-American mobster from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Cosa Nostra boss who led what later would become the Bonanno crime family in New York City. ...

to persuade him to declare independence from Joe Masseria. *Brooklyn mobster Joe Parrino is killed by members of the Castellammarese organization. Following his death, control of the Brooklyn Castellammarese is turned over to Sicilian boss

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

mob boss Stefano Magaddino. *Chicago and New York police detectives establish a connection between the weapons used in the

St. Valentine's Day Massacre The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre was the murder of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang that occurred on Saint Valentine's Day 1929. The men were gathered at a Lincoln Park, Chicago garage on the morning of February 1 ...

and the murder of New York mobster

Frankie Yale Francesco Ioele (; January 22, 1893 – July 1, 1928), known as Frankie Yale or Frankie Uale, was an Italian-American gangster based in Brooklyn and second employer of Al Capone. Early life Yale was born in Longobucco, Italy, on January 22, ...

, implicating Chicago boss

in Yale's death. *The US

Federal Bureau of Narcotics The Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) was an agency of the United States Department of the Treasury, established in the Department of the Treasury by an act of June 14, 1930, consolidating the functions of the Federal Narcotics Control Board a ...

replaces the

Narcotics The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "to make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

Division of the

Prohibition Unit The Bureau of Prohibition (or Prohibition Unit) was the United States federal law enforcement agency formed to enforce the National Prohibition Act of 1919, commonly known as the Volstead Act, which enforced the 18th Amendment to the United S ...

. *

Murder, Inc. Murder, Inc. (Murder, Incorporated) was an organized crime group, active from 1929 to 1941, that acted as the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicatea closely connected criminal organization that included the Italian-American Mafia, the ...

gunman George Defeo is killed in New York by the

Shapiro Brothers Meyer (1908–1931), Irving (1904–1931) and William Shapiro (1911–1934), collectively known as the Shapiro Brothers were the leaders of a group of Jewish-American mobsters from New York City and based in Williamsburg. Well established in ...

. *

Benjamin Bennett Benjamin Bennett may refer to: * Benjamin Bennett (governor), Governor of Bermuda, 1701–1713 * Benjamin Bennett (politician) Benjamin Holland Bennett (1872 – 12 July 1939) was an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party m ...

, a New York mobster brought to Chicago by George "Bugs" Moran as muscle for the

North Side Gang The North Side Gang, also known as the North Side Mob, was an Irish-Polish-American criminal organization within Chicago during the Prohibition era from the early 1920s to the mid-1930s. It was the principal rival of the South Side Gang, also ...

, disappears shortly after his arrival.

Timeline

*January – Brooklyn mobster Cola Schirò disappears after being forced to pay $10,000 to Joe Masseria. After Schiro's disappearance, Joe Parrino succeeds Schiro as leader of the Brooklyn Castellammarese faction. *January 5 – Ciro Terranova issues a press statement regarding the dramatic robbery at the Judge Albert Vitale Fundraiser dinner in New York in December 1929. Terranova claims that he is being used as a scapegoat for the split in the New York

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

political organization. He also claims to be a "man of peace" and asks to be left alone. *February 4 – Chicago gangster Julius Rosenheim is killed shortly after agreeing to become a police informant. *February 20 – Carlo T. Piranio, founder of the

Dallas crime family The Dallas crime family or Dallas Mafia was an Italian-American Italian-American Mafia, Mafia American Mafia crime families, crime family based in Dallas, Texas. History Carlo Piranio Carlo Piranio, a native of Sicily, immigrated to the U.S. ...

, dies of natural causes. His organization is taken over by his brother, Joseph T. Piranio. *February 26 – Bronx mobster Tom Reina is killed by a shotgun blast by mobster

while leaving his aunt's home. Reina is later replaced by Joe Pinzolo. Reina, an ally of Masseria, had been suspected of secretly negotiating to defect to Maranzano's organization before his death. *March 14 – The New York State Appellate Court orders the removal of Magistrate Albert Vitale due to his ties to organized crime figures such as

and

Arnold Rothstein Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882 – November 4, 1928), nicknamed "The Brain", was an American racketeer, crime boss, businessman, and gambler in New York City. Rothstein was widely reputed to have organized corruption in professional athleti ...

and an unexplainable $10,000 deposit to his bank account. *March 17 – Released from prison 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 ...

returns to Chicago to resume his war against mobster

. *April – Raymond "Craneneck" Nugent Bank robber and killer with the

Egan's Rats Egan's Rats was an American organized crime gang that exercised considerable power in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1890 to 1924. Its 35 years of criminal activity included bootlegging, labor slugging, voter intimidation, armed robbery, and murder ...

gang of St Louis "Vanished" in Florida. *April –

bootlegger Joseph Galbo is convicted of

bribery Bribery is the Offer and acceptance, offering, Gift, giving, Offer and acceptance, receiving, or Solicitation, soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With reg ...

(April 8) and sentenced to 15 months in federal prison (April 14). *April 13 – Clinton G. Price, district attorney of

Juneau County, Wisconsin Juneau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,718. Its county seat is Mauston. History Before white settlement, before loggers and explorers, the area that is now Juneau Count ...

and political figure within

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, is severely wounded by a shotgun blast at his home. Price dies the following morning. *May 6- Mob boss Tony Buccola "Disappears" after alleged confrontation with organized Crime Figures . The only trace of him is his car found in Venice California. Allgedly Buccola claimed to have information in the disappearance of Frank Baumgartker who vanished November 25, 1929. *May 31 –

of the Detroit crime family, is shot and killed while walking through a Detroit fish market. *June 1 – Fox Lake Massacre, Fox Lake Illinois

Verne Miller Vernon C. "Verne" Miller (August 25, 1896 – November 29, 1933) was a freelance Prohibition gunman, bootlegger, bank robber and former sheriff in Huron, South Dakota, who, as the only identified gunman in the Kansas City massacre, was found ...

killed three and wounded two men in revenge for disappearance/death of his friend Eugene "Red" McLaughlin in May 1930 by Al Capone gang. *June 9 – ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' journalist Alfred Lingle is shot and killed in a train station in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. The Chicago newspapers would promise a $55,000 reward for information on the murderer. It would be rumored that Lingle had extensive connections to

. *June 30 – Thomas Somneiro, a

Chicago Outfit The Chicago Outfit (also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the Chicago crime family, the South Side Gang or The Organization) is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate or crime family based in Chicago, Illinois, tha ...

lieutenant, is found dead in Chicago's West Side. He was strangled to death. *July 5 –

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

mobster Joe Porrello is killed, along with his bodyguard Sam Tilocco, by an unidentified gunman while dining at a restaurant owned by mobster Frank Milano. Milano would succeed Porrello as leader of the Cleveland syndicate. *July 15 –

Vito Bonventre Vito Bonventre (January 1, 1875 – July 15, 1930) was a New York City mobster who was a leading member of the Brooklyn gang that would later become the Bonanno Crime Family. He was arrested but then released in 1921 as the leader of a group know ...

Underboss Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The underbo ...

Nicolo Schiro Nicolo "Cola" Schiro (born Nicolò Schirò; ; September 2, 1872April 29, 1957) was an early Sicilian-born New York City mobster who, in 1912, became the boss of what later become known as the Bonanno crime family. Schiro's leadership of the gang ...

, is gunned down outside his garage in Brooklyn. *July 31 – Thomas McNichols and James "Bozo" Schupe, two smalltime bootleggers, shoot each other to death on Madison Street in Chicago. *August 15 – Peter "The Clutching Hand" Morello, '' consiglierie'' to

, and his bodyguard Giuseppe Piranio are killed by gunmen employed by rival boss

. The gunmen possibly include the mysterious mobster known only as

Buster from Chicago Buster from Chicago was a pseudonym used for a mobster and freelance hitman of the 1930s. He is alleged to have played a key role in the Castellammarese War (1929–1931) as the assassin of Giuseppe Morello and others. Some claim that Buster was ...

. *September – Forming a secret alliance with the remnants of deceased mobster Tom Reina's organization, Salvatore Maranzano arranges to have Joe Pinzolo, the new Reina family boss, killed in early September. Pinzolo would be killed by Bobby Doyle outside the offices of the

Lucchese crime family The Lucchese crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, in the United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as ...

. The hit is reportedly planned by Lucchese bosses

Tommy Lucchese Thomas Gaetano Lucchese (born Gaetano Lucchese; ; December 1, 1899 – July 13, 1967), sometimes known by the nicknames "Tommy", "Thomas Luckese", "Tommy Brown" or "Tommy Three-Finger Brown" was an Italian-American gangster and founding member of ...

and Tommaso Gagliano. *September 5 –

is arrested for the murder of Joe Pinzolo. However, charges are later dropped due to lack of evidence. *September 23 –

rival and

Unione Siciliane The Italian-American National Union (formerly known as Unione Siciliana) was a Sicilian-American organization, which controlled much of the Italian vote within the United States during the early twentieth century. It was based in Chicago, Illinois. ...

President

is killed in a drive-by shooting outside a friend's home. Aiello's death eliminates a major threat to the

. Agostino Loverdo is placed by Capone as head of the Union Siciliane. However, the organization's value greatly declines over the decade, quietly dissolving by the late 1930s. *November 5 – Mobsters Steve Ferrigno and

Alfred Mineo Manfredi "Al" or "Alfred" Mineo (; 1880 – November 5, 1930) was a Brooklyn-based New York mobster, who headed a strong American Mafia crime family during the Castellammarese War. Mineo's organization would eventually become the present-day Gambi ...

, allies of

, are killed by

's gunman outside Ferrigno's home in New York. Masseria narrowly avoids the ambush himself.

Arts and literature

*''

Doorway to Hell ''The Doorway to Hell'' is a 1930 American pre-Code crime film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Lew Ayres and James Cagney in his second film role.Brennan, SandraThe Doorway to Hell ''The New York Times'', accessed October 12, 2010. The fil ...

'' (film) starring

Lew Ayres Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film '' All Quiet on the Western Fr ...

and

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

Births

*May 30 –

Corrado Carnevale Corrado Carnevale (born 9 May 1930) is an Italian judge, and former president of the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation. Biography Born in Licata, Sicily in 1930, he graduated "''cum laude''" from the University of Palermo at the age of 21 and ...

, Sicilian High Court

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

and

mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

associate *November 16 –

Salvatore Riina Salvatore Riina (; 16 November 1930 – 17 November 2017), called (, Totò being the diminutive of Salvatore), was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia, known for a ruthless murder campaign that reached a peak in the early 1990s ...

"Toto", Sicilian

mafia boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss typically has absolute or nearl ...

*December –

James Torello James Vincent "Turk" Torello (December 15, 1930 – April 13, 1979 Woodridge, Illinois) was an Italian-American mobster who became a caporegime and leading enforcer for the Chicago Outfit during the mid-to-late 1970s. Born in Chicago, Illinois, To ...

"Turk",

member and involved in loansharking

Deaths

* Ike Bloom ''Isaac Gittelson Jim Colosio lieutenant * George Defeo,

member *

George Maloney George Patrick Maloney (February 28, 1928 – July 29, 2003) was a professional baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1969 to 1983, wearing uniform number 28 when the American League adopted them for umpires in 1980. Maloney umpir ...

, Chicago gangster and co-leader of a bootlegging gang with Michael "Bubs" Quinlan * Joe Parrino, New York mobster *February 4 – Julius Rosenheim, Chicago gangster and police informant *February 20 – Carlo T. Piranio, founder of the Dallas crime family *February 26 – Tom Reina, New York mobster *April – Raymond "Craneneck" Nugent Bank robber and killer "Vanished" in Florida. *April 13 – Clinton G. Price, Wisconsin District Attorney and political figure *May 6 – Crime boss Tony Buccola "vanishment" *May 31 –

, former New York mobster and now leader of the Detroit crime family *June 9 – Alfred Lingle, journalist *June 30 – Thomas Somneiro,

lieutenant *July 5 – Joseph Porrello, Cleveland mobster *July 31 – Thomas McNichols, Chicago bootlegger *July 31 – James Schupe "Bozo", Chicago bootlegger *August 15 – Peter Morello, "The Clutching Hand", Masseria

consigliere Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel ''The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a c ...

and former leader of the

Morello crime family The Morello crime family () was one of the earliest crime families to be established in the United States and New York City. The Morellos were based in Manhattan's Italian Harlem and eventually gained dominance in the Italian underworld by defea ...

*September 5 – Joe Pinzolo, New York mobster *September 23 –

, Chicago mobster and president of the

. *November 5 – Steve Ferrigno, New York mobster *November 5 –

, New York mobster

1931

Events

* The Commission is developed in The

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 ...

hotel by "Lucky" Luciano,

Meyer Lansky Meyer Lansky (born Maier Suchowljansky; July 4, 1902 – January 15, 1983), known as the "Mob's Accountant", was an American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the ...

, and The Five Families. *The

continues as mob boss

offers to negotiate with his rival,

. Maranzano and the Castellammarese faction refuse to end the war, demanding the death of Masseria ally Joe "The Baker" Catania. Although Catania would be murdered later in 1931, the war would continue. *Mobster

Salvatore Sabella Salvatore Sabella (; July 7, 1891 – 1962) was an Italian-born crime boss of the Philadelphia crime family The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Philadelphia Mafia, the Philly Mob or Philly Mafia, the Philadelphia-South Jersey Mafi ...

is arrested for assault and battery using a motor vehicle; however, he receives a suspended sentence. During his indictment,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

police discover that his address matches that of

, leader of the

Buffalo crime family The Buffalo crime family, also known as the Magaddino crime family, Buffalo Mafia, The Arm, the New York State crime family, the Upstate New York Mafia, and the Todaro crime family, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Buffalo, Ne ...

, following Magaddino's arrest in

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

. Shortly after his arrest, the 40-year-old Sabella retires as leader of the Philadelphia crime syndicate in favor of lieutenant John Avena. *Charles Entratta, a partner of New York gangster Jack "Legs" Diamond is gunned down in a

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

neighborhood. *February 3 – Joe Catania is killed as he leaves his home in New York. It is thought that Masseria ordered Catena's murder out of suspicion that he was hijacking Masseria's liquor shipments. *April 15 – Mob boss

is killed by

Joe Adonis Joseph Anthony Doto (born Giuseppe Antonio Doto, ; November 22, 1902 – November 26, 1971), known as Joe Adonis, was an Italian-American mobster who was an important participant in the formation of the modern Cosa Nostra crime families in New Yo ...

Albert Anastasia Umberto "Albert" Anastasia (, ; ; September 26, 1902 – October 25, 1957) was an Italian-American mobster, hitman, and crime boss. One of the founders of the modern American Mafia, and a co-founder and later boss of the Murder, Inc. organizat ...

, and

Bugsy Siegel Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American mobster who was a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel was not only influential within the Jewish Mob, but along with his childhood frie ...

on the orders of

Lucky Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano (, ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian-born gangster who operated mainly in the United States. Luciano started his criminal career in the Five Points gang and was instrumenta ...

drives the getaway car. This effectively ends the long

in New York. *May – Following Masseria's death,

declares himself

capo di tutti capi ''Capo dei capi'' (; "boss of hebosses") or ''capo di tutti i capi'' (; "boss of all hebosses") or ''Godfather'' ( it, Padrino) are terms used mainly by the media, public, fiction writers and law enforcement community to indicate a supremely po ...

(boss of bosses) during a mob conference in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. While the conference was to serve as a reconciliation with

, ally

Charles Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano (, ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian-born gangster who operated mainly in the United States. Luciano started his criminal career in the Five Points gang and was instrumenta ...

and others conspire to eliminate Maranzano. *September 10 – On orders of

and

, boss of all bosses

is murdered in his headquarters on

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

by gangsters disguised as police officers. That same day, several of Maranzano's lieutenants, including James Marino, are killed by unknown gunmen including outside a

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

neighborhood barbershop. The bodies of Maranzano allies Samuel Monaco and Louis Russo would later be recovered from

Newark Bay Newark Bay is a tidal bay at the confluence of the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers in northeastern New Jersey. It is home to the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, the largest container shipping facility in Port of New York and New Jersey, t ...

; both corpses would show signs of torture. These events may or may not have been the basis for the beginning of the alleged "

Night of the Sicilian Vespers The Sicilian Vespers ( it, Vespri siciliani; scn, Vespiri siciliani) was a successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out at Easter 1282 against the rule of the French-born king Charles I of Anjou, who had ruled the Kingdom of Si ...

" in which many old world Sicilian-born mafiosi are killed throughout the country by the Luciano-Lansky faction in the aftermath of the

. *September 13 – Joseph Siragusa, leader of the Pittsburgh crime family, is shot to death in his home. He is succeeded by John Bazzano. *September 17 – Meyer Shapiro, who controls bootlegging, illegal gambling and prostitution in New York's East Side, is murdered by former associates Abe "Kid Twist" Reles and Martin "Bugsy" Goldstein, who quickly take control of his criminal operations. His younger brother Irving was previously killed outside his Bronx apartment on July 11. One year later, Willie Shapiro would also be killed, buried alive by Reles and his associates. *October 15 –

Joe Ardizonne Joseph "Joe Iron Man" Ardizzone (born Giuseppe Ernesto Ardizzone; ; November 19, 1884 – disappeared October 15, 1931, declared dead 1938) was an Italian-born early Los Angeles mobster, who became the first Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. ...

, head of the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

crime family, disappears and is presumed murdered (possibly a victim of the "Night of the Sicilian Vespers"). Mobster

Jack Dragna Jack Ignatius Dragna (born Ignazio Dragna, ; April 18, 1891 – February 23, 1956) was an American Mafia member and Black Hander who was active in both Italy and the United States in the 20th century. He was active in bootlegging in Californ ...

would go on to succeed Ardizzone as leader of the Los Angeles family. *October 17 –

is sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion and fined $80,000 *December 18 –

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

gangster Jack "Legs" Diamond is shot to death while staying at a safe house in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

by a number of unidentified gunman. *December 22 – Irish-American mob boss Frankie Wallace, on the pretense of a sit-down with Italian-American mobsters, is ambushed and murdered in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

's North End. The

Gustin Gang The Gustin Gang was one of the earliest Irish-American gangs to emerge during the Prohibition era and dominate Boston's underworld during the 1920s. The name "Gustin Gang" came from a street in South Boston ("Southie"), which was off of Old Colon ...

would be the first victims in a three-year systematic elimination of Irish-American gangsters in the United States.

Arts and literature

*'' Little Caesar'' (film

starring

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

*''

The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American all-talking pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman and stars James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward ...

'' (film

starring

*'' Smart Money (1931 film), Smart Money'' (film

starring

and

*'' Road to Perdition (film), Road to Perdition'' starring

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Césa ...

, and

Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...

Season 5 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

's ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...

Births

*Vincent Napoli,

Gambino crime family The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Ame ...

member and

drug smuggler *Leonard Teperow,

West Roxbury West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the town of Brookline to the north, the cities and towns of Newton and Needham to the northwest and the town of Dedham to the ...

bookmaker and Mafia associate *

Al Tornabene Alfonso "Al the Pizza Man" Tornabene (1923 – May 17, 2009) was a Chicago-area resident who was reported by several newspapers to have been a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit crime organization. Career as a pizzeria owner In 1955, ...

"Pizza Al",

boss *March 19 –

Robert Trimbole Bruno Robert Trimbole (19 March 1931 – 12 May 1987) was an Australian businessman, drug baron and organised crime boss whose alleged involvement in drug trafficking in the Griffith, New South Wales, area, which according to popular loose fic ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

drug baron A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalati ...

and

leader. *September 30 –

Giuseppe Calò Giuseppe "Pippo" Calò (born 30 September 1931) is an Italian mobster and member of the Sicilian Mafia in Porta Nuova. He was referred to as the "''cassiere di Cosa Nostra''" (Mafia's Cashier) because he was heavily involved in the financial si ...

"The Banker", Sicilian mafioso

Deaths

*Charles Entratta "Charlie Green", New York mobster and associate of Jack Diamond *February 3 – Joe Catania, New York mobster and a lieutenant to Joe Masseria *April 15 –

Giuseppe Masseria Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria (; January 17, 1886April 15, 1931) was an early Italian-American Mafia boss in New York City. He was boss of what is now called the Genovese crime family, one of the New York City Mafia's Five Families, from 1922 t ...

"Joe the Boss", New York mobster, boss of bosses *May 8 – Sam Carlino

to brother Pete Carlino of Colorado's Bootleg gang. *July 11 – Irving Shapiro, New York (East Side) mobster *September 10 –

, New York mobster, boss of bosses *September 10 – Pete Carlino, Head of Colorado bootleggers. *September 10 – James Marino (''James LaPore''), Salvatore Marranzano lieutenant *September 10 – Samuel Monaco, Salvatore Maranzano ally and New Jersey underboss *September 10 – Louis Russo, Salvatore Maranzano ally and New Jersey

*September 13 – Joseph Siragusa, leader of the Pittsburgh crime family *September 17 – Meyer Shapiro, New York (East Side) mobster *October 15 –

Joseph Ardizzone Joseph "Joe Iron Man" Ardizzone (born Giuseppe Ernesto Ardizzone; ; November 19, 1884 – disappeared October 15, 1931, declared dead 1938) was an Italian-born early Los Angeles mobster, who became the first Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. ...

Los Angeles crime family The Los Angeles crime family, also known as the L.A. Mafia or the Southern California crime family, is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in Los Angeles as part of the larger Italian-American Mafia. Since its inception in the earl ...

boss *December 22 – Frankie Wallace, Boston mobster and leader of the Gustin Gang *December 22 – Barney (Dodo) Walsh, Boston mobster and member of the Gustin Gang

1932

Events

mob boss Alphonse "Al," "Scarface" Capone is sent to the

Atlanta Federal Penitentiary The United States Penitentiary, Atlanta (USP Atlanta) is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Atlanta, Georgia. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justic ...

after his 1931 conviction for

tax evasion Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the taxp ...

. Francesco "Frank 'The Enforcer' Nitti" Nitto succeeds Capone as leader of the Outfit. But, since Capone is in prison, Felice "Paul 'The Waiter" Ricca" DeLucia becomes the real, new Outfit boss. With all of Chicago's organized crime activity consolidated into the Outfit, that organization begins to resemble the modern day

National Crime Syndicate The National Crime Syndicate was the name given by the press to the multi-ethnic, loosely connected, American confederation of several criminal organizations. It mostly consisted of and was led by the closely interconnected Italian-American Mafia ...

. *

Charles "Lucky" Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano (, ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian-born gangster who operated mainly in the United States. Luciano started his criminal career in the Five Points gang and was instrument ...

begins employing Louis "Lepke" Buchalter's "The Combination (called

by the press) for

murder contracts. *Future

leader,

Paul Castellano Constantino Paul Castellano (; June 26, 1915 – December 16, 1985), was an American crime boss who succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family. Castellano was killed in an unsanctioned hit on December 16, 1985. Early life Cast ...

, is brought into the family] by boss

Carlo Gambino Carlo Gambino (; August 24, 1902 – October 15, 1976) was an Italian-American crime boss of the Gambino crime family. After the Apalachin Meeting in 1957, and the imprisonment of Vito Genovese in 1959, Gambino took over the Commission o ...

. *Sicilian mafiosi

Vito Cascio Ferro Vito Cascio Ferro or Vito Cascioferro (; 22 January 1862 – 20 September 1943), also known as Don Vito, was a prominent member of the Sicilian Mafia. He also operated for several years in the United States. He is often depicted as the "boss of ...

dies in

Rome, Italy , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

while in prison. *February 9 – Renegade hitman Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll is killed in a drive-by shooting at a public telephone booth while attempting to extort money from mob boss Owney "Killer" Madden. *July 29 – Pittsburgh bootleggers John, Arthur, and James Volpe are shot to death in a Pittsburgh coffee shop. The hits were reportedly ordered by Pittsburgh crime family leader John Bazzano. *August 8 – John Bazzano is found stuffed in a burlap sack on a Brooklyn street He had been strangled, then stabbed to death. Bazzano's murder may have been connected to the gangland slaying of the Volpe brothers weeks earlier. Vincenzo Capizzi would later succeed Bazzano as head of the

Pittsburgh crime family The Pittsburgh crime family,CapeciChapter 5 "Mafia Families Poison the Northeast"/ref> also known as the LaRocca crime family''Organized Crime in Pennsylvania: Traditional and Non-Traditional''. Pennsylvania Crime Concession. April 15, 1988 or P ...

. *September 1 – New York Mayor

James J. Walker James J. Walker may refer to: * Jimmy Walker (1881–1946), mayor of New York City, 1926–1932 * James J. Walker (American football), American college football player and coach * James John Walker (entomologist) James John Walker (16 May 1851, ...

resigns from office, following his testimony before the

Seabury Commission The Hofstadter Committee, also known as the Seabury investigations, was a joint legislative committee formed by the New York State Legislature on behalf of Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt to probe into corruption in New York City, especially the mag ...

Arts and literature

*'' Scarface'' (film

starring

Paul Muni Paul Muni (born Frederich Meshilem Meier Weisenfreund; September 22, 1895– August 25, 1967) was an American stage and film actor who grew up in Chicago. Muni was a five-time Academy Award nominee, with one win. He started his acting career in ...

Births

Salvatore Bonanno Salvatore Vincent "Bill" Bonanno (November 5, 1932 – January 1, 2008) was an American mobster who served as consigliere of the Bonanno crime family, and son of crime boss Joseph Bonanno. Later in life, he became a writer and produced films fo ...

"Bill",

Bonanno crime family The Bonanno crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, and in the United States, as part of the criminal phenomenon known as the A ...

member and son of crime family boss

Joseph Bonanno Joseph Charles Bonanno (born Giuseppe Carlo Bonanno; ; January 18, 1905 – May 11, 2002), sometimes referred to as Joe Bananas, was an Italian-American crime boss of the Bonanno crime family, which he ran from 1931 to 1968. Bonanno was born ...

. * Frank Imbruglia,

East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and do ...

gunman *

Ralph Scopo Ralph "Little Ralphie" Scopo Sr. (1932 – March 9, 1993) was a New York mobster with the Colombo crime family who became a powerful labor racketeer. He was the father of Colombo mobsters Joseph Scopo and Ralph Scopo Jr., and the grandfather of ...

Colombo crime family The Colombo crime family (, ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City within the criminal organization known as the American Mafia. It was du ...

member and

labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

racketeer. * Giuseppe Lambeti "Joe", drug trafficker involved in the Pizza Connection and cousin of Salvatore Lamberti * Salvatore Lamberti, Sicilian mafiosi convicted in the Pizza Connection *July 28 –

Alphonse D'Arco Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco (July 28, 1932 – March 28, 2019) was an American mobster who became the acting boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City. He was the first boss, acting or otherwise, of a New York crime family to become a go ...

"Little Al",

acting boss turned government witness.

Deaths

, Sicilian mafiosi *February 9 –

Vincent Coll Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll (born Uinseann Ó Colla, July 20, 1908 – February 8, 1932) was an Irish-American mob hitman in the 1920s and early 1930s in New York City. Coll gained notoriety for the allegedly accidental killing of a young child durin ...

"Mad Dog", New York Prohibition,

Irish-American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

mobster *March 16 – Antonio Lonzo, New York mobster *March 16 – Gerard Vernotico, New York mobster *July 29 – John Volpe, Pittsburgh bootlegger *July 29 – Arthur Volpe, Pittsburgh bootlegger *July 29 – James Volpe, Pittsburgh bootlegger *August 8 – John Bazzano, Pittsburgh crime family leader

1933

Events

*Reform Mayor

Fiorello La Guardia Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City fro ...

is elected mayor of New York City. *Recently released from prison, Salvatore "Sam" "Mooney" Giancana becomes a bodyguard and chauffeur to Antonino "Tony," "Joe Batters" Accardo. *

Walter Sage Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

, a member of Brooklyn's Abe Reles-Harry Maione gang, is stabbed to death by

assassin "Pittsburg Phil" Harry Strauss. *January 24 – Charles "King" Solomon, the leading Prohibition bootlegger in Boston's underworld, is killed at the ''

Cotton Club The Cotton Club was a New York City nightclub from 1923 to 1940. It was located on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue (1923–1936), then briefly in the midtown Theater District (1936–1940).Elizabeth Winter"Cotton Club of Harlem (1923- )" Blac ...

'' in

South Boston South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformati ...

. *March 7 –

, along with John Avena and Domenico Pollina, are acquitted for a 1927 gangland slaying. *May 30 – Sebastiano Domingo aka

killed in New York City; five others wounded-of whom one died. *June 17 – In an attempt to free bank robber Frank "Jelly" Nash from federal custody, Verne Miller, Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, and Adam Richetti, ambush federal agents and local police at the Kansas City Union Station parking lot resulting in the deaths of FBI Agent Raymond J. Caffrey, Oklahoma, Police Chief Otto Reed, Kansas City Policemen W. J. Grooms and Frank Hermanson, as well as Frank Nash himself. The event would become known as the " Kansas City Massacre". *August 12 – Gas Fascone, a gunman for Kansas City mobster

John Lazia John Lazia, also known as Brother John (September 22, 1896 – July 10, 1934), was an American organized crime figure in Kansas City, Missouri, during Prohibition in the United States, Prohibition. Early years According to his draft card for World ...

, is shot and killed by police after murdering

Joe Lusco Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

lieutenant Ferris Anthon. *October 9 –

Gus Winkler Gus Winkler (March 28, 1901 – October 9, 1933) was an American gangster who headed a Prohibition-era criminal gang specializing in armed robbery and murder for hire with Fred "Killer" Burke. Winkler was a senior associate of Chicago Outfit ...

, a gambler and bootlegger on Chicago's West Side (or North Side), is machine gunned to death. Winkler was suspected to have been involved in planning the

. *November 29 – Vernon C. Miller, an associate of New York mobster Louis "Lepke" Buchalter and one of the surviving gunmen of the Kansas City Massacre, is found murdered in Detroit (possibly members of New Jersey mobster

Abner Zwillman Abner "Longie" Zwillman (July 27, 1904 – February 26, 1959) was a Jewish-American mobster who was based primarily in North Jersey. He was a long time friend and associate of mobsters Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky. Zwillman's criminal organi ...

's organization). *December 5 –

ends following the ratification of the 21st Amendment.

Arts and literature

*'' Lady Killer'' (film

starring

Births

Khun Sa Chinese: Chang Chi-fu () , other_name = th, จันทร์ จางตระกูล (Chan Changtrakul); Tun Sa; U Htet Aung , image = Khun Sa (9to12).jpg , alt = , caption = Khun Sa at his jungle headquarters ...

"Opium King", Burmese

warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

and

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...

dealer. * Stephen Maltese,

Genovese crime family The Genovese crime family, () also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as part of the American M ...

associate *August 8 –

Carmine Persico Carmine John Persico Jr. (; August 8, 1933 – March 7, 2019), also known as "Junior", "The Snake" and "Immortal", was an American mobster and the longtime boss of the Colombo crime family in New York City from 1973 until his death in 2019. He ha ...

"The Snake",

, boss *October 2 –

Aniello Migliore Past member(s) Joseph Abate Joseph "Joe" Abate (July 8, 1902 – 1994) was a capo in the family's New Jersey faction. In the 1920s, Abate served as an enforcer for Al Capone in Chicago before settling in New Jersey.Raab, p.1-3 In June 1976, Ab ...

underboss Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The underbo ...

*November 14 –

Danny Greene Daniel John Patrick Greene (November 14, 1933 – October 6, 1977) was an Irish-American organized crime figure based in Cleveland, Ohio. Greene gained power first in the local chapter of the International Longshoremen's Association, where h ...

"The Irishman", Cleveland gangster

Deaths

, Brooklyn mobster and associate of Abe Reles-Harry Maione gang *January 24 – Charles Solomon,

Prohibition gangster *May 30 – Sebastiano Domingo aka

killed in New York City *June 17 –

Frank Nash Frank Nash (February 6, 1887 – June 17, 1933) was an American bank robber, and has been called "the most successful bank robber in U.S. history." He is most noted for his violent death in the Kansas City Massacre. Nash spent part of his child ...

"Jelly", St. Louis gangster and victim of the Kansas City Massacre *June 17 – Raymond J. Caffrey, FBI Agent and victim of the Kansas City Massacre *August 12 – Ferris Anthon

lieutenant *August 12 – Gas Fascone, Kansas City mobster *October 9 –

, Chicago (West Side) mobster involved in illegal gambling and bootlegging *November 29 – Vernon C. Miller, associate of New York mobster Louis "Lepke" Buchalter and participant in the Kansas City Massacre

1934

Events

* Phil D'Andrea is elected president of the

Unione Siciliana The Italian-American National Union (formerly known as Unione Siciliana) was a Sicilian-American organization, which controlled much of the Italian vote within the United States during the early twentieth century. It was based in Chicago, Illinois. ...

, a Sicilian fraternal organization, in Chicago. *April 22 –

Baby Face Nelson Lester Joseph Gillis (December 6, 1908 – November 27, 1934), also known as George Nelson and Baby Face Nelson, was an American bank robber who became a criminal partner of John Dillinger, when he helped Dillinger escape from prison, in Crown P ...

, hiding out with

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and ...

, at the Little Bohemia Lodge just outside Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin kills FBI Special Agent W. Carter Baum in a shootout. *Spring – Headed by

and

Johnny Torrio John Donato Torrio (born Donato Torrio, ; January 20, 1882 – April 16, 1957) was an Italian born-American mobster who helped build the Chicago Outfit in the 1920s later inherited by his protégé Al Capone. Torrio proposed a National Crime Syn ...

, organized crime leaders hold a conference at the

Waldorf Astoria Hotel Waldorf can have the following meanings: People * William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (1848–1919), financier and statesman * Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor (1879–1952), businessman and politician * Pappy Waldorf (1902–1981), 1966 ...

in New York to discuss the formation of a

. *July 2 –

is arrested for the armed robbery of a

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

store. Sentenced to one year imprisonment in the

Hartford County Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. According to the 2020 census, the population was 899,498, making it the second-most populous county in Connecticut. Hartford County contains the ...

Jail, Castellano serves three months before being released in December. *July 22 –

killed in Chicago by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

. *October – New York Mayor

orders a police raid on gambling parlors. This raid damages over 1,000 slot machines owned by mob boss

. *October 9 – Ferdinand "The Shadow" Boccia is abducted by Willie Gallo and Ernest "The Hawk" Rupolo after a dispute with

over a fixed card game. Boccia is later murdered.

Arts and literature

*'' When the Kellys Rode'' (film

*'' Jimmy the Gent (film), Jimmy the Gent'' (film

starring

Births

*November 6 – Isoji Koga, the founder of the

Dojin-kai The is a yakuza organization headquartered in Kurume, Fukuoka, on the Kyushu island of Japan,

* Americo Petrillo "The Cigar",

Patriarca crime family The Patriarca crime family (, ), also known as the New England Mafia, the Boston Mafia, the Providence Mafia, or The Office is an Italian-American American Mafia, Mafia crime family, family in New England. It has two distinct factions, one based ...

soldier and associate of William P. Grasso *

Frank Salemme Francis Patrick Salemme (August 18, 1933 – December 13, 2022), sometimes spelled Salemmi, also known as "Cadillac Frank" and "Julian Daniel Selig", was an American mobster from Boston, Massachusetts who became a hitman and eventually the boss ...

"Cadillac Frank",

leader and former member of the

Winter Hill Gang The Winter Hill Gang is a loose confederation of organized crime figures in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. The gang members and leadership are predominantly Irish-American and Italian-American descent. The organization itself derives its n ...

Deaths

*April 26 - John "Red" Hamilton, bank robber mortally wounded by police on April 23 in Minnesota and later died in Illinois *May 23 –

Clyde Barrow Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...

, outlaw shot dead by Federal marshals *May 23 –

Bonnie Parker Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...

, outlaw shot dead by Federal marshals *July 22 –

Public enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...

#1 shot dead by the

*August 23 -

Homer Van Meter Homer Virgil Van Meter (December 3, 1905 – August 23, 1934) was an American criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson. Biography Early life Van ...

, bank robber shot dead by police in St. Paul MN *September 22 -

Charles Makley Charles Omer Makley (November 24, 1889 – September 22, 1934), also known as Charles McGray and Fat Charles, was an American criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger. E ...

, bank robber shot by prison guards during an attempted escape from Ohio State Prison *October 9 – Ferdinand Boccia, New York mobster *October 17 -

Harry Pierpont Harry "Pete" Pierpont (October 13, 1902 – October 17, 1934) was a Prohibition era gangster, convicted murderer and bank robber. He was a friend and mentor to John Dillinger. Described as handsome and soft-spoken, Pierpont was a bright, natural-b ...

, bank robber executed by

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

*October 22 - Charles Arthur Floyd, Public enemy #1 shot dead by the FBI *November 27 – Babyface Nelson, Public enemy #1 died from wounds suffered in a shootout with 2 FBI agents

1935

Events

Owney Madden Owen Vincent "Owney" Madden (December 18, 1891 – April 24, 1965) was a British-born gangster of Irish ancestry who became a leading underworld figure in New York during Prohibition. Nicknamed "The Killer", he garnered a brutal reputation within ...

, a mob leader and speakeasy owner, leaves New York City. Madden's departure follows several years of police surveillance after the shooting death of renegade mobster Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll. Madden later settles in

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...

, establishing gambling operations there and forming political attachments through his hotel operation. *Gunman Joseph "Joey Doves" Aiuppa joins the

to help protect their criminal operations in

Cicero, Illinois Cicero (originally known as Hawthorne) is a suburb of Chicago and an Incorporated town#Illinois, incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was ...

. *January 30 – Frank Milano, former boss of the Cleveland crime syndicate, flees the United States for Mexico. Milano is succeeded by Alfred "Big Al" Polizzi. *March –

is arrested, convicted, and imprisoned for three months for illegally distilling alcohol in

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the 73rd-most populous county in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 856,55 ...

. *April – Tri-State Gang member Francis Wiley is convicted of the 1934 kidnap-murder of Philadelphia racketeer William Weiss. Tri-State Gang leaders Walter Legenza and

Robert Mais The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

had previously been convicted of murder and executed in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

in February. *July 16 – "Lupo the Wolf"

Ignazio Saietta Ignazio Lupo (; March 21, 1877 – January 13, 1947), also known as Ignazio Saietta and Lupo the Wolf, was a Sicilian American Black Hand leader in New York City during the early 1900s. His business was centered in Little Italy, Manhattan, wh ...

is charged with extortion. Saietta had been intimidating Italian bakers into joining a local New York labor union he controlled. *July 25 – George Musey, associate boss of the

Downtown Gang The Downtown Gang was one of the two gangs that dominated the organized crime world in Galveston, Texas, United States, mainly during Prohibition in the United States, prohibition. The gang was founded by Johnny Jack Nounes around 1920. The gang ...

, is assassinated by the Maceo Crime Syndicate. *August 22 – Vincenzo Troia, Sicilian mafiosi and associate of former "boss of all bosses"

, is gunned down. Troia was reportedly conspiring to assume control of the Newark-based New Jersey crime syndicate. *September 9 – Abraham Weinberg, a lieutenant of Dutch Schultz, disappears and is presumed murdered. Weinberg had been running Shultz's organization since Shultz went into hiding in 1933. Reportedly, Weinberg had been secretly negotiating with syndicate leaders

and

Louis Buchalter Louis Buchalter, known as Louis Lepke or Lepke Buchalter, (February 6, 1897March 4, 1944) was an American mobster and head of the Mafia hit squad Murder, Inc., during the 1930s. Buchalter was one of the premier labor racketeers in New York City ...

. Schultz may have murdered Weinberg after returning to power. *October 23 – After threatening the life of New York State prosecutor

Thomas Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...

Dutch Schultz Dutch Schultz (born Arthur Simon Flegenheimer; August 6, 1901October 24, 1935) was an American mobster. Based in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s, he made his fortune in organized crime-related activities, including bootlegging and the nu ...

is murdered along with

Otto Berman Otto Biederman, known as Otto "Abbadabba" Berman (August 10, 1891 – October 24, 1935) was an accountant for American organized crime. He is known for having coined the phrase "Nothing personal, it's just business." Biography Early life Berm ...

, Lulu Rosencrantz and Abraham Landau at the Palace Chophouse in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Albert Anastasia Umberto "Albert" Anastasia (, ; ; September 26, 1902 – October 25, 1957) was an Italian-American mobster, hitman, and crime boss. One of the founders of the modern American Mafia, and a co-founder and later boss of the Murder, Inc. organizat ...

's crew on orders from

. Shultz's criminal operations are subsequently taken over by

with the help of lieutenant

Michael "Trigger Mike" Coppola Michael "Trigger Mike" Coppola (July 2, 1900 – October 1, 1966) was a New York City mobster who became a caporegime of the 116th Street Crew of the Luciano family, which later came to be known as the Genovese family. Coppola headed many G ...

. *October 23 – Martin "Little Marty" Krompier, premier enforcer and lieutenant of

's policy operations in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, is severely wounded by rival gunmen. This attack comes just hours after Schultz and his other associates are gunned down in Newark. Krompier ultimately survives the attack.

Arts and literature

*'' 'G' Men'' (film

starring

. *''

The Petrified Forest ''The Petrified Forest'' is a 1936 American film directed by Archie Mayo and based on Robert E. Sherwood's 1935 Broadway drama of the same name. The motion picture stars Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. The screenplay was written ...

'' (broadway play written by

Robert E. Sherwood Robert Emmet Sherwood (April 4, 1896 – November 14, 1955) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He is the author of '' Waterloo Bridge, Idiot's Delight, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Rebecca, There Shall Be No Night, The Best Years of Our ...

) starring

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

Deaths

* Walter Legenza, co-leader of the Tri-State Gang *

, co-leader of the Tri-State Gang *August 22 – Vincenzo Troia, Sicilian mafiosi and associate of

*September 9 – Abraham 'Bo' Weinberg, Dutch Schultz lieutenant *October 23 –

(Arthur Flegenheimer), New York Prohibition mobster and member of the

*October 23 –

, financial consultant of Dutch Schultz *October 23 – Abraham Landau, Dutch Schultz gunman *October 23 – Lulu Rosencrantz, Dutch Schultz gunman

1936

Events

* U.S. Attorney Thomas Dewey successfully prosecutes mobster Jacob "Gurrah" Shapiro for violating the

Sherman Anti-Trust Act The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 (, ) is a United States antitrust law which prescribes the rule of free competition among those engaged in commerce. It was passed by Congress and is named for Senator John Sherman, its principal author. Th ...

. Shapiro receives a two-year sentence. *Syndicate numbers runner and bookie Lester "Binny" Binion is forced to flee

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. Binion eventually opens Binion's Hotel and Casino in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. *January 4 –

, a former boss of the New York

, is arrested by New York City police on vagrancy charges as he was entering

. *February 14 – "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn, a high-ranking member of the

and the reported organizer of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, is murdered in a Milwaukee Avenue bowling alley, in Chicago. *May 1 – Alvin "Creepy Karpis" Karpowicz is arrested in New Orleans, he is the last of the public enemies to be captured and is the only public enemy to be captured alive. *May 19 – Nicholas Longo, the sister of

mobster Steve Magaddino, is killed by a bomb explosion in an attempt on Maggadino's life. *June 6 – As part of his crusade against organized crime, U.S. Attorney

prosecutes New York mob leader

for pandering. On this day, Luciano is convicted. He would later be sent to the

Clinton Correctional Facility Clinton Correctional Facility is a New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision maximum security state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York. The prison is sometimes colloquially referred to as Dannem ...

Dannemora, New York Dannemora is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 4,898 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Dannemora, Sweden, an important iron-mining region. The town of Dannemora contains a village also called Danne ...

. *July 15 – President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

orders the arrest of Ignazio "the Wolf" Lupo for violating the terms of his parole to serve the remaining sentence stemming from a counterfeiting charge in

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

. *August – While again attempting to return to Manhattan, Ciro Terranova is arrested on a second vagrancy charge and is held in custody. *August 17 – "Big Nose" John Avena, leader of the

crime family, is gunned down by the rival Lanzetti Brothers. This would begin a five-year gang war lasting until the death of William Lanzetti in

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

. After Avena's death,

Joe Bruno assumes control of the Philadelphia organization from his headquarters in New Jersey. *September 12–13 – Joseph Rosen, a

Brownsville, Brooklyn Brownsville is a residential neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn in New York City. The neighborhood is generally bordered by Crown Heights to the northwest; Bedford–Stuyvesant and Cypress Hills to the north; East New York to the east; Canarsie ...

candy store owner and government witness against Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, is murdered by Emmanuel Weiss,

James Ferraco James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

and

Harry Strauss __NOTOC__ Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss (July 28, 1909 – June 12, 1941) was a prolific contract killer for Murder, Inc. in the 1930s. He reportedly killed over one hundred men (some historians put the number as high as 500)Carl Sifakis, ' ...

. The crime would remain unsolved until 1940, when mobster

Abe Reles Abraham "Kid Twist" Reles (; May 10, 1906 – November 12, 1941) was a New York Jewish mobster who was a hit man for Murder, Inc., the enforcement contractor for Meyer Lansky's National Crime Syndicate. Reles later turned government witne ...

became a government informant and implicated Buchalter.

Arts and literature

*''

Bullets or Ballots ''Bullets or Ballots'' is a 1936 American gangster film starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane, and Humphrey Bogart. Robinson plays a police detective who infiltrates a crime gang. This is the first of several films featu ...

'' (film

starring

and

. *'' Dead End (play), Dead End'' (broadway play written by

Sidney Kingsley Sidney Kingsley (22 October 1906 – 20 March 1995) was an American dramatist. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' Men in White'' in 1934. Life and career Kingsley was born Sidney Kirschner in New York. He studied at ...

) *'' Fury'' (film

starring

Sylvia Sidney Sylvia Sidney (born Sophia Kosow; August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999) was an American stage, screen and film actress whose career spanned over 70 years. She rose to prominence in dozens of leading roles in the 1930s. She was nominated for the Aca ...

and

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

. *''

'' (film

starring

Births

* James Basile "Duke",

bookmaker and later government informant * John DiGilio "Johnny Dee",

member involved in New Jersey waterfront labor racketeering and loansharking * Gaetano Mazzara "Tommy", business partner and cousin of Frank Castronovo involved in the Pizza Connection *

Arnold Squitieri Arnold Ezekiel "Squiggy" Squitieri (February 2, 1936 – January 27, 2022) was an American former acting boss and underboss of the Gambino crime family. He is also known as "Zeke", "Bozey", and "Squitty". Biography Murder charge On August 18, 19 ...

, underboss and acting boss of the

Gambino Crime Family The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Ame ...

* Salvatore Mazzurco, brother-in-law of

Giuseppe Lamberti Giuseppe Lamberti (born 12 November 1973) is an Italian coxswain. Lamberti was born in 1973. He won bronze at the 1988 World Rowing Junior Championships in Milan with the junior men's coxed four. He won a gold medal at the 1989 World Rowing Cham ...

and drug trafficker involved in the Pizza Connection *February 9 – Anthony DiLapi,

soldier *June 22 –

Masaru Takumi Masaru Takumi (宅見勝 ''Takumi Masaru''; June 22, 1936 – August 28, 1997) was a powerful Japanese organized crime figure assassinated in 1997. Until his death, he was the second-in-command (''wakagashira'') and financial overseer of Japan's ...

, the founding head of the Takumi-gumi

Deaths

* Paul Kelly (Paolo Antonini Vaccarelli),

Five Points Gang The Five Points Gang was a criminal street gang of primarily Irish-American origins, based in the Five Points of Lower Manhattan, New York City, during the late 19th and early 20th century. Paul Kelly, born Paolo Antonio Vaccarelli, was an It ...

leader *February 14 –

Jack McGurn Jack "Machine Gun Jack" McGurn (born Vincenzo Antonio Gibaldi; ; July 2, 1902 – February 15, 1936) was a Sicilian-American boxer, mobster, and eventually a made man and caporegime in Al Capone's Chicago Outfit. Early life McGurn was born ...

(Vincenzo Gibaldi) "Machine Gun",

member *August 17 – John Avena "Big Nose", Philadelphia crime syndicate leader *September 12–13 – Joseph Rosen, Brownsville candy store owner and government witness

1937

Events

, former leader of the

, is arrested for vagrancy in New York. *January 8 – The Cuban government places certain gambling operations under the control of future Cuban President Col.

Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (; ; born Rubén Zaldívar, January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 and as its U.S.-backed military dictator ...

. Batista then allows New York mobster

and his associates to open the first syndicate casinos in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. *February 22 –

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Gaspare D'Amico Gaspare D'Amico (22 September 1886 – 1975) was a bootlegger and a powerful Mafia figure in New Jersey, US. Biography D'Amico was born in Villabate, Sicily. He and his brother immigrated to the United States prior to the arrival of their parents ...

is severely wounded in a failed murder attempt (reportedly ordered by

Profaci crime family The Colombo crime family (, ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City within the criminal organization known as the American Mafia. It was duri ...

boss

Joseph Profaci Giuseppe "Joe" Profaci (; October 2, 1897 – June 6, 1962) was an Italian-born New York City Cosa Nostra boss who was the founder of what became the Colombo crime family. Established in 1928, this was the last of the Five Families to be organi ...

). D'Amico eventually flees the country and his organization is taken over by Stefano Bedami (DeCavalcante), now answering to the

Five Families The Five Families refers to five major New York City organized crime families of the Italian American Mafia formed in 1931 by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the Castellammarese War. Maranzano reorganized the Italian American gangs ...

of New York. *May 11 – Gambler Ferdinand "The Shadow" Boccia is murdered by Willie Gallo and Ernest "The Hawk" Rupolo on the orders of mob boss

. *June 14 –

Francesco Lanza Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sever ...

, leader of the

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

crime syndicate and father of the future leader John Lanza, dies of natural causes and is succeeded by

Anthony Lima Anthony "Tony" Lima, (born 17 January 1946) is a Gibraltarian politician, and former Mayor of Gibraltar. He was appointed to the office of deputy mayor on 1 August 2011 and to that of mayor on 1 August 2012. He was a former Customs Collector an ...

. *October 5 –

Nicola Gentile Nicola Gentile (; June 12, 1885 – November 6, 1966), also known as Nick Gentile, was a Sicilian mafioso and an organized crime figure in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s. He was also known for publishing his memoirs which, violating the ...

, a high-ranking member of crime families in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, and

, is arrested in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

for drug trafficking. Following his release on bail, Gentile flees to Sicily in

Arts and literature

*''Dead End (1937 film), Dead End'' (film

starring

. *''Kid Galahad'' (film

starring

and

. *''The Last Gangster'' (film

starring

Births

*Vincent DiNapoli "Vinnie",

lieutenant involved in construction and labor union racketeering *John Matarazzo,

member *John Paul Spica, associate of Anthony Giodano *March 17 – Frank Calabrese, Sr., hitman of the

Deaths

*May 11 – Ferdinand Boccia "The Shadow", New York mobster and gambler *June 14 –

, leader of the San Francisco crime syndicate and father of the future leader John Lanza

1938

Events

*John Giannola of "Green Ones gang" of East St Louis-died age 40 of natural Causes. *After losing his estate in Pelham Manor, New York, former mob leader

returns to New York City. On February 19, Terranova suffers a stroke and dies the following day. *Julius Richard Davis, Julius Richard "Dixie" Davis, longtime defense lawyer for

, is imprisoned. *May 2 – Detroit mobster Joe Tocco is shot in the back and dies the following day. His death was possibly connected to mobster Joseph Zerilli, who had been consolidating his power in Detroit since the end of

. *August 21 – Hyman Yuran, a former associate of Louis "Lepke" Buchalter is killed by

His body is later found in a lime (mineral), lime pit near the small town of Loch Sheldrake, New York.

Arts and literature

*''The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse'' (film) starring

and

. *''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (film) starring

, Pat O'Brien (actor), Pat O'Brien and

. *''Racket Busters'' (film) starring

Births

*John E. Farrell "Fast Jack",

associate *February 11 – Manuel Noriega, Panamanian military leader and drug trafficking, drug trafficker *December 14 – Frank Cullotta,

associate and Soldier in Las Vegas

Deaths

* January 5- John Ginnola of "Green Ones gang" of East St LouisEdwardsville Intelligencer January 6, 1938 * February 20 –

"The Artichoke King",

leader * May 2 – Joe Tocco, Detroit mobster * August 21 – Hyman Yuran, a former associate of

1939

Events

sportsman Arthur B. McBride, Arthur B. "Mickey" McBride, the one time leader of the Mayfield Road Mob in Cleveland, purchases the ''Continental Press'' racing wire service from Moses Annenberg. *The three year gang war between the Philadelphia crime family and the rival Lanzetti Brothers ends after the death of leader William Lanzetti. The remaining Lanzetti gang members leave the city soon after. *

member Sam Giancana, Salvatore "Sam," "Mooney" Giancana is sentenced to three-years imprisonment. *After his arrest in 1937 in organized crime, 1937 for drug trafficking in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

flees the United States while out on bail. He later returns to Sicily. *

leaves the United States, after being charged for the murder of Ferdinand Boccia, later arriving in Sicily. *January 28 – Louis Cohen and Isadore Friedman, witnesses scheduled to testify against Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, are murdered in New York City. *January 29 – George Weinberg (mobster), George Weinberg, a numbers runner for

, commits suicide while under police protection shortly before his scheduled testimony against Schultz. *April 28 – Abraham Friedman, Abraham "Whitey" Friedman is murdered by

gunmen, on orders of Louis Butchalter. *May 10 – Tootsie Fienstein, a one time associate of Louis Buchalter, is murdered. *May 25 – New York Teamsters Union President Morris Diamond, on orders of

, is murdered by members of

*Summer –

's gambling ships, in operation since

, are closed by the federal authorities. *August 24 –

, leader of

, turns himself in to federal authorities, where he arranges a plea bargain with Walter Winchell. However, he is later indicted by New York District Attorney

and extradited to New York (state), New York where he is charged and later executed for murder. *September 6 – New York racketeer Irving Feinstein, Irving "Puggy" Feinstein is murdered by members of

, including

and Harry Maione, after being tied to a chair and burned to death. *October 20 – Charles Carrollo, head of the Kansas City crime syndicate, is convicted of violating federal tax laws and imprisoned in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. He is reportedly succeeded by Charles Binaggio. *November 16 – Due to ill health,

is granted an early released from Alcatraz, and committed to a hospital for treatment of paresis.

Arts and literature

*''Persons in Hiding'', non-fiction book by J. Edgar Hoover. *''Each Dawn I Die'', film starring

and George Raft. *''King of the Underworld (1939 film), King of the Underworld'', film starring

. *''The Roaring Twenties'', film featuring

and Humphrey Bogart. *''You Can't Get Away with Murder'', film starring Humphrey Bogart.

Births

*Pietro Alfano, drug trafficker and nephew-in-law to Gaetano Badalamenti *Louis DeSorbo "Big Louie", associate of the

*Peter Gotti "One Eyed Pete", member and one time acting boss of the

*Gennaro Langella "Jerry Lang",

, acting boss *Joseph Ligambi "Uncle Joe", Philadelphia crime family, boss *Joseph D. Pistone "Donnie Brasco", undercover

infiltrator of the

*April 23 – Stefano Bontade "The Prince", Palermo

Deaths

*Walter Stevens (gangster), Walter Stevens, Chicago gangster involved in labor slugging *January 28 – Louis Cohen, government witness *January 28 – Isadore Friedman, government witness *January 29 – George Weinberg (mobster), George Weinberg, government informant and former associate of

*April 28 – Abraham Friedman, Abraham "Whitey" Friedman,

victim *May 10 – Tootsie Fienstein, associate of Louis Buchalter *May 25 – Morris Diamond, New York Teamsters Union President *September 6 – Irving Feinstein "Puggy", New York racketeer

References

{{reflist 1937 in law, Organized crime Years in organized crime 1930s in law