Rosario Dispenza was an Italian-born American mobster. He was head of the Sicilian mafia in the Near North Side neighborhood of Chicago from 1909 to 1914. Born circa 1870 in

Ciminna Ciminna is a Sicilian city in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, located approximately southeast of its capital, Palermo. The city's economy is derived mainly from agriculture and traditional crafts. The artist and Franciscan priest Pasquale Sar ...

, Italy, Dispenza immigrated to the United States in 1899 on board the SS Aller. He was a contact 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 ...

and known associate of

Anthony D'Andrea Anthony D'Andrea (born Antonio D'Andrea; ; June 7, 1872 – May 12, 1921) was an Italian-born Italian-American Mafia, Mafia boss of Chicago in the late 1910s to early 1920s. He was also a Democrat and a political leader who was a president of the ...

. Alongside his business partner Anthony Puccio, Dispenza co-owned the Banca Siciliana, a bank on Milton Avenue, and a saloon on the intersection of Milton Avenue and Hobbie Street. This area was colloquially referred to as the "Black Hand Belt" or "Death Corner". In 1908, Dispenza was fined $100 for allowing patrons to gamble for drinks. On January 22, 1914, hours after Puccio was murdered outside of the saloon, Dispenza was shot and killed. Although police did not arrive in time to apprehend the assailant, a search of the area revealed two sawed-off shotguns in a neighboring alley. Police suspected that the killings may have been related to the murder of Charles Catalino, which had occurred a week prior.

References

Murdered American gangsters of Italian descent Gangsters from Chicago 1914 deaths Year of birth missing {{US-crime-bio-stub