The Lanzetta Brothers, also known as the Lanzetti Brothers due to an incorrect spelling used by newspapers, was a group of six brothers who ran bootlegging operations 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 ...

and possibly Atlantic City.

Early lives

There were six brothers in the gang: * Leo. b. 1895 in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. * Pius. b. 1898 in Philadelphia. *

Ignatius Ignatius is a male given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name Religious * Ignatius of Antioch (35–108), saint and martyr, Apostolic Father, early Christian bishop * Ignatius of Constantinople (797–877), Cath ...

, b. 1903 in Philadelphia. * Hugo, aka "Willie". b. 1902 in Philadelphia. * Lucian, b. 1908 in Philadelphia. * Teofilo, aka "Teo". b. 1910 in Philadelphia. Their father Ignazio Lanzetta was born in the Italian town of

Roseto Valfortore Roseto Valfortore (Irpino: ) is a small town and ''comune'' of the Province of Foggia, in the Apulia Region of southeastern Italy. Located in the Daunian Mountains near Fortore springs, Roseto Valfortore is awarded ''"I Borghi più belli d'Itali ...

, then part of The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, around 1852. Their mother Michelina Luisi was born in nearby Castelluccio Valmaggiore around 1874.

Prohibition and bootlegging

When

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 alcohol ...

went into effect in January 1920, the Lanzettas organized an "Alky Cooking" supply network by providing a contingent of row house dwellers with home stills and paying them to produce saleable liquor. The brothers then sold the liquor at higher prices. Their most trusted associates included Louis "Fats" Delrossi and Mike Falcone. The brothers' criminal careers were marked by frequent arrests and brutal violence. At various times, the brothers feuded with several different groups of racketeers 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.Mickey Duffy Michael "Mickey" Duffy (born William Michael Cusick; 1888 - August 30, 1931) -- also known as John Murphy and George McEwen -- was a Polish- American mobster and rival of Maxie "Boo Boo" Hoff during Prohibition. He became one of the most famo ...

and some of his partners. Between 1924 and 1939, at least one brother was involved as a suspect or a material witness in no less than fifteen murder cases, including Pius' imprisonment and dismissal during the early stages of the investigation into the murder of Mickey Duffy. The brothers were also rivals of Max Hoff's criminal organization. Leo and Ignatius killed rival dope peddler and bootlegger Joe Bruno on August 18, 1925, at 8th and Catherine Streets. Bruno was also a

made man In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...

in the

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 ...

. Leo was killed on August 22, 1925, as he left a barber shop at 7th and Bainbridge Streets, in retaliation for the murder of Joe Bruno. Sicilian Philadelphia

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, ...

Salvatore Sabella Salvatore Sabella (; July 7, 1891 – 1962) was an Italian-born crime boss of the Philadelphia crime family in the 1920s. Early life Sabella was born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, on July 7, 1891, who became a butcher's apprentice as a youn ...

was Leo's suspected killer. Pius was killed in a luncheonette on December 31, 1936 at 726 South Eighth Street. Willie was found with his head in a burlap bag and a bullet in his brain on July 2, 1939. Teo was convicted on drug trafficking charges and sent to Levenworth Prison in 1940.

Lanzetta et al. vs. New Jersey

Along with Delrossi and Falcone, Ignatius was sent to prison in 1936 for breaking New Jersey's "Gangster Law" and released after the Supreme Court overthrew the law in the decision ''Lanzetta Et Al. v. New Jersey'' in March of 1939. Writing for the majority, Justice Pierce Butler stated that: When Ignatius was released, he relocated to

Detroit, Michigan 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 ...

with Lucien and their mother.

Television

In the first season of the HBO series '' Boardwalk Empire'', the Lanzetta brothers are the basis for Nucky Thompson's main rivals, the D'Alessio brothers. The D'Alessio brothers try to take over Atlantic City, New Jersey's bootlegging operations along with

Mickey Doyle Mieczyslaw "Mickey Doyle" Kuzik is a fictional character in the HBO TV series '' Boardwalk Empire''. He is played by Paul Sparks. Mickey Doyle is loosely based on Polish American mobster Mickey Duffy. Mickey is a gangster in Prohibition-era A ...

, 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

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 athletic ...

. In the show, the brothers' names are Leo, Ignatius, Matteo, Lucien, Sixtus, and Pius. In the show, Ignatius and Pius are killed by freelance

assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

Richard Harrow Richard Harrow is a fictional character on the television series '' Boardwalk Empire'', played by the actor Jack Huston. Fictional biography Backstory Richard was a sharpshooter in the US Army during World War I. He was badly disfigured during t ...

, Matteo is killed by Atlantic City North Side leader Albert "Chalky" White, Lucien and Leo are killed by James "Jimmy" Darmody, and Sixtus is killed by

South Side Gang 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 ...

bouncer A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, or ...

Alphonse "Scarface" Capone 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 ...

Members of the Lanzetta Gang

Bosses

* Leo Lanzetta: Early 1920s–1925 – Killed after leaving a barbershop for the murder of Giuseppe "Joe Bruno" Dovi in 1925. * Pius Lanzetta: Early 1920s–1936 – Killed by enemy bullets in 1936. * Ignatius "Frank Pius" Lanzetta: Early 1920s–1940 – Convicted and imprisoned for four years, later fleeing with Lucien to Detroit.

Other members

* Willie Lanzetta: Early 1920s–1939 – Shot in the head and beheaded in 1939. * Teo Lanzetta: Early 1920s–1940 – Imprisoned on drug trafficking charges in 1940. * Lucien Lanzetta: Early 1920s–1940 – Fled to Detroit with Ignatius and their mother in 1940. * Michael Falcone: Early 1920s–1940 – Convicted and imprisoned for four years from 1936–1940. * Louis "Fats" Delrossi: Early 1920s–1940 – Convicted and imprisoned for four years from 1936–1940.

Rival

– Sent to Philadelphia by Sicilian Mafia capofamiglia to organize the city's

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 ...

. Sabella died in 1927. * Giuseppe "Joseph Bruno" Dovi – Sabella's protégé. Rival dope peddler and bootlegger. Killed by the Lanzetta's in 1925. * William Michael "Mickey Duffy" Cusick – Rival bootlegger. Rival of Philadelphia

Jewish Mob Jewish-American organized crime initially emerged within the American Jewish community during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has been referred to variously in media and popular culture as the Jewish Mob, Jewish Mafia, Kosher Mob, K ...

boss Max "Boo Boo" Hoff. Possibly killed by the Lanzetta's in 1931. *

Bruno 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 ...

– Rival Sicilian

crime family A crime family is a unit of an organized crime syndicate, particularly in Italian organized crime and especially in the Sicilian Mafia and Italian American Mafia, often operating within a specific geographic territory or a specific set of activ ...

References

External links

Philly gangsters
a
Philly Neighbors.com

The Real People of Boardwalk Empire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanzetta Brothers, The Organized crime groups in the United States Depression-era gangsters Italian-American crime families Sibling groups Prohibition gangs Philadelphia crime family Gangs in Philadelphia Gangs in New Jersey