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Mafia
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1927 |
In Chicago Al Capone's support allowed Big Bill Thompson to return to the mayor's office. Pledging to clean up Chicago and remove the crooks, Thompson instead turned his attention to the reformers, whom he considered the real criminals. Links: USA, Chicago, Mafia 
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1931 |
NYC mobster Frank Costello by this time was raking in $25 million from his 25,000 slot machines. Links: NYC, Mafia
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1934 Mar |
In SF Michael R. Catalano, underworld figure, was murdered. Links: USA, SF, Murder, Mafia
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1947 May 7 |
Nick DeJohn, former capodecina in the Chicago Family, was strangled and his body stuffed into the trunk of a car parked on a San Francisco street. DeJohn had reportedly fled Chicago after murdering several other gang members and was living in Santa Rosa, California, under an alias at the time of his death. Links: USA, California, SF, Chicago, Mafia
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1959 Jan 1 |
Fidel Castro proclaimed the triumph of his revolution from the balcony of Santiago's city hall. Castro led Cuban revolutionaries to victory over Fulgencio Batista, who fled to the Dominican Republic. American mafia scrambled to secure their cash and close casinos ahead of crowds that took to the streets and trashed their businesses. In 2008 T.J. English Morrow authored “Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba …and Then Lost It to the Revolution.” Links: USA, Cuba, Mafia
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1961 Sep 8 |
Frank Rosenthal (1929-2008), friend of Chicago mobsters, appeared before a Senate hearing on gambling and organized crime. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 38 times. Links: USA, Chicago, Mafia
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1965 Mar 12 |
Edward "Teddy" Deegan was found dead in an alley in Chelsea, Mass. A week later an FBI memo named 6 men, including Vincent J. Flemmi and Joseph "The Animal" Barboza, as the killers. Barboza became a star witness and provided false testimony to convict 4 innocent men. The New England Mafia shotgunned Barboza in SF in 1976. Over the next 3 decades FBI informants in Boston murdered over 20 people. Links: USA, Massachusetts, FBI, Mafia
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1967 Apr |
Henry Hill (d.2012) completed his first major robbery when he and Thomas DeSimone, who was portrayed in an Oscar-winning performance by Joe Pesci in "Goodfellas" (1990), famously robbed Air France of a shipment of $420,000. Hill became an FBI informant following a 1980 arrest on a narcotics-trafficking charge, and testimony he delivered led to 50 arrests. Hill’s life story was documented in the book "Wiseguy" (1986) by Nicholas Pileggi. Links: USA, France, Mafia
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1968 |
When the Raiders played in their first Super Bowl in Miami, boss Al Davis got a call from mobster Meyer Lansky asking him to speak to a group of funeral directors. Davis tried to back out but Lansky said: "You will be there at 6 p.m." A biography of Lansky was written by Hank Messick (d.1999). Links: USA, Florida, Mafia, Football, SF Bay Area
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1970 Mar 23 |
Mafia "Boss" Carlo Gambino was arrested for plotting to steal $3 million. Links: USA, Mafia
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1971 Apr 3 |
Joseph Valachi (b.1903), US gangster, died at La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution in Texas. A biography heavily influenced by Valachi’s memoirs and by interviews with Valachi was written by journalist Peter Maas and published in 1968 as The Valachi Papers. Links: USA, Mafia
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1972 Apr 7 |
"Crazy" Joe Gallo, flamboyant mobster, was gunned down at his 43rd birthday party in Manhattan’s Umberto's Clam House. Links: USA, NYC, Mafia
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1973 Feb 18 |
Frank Costello (b.1891), Italian-born US gangster, died in NYC. Links: USA, NYC, Mafia
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1975 Jun 19 |
Sam Giancana (b.1908), Italian-American mob boss, was murdered at his home in Oak Park, Ill. He had a romance with Phillis McGuire, of the McGuire Sisters vocal group, and was credited with assisting John F. Kennedy in efforts to win the presidential election. A movie was made in 1995 that depicts the Giancana-McGuire romance. Links: USA, Chicago, Murder, Mafia
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1976 Jun 13 |
Don Bolles, Arizona Republic investigative reporter, died as a result of injuries suffered when a bomb blew up his car 11 days earlier. He had been working on an alleged Mafia story at the time of his death. Links: USA, Arizona, Mafia, Journalism
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1976 Oct 15 |
Carlo Gambino (b.1902), US gangster, died at his summer home in Long Island. Links: USA, New York, Mafia
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1976 |
Joseph "The Animal" Barboza was shotgunned in SF by the New England Mafia. Links: USA, SF, Mafia
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1976 1981 |
Joe Pistone, FBI agent, infiltrated the Bonanno family. His testimony later helped jail more than 120 mobsters. Links: USA, FBI, Mafia
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1977 Dec 6 |
SF FBI agents arrested James "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno (64), a reportedly leading West Coast Mafia figure. Links: USA, SF, FBI, Mafia
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1979 Mar 20 |
In Rome, Italy, the Mafia killed Mino Pecorelli, a magazine editor. In 1996 Premier Giulio Andreotti went on trial for allegedly turning to the Mafia to kill the troublesome journalist. Andreotti was acquitted by a jury in 1999. 5 others were also acquitted. In 2002 an appeal court in Perugia sentenced Giulio Andreotti to 24 years imprisonment for ordering the murder of Pecorelli. Links: Italy, Mafia
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1980 Mar 18 |
John Favara struck a killed Frank Gotti (12), the son of mobster John Gotti, as the boy darted in front of his car on a minibike in Brooklyn. Favara disappeared on July 28. In 2009 it was reported that mobster Charles Carneglia (62) had killed Favara and dissolved his body in acid. Links: USA, NYC, Mafia
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1980 Sep 2 |
In the SF Bay Area US District Judge William Ingram found Mafia boss Joseph Bonanno guilty of conspiracy to influence wtinesses before a federal grand jury investigating the Santa Clara Valley business affairs of his 2 sons. Links: USA, California, Mafia, SF Bay Area
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1981 Jan 12 |
The US District Court in SF sentenced Joseph Bonanno Sr. (75), the reputed NY mafia boss, to serve 5 years in prison. Bonanno was released from prison July 29, 1984. Links: USA, NYC, SF, Mafia
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1982 Jun 18 |
The body of Roberto Calvi (1920–1982), an Italian banker, was found hanging from scaffolding beneath Blackfriars Bridge in the financial district of London. Calvi, director of Banco Ambrosiano, allegedly hanged himself following the fraudulent bankruptcy of the bank. Calvi's clothing was stuffed with building bricks, and he was carrying around $15,000 of cash in three different currencies. Calvi, dubbed by the press as "God's Banker" due to his close association with the Vatican, had gone missing on June 10. In 1992 Carlo De Benedetti, the chairman of Olivetti SpA, was convicted for contributing to the bankruptcy of Banco Ambrosiano. In 1996 courts upheld his conviction and that of 30 others. In 2003 RAI state television said prosecutors believed the Mafia killed Roberto Calvi because he lost their money and knew too much about their operations. In 2005 a trial began for 5 people in the murder of Calvi. In 2007 a jury acquitted all 5 defendants charged with the murder of Calvi. Links: Italy, Britain, Vatican, Suicide, Mafia, Bankruptcy, Banking
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1982 Jul 31 |
Jai Alai executive John B. Callahan (45) was fatally shot in Miami by mob hit man John Martorano. Callahan’s body was found Aug 2 in the trunk of his Cadillac. In 2008 former FBI agent John Connolly was convicted of 2nd degree murder for leaking information to mobsters that led to the shooting death of Callahan. In Jan, 2009, Connolly was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Links: USA, Florida, FBI, Mafia
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1982 Oct 4 |
Frank Rosenthal (1929-2008), Las Vegas casino operator, survived a car bomb when his Cadillac exploded as he turned the key. He ran the mob-owned Stardust, Fremont, Hacienda and Marina casinos. In 1995 Martin Scorsese made his film “Casino,” based on the life of Frank Rosenthal. Links: USA, Nevada, Mafia
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1982 |
Tony Mirra, mobster friend of Donnie Brasco (aka FBI agent Joe Pistone), was shot to death. Links: USA, Murder, FBI, Mafia
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1983 Jan 15 |
Meyer Lansky (born Majer Suchowlinski, July 4, 1902), American gangster, died. He and Charles "Lucky" Luciano were instrumental in the development of the so-called "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States. He was the intellectual impetus behind the Commission and the so-called "Mogul of the Mob." In 2004 Enrique Cirules authored "The Secret Life of Meyer Lansky in Havana." The book was only available in Cuba in Spanish. Links: USA, Cuba, Mafia
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1984 Oct 24 |
In NYC 11 members of Colombo crime family were indicted. Links: USA, Mafia
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1985 Sep 23 |
Italian journalist Giancarlo Siani (b.1959) was killed after he ran investigative reports on the Mafia in the Naples daily Il Mattino. In 1997 6 Naples gangsters were sentenced to life terms for the murder. Links: Italy, Mafia, Journalism
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1985 Dec 16 |
Reputed organized-crime chief Paul Castellano was shot to death outside a New York City restaurant on orders from John Gotti (d.2002). Gotti seized power in the Mafia after he had Paul Castellano killed. Links: USA, NYC, Mafia
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1985 |
Anthony Corallo (d.2000 at 87), aka Tony Ducks, Luchese family member of the Mafia politburo, was arrested and later convicted for racketeering. Links: USA, Mafia
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1985 1991 |
In Italy a mafia war during this period claimed the lives of almost 600 people. Giovanni Tegano, a senior gangster in Reggio Calabria, was a key participant. Links: Italy, Mafia
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1986 Feb 10 |
The largest Mafia trial in history, with 474 defendants, opened in Palermo, Italy. Links: Italy, Mafia
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1986 Dec 17 |
Richard Kuklinsky, a Mafia hitman known as the Iceman, was arrested in New Jersey. He was found guilty of all charges May 25, 1988. Anthony Bruno later authored "The Iceman." Links: USA, New Jersey, Mafia
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1987 Mar 13 |
John Gotti was acquitted of racketeering. Links: USA, Mafia
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1988 |
Joseph D. Pistone wrote of his 6 undercover years with the mob in "Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia." It was made into a film in 1997. Links: USA, Mafia, Books
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1988 |
The US government filed suit to impose federal supervision of the Teamsters Union after the death of its general president, Jackie Presser, on grounds of alleged Mafia control. Links: USA, Labor, Mafia
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1989 Oct 29 |
Angelo Mercurio (1936-2006), an FBI informant, attended a Mafia induction ceremony at a suburban Boston home. His evidence helped bring down the crime family led by Raymond “Junior” Patriarca. Links: USA, Massachusetts, Mafia
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1989 |
The Teamsters settled a suit brought by the government that charged ties to the Mafia. The union agreed to rank-and-file elections for president and to an independent review board. Links: USA, Labor, Mafia
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1990 Feb 9 |
John Gotti (1940-2002) was acquitted of charges that he commissioned the Westies gang to shoot a union official in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen. This earned him the nickname "The Teflon Don." Links: USA, NYC, Mafia
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1991 Aug 29 |
Libero Grassi, Italian underwear manufacturer, anti mafia, was gunned down in Palermo. Links: Italy, Sicily, Mafia
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1991 |
Joe Massino took over as head of the Bonanno family in NYC. In 2004 he faced trial on racketeering charges and 7 murders. Links: USA, NYC, Mafia
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1991 |
Tano Grasso was placed under police protection after he founded Italy’s first anti-racket association. In 2011 Grasso and Lirio Abate held the Trame literary festival in Lamezia Terme focusing on books about the Mafia. Links: Italy, Mafia
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1992 Apr 2 |
John Gotti (d.2002), Mafia boss, was convicted in New York City of 5 murders and racketeering. Underboss Sammy "the Bull" Gravano provided testimony. The murders included the 1985 hit on Paul Castellano, head of the Gambino family. He was sentenced to life in prison on June 23. Links: USA, NYC, Mafia
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auto accident attorney services, and
sustainable development information to research going green!
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1992 May 23 |
In Sicily anti-Mafia investigator Giovannii Falcone was murdered on a highway outside Palermo. Falcone’s wife and 3 bodyguards were also killed. Sicilian politician Salvo Lima was also murdered. Anti-Mafia investigator Paolo Borsellino was killed in another blast some months later. In 1997 Pietro Aglieri, aka "U Signurinu" (The Little Gentleman), was arrested for involvement in all three murders. 24 mobsters were convicted in the murder in 1997, including Leoluca Bagarella. Links: Italy, Murder, Sicily, Mafia
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1992 May 27 |
Tony "Big Tuna" Accardo (86), mobster (heir to the late Al Capone), died. Links: USA, Chicago, Mafia
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1992 Jun 19 |
In NYC a botched kidnapping attempt left Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, critically wounded from a pair of gunshots. John Gotti Jr. was later indicted on racketeering charges and for ordering the attack on Sliwa. In 2006 a deadlocked federal jury led to a mistrial for Gotti. Links: USA, NYC, Mafia
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1992 Jun 23 |
John Gotti (d.2002), Mafia boss nicknamed the "Teflon Don" after escaping unscathed from several trials during the 1980s, was convicted on 14 accounts of conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering and sentenced in New York to life in prison. His son John Gotti Jr. succeeded him as head of the Gambino crime family and was arrested in 1998. Links: USA, New York, Mafia
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1992 Jul 19 |
Paolo Borsellino, Italian anti-mafia judge, was murdered by mafia. Links: Italy, Mafia
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1992 |
Salvatore (Sammy the Bull) Gravano took the witness stand and testified against his Mafia boss, John Gotti. Gotti went to jail for life and Gravano served 5 years and went undercover in a federal witness protection program. He identified Vincent Gigante as the head of the Genovese crime family. In 1997 Peter Maas published his interviews with Gravano in his book "Underboss." Links: USA, NYC, Mafia
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1992 |
The Italian Mafia demanded that sentences passed against some 400 Mafiosi at a mass trial in 1987 be softened and that a law that imposed a harsh prison regime for Mafiosi be repealed. A list of 12 demands was written by written by the son of Salvatore "The Beast" Riina on a scrap of paper while his father was still at large during alleged secret negotiations between the state and the Mafia. The note was only made public in 2009. Links: Italy, Mafia
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1993 Jan 8 |
Sicilian journalist Beppe Alfano (b.1945) was killed by the Mafia. Links: Murder, Sicily, Mafia, Journalism
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1993 Jan 15 |
In Sicily Salvatore "The Beast" Riina was arrested. "Toto" Riina, the Sicilian boss of bosses, was arrested for his role in the murder of prosecutor Giovanni Falcone. Bernardo Provenzano was considered to have taken over as boss of the Sicilian Mafia following Riina’s arrest. Provenzano’s right-hand man was Mariano Troia. Links: Murder, Sicily, Mafia
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1993 May 9 |
Pope John Paul II made an anti-Mafia speech in Agrigento, Sicily. Links: Italy, Vatican, Sicily, Mafia
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1993 May 18 |
Italian police arrested Mafia boss Benedetto "Nitto" Santapaola. Links: Italy, Mafia
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1993 May 27 |
Five people were killed in a bombing at the Uffizi museum of art in Florence, Italy; some three dozen paintings were ruined or damaged. Giovanni Brusca was believed to have led teams that damaged the Uffizi museum in Florence with car bombs. He is believed by many to be the leader of the Italian Mafia teams. In 1996 he was arrested in Sicily and charged with masterminding the murder of Giovanni Falcone, his wife and three bodyguards in 1992. In 1998 Mafia boss Lelluca Bagarella and 13 others were sentenced to life in prison for the May and July bombings. Links: Italy, Sicily, Mafia, Museums
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1994 Jun 4 |
Gregory Scarpa, nicknamed The Grim Reaper, died in a Minnesota prison. He was a soldier for the Colombo crime family and an informant for the FBI. Links: USA, Minnesota, FBI, Mafia
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1994 |
Frank Ragano (d.1998 at 75), a lawyer who represented many Mafia figures, published "Mob Lawyer." It was co-written with Selwyn Raab of the New York Times. Links: Mafia, Books
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1994 |
Roberto Pannunzi, Italian mobster, was arrested in Colombia. He had forged links with Colombian cartels for transatlantic trade in cocaine. He was extradited to Italy and released when his detention expired. He was rearrested in 2004 but disappeared in 2009 when sent to a private clinic near Rome following a heart attack. Links: Italy, Mafia
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