Giuseppe Morello
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello (May 2, 1867 - August 15, 1930), also known as "The Old Fox", was the first boss
of the Morello crime family
and later top adviser to Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. He was known as Piddu (diminutive form of Giuseppe) and his rivals the Castellammarese
knew him as Peter Morello. He was famous for having a one-fingered deformed right hand that resembled a claw.
In the 1890s, Giuseppe founded a gang known as the 107th Street Mob and which would later evolve into the Morello crime family. Today the Morello crime family is known as the Genovese crime family
and is the oldest of the Five Families
in New York City
.
in Corleone. Bernardo and Angelina had three sons: Nicolo Terranova
, Vincenzo Terranova
and Ciro Terranova
; and a daughter, Salvatrice Terranova. The couple may also have had another daughter, Rosalia Lomonte, supposedly born in 1892. The Morello and Terranova children grew up together and Bernardo may have facilitated Giuseppe's early induction into the local cosca
, or Mafia clan. Crichley notes that Morello also had an uncle, Giuseppe Battaglia, who was a leader in the Corelonesi Mafia and who may have assisted in his nephew's passage.
The exact year of Morello's emigration to the United States is not certain. Dash writes that Morello emigrated in 1892 after becoming a suspect in a murder in Corleone and after his counterfeiting ring had been compromised. Despite his departure the Italian government brought a case to court and found him guilty of money counterfeiting. On September 14, 1894, he was sentenced to 6 years and 45 days imprisonment plus fine and deprived of the right to hold public office. It is possible that the sentence was handed down in absentia
; according to Critchley it appears that Morello left Sicily for New York around this time.
Morello's three half brothers Nicolo, Vincenzo and Ciro, his stepfather Bernardo, his mother Angelina, his wife Maria and son Calogero would arrive in New York
on March 8, 1893. In the mid-1890s, Giuseppe Morello moved to Louisiana
in search for employment and was joined by the other members of the Morello-Terranova family. The following year they moved to Texas
and farmed cotton. After contracting malaria
they returned to New York about 1897. Morello tried his hand in different business ventures, including failed investments in a saloon
and a date factory. In 1902 he acquired a saloon at 8 Prince Street in Manhattan
which was to become a meeting place for members of his gang.
married Morello's half sister Salvatrice.
Morello built his empire based on his merciless ordering of death sentences against everyone who dared to face him. Lupo, his main enforcer, was responsible for more than sixty murders in a 10 year period. The Morello family would frequently employ the notorious barrel murder
system, dumping dismembered corpses into large wood barrels. The barrels would then be thrown into the sea, left on a random street corner, abandoned in a back alley or shipped to nonexistent addresses in another city.
Family business included extortion, loan sharking, Italian lottery, robbery
and counterfeiting. Illegally earned money was then legitimized by legal businesses such as stores or restaurants owned by the family, making them the first crime family in town to organize this kind of money laundering
. They also introduced revolutionary ways of extorting small amounts of money every week from business owners in exchange for "protection
", as opposed to the theft of large amounts which might bankrupt them. This technique was adopted from Black Hand
gangsters and it led to increased profits for the gang.
By 1905, Morello had created the largest, most influential Sicilian crime family in New York City, and was recognized as capo di tutti capi
(boss of bosses) by Mafia leaders in other U.S. cities, according to Nicola Gentile
.
His half brother Nicolo took over control until 1916 when he was killed by the Napolitan Camorra
boss in Brooklyn, Pellegrino Morano
. Giuseppe's half brothers Vincenzo, as family boss, and Ciro, as underboss, were next to run the family business until the 1920s when former Morello family capo Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria took over Morello's operations in Manhattan
and Salvatore D'Aquila
took over in Brooklyn
.
Trying to retake control of his empire, Morello, with the new nickname of Peter Morello, enlisted former family soldier Rocco Valenti
in his battle against Masseria. After two failed assassination attempts against Masseria by Valenti a truce meeting was arranged between Morello and Masseria. Neither man showed up to the meeting in August 1922, however, and when Valenti tried to escape he was killed by Masseria gunman Charles Luciano
. Morello decided to make peace with Masseria and shortly afterward allied himself with him. The peace allowed Masseria to take total control of New York with Morello as his consigliere
and Luciano as one of his main lieutenants, running his own crew.
, roughly between 1929–31, Masseria and Morello fought against a rival group based in Brooklyn, led by Salvatore Maranzano
and Joseph Bonanno
. Morello, an old hand in the killing game, became Masseria's "war chief" and strategic adviser.
One of the first victims of the war, Giuseppe Morello was killed along with associate Joseph Perriano on August 15, 1930 while collecting cash receipts in his East Harlem office. The identity of the assassin is still disputed. Luciano claimed it was the duo of Albert Anastasia
and Frank Scalice
, both hired killers at that time and future top members of Gambino crime family
. Joe Valachi
, a government informer, claimed it was the assassin Buster from Chicago
, a character some people believed was invented by Valachi to hide the fact that he was the real killer.
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
of the Morello crime family
Morello crime family
The Morello crime family is the direct ancestor of the Genovese crime family, the oldest of New York City's Five Families.-From Corleone to America:...
and later top adviser to Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. He was known as Piddu (diminutive form of Giuseppe) and his rivals the Castellammarese
Castellammarese War
The Castellammarese War was a bloody power struggle for control of the Italian-American Mafia between partisans of Joe "The Boss" Masseria and those of Salvatore Maranzano. It was so called because Maranzano was based in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily...
knew him as Peter Morello. He was famous for having a one-fingered deformed right hand that resembled a claw.
In the 1890s, Giuseppe founded a gang known as the 107th Street Mob and which would later evolve into the Morello crime family. Today the Morello crime family is known as the Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
and is the oldest of the Five Families
Five Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Early life
Giuseppe Morello was born in Corleone, Sicily on May 2, 1867. His father Calogero Morello died in 1872 and his mother Angelina Piazza remarried one year later to Bernardo Terranova who was a member of the Corelonesi MafiaMafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
in Corleone. Bernardo and Angelina had three sons: Nicolo Terranova
Nicholas Morello
Nicolo Terranova , also known as Nicholas "Nick" Morello, was one of the first Italian-American organized crime figures in New York City...
, Vincenzo Terranova
Vincenzo Terranova
Vincenzo "Vincent" Terranova was a gangster and an early Italian-American organized crime figure in the United States. He served as boss and underboss of the Morello crime family, today known as the Genovese crime family, the oldest of the Five Families in New York City.Terranova was born in...
and Ciro Terranova
Ciro Terranova
Ciro "The Artichoke King" Terranova was a New York City gangster and one time underboss of the Morello crime family.-Early life:Ciro Terranova was born in the town of Corleone, Sicily...
; and a daughter, Salvatrice Terranova. The couple may also have had another daughter, Rosalia Lomonte, supposedly born in 1892. The Morello and Terranova children grew up together and Bernardo may have facilitated Giuseppe's early induction into the local cosca
Cosca
The word cosca is a Sicilian word which refers to any plant – such as the artichoke or the thistle – whose spiny closely folded leaves symbolize the tightness of relationships between members of the Mafia. In the English language this is best described as a clan. It is often used as a synonym for...
, or Mafia clan. Crichley notes that Morello also had an uncle, Giuseppe Battaglia, who was a leader in the Corelonesi Mafia and who may have assisted in his nephew's passage.
The exact year of Morello's emigration to the United States is not certain. Dash writes that Morello emigrated in 1892 after becoming a suspect in a murder in Corleone and after his counterfeiting ring had been compromised. Despite his departure the Italian government brought a case to court and found him guilty of money counterfeiting. On September 14, 1894, he was sentenced to 6 years and 45 days imprisonment plus fine and deprived of the right to hold public office. It is possible that the sentence was handed down in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
; according to Critchley it appears that Morello left Sicily for New York around this time.
Morello's three half brothers Nicolo, Vincenzo and Ciro, his stepfather Bernardo, his mother Angelina, his wife Maria and son Calogero would arrive in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on March 8, 1893. In the mid-1890s, Giuseppe Morello moved to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
in search for employment and was joined by the other members of the Morello-Terranova family. The following year they moved to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and farmed cotton. After contracting malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
they returned to New York about 1897. Morello tried his hand in different business ventures, including failed investments in a saloon
Saloon
Saloon may refer to:* Saloon , a style of car body.* Saloon , a musical group.* Western saloon, a historical style of American bar.* Bar , a venue for alcoholic beverage consumption....
and a date factory. In 1902 he acquired a saloon at 8 Prince Street in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
which was to become a meeting place for members of his gang.
Morello crime family
In the 1890s, Giuseppe founded the 107th Street Mob which would later evolve into the Morello crime family. In 1903, Ignazio "the Wolf" Lupo, the Sicilian Mafia boss in Little Italy, ManhattanLittle Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York City, once known for its large population of Italians. Today the neighborhood of Little Italy consists of Italian stores and restaurants.-Historical area:...
married Morello's half sister Salvatrice.
Morello built his empire based on his merciless ordering of death sentences against everyone who dared to face him. Lupo, his main enforcer, was responsible for more than sixty murders in a 10 year period. The Morello family would frequently employ the notorious barrel murder
Barrel murder
A barrel murder was a method of execution used by early American mafiosi since the 1870s, although the earliest recorded barrel murders in New York were reported in 1895 and 1900....
system, dumping dismembered corpses into large wood barrels. The barrels would then be thrown into the sea, left on a random street corner, abandoned in a back alley or shipped to nonexistent addresses in another city.
Family business included extortion, loan sharking, Italian lottery, robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
and counterfeiting. Illegally earned money was then legitimized by legal businesses such as stores or restaurants owned by the family, making them the first crime family in town to organize this kind of money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
. They also introduced revolutionary ways of extorting small amounts of money every week from business owners in exchange for "protection
Protection racket
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a criminal group or individual coerces a victim to pay money, supposedly for protection services against violence or property damage. Racketeers coerce reticent potential victims into buying "protection" by demonstrating what will happen if they...
", as opposed to the theft of large amounts which might bankrupt them. This technique was adopted from Black Hand
Black Hand
Unification or Death , unofficially known as the Black Hand , was a secret military society formed by members of the Serbian army in the Kingdom of Serbia, which was founded on September 6, 1901. It was intent on uniting all of the territories containing significant Serb populations annexed by...
gangsters and it led to increased profits for the gang.
By 1905, Morello had created the largest, most influential Sicilian crime family in New York City, and was recognized as capo di tutti capi
Capo di tutti capi
Capo di tutti capi or capo dei capi is Italian for "boss of all bosses" or "boss of bosses". It is a phrase used mainly by the media, public and the law enforcement community to indicate a supremely powerful crime boss in the Sicilian or American Mafia who holds great influence over the whole...
(boss of bosses) by Mafia leaders in other U.S. cities, according to Nicola Gentile
Nicola Gentile
Nicola Gentile , 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 mafiosi code known as omerta, revealed many details of the Sicilian and American underworld...
.
Fall and return
Morello was found guilty of counterfeiting again in 1909 and along with his brother-in-law and second-in-command, Ignazio Lupo was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Morello maintained his position as the head of his crime family for approximately the first year of his sentence, during which time he hoped his sentence would be overturned on appeal. His appeals were not immediately successful and Morello became depressed as he lost his official position as boss of New York and all the influence he once held.His half brother Nicolo took over control until 1916 when he was killed by the Napolitan Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
boss in Brooklyn, Pellegrino Morano
Pellegrino Morano
Pellegrino Morano was a leader of the Neapolitan Camorra gangs in Brooklyn, New York. He operated from his Coney Island gang and is considered the American "Grand Master" from roughly 1907-1917.-Background:...
. Giuseppe's half brothers Vincenzo, as family boss, and Ciro, as underboss, were next to run the family business until the 1920s when former Morello family capo Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria took over Morello's operations in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and Salvatore D'Aquila
Salvatore D'Aquila
Salvatore "Toto" D'Aquila was a New York City mobster from the Mustache Pete-era and the first boss of the Gambino crime family....
took over in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
Trying to retake control of his empire, Morello, with the new nickname of Peter Morello, enlisted former family soldier Rocco Valenti
Rocco Valenti
Rocco Valenti was a New York City gangster and prominent member of the Morello crime family during the early 1900s.-Mafia-Camorra War:Valenti joined the Neapolitan Navy Street Gang in the early 1910s...
in his battle against Masseria. After two failed assassination attempts against Masseria by Valenti a truce meeting was arranged between Morello and Masseria. Neither man showed up to the meeting in August 1922, however, and when Valenti tried to escape he was killed by Masseria gunman Charles Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
. Morello decided to make peace with Masseria and shortly afterward allied himself with him. The peace allowed Masseria to take total control of New York with Morello as his consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
and Luciano as one of his main lieutenants, running his own crew.
Castellammarese War
During the Castellammarese WarCastellammarese War
The Castellammarese War was a bloody power struggle for control of the Italian-American Mafia between partisans of Joe "The Boss" Masseria and those of Salvatore Maranzano. It was so called because Maranzano was based in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily...
, roughly between 1929–31, Masseria and Morello fought against a rival group based in Brooklyn, led by Salvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Cosa Nostra boss in the United States. He instigated the Castellammarese War to seize control of the American Mafia operations, and briefly became the Mafia's "Boss of Bosses"...
and Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Charles Bonanno, Sr. was a Sicilian-born American mafioso who became the boss of the Bonanno crime family. He was nicknamed "Joe Bananas," a name he despised.-Early life:...
. Morello, an old hand in the killing game, became Masseria's "war chief" and strategic adviser.
One of the first victims of the war, Giuseppe Morello was killed along with associate Joseph Perriano on August 15, 1930 while collecting cash receipts in his East Harlem office. The identity of the assassin is still disputed. Luciano claimed it was the duo of Albert Anastasia
Albert Anastasia
Albert Anastasia was boss of what is now called the Gambino crime family, one of New York City's Five Families, from 1951-1957. He also ran a gang of contract killers called Murder Inc. which enforced the decisions of the Commission, the ruling council of the American Mafia...
and Frank Scalice
Frank Scalice
Francesco "Frank" Scalice also known as Don Cheech and Wacky, was an Italian-American mobster active in New York City, who led the future Gambino crime family from 1930 to 1931, and was underboss from 1951 to 1957.-Boss:Scalice was born in Palermo, Sicily in 1893, and later emigrated to the US,...
, both hired killers at that time and future top members of Gambino crime family
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
. Joe Valachi
Joe Valachi
Joseph "Joe Cargo" Valachi , Italian American, also known as "Charles Chanbano" and "Anthony Sorge" was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. He is also the person who made Cosa Nostra a household name.-Career:Joseph Valachi was born in East Harlem, New York...
, a government informer, claimed it was the assassin Buster from Chicago
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 as the assassin of Giuseppe Morello and others...
, a character some people believed was invented by Valachi to hide the fact that he was the real killer.
Further reading
- Critchley, David. The Origin of Organized Crime: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931. London, Routledge, 2008.
- Dash, MikeMike DashMike Dash is a Welsh writer, historian and researcher. He is best known for his books and articles looking at unusual historical events, anomalous phenomena, and strange beliefs.-Biography:...
. The First Family: Terror, Extortion and the Birth of the American Mafia. London, Simon & Schuster, 2009. - Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia: Third Edition. New York, Facts on File, 2005.
External links
- Interview with Mike Dash author of "The First Family: Terror, Extortion, Revenge, Murder and the Birth of the American Mafia" http://www.salon.com/books/int/2009/08/19/mike_dash_mafia/
- Biography of Giuseppe Morello on GangRule
- The American "Mafia" - Who Was Who
- Giuseppe Morello at Mugshots.com