The Black Hand was a sort of a criminal group of Italian(mainly Sicilian)immigrants that came to the U.S.(some people claim that it was not a criminal organization at all) with a method's of extortion and brutal froce,by which many wealthy people or poor were the targets.They simply would sent a letter usually stating that they would use force and if the victim did not pay a sum of money,he or she is goin to get it.The term "Black Hand" came from the letters wich usually contained a drawing of a black hand and other symbols like skulls and bones. (legend goes that the name Black Hand came from an anarchist group in Spain).Through the years,the army of Black Hand extortionists killed and extorted a lot of innocent(or not)wealthy and also poor people.They were allied and also made war with other criminal gangs or organizations.Black Hand criminals traded on the reputations of these groups and they were usually referred to as Mafiosi.In Chicago Black Hand operations were mostly seen in the Sicilian neighborhoods along Taylor Street and Grand Avenue on the West Side,Wentworth Avenue on the South Side and Chicago’s Little Italy on the North Side.The Black Hand were responsible for large numbers of murders in Chicago in the early 1900s: 10 in 1910; 40 in 1911; 33 in 1912; 31 in 1913; and 42 n 1914 etc.

During the 1910’s,the Black Hand also took the false credit for a lot of other crimes.That means that other gangs used the same methods and with that the Black Hand society was a myth.The name Black Hand was just a term used by blackmailers that had become a symbolic title applied to such crimes generally. They weren't an organized gang with a leadership structure but a loose association of independent gangsters.There are also many examples of non Italian criminal groups adopting the Black Hand name.A small Jewish gang was named Itchkie’s Black Hand Society.Itchkie’s gang was a group of teenage hoodlums centered on the West Side Maxwell Street.A Greek store owner,also on the West Side received a Black Hand letter written in Greek.Also a Russian boy,was arrested for sending Black Hand letters to a local owner on the South Side,demanding cash under the threat of death.

Everything started when a lot of Sicilians began arriving in great numbers on the Near North Side of Chicago in 1903.In the begining of the 20th century,a lot of Polish and Italian gangs were the most numerous in Chicago.Polish gangs located in the “Pojay” colony on the North Side battled rival Polish groups,where a different Polish gang occupied every block of Milwaukee Avenue down to the industrial area along the Chicago River. But the most powerful ones were the Italian gangs.Back than the North Side was considered as the center of the Italian population in Chicago.An area known as "Little Hell" or “Little Sicily”,the Black Hand operated at the “Death Corner" of Oak & Cleveland street. It was known as "Death Corner" because more that 50 murders occured between January of 1910 and March of 1911.Another big time crime event to remember was the complete explosion of a two-story bakery on Milton Avenue near Death Corner in May of 1912.It was described as the greatest explosion that Little Italy has ever witnessed.The force of the bomb shook the buildings for blocks around.Also in 1915,55 bombs in connection with the Black Hand gangs,exploded on the streets of Chicago.In the late 1920's the Black Hand gangs were almost exterminated by the government,themselves or other newcomers like Johnny Torrio from New York or Al Capone.Story goes that Johnny was called by Big Jim to remove the stone from his shoe.Torrio was assigned to eliminate Black Handers who were preying on Colosimo's operations.Big Jim maybe started as a youngster but he was not a Black Hand extortionist and instead he was a big time pimp and club owner.Basically a vice lord with political protection.While the Black Hand gangs slowly faded away,other younger criminal gangs started to rise up from the ghettos.Gangs like the 42’s,the Taylor Street Crew and the Circus Gang,which later will bring Chicago’s underworld on a higher level.


Here’s a list of some of the Black Hand most prominent gangsters and others that ruled the underworld in the beginning of the 20th century in Chicago:

Gault Court(Cambridge Avenue),Little Italy

Most prominent gangster: Carmelo Nicolosi and Giuseppe Nicolosi(kiddnappers and extortionists) and Mariano Zagone
Peter Nota(extortionist and a kiddnaper)
Tony Nota
Calogero Costandino(kidnapper)
Leoluca Macaluso(kidnapper)
Joseph Cima
Salvatore Caira
Prospero Caldone
Antonio Garaglono
Salvatore Agugino
Vincent Falsuale(assassin)
Gianni Alonzi(bomber)
Anthony Loungora (extortionist)

Short story:The Nicolosi gang was one of the oldest Black Hand gangs on the North Side.Mario Zagone was one of the gangs earliest leaders.Joseph Nicolosi, in-law of Mariano Zagone,was second in command.Zagone was known for coin counterfeiting.He was arrested many times but always was discharged for lack of evidence.One day in 1910 Zagone was shot to death outside his son-in-law's Gault Court saloon.Nicolosi became the leader of the gang and it is believed he worked closely with other Black Hand hoods like Anthony D'Andrea.It is also belived that Nicolosi killed Zagone to take over the rackets.The gang was also known for kidnapping little children for ransom.They owned a saloon at 134 Gault Court.


Most prominent gangster: Salvatore DiGiovanni(political Neapolitan crime boss)and later The Morici brothers (extortionists and assassins)
Joseph Novello(second in command and a big time assassin)
Joseph Mariso(assassin)
Giovanni James Scardini(bomber and assassin)
Frank Cutsia(extortionist)
Batiste Scardina(assassin)
Mike Rizzo
Victor Barone
Gianni Alonzi(bomber and extortionist)
Lorenzo Spigola
Nicols Gattuso
Tony Titcola
Giuseppe Matalone
Peter Montalbano

Short story:Chicago’s 19th ward leader Salvatore Di Giovanni's reign was cut short by the Morici bros.On 21 February 1901 he was shot in a dark alleyway.The Morici bros were ruthless mafiosos and sadistic extortionists.In their “black hand” letters they usually demanded from 300 to 500$.George Morici was the first black hand hoodlum to be ever convicted in a trial in thouse days.In 1912 Morici’s bakery on Milton Avenue blown up their own bakery for the insurance cash.The gang did a lot of extortion and ofcourse who didnt pay up,got killed.Later they also owned a lot of saloons and companies also.Joe Novello was one the gangs best hitman.In 1914 James B Moore was killed by Lorenzo Spigola,Nicols Gattuso and also arrested was Joseph Novello.

Other available info's on Black Hand related crimes and murders that occured in this area:
On January 1910 a grocery at 903 Gault Court was blown to pieces by a bomb.The owner Mr.Biumeforddo refused to pay up.
On April 24th 1910 Vincenzo Conetzara was shot to death in his own saloon at 913 Gault Court.
On April 26th Gartano Disolvo was shot and stabbed in front of his home at 1108 Gault Court.
On June 29th 1910 Leonardo Belleliva was shot to death at 853 Gault Court.
On September 13th 1910 Philipi Partaloni was shot to death at 878 Gault Court.
On January 19th 1911 Carmelo Marsala's butcher shop at 834 Gault Court was blown to pieces by a bomb.
On March 14th 1911 Tony Gathios was shot to death at 1008 Gault Court by a Black Hand assassin.


Milton Avenue,“Little Hell” or “Little Sicily”

Most prominent gangster: Rosario Dispenza
Anthony D’Andrea(frontman,owner and political boss)
Samoots Ammatuna(bodyguard and assassin at this time)
Modesto Barona(kiddnaper and extortionist)
John Gagliardo(once suspected as the “Shotgun man”)
Onofrio Puccio(extortionists)
Anthony Puccio
Victor Barone
Frank Seruso
Salvatore Pinachi
Charles Plumeri
Betrucci Bros
Bruno Nordi

Short story:One of the most prominent gangsters in Chicago's underworld history.It is belived that Rosario Dispenza was the leader from 1909 to 1914.Dispenza owned a saloon in "Little Sicily" and it was belived that it was a school for future gangsters and he also had connections with the Morello gang in NY.Later Dispenza was murdered together with Anthony Puccio and he was replaced by Anthony D'Andrea.In 1902 D'Andrea and his wife are arrested and charged with manufacturing counterfeit U.S. dimes. The arrest takes place at their home, 2125 Archer Avenue.Also arrested was Pasquale Cartabellata and Vincent Notara.The former priest D'Andrea,was charged because he possessed 425 counterfeit dimes and passed four of them. He pleaded guilty.The charges against his wife were dropped.

In 1910 one of the Betrucci bros stand trial for murder.On the witness stand was his partner in crime Bruno Nordi.During the trial a misterious person entered the court room and waved a red handkerchief at Nordi and ran away.After that Nordi refused to answer any questions. In 1911.Antonio D’Andrea co owned a company at 20 East 31 Street with Martin Merlo,Mike's brother.In 1916 Tony D’Andrea and his wife had moved to Little Italy, located in the 19th ward, taking up residence at 745 S. Halsted St.In 1919 Tony became head of the Unione Siciliano in Chicago and became one of the leaders of the Black Hand movement.


Most prominent gangster: Salvatore"Charles"Gloriana
Dominick Nuccio(assassin)
Carl Moretti(assassin and extortionist)
The Colo Brothers Joseph and Carlo(extortionists and killers)

Short story:The infamous Gloriana gang were a small group of organized thieves and killers, primarily Italian and few Irish. They committed mostly burglaries, payroll robberies, and bank holdups.On October 15, 1919, Charles Gloriana was indicted with gang member Carl Moretti for the murder of a payroll guard during a robbery. The case was eventually crashed because witnesses didnt want to testify at trial.One of the gang members,Dominic Nuccio,later became a member of the Capone gang and was one of its biggest earners and hitmen.Gloriana, Nuccio, and seven other Gloriana gang members were convicetd for a violent burglary on November 2, 1919.All of them were convicted and were sentenced to 20 years in Joliet State Prison.On April 28, 1920, the Supreme Court reversed the convictions and remanded the defendants for a new trial, which was later dismissed.

Other available info's on Black Hand related crimes and murders that occured in this area:
On February 7th 1910 Joe Loverde was shot in home at 1117 Milton Street.
On May 2 1915 a assassin took a shot at Joseph Cutea at 827 Milton Avenue and missed but instead he hit a 7 year old kid.An hour later Cutea was attacked again and this time the hitmen did their job pretty well.
On February 11th 1915 the police found two bombs in Mrs.Locascio's(wife of a black hand member) basement at 940 Milton Avenue.
On May 13th 1915 Mrs.John Millers home at 1016 Milton Avenue,was wrecked by the Black Hand.


North Sedgwick Street

Most prominent gangster: Pietro"Sliver King"Catalanetto
John Catalanetto (son of Pietro)
Pietro Barone
John Locascio
Michael Locascio

Short story:The Catalanetto crew was a gang of fifteen Black hand members.Pietro Catalanetto was the leader and Barone was second in command.Pietro Catalanetto the Silver King lived at 230 West North avenue He was one of the most striking figures on the North Side huge of frame and with a fringe of snowy white hair encircling his swarthy features.He claimed that he was an olive oil vendor and people reffered to him as Don Pietro.After a while there was an internal war in the gang so Pietro Catalanetto was killed in 1915(he was shot multiple times in the face) and later his son John in 1916.Michael Locascio did the crimes on the orders of Barone.Later most of the gang members went "missing".

Other available info's on Black Hand related crimes and murders that occured in this area:
On August 21 1910,Dominco Dineas was stabbed 4 times on at 867 Sedgwick Street.
On January 21,1911 Carmelo Tumminia was shot to death on Elm and Sedgwick Street.


Oak Street,“Little Sicily”

Most prominent gangster:Joseph Aiello(assassin,extortionist and later a political boss)
Salvatore “Sam” Aiello
Pietro “Peter” Aiello
Dominick Aiello
Antonio “Tony” Aiello
Andrea “Andrew” Aiello
Dominick Catalina(assassin and arms smuggler)

Short story:Giuseppe Aiello, known as “Joe”, was born in 1890 in Sicily, into a very large family and he was the oldest of seven brothers together with a big number of cousins, uncles, and nephews. Most of the family emigrated to the United States in the first decade of the 1900s, including Joe, who arrived at New York in 1907, then moved west to Chicago shortly after.The Aiello family owned also the clothing shop “Aiello and Aliotto” at 516 Oak Street.During the 1910's the Aiello gang was mostly involved in extortion and sometimes in murder.Joe was a suspect in the 1917 shooting of East Utica resident Antonio Gagliano.Later he established a grocery business in partnership with Antonio Lombardo.Later both men served as leaders in the Chicago Unione Siciliana organization.

Most prominent gangster:Tony Baffa
Antonio Nudo,
Rafaelo Nudo
Pasquale Nudo
Giuseppe Caro
Ernesto Caro

Story:Tony Baffa's crew was a small gang mostly formed by teenagers.Baffa’s gang called themselves "Loguisto"which ironically translates to “The Society of Justice".They were mostly involved in petty crimes but they also did murder.Tony Baffa was arrested in July of 1909 for the murder of grocer Giuesppe Fillipelli and was sent to jail.Fillipelli had failed to submit to the extortion demands of Baffa’s Black Hand gang and was murdered infront of his child.Later,the teenaged boy Baffa,snitched on his friends and many of them went to jail.Later Baffa also betrayed many other Black Hand secrets.

Other available info's on Black Hand related crimes and murders that occured in this area:
On January 6th 1910 Ben Cinene was shot to death while in bed at 500Oak Street.
On March 14 1911 Anthony Dugo and Phillippi Maniscalo were killed by assassin on Oak Street.The bullet first went through Maniscalo and then hit Dugo.
On February 17th,1911 Vincenzo Subio was shot at 501 Oak Street.


Taylor street,West Grand Avenue and West Side Chicago

Most prominent gangster:Diamond Joe Esposito(political boss)
Tony “Mops” Volpe(bodyguard and assassin)
Tony Lombardo(extortionist and political boss)
Joseph Giunta
Angelo Genna,Tony,MIke,Pete,Jim Genna(assassins,extortionists and owners)
Sam Esposito
Orazio "The Scourge" Tropea
James Belcastro(assassin and bomber)
Philip Maltese
Frank Marino(assassin)
Antonio Petrone(extortionist)

Short story:Taylor Street was a home to it's own Black Hand gangs.In the 1900's Diamond Joe became involved in extortion as a member of the Black Hand gangs terrorizing Chicago's Italian population.During the 1910's Diamond Joe was the undisputed rising star on the West Side.In 1913 he had his own local named the Bella Napoli Café at 850 Halsted.His chief enforcer was Tony “Mops” Volpe.Later Joe became involved in politics.He was both hated and beloved as the Republican leader and Alderman of the "Bloody Nineteenth" ward.On April 10,1917 an assassin shot Sam Esposito in the Bella Napoli Café after which his bodyguard shot and killed the assassin who shot back and also killed the bodyguard.Anthonio Lombardo was a owner,extortionist and later in 1919 became a political boss.The Genna bros did extortion and murder at the time.One of the best assassin and extortionist for hire was James Belcastro.He bombed a lot of saloons and stores for the Black Hand and also murdered a lot of people.Belcastro had been arrested a total of 150 times during his criminal career and later joined the Capone mob.

Other available info's on Black Hand related crimes and murders that occured in this area:
On March 13th 1911,Pasquale Marcadnaro was shot and killed at 807 West Taylor Street.
On January 5th 1915 Frank Marino was shot down at 2247 West Grand Avenue by Frank Minnine.,who later battled with the cops and adimited that he and Marino were extortionists.
On April 6 1915 J.B. Roti’s wholesale market at 920 West Grand Avenue was blown by a bomb.
On My 20 1915 Peter Carosillo’s building was dynamited by a Black Hand gang.


217 West 22 street The Levee South Side

Leader: Salvatore Cardinelli(assassin and a big time extortionists)
Frank Campione(extrtionist and a killer)
Nicholas Viana (assassin)
Thomas Errico (burglar and extortionist)
Leonard Crapo
Santo Orlando(driver for the gang)
Tony Sansone(thief)

Short story:One of the most diabolical gangs in the underworlds history.Black hand boss Cardinelli was born in Sicily 1868, and than he came to Chicago in 1900’s.Cardinelli was considered one of the toughest criminals in Chicago. He was known for targeting the wealthy and powerful people within the Italian community with violence and no remorse.When Sam became a member of the Black Hand he was so much feared that even other mafiosi paid him street tax.Cardinelli had hes own crew,mostly young thieves,wich he trained and teached them how to do stick ups and steal .He also trained his crew on how to do extortion and ofcourse murder.In a 6 mounths period,they have done over 400 holdups.It was estimated that the Cardinella mob killed at least 20 people who failed to pay up.One of his best triggerman was Nicholas Viana, nicknamed "the Choir Boy," because of his participation in a West Side church choir.A practiced and angelic looking murderer at the age of 18.Rumours are that Viana was responsible for 15 hits.He once shot a cop in the groin and left him for dead.On 15th of July 1921 Salvatore Cardinelli “The Devil” and his partners in crime,Nicholas Viana “the Choir Boy” and Frank Campione got convicted for murder and they hung for it.

Other available info's on Black Hand related crimes and murders that occured in this area:

On 14 October 1919 Sam Cardinelli’s gang robbed a pool hall at West 22 street and Frank Campione shot to death the sowner Albert C Kublanza.Santo Orlando,the driver, was found dead in a canal 10 days later shot 5 times in the head.


Wentworth Avenue South Side Chicago

Leader: James “Sunny Jim” Cosmano(extortionist and assassin)
Charles Morstazze(extortionist and assassin)
John Morrissi(bomber)
Rocco Romacetti
Paul Cosmano
Lorengoni William
Timothy "Big Tim" Murphy(close colaborator of Cosmano,extortionist,frontman and member of the Sangerman's bombers)

Short story:A Black Hand gang that extorted 15.000$ a week from South Side italians.Jim Cosmano also tried to extort cash from Big Jim Colosimo.But in 1912 he was shot allegedly by Torrio's guys.Cosmano survived the attack,but in the hospital he was under police guard.Jim asked for help from Big Tim Murphy.So Big Tim really helped him.Gangsters walked into the hospital,knocked down the cops and took Jim out of state.

Other available info's on Black Hand related crimes and murders that occured in this area:
On April 8 1915 Joseph Coco’s home was blown by a bomb.He and his family were very lucky because they were in the house during the explosion.


Other mixed gangs that used the same methods of extortion and bombings and also colaborated with the Italian Black Hand Gangs(both of these gangs started in the 1910’s and became most prominent during the 20’s):


South Halstead Street

Most prominent gangster :James Sweeney
Paddy "The Bear" Ryan(second in command and also leader of the Valley gang)
Danny Stanton(chief enforcer)
Harry Bartlett(bomber)
Cornelius ConShea(bomber)
Frankie Lake
Terry Druggan
William "Gunner" McPadden
Hughey "Stubby" McGovern
Raymond Cassidy
Frank "Dutch" Carpenter

Short story:The first criminal gang of bombers was Chicago's Sweeney gang, which carried out wholesale bombing attacks during and after World War I. James Sweeney was the dean of the Chicago bombers.The bomb was a favorite tool for criminals in Chicago.More than 800 bombs were detonated in Chicago during the first 30 years of the 20th Century.Later the Sweeney gang(most of them got arrested) were succeeded by the Sangerman's gang.In 1920 Paddy Ryan was shot dead by his own gang.

Most prominent gangster :Joseph Sangerman
George Matrisciano(bomb maker)
Louis D'Andrea
Jerry Horan
Timothy "Big Tim" Murphy
Lena Shrock Rice
Fred Wamquist
Joseph Avanzio
George Martini
Frank Schiro
Mike Abbinanti

Short story:Sangerman's Bombers were a criminal group of bombers based in Chicago during the 1910's and 20s. Joseph Sangerman, a leading manufacturer of barber shop was head of the barbers' union.The Illinois Crime Survey called him "the directing genius of the bombing trust, the contractor of bombing." As an officer in the barbers' union, he began by hiring bombers to discipline barber shop owners who refused to operate their stores in accordance with union rules. Finding that this gang could do a job effectively and escape detection, he began to accept commissions in other fields. Arrested in 1925, Sangerman admitted to police that he maintained a full-time staff of six bombers, including one woman, and that his rates ran from $50 to $700 a job.George Matrisciano always carried two sticks of dynamite in his pockets.The gang was also involved in the the bombings in the 1916–21 Aldermen's Wars.


If any1 has any additional info or found any mistakes in this article(wrond dates,streets,members etc.)please feel free to contribute.This article is completed from various infos that can be found on the internet.cheers

Thank you for posting this info... I'm the great grandson of Michael Locascio and great nephew of John Locascio... It was good to hear old stories of my family.

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Toodoped, Thank you, very good read. Do you have the info to do a write up about the New York Black Hand?

@Locasciofamily....thank's for your support and im glad that people like you still visit these boards and thanks for joining in.I hope you give us in future many unknown informations on the Chi Black Hand.Cheers

@NNY78 thanks you also but for the NY Black Hand info,you should ask members like HairyKnuckles and others...Salut'

^^^ Thanks for the confidence but I know very little about the NY Black Hand. It seems to me that the Black Handers were independent crimainals and extortionists with no ties to the Mafia. Some of them later joined the Mafia. Manfredi "Al" Mineo, the future boss of what later became the Gambino Family, comes to mind. The Mafia extorted too, but I doubt very much that they would use letters, signed with a black hand at the bottom, to scare shopkeepers into paying protection money. There was no need for that.

The first NY black hand gang the comes to my mind is the Morello gang and Ignazio Lupo the Wolf.@NNY78 you hould read about Lupo the Wolf and his horse stable called “The Murder Stables”

Thank you Toodoped for the info. My Grandpa was a rum and cigarette runner for the Black Hand , Northern New York to Southern Ontario Canada, prior to prohibition. I heard a lot of stories about them and wanted to see if I could find something in print. Thank you again!

No problem man.It would be great if you share with us some info on the action that was goin on back than.Smuggling was a lot different than extortion in thouse days.Black Hand extortionists were involved in a big number of murders.Like this Lupo the Wolf guy from NY that i told you previosly...he had these stables,where many people were tortured,and if they didnt pay up,they were murdered.Later the cops found the remains of more than 50 victims.

Toodoped,

Except for the gambling piece, I don't have any firsthand accounts, was just told the following after the fact by my Father, my Uncle, a couple of neighborhood guys one of whom his dad was a cop and my Mom after she would have a glass or two of wine and get pissed at my Dad for running around on her . The Black Hand in Northern New York was involved in illegal alcohol production and distribution, distribution and sales of untaxed cigarettes, gambling: numbers, card games and casino rooms, local business extortion/protection rackets and of course bribing local officials to look the other way. They had a great set up. The alcohol was pickup up in Canada and brought into the states via the Indian Reservation that bordered Canada near Massena NY. At that time the reservation was huge and had no police force nor was the local police allowed on the reservation. The Natives looked the other way for a taste. The reservation was also were the untaxed cigarettes were obtained, then distributed and resold. Watertown New York was the distribution point. The information that I have was that this operation answered to the LCN in Buffalo. Once in Watertown the rum and cigs was distributed to all points south, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany , NYC and small towns along the way. My Grandpa was all in, it was his life. My Father resisted thank God and after prohibition ended he opened a legal beer distributorship that exists to this day. The principle players are all deceased now and were as follows: My Grandpa Giuseppe “Joey Clams” Coppola, Carmine ‘Toot” Carbone, John “The Sicilian” Scordo, My Great Uncle Rocco “Big Rocco” Doldo, and Richard “The Cheeseman” Spaziani. One thing really stuck with me after all these years, even though my Grandpa was a bad guy by anyone's measure over 700 people showed up for his funeral, go figure. I will type up the gambling piece later and post it.

Wow cool info,thanks.Looks like your old man was a respected guy.Did your grandfather had any blood connections with New Yorks Mike or Detroits Frank Coppola?

Toodoped,

I did the ancestry.com thing, not sure if it is reliable, and we are no relation to Trigger Mike, Frank Coppola, nor Francis Ford Coppola either. My ancestors are from a small town in Calabria. The gambling piece that I did witness on occasion was in the late 50's and early 60's and had the same cast of characters plus my Father and two Irish Guys, one owned a neighborhood store and the other a small restaurant that were fronts for gambling activities, at night the back rooms were turned into casinos. My Father had a high stakes card game at our house regularly. Not sure if your Italian or from New York but every house in New York that I lived in had a basement. Now according to my Mother me, my two brothers and two sisters were not allowed to use the living room, that was only for company. So my Mom had the basement remodeled and that was our living room. My Father made sure it had a bar and a card table. My Dad rarely played, just ran the game and collected the fees. My cousin Christopher, who resembled a Gorilla at the time, was always present to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves My Grandpa and My dad also had a numbers racket that was run out of the corner deli owned by a Jewish guy. It was a small industrial city with a large Italian population. Hundreds of people from the local paper mills and manufacturing plants played the numbers. For the most part the local authorities looked the other way. Occasionally one of the store owners would get popped for a small time gambling charge, pay a fine and they would be back in business the next day. The Judge at that time was Italian and a friend. My Dad has passed and now my Mom lives with me and the wife in Florida and she lets me use the living room on Sundays BTW can somebody from NYC please FedEx me some real Italian Bread, the stuff they have here in Florida isn't fit for the ducks in the park

Were Sicilians involved with the black hand gangs or as free agent extortionists? Or was it mainly composed of mainland Southern Italians?

Toodoped,

The cigarette black market is alive and well, came across this today.

As taxes on cigarettes go up, so does smuggling, study finds


Published March 22, 2014
·FoxNews.com

More than half of the cigarettes for sale in New York are smuggled into the state illegally – the highest percentage in the country, according to a recent report from the Tax Foundation.

According to the non-partisan research group, increased excise taxes on cigarettes to discourage smoking have, in fact, created lucrative incentives for black market trafficking between states.



According to the report, 56.9 percent of the cigarettes sold in the Empire State are brought in from other states. New York state has the highest cigarette taxes in the country – a whopping $4.35 a pack. If you live in New York City, it’s another $1.50 per pack, bringing taxes to $5.85 per pack, with the overall cost of a pack in the city in the $12 to $15 range.

Arizona is the country’s second largest net importer of smuggled smokes with 51.5 percent of its cigarettes smuggled in illegally. New Mexico follows at 48.1 percent, Washington at 48 percent and Wisconsin at 34.6 percent, according to the survey.

Arizona’s $2 cigarette tax is also among the highest in the Southwest and ranks twelfth highest in the country.

Across the country, cigarette taxes rose in 30 states and the District of Columbia between 2006 and 2012.

“Public policies often have unintended consequences that outweigh their benefits,” Joseph Henchman, one of the authors of the Tax Foundation study, wrote. “One consequence of high state cigarette tax rates has been increased smuggling as criminals procure discounted packs from low-tax states to sell in high-tax states.”

The Tax Foundation report also pulled data from “peer-reviewed studies,” including “Tobacco Control,” which looked at packs of cigarettes found as litter in five northeast cities. Of those examined, 58.7 percent of them did not have proper local stamps.

The states which had the highest outbound smuggling rates were New Hampshire at 24.2 percent, Wyoming at 22.3 percent, Idaho at 21.3 percent, Virginia at 21.2 percent and Delaware at 20.9 percent.

Smuggling, according to the report, includes counterfeit state tax stamps, hijacked trucks, counterfeit versions of legitimate brands and officials turning a blind eye.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, even though authorities have taken steps to reduce cigarette smuggling, nearly $5 billion in revenue in 2010 was lost because of smuggling.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/03/...ng-study-finds/

OK I did some research and apparently most of the people who were involved with the black hand were from Campania or Calabria, and not Sicily.

Not all immigrants from all of these regions were involved in OC but from what I've read about the island in the south I doubt that immigrants from there would get involved with the black hand since there was something else that had been very strong since 1282 already going on there.

@NNY78 thanks for the info,it was a great read.Were your family members connected to some of the crime families or just did it independently?( i think you mentioned something about the LCN in Buffalo)

@cornuto_e_contento The Black Hand was a mixture of Italians and ofcourse there were also sicilians,all independent gangsters involved mostly in extortion.Heres a thread that i made about the sicilian factions in the Chicago Heights for example...most of these guys started as a black hand gangsters....plus the gangs that i have listed above in the article are mostly sicilian

http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=768980

Also in New York some members of the Morello gang started as a black hand gangsters....

Thanks for the link.

So did they start out as the black hand and then later go into the outfit or la famiglia?

Later with the emergin of the new national crime syndicate,some of the black handers were killed,others remained with no "jobs" and some joined the mafia or the Capone mob.

For example in Chicago,James Belcastro who was a known black hand extortionist and bomber,later joined the Capone mob.Also his brother in law Rocco Fanelli did the same thing.Both of them became public enemies and think Fanelli later became one of Capone's top security guys.Belcastro worked closely with Bruno Roti Sr. and one of his best proteges was James Catuara.

Legend goes that when Torrio came to Chicago he allegedly exterminated the Black Hand.

Toodoped,

I was told that my Grandfather's rum running crew worked in conjunction with and answered to the Maggadino Family in Buffalo but I have no firsthand knowledge of this. The story goes that my Grandpa did 8 years for manslaughter for killing a guy who tried to rob him. He did his time quietly in a prison near Buffalo and got noticed by a guy that he did time with that was connected to Buffalo. Here is what I did see. My Grandpa and Father had a clambake on Lake Ontario every summer. I have some old photos that my Mom gave me and will try to find and post them, I may need some help, not sure how to upload pictures Some of the guests over the years were Angelo Aquisto, Stan Valenti, Rocco Perri, and John Tartamella. I'm sure they all just came for the great clams though

Thouse are some high profile mafiosos that visited your grandpa's joint,no wonder he was a respected person.

If you want to post a picture,you can do that with the help of this site http://postimage.org/ just upload the picture and copy the direct link.After that press the icon for image posting in your new thread and paste the direct link into the empty space.

These guys were young when my Grandpa was associating with them, this was way back in the 10's 20's and 30's, they were pretty unknown at the time I think. Thank you for the info on how to upload pictures.

Where in Calabria are your ancestors from?

What you are describing with Calabrese guys getting involved in the mob; but not being way too involved but just involved with numbers, betting, etc. was common a long time ago.

Like so long ago that it was when there was no state run or national lottery and people gambled by playing numbers games the mob set up and financed.

@Toodoped - On Lupo and Morello, they ran two different crime families in New York, and Lupo had nothing to do with the infamous Murder Stable. It was writer Herbert Asbury who connected him to it. The stable was part-owned by Pasquarella Spinelli and her husband Paolo. She was murdered in 1912 and it became wholly owned by her partner Luigi Lazzazara. He was killed in 1914 and ownership went to Ippolito "Big Paul" Greco, who may have been the boss of the Morellos after Giuseppe Morello was sent to Atlanta prison and the murder of Fortunato Lo Monte. Greco was himself murdered in 1915. The story can be found here: http://www.gangrule.com/events/the-murder-stables-1909-1915 and here http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E05E3D9143CE633A25752C2A9659C946396D6CF. You can read more on Lupo, Morello and Greco in the article I cowrote with Angelo Santino and Lennert van't Riet in the newest issue of Informer http://informer-journal.blogspot.com/

@NNY78 - I may have some answers for you. It turns out there was a Calabrian Camorra group in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area (there actually may have been two groups, one in each city) that briefly fought with Magaddino before going under his wing. This Calabrian Camorra group had connections to other Calabrian organizations in Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Newark, Chicago, Detroit, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Boston, Philadelphia, St. Paul, and Toronto. For a while, they almost rivaled the Mafia, but declined in power and numbers in the 1920s. If you can pm me, I may be able to find some more detailed information.

Thanks for the info and also thanks for the links Faithful1.I dont know much about the mob history in NY,so that was the first thing that came to my mind.Thanks again

I also have a question about the Spinelli family.Are they somehow connected to Louis Spienlli,a NY criminal who had Chicago connections and did some kidnappings during the 20's?He was once arrested together with Outfit members Lawrence Mangano and Sylvester Agoglia and New Yorker Angelo Caruso for the kidnapping of some businessman

You're welcome. I don't think that Pasquarella Spinelli was closely related to Louis Spinelli, and I have no idea if she was distantly related to him. Distant relationships are more difficult to trace. Since Angelo Caruso was a Bonanno caporegime (and had been Maranzano's underboss), it's possible that he was part of his crew. Mangano and Agoglia were probably members of Ricca's West Side crew -- but it's also possible that Ricca was the Outfit underboss, which would mean that someone else ran the two crews that became known as Taylor Street and Melrose Park. Jimmy "the Bomber" Belcastro (who died in the 1940s) appears to have been an early capo; it's also possible that Mangano was one. We just don't have that much info on the Outfit crews before the late 1950s.

There were also a lot of Calabrian gangsters or people involved with the Calabrian mob in Youngstown Ohio and all the small cities or towns near it.

Interesting background history on the Chicago blackhand extortionists. Thank you for sharing it.

No problem man.cheers

Were your grandfather and those other people Calabrian, Neapolitan, or Sicilian? Or did they not really have factions like the Neapolitan mafia or Sicilian mafia and it was just considered the Italian mob?