Originally Posted By: Alfanosgirl
You know I found the head of the Camorra, Pellegrino Marano (Morano) in the 1930 census unexpectedly when I was researching my own family history. He was in Sing Sing Prison. There's not much information on him as to whether or not he was ever released.
HK do you know anything about him? Did he ever return to Italy?


I don´t know. All I know is that he was sentenced to 20 to life in 1919 (?) for murder and extortion.

For anyone interested, here´s an article published in Standard Union Feb 20, 1927. It´s mostly about Tony "The Shoemaker" Perretti and his death but also goes into (at least to some extent) the "defeat" of the Camorra (in this article called "The Black Hand" and "The Mafia"):

"PARETTI´S DEATH ENDS BLACK HAND GRIP ON BROOKLYN

Leader of Notorious Navy Street Gang Was Last of His Clique to Pay Penalty for Crimes.

Brooklyn is rid of the terror of the black hand. Electrocution of Anthony Paretti, known among the gangster element in which he was for years one of the chief leaders, "Tony the Shoemaker," was the finishing blow. It is declared by District Attorney Dodd and the police, to the clique of parasites that terrified their victims into paying them tribute. Nowhere In this country did the black hand rise to greater strength than here in Brooklyn in the clique that was known as the Navy street gang. Between the years 1912 and 1916 this gang extorted its tribute, stopped at no crime to exact and obtain its demands, and defied the police successfully to prosecute its members. The secrecy of the dreaded Mafia, sworn to in blood held the leaders and their hirelings together and fear that their own lives would be placed in jeopardy closed the lips of victims of the gang so that the police could not obtain the evidence that would enable them to convict its members. The leaders of the Navy street gang were Anthony Peretti, Alessandro Vollero, Pellegrino Morano, Leopoldo Lauritano and Andrea Ricci. Among the principal hirelings of the gang were Raphael Daniello, Lefty Esposito, Mike Notaro and Butch Sgroia.

State Traps Leaders

Murder made possible the reign of this ring of extortioners and murder attended its passing. Finally the State broke through the ring to visit well-earned justice upon its leaders. The beginning of the end of this ring came in 1916 when District Attorney Lewis, now a Justice of the Supreme Court, and Assistant District Attorney Herbert N. Warbasse, drew from Lefty Esposito an admission of perjury. This was followed by the surrender of Ralph Daniello, at the time a fugitive from justice in Nevada. Daniello turned on the gang when they refused to send him further funds. In fear of his life he refused to return to Brooklyn alone. The late Detective Barney Grottano was sent to Nevada and brought him to Brooklyn. Daniello here told the full story of the inside workings of the Navy street gang. He recounted more than thirty murders the gang had committed. His testimony led to the conviction of Alessandro Vollero, now serving terms of from twenty years to life in Sing Sing for murder. Paretti had been indicted with Morano and Vollero, but he fled Brooklyn when the expose came. No trace of him could be found for almost nine years. In the meantime the murdered body of Daniello was found on the Lincoln Highway near Metuchen, N. J. Lefty Esposito was shot and killed in Newark, N. J. Butch Sgroia wiis kidnaped and forced to return to Italy. The way seemed clear for the surrender of Paretti. It was a plainly confident Paretti who surrendered at the office of District Attorney Dodd. But Paretti and his friends had made one mistake. They talked. For months before his actual surrender, they let it be known that Paretti, "Tony the Shoemaker," was corning back to Brooklyn "to see what it was all about." It was figured that just one man could seal the doom of Paretti, and he was Butch Sgroia. But there was no fear from Sgroia, for had he not been forced back to Italy?

Sgroia Brought Back.

But District Attorney Dodd did get Sgroia back from Europe through District Attorney Arthur Rowland of Westchester County, who went to Italy and persuaded Sgroia to return with him. Sgroia was kept in custody in Westchester County until the trial of Paretti last July. One of the most dramatic moments in a criminal trial in Brooklyn came during the trial of Paretti before Supreme Court Justice Callaghan and a Jury when Sgroia stepped from behind a door to the side of the court room. Paretti, at the sight of Sgroia grew pale. And Sgoria told all. None realized better than Paretti that his doom was sealed. Cittf had played his ace. Twelve hours before Paretti went to the chair on last Thursday night for the murder of Charles Ubriacco at the corner of Johnson and Navy streets in September of 1916, Butch Sgroia was again on his way back to Italy. Paretti has paid the penalty, which Morano and Vollero were fortunate to escape. Lauritano and Notaro are serving terms for the perjury they committed at the trial of Paretti. Andrea Ricci was shot and killed as he was playing cards in a house on President street. Despite the many murders committed by the Navy street gang, Paretti was the only one to pay the death penalty."


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