Tommy Reina, also known as “Tommy Three-Fingers,” was the first boss of the infamous Lucchese crime family. Born in 1889 in Corleone, Sicily, Reina immigrated to the United States with his family at a young age. He quickly became involved in organized crime, starting off as a low-level enforcer for the Morello crime family in New York City. However, it was under his leadership that the Lucchese crime family rose to prominence in American organized crime history. The Lucchese crime family, named after its second boss, Tommy Lucchese, was one of the “Five Families” that dominated organized crim ..read more

Joe Lombardo was a prominent figure in the Chicago Mob, also known as the Outfit, during the 20th century. Understanding the history of organized crime in America is crucial to comprehending the impact of individuals like Lombardo on society. Organized crime has shaped American culture and institutions in various ways, and Lombardo’s story provides insight into this complex world. Key Takeaways Joe Lombardo was a key figure in the Chicago Mob, rising to power through his involvement in organized crime. Lombardo played a significant role in the Outfit’s control of labor unions and politics in ..read more

The Rise and Fall of Frank Cullotta: A Tale of Crime and Redemption Frank Cullotta is a name that is synonymous with organized crime and the dark underbelly of society. Born on December 14, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois, Cullotta would go on to become one of the most notorious figures in the history of the American Mafia. His criminal career spanned several decades and included involvement in a wide range of illegal activities, from robberies to murders. Key Takeaways Frank Cullotta was a notorious mobster who rose to power in the Spilotro era. Cullotta was a member of the infamous Hole in the ..read more

Tony Accardo is another one of those American Mafiosos who, despite lacking the name recognition of Al Capone or Lucky Luciano, nonetheless played an outsized role in American mafia history. From his humble beginnings in the streets of Chicago, Accardo rose to become the leader of the Chicago Outfit, one of the most infamous organized crime families in the 20th Century. He was known as a brutal enforcer for the mob, who had allegedly brutally killed gangsters with baseball bats and had ordered the execution of criminals who had the misfortune of robbing his house. However, despite his brutal a ..read more

When Giacomo “Black Jack” Tocco died in 2014, it was an end of an era for the Mob. At the time of his death, he’d been the longest serving Mafia leader in the history of American organized crime. He presided over an outfit that had prospered in the greater Detroit area for decades. While he’d been heavily involved in racketeering and other illegal activities throughout that time, Tocco had also developed several successful legitimate businesses as well. Despite having kept a notoriously low profile over his tenure as a Godfather, Black Jack was alleged to have been involved in one of the bigge ..read more

When Joseph Iacobacci died earlier this year of natural causes, his death marked an end of an era for the Cleveland Mafia. Iacobacci nicknamed “Joe Loose” for his violent ways as a young man that made fellow gangsters quip he had a “screw loose” in his head, led his Cleveland Crime family during a tumultuous time for the Mafia. He controlled Cleveland’s rackets in the early 1990s and into the 2010s, an era when the Mob was reeling from intense pressure from the FBI and local law enforcement. Despite all of the heat from the police, Iacobacci is one of the few mob bosses to avoid long prison st ..read more

While most people associate the American Mafia with a few big city locations – mainly New York and Chicago, with an honorable mention for Miami – there was once a time when upstate New York was a haven for organized crime. From prohibition up until the early 70s, places like Buffalo New York were centers for organized crime and criminal activity, from bootlegging to the distribution of heroin. And the one man who pulled the strings on it all was Stefano “the Undertaker” Magaddino. From the 1920s until shortly before his death in 1974, Magaddino’s Buffalo Crime Family pulled the strings on rack ..read more

If there was ever a living example of the resiliency and pervasiveness of organized crime in America, it had to have been John “Sonny” Franzese Sr. Franzese, who died in February of this year, lived to be over 100 years old. Throughout his entire adult life, he was involved in organized crime and other criminal activity. As a leader in the Mafia, he allegedly masterminded dozens of violent crimes, such as home invasions and bank robberies on both coasts; he was also deeply involved in the entertainment industry as well. In his later years, betrayed by his own son and becoming the oldest inmate ..read more

While he may not be as well-known as may other 20th Century gangsters, Arnold Rothstein may very well be the father of organized crime in America. Rothstein was one of the original gangsters who took crude, street level rackets and elevated them into big business, becoming wealthy himself in the process. Rothstein was instrumental in turning prohibition into a lucrative money-making opportunity for gangsters across the United States; he also may have been involved with some of the most infamous sports fixing scandals of all time. While he died rather ignominiously in the wake of a 3-day poker ..read more

Aniello Migliore, who died on September 11, 2019, was one of the few remaining mobsters from the golden age of the Mafia. Migliore, a long-time member of the Lucchese Crime Family in New York city, had lived to see it all, from the infamous Appalachin meeting in upstate New York (or at least the aftermath of it) to the rise and fall of the American Mafia throughout the 1980s and 1990’s. Even in his final years, with the New York Mafia a mere shadow of its former self, the elder Migliore allegedly remained active in organized crime. His resilience, no doubt, came from spending his entire life i ..read more