Many of us were introduced to the concept of mafia for the first time in The Godfather series, which is a three-film adaptation of the novel by Mario Puzo with the same name. There, we watched the story of how an Italian who immigrated to the United States at a young age became a mafia boss. If you think this is a masterfully crafted scenario, then you have never heard of Vito Genovese before.
Vito Genovese, just like the character we watched in the movie, came to the USA at a young age and found himself in the criminal world. He was so ruthless that he rose quickly within his small gang and soon became one of the biggest mafia bosses in the city and later in the country. He was so infuriated that he even worked with Italian dictator Mussolini for a while. Vito Genovese’s life story is full of chilling details.
Who is Vito Genovese? An Italian immigrant who came to the United States as a child:
Vito Genovese was born on November 21, 1897 in a small town in Naples, Italy. After Vito spent the first years of his childhood here, his family made a decision and immigrated to the United States. Vito was 15 years old when he came to the USA.
The Genovese family, who came to New York City, USA in 1913, moved to the neighborhood called Little Italy, like all Italian immigrants who came to the country. Vito didn’t have much to do with school. That’s why he started committing petty crimes. He was arrested at the age of 19 on charges of illegal possession of weapons and spent a year in prison.
After Vito got out of prison, he met Charles “Lucky” Luciano, one of the neighborhood gangsters at the time, and became his right-hand man. Vito was fearless. For Luciano, he could kill people without blinking. Having such power, Luciano began to rise over time. Of course, Vito rose with him.
Vito Genovese and Luciano enter the mafia:
The 1920s were the era of prohibition for the United States. Many things that were not legally available were obtained illegally. During this period, Genovese and Luciano were recruited by Giuseppe “Joe the Boss” Masseria, becoming his key men.
Luciano was also smuggling with Arnold Rothstein, a gambler. Vito Genovese was controlling a different smuggling route with Frank Costello. In 1930, a raid on a Brooklyn warehouse that found $1 million in counterfeit money stirred the mafia world.
The owner of this warehouse was Masseria, and she was framed. The perpetrators of this conspiracy were his two rivals, Tommy Reina and Salvatore Maranzano. Masseria killed Reina on February 26, 1930 and took control of her gang. From that day on, the bloody mafia showdown began, which would last for 14 months and would later be called the Castellammarese War.
Luciano heads the American mafia:
The Castellammarese War was actually a conflict between traditionalists and innovators. Masseria was on the traditional side and Vito Genovese and Luciano didn’t want that. Maranzano, an enemy of Masseria, had devised a plan to have him killed but failed. As a last resort, he drew the two men to his side.
Genovese and Luciano on April 15, 1931; Albert Anastasia, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, and Joe Adonis met Masseria at a restaurant. Luciano politely asked permission and went to the bathroom. When he returned, all three men were lying on the ground, dead from the bullets of Genovese’s gun. There was one last snag, Maranzano.
Maranzano summoned Genovese, Luciano, and Costello to his office on September 10, 1931. It was a trap. Luciano was clever and had Maranzano killed by sending four of his men to the office. Luciano, who was no longer an obstacle in front of him, gathered the American mafia in the hands of five families and established a structure called the Commission to control all this. Genovese was with him, of course.
Genovese flees to Italy and begins working with Mussolini:
Vito Genovese, who took the power, was blinded. He even killed a man named Gerard Vertonico during this period just to marry his wife. In 1934, when he was defrauded by a gangster named Ferdinand Boccia, he killed him as well. After Luciano was imprisoned for prostitution in 1936, Genovese became the deputy leader of the mafia.
Vito Genovese’s patronage did not last long as he was accused of killing Boccia in 1937 and fled to Italy to avoid arrest. Of course, a mafia is a mafia everywhere. Genovese, who came to Italy, became an important force by organizing local gangs there. Moreover, he personally ordered the death of journalist Carlo Tresca, who opposed the Italian dictator Mussolini, with whom he began collaborating in 1943.
Although Genovese appeared to be working with Mussolini, he was actually defrauding him too. The US military police in the country noticed this situation and was arrested. He was extradited to the United States on June 1, 1945, when it was revealed that he was wanted for murder.
Genovese, America is returning even stronger:
With the sudden disappearance of two key witnesses in the case against Vito Genovese, Genovese was released. But the mafia was not what he left it. Luciano was still in prison and was replaced by Costello as his proxy. In 1957, after politely persuading Costello and killing Anastasia, he reached the top.
The name of the mafia was now the Genovese Family. Genovese held a meeting where all the mafia families came together as a sign of his power. Luckily, the meeting was raided by the police and dozens of gangsters were arrested. He was released after Genovese said he was only there to barbecue.
The biggest mafia boss in the USA died on a valentine’s day:
Vito Genovese was arrested on 17 April 1959 for violating US narcotics laws and sent to prison. Of course he was in good spirits in prison and continued to run his business from there. He died of a heart attack on February 14, 1969, at the US Federal Penitentiary Medical Center in Springfield, Missouri. The mafia empire founded by Genovese continues to exist even today.
We talked about the details of his life full of crime by telling the life story of Vito Genovese, one of the biggest mafia bosses in the United States, which is like The Godfather movie. You can share your thoughts about Vito Genovese and the mafia in the comments.
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