Morello crime family

Morello Crime Family

Founded by	Giuseppe Morello
Founding location	East Harlem, Manhattan
Years active	1892-1922
Territory	East Harlem, Manhattan South Bronx Brooklyn Waterfront
Ethnicity	Sicilian
Membership (est.)	25-50 people
Criminal activities	Racketeering Counterfeiting Extortion conspiracy Murder
Allies	Sicilian Mafia Cosa Nostra
Rivals	Brooklyn Camorra

The Morello crime family, established in 1892, was one of the earliest crime families to be established in the United States and New York City. It is the direct ancestor of the Genovese crime family, now one of New York City's Five Families.

The Morello crime family was based in Manhattan's East Harlem and would establish dominance over the New York Sicilian mafia families operating in the Italian-American underworld. The crime family eventually gained dominance in the Italian underworld by defeating the rival Neapolitan Camorra of Brooklyn. Many of the organizations members included such criminals as Ignazio "Lupo the Wolf" Saietta, Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria, Francesco "Frankie Yale" Uale, Umberto "Rocco" Valenti, Tommaso "The Ox" Petto and Charles Ubriaco as well as other future mob leaders such as Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Frank "the Prime Minister" Costello, Vito Genovese and Giuseppe "Joe Adonis" Doto. The Morello crime family's successors would gain control of New York city's criminal rackets following the fall of the Irish and Jewish gangsters who dominated New York's underworld in the beginning of the twentieth century.

History of the Morello Crime Family

Early history

The Morello family was actually more or less, two Sicilian families tied by blood and marriage, the Morello-Terranova family. Both of these Sicilian families held deep roots in the community of Corleone, a small town located outside of Palermo. Calogero Morello married Angela Piazza in 1865, and the marriage produced 2 children, the eldest Giuseppe, and his sister Marietta. Their father died in 1872, but in the Sicily of that era, it was not uncommon to find a widow with children soon remarried, and Angela did just that in in the summer of 1873. Bernardo Terranova, another Corleone native, had 4 children of his own, Salvatrice, the eldest, then came Vincenzo, Ciro and Nicolo. Benardo Terranova was a well known man of honor in his community, a member of the Sicilian mafia, and soldier in the Corleonesi clan, which would one day become one of the most powerful and famous criminal organizations in the world. At this time the Corleonesi mafia was only a small, rural band made up mainly of peasant farmers, but as tradition called for Terranova, who had joined the mafia sometime in the 1880s, while he was still young and strong, was eager to bring his sons into the fraternity or brotherhood. His own sons were far too young, so taking an interest in the future of his step-son, Giuseppe Morello was initiated into the mafia sometime in the late 1880s, most likely in 1889, at the age of 21, when Morello was allgedly involved in the murder of a local captain of the field guards, who patrolled the local estates of land-lords.

Giuseppe Morello quickly rose through the ranks of the Corleone mafia, surpassing even his step-father's rank and influence, becoming the lieutenant of caporegime Paolino Streva, one of capo Salvatore Cutrera's top men. Unfortunately for Morello and his family, just 3 years later he was embroiled in a counterfeiting case and was sought for arrest and questioning. This is when the Morello-Terranova family decided to leave Sicily and immigrate to America. The family left Corleone and arrived in America in 1893, first settling in the predominately Italian enclave of East Harlem New York, but lack of work caused the family to move south into Louisiana to look for work on plantations near New Orleans just a year later. While in Louisiana, Giuseppe Morello, being an established mafioso from Corleone was able to meet other mafiosi originally from the Corleone area, who had immigrated to Louisiana and settled in New Orleans, where one of the largest Italian populations in America existed in the late 1800 and early 1900s. Morello was able to create new friendships with southern based mafiosi from Corleone, who had family, relatives and friends based in New York and around the country. These new relationships would serve Morello in the future and throughout his criminal career in the American mafia. The Morello-Terranova family remained in Louisiana until 1902 and then returned to New York. While the Morello-Terranova family had been in Louisiana for a few short years, the New York landscape had changed, as tens of thousands more Italians flocked to New York, and continued to fill the Italian communities and tenement buildings. Bernardo Terranova and step-son Giuseppe Morello quickly used their mafia connections to land jobs and then immediately became involved in Italian underworld activities with associates other Corleone mafia members based in New York. Morello was a natural leader, who possessed a quick mind, cunning, and a ferociousness that could be called upon to match his cold eyes and steely looks. The two oldest Terranova boys, Vincenzo and Ciro were now in their mid-to-late teens and began to join their step-brother as he committed crimes and involved himself in the rackets, including horse theft, robbery, extortion, counterfeiting. Only Nicolo was still somewhat young at 13, but he would so become the group's top horse thief, a valuable racket at the time since horse and buggy where still the most common mode of transportation.

It was around this time that the Morello-Terranova family would meet Ignazio Lupo, other wise known as Ignazio Saietta and "Lupo the Wolf" due to his ferociousness. Lupo, another Corleone native, had immigrated to the United States in 1889 after killing a man named Salvatore Morello in Corleone, possibly a distant relative of the Morello family, but it's unknown. Lupo settled in the Little Italy section of Manhattan and opened a successful chain of grocery stores, while at the same time he headed one of the most vicious Black Hand extortion rings in the area, preying on native Italian businessmen, shops keepers and push-cart peddlers. Giuseppe Morello and Ignazio Lupo became close friends and were soon united in their quest for power, influence and wealth. Both men were well known within the Italian communities they operated in and both men were greatly feared as extortionist and murderers. On Christmas Day, 1903, Ignazio Lupo married Salvatrice Terranova, creating a lasting bond between the two families and cementing his criminal relationship with Giuseppe Morello.

It was around this time, roughly 1903, that the Morello crime family was established by eldest brother Giuseppe Morello and Iganzio Lupo. The two Sicilian mafosi soon became the most powerful and influential mafia leaders in their respective territories of East Harlem and Little Italy. Within 2 years half-brothers Vincenzo "Vincent" Terranova, Ciro "The Artichoke King" Terranova and Nicola "Nick" Terranova became members of the crime family. Originally known as the 116th Street Mob, the Morellos quickly established dominance within the predominantly Italian neighborhood of East Harlem, Manhattan and parts of the Bronx and eventually Brooklyn. The Morello gang as they were known early in their criminal careers became a highly secretive and closed group, mainly consorting with Sicilian men of Corleonesi origins, who made up most of the group's membership. Continuing to support Lupo's Black Hand organization, the Morello crime family would become the most feared mafia group in New York, and later be suspected of the "barrel murders", supposedly murder victims of the Black Hand, which would be seen regularly throughout the decade.

The Morello-Lupo alliance continued to prosper and both men were accorded a great deal of respect from mafia members across the city, but according to former Pittsburgh mafia leader Nicola Gentile, Giuseppe Morello would become the more powerful of the two mafia leaders and would soon be recognized as the "boss of bosses" of the New York mafia. In 1903 the group began a major counterfeiting ring with powerful Sicilian mafioso Don Vito Cascio Ferro, printing $5 dollar bills in Sicily and smuggling them into the United States. Many of the later "barrel murders", particularly that of Giuseppe "Joe" Catania Sr. (whose body was found in July 1902), were thought to have been committed by the Morellos, who employed a large number of members of the counterfeiting operation.

On April 13, 1903 the body of Benedetto Madonia, brother-in-law to police informant Giuseppe DiPrimo (de Priemo), was found in a barrel after being brutally tortured. A United States Secret Service detective, who had been investigating the counterfeiting ring, traced the man to a restaurant where he was seen with Morello crime family Boss, Ignazio Lupo along with associate and hitman, Tommaso "The Ox" Petto. New York detective Joseph Petrosino later confirmed Madonia's identity after visiting DiPrimo at Sing Sing Prison. A letter by Madonia seeking to leave the organization was found in a search of Madonia's house. With this evidence several mafiosi were arrested including Morello, Lupo, Petto, and restaurant owner Pietro Inzarillo as well as several other members. However the charges are later dropped after witnesses changed their statements.

Counterfeiting Scandal

By the late 1900s, the Morello crime family had consolidated their hold on Upper Manhattan however on November 15, 1909 New York police raided a building in Highland, New York the Morello's were using as a front for their counterfeiting operation. After letters were found by Black Hand victims from New Orleans, fifteen members of the Morello's, including Giuseppe Morello and Ignazio Lupo, were arrested. Recovering a large amount of both American and Canadian counterfeit bills, including Morello member Pasquale Vasi in possession of $1,200 worth of counterfeit money, the printer agreed to testify against the Morello's.

Beginning on January 26, 1910 the trial ended on February 19 with all members involved convicted, including Giuseppe Morello and Ignazio Lupo, who were sentenced to thirty and twenty-five years respectively at Atlanta Federal Prison.

Mafia-Camorra War

With Giuseppe Morello's and Lupo Saietta's conviction, Nicholas "Nick" Terranova, with Vincenzo and Ciro Terranova, took control of the Morello crime family. At this time the Morellos' power was at its height, controlling Manhattan's criminal activities from East Harlem to Greenwich Village. Soon after opening the Venezia Restaurant, the club became a popular hangout for the city's underworld.

Nick's efforts to unify the Italian criminal organizations of New York, particularly the Sicilian Mafiosi and the Neapolitan Camorristi, during the early 1910s were unsuccessful despite his best efforts.

The Morellos' main rival was Don Pellegrino Morano who controlled the Camorra gangs controlling Brooklyn. As violence continued between Mafiosi and Camorristi, the Morello crime family began to split, particularly after the 1914 and 1915 murders of crime family associates and East Harlem Camorristi, Fortunato "Charles" Lamonti and Giosue Gallucci. The crime family split into several factions headed by their top members, Giuseppe Masseria and Umberto "Rocco" Valenti, although there is debate by crime writers and historians as to whether Rocco Valenti was a Sicilian Mafioso and a member of the Morello crime family or Neapolitan Camorristi and a member of the Morano crime family and only allied to the Morello's.

During this time the Morellos had allied with Don Giosue Gallucci, a prominent East Harlem businessman and Camorrista with local political connections and the Lamonti Brothers who where also powerful East Harlem businessmen and Camorristi. Gaetano "Thomas" Lamonti and brother Fortunato "Charles" Lamonti were known as friends of the Morellos who owned a feed store down the street from the famous Murder Stable owned by Ignazio Lupo. After the 1914 murder of Lamonti brother Charles and the 1915 murder of Gallucci, the alliance between the Morello's and the East Harlem Camorristi ended as the Brooklyn Camorristi planned to eliminate the Mafiosi from Manhattan.

In early 1916 Camorra Boss Pellegrino Morano, with lieutenant Vincenzo Paragallo, began moving into the Morello crime family's territory. After six months of fighting, however, Morano offered a truce to end the stalemate. Mafia Boss, Nick Morello agreed as a meeting was arranged at a Navy Street café owned by Camorrista, Alessandro Vollero. However upon arriving, Morello was ambushed by five members of the Brooklyn Camorra group and killed along with bodyguard, Charles Ubriaco on September 7, 1916. While the loss of the Morello crime family's senior leader was a blow to the Mafia, Camorra Boss, Pellegrino Morano was quickly charged with Nick Morello's murder after two members of the Camorra group, Tony Notoro and Ralph Daniello, contacted New York police implicating Pellegrino Morano and Alessandro Vollero, revealing the war between the Sicilian and Neapolitan gangs. Both Morano and Vollero, after being denied help from New York detective Michael Mealli, were convicted of murder and imprisoned, as were the remaining leaders of the Camorristi, effectively ending the Mafia-Camorra War.

A Crime Family Divided, The Morello-Masseria-Valenti Conflict

In the aftermath of the Mafia-Camorra war the Morello's were in control of East Harlem, parts of the Bronx and Brooklyn, New York, ensuring the dominance of the Sicilian mafiosi, as the remaining Camorra members were absorbed into the different Sicilian mafia families that had been formed since the late 1890s, early 1900s in New York organization by the end of 1917. The Terranova brothers, Vincent and Ciro took the place of their half brother Nick as leaders of the crime family and although Ciro Terranova was tried for the murders of gambling bosses, Charles Lombardi and Joe DiMarco in 1918, the brothers remained in control of the Morello crime family as the case was later dismissed.

The organization remained divided between Morello crime family members, Joe Masseria and Rocco Valenti, however as Masseria began gaining power after his release from prison in 1916, serving 3 years for committing a burglary at a Bowery pawnshop and from then he rose to become one of the top members of the crime family, while Valenti had been a Brooklyn Camorra member who after the war joined the Morello crime family and quickly rose through the ranks to become a top crime family member by 1920. The Morellos and their crime family faced a civil war amongst themselves following the post Joe Morello-Lupo Saietta era. The internal conflict centered around two of the most powerful members of the crime family and their factions which battled for control of the Morello crime family during the early 1920s. The Masseria faction versus the Valenti faction was an internal war that was waged within the Morello crime family from 1920-22 and whether or not the Morello family was aligned with Masseria or Valenti is the question that poses a great dilemma for many crime writers, historians and mob watchers. There are many interested in this part of the Morello crime family's history who believe that either the Morello family was an ally to the new rising mafia power in New York, Joe Masseria or they were aligned with Masseria's enemy, Umberto "Rocco" Valenti in order to stop Masseria from gaining control of the crime family and becoming the top mafia boss in New York. A universal fact within this era of the New York mafia is that Brooklyn mafia Boss, Salvatore "Tata" D'Aquila along with the support of Cleveland mafia Boss, Joseph "Big Joe" Porello had become the self proclaimed Boss of Bosses of the American mafia from the mid 1910's and was now looking to be officially anointed and took a great interest in the outcome of the Morello-Masseria-Valenti conflict. Now whether or not Tata D'Aquila had given his support to Joe Masseria in his bid to gain the leadership of the Morello crime family in an effort to rid themselves of alleged former Boss of Bosses, Giuseppe Morello is in question. If Salvatore D'Aquila gave his support to Joe Masseria it was believed that it was so that Masseria would then support D'Aquila's bid to officially gain the Boss of Bosses title, but Masseria had his own plans for the coveted title.

Crime writer David Leon Chandler's 1975 book, "Brothers in Blood:The Rise of the Criminal Brotherhoods" supports the theory that when alleged former boss of bosses, Giuseppe Morello, now called "Peter the Clutch Hand" was released from prison in 1920 he immediately began a campaign to recapture the leadership of the Morello crime family. From 1916, the Morello crime family had been under the leadership of Morello's half brothers the Terranovas, but was being coveted by mafia power, Joe Masseria and that by aligning himself with Rocco Valenti and Pittsburgh mafiosi, Nicola "Cola" Gentile, Morello could eliminate Masseria and hold onto his crime family. Rocco Valenti and Nick Gentile had allegedly aligned themselves with each other in 1920 to oppose mafia boss, Tata D'Aquila in his bid to become the true boss of bosses and Morello apparently believed he could use the two mafiosi in his quest against Joe Masseria or so the theory goes. The only undisputed fact in the war is that Joe Masseria and Rocco Valenti battled each other from 1920-22 to claim the leadership of the Morello crime family, but what is highly disputed is the alliance of Giuseppe "Peter the Clutch Hand" Morello with Rocco Valenti or Joe Masseria? This is the main question that must be answered and crime writers, historians and mob watchers who support the theory that Giuseppe Morello was allied to Rocco Valenti are hard pressed to explain the factual alliance of Joe Masseria and the Terranova brothers, Vincent and Ciro throughout the time Giuseppe Morello is in prison from 1910-22 and the fact that their alliance continued during the conflict, pitting the Terranovas against Valenti. Whether Tata D'Aquila supports Joe Masseria or opposes him as others believe, the true realization of Joe Masseria's close alliance and business association to the Terranovas lead many who have researched the events occurring in the war to conclude that the Morellos and Terranovas were allied to Masseria against Rocco Valenti in his bid for the crime family leadership being that Giuseppe Morello would never oppose or for that matter kill his relatives and half brothers, the Terranovas to support Valenti. There are many factual and recorded events in the war that give us a clearer look at the participants and what their alleged alliances would have been once the events are examined.

The first mafioso to fall victim to the aspirations of Joe Masseria and Rocco Valenti was bootlegger and Valenti ally, Salvatore Muaro who was murdered by alleged Morello-Masseria gunmen on Christie St. December 29, 1920. The next person to be killed in the war that was directly connected to the Morello crime family was Terranova family uncle, George Terranova who was murdered allegedly by Valenti gunmen on January 27, 1921. Rocco Valenti then made a concrete move in the direction of winning the war and taking over the Morello crime family when Boss, Vincent Terranova was shot and killed in front of his home at 116th St. and 2nd Ave. by gunmen shooting from a moving car on May 8, 1922. With the death of Morello crime family boss, Vincent Terranova, Joe Masseria is seen as the successor for the crime family's leadership and is now known as 'Joe the Boss", this is one of the events that causes confusion for people and gives way to a theory that Masseria killed Terranova in order to become boss of the crime family. Others believe Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria acts immediately to avenge the death of Terranova by personally setting up an ambush for Rocco Valenti and his bodyguard, Silva Tagliagamba at the curbside liquor exchange near Grande and Mulberry Streets in Manhattan a short distance from police headquarters where bootleggers meet openly to exchange surplus liquor. Joe Masseria's plan to kill Valenti is considered sound due to the fact that Masseria underling, Tommy Pennochio supervises the liquor exchange and will be able to assist Masseria and his gunmen in Valenti's ambush, but Rocco Valenti escapes Masseria's shooters, while Tagliagamba is mortally wounded and Masseria is apprehended by police fleeing the scene. Police are surprised to find Masseria has a gun permit issued by a New York city official, but Masseria is charged with Tagliagamba's murder, the case is never prosecuted.

On August 8, 1922, Joe Masseria is apparently ambushed by Rocco Valenti gunmen on 5th St. and 2nd Ave. near his home. Joe Masseria ducts into Heiney's Millinery where a Valenti gunman proceeds to shoot at Joe Masseria 4 times from a range of no more than 10 feet while Masseria ducks and dodges the bullets. The gunman and store clerk are amazed as store items and Masseria's straw hat are the only things hit by the bullets, the legend that Joe Masseria can dodge bullets is born. Joe Masseria executes a second effort to eliminate Rocco Valenti by duping him into believing he is scared for his life, wishes to retire and abdicate the Morello crime family leadership to Valenti. There is another theory by those who believe the Morello-Valenti alliance existed that Joe Masseria's second plan to eliminate Rocco Valenti included naming Peter Morello the boss of bosses and abdicate the crime family leadership to him. Either way the facts state that on August 11, 1922 at an Italian restaurant located at 233 East 12th St. Joe Masseria and Rocco Valenti have an alleged peace meeting to discuss the terms of Masseria's abdication. After they eat and the meeting is concluded Masseria leaves the restaurant first at which time Valenti realizes he has been set up and runs down the street for a taxi and is shot just as he reaches the taxi door. The alleged shooter of Rocco Valenti is Masseria underling, Charlie "Lucky" Luciano. The elimination of Valenti leaves Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria the top Italian crime boss in New York and in control of the newly named Masseria crime family. Giuseppe "Peter the Clutch Hand" Morello becomes the crime family's top advisor and a close aide to Masseria, thus strengthening the theory that Morello was allied to Masseria.

Bosses of the Morello Crime Family

• 1892–1898 — Antonio Morello (1854–1898) the patriarch of the famous mafia family from Sicily and the eldest of the three Morello brothers.
• 1898–1909 — Giuseppe Morello (1870–1930) and Ignazio "The Wolf" Lupo (1877–1947) (Morello in East Harlem, Saietta in Little Italy, Morello was recognized as the bosses of bosses at this time, both jailed on counterfeiting charges in 1909)
• 1910–1916 — Nicholas "Nick" Terranova (1866–1916) (killed in Mafia-Camorra war September 7, 1916)
• 1916–1920 — Vincenzo "Vincent" Terranova (1889–1922) and Ciro "The Artichoke King" Terranova (1889–1938) (Ciro in Manhattan/Bronx, Vincent in Brooklyn, many considered Vincent boss and Ciro as underboss, Vincent was killed in Morello-Masseria-Valenti conflict May 8, 1922)
• 1920–1922 — Giuseppe "Peter the Clutch Hand" Morello (1880–1930) (paroled in 1920, abdicated power in 1922 to Joe Masseria who made Morello his top adviser. Morello was later killed in the Castellammarese War on August 15, 1930 allegedly by Maranzano-Bonventre-Bonanno faction members and their allies)

References

• Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of New York. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. ISBN 1-56025-275-8
• Critchley, David. The Origin of Organized Crime: The New York City Mafia, 1891-931. New York, Routledge, 2008.
• Dash, Mike. The First Family: Terror, Extortion and the Birth of the American Mafia. London, Simon & Schuster, 2009.
• Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3

External links

• GangRule.com - The Morello Gang: Early Years (1900-1910)