Angelo Meli

Angelo Meli (Italian: [ˈandʒelo ˈmɛːli]; February 10, 1897 – December 1, 1969) was an Italian-American mobster who became a consigliere and then leading Chairman of the Detroit Partnership criminal organization of La Cosa Nostra.

Early Life

Angelo Meli was born on February 10, 1897, in San Cataldo, Sicily, the youngest son of 13 children born to Vincenzo Meli and Maria Antonia Gugaglio. Meli immigrated to the United States at the age of 17, settling in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to work as a coal miner. He worked in a Pittsburgh foundry and moved to Detroit in 1918. In Detroit, Meli worked as a baker and restaurateur. Throughout his time there, he owned a bakery, two restaurants, and the Whip Cafe which he owned with "Black" Leo Cellura, another member of the Detroit Partnership.

His brother Frank and nephew Vincent "Little Vince" Meli were members of the Detroit Partnership.

In 1924, Meli married Jennie Dimercurio, and had two sons, Vincent H. and Salvatore, and two daughters, Maria Antoinette and Angela. In May 1929, Meli became a naturalized citizen at the age of 32 through the US District Court in Brooklyn, New York. Before his death, he had 16 grandchildren.

In 1945, Meli's nephew, Marie Antoinette Meli, married attorney Bill Bufalino, a cousin of Northeast Pennsylvania mob boss Russell Bufalino. In 1950, Meli's son, Vincent, married Pauline Perrone, daughter of Santo Perrone, a Detroit bootlegger. In 1952, his daughter Maria, married Detroit Mafia boss Jack Tocco, son of mob boss William Tocco.

Death

After a heart attack in 1963, Meli moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Meli died there on December 1, 1969. On December 6, 1969, he was buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield, Michigan.