Vito "Don Vito" Genovese (November 27, 1897 – February 14, 1969) was a mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to many future mob bosses including Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, 4th cousin Michael "Mike the Pipe" Genovese and Carlo "Don Carlo" Gambino. He is also a relative of Thomas Genovese. Image File history File links Mafia_-_Genovese_Family_-_Vito_Genovese_(Former_Boss,_1936-1937)_(Died_in_Prison_on_November_14,_1969;_Heart_Failure)_(2). ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Location of the city of Naples (red dot) within Italy. ... is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Springfield is the third largest city in Missouri. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... This article is about the organized crime groups. ... The Castellammarese War is the name given to a bloody internal power struggle between two factions of Italian-American mafia figures that took place in 1930 and 1931. ... The Genovese crime family is one of the Five Families that controls organized crime activities in New York City, USA, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). ... Vincent The Chin Gigante (March 29, 1928 – December 19, 2005) was a New York mobster who headed the Genovese crime family. ... Michael Genovese may refer to a number of people: Michael A. Genovese, author of The power of the American presidency : 1789-2000 and other books; Michael J. Genovese, corporate attorney in Orange County, California; Michael Genovese, Sr. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Thomas Genovese a. ...

Early Years

After emigrating from Naples, Genovese started his Mafia career serving New York boss Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria during the early 1920s. Involved in bootlegging and extortion, Genovese's main asset to Masseria was his propensity for violence. Charles "Lucky" Luciano was an early associate and benefactor of Genovese. Their relationship lasted 40 years, till Luciano's death. They started together as kids in the slums of New York City. Location of the city of Naples (red dot) within Italy. ... This article is about the criminal society. ... Joe The Boss Masseria Giuseppe Joe The Boss Masseria (1879–April 15, 1931) was an early Mafia don in the United States. ... Rum-running is the business of smuggling or transporting of alcoholic beverages illegally, usually to circumvent taxation or prohibition. ... Extortion is a criminal offense, which occurs when a person either obtains money, property or services from another through coercion or intimidation or threatens one with physical harm unless they are paid money or property. ... Charles Lucky Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania) (November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was a Sicilian-American mobster. ...

His wife the large busted blonde Anna who always wore dark glasses, later informed on her husband. Although associates expected Vito to order her execution he later told Joe Valachi he couldn't bring himself to order the killing (as Bonanno crime family boss Phillip Rastelli would later do). Vito was a very thin man who stood at 5'8 who had a fondness of cashmere coats and had bloodless eyes that always seemed to be staring. He is believed to have been the shooter of Gaetano Reina, which led to the breakout of the Castellammarese War. In April 1931, during the bloody Castellammarese War, Luciano orchestrated the betrayal and assassination of Masseria. Genovese was one of the four shooters who murdered his former employer. Later that year, Luciano arranged a hit on Salvatore Maranzano, the victor in the gang war. With both Masseria and Maranzano dead, Luciano established himself as the paramount gangster in the country. Luciano now became the boss of his own Luciano crime family with Genovese as the underboss. However, in 1936 Luciano was convicted of pandering charges and sent to prison, leaving Genovese as acting boss. In 1937, Genovese was indicted for the 1934 murder of Ferdinand Boccia. To avoid prison, Genovese fled to Italy that same year and settled in in the city of Nola near Naples. Joseph Joe Cargo Valachi (September 22, 1903 – April 3, 1971) {also aka Charles Chanbano/Anthony Sorge} was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. ... The Bonanno crime family is one of the Five Families that controls organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or La Cosa Nostra). ... Phillip Rusty Rastelli (1918 - June 24, 1991) was a mobster in the New York City Mafia. ... The Castellammarese War is the name given to a bloody internal power struggle between two factions of Italian-American mafia figures that took place in 1930 and 1931. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Castellammarese War is the name given to a bloody internal power struggle between two factions of Italian-American mafia figures that took place in 1930 and 1931. ... Salvatore Maranzano (1868-September 10, 1931) was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Mafia boss in the United States. ... The Genovese Crime Family is one of the Five Families that controls organized crime activities in New York City, USA, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). ... Capo Bastone or Beat Head, known as the Underboss is second in command to the Capo Crimini. ... Ferdinand The Shadow Boccia (March 18, 1900 - May 11, 1937) was an Italian-American mobster and gambling racketeer who was killed by Vito Genovese. ... For other uses, see Nola (disambiguation). ...

Exile in Italy

Genovese lived and prospered in Italy. Vito had become a good friend of Benito Mussolini and was awarded the highest civilian medal the dictator could confer. As a favor for Mussolini, Genovese reportedly arranged the slaying of newspaper editor Carlo Tresca, Mussolini's most effective critic in the U.S., in 1943. Mussolini redirects here. ... Carlo Tresca (1879 - January 11, 1943 New York City) was an Italian-born American anarchist, newspaper editor, and labor agitator. ...

In Naples, following the allied invasion in 1944, Genovese was appointed to a position of interpreter/liaison officer in the U.S. Army headquarters and quickly became one of American Military Government of Occupied Territories (AMGOT) most trusted employees. It was a remarkable turnabout; less than a year before, Genovese had arranged the murder of Carlo Tresca, editor of an anti-Fascist Italian-language newspaper in New York, to please the Mussolini government.^[1] The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Carlo Tresca (1879 - January 11, 1943 New York City) was an Italian-born American anarchist, newspaper editor, and labor agitator. ... Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... Mussolini redirects here. ...

While helping the allies, Genovese was also running an enormous black market operation with Calogero Vizzini, a powerful Mafia boss on Sicily.^[1] On August 27, 1944, the Military Police cracked down on the black market ring and arrested Genovese. When Agent Orange C. Dickey^{[citation needed]} of the Criminal Investigation Division of the US Army investigated Genovese's background, he discovered that Genovese was a fugitive wanted on murder charges back in New York. The problem was nobody in the Army or the federal government was interested.^[2] It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into underground economy. ... Image:Calogero Vizzini. ... is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command providing security coverage at the Padang in Singapore during the National Day Parade in 2000. ... The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is an American federal law enforcement agency that investigates serious violations of military law within the United States Army. ...

After months of frustration, Dickey was finally able to make preparations to ship Genovese back to New York to face trial. At that point, the pressure started being applied to Dickey. Making less than $210 per month, Dickey turned down a $250,000 bribe to release Genovese. When that didn't work, Dickey was pressured through his chain of command to release Genovese. Dickey refused to buckle under pressure.

Gaining Power

Back on the streets, Genovese did not receive the top spot in the Luciano family that he had long expected. Frank Costello had taken over as boss when Genovese fled to Italy, and kept the post after he returned. Further aggravating Genovese was the fact that Willie Moretti, a feared New Jersey racketeer, had grabbed his old job as underboss. Genovese was busted down to caporegime. However, his long absence had lulled his enemies into a sense of security they would soon regret. During the 1950s, Genovese ordered the murders of Costello, Moretti and Albert "Mad Hatter" Anastasia. Only Costello survived, but he was frightened enough to give up control of the family. Genovese took over as boss of the renamed Genovese crime family, and was now at the height of his power. Frank Costello, born Francesco Castiglia, or Castilla (January 26, 1891 - February 18, 1973) was an American gangster who rose to the top of Americas underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and had political influence like no other La Cosa Nostra boss. ... Willie Moretti (1894-October 4, 1951) was the cousin and Underboss to Frank Costello Willie Moretti, the supposed Mafia boss of New Jersey, was the muscle behind the Genovese family founders Frank Costello, Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky. ... Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ... A caporegime (sometimes shortened to capo) is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking member of a crime family who heads a crew (or group) of soldiers. ... Albert Anastasia (born Umberto Anastasio) (September 26, 1902 – October 25, 1957), aka the Mad Hatter and Lord High Executioner, was a New York City Cosa Nostra boss remembered for his brutality and his role in running the contract killing gang known as Murder, Inc. ...

Apalachin Meeting

In 1957, Genovese arranged the Apalachin Conference in the rural town of Apalachin, New York, a conference for dozens of top mafiosi that he hoped would confirm his position in the family. Unfortunately for Genovese, the meeting (November 14, 1957) went horribly wrong. New York State Police Trooper Edgar Croswell had been watching the meeting house, which belonged to mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara. When Croswell saw large numbers of mobsters there, he called for reinforcements and surrounded the farm. When the attendees were alerted, they chaotically fled the location, some fleeing on foot into the woods. Aside from derailing Genovese's power plan, the Apalachin Meeting brought the Cosa Nostra out of the shadows and into the view of the public and law enforcement. The Apalachin Meeting was a 1957 summit of U.S. Mafia bosses that descended into a farce when those attending fled in panic after their gathering aroused the curiosity of the local police. ... Apalachin is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in Tioga County, New York. ... The New York State Police is the state police force of 4600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. ... Joseph Joe the Barber Barbara (1905-June 1959) was head of the Bufalino crime family and host of the Apalachin Conference. ... Charles Lucky Luciano, one of the most famous American bosses (La) Cosa Nostra (our thing or this thing of ours in Italian) is a worldwide alliance of criminals, linked through both familial and conspiratorial ties, that is dedicated to pursuing crime and protecting its members. ...

Final Years

In 1959, Genovese was convicted of selling a large quantity of heroin and was sentenced to 15 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia. Some people believed that Genovese was "set up" by law enforcement because the mob had officially banned drug dealing years before. Other accounts have it that he was set up by Carlo Gambino, Charles Luciano, Meyer Lansky, and Frank Costello in order for Gambino to become Capo di Tutti Capi. On February 14, 1969, Vito Genovese died of a heart attack in the Federal Medical Center for Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. For other uses, see Heroin (disambiguation). ... United States Penitentiary, Atlanta. ... Atlanta redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Charles Luciano (11 November 1896_ 26 January 1962), better known as Lucky Luciano, was a legendary mobster with a long criminal history. ... Meyer Lansky (born Majer Suchowliński, July 4, 1902 – January 15, 1983) was an American gangster who, with Charles Lucky Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States. ... Frank Costello, born Francesco Castiglia, or Castilla (January 26, 1891 - February 18, 1973) was an American gangster who rose to the top of Americas underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and had political influence like no other La Cosa Nostra boss. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Heart attack redirects here. ... Springfield is a city in Christian and Greene Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. ...

In popular culture

Genovese is portrayed in the 2001 TV movie Boss of Bosses by Steven Bauer. Steven Bauer (born Esteban Echevarria on December 2, 1956 in Havana,Cuba is a Golden Globe nominated Cuban-American actor. ...

References

External links

• Genovese Article on Gangland News
• Appalachian Meeting on Gangland News
• Vito Genovese
• American Organized Crime - Genovese Crime Family - Vito "Don Vitone" Genovese