1968 in organized crime
Encyclopedia
See also:
1967 in organized crime
,
other events of 1968,
1969 in organized crime
and the
list of 'years in Organized Crime'
.
----
1967 in organized crime
1967 in organized crime
See also:1966 in organized crime,other events of 1967,1968 in organized crime and thelist of 'years in Organized Crime'.-----Events:*March - Federal authorities, helped by government informant Harold Konigsberg, discover a Mafia "graveyard" in New Jersey....
,
other events of 1968,
1969 in organized crime
1969 in organized crime
See also:1968 in organized crime,other events of 1969,1970 in organized crime and thelist of 'years in Organized Crime'.-----Events:*Sicily - Giuseppe "Pippo" Calo becomes head of the Porta Nuova, Palermo Clan....
and the
list of 'years in Organized Crime'
Timeline of organized crime
This is a timeline of the history of organized crime.Note: Sources included are Carl Sifakis's The Mafia Encyclopedia, Herbert Asbury's The Gangs of New York and others. Online references also include Thomas P...
.
----
Events
- Gaspare Magaddino, syndicate gunman is killed in BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. - New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
mobster Rudolph Marfeo is murdered in Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. - Sicilian Mafiosi backed politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, Salvatore LimaSalvatore LimaSalvatore Lima was an Italian politician from Sicily who was murdered by the Mafia. He is often just referred to as Salvo Lima....
elected to the Italian parliament. - March 11 - Santo "Sam" Perrone, a member of the Bonanno crime familyBonanno crime familyThe Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
, Bill Bonanno bodyguard and owner of a Brooklyn trucking company, is killed by Gasperino DiGregorio Faction shooter Frank Mari. - April 1 - Michael Consolo former veteran Bonanno Crime FamilyBonanno crime familyThe Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
member, having defected to the DiGregorio Faction was killed by his own men for speaking cordially to Bill Bonanno in front of the Manhattan courthouse; it was taken that he was re-defecting back to the Bonanno Crime FamilyBonanno crime familyThe Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
. - September 18 - Bonanno Crime FamilyBonanno crime familyThe Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
Underboss Frank Mari and ConsigliereConsigliereConsigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
Michael Adamo disappear from BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. It is rumored that Mari and Adamo were plotting to remove boss Paul Sciacca from power so that they could take over the crime family, but their plans were revealed and they were eliminated, never being seen again. - December 22 – Verdict of the Trial of the 114 in Catanzaro. Anti-Mafia judge Cesare TerranovaCesare TerranovaCesare Terranova was a magistrate and politician from Sicily notable for his anti-Mafia stance. From 1958 until 1971 Terranova was an examining magistrate at the Palermo prosecuting office. He was one of the first to seriously investigate the Mafia and the financial operations of Cosa Nostra. He...
had signed the order to send the men to trial in 1965. The defendants were accused of crimes relating to the First Mafia War. Amongst those on trial were the heads of the opposing factions in the Mafia War, Salvatore GrecoSalvatore GrecoSalvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco was a powerful mafioso and boss of the Mafia Family in Ciaculli, an outlying suburb of Palermo famous for its citrus fruit groves, where he was born...
and Angelo La BarberaAngelo La BarberaAngelo La Barbera was a powerful member of the Sicilian Mafia. Together with his brother Salvatore La Barbera he ruled the Mafia family of Palermo Centro...
, as well as the man who had actually triggered the war by framing La Barbera, Michele CavataioMichele CavataioMichele Cavataio , also known as The Cobra was a powerful member of the Sicilian Mafia. He was the boss of the Acquasanta mandamento in Palermo and was a member of the first Sicilian Mafia Commission. Some sources spell his surname as Cavatajo.Cavataio was one of the most feared mafioso gangsters...
. Also there were Giuseppe CaloGiuseppe CalòGiuseppe 'Pippo' Calò is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He was referred to as the "Mafia's Cashier" because he was heavily involved in the financial side of organized crime, primarily money laundering....
and Luciano LeggioLuciano LeggioLuciano Leggio was an Italian criminal and leading figure of the Sicilian Mafia. He was the head of the Corleonesi, the Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone...
. The trial opened in December 1967. It resulted in few convictions, with several of those being just for "organized delinquency". This only carried a sentence of a few years, and most of those convicted of it were released instantly thanks to time already served. The longest sentence was handed to Angelo La BarberaAngelo La BarberaAngelo La Barbera was a powerful member of the Sicilian Mafia. Together with his brother Salvatore La Barbera he ruled the Mafia family of Palermo Centro...
, who was given twenty-two-years for ordering the kidnap and murder of two rival mobsters who had vanished in 1963 after they were seen being bundled off the streets; someone who witnessed the kidnapping testified for the prosecution despite death threats, one of the few witnesses to do so. Tommaso BuscettaTommaso BuscettaTommaso Buscetta was a Sicilian mafioso. Although he was not the first pentito in the Italian witness protection program, he is widely recognized as the first important one breaking omertà...
was given a thirteen-year sentence for kidnapping the men but his conviction was in absentiaIn absentiaIn absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
because he was not present at the trial. He had fled Sicily after the Ciaculli Massacre to avoid the inevitable crackdown. Buscetta was captured in BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 1973 and sent back to Sicily to serve his sentence. Salvatore GrecoSalvatore GrecoSalvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco was a powerful mafioso and boss of the Mafia Family in Ciaculli, an outlying suburb of Palermo famous for its citrus fruit groves, where he was born...
was sentenced to four years in absentia. No one was found guilty of the Ciaculli massacreCiaculli massacreThe Ciaculli massacre on 30 June 1963 was caused by a car bomb that exploded in Ciaculli, an outlying suburb of Palermo, killing seven police and military officers sent to defuse it after an anonymous phone call. The bomb was intended for Salvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco, head of the Sicilian Mafia...
.
Arts and literature
- Giorno della civetta, Il (film) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063010/
- The Valachi Papers (non-fiction book) by Peter MaasPeter MaasPeter Maas was an American journalist and author. He was born in New York City and attended Duke University. Maas had Dutch and Irish heritage....
Deaths
- Frank LaBruzzo, Former leader of the Bonanno crime familyBonanno crime familyThe Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
and brother-in-law to Joseph BonannoJoseph BonannoJoseph Charles Bonanno, Sr. was a Sicilian-born American mafioso who became the boss of the Bonanno crime family. He was nicknamed "Joe Bananas," a name he despised.-Early life:... - Gaspare Magaddino, syndicate gunman and older brother of Stefano MagaddinoStefano MagaddinoStefano Magaddino was an Sicilian mafioso who became the boss of the Buffalo crime family in western New York. His underworld influence stretched from Ohio and Southern Ontario as far north as Montreal, Quebec...
- Rudolph Marfeo, New England mobster
- Santo Perrone "Sam", Bonanno crime familyBonanno crime familyThe Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
member and owner of a Brooklyn trucking company - Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson New York drug traffiking syndicate, controlled Harlem's drug scene for 15 years