1969 in organized crime
Encyclopedia
See also:
1968 in organized crime
,
other events of 1969,
1970 in organized crime
and the
list of 'years in Organized Crime'
.
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1968 in organized crime
1968 in organized crime
See also:1967 in organized crime,other events of 1968,1969 in organized crime and thelist of 'years in Organized Crime'.-----Events:*Gaspare Magaddino, syndicate gunman is killed in Brooklyn....
,
other events of 1969,
1970 in organized crime
1970 in organized crime
See also:1969 in organized crime,other events of 1970,1971 in organized crime and thelist of 'years in Organized Crime'.-----Events:*Sicilian Mafia Commission is reinstated. The Cupola disbanded in 1963 after the Ciaculli Massacre...
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...
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Events
- SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
- Giuseppe "Pippo" 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....
becomes head of the Porta Nuova, Palermo Clan. - BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
Consigliere and policy racketeer, Joseph LombardoJoseph LombardoJoseph Patrick “Joey the Clown” Lombardo Sr. , also known as "Joe Padula," "Lumbo," and "Lumpy", is an imprisoned American mafioso and a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit crime organization...
, dies of natural causes (not to be confused with the Chicago OutfitChicago OutfitThe Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
's Joseph LombardoJoseph LombardoJoseph Patrick “Joey the Clown” Lombardo Sr. , also known as "Joe Padula," "Lumbo," and "Lumpy", is an imprisoned American mafioso and a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit crime organization...
). - SicilianSicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
mafioso and Corleonesi boss 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...
tried for his role in a mafia war, sparked by the murder of former boss Michele NavarraMichele NavarraMichele Navarra was a powerful member of the Sicilian Mafia. He was a qualified physician and headed the Mafia Family from the town of Corleone...
on Leggio's orders. Leggio is acquitted, probably due to witness intimidation. - New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
mobster Wilfred "Willy Boy" JohnsonWilfred JohnsonWilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson was a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation informant from 1969 to 1985. He provided the FBI with information relating to John Gotti and other members of the Gambino family...
, and childhood friend of John GottiJohn GottiJohn Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
, agrees to become an informant for the FBI after the Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino 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 . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
refused to support his wife while in prison. - Fujinomiya, ShizuokaFujinomiya, Shizuokais a city located in central Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 122,464 and the density of 389 persons per km². The total area was 314.81 km².-Geography:...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- Tadamasa GotoTadamasa Gotois a retired yakuza. He was the founding head of the Goto-gumi, a Fujinomiya-based affiliate of Japan's largest known yakuza syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi....
formed the Goto-gumiGoto-gumiThe was a Japanese yakuza organization founded by Tadamasa Goto. The gang was originally formed in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, but moved its activities east in 1991 when it merged with a gang in Hachiōji, Tokyo...
, a yakuzaYakuza, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
organization which later grew to be one of the most powerful affiliates of the Yamaguchi-gumiYamaguchi-gumiis Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe pre-WWII....
. - February 6 - Thomas Zummo, a lieutenant in the DiGregorio faction 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 ....
, is killed. He is the last victim of the "Bananas War" of the 1960s1960sThe 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
. - February 14 - Vito GenoveseVito GenoveseVito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian 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 future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
dies of a heart attack in a Springfield, IllinoisSpringfield, IllinoisSpringfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
prison hospital, while serving a 15 year sentence for drug trafficking. Following the death of Genovese, the leadership of the Genovese crime familyGenovese crime familyThe Genovese 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 . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
falls to Thomas EboliThomas EboliThomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli was a New York City mobster who eventually became the acting boss of the Genovese crime family.-Early life:...
(previously run by the "Committee" Thomas "Tommy Ryan" EboliThomas EboliThomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli was a New York City mobster who eventually became the acting boss of the Genovese crime family.-Early life:...
, Gerardo "Jerry" CatenaGerardo CatenaGerardo "Jerry" Catena was a New York mobster and a top member of the Genovese crime family during the 1950s and 1960s, along with Thomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli, Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo and Michael "Big Mike" Miranda....
, Michele "Mr. Big" MirandaMichele MirandaMichele "Big Mike" Miranda was a longtime member and eventual consigliere of the Genovese crime family and one of the most powerful New York gangsters in the 1950s and 1960s.-Early years:...
, Philip "Benny Squint" LombardoPhilip LombardoPhilip Lombardo also known as "Benny Squint" and "Cockeyed Phil", was the boss of the Genovese crime family from the late 1960s until the beginning of the 1980s....
), however it is suspected Eboli may have been placed as a "Front Boss" to draw attention away from another high ranking member - Philip Lombardo. - July -
- A gang war begins in Boston's underworld between the Killeens and the MullinsMullinsMullins may refer to:* Mullins, South Carolina, a US city* Mullins , people with the surname Mullins-See also:* Mullins River* Mullins Center, Amherst, an arena* Mullins effect* Mullens...
gang after Mickey Dwyer's nose is bitten off and then shot three times by Kenneth Killeen, during an altercation at the Transit, a local Southie bar. - Several weeks following the Transit incident, Kileen enforcers Billy O'SullivanBilly O'SullivanBilly O'Sullivan is an Irish sportsman. He played hurling with his local club Ballygunner and with the Waterford senior inter-county team.-Early life:...
and Whitey Bulger encounter Dennis "Buddy" Roache a member of the Mullins and brother of future Boston Police Commissioner Francis "Mickey" RoacheFrancis RoacheFrancis M. "Mickey" Roache is an American law enforcement officer and politician who is the Suffolk County Register of Deeds. He previously served as Boston Police Commissioner from 1985 to 1993 and was a member of the Boston City Council from 1996 to 2002....
in a Broadway bar. After a heated argument, Roache is shot and was paralyzed for the remainder of his life. - Killeen enforcer Billy O'Sullivan is killed near his Savin HillSavin HillSavin Hill is the first album by punk band Street Dogs. This is the first new material featuring lead singer Mike McColgan since he quit Dropkick Murphys in 1998...
home by Mullin member Paulie McGonagle. O'Sullivan had previously killed his twin brother Donnie, who had mistaken him for his brother.
- A gang war begins in Boston's underworld between the Killeens and the Mullins
- December 10 - 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...
and three of his men are killed in the Viale Lazio in PalermoPalermoPalermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
by a Mafia hit squad including Bernardo ProvenzanoBernardo ProvenzanoBernardo Provenzano is a member of the Sicilian Mafia and is suspected of having been the head of the Corleonesi, a Mafia faction that originated in the village of Corleone, and de facto capo di tutti capi of the entire Sicilian Mafia until his arrest in 2006.His nickname is Binnu u tratturi...
, Calogero BagarellaCalogero BagarellaCalogero Bagarella was an Italian criminal and member of the Sicilian Mafia. He was from the town of Corleone and belonged to the Mafia clan of Corleonesi.-Biography:...
(an elder brother of Leoluca BagarellaLeoluca BagarellaLeoluca Bagarella is an Italian criminal and member of the Sicilian Mafia. He is from the town of Corleone and was a member of the Corleonesi.-Biography:...
the brother-in-law of Totò RiinaSalvatore RiinaSalvatore "Totò" Riina is a member of the Sicilian Mafia who became the most powerful member of the criminal organization in the early 1980s. Fellow mobsters nicknamed him The Beast due to his violent nature, or sometimes The Short One due to his diminutive stature...
), Emanuele D’Agostino of Stefano BontadeStefano BontadeStefano Bontade was a powerful member of the Sicilian Mafia. Some sources spell his surname Bontate. He was the capomafia of the Santa Maria di Gesù Family in Palermo...
’s Santa Maria di Gesù Family and Damiano Caruso a soldier of Giuseppe Di CristinaGiuseppe Di CristinaGiuseppe Di Cristina was a powerful mafioso from Riesi in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, southern Italy...
, the Mafia boss of RiesiRiesiRiesi is a comune in the Province of Caltanissetta in the Italian region Sicily, located about 110 kilometres southeast of Palermo and about 20 kilometres south of Caltanissetta...
. Cavataio was able to shoot and kill Calogero Bagarella and wounding one of Di Cristina’s men before Provenzano killed him. Provenzano saved the situation with his submachine gun and earned himself a reputation as a Mafia killer with the attack. The Viale Lazio massacreViale Lazio massacreThe Viale Lazio massacre on December 10, 1969, was a settling of accounts in the Sicilian Mafia. Mafia boss Michele Cavataio and three men were killed in the Viale Lazio in Palermo by a Mafia hit squad...
marked the end of a ‘pax mafiosa’ that had reigned since 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...
until the end of the Trial of the 114.
Arts and literature
- The GodfatherThe Godfather (novel)The Godfather is a crime novel written by Italian American author Mario Puzo, originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. It details the story of a fictitious Sicilian Mafia family based in New York City and headed by Don Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia...
(novel) by Mario PuzoMario PuzoMario Gianluigi Puzo was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather , which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola...
. - The Last Words of Dutch SchultzThe Last Words of Dutch SchultzThe Last Words of Dutch Schultz is a novel by Beat Generation author William S. Burroughs, first published in 1970. Rather than use traditional chapters and text, however, Burroughs wrote the book in the form of a convoluted film screenplay....
(novel) by William S. BurroughsWilliam S. BurroughsWilliam Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
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Deaths
- Joseph Lombardo, Boston policy racketeer
- February 6 - Thomas Zummo, DiGregorio-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 ....
lieutenant - February 14 - Vito GenoveseVito GenoveseVito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian 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 future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
"Don Vito", New York mobster and Boss of the Genovese Crime FamilyGenovese crime familyThe Genovese 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 . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...