Events

• Luciano Leggio
  Luciano Leggio
  Luciano 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...
  
   is once again captured and brought to trial by prosecutor Cesare Terranova
  Cesare Terranova
  Cesare 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...
  
  , only this time on 9 counts of murder. Leggio is once again acquitted of all charges.
• |Joseph "Mad Dog" Sullivan becomes the first man to escape from the Attica Correctional Facility
  Attica Correctional Facility
  The Attica Correctional Facility is a maximum penitentiary in the town of Attica, New York, operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services. After it was constructed in the 1930s, it held many of the most dangerous criminals of the time. A tear gas system is installed in the mess...
  
   in upstate New York, before his capture only five weeks later in Greenwich Village
  Greenwich Village
  Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
  
  .
• Donato "Danny Wags" Fatico, brother of Gambino crime family Capo Carmine Fatico
  Carmine Fatico
  Carmine "Charley Wagons" Fatico was a Caporegime in the New York Gambino crime family. Fatico is best known as an early mentor to Gambino boss John Gotti.-Biography:...
  
   and an early sponsor of future Gambino leader John Gotti
  John Gotti
  John 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...
  
  , is convicted of hijacking charges.
• March 16 - Gambino crime family
  Gambino crime family
  The 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...
  
   captain Angelo Mele and 4 associates were convicted for conspiracy to sell 2 kilos of heroin. Mele was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
• April 3 - Former Genovese crime family
  Genovese crime family
  The 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...
  
   buttonman and government informant Joseph Valachi died of natural causes while imprisoned at the La Tuna Federal Penitentiary in El Paso, Texas
  El Paso, Texas
  El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
  
  .
• May 12 - Bonanno crime family
  Bonanno crime family
  The 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 ....
  
   boss Paul Sciacca
  Paul Sciacca
  Paul Sciacca was a New York City mobster who became boss of the Bonanno crime family.-Bonanno family war:In 1964, a rivalry in the Bonanno crime family started when boss Joseph Bonanno promoted his son Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno to the position of consigliere over senior capo Gaspar DiGregorio...
  
   and captain Michael Casale were arrested for conspiring to sell heroin to an undercover agent during "Operation Flanker", which netted various New York mafiosi for narcotics infractions, but eventually all defendants went free as all charges were dropped for various reasons. Sciacca was not imprisoned, but like his predecessor Gaspar DiGregorio
  Gaspar DiGregorio
  Gaspar or Gaspare DiGregorio was a New York mobster and a high-ranking member of the Bonanno crime family who was a key figure in the so-called "Banana War"....
  
  , Sciacca was replaced by the Commission, who promoted underboss Natale Evola
  Natale Evola
  Natale "Joe Diamond" Evola was a New York mobster who briefly became boss of the Bonanno crime family.Born in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn to parents Filippo and Francesca, who was natives of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. He was the brother of Paul, Joseph and Anna...
  
   as the new boss.
• June 28 - Joe Colombo
  Joseph Colombo
  Joseph "Joe" Colombo, Sr. was the boss of the Colombo crime family, one of the "Five Families" of the Cosa Nostra in New York.-Background:...
  
   is seriously wounded by gunman Jerome Johnson during Italian-American Unity Day, ending his involvement in the Italian-American Civil Rights League
  Italian-American Civil Rights League
  The Italian-American Civil Rights League was formed as a political group in and around New York City in the early 1970s. Its stated goal was to combat pejorative stereotypes about Italian-Americans....
  
  . Although surviving the attempt on his life, Colombo would remain comatose
  Coma
  In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
  
   until his death in 1978
  1978 in organized crime
  See also:1977 in organized crime,other events of 1978,1979 in organized crime and thelist of 'years in Organized Crime'.----- Events :*Paul Castellano forms a working partnership between the Gambino crime family and the Westies street gang of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen.*January 6 - Cleveland Crime...
  
  . Initially suspected to have been ordered by rival mobster Joey Gallo, later evidence would indicate the involvement of former Colombo ally Carlo Gambino
  Carlo Gambino
  "Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
  
   for the attempted assassination. Colombo Capo Thomas DiBello negotiates a truce with the Gallo Brothers soon after the shooting, ending the long running Gallo-Colombo gang war.
• September 17 - Lucchese crime family
  Lucchese crime family
  The Lucchese 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 family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
  
   captain James Plumeri was found strangled to death less than 6 months after his conviction on charges of violating the Welfare and Pension Plans Disclosure Act.
• September 25 - Chicago Outfit
  Chicago Outfit
  The 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...
  
   executioner Felix "Milwaukee Phil" Alderisio
  Felix Alderisio
  Felix "Milwaukee Phil" Alderisio was a prominent enforcer, bagman, hitman and burglar for the Chicago Outfit, serving as an underboss to Salvatore Giancana during the 1960s and as boss for a short time from 1967 before being sent to prison in 1969 and dying there.-Early life:Alderisio began his...
  
   died of natural causes while serving a term for extortion in the United States Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois.
• October 12 - Gambino crime family
  Gambino crime family
  The 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...
  
   soldier Alexander D'Alessio, who was identified by Joseph Valachi as a man who controls gambling on Staten Island for Carlo Gambino
  Carlo Gambino
  "Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
  
  , was arrested in a raid of gambling establishments by FBI Agents.
• October 23 - Meyer Lansky
  Meyer Lansky
  Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
  
   is indicted by a federal grand jury of skimming money from the syndicate casino, the Flamingo Hotel
  Flamingo Las Vegas
  The Flamingo Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada and is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp.. The property offers a casino along with 3,626 hotel rooms...
  
  , charging that Lansky and three others planned to conceal and distribute over $36 million in unreported income.
• November 9 - Milwaukee mob boss Frank Balistrieri
  Frank Balistrieri
  Frank Peter Balistrieri , also known as "Mr. Big", "Frankie Bal", "Mr. Slick", and "Mad Bomber", was a Milwaukee Mafia boss who was a central figure in skimming during the 1980s.-Early years:...
  
   (already imprisoned on other charges) and five associates are slapped with a 10-count federal indictment for concealing the ownership of a restaurant, income tax fraud and other charges.
• November 26 - Joe Adonis
  Joe Adonis
  Joe Adonis , also known as "Joey A", "Joe Adone", "Joe Arosa", "James Arosa", and "Joe DiMeo", was a New York mobster who was an important participant in the formation of the modern Cosa Nostra crime families.-Early years:Adonis was born Giuseppe Antonio Doto in the small town of Montemarano,...
  
  , a former captain under Frank Costello
  Frank Costello
  Frank Costello was an Italian New York City gangster who rose to the top of America's underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and enjoyed political influence.Nicknamed the "Prime Minister of the Underworld", he became one of the most powerful and influential Mafia...
  
  , dies of natural causes in Italy.
• December 25 - New York mobster Bruno Latini is shot and killed in his car.

Arts and literature

• Equal Danger
  Equal Danger
  Equal Danger is a 1971 detective novel by Leonardo Sciascia where a police inspector investigating a string of murders finds himself involved in existential political intrigues...
  
  (novel) by Leonardo Sciascia
  Leonardo Sciascia
  Leonardo Sciascia was an Italian writer, novelist, essayist, playwright and politician. Some of his works have been made into films, including Open Doors and Il giorno della civetta .- Biography :Sciascia was born in Racalmuto, Sicily...
  
  .
• The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight
  The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight
  The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight is a 1969 novel written by Jimmy Breslin and a film of the same name based on the book and released in 1971 starring Robert De Niro. The novel is a roman à clef of the life of Joey Gallo whose fictional counterpart, Kid Sally Palumbo, is played by Jerry Orbach...
  
  (film) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067124/ starring Jerry Orbach
  Jerry Orbach
  Jerome Bernard "Jerry" Orbach was an American actor and singer. He was well known for his starring role as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Law & Order television series and as the voice of Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As well, Orbach was a noted musical theatre star...
  
   and Robert De Niro
  Robert De Niro
  Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
  
  .
• Shaft
  Shaft (1971 film)
  Shaft is a 1971 American blaxploitation film directed by Gordon Parks, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. An action film with elements of film noir, Shaft tells the story of a black private detective, John Shaft, who travels through Harlem and to the Italian mob neighborhoods in order to find the...
  
  (film) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067741/ starring Richard Roundtree
  Richard Roundtree
  Richard Roundtree is an American actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft and in its two sequels, Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa .-Personal life:Born in New Rochelle, New York, Richard Roundtree graduated from...
  
   and Moses Gunn.
• The French Connection
  The French Connection (film)
  This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
  
  (film) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067116/ starring Gene Hackman
  Gene Hackman
  Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
  
  .
• Get Carter
  Get Carter
  Get Carter is a 1971 British crime film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a gangster who sets out to avenge the death of his brother in a series of unrelenting and brutal killings played out against the grim background of derelict urban housing in the city of...
  
  (film) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067128/ starring Michael Caine
  Michael Caine
  Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
  
  .

Births

• Salvatore Montagna
  Salvatore Montagna
  Salvatore "Sal the Iron Worker" Montagna was an acting boss of the Bonanno crime family of the New York City mafia families, and the Sicilian faction-leader of the Bronx section. At the time of his death, he had been associated with the Rizzuto crime family of Montreal...
  
   "The Iron Worker", Bonanno crime family
  Bonanno crime family
  The 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 ....
  
   street boss for Vincent Basciano
  Vincent Basciano
  Vincent J. Basciano is an American mobster who rose to become acting boss of the Bonanno crime family after the arrest of Joseph Massino. He is nicknamed "Vinny Gorgeous", due to owning a Bronx beauty salon called "Hello Gorgeous," and for his fastidious grooming, hairstyle and looks...
  
  

Deaths

• September 25 - Felix Alderisio
  Felix Alderisio
  Felix "Milwaukee Phil" Alderisio was a prominent enforcer, bagman, hitman and burglar for the Chicago Outfit, serving as an underboss to Salvatore Giancana during the 1960s and as boss for a short time from 1967 before being sent to prison in 1969 and dying there.-Early life:Alderisio began his...
  
  , Chicago Outfit
  Chicago Outfit
  The 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...
  
   Boss
• November 26 - Joe Adonis
  Joe Adonis
  Joe Adonis , also known as "Joey A", "Joe Adone", "Joe Arosa", "James Arosa", and "Joe DiMeo", was a New York mobster who was an important participant in the formation of the modern Cosa Nostra crime families.-Early years:Adonis was born Giuseppe Antonio Doto in the small town of Montemarano,...
  
   Joseph Doto, New York mobster and captain under Frank Costello
  Frank Costello
  Frank Costello was an Italian New York City gangster who rose to the top of America's underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and enjoyed political influence.Nicknamed the "Prime Minister of the Underworld", he became one of the most powerful and influential Mafia...
  
  , died of natural causes in Italy.
• December 25 - Bruno Latini, New York mobster