Honoured Society
Encyclopedia
The Honoured Society was a Calabria
n 'Ndrangheta criminal
group that operated in Melbourne
, Australia
. In 1963, it was reportedly involved in the Victoria Market Murders. It was led by gangster Frank Benvenuto until his slaying in 2000. Tony Romeo, another high ranking member, was shot in 2002.
Pasquale "Il Principale" Barbaro, a Canberra
mafia boss-turned police informant named Rosario 'Ross' Gangemi as the "de facto" head of the Honoured Society . Gangemi, an old school soldier was himself named by the Italian police of ordering the infamous Victoria Market Murders campaign in the mid-60's then under the orders of Liborio Benvenuto, Frank Benvenuto's father. When Liborio Benvenuto knew he was close to death he nominated Giuseppe "Joe" Arena to succeed him as Melbourne godfather . Arena who was 50, was himself shot dead by a rival faction six weeks after Benvenuto died in 1988. Michele Scriva, another Gangemi associate, committed Melbourne's first mafia hit , stabbing Giuseppe "Fat Joe" Versace 91 times in 1945. He later served years in jail for another murder. Gangemi knew Melbourne underworld godfather Domenico "The Pope" Italiano, whose death in 1962 sparked a power struggle to take over the cell. That in turn resulted in the deaths of Calabrian-born mobsters Vincenzo Angilletta and Vincenzo Muratore, sparking the Market Wars. Gangemi died at 83 years old on July 2, 2008 of natural causes, there were over 250 mourners at his funeral, one of them being the high-profile member of the Carlton Crew, Mick "The Don" Gatto.
The Honoured Society was particularly known for the stranglehold it exerted in Melbourne's fruit and vegetable market.
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
n 'Ndrangheta criminal
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
group that operated in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In 1963, it was reportedly involved in the Victoria Market Murders. It was led by gangster Frank Benvenuto until his slaying in 2000. Tony Romeo, another high ranking member, was shot in 2002.
Pasquale "Il Principale" Barbaro, a Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
mafia boss-turned police informant named Rosario 'Ross' Gangemi as the "de facto" head of the Honoured Society . Gangemi, an old school soldier was himself named by the Italian police of ordering the infamous Victoria Market Murders campaign in the mid-60's then under the orders of Liborio Benvenuto, Frank Benvenuto's father. When Liborio Benvenuto knew he was close to death he nominated Giuseppe "Joe" Arena to succeed him as Melbourne godfather . Arena who was 50, was himself shot dead by a rival faction six weeks after Benvenuto died in 1988. Michele Scriva, another Gangemi associate, committed Melbourne's first mafia hit , stabbing Giuseppe "Fat Joe" Versace 91 times in 1945. He later served years in jail for another murder. Gangemi knew Melbourne underworld godfather Domenico "The Pope" Italiano, whose death in 1962 sparked a power struggle to take over the cell. That in turn resulted in the deaths of Calabrian-born mobsters Vincenzo Angilletta and Vincenzo Muratore, sparking the Market Wars. Gangemi died at 83 years old on July 2, 2008 of natural causes, there were over 250 mourners at his funeral, one of them being the high-profile member of the Carlton Crew, Mick "The Don" Gatto.
The Honoured Society was particularly known for the stranglehold it exerted in Melbourne's fruit and vegetable market.
See also
- Melbourne gangland killingsMelbourne gangland killingsThe Melbourne gangland killings were the murders in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia of 36 criminal figures or partners between 16 January 1998 and 13 August 2010. The murders were in a series of retributional murders involving various underworld groups. The deaths caused a sustained power vacuum...
- The Carlton CrewThe Carlton CrewThe Carlton Crew is an Italian-Australian criminal organisation based in Melbourne, Victoria. It is so called because the members commonly met in Lygon St, Carlton, commonly called "Little Italy"....
- Moran FamilyMoran familyThe Moran family is an infamous Melbourne-based criminal family, notable for their involvement in the Melbourne gangland killings. Family matriarch Judy Moran lost two sons, Jason and Mark, estranged husband Lewis, and brother-in-law Des to an underworld feud that resulted in the deaths of over 30...
- Australian Mafia