Rocco Valenti
Encyclopedia
Rocco Valenti was a New York City
gangster and prominent member of the Morello crime family
during the early 1900s.
Navy Street Gang in the early 1910s. On July 20, 1916, Valenti and fellow gang member Nick Sassi helped George "Lefty" Esposito, Tom Pagano, and Giuseppe Verizzano escape after murdering Joe DeMarco and Charles Lombardi.
On September 7, 1916, Valenti was arrested in a local pool hall for carrying a concealed weapon. His arrest came several hours after a shootout that resulted in the deaths of Nicholas Morello
and Charles Ubriaco. However, Valenti was later released.
On January 26, 1918, Valenti was arrested in Troy, New York
and convicted as an accessory in the DeMarco and Lombardi murders. After serving ten months in prison, Valenti was released in November 1918. He also testified for Charles Giordano
during his trial in March 1919.
in 1918, Valenti was considered one of the best gunmen in New York; he was suspected in at least twenty murders. By the beginning of Prohibition
, Valenti had amassed a reputation as one of the top gunmen in the Italian underworld of New York. By this time, being Neapolitan or Sicilian no longer mattered and Valenti now vied for control of the Mafia of Manhattan and waged war against rival Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. On May 10, 1922 Valenti and gunman Silva Tagliagamba
unsuccessfully ambushed Masseria. With Tagliagamba mortally wounded, both men fled the scene. On August 9, 1922, Valenti attempted to kill Masseria on Second Avenue. Valenti killed both of Masseria's bodyguards and chased Masseria into a local millinery store. However, Masseria managed to escape.
This time Valenti had exceeded his authority; he never asked Morello's permission to hit Masseria the second time and Morello now turned against him. Morello and Masseria soon made a deal to kill Valenti. On August 11, 1922, Valenti went to a meeting arranged by Morello and Masseria at a Twelfth Street restaurant(John's 302e.12th) However, when Valenti arrived, he was greeted by three of Masseria's gunmen. During the ensuing shootout, an eight-year-old girl and a street cleaner were wounded. As Valenti tried to jump onto a moving taxi to escape, he was shot and killed by gunman and future crime boss Charles "Lucky" Luciano.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
gangster and prominent member of the Morello crime family
Morello crime family
The Morello crime family is the direct ancestor of the Genovese crime family, the oldest of New York City's Five Families.-From Corleone to America:...
during the early 1900s.
Mafia-Camorra War
Valenti joined the NeapolitanNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
Navy Street Gang in the early 1910s. On July 20, 1916, Valenti and fellow gang member Nick Sassi helped George "Lefty" Esposito, Tom Pagano, and Giuseppe Verizzano escape after murdering Joe DeMarco and Charles Lombardi.
On September 7, 1916, Valenti was arrested in a local pool hall for carrying a concealed weapon. His arrest came several hours after a shootout that resulted in the deaths of Nicholas Morello
Nicholas Morello
Nicolo Terranova , also known as Nicholas "Nick" Morello, was one of the first Italian-American organized crime figures in New York City...
and Charles Ubriaco. However, Valenti was later released.
On January 26, 1918, Valenti was arrested in Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
and convicted as an accessory in the DeMarco and Lombardi murders. After serving ten months in prison, Valenti was released in November 1918. He also testified for Charles Giordano
Charles Giordano
Charles Giordano is an American keyboardist and accordionist. Giordano is known primarily as the newest member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing keyboards and organ following the serious illness and subsequent death of longtime E Street organist Danny Federici in 2008...
during his trial in March 1919.
Shootouts with Masseria
By the end of the Mafia-Camorra WarMafia-Camorra War
The Mafia-Camorra War was a gang war in New York City during the World War I era. One side was the Sicilian Morello crime family of Manhattan, the other side was Camorra, an ancient Neapolitan gang with a subgroup in the vicinity of Navy Street in Brooklyn, and the Coney Island gang...
in 1918, Valenti was considered one of the best gunmen in New York; he was suspected in at least twenty murders. By the beginning of Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, Valenti had amassed a reputation as one of the top gunmen in the Italian underworld of New York. By this time, being Neapolitan or Sicilian no longer mattered and Valenti now vied for control of the Mafia of Manhattan and waged war against rival Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. On May 10, 1922 Valenti and gunman Silva Tagliagamba
Silva Tagliagamba
Silva Tagliagamba was an early New York mobster and a member of the Morello crime family.Tagliagamba served as a bodyguard for mob boss Umberto Valenti during in the early 1920s. On May 8, 1922, Valenti allegedly murdered mobster Vincent Morello in Manhattan...
unsuccessfully ambushed Masseria. With Tagliagamba mortally wounded, both men fled the scene. On August 9, 1922, Valenti attempted to kill Masseria on Second Avenue. Valenti killed both of Masseria's bodyguards and chased Masseria into a local millinery store. However, Masseria managed to escape.
This time Valenti had exceeded his authority; he never asked Morello's permission to hit Masseria the second time and Morello now turned against him. Morello and Masseria soon made a deal to kill Valenti. On August 11, 1922, Valenti went to a meeting arranged by Morello and Masseria at a Twelfth Street restaurant(John's 302e.12th) However, when Valenti arrived, he was greeted by three of Masseria's gunmen. During the ensuing shootout, an eight-year-old girl and a street cleaner were wounded. As Valenti tried to jump onto a moving taxi to escape, he was shot and killed by gunman and future crime boss Charles "Lucky" Luciano.