To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article and/or references showing the person is Irish American and a mobster . Later served as a mentor for Jimmy Coonan and other members of the Westies. More than a dozen members of alleged members and associates of the south Philadelphia and southern New Jersey organized crime family are looking at federal racketeering and other related charges . This group of gangsters was led by Bernie McLaughlin and didnt survive the Irish Gang Wars of the 1960s. Civil Society/Crime/Theme/Northeast Philly Irish Mob, http://www.fromdusktilljawn.com/w/index.php?title=Civil_Society/Crime/Theme/Northeast_Philly_Irish_Mob&oldid=2610, Skills: Brawl, Firearms, Weaponry, Subterfuge, Intimidation, Merits: Barfly, Fixer, Contacts (Philly Greek Mob), Allies (Philly Greek Mob). The K&A Gang was started following World War II and controlled the city's Irish-American criminal underworld for much of the late 20th century. And while The Irishman does not get into it because many were in power before the film was set, New York was home to many famous Jewish mobsters. Very minor spoilers ahead for The Irishman but nothing big, we promise. But Sheeran is spotted scouting out Cadillac Linen Services, and hes called in to talk to another mobster, Angelo Bruno (Harvey Keitel). The K&A Gang-- short for the Kensington & Allegheny, the intersection where the gang originated --began as a network of loosely affiliated burglary rings. He was tried for & acquitted of the murder of investigative journalist Veronica Guerin. Edward Loney was to arrange the procurement of 50 gallons of P2P, a precursor chemical, along with Waldemar "Walter" Roeder from Toronto, while Jackson sold mass quantities to contacts in New York. The universal story in the mafia is that Tony Jack had Hoffa killed, not Frank Sheeran as told in The Irishman. The bottom line is that its very wise to follow the rules, if you dont want to get yourself into some very hot water. We ask our visitors to confirm their email to keep your account secure and make sure you're able to receive email from us. When the Dunne family were killed off and incarcerated, a second drug kingpin, by the name of John Gilligan, took center stage. In North Carolina, several members were known as the "Hallmark Gang" and would collaborate with the Dixie Mafia. Rough men returned from war, jaded by their adventures in Europe and the Pacific, and resentful of life in the racialized neighborhoods to which they were returning. 8.7. Philadelphia, PA 19106, Telephone:(215) 861-8200 [17], The K&A burglary crew was a coalition of "crew chiefs" and the organization was a horizontal one in terms of structure.[4]. Whispers didnt tell you it was Jew mob? Bruno asks. They might be operating on a smaller scale, but they still contribute to the global epidemic of gang activity that will not soon be abolished. From loansharking and illegal gambling to drug trafficking and extortion, the mob continues to keep its fingers in many different pots, in its ceaseless quest for illegal profits. The Ndrangheta Italian mafia Is the actual continuation of the Italian mafia. There were plenty of young men posturing as wiseguys, and more than a few gangsters posing as legitimate businessmen,so often on the street and in the restaurantsit was hard to tell the civilians from the connected guys. Not to mention, a ton of famous actors have Irish-American roots, so these films hit close to home for many. 615 Chestnut Street, Suite 1250 Pressed for comment after the declaration of a mistrial, Skinny Joey had only one thing to say: God bless the jury.. misconduct and dubious behavior by cooperating witnesses (including erasing evidence from wiretaps, domestic violence charges and alleged robberies committed while working for the F.B.I. In the end, the Italians would rise up to the top of the bootlegging empire, taking out dozens and dozens of Irish mobsters on their journey to the top. The West End Gang is one of the most influential, albeit small, criminal gangs in Canada. In real life, the Philadelphia Mafia kingpin was known as "the Gentle Don," and took on the surname Bruno as a tribute to Philly gangster Giuseppe "Joe Bruno" Dovi. Jewish-American organized crime reached its heights during the 1920s and 30s and largely declined after World War II. It was the gang's legendary propensity for the extreme violence that . Perhaps one of the reasons that the Irish were never able to rise up against the Italian mafia was due to their lower membership numbers. ", "Long John Lead - Was Ray Martorano's shooting a message? Also uncle of John and Mark Goodwin from the Traitz Brothers RICO Trial. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Wondering why we ask for your email, or having trouble registering. Bufalino vouches for him, saving Sheerans life. The real Frank Sheeran recounts in I Heard You Paint Houses, the source material for The Irishman, that two Jewish mobsters did in fact own Cadillac Linen Services: Cappy Hoffman and Woody Weisman. James McKenzie - Carl Jackson's key distributor. It started in the early 1800s with street gangs like the For The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Ortiz of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Alexander Gottfried of the Department of Justice Criminal Division, Organized Crime and Gang Section. Paul A. Tenkotte and James C. Claypool (2009) The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. In 1981, the New York Times reported that Philip C. Testa, the new head of organized crime in Philadelphia, was killed at age 56. Northeast remains heavily working class. The Violent Irish Gangsters Who Killed For The Mafia Jimmy Coonan & Mickey Featherstone THE WESTIES The brutality of Hell's Kitchen's Irish gang, the Westies, horrified even New York City's District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. I got some Manson Lamps from some of Mr. Merlinos crew on one occasion, and a few of the guys bummed gum off of me on another, but Skinny Joeys associates more or less just coexisted with the reporters. Here are the gangs, the Philadelphia 65, listed in alphabetical order: They were known as the Westside Irish mob which would later become known as the Westies. Mr. Merlino himself until recently had two daughters enrolled at a private Catholic university, and he counts among his close friends several Philadelphia-area priests. A reputed wiseguy nicknamed "Tony Meatballs" is among more than a dirty dozen alleged South Philly mobsters charged in a sweeping federal . Specifically, they discussed how the Mafia could profit from the end of Prohibition by investing in casinos and nightclubs [source: Harper]. Jackson was said to have gained around 4 million dollars in drug profits in the period between his takeover of the gang's meth endeavours and his eventual arrest. After this ceremony, these men (who must be of 100% Italian ancestry) are then referred to as made members of the LCN. There are some in the organization who feel it unwise to continue to split the take with so many players in the Badlands. [citation needed], Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 04:25, History of the Irish Americans in Philadelphia, "Pole-Vaulting - Another group of Eastern-European gunsels makes its mark", "Tale of the notorious Phila. But they admire the hustle of just about anyone in their game, and are willing to make it work if the newcomers are willing to share. The K&A Gang, currently known as the Northeast Philly Irish Mob, is a predominantly Irish American criminal network based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 2001 conviction resulted in a 14-year prison sentence. With hard-headed criminals making up the group, they were seen as a huge criminal threat in 1979, when 21 members were stopped and indicted by federal prosecutors. Were sorry registration isn't working smoothly for you. The war allegedly began when a member of the Charlestown Mob tried to hit on the girlfriend of a White Hill member. This was a broken man. So much so, that a New York brewery has used them as their inspiration for marketing their craft beers. They have much to be proud of, and quite a lot to lose. Hit TV show Sons of Anarchy devoted an entire season to a gang war with rival Irish motorcycle members. In 1921, Al Capone was forced to leave New York City after an altercation with a member of the White Hand Gang. My office was just a couple of blocks from the Italian Market; I ate at Dante and Luigisand loved Villa di Roma (which also is the locale ofseveral scenes in "The Irishman"). Once upon a time, Mr. Merlino was known as the John Gotti of Passyunk Avenue, for his debonair appearance and public braggadocio. According to court documents, the Philadelphia LCN is one of a number of LCN organized crime families based in various cities throughout the United States. Most of the crimes associated with the gangs were burglaries and large-scale thefts. We can't do it without youAmerica Media relies on generous support from our readers. Copyright 2015 - 2023. The third and fourth most famous Irish mobsters have a direct connection with Al Capone. In the 1970's, the money to be made from burglary was on the decline. Although they had quite a large membership (close to 50 people) many of these would end up dead or imprisoned after going head to head with the Winter Hill Gang. Homes once owned old by an aging and dying Irish immigrant population are no longer being inherited by second, third, and forth generation family members. The USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey learned the state remains a hunting ground for mobsters tied to Philadelphia and New York City. From gang rules to illegal practices, the glamour and the gore, these gangsters prove that life within the Irish mob is not your run-of-the-mill existence. William Stearn - Former Roofers' Union Local 30 president & member of the Stocker meth ring. Their name was specifically chosen to provoke the Sicilian Black Hand gang, and definitely had some racist implications. (U.S. Library of Congress via My Jewish Learning). Then, have a look at these grisly photos of the mafia in the 1980s. Check out some of the. David Criniti who was involved in the operation soon testified against the defendants, dealing a blow to the K&A Gang. Powerful ties to the Montreal Italian mafia, as well as motorcycle gang the Hells Angels, and other street gangs have kept them well-protected from legal consequences. Their founder and leader, John Morrissey, was politically active; he was a Democratic State Senator and member of the U.S House of Representatives who advocated on behalf of Irish-Catholic Americans. In the short period that they were active, they claimed responsibility for close to 100 murders. From Chicago to Boston to Philadelphia, Irish mobsters have controlled everything from bootlegging (during Prohibition years) to horse racing, and everything in between. The old standbys are once more coming into fashion, as sports gambling, racketeering, loansharking, and burglary once more form the meat of the mob's income. Many friends and relatives in South Philadelphia of Mr. Merlino seehim and his associates asthe corner boys who grew up with them in the tight-knit Italian-American Catholic neighborhoods of South Philly. In another incident, Robert DeGeorge, a union reformer, was gunned down outside the office. Please visit ourmembership pageto learn how you can invest in our work by subscribing to the magazine or making a donation. Find out more here about the Irish American gangster's life and career. [15] The meth rings were sanctioned by the Scarfo crime family, who received a cut of the profits. Samuel Cappy Hoffman, meanwhile, was called the vice king of Atlantic City. The city has cracked down heavily on the Meth trade, putting the mob at odds with others in the business, such as the Warlocks MC. But Weisman may actually have been named Max Willie Weisberg. Is the violence and vengeance portrayed in The Irishmanindicative of the lives of Downtown's legendary wiseguys? Rob "Juvie" Stewart - Member of the notorious DZP/Local 666 gang. Talking to police officers or other members of the judicial system is highly discouraged. He was allegedly assumed to be an informant on the meth operation that the Traitz brother ran in tandem with members of the K&A gang. He became one of the most famous and powerful beer bootleggers in Philadelphia. The street fights would often end in major rioting, two of which were huge battles during the American Civil War. Like Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes. You can act like a boy scout. I met Skinny Joey back then, by accident. K&A burglars", "Road Companies, Brutes and Safecrackers", "War of the Words - A legendary burglar sues to protect his good reputation", "Robbin' Hood - After months of legal wrangling, the story of Philly's K&A gang finally gets published", "Ex 'K&A' Gang Member Guilty Of Drug Charges", "Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty To '82 Charges", "The Meth Capital of the World - Where is it? 2023 jewish telegraphic agency all rights reserved. Court can be boring. Allied with another group of gangsters named Collopy, the two families went to war with their enemies, The Ryans, who were trying to seize control of the drug trade in Limerick. The Irish Mob is the oldest organized crime group in the United States, in existence since the early 19th century.Originating in Irish American street gangs of the 19th centurydepicted in Herbert Asbury's 1928 book The Gangs of New Yorkthe Irish Mob has appeared in most major U.S. cities, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Henry Saby - Member of Carl Jackson's meth ring. Within a few years of Mr. Scarfos imprisonment, Joey Merlino was identified by the F.B.I. They branched into typical organized crime activities; loansharking, racketeering, illegal gambling, and so on. Why didnt his obituaries say so? They would love a new gravy train, however, and are on the lookout for the Next Big Thing. Answer (1 of 10): The Irish mafia stab each other in the back and will sit on a bar stool constantly drinking beer and whiskey while there wife and kids go hungry. The economy was in the tank, and people were once again desperate. I was just a kid, fresh out of grad school, and the neighborhood waswell, it was something. Between 1923 and 1962, he was arrested 23 times. From Bulger to Spillane, check out this list of infamous Irish mob members ordered from earliest to most recent, and learn how these mob kings rose to infamy. [4], Their reach even extended outside the boundaries of Philadelphia as they targeted other ventures. Between the post war period and 1970, the K&A gang operated almost entirely off the proceeds of their burglaries and subsequent liquidation of stolen property. The Superseding Indictment goes on to describe the various acts allegedly committed by the defendants and others as members of the group, including the distribution of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine and oxycodone pills; the disbursement and collection of tens of thousands of dollars of unlawful bookmaking and other debts owed to the group at interest rates as high as 400%; and even an alleged conspiracy to kidnap or murder a drug dealer in order to protect the reputation of the Philadelphia LCN after the dealer sold members of the group fake drugs. Their relationships with various other groups and mobsters gave them insider information that allowed them to hijack deliveries and rise to the top of the bootlegging business. The real-life Philadelphia gangsters who inspired 'The Irishman' James T. Keane November 15, 2019 Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, right, leaves federal court in Lower Manhattan with his wife. While most of their work was around the Philadelphia area, they ventured out from their turf since the group's inception. Heres what to watch for. The Italians far outnumbered the Irish, were more organized, and had a larger national territory coverage. Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more. Significant numbers of Irish Americans in the Philadelphia region also joined religious orders, including the Christian Brothers, Jesuits, Franciscans, Augustinians, Sisters of Charity, Sisters Servants of the Immaculata Heart of Mary, Sisters of St. Joseph, Sisters of Mercy, and Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus The Irish also had a significant The gang had a severe hatred for the influx of young Italians that were starting to flood into the country. Why, then, does the government continue to pursue Mr. Merlino and his associates? The former died in prison in 2012, and the latter became a government witness and lived out the rest of his life in the Federal Witness Protection Program. Not according to friends and relatives in South Philadelphia, who see him and his associates as something else: the adult versions of the corner boys who grew up with them in the tight-knit Italian-American Catholic neighborhoods of South Philly, locals who made their first holy Communion at St. Pauls or St. Monicas or Epiphany of Our Lord, where the boys went to St. John Neumann and the girls to St. Maria Goretti, two Catholic high schools that combined into a single school in 2004. With the violence and armaments necessary to defend a drug market, the K&A Gang became more appropriately known as the Northeast Philly Irish Mafia. In many American cities, but primarily in Chicago, the Irish were producing and distributing booze illegally. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. philadelphia irish mobstersduck jerky dog treats recall. The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News both had reporters dedicated almost exclusively to the mob beat in those days. Although the Irish put up a good fight, the Italians were more numerous and more organized. James "Jimmy" Laverty - Member of the burglary ring. They have held strongholds in the Northeast, Kensington and Port Richmond. The suits, they reasoned, would help defray suspicion should they be caught out in the open. ET. James Hope was born in Philadelphia to Irish parents in 1836, the family were poor and Jimmy took a job as a machinist. Mr. Merlinos prominent public profile in Philadelphia before his long prison sentence and his alleged return to crime since his release have reportedly once again made him the prime target of F.B.I. Whispers instructs him to burn down the Cadillac Linen Service in Delaware, a competitor to the laundry company that Whispers owns in Atlantic City. This is a list of Irish-American mobsters which includes organized crime figures of predominantly Irish-American criminal organizations or individual mobsters from the early 1900s to the present. If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, youll have unlimited access to the website. The suits, they reasoned, would help defray suspicion should they be caught out in the open. Today, the Northeast Philly Irish Mafia is experiencing a crisis of self. A locked padlock [5], By the late 1970s, with the advent of modern home-security technologies, the burglary racket was no longer viable as a main source of income. The Italian mafia take care of there families. In the past few decades, the largest concentration of Irish mobsters could be found in the hubs of New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston. Mr. Sullivan finally gave the jury an Allen charge, exhorting them to try to reach a consensus, and then relented and declared a mistrial. wire to detail his criminal activities, stated under oath his reason for testifying against Mr. Merlino was a desire to avoid prison time. The Irish Mob is one of the oldest organized crime groups in the United States, in existence since the early 19th century. They also partook in illegal street fighting and bank robberies. Eastern District of Pennsylvania They were founded by James Buddy McLean in 1950, but had their heyday in the late 70s and early 80s under the rule of famed mobster Whitey Bulger. In 1983, Philadelphia garnered a reputation as the "meth capital of the world", according to a statement published by the Associated Press, from a local police officer. Although it would seem logical that the Irish Mafia would exist in Ireland, they only became active in the mother country in the 1960s, more than a century after they originally emerged in America. List of American mobsters of Irish descent. Fax Line:(215) 861-8618. The members headquarted on Center Street (now Worth St.) at Rosanna Peer Grocery Store. 20 Mobsters With The Weirdest Nicknames. This Italian seafood spot, also located in South Philadelphia, was a favorite haunt of Nicodemo S. Scarfo in the 1980s. This time, they allied themselves with the Italian Mafia, and kept their membership to under 20 members at all times. Also some area in south Philly around 2nd street. Their rival gang, the Bowery Boys, would fight them in over 200 gang battles within a particularly violent 10 year span, starting in 1834. Although the roots of these street gangs stemmed in politics, the gangsters were involved in other criminal activities, as well. The Westies consisted of roughly 15 - 20 Irish gangsters who came from the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan. It was then that the K&A Gang turned to narcotics, particularly to amphetemines. Ronald Raiton, a notable criminal figure in the methamphetamine trade, testified that Berkery had bought 200 gallons of P2P from Raiton over the course of a year in 19801981. The Irish Mob was the Irish-American organized crime which had formed in the United States by Prohibition, consisting of various Irish crime syndicates. ", "Feds Hit 'One Of The Largest' Meth Rings", "Drug Ring Had Scarfo Link, Leonetti Says", "Witness Says Joseph Traitz Implicated Himself A Brother Of A Codefendant In The Traitz Brothers' Drug And Murder Trial Testified As Part Of A Plea Agreement", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=K%26A_Gang&oldid=1140664432. Jun 25, 2006 #5. The Irishman Review: An epic look at death, sin and organized crime from Martin Scorsese, Cardinal McElroy responds to his critics on sexual sin, the Eucharist, and LGBT and divorced/remarried Catholics, Worried you retired too early? That was almost two years ago, when I spent a week researching and writing a story on Mr. Merlinos trial on racketeering and gambling charges. There appears to be little publicity so perhaps there is no Irish mob in Philly but given the fact that New York and Boston have infamous organised crime mobs that have hit the headlines for very outrageous offences including the corruption and abuse of the FBI by Whitey Bulger in Boston I wondered if there were any tales of an Irish mob in . I didnt see the Thin One again until two decades later, when we shared an elevator at the courthouse for the Southern District of New York in 2018. The group broke down when almost all members were taken into custody in the 80s, and given long prison sentences for their crimes. There are long hours where you wait for the jury, wait for the judge or watch lawyers whispering in a sidebar, and you end up chatting with each othereven if one of you is an editor at a Catholic periodical and the other has been charged with murder. This Thing of Ours. It is a phrase I am convinced is only used by mobsters and Jesuits. By 1925, there was nothing left of the gang, and the Italian mafia took full control of the NYC limits. Made members and associates who break Omerta may be targeted for death by other members of the group. The group was mainly a burglary ring for much of its early history, but shifted into loansharking . The truth is, viewers love a good mafia film and the Italian mobsters are not the only ones with a voice! What we do know: Jewish mobsters certainly existed. The owner and chef is Steve Martorano, nephew of alleged mobster and Philadelphia native Raymond "Long John" Martorano. Jackson and Zappacosta went on to lead the group until their convictions in late 1987, just a week after their former boss faced trial and was also found guilty. November 23, 2020 4:20pm. (As a character in The Sopranos says, At this point in our cultural history, mob movies are classic American cinema, like Westerns.) And so it was sort of fun to rub shoulders with guys who fulfilled all the stereotypes: the wet look hair, the distinctive South Philly accent (which not a single character in "The Irishman" even attempted to imitate; the only one who sounded slightly like he was from Philly was America's own James Martin, S.J., who played a parish priest and actually grew up in the area), the three-quarter-length car coats, the braggadocio, the whiff of violence. By the 1980's, Philadelphia was in the running as the Meth capital of the world, a fact fueled heavily by the K&A Gang and its affiliates. In the 1960s, a new generation of Irish-American mobsters emerged on the scene in the Hells Kitchen borough of New York City. Friend and Associate of Hughie Breslin, Jimmy Laverty, John McCullough, Jack Johnston, Eddie Berkery, Charles "Chicky" Shaeffer, James "Junior" Smith and Pete Logue. Edward "Effie" Burke Jr.- Influential K&A crew chief. They were said to have manufactured 100 pounds of methamphetamine at a time, which was then distributed by Jackson's subordinates. Due to their representation in popular TV shows and movies, the Irish mob is seen as the coolest and toughest of the bad guys. Detroit: The Numbers Racket: One Woman's Story of the Illegal Street Lottery in Detroit "I was the boogeyman" - Former enforcer of the Detroit Mafia shares old war stories on his podcast Mob Museum shines light on Detroit's violent Prohibition-era Purple Gang William "Chucky" McIlvain - Member of Carl Jackson's crew. Owner of Northeast Philadelphia's Sherwood Club. Carl "Better Days" Jackson and Zappacosta assumed control of the group. And have a social code of conduct among those in there crime families. Philadelphia, PA 19106, JENNIFER CRANDALL