Giosue Gallucci

Giosuè Gallucci (; December 10, 1864 – May 21, 1915), also known as Luccariello, was a crime boss of Italian Harlem in New York City affiliated with the local Camorra. He dominated the area from 1910 to 1915 and was also known as the undisputed "King of Little Italy" or "The Boss", due to his power in the criminal underworld and political connections. He held strict control over the policy game (numbers racket), employing Neapolitan and Sicilian street gangs as his enforcers.

Born in Naples, Italy, Gallucci became one of the most powerful Italians politically in the city. With his ability to mobilize the vote in Harlem and register immigrants, he delivered a significant number of ballots. He gained near immunity from law enforcement by allying with Tammany Hall, a Democratic political machine that ruled Manhattan and New York City politics almost unopposed. Despite his power and political clout, Gallucci was subject to Black Hand extortion and his rule was challenged frequently. In 1915, he was killed by a rival gang. The fight over the lucrative numbers rackets left behind by Gallucci was known as the Mafia–Camorra War.

Early life and career

Giosuè Gallucci was born in Naples, Italy, on December 10, 1864, to Luca Gallucci and Antonia Cavallo. He was also known by his nickname Luccariello. In Italy, a Naples court sentenced Gallucci in 1883 for breaking parole, resisting arrest and perjury and in 1885 for assault and attempted extortion. On March 11, 1892, he arrived in New York City on the SS Werkendam from Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In doing so, he violated Italian emigration laws and was convicted in absentia for fraud. According to an Italian police report, he again left Italy on July 24, 1896. It was rumored that Gallucci had killed a man just before coming to New York, but he publicly denied this.

In April 1898, he was arrested in New York in connection with the murder of Josephine Inselma (or Giuseppina Anselmi), who was portrayed as Gallucci's companion by the police. Inselma was murdered with "her throat cut from ear to ear" in her apartment at 108 Mulberry Street within a block of the infamous Mulberry Bend. Gallucci's apprehension took place while he was operating a fruit wagon in the neighborhood; he was described as "a young grocer and expressman, with a store at 172 Mott Street".

A grand jury dismissed the charges. New York City Police Department detective Joe Petrosino, who was in charge of the investigation, urged his superiors to inquire for more information in Italy. The police prefect of Naples responded, describing Gallucci as a "bad character" and "a dangerous criminal, belonging to the category of blackmailers" who had been placed under police surveillance and charged several times with theft, blackmail, and other crimes. His wife, the prefect added, was also "of bad character". He died the next day. Francesco D'Angelo and Luigi LaRosa were accused of the killing; both pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to 20 years and 15 years in prison, respectively. and a cigar store at 329 East 109th Street. It was rumored that he ran a brothel at the intersection of East 109th Street with Second Avenue.

In 1910, he became the undisputed boss of Little Italy following the imprisonment of the Sicilian-American mafia leaders Giuseppe Morello and Ignazio Lupo on counterfeit charges. He owned many tenements in the area and controlled the coal and ice business, cobbler shops, the olive oil business and the lottery in the Italian neighborhoods. He was one of the biggest moneylenders and held strict control over the policy game (numbers racket), employing Neapolitan and Sicilian street gangs as his enforcers. According to the New York City Police Department, most of Gallucci's income originated "from his control of the policy playing in Harlem, gambling houses and houses of prostitution, all located in that section of Harlem known as Little Italy."

Gallucci was an imposing man, "a big fellow with a pleasant face and a hearty laugh."

Death of brother, Gennaro Giosue's elder brother, Gennaro Gallucci, was shot dead on November 14, 1909, in the back room of the family bakery. Soon after his arrival, the police began receiving complaints about extortion practices, but when the plaintiffs were told that they had to confront him in court, they dropped the charges.

The New York Police captured him on September 20, 1909, while carrying concealed weapons. Immigration officials began efforts to deport him to Italy, but the courts, oblivious of his criminal background, released him with a suspended sentence. His killing two months later might have been connected to Gennaro's blackmailing activities, according to the police. Only a few months before Gallucci's bakery had been assaulted with bullets smashing through the window. Informants claimed that Giosuè had been responsible for the killing of his brother, according to letters sent to the police later. for the death of his brother. For the next two years there would be frequent clashes and occasional killings between the rivals. Prisco was the head of a Black Hand gang who accused Gallucci of trespassing on his territory. Russomanno was not charged with murder after claiming he fired in self-defense.

At the time, the police described him as "the leader of the Italian criminals in Harlem" and that "his consent was necessary before anything out of the way could be done in Harlem's Little Italy." He was well known for being involved with prostitution rackets and was also known as the "King of the White Slavers" in the press. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a transgression of the Sullivan Act, but was released on a US$10,000 bail. The case failed to reach court, a fact that many attributed to his political connections. Fifteen men, mostly friends of Gallucci's, were in the coffee shop, and some returned fire. The funeral was attended by 5,000 people and accompanied by 800 carriages, 22 of which carried flowers alone. Around 10,000 people blocked East 109th Street to witness Gallucci's funeral procession, including some 250 police detectives, present due to a rumor that the widow of Gallucci was targeted for murder. The 150 carriages that were expected for the burial procession were reduced to 54 because of fear for hostile demonstrations. The procession was preceded by a 23-man musical band. The funeral service was held at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, located at 113th Street and First Avenue. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Queens.

According to the New York Herald, Gallucci was "perhaps the most influential and wealthiest Italians in the country". The Herald wrote that at the time of his death, he held $350,000 in real estate and was a millionaire. In reality, Gallucci left behind only $3,402 in cash and the property at 318 East 109 Street, which was subsequently rented out. Gallucci's lucrative numbers rackets were left unclaimed, and they soon passed over to the Sicilian Morello gang, while the Camorra gangs took control in Brooklyn. The subsequent fight over those rackets with the Camorra gangs from Brooklyn is known as the Mafia–Camorra War, and eventually elevated Vincenzo and Ciro Terranova to "boss" status in the Harlem underworld.

Footnotes