Vincenzo Genna

Vincenzo "James" Genna (; January 18, 1888 – November 8, 1931) was an Italian-born mobster in Chicago. He headed the Genna crime family with his brothers. Genna and his brothers waged war against the North Side Gang before half of the brothers were killed and Genna fled.

Early life Vincenzo Genna was born on in Marsala, Sicily. His parents, Antonio Genna Sr. and Maria had six other sons: Antonio "the Gentleman", Angelo "Bloody Angelo", Mike "the Devil", Salvatore "Sam", Pietro "Peter", and Nicola Genna (who stayed in Sicily); and two sisters: Rosa Laudicina and Caterina Mariana. He and his brothers entered the U.S. through New York around 1910.

Prohibition and O'Banion The Genna brothers became a close knit Marsala-based Mafia and bootlegging gang. When Prohibition became a federal law in 1919, the Gennas obtained a federal license to legally manufacture industrial alcohol, in which they sold illegally. Tony and his brothers operated from Chicago's Little Italy, which was located west of the Chicago loop. Until then, Merlo and the Unione had refused to sanction a hit on O'Banion. However, Merlo had terminal cancer and died on November 8, 1924. With Merlo gone, the Gennas and South Siders were free to move on O'Banion.

Torrio ordered the brothers to kill O'Banion; the brothers carried out the hit on November 10, 1924.

Gang war After the O'Banion murder, Chicago erupted into a full-scale war. The North Siders—now led by Adelard Cunin—attempted to kill Torrio outside his home, causing him to flee to Italy, leaving his second-in-command—Alphonse "Scarface" Capone—as head of the Outfit.

Then, the North Siders took aim at the Gennas. On May 26, 1925, Moran, Vincent "the Schemer" Drucci, and Earl "Hymie" Weiss wounded Tony's brother Angelo in a high-speed chase, causing him to die shortly after. Then on June 13, 1925, Mike Genna is killed by police after a shootout with North Siders. On July 8, 1925, Tony Genna was ambushed and killed by a Genna turncoat. James and his remaining two brothers fled Chicago.

Return to Italy After three of his brothers’ deaths, Genna fled to Italy via Paris with Torrio. After arriving in Italy, Genna had spent much of his money he made from the family’s alcohol business at night clubs and from living in Via Monte Grappa. He made a plan to steal the Madonna Di Trapani church jewels in Sicily. In the first week of January 1926, Genna was arrested in Rome, Italy, for the theft of the Madonna Di Trapani church jewels. He was sentenced to a couple of years of hard labor in the jail at Favignana, and was released between 1928 and 1929.

Return to Chicago Genna then decided to return to Chicago and get back into business as a gangster. On May 31, 1930, Genna was driving in a car with four old Genna gang members, when a large sedan pulled up alongside of them and a volley of shotgun and pistol shots into the car. Philip Gnolfo was killed and two others were wounded. Genna gave up on muscling in on the old Genna territory and fled to Calumet City.

Death and aftermath On November 8, 1931, Vincenzo Genna died of heart disease. His remaining two Chicago brothers also died of natural causes: Pietro died on May 13, 1948, at Columbus Hospital; and on December 20, 1951, Salvatore Genna died of a heart attack in his home on 865 Blue Island Ave.