The Rise and Fall of the Boston Mafia.
The Boston Mafia started in the early years of the 1920s and 1930s with men coming from Sicily, Italy. The Italian immigrants landed on Boston harbor or on Ellis Island, New York. This report will show the rise and fall of the Boston Mafia and also take a brief look at the Buccola crime family, Anguilo family, Raymond Patarcia, the Winter Hill Gang and Buddy McLean.
The growth of La Cosa Nostra (The Italian Mafia in Italian) in Boston was a bit slower than in most major cities. In the late 1920s and 1930s, Irish gangs were still around and Italians did not control the whole city. Filippo (Phil) Buccola was the first New England Mafia leader. He arrived from Sicily, Italy, in 1920 and became a crime boss within a few years. His organization was constantly challenged by a larger Irish gang but was able to operate well during the 1930s and 1940s. Men like Tony Sandrelli, Henry Selvitella, Frank Cucchiara, John Gugliemo, Leo Santaniello, Theodore Fuccilo and Joe Lombardo kept it together and were not men to "mess around with.".
On December 2, 1931, these men killed Frank Wallace, leader of the South Boston Gustin Gang. Wallace and two of his men were killed on their way up their stairs to Lombardo's C and F importing company on Hanover Street. On January 6, 1932, the Italians completed the takeover by killing bootlegger and head of the Jewish mob, Charles (King) Solomon. Solomon was one of the biggest smugglers of booze in the Boston area. Now, Buccola was boss, Lombardo was the underboss, Cucchiara consigliere and Sandrelli and Selvitella became capos. A consigliere is a legal counsel to the group, like a lawyer. A capo is the head of the soliders and the soliders are the strongarms who do all of the dirty work. The family was soon to be able to begin loansharking and gambling rackets slowly throughout East Boston, Revere and the west end of Boston. They had a piece of everything illegal that went on.
