Don Vito Genoveseâ„¢

Vito Genovese (November 27, 1897 – February 14, 1969) was a mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family and mentor to many future mob bosses including Vincent Gigante, Nephew Michael Genovese and Carlo Gambino.Genovese started his Mafia career serving Joe Masseria during the early 1920's after emigrating from Naples. Involved in bootlegging and extortion, Genovese's main asset to Masseria was his propensity for violence. Lucky Luciano was an early associate and benefactor of Genovese. Their relationship was was a complex one, and would last for 40 years.In April 1931, Luciano orchestrated the assassination of Joe Masseria. Vito Genovese was one of the four shooters involved in the hit on his former employer. Later that year, Luciano also arranged a hit on Salvatore Maranzano, and established himself as the paramount gangster in the United States. Genovese was now the underboss of the new Luciano family, a position he would hold until the late 1930s. Accused of murder, Genovese fled to Italy and spent ten years there until after World War II. When he returned Genovese was not given the top spot in the Luciano family as he had expected. Instead the politically connected Frank Costello had taken the reins and become the don. Further aggravating Genovese was the fact Willie Moretti, a feared New Jersey racketeer, had become underboss. Genovese was now 50 years old and only a caporegime. His long absence had lulled his enemies into a sense of security they would regret.From 1950 until 1957 Genovese ordered the murders of Willie Moretti and Albert Anastasia, and the attempted murder of his own don Frank Costello. These actions left Genovese as the absolute master of the crime family, which in the coming years would bear his name. However this period would be Genovese's high water mark.Genovese then arranged the infamous Apalachin Conference for dozens of top mafiosi, hoping to confirm his place atop the underworld. Unfortunately for him, the meeting (November 14, 1957) went horribly wrong. New York State Trooper Edgar Croswell had been watching the house in which the meeting was supposed to be held, because he was suspicious of the owner, Joseph Barbara. Genovese was convicted in 1959 of selling a large quantity of heroin. Most experts agree he was set up by law enforcement, since a mob ban on drug dealing had been put into place some years before the arrest. Genovese was sentenced to 15 years and served his sentence at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. Incarcerated, Genovese left control of the crime family to the reclusive Phillip Lombardo.Genovese would order many murders from prison to maintain control of the rackets. Millions of dollars continuted to flow to Genovese's personal family. Vito Genovese died of a heart attack in the Springfield Prison infirmary, on 14th February, 1969.