this day in crime history: september 25, 1959

On this date in 1959, Anthony “Little Augie Pisano” Carfano got rubbed out. Carfano, a Capo in the Genevose (formerly Luciano) crime family, had made the mistake of getting on the bad side of boss Vito Genevose. As if one fatal mistake wasn’t enough, rumor has it that Carfano was making a play for Meyer Lansky’s gambling action in Cuba.

Carfano was found dead in his car in Queens, shot twice. Also killed was Janice Drake, a former Miss New Jersey and the wife of comedian Alan Drake. She had made her own fatal mistake: going to dinner with the man who had pissed off two of the country’s most dangerous mobsters.

Further Reading:

Wikipedia: Anthony Carfano

Rick Porello’s AmericanMafia.com: Colletti & Drake: Women In the Wrong Place At the Wrong Time

Find a Grave: Janice Drake

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friday movie quote

“There’s no money, there’s no weed. It’s all been replaced by a pile of corpses.”

-Tom (Jason Flemyng), Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

this day in crime history: september 22, 1975

On this date in 1975, 45 year old Sara Jane Moore attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in San Francisco, CA.  The attempt–which came seventeen days after Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme tried to kill the President–was foiled by a bystander named Oliver Sipple.  Sipple, a former Marine and Vietnam veteran, grabbed the gun as Moore pointed it at President Ford.  The gun discharged, but the bullet missed the President.

Moore had previously been investigated by the Secret Service, but they concluded she was not a threat.  Well, nobody’s perfect, not even the feds.  She was arrested on an illegal weapons charge the day before the assassination attempt, but was released by the police.  I guess the local cops aren’t perfect either.

Sara Jane Moore was convicted of attempted assassination and sentenced to life in prison.  She was paroled on December 31, 2007 at the age of 77.

Further reading:

Time – “The Assailant: The Making of a Misfit”

Wikipedia – Sara Jane Moore

this day in crime history: september 16, 1920

On this date in 1920, an unidentified man stopped his horse-drawn cart in front of the J. P. Morgan building on Wall Street. He got down from the cart and disappeared into the noontime crowd. A short while later, a bomb consisting of dynamite and cast iron slugs detonated on the busy street. Thirty-eight people were killed and over four hundred were injured. Police conducted an exhaustive investigation that lasted over three years, but the case was never solved.

Further reading:

The Street.com: “Previous Terror on Wall Street — A Look at a 1920 Bombing”

FBI: Terror on Wall Street

Wikipedia: “Wall Street bombing”

friday movie quote

“Now go home and get your fuckin’ shinebox!”

-Billy Batts (Frank Vincent), Goodfellas (1990)

RIP, Frank Vincent

this day in crime history: september 10, 1931

On this date in 1931, mafia “Boss of Bosses” Salvatore Maranzano was shot and stabbed to death in his office in Manhattan. Maranzano, whose reign as top man of the American Mafia lasted only a few months, became just a little too power hungry to suit his fellow mafiosi. Maranzano became aware of this resentment and began making arrangements to eliminate those who would oppose him. But one ambitious young gangster – Charles “Lucky” Luciano – beat Maranzano to the punch and had him rubbed out first, thereby living up to one of the golden rules of organized crime: Do unto others before they do unto you.

Further reading:

National Crime Syndicate – How Did Salvatore Maranzano Get Killed?

Encyclopedia Britannica – Salvatore Maranzano

Find a Grave – Salvatore Maranzano

Wikipedia – Salvatore Maranzano

this day in crime history: september 9, 1971

On this date in 1971, over 1200 inmates at the state prison in Attica, NY started a riot that would last four days.  The riot began with the killing of a corrections officer, then the rioters took about 40 prison employees hostage. Three inmates were killed during the riot in what appeared to be cases of “prison justice.” When negotiations broke down, Governor Rockefeller — hoping to look tough on crime for a possible Presidential run — ordered State Police to retake the prison by force. In the ensuing assault, 29 rioters and 10 hostages were killed.

Wikipedia: Attica Prison Riot

Talking History: Attica Revisited

Attica Prison by Karl R. Josker

My visit to Attica  in March 2012