Gaetano Reina

Gaetano Reina (Italian: [gaeˈtaːno rɛ'iːna]; September 27, 1889 – February 26, 1930) was an Italian-American gangster. He was an early American Mafia boss who was the founder of what is now called the Lucchese crime family in New York City.[1] He led the family until his murder on February 26, 1930, on the orders of Joe Masseria.

Gaetano Reina
Reina in the 1920s
Born	(1889-09-27)September 27, 1889 Corleone, Sicily, Kingdom of Italy
Died	February 26, 1930(1930-02-26) (aged 40) New York City, U.S.
Cause of death	Gunshot
Resting place	Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York City, U.S.
Nationality	Italian
Other names	Tommy Reina Tom Reina
Occupation	Crime boss
Known for	First Boss of the Lucchese crime family
Spouse(s)	Angelina Olivera
Children	9
Relatives	Joseph Valachi (son-in-law) Vincenzo Terranova (brother-in-law)
Allegiance	Reina crime family

Early years

Reina was born on September 27, 1889 in Corleone, Sicily to Giacomo Reina and Carmela Rumore.[2] In the early 1900s, the Reina family moved to New York City and settled on 107th Street in East Harlem. Reina along with his brother Antonio began working with members of the Morello crime family.[2] In July 1913, Reina's sister Bernarda married Vincenzo Terranova.[3]

He married Angelina Olivera, and the couple had nine children; three sons, Giacomo, became a member of the Lucchese family,[4] Henry, Sam, John and Bernard,[5] and three daughters, Anna, Carmela "Mildred" Valachi, married Joe Valachi in 1932,[4][6] Rose Bongrieco and Lucy Sterling.[5] The family lived in a home on Rochambeau Avenue in the Norwood, section of the Bronx.[7]

In November of 1914, wealthy poultryman, Barnet Baff, was murdered in a plot staged by a cabal of Jewish competitors who hired Sicilian gunmen to commit the crime. The investigation and trial, which dragged on for years, became known as the most sensational killing in New York history. At one point, Reina and Jack Dragna were implicated as the actual gunmen; however, it was later determined they were merely red herrings.[8]

Mafia boss

Reina had long been a captain in the Morello family, being in charge of many men and operations within the Morello organization. As the Morello family fell into chaos during the 1910s, Reina, along with Salvatore D'Aquila and Joe Masseria, split off to form their own families. Thus, by 1920, he ruled as boss of his own crime family controlling criminal operations in The Bronx and parts of East Harlem. His crime family held a monopoly over the ice box distribution in The Bronx.[9] Reina's underboss was Tommy Gagliano, a former Morello gang member.

In the late 1920s, Reina formed an alliance with Masseria, who had absorbed into his now powerful organization the remnants of the much weakened Morello family.[9] In 1925, Salvatore Maranzano arrived in New York City and took over the Castellammare family that operated out of the Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Reina switched sides and began supporting Maranzano.[10] Masseria learned of Reina's betrayal and ordered Charles "Lucky" Luciano to arrange Reina's murder.[11]

Murder

On the evening of February 26, 1930, Reina left his mistress Marie Ennis' apartment on Sheridan Avenue in the Claremont section of the Bronx[12][7][13] (other sources claim he was leaving his aunt's apartment after dinner)[14] when he was ambushed (some suspect Vito Genovese[14][15] while others suspect Joseph Pinzolo)[16] and shot in the head with a double barreled shotgun, instantly killing him.[13][17] The two hit men left the weapon under a parked car and escaped.[7] On his body, police found a handgun and $804 in cash.[7] Reina's death helped lead to the Castellammarese War between Masseria and Maranzano.[10]

Reina is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.

In popular culture

Films

• In The Valachi Papers (1972), Reina is portrayed by Amedeo Nazzari.[18]
• In Gangster Wars (1982), Reina is portrayed by Joe Tornatore.[19]
• In Mobsters (1991), Reina is portrayed by Chris Penn.[20]

Novels

• In Martin A. Gosch and Richard Hammer's The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano (1975)

According to Charles Luciano, Reina was: "...a man of his word, he had culture, and was a very honorable Italian."

References

Notes

1. DeVico p. 175
2. Critchley p. 86
3. Critchley p. 52
4. Capeci p. 61
5. Organized Crime and Illicit Traffic in Narcotics. 1963. p. 959. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
6. Critchley p. 135
7. DeStefano p.127
8. Critchley p. 81
9. The American Mafia - Gaetano Reina (www.onewal.com) Archived 2006-05-26 at the Wayback Machine
10. Critchley, (2008). p. 175
11. Casillo p. 519
12. "WEALTHY ICE DEALER SLAIN IN DOORWAY; Gaetano Reina Shot Down as He Left Apartment He Had in Addition to Bronx Home". The New York Times. February 27, 1930. p. 3. Retrieved May 1, 2020. Gaetano Reina, 40 years old, a wealthy wholesale ice dealer, was shot and killed by one of two unidentified men last night as he emerged from an apartment house at 1,521 Sheridan Avenue, the Bronx, where, according to the police, he and a woman had maintained an apartment as Mr. and Mrs. James Ennis.
13. Critchley p. 174-175
14. Milhorn p. 221
15. Sifakis p. 277
16. Nash p. 543
17. Maas p. 65
18. The Valachi Papers on IMDb
19. Gangster Wars on IMDb
20. Mobsters on IMDb

Sources

• DeVico, Peter J. (2007). The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra. Tate Publishing. ISBN 1-60247-254-8.
• Critchley, David (2008). The origin of organized crime in America: the New York City mafia, 1891–1931. Routledge Publishing. ISBN 9781135854928.
• Capeci, Jerry (2002). The complete idiot's guide to the Mafia. ISBN 0028642252.
• Nash, Jay Robert (2004). The Great Pictorial History of World Crime. ISBN 1928831206.
• Milhorn, H. Thomas (2005). rime: Computer Viruses to Twin Towers. ISBN 1-58112-489-9.
• Sifakis, Carl (2005). The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3.
• Maas, Peter (1968). The Valachi Papers. ISBN 978-0-671-63173-4.
• Casillo, Robert (2006). Gangster priest: the Italian American cinema of Martin Scorsese. ISBN 9780802094032.
• DeStefano, Anthony M. (2015). Gangland New York: The Places and Faces of Mob History. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 1493006002.

American Mafia
New title Crime family established by Reina	Lucchese crime family Boss 1922–1930	Succeeded by Joseph Pinzolo