Salvatore D'Aquila
Salvatore "Toto" D'Aquila (Italian pronunciation: [salvaˈtoːre ˈdaːkwila]; November 7, 1873 – October 10, 1928) was an early Italian-American Mafia boss in New York City of the D'Aquila crime family, what would later become known as the Gambino crime family.[1][2]
Salvatore D'Aquila | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 7, 1873 |
| Died | October 10, 1928 (aged 54) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot |
| Resting place | St. John Cemetery, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Other names | "Toto" |
| Occupation | Crime boss, mobster |
| Allegiance | D'Aquila crime family |
Early life and career
Salvatore D'Aquila was born on November 7, 1873 in Palermo, Sicily to Salvatore D'Aquila and his wife Provvidenza Gagliardo.[3] D'Aquila emigrated to the United States in 1906[4] and became an early captain within the Morello crime family in East Harlem.[4] D'Aquila was arrested in 1906 and in 1909; both times the charges were dropped.[5] In 1910, boss of bosses Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello was imprisoned and Salvatore D'Aquila separated from the Morello family.[6] D'Aquila formed his own crime family and was appointed the new boss of bosses.[6] His crime family operated from East Harlem and the Bronx, where he rivaled the Morellos'.[6]
D'Aquila expanded his crime family's power into Brooklyn and southern Manhattan's Lower East Side/Little Italy neighborhoods.[5] The most prominent members of the D'Aquila family were Umberto Valenti, Manfredi Mineo, Giuseppe Traina, and Frank Scalise.[4] In 1920, after Giuseppe Morello was released from prison, D'Aquila tried to have him and his closest allies murdered.[5][6] In 1925, D'Aquila moved back into the Bronx.[5]
Death
On October 10, 1928, D'Aquila was shot dead on Avenue A in Manhattan, aged 54. After his murder, D'Aquila's family was taken over by Manfredi Mineo.[7][8]
See also
References
Citations
- Capeci, Jerry (2004). The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. New York: Penguin.
- H. Thomas Milhorn. Crime: Computer Viruses to Twin Towers. p. 218.
- Warner, Santino & Van't Reit 2014, pp. 39-40.
- Critchley 2009, pp. 156-157.
- D'Aquila, Salvatore "Toto" (1873–1928) The American "Mafia"
- Mike Dash (2009). The First Family: Terror, Extortion and the Birth of the American Mafia. London: Simon & Schuster. p. 265.
- Ferrara, E.; Nash, A. (2011). Manhattan Mafia Guide: Hits, Homes & Headquarters. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-61423-351-0. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- Varese, F. (2013). Mafias on the Move: How Organized Crime Conquers New Territories. Princeton University Press. pp. 118 ff. ISBN 978-0-691-15801-3. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
Sources
- Critchley, David (2009). The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891–1931. New York: Routledge.
- Hunt, Thomas (2016). Wrongly Executed? - The Long-forgotten Context of Charles Sberna's 1939 Electrocution. Whiting, Vermont: Seven Seven Eight. ISBN 978-1-365-52872-9.
- Warner, Richard; Santino, Angelo; Van't Reit, Lennert (May 2014). "Early New York Mafia: An Alternative Theory". Informer: The History of American Crime and Law Enforcement. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
External links
- D'Aquila biography on The American Mafia website
- La Cosa Nostra Database "Salvatore D'Aquila"
- Salvatore D'Aquila at Find a Grave
- Struggle for Control – The Gangs of New York, article by Jon Black at GangRule.com
| American Mafia | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title Crime family established by D'Aquila |
Gambino crime family Boss 1910–1928 |
Succeeded by Manfredi Mineo |
| Preceded by Sebastiano DiGaetano |
Capo dei capi Boss of bosses 1912–1928 |
Succeeded by Joe Masseria |
