Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria

Early Life and Immigration

Born on January 17, 1886, in Menfi, Agrigento Province, Sicily, Masseria emigrated to the United States around 1902-1903 at age 16 or 17.

He carried a criminal record from Sicily and quickly immersed himself in New York's Lower East Side underworld, associating with Italian killers and Black Hand extortionists.[1][7]

His early exploits included burglaries and petty crimes. In 1907, at 21, he received a suspended sentence for breaking into an Elizabeth Street apartment.

Later that year, arrested for Black Hand threats against his own family, he was discharged. By 1908, Masseria and his wife ran a saloon on Forsyth Street, opposite their home. Police linked him to a professional burglary ring after a 1911 New Jersey attempted break-in.[3]

Rise to Power

By 1920, Masseria consolidated power, demanding tribute from most Italian-run rackets in New York, including bootlegging, extortion, and gambling.

He allied with figures like Giuseppe Morello, who became his underboss and "war chief." Masseria's network grew to include future luminaries such as Vito Genovese, Albert Anastasia, Carlo Gambino, Frank Costello, and Paul Castellano.[1][6]

In 1928, following the murder of "Boss of Bosses" Salvatore D'Aquila-allegedly ordered by Masseria-he assumed the title, with Morello as second-in-command.

Masseria pressured rivals for payments, forcing Nicolo Schiro to pay $10,000 and step down. He was accused of orchestrating hits like those on Gaspar Milazzo in Detroit and Gaetano Reina in the Bronx.[2][5]

Key Criminal Activities

• Extortion and Black Hand: Targeted Sicilian businesses for protection money.[6]
• Bootlegging: Controlled alcohol rackets during Prohibition.[4]
• Burglary and Gambling: Expanded from petty theft to citywide operations.[3]
• Tribute System: Took percentages from vendors and rival gangs.[7]

The Castellammarese War

Masseria's greed ignited the Castellammarese War in 1930 against Salvatore Maranzano's faction from Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily.

Morello advised Masseria, but the conflict claimed around 60 lives. Maranzano's group, including Joseph Bonanno and Stefano Magaddino, resisted Masseria's dominance.[1][2]

Violence escalated: Vito Bonventre was murdered in July 1930, elevating Maranzano. Masseria's side suffered setbacks, including Morello's death by a Castellammarese gunman.[2] The war highlighted generational shifts, with younger mobsters like Lucky Luciano chafing under Masseria's old-school, exclusionist rule.[5][7]

Assassination

On April 15, 1931, Masseria lunched with Luciano at Nuova Villa Tammaro restaurant in Coney Island.

Luciano stepped away, allowing Genovese, Anastasia, Adonis, and Siegel to enter and shoot Masseria five times in the back. The hit, secretly arranged with Maranzano, ended the war. Luciano seized Masseria's rackets, forming the basis of the Genovese crime family-one of New York's Five Families.[1][7]

Though Maranzano briefly claimed "Boss of Bosses," Luciano orchestrated his murder months later, establishing "The Commission" for Mafia cooperation.[1]

1930    1931
 |-------|--------|
1928: D'Aquila killed ──► Masseria rises
Jul 1930: Bonventre murdered
   │
1930-31: 60+ deaths
   │
Apr 15, 1931: Masseria assassinated ──► War ends
         \
          Luciano's Commission
      

Legacy

Masseria's death marked the decline of "Mustache Petes"-traditional Sicilian mobsters-and the rise of Americanized leaders like Luciano.

His Genovese family endures as a cornerstone of the New York Mafia. Culturally, Masseria appears in media like Boardwalk Empire, portrayed as a ruthless bootlegger.[4] His story underscores the Mafia's evolution amid Prohibition's chaos.

1. Shifted power from Sicilian exclusivity to broader alliances.
2. Paved way for The Commission, reducing infighting.
3. Highlighted betrayal as a mob survival tool.