A photo of Al Capone by Chicago Bureau (Federal Bureau of Investigation) – Wide World Photos – Wikimedia commons

20 Most Famous Gangsters of All Time


 

The concept of gangsters refers to a cohort of individuals who engage in organized criminal activities, often characterized by violence, intimidation, and the pursuit of financial gain through illicit means. Gangsters are typically seen as being involved in activities such as drug trafficking, racketeering, and extortion, and they are known for their willingness to use force to protect their territory and interests.

The subculture of gangsters is marked by a distinct code of behaviour and a hierarchical structure, with leaders wielding significant power over their followers. The pursuit of profit and status is often prioritized over morality, leading to the adoption of a cynical worldview that views violence and criminal activity as acceptable means to an end.

The behaviour and language of gangsters are often characterized by distinctive and complex slang, which serves to distinguish insiders from outsiders and reinforce the group’s identity. The use of intimidation and violence as a means of enforcing loyalty and respect is a common tactic employed by gangsters, and their actions can often have far-reaching consequences for both themselves and the wider society in which they operate. In the article are the twenty most famous gangsters of all time.

1. Vito Rizzuto

Vito Rizzuto was born on 21 February 1946 and died on 23 December 2013. He was also known as “Montreal’s Teflon Don”. His father Nicolo married into the mob and later started his crime syndicate in Montreal after overtaking the Cotroni crime family in the late 1970s. Vito was an Italian-Canadian crime boss alleged to be the leader of the Sicilian Mafia in Canada.

He headed the notorious Rizzuto crime family based in Montreal, Quebec. He had several run-ins with the law but was able to avoid conviction for any major offences until 2004. Montreal Mafia was considered the most powerful organized crime figure in Canada for many years.

2. Nicolo Rizzuto

Nicolo Rizzuto was an Italian-Canadian crime boss and founder of the Rizzuto crime family, the Sicilian Mafia organization based in Montreal, Quebec. He was born in Cattolica Eraclea, Sicily, Italy, in 1924, and immigrated to Montreal in 1954 with his wife, son and daughter. He married into the mob through his wife Libertina Manno’s family, beginning as an associate in the Sicilian faction of the Calabrian Cotroni crime family, which had most of the control in Montreal.

In the late 1970s, a mob war broke out between the Sicilian and Calabrian factions, which resulted in the deaths of Paolo Violi, the acting capo of the Cotroni family, and his brothers. He was linked with the murders though he was never charged with them.

Rizzuto was incarcerated twice, once in 1988 on drug charges where he served five years in a Venezuelan prison, and the other in 2006 where he served two years in jail for a tax evasion charge. His son Vito later followed him into the mob, and in 2007 was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder as well as racketeering, serving a prison sentence until 2012.

3. Francesco Del Balso

Francesco Del Balso is a convicted felon and erstwhile member of the infamous Montreal Mafia. He was found guilty of engaging in illicit drug trafficking and extortion schemes. Del Balso’s ignominious activities, which brazenly flouted the law, evinced his utter disregard for social norms and moral values.

His notorious reputation, as well as his unscrupulous dealings, have earned him a place among the most nefarious organized crime figures in recent Canadian history. Despite his current imprisonment, Del Balso’s impact on the criminal underworld, and the wider societal implications of his actions, continue to reverberate.

4. Patrick DeFilippo

Patrick “Patty from the Bronx” DeFilippo was an American mobster who was a captain in the Bonanno crime family. He operated from the Bronx and controlled a large illegal gambling ring. DeFilippo became a made man sometime in the 1970s, though his involvement with the family dates back much further. His father Vito was a high-ranking Sicilian-born member of the family and a close associate of Joe Bonanno.

During the war of the 1960s, Patty served as a driver and bodyguard to Joe’s son, Salvatore Bonanno. During this time, the younger Bonanno was detained in Montreal, Quebec, Canada along with both Patty and Vito DeFilippo and several other associates. The group was alleged to have met with the family’s powerful Canadian faction and attended the wedding of Vito Rizzuto.

He was an acting capo during the induction ceremony of Vincent Basciano because capo Charles Musillo was incarcerated at the time. In the 1980s, Patty was promoted to caporegime under reputed family leaders Philip “Rusty” Rastelli and Joseph “Big Joe” Massino. DeFilippo’s early criminal activities included labour and construction racketeering, extortion, loansharking, illegal gambling, and bookmaking.

5. Vincenzo DeMaria

Vincenzo “Jimmy” DeMaria is an Italian-Canadian businessman and alleged mobster originally from Calabria, Italy, now based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. In 1982, DeMaria was convicted of murder, and upon his release in 1990, has since been involved in constant parole hearings and deportation disputes. A 2010 Italian police report named DeMaria as one of the top Greater Toronto Area leaders in the ‘Ndrangheta’s Siderno Group. He also had a seat on the Camera di Controllo.

6. Giuseppe De Vito

Giuseppe De Vito was a notorious figure in the criminal underworld, who rose to prominence as a high-ranking member of the Montreal Mafia. Convicted in 2011 on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, his activities were characterized by a flagrant disregard for the law and a lack of ethical consideration. De Vito’s nefarious activities brought untold harm to the wider society, as they contributed to the proliferation of illegal drugs and the erosion of the social fabric.

De Vito’s name is now synonymous with the excesses and corruption that have come to define the darker side of organized crime in Canada. His ignoble actions, which have had a lasting impact on the nation’s history, underscore the insidious and pernicious nature of organized crime, which continues to be a threat to the security and well-being of Canadian citizens.

7. Paolo Violi

Paolo Violi was an Italian-Canadian mobster and capodecina in the Cotroni crime family of Montreal. His father Domenico Violi was the boss of the Violi clan in his hometown. Violi immigrated to Southern Ontario in 1951. He married Grazia Luppino, the daughter of the boss of the Luppino crime family in Hamilton. He later moved to Montreal where he became associated with the Calabrese compatriot Cotroni crime family, which had most of the control in Montreal.

In the late 1970s, boss Vincenzo Cotroni transferred the day-to-day activities of the family to Violi, and a mob war soon broke out between the Calabrians and the Sicilian faction led by Nicolò Rizzuto. The war resulted in the murder of Violi on 22 January 1978, as well as his brothers, as the Sicilian Rizzuto crime family emerged as the preeminent crime family in Montreal by the early 1980s.

After Violi’s death, his widow and two sons, Domenico and Giuseppe moved to Hamilton; the Violi brothers became affiliated with the Luppino crime family, later also becoming known as the Luppino-Violi crime family.

8. Raynald Desjardins

Raynald Desjardins is a prominent organized crime figure in Montreal and a former associate of the Rizzuto crime family. In 2010, he was part of a violent effort to take control of the Rizzutos’ operations. He is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence for his role in the 2011 murder of the acting boss of New York’s Bonanno crime family, Salvatore Montagna.

The French-Canadian Desjardins has been described as “the most influential non-Italian in the Montreal Mafia since William Obront and Armand Courville”. Despite sharing the same surname, Desjardins is not related to André Desjardins, a notoriously corrupt union boss turned loan shark.

9. Antonio Coluccio

Giuseppe Antonio Coluccio is an Italian criminal. He is a member of the ‘Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He was a fugitive since 2005 and was included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his capture on 7 August 2008, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Antonio revived his father’s mob as the leader after the death of his father during a deadly mob fight between ‘The Ndrangheta Mazzaferro clan and clan Aquino.

10. Giuseppe Avitabile

Giuseppe “Pino” Avitabile was a notorious member of the ‘Ndrangheta, a powerful organized crime group based in Calabria, Italy, with international reach. Avitabile’s notoriety stemmed from his involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering activities, which have had a deleterious impact on society. His activities displayed a complete disregard for ethical considerations and the rule of law.

Avitabile’s illicit pursuits are a stark reminder of the pernicious effects of organized crime and the toll it can exact on the fabric of society. The impact of his actions, as well as those of others like him, highlight the urgent need for greater international cooperation in the fight against transnational criminal organizations.

11. Al Capone

A photo of Al Capone by Chicago Bureau (Federal Bureau of Investigation) – Wide World Photos – Wikimedia commons

Alphonse Gabriel Capone known by the nickname “Scarface”, was an Italian-American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit. His seven-year reign as a crime boss ended when he went to prison at the age of 33.

Capone was born in New York City in 1899 to Italian immigrants. He joined the Five Points Gang as a teenager and became a bouncer in organized crime premises such as brothels. In his early twenties, Capone moved to Chicago and became a bodyguard and trusted factotum for Johnny Torrio, head of a criminal syndicate that illegally supplied alcohol.

12. Meyer Lansky

Meyer Lansky known as the “Mob’s Accountant”, was an American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles “Lucky” Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States.

A member of the Jewish mob, Lansky developed a gambling empire that stretched around the world. He was said to own points (percentages) in casinos in Las Vegas, Cuba, The Bahamas and London. Lansky additionally had a strong influence on the Italian-American Mafia and played a large role in the consolidation of the criminal underworld. The full extent of this role has been the subject of some debate, as Lansky himself denied many of the accusations against him.

13. John Dillinger

John Herbert Dillinger was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and escaped twice. He was charged with but not convicted of the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana, police officer, who shot Dillinger in his bullet-proof vest during a shootout; it was the only time Dillinger was charged with homicide.

Dillinger courted publicity. The media ran exaggerated accounts of his bravado and colourful personality and cast him as a Robin Hood. In response, J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), used Dillinger as a campaign platform to evolve the BOI into the Federal Bureau of Investigation, developing more sophisticated investigative techniques as weapons against organized crime.

14. Kray twins

Ronald Kra and Reginald Kray were identical twin brothers, gangsters and murderers. They were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in the East End of London, England, from the late 1950s to 1967. With their gang, known as the Firm, the Kray twins were involved in murder, armed robbery, arson, protection rackets, gambling, and assaults.

In the 1960s, as West End nightclub owners, the Kray twins mixed with politicians and prominent entertainers such as Diana Dors, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. They became celebrities themselves, were photographed by David Bailey and interviewed on television.

The Kray twins were arrested on 8 May 1968 and convicted in 1969 as a result of the efforts of detectives led by Detective Superintendent Leonard “Nipper” Read. Each was sentenced to life imprisonment. Ronnie was committed to Broadmoor Hospital in 1979 and remained there until his death on 17 March 1995 from a heart attack; Reggie was released from prison on compassionate grounds in August 2000, five weeks before he died of bladder cancer.

15. John Dillinger

John Herbert Dillinger was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and escaped twice. He was charged with but not convicted of the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana, police officer, who shot Dillinger in his bullet-proof vest during a shootout; it was the only time Dillinger was charged with homicide.

Dillinger courted publicity. The media ran exaggerated accounts of his bravado and colourful personality and cast him as a Robin Hood. In response, J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), used Dillinger as a campaign platform to evolve the BOI into the Federal Bureau of Investigation, developing more sophisticated investigative techniques as weapons against organized crime.

16. Meyer Lansky

Meyer Lansky, known as the “Mob’s Accountant”, was an American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles “Lucky” Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States.

A member of the Jewish mob, Lansky developed a gambling empire that stretched around the world. He was said to own points in casinos in Las Vegas, Cuba, The Bahamas and London. Lansky additionally had a strong influence on the Italian-American Mafia and played a large role in the consolidation of the criminal underworld. The full extent of this role has been the subject of some debate, as Lansky himself denied many of the accusations against him.

17. Mark Moran

Mark Anthony John Moran was an Australian organized crime figure of the infamous Moran family from Melbourne, Victoria, notable for its involvement in the illegal drug trade and the Melbourne gangland killings. Moran, aged 35, was shot dead outside his Aberfeldie home, allegedly by Carl Williams, just after 8 pm on 15 June 2000.

18. Abe Saffron

Abraham Gilbert Saffron was an Australian hotelier, nightclub owner and property developer who was one of the major figures in organised crime in Australia in the latter half of the 20th century. For several decades, members of government, the judiciary and the media made repeated allegations that Saffron was involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including illegal alcohol sales, dealing in stolen goods, illegal gambling, prostitution, drug dealing, bribery and extortion.

He was charged with a range of offences including “scandalous conduct”, possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of stolen goods, but his only major conviction was for federal tax evasion.

19. George Freeman

George David Freeman was a Sydney bookmaker, racing identity and illegal casino operator. He was linked to the Sydney drug trade during the 1970s and 1980s, was named in several Royal Commissions into organised crime and had links with American crime figures.

Freeman served several prison terms for theft between 1951 and 1968 but was never brought to trial for any of his later alleged crimes, receiving only monetary fines for SP bookmaking in the mid-1980s. Freeman survived a murder attempt in 1979, was married twice, published an autobiography and died in 1990 of heart failure related to asthma and pethidine addiction.

20. Alphonse Gangitano

Alphonse John Gangitano was an Australian criminal from Melbourne, Victoria. Nicknamed the “Black Prince of Lygon Street”, Gangitano was the face of an underground organisation known as the Carlton Crew. He was also an associate of alleged organised crime bosses Tom Domican (Sydney) and John Kizon (Perth).

Gangitano is considered to be the second of the thirty Melbourne gangland killings between 1998 and 2010 when he was murdered in 1998. Gangitano was portrayed by Vince Colosimo in the 2008 TV series Underbelly and Fat Tony & Co, and by Elan Zavelsky in the 2009 TV series Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities.

 

 

 

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