Pellegrino Morano

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Pellegrino Morano was the Boss of New York's Neapolitan Camorra and it's American "Grand Master" from roughly 1911 after the deportation of Enrico "Erricone" Alfano in 1907. Alfano was the recognized leader of the Camorra in Italy who came to America in late 1907 to oversee the New York group, but he was arrested by New York's famed Italian detective Joseph Petrosino and deported, Alfano's group and associates remained in the United States and by 1911 Pellegrino Morano was the recognized head of New York's Camorra. The Camorra had a presence in Italian communities all across America from the mid 19th century and was considered on par with the Sicilian mafia in terms of power in the Italian underworld. In New York, the Camorra controlled Brooklyn in a very large measure until the early 20th century and in New Orleans the Neapolitan Camorra rivaled the Sicilian mafia until they were overpowered in a bloody war ending just after World War II. Pellegrino Morano was the head of New York's Brooklyn Camorra and had his base of operations in a Coney Island restaurant where he met frequently with underlings for dinner and was known to make his disdain for all Sicilians known by toasting, "Long life and prosperity to all Neapolitans, death to all Sicilians!" Morano was the top Camorra Boss in America and was sought out by Camorra members from all across America seeking advise and council, Camorra Bosses like Andrea Ricci of Philadelphia would come to New York to meet with Morano to discuss Camorra affairs and their planned expansion. Morano led the Camorra's expansion into other areas of New York, but soon came into direct conflict with Sicilian mafiosi in Manhattan, as Morano and his group tried to take over gambling and extortion operations in the Sicilian enclaves of East Harlem and Greenwich Village. By 1914 the Sicilian mafia and the Neapolitan Camorra of New York were at war for domination of the most lucrative rackets in New York's Italian communities such as the Italian lottery, extortion and Italian food specialty distribution. Pellegrino Morano and his top Lieutenant, Alessandro Vollero, the Boss of the Navy St. Gang who took it's name from Vollero's base of operations, the Navy St. Cafe in Brooklyn, were planning to eliminate their Sicilian rivals in New York and take over the Italian underworld completely, the Camorra's leader from across America had met in New York several times in a council of war and it was decided that the other Camorra groups would support their New york brethren against the Sicilians.

The Brooklyn Camorra's major move and expansion was into the territory of the Morello crime family, the top Sicilian mafia group in New York who was based out of East Harlem, Manhattan and by 1914 the hostilities had turned ugly and a shooting war began between the two mafia factions. The war between the Neapolitans and Sicilians had raged for close to 2 years when Morano decided to strike at the heart of the Sicilian leadership. The Neapolitans had approached the Sicilians previously with the idea of a sit down to see if an accord could be reached between the two Italian crime groups and on September 7, 1916 Morello crime family Boss, Nicholas Morello and his bodyguard, Charles Ubriaco arrived at the Navy St. Cafe in Brooklyn for a meeting. As Morello and Unbriaco reached the sidewalk in front of the cafe a 5 man hit team dispatched the 2 Sicilian mafiosi with gunfire in broad daylight. The Camorra leaders were sure that they would have no problems with possible witnesses in the community, but Pellegrino Morano and Alessandro Vollero were arrested within days of the murders due to the defection of a recently inducted Camorra member who was used as one of the shooters. Instead of wiping out the mafia the Camorristas lost their top Boss as Morano was prosecuted for his involvement in the murders of the Sicilian Bosses and was eventually convicted and given life in 1917, he showed no signs of nervousness or fear after the guilty verdict was read and as mafia Boss was being removed from the courtroom Morano was surrounded by dozens of Italians who braved the guards and bowed, showered him with kisses on his hands and forehead and wept for the legendary mafia Boss, Morano was allegedly deported back to Italy in 1919.

The Camorra/Mafia war in New york ended soon after Pellegrino Morano was convicted and sent to prison and by 1920 the Italian underworld had shifted and the Sicilian mafia began to dominate America's underworld, the former Camorra members in New York aligned themselves with the various Sicilian mafia groups within the city's boroughs and the 5 New York crime families began to form. Through research, it seems that New York's Gambino Crime Family can be traced back Morano's Brooklyn Camorra which was evidently taken over by New York mafia and self proclaimed "Boss of Bosses", Salvatore "Tata" D'Aquila in 1916 after Morano was arrested. The Italian crime group would grow to become one of North America's most powerful and influential organized crime family from the 1930s to the present day and be led by such powerful and famous organized crime Bosses as Vincenzo Mangano, Albert "The Mad Hatter" Anastasia, Carlo "Don Carlo" Gambino, the crime family's most powerful Boss, Paul "Big Paulie" Castellano and John Gotti, the crime family's most famous Boss Pellegrino Morano's mafia legacy lives on today as the Gambino crime family is down, but not out and is still considered one of the most powerful and influential criminal organizations in America's underworld.