Salvatore D'Aquila
Salvatore "Toto" D'Aquila (November 1877 – October 10, 1928[1]) was a New York City mobster from the Mustache Pete-era and the first boss of what would later become known as the Gambino crime family.[2][3]
Early life and career
Salvatore D'Aquila was born on November 1877 in Palermo, Sicily, and emigrated to America in 1906.[1] He was an early captain within the Morello crime family in East Harlem.[1] D'Aquila was arrested in 1906 and in 1909; both times the charges were dropped.[4] In 1910, boss of bosses Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello was imprisoned and Salvatore D'Aquila separated from the Morello family.[5] D'Aquila formed his own crime family and appointed himself the new boss of bosses.[5] His crime family operated from East Harlem and the Bronx, where he rivaled the Morellos'.[5]
D'Aquila expanded his crime family's power into Brooklyn and southern Manhattan's Lower East Side/Little Italy neighborhoods.[4] The most prominent members of the D'Aquila family were Umberto Valenti, Alfred Mineo, Giuseppe Traina, and Frank Scalise.[1] In 1920, when Joseph Morello was released from prison, D'Aquila tried to have him and his closest allies murdered.[4][5] In 1925, D'Aquila moved back into the Bronx.[4]
Death
On October 10, 1928, D'Aquila was shot to death on Avenue A in Manhattan, aged 50. After his murder, D'Aquila's family was taken over by Alfred Mineo.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Critchley, David. The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931. p. 156-157.
- ↑ 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.
- 1 2 3 4 D'Aquila, Salvatore "Toto" (1873-1928) The American "Mafia"
- 1 2 3 4 Mike Dash (2009). The First Family: Terror, Extortion and the Birth of the American Mafia. London: Simon & Schuster. p. 265.
External links
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title Crime family established by D'Aquila |
Gambino crime family Boss 1910–1928 |
Succeeded by Alfred Mineo |
| Preceded by Giuseppe Morello |
Capo di tutti capi Boss of bosses 1910–1928 |
Succeeded by Joe Masseria |
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