Joe Masseria, born Giuseppe Masseria on January 17, 1886, in Sicily, Italy, was destined for a life of crime from the moment he entered the world. At the age of 10, Masseria witnessed the brutal murder of his father by a rival gang, an event that would shape his future as a notorious mob boss.
Seeking a better life for himself, Masseria immigrated to the United States in 1916, where he quickly established himself in the criminal underworld of New York City. He started out as a low-level enforcer for a local gang, but his ruthless ambition and cunning quickly propelled him up the ranks.
By the 1920s, Masseria had built a fearsome reputation as a ruthless and cunning mob boss. He was known for his brutal tactics, which included extortion, robbery, and murder. Masseria quickly rose to the top of the criminal hierarchy in New York City, becoming the boss of what would later become known as the infamous Genovese crime family.
During his reign, Masseria controlled a vast criminal empire that stretched across the city. He had his fingers in everything from illegal gambling to bootlegging during the Prohibition era. Masseria's power and influence made him a force to be reckoned with in the criminal underworld.
Masseria's reign of terror came to a sudden and bloody end in April 1931 when he was assassinated at the Coney Island restaurant Nuova Villa Tammar. The hit was carried out by a rival gang, led by Salvatore Maranzano, in a brutal power struggle for control of the city's criminal underworld.
Despite his violent end, Masseria's legacy lived on in the annals of organized crime. His cunning and ruthlessness paved the way for future mob bosses, and his influence can still be felt in the criminal underworld today. Masseria has been depicted in several popular films and TV shows, cementing his status as a legendary figure in the world of organized crime.
Despite his criminal activities, Masseria kept his personal life private. He was known to be a devoted family man, with a wife and children who were kept out of his criminal dealings. Masseria's birth name, Giuseppe Masseria, was rarely used in the criminal underworld, where he was known simply as "Joe."
Masseria's name is forever linked with that of Frank Costello, another infamous mob boss who also led the Genovese crime family. The two men were both powerful figures in the criminal underworld, and their names are synonymous with the brutal and ruthless world of organized crime in New York City.
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