BALTIMORE FACTION
: - GAMBINO FAMILY.
Early
organized Italian crime in Maryland and Virginia seems to have been dominated
by Calabrians. There were many of these
small Black Hand type groups in existence during the 1910-30’s. Vito Corbi, born 1866 in Catanzaro, led a
small organization based in Virginia.
This group included his son Pasquale [Patsy],
and Vincenzo [Jim] D’Urso. In 1923 they
were all arrested for the murder of Frank Naples, a reputed Camorra member. Patsy Corbi was sentenced to a life sentence,
while D’Urso fled to Canada. Vito Corbi
was already living in Baltimore by then [1920 Census], and avoided
conviction. Another reputed Camorrist,
Rocco Fiorello, was killed in 1924 and several Calabrians were arrested. It points to a conflict between Neapolitan
and Calabrian groups.
Almost
nothing is known of Sicilians active in Baltimore in this period. The only Mafioso
known to be living city was John [Angel Face] Torres, once acquitted of murder
in Detroit, who was later killed during the “Castellammarese War”.
Meanwhile
Vito Corbi had died in1929, Patsy was paroled in 1932 and he and his brother
Frank were living in the city. They were
continuing to operate, and associate with fellow Calabrians in cities like
Pittsburgh and Cleveland. By the
mid-1930’s the traditionally Sicilian Mafia had opened membership to mainland
Italians. But with no local Mafia
Family, this was not possible in Baltimore.
We do not
know the exact reasons, or timing, for the formation of a regime in the city,
but we know the individuals responsible.
Frank Scalice was a former head of the future Gambino Family, since
demoted to Capo rank. He was still a very
important member, and although we do not know the details, he was the catalyst
for the regimes formation.
The other
individual involved was Luigi Morici, who like Scalice, was born in Palermo,
Sicily. Morici may have already been a
member in NYC living in Baltimore, or he was sent there to give the Family a
presence. Whichever, by the early 1940’s
he had gathered a small group of local Sicilians together to form the crew.
According to
a 1950 FBN document given to the Kefauver committee the following were members
by then : -
Vincent
Carrona [AKA Jimmy Russo], born 1904, Bisaquino, Sicily.
Frank
Gattuso
Gaetano
[Thomas] LaFata [AKA Reds], born 1898 Carini, Sicily.
Joseph
Palazzolo
Luigi Morici
[AKA John Maurice], born 1896 Palermo, Sicily.
About
Gattuso and Palazzolo we can find no record, but the other names can be confirmed.
The year1950
saw a violent change in the Families leadership, with the Calabrian Albert
Anastasia becoming Head with Scalice as his deputy. It was probably Anastasia, seeking to strengthen
his position, who ordered Morici to induct some local Calabrians as members.
Thus the
Corbi brothers, among others, finally joined the Family. Morici was promoted to Capo status, and his
connection to NYC became Joseph Gallo. The
crew membership during the 1950-80’s looked like this : -
Luigi
Morici -
Capo till 1966 / died 1971
Vincent
Caronna - died 1980
Thomas
LaFata -
died 1965
Patsy
Corbi -
1895-1955
Frank Corbi -
1904-90 / Capo 1966-90
Mario
Anello -
1905-72
Louis
Comi -
1906-79
Joseph
Gigliotti - 1903-2001 [poss. Member in Pittsburgh]
Frank
Dabbene - 1897-1984
Charles
Barbera - 1904-87
Benjamin
Magliano - 1904-71
Frank
Malvaso - 1901-91
Sam
Adornato - 1905-72
Joseph Corbi -
1911-2001
Angelo
Perrera - 1912-72
Angelo
Munafo -
1927-2001
Another
possible member was Antonio Messina, who was killed in Baltimore in 1952.
By the 1980’s
most of the membership had died or retired, and with Capo Frank Corbi in his 80’s
and inactive, the regime became extinct.
