- Salvatore Catalanotte
Salvatore "Sam Sings in the Night" Catalanotte (
February 15 ,1894 -February 14 ,1930 ) was anItalian-American mobster and boss ofDetroit 'sUnione Siciliana from 1920 to 1930.Criminal career
Salvatore Catalanotte was born in
Trapani ,Sicily on February 15, 1894. He immigrated toDetroit, Michigan , in 1905 where he worked for the bootlegging Giannola brothers during the Vitale-Giannola War. Catalanotte survived several attempts on his life and emerged the "king of Little Sicily in Detroit". He lobbied for an uneasy alliance between the Eastside and Westside Mobs, which was renamed the Pascuzzi Combine. Catalanotte's unified crime syndicate demonstrated it's influence by corrupting city and state officials while simultaneously ensuring protection for its racketeering operations. The Pascuzzi Combine is considered the precursor to theDetroit Partnership ofLa Cosa Nostra .Death
Catalanotte's reign came to an end after he died from pneumonia on February 14, 1930. As a sign of respect, every prominent member of Detroit's criminal underworld paid their respects at the Church of the Most Holy Family in Detroit. This was followed by a 1,200 car procession to his grave at the Mt. Olivet Cemetery. [cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/jiggs2000_us/catalanotte.html|title=Salvatore Catalanotte]
Notes
ee also
*
Jack Tocco
*Gaspar Milazzo
*Gaetano Gianolla
*William Tocco
*Joseph Zerilli External links
* [http://www.thedetroitmafia.blogspot.com/ The Detroit Mafia]
* [http://mafiascene.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=176537&sid=952cd810be02b9f2efefd7622f022670/ MafiaScene.com]
* [http://americanmafia.com/Cities/Detroit.html/ AmericanMafia.com - Detroit]
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