Genna crime family

The Genna crime family was a Sicilian-American organized-crime group that operated in Chicago during the late 1910s and 1920s. Its best-known period ran from approximately 1921 to 1925, when six Genna brothers—Vincenzo “James,” Angelo, Mike, Antonio, Sam, and Peter—formed the core of the organization. The brothers were immigrants or children of immigrants from Marsala, Sicily, and established their base in Chicago’s Little Italy, an area that also served as a center of Sicilian political, social, and criminal activity. The family entered bootlegging before national Prohibition began. In 1919, the brothers obtained a federal license to manufacture industrial alcohol legally, but diverted some of that production into the illicit liquor trade. After Prohibition took effect, they became participants in Johnny Torrio’s beer cartel and initially agreed to distribute alcohol within an assigned territory. Their activities were not limited to liquor. The organization was also associated with illegal gambling clubs, saloons, political connections, and control or influence over the Chicago chapter of the Unione Siciliana, a Sicilian mutual-aid organization that was increasingly contested by organized-crime factions. The six brothers had differentiated roles. Vincenzo “James” Genna was generally regarded as the family’s leader. Angelo “Bloody Angelo” Genna acted as a principal enforcer and was involved in political conflict surrounding Chicago’s Nineteenth Ward. Mike “The Devil” Genna was associated with violent enforcement work, while Antonio “The Gentleman” Genna was described as operating more discreetly. Sam Genna handled political relationships, and Peter Genna ran a saloon. The family’s influence was strengthened through relationships with other Italian criminal groups, including the organization developing around Torrio and Al Capone. The Gennas’ expansion created a direct conflict with Dean O’Banion and the North Side Gang. By 1924, the brothers were reportedly selling surplus liquor outside their agreed territory at low prices, undermining the territorial arrangements of the beer cartel. O’Banion sought intervention from Torrio and Unione Siciliana leader Mike Merlo, but the dispute escalated into hijackings and retaliatory violence. Torrio’s arrest at the Sieben Brewery in May 1924 and Merlo’s death later that year contributed to the breakdown of the existing balance among Chicago’s criminal organizations. In November 1924, Genna-associated gunmen John Scalise and Albert Anselmi, together with Frankie Yale, killed O’Banion at his flower shop. The murder did not secure the Gennas’ position. After a short-lived truce, the North Side Gang turned against the Genna organization during the broader Chicago beer wars. Angelo Genna was killed after a car chase on May 27, 1925. Mike Genna died in a gun battle with police on June 13, and Antonio Genna was assassinated in an ambush on July 8. James, Sam, and Peter Genna subsequently left Chicago. The family’s independent power consequently collapsed, and its former territory and surviving criminal networks were eventually absorbed into the organization that became known as the Chicago Outfit. The family’s history was also intertwined with struggles over the Unione Siciliana and Chicago ward politics. Anthony D’Andrea, a Sicilian political and criminal figure allied with the Gennas, sought influence in the Nineteenth Ward and was killed in 1921. After the deaths and disappearance of the Genna brothers, Samuzzo Amatuna and later Giuseppe “Joe” Aiello became prominent figures in the organization’s former political and territorial environment. Aiello’s later conflict with Al Capone formed part of the continuing struggle for control of Chicago’s Italian underworld. The Genna crime family therefore represents a short-lived but important faction in the violent consolidation of organized crime in Prohibition-era Chicago.

The Genna crime family emerged from Chicago’s Sicilian immigrant community and was centered in Little Italy during the period surrounding national Prohibition. The organization’s core consisted of six brothers from Marsala, Sicily: Vincenzo “James,” Angelo, Mike, Antonio, Sam, and Peter Genna. Their activities developed alongside neighborhood saloons, political organizations, and mutual-aid societies, including the Unione Siciliana. The brothers were involved in bootlegging by 1919. Their federal authorization to produce industrial alcohol provided a legal-looking foundation for an illicit liquor operation, since some of the alcohol was diverted into illegal sales. When Prohibition began, the Gennas joined the beer cartel associated with Johnny Torrio and agreed to confine their distribution to an assigned territory. The family also maintained gambling establishments and saloons and cultivated political relationships in and around Chicago’s Nineteenth Ward. The arrangement deteriorated when the Gennas began selling excess liquor outside their territory at prices that challenged rival suppliers. Dean O’Banion, leader of the North Side Gang, demanded that Torrio and Mike Merlo restrain the brothers. Torrio did not decisively intervene, and O’Banion’s faction began hijacking Genna shipments. Torrio was arrested in May 1924 after being set up at the Sieben Brewery, while Merlo’s death in November removed an important intermediary. The following day, John Scalise and Albert Anselmi, identified as Genna gunmen, joined Frankie Yale in the killing of O’Banion. The murder intensified the wider Chicago gang war. O’Banion’s successor, Hymie Weiss, initially negotiated a temporary truce with the Gennas, but the North Side Gang subsequently concentrated on the Torrio-Capone organization and then attacked the Genna family. Angelo Genna died on May 27, 1925, after a vehicle pursuit. Mike Genna was killed by police during a June 13 shootout, and Antonio Genna was ambushed and killed on July 8. James, Sam, and Peter departed Chicago, ending the family’s period as an autonomous criminal power. The former Genna territory remained contested. Samuzzo Amatuna briefly became a prominent successor associated with the Unione Siciliana, while the Aiello brothers later challenged Al Capone’s dominance from the same broad Sicilian political and criminal environment. The subsequent consolidation of Italian organized crime under Capone and the Chicago Outfit absorbed much of the Genna family’s remaining influence. The group is therefore best understood as a short-lived but consequential faction in the formation of the Chicago Outfit and the violent liquor economy of Prohibition-era Chicago.

• 1930

  Aiello-era conflict concludes

  [1]Genna crime familyen.wikipedia.org

  Giuseppe “Joe” Aiello, a successor figure in the former Genna territory and an opponent of Al Capone, was killed in 1930.

• 1925

  Collapse of the Genna family

  [1]Genna crime familyen.wikipedia.org

  The deaths of Angelo, Mike, and Antonio Genna, followed by the departure of the remaining brothers, ended the family’s independent power in Chicago.

• 1924

  Territorial dispute triggers wider gang conflict

  [1]Genna crime familyen.wikipedia.org

  The family’s low-priced sales outside its assigned territory provoked conflict with Dean O’Banion and the North Side Gang.

• 1924

  O’Banion murder

  [1]Genna crime familyen.wikipedia.org

  Genna-associated gunmen participated with Frankie Yale in the killing of North Side Gang leader Dean O’Banion.

• 1921

  Genna brothers become the dominant family leadership

  [1]Genna crime familyen.wikipedia.org

  The six Genna brothers became the central leadership of the organization operating from Chicago’s Little Italy.

• 1919

  Entry into bootlegging

  [1]Genna crime familyen.wikipedia.org

  The Genna brothers became involved in illegal liquor production and distribution after obtaining a federal license to manufacture industrial alcohol.

Not applicable as a commercial brand; historically, the organization functioned as a Chicago organized-crime group involved in bootlegging, illegal gambling, saloons, political influence, and territorial control.

1. 1Genna crime familyen.wikipedia.org