107th Street Mob
 Giuseppe Morello in 1902; “107th Street Mob” is a later label for part of the organization associated with his family | |
| Origins | |
|---|---|
| Founding Location | East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City |
| Territory | East Harlem East 107th Street and surrounding blocks |
| Lineage | |
| Predecessor(s) | Corleonesi paesani network Early Morello–Lupo organization |
| Successor(s) | Masseria coalition (through Morello–Terranova remnants) |
| Profile | |
| Structure | Neighborhood phase of the Morello–Terranova organization |
| Activities | Counterfeiting Extortion Gambling and vice protection Murder |
| Politics | |
| Leader | Nicolo “Nick” Terranova (after 1910) |
| Notable Members | Vincenzo “Vincent” Terranova Ciro Terranova Stefano LaSalle |
| Activity | |
| Status | Absorbed into later coalitions |
| Years Active | c. 1910–early 1920s (East 107th Street phase) |
The 107th Street Mob is a later label for the East Harlem phase of the Morello–Terranova organization around East 107th Street. The name is common in popular accounts, but historian David Critchley does not treat it as a separately chartered predecessor to the Morello crime family. His research instead describes changing Morello and Terranova relationships, businesses and saloon headquarters in East Harlem.[1] The safest interpretation is therefore an East 107th Street phase or nickname within the broader Morello organizational lineage, not an independent gang that later “became” an already existing Morello family.
Origins and neighborhood
The group's deeper roots lay in the Corleone-centered paesani network and its alliance with Palermo-born Ignazio Lupo. Giuseppe Morello's early operations first clustered around Prince, Elizabeth, Mott and neighboring Lower Manhattan streets before activity moved north toward East Harlem.[2]
Federal convictions imprisoned Morello, Lupo and several associates in 1910. Nicolo “Nick” Terranova subsequently directed a decentralized circle centered around East 107th Street, with family businesses, residences and saloons linking men including his brothers Vincenzo and Ciro Terranova and associates such as Stefano LaSalle.[3] A shared address, family relationship or business association does not by itself prove formal rank or permanent membership.
Organizational relationship
The East 107th Street phase overlapped chronologically with what historians call the Morello family, Morello organization or Morello–Terranova group. These terms describe related perspectives on one evolving formation rather than three cleanly separated organizations. Nick Terranova's group fought Brooklyn Camorra factions during the 1910s; his killing in 1916, subsequent prosecutions of Camorra figures and continuing violence weakened and rearranged the Harlem organization.[4]
After Giuseppe Morello's release in 1920, he joined Giuseppe Masseria's coalition and became one of Masseria's principal advisers. Personnel and neighborhood constituencies from the East 107th Street circle fed into that coalition, but this was factional and personal continuity—not a one-step renaming of the entire 107th Street group.[5]
References
- ↑ David Critchley, The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891–1931 (New York: Routledge, 2009), especially pp. 46–60, 80–90.
- ↑ Critchley, Origin of Organized Crime, pp. 37–60.
- ↑ Critchley, Origin of Organized Crime, pp. 80–90.
- ↑ Critchley, Origin of Organized Crime, pp. 123–132.
- ↑ Critchley, Origin of Organized Crime, pp. 154–155.