Don Morello

The first boss of the Morello crime family, known as 'the Clutch Hand' and 'the Old Fox'.

via Wikipedia: Giuseppe Morello · see source

Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello (May 2, 1867 – August 15, 1930), also known as "the Old Fox", was the first boss of the Morello crime family and later top adviser to Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. He was known as Piddu and his rivals the Castellammarese knew him as Peter Morello. He had a deformed right hand with only one finger, resembling a claw.

Quick Facts

Role: First boss of the Morello crime family, later top adviser to Giuseppe Masseria
Affiliation: Morello crime family (later Genovese crime family), Giuseppe Masseria

Lore & Background

In the 1890s, Giuseppe founded a gang known as the 107th Street Mob, which later evolved into the Morello crime family. Today the Morello crime family is known as the Genovese crime family and is the oldest of the Five Families in New York City. Morello was found guilty of counterfeiting in 1910 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was later paroled. In 1922, President Warren Harding freed Morello from the constraints of his parole by granting a conditional commutation of sentence.

Reader's Guide

Morello built his empire based on his merciless ordering of death sentences. His main enforcer, Ignazio "the Wolf" Lupo, was responsible for more than sixty murders in a 10-year period. The Morello family frequently employed the barrel murder system. Family businesses included extortion, loan sharking, Italian lottery, robbery and counterfeiting. They introduced weekly extortion for 'protection', adopted from Black Hand gangsters.