The history of the Italian-American mafia officially began in 1868, just three years after the end of the Civil War. It was only recently that all the links leading to the first mafia leader and the first Italian group organized on mafia principles were brought together. His name was Joseph Macheka. He was also the man who ordered the first assassination of a high-ranking American police official.

In fact, with Macheca, the existence of the mafia was officially discussed in the USA for the first time. Starting from him, a whole bunch of bosses of the criminal world will pave their way to huge incomes from illegal business, but, above all, to absolute power in the underworld.

Few people know that Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Mayer Lansky or John Torrio, people who became iconic figures of organized crime, had the same teacher and were members of the same gang. They even fought together in street conflicts against rivals. In fact, the one who trained them and brought them to the top of the criminal world was also the one who remained the archetype of the classic thug…stylish, always smartly dressed, fond of art and classical music, etc. His name was Paolo Vaccarelli, and it was he who made the transition from neighborhood thug to thug who sought the company of elites.

Starting with his example and a gang that controlled a small area of ​​New York, his students first took over cities, see the case of John Torrio and Al Capone respectively in Chicago, and then ended up creating and running a comparable empire at many points. view with Romanian, look at the reforms imposed by people like Mayer Lansky or, above all, Lucky Luciano.

But you will learn about all these characters and many others from the dark history of the American Cosa Nostra in the third episode dedicated to the history of the mafia, dedicated to Italian-American organized crime.

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