Well, hey, all you wiretappers out there, back here in the studio of Gangland Wire.

This is going to be a short, down-and-dirty review of the life of Vito Genovese.

Vito Genevese was an Italian-American mobster.

Sound like I wrote that, didn't it.

He was a prominent member of the mob during the mid-20th century.

He was born in 1897, Arizliano, Italy, and he immigrated to the United States in 1913.

Started out his criminal career as a member of the Morello family in New York City.

By the 1930s, he had risen to prominence as a top lieutenant of Lucky Luciano, who, as we all

know, was one of the most influential mob bosses in the country of the century, really.

Genevese rose because he helped Luciano kill

a mustache peat named Joe Masseria. Luciano lured Joe Maseria to a restaurant. He went to the bathroom,

just like in the godfather, when Genevise, Albert Anastasia, Joe Adonis, and Benjamin Bugsy Siegel

entered and shot him to death. The assassins ran out to a getaway car

driven by none other than Cyril the Artichoke King Taranova. I mean, you can't, you mean, you can't,

these names are just too good. They're really great. Luciano then takes over Masaria's family,

and he makes Genovese, one of his underlings, one of his capos, gives him because he has a crew.

During the war in the 1940s, Genevice flees to Italy trying to avoid a murder charge,

and while he's over there, he becomes a believer, a fervent supporter of Mussolini and the fascist

government. Frank Costello will take over the Luciano family during the war.

Now, Frank Costello was known for even-handedness and, you know, no drama,

keep the murders down, let's just make money.

Genevice was the exact opposite.

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