The Inzerillo Mafia clan () is a
Sicilian Mafia clan, formerly among the most powerful in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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, for at least half a century they were considered the "aristocracy of
Palermo's mafia".
The Inzerillo family was associated with the former American Mafia boss
Carlo Gambino and
his family. In the modern era, the Inzerillo clan had been associated with
John Gambino through heroin trafficking, and also has links to the deceased former Gambino family boss,
Frank Cali.
History
Founded in 1950s, by
Salvatore "Totuccio" Inzerillo, the Inzerillo Mafia clan was a historical ally of
Stefano Bontade
Stefano Bontade (23 April 1939 – 23 April 1981) was a powerful member of the Sicilian Mafia. His actual surname was Bontate. He was the boss of the Santa Maria di Gesù Family in Palermo. He was also known as the ''Principe di Villagrazia'' (Prin ...
, and were organizers of large trafficking of morphine from the
Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
.
The Inzerillos were overwhelmed in the mafia war that exploded between 1981 and 1983 in the streets of Palermo.
Salvatore was killed by
Kalashnikov fire on 10 May 1981 in Palermo.
After that, the
Corleonesi under
Salvatore Riina killed his brothers Santo (who died in
Palermo) and Pietro (found dead in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
in the trunk of a car with $5 in his mouth and two dollars on his genitals), an uncle and the eldest son Giuseppe.
Related to the Spatola, Mannino,
Castellano
Castellano may refer to:
* Castilian (disambiguation) (Spanish: ''castellano'')
** Castile (historical region)
Castile or Castille (; ) is a territory of imprecise limits located in Spain. The invention of the concept of Castile relies on the ...
,
Gambino, and Di Maggio families, they first landed in the US in 1956, settling in Cherry Hills.
Their protector in the US was the boss
Carlo Gambino, Inzerillo's cousin.
The whole family fled to the United States except Filippa Spatola, Inzerillo's wife, and son
Giovanni Giovanni may refer to:
* Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname
* Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data
* ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...
.
[ Subsequently, the Sicilian Mafia Commission, under pressure from
the American Cosa Nostra, decided to grant a pardon to the rest of the Inzerillo family, on the condition that none of them, nor their descendants, would ever return to Sicily.][ The first of the family to reappear was Franco, who had been thrown out of the US.][
]Giovanni Inzerillo
Giovanni Inzerillo (born in Brooklyn, New York, April 30, 1972), is a construction entrepreneur and son of Salvatore Inzerillo, a notorious Sicilian Mafia boss who was killed in May 1981 on the orders of Mafia boss Salvatore "Totò" Riina during ...
, Salvatore's son, was later indicted and arrested on 7 February 2008, in Operation Old Bridge
Operation Old Bridge is the code name for the February 7, 2008 arrests in Italy and the United States that targeted the Gambino crime family; among the indicted were the reputed acting bosses Jackie D'Amico, Nicholas Corozzo and Joseph Corozzo. ...
against the Gambinos in New York and their connections in Palermo, involved in drug trafficking.[Dozens Arrested in Italy and US in Major Mafia-busting Operation]
''La Repubblica'', February 7, 2008
''La Repubblica'', February 7, 2008
References
{{Mafia
1950s establishments in Italy
Organized crime groups in the United States