Antonio Domenico "Mr. Miggs" Pollina (September 20, 1892 – February 27, 1993) was an
Italian-American
Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...
mobster
A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level ...
and was the short lived boss of the
during the late 1950s.
Early life
Antonio Pollina was born in
Caccamo
Caccamo ( Sicilian: ''Càccamu'') is a town and ''comune'' located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily in the Metropolitan City of Palermo.
History
The official founding of Caccamo was not until 1093, when the Normans started to build the castle ...
,
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
and became a naturalized American citizen in 1944. His rap sheet dated back to 1927 and included arrests for murder, concealed weapons, untaxed liquor, assault & battery. His legitimate employment was as a cheese salesman for Maggio Cheese Co. Pollina was one of the top leaders of the mafia group known as "The Greaser Gang" and controlled a large loanshark operation.
Boss
In 1959 Pollina was handed the
rein
Reins are used to direct a horse (or other animal) when riding or driving. They are attached to a bridle's bit or noseband and are made of leather, nylon, or other materials. Reins are used to give subtle commands or cues—also known as r ...
s of the family when
Joseph Ida
Giuseppe "Joseph" Ida (; 6 November 1890 − 1970s) was the head of the Philadelphia Mafia during the 1940s and 1950s, following the death of Giuseppe Dovi in 1946. Ida retired and returned to Italy in 1959, leaving the title of boss of the Phi ...
fled the United States to avoid an indictment on narcotic charges. Pollina began plotting the murder of
Angelo Bruno.
Pollina ordered his Underboss, Ignazio Denaro, to murder Angelo Bruno, but Denaro instead informed Bruno of Pollina's intentions. Bruno used his connections to
The Commission to take Pollina's power away from him. The Commission authorized Bruno to murder Pollina. Pollina stepped down and Angelo Bruno replaced him and kept Denaro as his underboss.
Later life and death
In spite of the alleged murder plot, Pollina remained in Philadelphia and reportedly felt secure enough to ask Angelo Bruno to name him as his consigliere after the death of Joe Rugnetta in 1977. Bruno is said to have declined his request and placed the man who would arrange his death 3 years later instead,
Antonio Caponigro. Pollina died of natural causes in 1993.
He's buried in
Holy Cross Cemetery,
Yeadon, Pennsylvania
Yeadon is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It borders the city of Philadelphia. The population was 11,443 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Yeadon is located in eastern Delaware County at (39.932862, -75.251540). It is bor ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollina, Antonio
1892 births
1993 deaths
Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery (Yeadon, Pennsylvania)
American men centenarians
American gangsters of Italian descent
People of Sicilian descent
Philadelphia crime family
American Roman Catholics
Italian emigrants to the United States
People from Caccamo