Thomas "Yonnie" Licavoli (February 9, 1904 – September 17, 1973) was an American gangster and bootlegger during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

. Born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, Licavoli, along with brother Peter Joseph Licavoli and cousin James Licavoli, worked with Jewish gangsters to take over illegal gambling in St. Louis. The Licavolis soon moved on to

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

and would control criminal operations in Detroit and

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, throughout the Prohibition era.

Early years

The second of four children of Sicilian immigrants, Licavoli grew up in the Jewish slums of St. Louis. Licavoli's parents wanted him to become a

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

, so he enrolled in

Christian Brothers College High School Christian Brothers College High School (CBC High School) is a Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, Lasallian Catholic Church, Catholic University-preparatory school, college preparatory school for young men in Town and Country, M ...

in St. Louis to study for the priesthood. When he was 19, Licavoli was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, and decided to join the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

rather than go to prison. However, soon after completing his basic training Licavoli deserted. Rather than face the legal and gang-related problems facing him in St. Louis, Licavoli followed his brother Peter Joseph to Detroit, Michigan. Once in Detroit, he joined the infamous Purple Gang. Licavoli married Zena Moceri and had two daughters, Grace and Concetti.

Bootlegging

Licavoli quickly rose through the ranks of the criminal world and by the mid-1920s was one of the most powerful gangsters in Detroit. With

as the law, Licavoli and his brother Peter Joseph had established themselves as a formidable force in the Detroit underworld. Well known for their brutal tactics in dealing with rivals, the brothers soon controlled a large-scale operation smuggling liquor from Canada across the

Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...

to the United States. In 1927, Licavoli and his associate Frank Cammerata were convicted of carrying a concealed weapon in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

and served three years imprisonment in Canada. After Licavoli's release from Canadian prison in 1930, the family attempted to expand its liquor operations to

. However, they were met with stiff resistance from local bootlegger Jack Kennedy. The two sides fought a violent gang war which would eventually end in Kennedy's death in July 1933. Licavoli's gang may have been involved in the death of "Gentleman Jimmy" Hayes, who operated casinos, in Ohio and Michigan. Licavoli was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder in the slayings of Kennedy and three others. Convicted in 1934, Licavoli was sentenced to life imprisonment at

Ohio Penitentiary The Ohio Penitentiary, also known as the Ohio State Penitentiary, was a prison operated from 1834 to 1984 in downtown Columbus, Ohio, in what is now known as the Arena District. The state had built a small prison in Columbus in 1813, but as th ...

, despite attempts by Cleveland mobster Alfred Polizzi to secure him parole.

Prison and death

In 1969, Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes commuted Licavoli's sentence from first to second degree murder, making him eligible for

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

. Rhodes's decision, heavily criticized in the media, may have contributed to his defeat in the 1970 Republican

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

for the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

. In 1971, Licavoli was granted parole due to poor health. He retired to private life, living with his wife and daughter in the

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

suburb of Gahanna until his death on September 17, 1973. He is buried in Detroit, Michigan at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

References

*Sifakis, Carl. ''The Mafia Encyclopedia''. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. *Dickson, Kenneth R. ''...Nothing Personal, Just Business...''. Fremont, Ohio: Lesher Printing, 2003.

External links

*
The Detroit News Rearview Mirror: The crosstown mob wars of 1930-31
by Paul R. Kavieff {{DEFAULTSORT:Licavoli, Thomas 1904 births 1973 deaths American gangsters of Italian descent People of Sicilian descent American gangsters of the interwar period Detroit Partnership

Early years

Bootlegging

Prison and death

Further reading

References

External links