Antonio Paretti (1892 - February 17, 1927), also known as Tony Paretti or Tony the Shoemaker, was a
gangster. He was a member of the Brooklyn-based
Coney Island
Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
gang in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, serving as the right-hand man of
Pellegrino Morano.
[Critchley, ''The Origin of Organized Crime in America'', p. 118]
Paretti received a death sentence for his part in the killing of
Nicholas Morello
Nicolò Terranova (1890 – September 7, 1916), also known as Nicholas "Nick" Morello, was one of the first Italian-American organized crime figures in New York City. He succeeded Giuseppe Morello as boss of the then Morello Gang in 1909 and was ...
and
Charles Ubriaco
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...
on September 7, 1916, during the
Mafia–Camorra War.
[Murder Witnesses Suddenly Silent]
The New York Times, June 30, 1926[The Struggle for Control]
GangRule.com Paretti originally fled to Italy to escape capture, while his brother Aniello Paretti was imprisoned and charged with another unrelated murder.
[Antonio Paretti]
GangRule.com Both were also involved in the murder of Joe Nazzaro,
[Tells Jury He Has Slain Three]
The New York Times, April 22, 1921 the alleged killer of
Giosue Gallucci, on March 16, 1917.
Paretti returned to New York in March 1926, confident that most of the witnesses against him would no longer be there.
[Tony Perrettl Last Man to Be Arrested In Navy St. Gang Murders, Is Letting Dodd Do Worrying—Missing Nearly a Decade]
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 11, 1926 Nevertheless, Paretti was convicted for first degree murder. Notably, several of the witnesses who were called to testify against him "suddenly developed a surprising lack of memory," replying, "I cannot remember" to all questions asked of them.
[ However, the prosecution was able convince a fellow gangster, Alphonso Sgroia, to return to New York from Italy and testify against Paretti.][Paretti's Death Ends Black hand Grip On Brooklyn]
The Brooklyn Standard Union, February 20, 1927
In the months leading up to his execution, security in Sing Sing
Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison for men operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining (village), New York, Ossining, New York, United States. It is abou ...
prison was enhanced from 16 hours a day to 24 hours a day. Paretti attempted to pressure authorities to reject the death penalty and commute his sentence to no avail. He was electrocuted
Electrocution is death or severe injury caused by electric shock from electric current passing through the body. The word is derived from "electro" and "execution", but it is also used for accidental death.
The term "electrocution" was coined ...
on February 17, 1927, at the age of 35. One of his last visitors was future Mafia boss, Vito Genovese
Vito Genovese (; November 21, 1897 – February 14, 1969) was an Italian-born American ''American Mafia, mafioso'' and the leader of the Genovese crime family in New York City. A childhood friend and criminal associate of Lucky Luciano, Genovese ...
,[ and his brother Aniello who had spent 8 months on death row himself before being released.][Revisits The Death Cell]
The New York Times, February 13, 1927
References
* Critchley, David (2009).
The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931
', New York: Routledge,
1892 births
1927 deaths
20th-century executions by New York (state)
People executed by New York (state) by electric chair
Gang members of New York City
American gangsters of Italian descent
American Camorristi
American gangsters of the interwar period
{{crime-bio-stub