Biography
Aniello Prisco was born in Naples[1] around 1880. At some point, he left Italy and settled at 2133 First Avenue in East Harlem.[2][3] He received the nickname "Zopo (lit. 'lame') the Gimp"[3][4] due to a hobble, which was purportedly caused by a bullet wound to his leg which he received due to a confrontation in Long Island.[5] He operated a Camorra gang, based mainly out of Brooklyn.[6]
Death
On the morning of December 16, 1912, Prisco entered Giosuè Gallucci's coffee shop located at 318 East 109th Street in Manhattan and demanded a payment of $100 while holding Gallucci at gunpoint with a .38 caliber revolver.[2][5] John Russomano, Gallucci's nephew and bodyguard,[7] retrieved a revolver and shot Prisco in the head, killing him.[8][5] The occupants of the coffee shop then scattered from the shop, except for waiter Michael Morelles, who claimed to be ignorant of what had occurred.[9][10] Policeman George L. Smith, who had been posted a block away, heard the shots and arrived to the scene first, finding Prisco dead.[5][10] Russomano surrendered to the police and was held on a $5,000 bail;[5][11] Gallucci and Morelles were both held as witnesses.[5][10]
Notes
- ^ Critchley 2008, p. 160.
- ^ a b "Blackmailer Killed as He Made Threat". Brooklyn Eagle. December 16, 1912. p. 4. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Slayer of "Zopo" Freed". New York Tribune. December 20, 1912. p. 16. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
- ^ May 2017, p. 264.
- ^ a b c d e f "Prisco, Lame Gunman, Meets Death At Last". The Sun. December 17, 1912. p. 16. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
- ^ May 2017, p. 146.
- ^ "Million Dollar Leader and His Son Shot by Assassins Who Have Slain 10 of His Aids" (PDF). New York Herald. May 18, 1915. p. 7. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
- ^ Critchley 2008, p. 162.
- ^ "Bold Blackmailer Slain". Evening Post. December 16, 1912. p. 16. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Blackhand King Shot Dead When He Demanded $100". Bridgeport Evening Farmer. December 16, 1912. p. 3. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
- ^ "Black Hand Slays Victim Who Doffs Chinese Armor" (PDF). New York Herald. April 10, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
References
- Critchley, David (September 15, 2008). The Origin of Organized Crime in America. Taylor & Francis. p. 160. ISBN 9781135854928.
- May, Simon (May 2017). Influenced transplantation: a study into emerging Mafia groups in the United States pre-1920 (PDF) (Doctoral thesis). Coventry University. Retrieved October 12, 2024.