Few Mafia families have ever been as internally peaceful and successful as the Cosa Nostra borgata that ruled over the City of Detroit, Michigan for upwards of a century now. What would later become known as the Joseph Zerilli Family started as a patchwork of rival criminal gangs in Detroit all competing for underworld supremacy both before and during the 1920s Prohibition era.
There were many killings of rival racketeers over a protracted period, but by the time all the smoke had cleared, one group – headed by future boss Joseph (Joe Z) Zerilli and his lifelong partner and underboss William (Black Bill) Tocco – had risen above all others to control the Motor City.
With the help of several key capos, Zerilli and Tocco then went about consolidating several previous opposing factions while killing off any lingering enemies until they alone stood at the summit of underworld power. From that point forward, the two mafiosi never looked back. The tight-knit Joseph Zerilli Family would stay in control of virtually every single racket there was worth operating in the city.
