Ciro Perrone was a Genovese Family capo who first served under “Tony the Sheik” Carillo and “Big Mike” Miranda, the top bosses of the “Neopolitan faction” of the borgata. Later, he served in the regime of the powerful, “Matty The Horse” Ianniello before becoming an “acting captain” himself with Ianniello’s ascension in the hierarchy.
In 1940, he was arrested and convicted for a payroll holdup. When the judge sentenced him to serve time in a state prison, his elderly mother protested, crying and pleading with the judge to spare her son. The judge didn’t budge, and when he held her in contempt of court for her outburst, Ciro wasn’t having any of it and had a few choice words to say.
But that wasn’t the only thing that made Perrone one of the more interesting characters in New York’s underworld.
