Pittsburgh Underboss – Michael (Mike) Genovese

Michael (Mike) Genovese was the underboss of the LaRocca crime family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

He started his criminal career early when he was only 17 years old and arrested for assault and battery. Later, he was a key figure in control of all numbers racket operations in the East Liberty District of Pittsburgh on behalf of the LaRocca Family .

And he was also one of the 62 mafiosi arrested at the infamous 1957 Apalachin meeting in Upstate New York .

Continue reading for more of this snapshot profile of Mike Genovese.

Mike Genovese - Beginnings

Michael James Genovese - aka “Mike Genovese” and “Antonio Genovese” - was born on April 19, 1919, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

He was one of four children born to Antonio and Ursula Genovese (nee’ Di Angelo).

Genovese and his two brothers, Felix and Fiore, and a sister named Angelina, all grew up and later resided within Pittsburgh or its outer suburbs.

Michael Genovese

Mike Genovese stood about 5-feet 6-inches tall but weighed a solid 175 pounds. He was a pleasant-looking man with smooth features, a full head of wavy black hair, dark brown eyes, and he sported a dark complexion.

He got married young to a local girl named Carmela Napoletano, but the marriage didn’t work out. By 1945, they were divorced.

Genovese later met and became involved with Alice Gray Rohbacker and together they raised three daughters named Kathleen, Yvonne, and Alice Jo.

By the early 1940s, Mike Genovese was also very busy fast establishing his underworld credentials. Actually, he had started his fledgling criminal career many years before that.

He was first picked up by the cops at age of 17 for assault and battery. In later years, he added to his anti-social register with subsequent arrests for carrying a concealed weapon, armed robbery, suspicion of murder, numbers lottery, and federal obstruction of justice charges.

FBI #4373362, Penn-SP #185296

By at least the early 1950s, Mike had purchased a large tract of land at Road #2, Box 149B, Gibsonia, Pennsylvania where he later built a large home.

This estate-like property boasted a sprawling residence and a farm. It is where Genovese would reside with his wife and family for the remainder of his lifetime.

Genovese’s sprawling estate.

He listed his employment as part-owner of Archie’s Automatic Car Wash, located at 850 Bennett Street, in Pittsburgh.

When he wasn’t at home tending to his property or at his place of business, Mike enjoyed frequenting the various mob hangouts and clubs operated by his minions. These included the Red Eagle Athletic Club in Pittsburgh; Club 30, on Route 30 in Chester, West Virginia; and The Holiday House in Monroeville, PA.

A Powerful Circle of Friends

He numbered among his many criminal associates most of the top racketeers and hoodlums operating within Pittsburgh, and many other top mafiosi within the state of Pennsylvania.

These included such top mafiosi as Francesco (Frank) Amato, Luigi (Lou) Volpe , Samuel and Gabriel (Kelly) Mannarino, and Pittston-Scranton based capos William (Billy) Medico, Dominick (Nicky) Alaimo, and his “soldier” brother Sam, and Pittston-based family boss Rosario (Russ) Bufalino himself.

By virtue of his position as the formal “underboss” to family head John La Rocca of Pittsburgh’s Cosa Nostra, Mike Genovese also came into contact with many of the nation’s most important racketeers including New York’s Vito Genovese and Joe Profaci, and Philadelphia’s Angelo Bruno.

This became clearly evident to federal authorities when he was among the 62 men nabbed at the infamous November 14th, 1957, Mafia conclave held at Apalachin, New York. Dubbed the top racketeers in the United States, one and all, it brought much-unwanted attention to both Mike and his partner John La Rocca for many years to come.

Local and federal authorities both agree that Mike Genovese was the key figure in control of all “numbers” racket operations in the East Liberty District of Pittsburgh for the La Rocca crime family. They also say he was considered “a dangerous and feared hoodlum.”

Although technically the underboss, Mike was essentially the “de facto” leader whenever La Rocca was out of town, most often vacationing down in Miami Beach. After La Rocca’s death, Genovese officially took over the family.

Pittsburgh Underboss – Michael (Mike) Genovese

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Pittsburgh Underboss – Michael (Mike) Genovese

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You May Also Enjoy

Santino DiNapoli – Youngstown Mob Legend

Sebastiano Giovanni LaRocca – The Boss of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Connections – Mafia Boss Frank Amato

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