Baltimore, Maryland may be a bustling, thriving metropolis with a current population topping 600,000 (in 1950 they had 950,000) and a greater metropolitan area population of over 2.8 million, but it never had a resident Mafia Family per se.
Spanning over 70 years, there have been many gangsters and racketeers who were active on Baltimore’s streets, but the majority of those underworld figures were either of Jewish lineage or independent racketeers devoid of central command, so to speak.
And although the Italian underworld was very active as well, it was not until the late-1940s that New York’s Anastasia/Gambino Family officially planted their flag and staked a claim to the territory.
It seems that among the first NYC mafiosi to arrive in the port city of Baltimore either choosing to relocate or being “sent” there by the Scalice/Anastasia hierarchy was the Palermo born Luigi (Lou Mora) Morici and several respected associates like Thomas (Reds) Aversa, Vincenzo (Jimmy) Corona, and Joseph Gigliotti.
Starting in the early 1900s, many Calabrian Camorra members were very active in cities such as Cleveland, Ohio; Pittsburgh and surrounding towns and cities in Pennsylvania; and the states of Virginia and West Virginia.
Among others, Vito Corbi, born in Catanzaro, Calabria, and his son Pasquale (Patsy) seemed to be leading figures in their group.
Often Imitated. Never Duplicated. Button Guys of The New York Mafia...There's Only One!
