Among the most important regimes of the old Luciano/Genovese Family were always their crews based in the famed “Little Italy” section of Lower Manhattan, interspersed along Mulberry Street. And among these various “Downtown Crews” was the so-called “Mike Miranda Regime” which was always considered a first among equals.
Headed by the notorious Michele (Mike) Miranda, his crew was staffed with some of the most accomplished and deadly members in the entire Luciano/Genovese Family.
Miranda himself dated back to the earliest days of the Mafia. And although he had built up a limited but serious police record over the years, his police file belied his true importance and high perch within the pecking order of New York’s underworld which was not properly reflected.
His criminal record started in 1915 and included an arrest for homicide. But aside from the murder charge, the other early entries were generally innocuous charges such as disorderly conduct, pickpocketing, vagrancy, and years later, a count of conspiracy to obstruct justice which resulted from his attendance at the infamous 1957 Mafia conclave at Apalachin, attended by underworld bigwigs from across the nation.
A Very Accomplished Mafioso
By at least the late 1930s-early 1940s, Mike rose to become one of the most respected and sought-after capos of that particular borgata. He was close to the men at the top ranks of the Family, not the least of which was Vito (Don Vitone) Genovese, one of his closest associates, who served as the original underboss to Charlie “Lucky” Luciano himself.
Vito Genovese, arguably one of the most deadly and feared mafiosi to ever step foot on American soil, considered Miranda one of his closest “compare” and sidekicks. In fact, through the years, Vito and Mike became something of a duo and the “frick-and-frack” of New York’s Cosa Nostra.
Born on July 26, 1896, at San Giuseppe Vesuviano, in Italy’s Campania Region, like his mentor Genovese, Miranda was of “Napolitani” heritage. After arriving in the United States, in future years, Miranda would first build his power base throughout Manhattan’s Lower East Side and in Downtown Brooklyn.
And as the years passed and Vito Genovese gained more and more power within the Family, so, too, did his most trusted aide.
