Illegal Gambling In Toledo Ohio

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Thomas 'Yonnie' Licavoli (February 9, 1904 – September 17, 1973) was an American gangster and bootlegger during Prohibition. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Licavoli, along with brother Peter Joseph Licavoli and cousin James Licavoli, worked with Jewish gangsters to take over illegal gambling in St. Louis. The Licavolis soon moved on to Detroit, Michigan and would control criminal operations in Detroit and Toledo, Ohio, throughout the Prohibition era.

Early years[edit]

The second of four children of Sicilian immigrants, Licavoli grew up in the Jewish slums of St. Louis. Licavoli's parents wanted him to become a Catholic priest, so he enrolled in Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis to study for the priesthood. When he was 19, Licavoli was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, and decided to join the US Navy rather than go to prison. However, soon after completing his basic training Licavoli deserted. Rather than face the legal and gang-related problems facing him in St. Louis, Licavoli followed his brother Peter Joseph to Detroit, Michigan. Once in Detroit, he joined the infamous Purple Gang. Licavoli married Zena Moceri and had two daughters, Grace and Concetti.

Bootlegging[edit]

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Licavoli quickly rose through the ranks of the criminal world and by the mid-1920s was one of the most powerful gangsters in Detroit. With Prohibition as the law, Licavoli and his brother Peter Joseph had established themselves as a formidable force in the Detroit underworld. Well known for their brutal tactics in dealing with rivals, the brothers soon controlled a large-scale operation smuggling liquor from Canada across the Detroit River to the United States. in 1927, Licavoli and his associate Frank Cammerata were convicted of carrying a concealed weapon in Windsor, Ontario and served three years imprisonment in Canada.

After Licavoli's release from Canadian prison in 1930, the family attempted to expand its liquor operations to Toledo, Ohio. However, they were met with stiff resistance from local bootlegger Jack Kennedy. The two sides fought a violent gang war which would eventually end in Kennedy's death in July 1933. Licavoli's gang may have been involved in the death of 'Gentleman Jimmy' Hayes, who operated casinos, in Ohio and Michigan.^[1] Licavoli was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder in the slayings of Kennedy and three others. Convicted in 1934, Licavoli was sentenced to life imprisonment at Ohio Penitentiary, despite attempts by Cleveland mobster Alfred Polizzi to secure him parole.

Prison and death[edit]

In 1969, Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes commuted Licavoli's sentence from first to second degree murder, making him eligible for parole. Rhodes's decision, heavily criticized in the media, may have contributed to his defeat in the 1970 Republican primary election for the U.S. Senate.

In 1971, Licavoli was granted parole due to poor health. He retired to private life, living with his wife and daughter in the Columbus, Ohio suburb of Gahanna until his death on September 17, 1973.

Further reading[edit]

• Shaffer, Terry, 'Illegal Gambling Clubs of Toledo', Happy Chipper Publishing, 2012, ISBN978-0-615-64443-1
• Dickson, Kenneth R. Nothing Personal Just Business, Prohibition and Murder on Toledo's Mean Streets. Fremont, Ohio: Lesher Printing, 2003. ISBN0-9788588-2-4
• Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN0-02-864225-2
• Porrello, Rick. To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia. Novelty, Ohio: Next Hat Press, 2004. ISBN0-9662508-9-3
• Reppetto, Thomas A. American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2004. ISBN0-8050-7798-7
• Turner, William W. Hoover's FBI. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 1993. ISBN1-56025-063-1

References[edit]

1. ^https://www.toledoblade.com/frontpage/2008/12/16/Part-10-Toledo-gambling-boss-shot-dead-in-Detroit.html

• Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN0-8160-5694-3
• Dickson, Kenneth R. ...Nothing Personal, Just Business.... Fremont, Ohio: Lesher Printing, 2003.

External links[edit]

• Thomas Licavoli at Find a Grave
• The Detroit News Rearview Mirror: The crosstown mob wars of 1930-31 by Paul R. Kavieff

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The Rust Belt city of Toledo, Ohio, might not be the first place you think of when you remember the Mobs of the Midwest. But those less-celebrated Ohio casinos saw a steady stream of gangsters and gamblers pass through their doors. These outlaw gambling clubs gave the town a reputation as ‘Unholy Toledo.’”

A long-time resident of Toledo, and Member of The Museum of Gaming History (MoGH), Terry Shaffer is considered a leading historian of illegal gambling in the area. His book, “Illegal Gambling Clubs of Toledo: the Chips, the Dice, the Places and Faces,” is the result of his 15 years of research on the subject.

In this Mob Museum daytime program, Shaffer will share his discoveries, including:

• The major illegal gambling operations in Toledo and their ties to larger Midwest crime syndicates

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• Stories of Toledo’s underworld originating from the turn of the 20th century

• Two sides of the story: The Businessmen and The Mobs

• How Yonnie Licavoli and the Purple Gang ran Toledo, Detroit and Cleveland in the early 1930s

• How Toledo’s crime history connects to Las Vegas

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• How gambling can actually be beneficial to the community

Come enjoy this live discussion with Terry Shaffer as he shares a unique view of Mob history from an unexpected place: the under-represented underworld of Toledo, Ohio.

Featured Author

Terry Shaffer has been a resident of Toledo, Ohio since 1966. A local business owner and graduate of the University of Toledo, he is considered the leading historian on illegal gambling operations in Toledo, Ohio. He is also a member of the Museum of Gaming History.His extensive research into the illegal gambling operations and mafia activities over the past twenty years culminated in the publishing of two editions of the book “Illegal Gambling Clubs of Toledo; the Chips, the Dice, the Places and Faces.” which gives an in-depth look into the underworld of Toledo.

As an award winning author and historian, Mr. Shaffer has lectured extensively throughout northwest Ohio to historical societies, libraries and Universities.