This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2009) |
Founded by | Giuseppe Morello |
---|---|
Founding location | Italian Harlem, New York City |
Years active | 1890s–1931 |
Territory | Italian Harlem, Little Italy and the Bronx |
Ethnicity | Sicilian |
Criminal activities | Racketeering, counterfeiting, extortion, conspiracy and murder |
Rivals | Brooklyn Camorra, D'Aquila crime family, Schiro crime family |
The Morello crime family (Italian: [moˈrɛllo]) was one of the earliest crime families to be established in the United States and New York City. The Morellos were based in Manhattan's Italian Harlem and eventually gained dominance in the Italian underworld by defeating the rival Neapolitan Camorra of Brooklyn. They were the predecessors of what eventually became known as the Genovese crime family.