Mafia Doctors

[B.]

The idea of a mafia doctor in pop culture is thought of as a kind of "street doc", a physician on the periphery of the mafia who will remove bullets and patch up wounds in the middle of the night without reporting it to police. Those exist, but the mafia has a deep tradition of inducting doctors into the organization itself. These doctors took an oath to save lives, but meanwhile they took another oath expressing their willingness to take lives. And some of them did.

These made members who also worked professionally as doctors weren't passive figures in the mafia. In many cases, they became influential figures and even bosses. These mafia doctors maintained an active medical practice and tended to participate in "legitimate" politics, even serving as politicians themselves. Their profession and status in the community made them acceptable public figures and socialites who could represent the mafia's interests when needed. They were not career criminals who masqueraded as doctors, but are the mafia's true essence: corruption and control of any available resource that serves the mafia's interest.

These men weren't exceptions either. We can see from the list below that it was not uncommon to induct doctors in the Sicilian mafia and it has continued into modern times, especially in the Brancaccio area, though it has no doubt become less common even in Sicily. While Americanization and gangsterism removed this completely from the US mafia, we can see it wasn't uncommon either in the early US mafia. Nick Gentile expressed no surprise and placed no special emphasis on the mafia doctors he met -- he talked about them as he would any other member or boss, the only distinction being the "Dr." prefix he put before their names.

Pagliarelli member and early pentito Dr. Melchiorre Allegra's account shows that "water finds its own level" when it comes to the mafia's peer groups. Just like drug dealers hanging out with drug dealers, Allegra hung out with other mafia doctors and thanks to him we know the names of other doctors who were fully initiated members of Palermo mafia families in the 1920s-1930s. Other than his account, we only know the most well-known mafia doctors from Sicilian and early US mafia history, suggesting there were many more who naturally never crossed law enforcement's radar. Allegra himself suggests there were many more.

"I later realized that the mafia made large masses in the category of doctors."
- Dr. Melchiorre Allegra, 1937

Sicilian doctors with mafia membership:

Melchiorre Allegra - Doctor from Trapani province who was inducted into Pagliarelli family while serving as a military doctor in Palermo during WWI. Involved in politics on behalf of the Palermo mafia in the 1920s. Became pentito in 1937.
Giuseppe Troia - Brother of infamous Vincenzo Troia and one of the leaders of the San Giuseppe Jato mafia in the 1920s. Became mafia boss and mayor of San Giuseppe in the 1940s.
Michele Navarra - Boss of Corleone, murdered in 1958 by underlings. Heavily influential in local politics. Allegedly ordered murders himself, including a lethal injection given to an 11-year-old boy who witnessed a Navarra-ordered mafia murder.
FNU LNU - Psychiatrist identified by Buscetta as a member of Porto Nuovo family when he was made circa mid-1940s. Psychiatrists are classified as medical doctors.
Gioacchino Pennino - Surgeon and high-level politician, member of the Brancaccio family. Uncle was allegedly a Brancaccio boss. Became pentito in the 1990s.
Filippo Graviano - Doctor and boss of Brancaccio. Serving life in prison.
Giuseppe Guttadauro - Capomandamento of Brancaccio from Bagheria and a surgeon. Influential with Palermo politicians. Currently in prison.

Palermo area doctors identified as mafia members by Allegra circa 1920s-1930s:

Paolo Salerno - Introduced Allegra to Palermo noblemen who were mafia members, showing his social status and political ties.
Saverio Latteri - Member of Santa Maria di Gesu family.
Lorenzo Caruso - Like Latteri, a Santa Maria di Gesu member. Became a partner in a medical practice with Allegra.
Amedeo Pignataro - Allegra did not know which family he was with but he was involved with mafiosi the Tagliavia brothers.
Liborio Giuffre - From Caltavuturo, but not sure that was his family. Allegra said multiple Giuffre brothers were members and others were involved in esteemed professions.
Giovanni Rizzo - Family not mentioned.
Francesco Leto - Family not mentioned.
Filippo Marciano - Family not mentioned. Like Allegra, became involved in politics.
FNU Landolina - Family not mentioned, but this name is common in Caccamo and connects to Caccamesi mafiosi.
FNU Luna - Family not mentioned, identified as a professor.
FNU Venza - Family not mentioned, identified as a professor.
FNU Briganti - Family not mentioned.

Note: All of the above men were identified by Allegra with the prefix "Dr."

The following two noblemen were also mafia members identified by Allegra in context with a statement about doctors, implying that may have been their profession:

FNU Airoldi - Identified by Allegra as a Marquis.
FNU Pancamo - Identified by Allegra as a Baron.

Note: NJ captain Frank Rizzo DeCavalcante was a Marquis and the son-in-law of a Palermo doctor.

United States doctors with mafia membership:

Gaetano Conti - Cousin of Pittsburgh boss Gregorio Conti. One statement from Nick Gentile suggests Gaetano was himself the boss for a time. Influential in Pittsburgh politics. Relative Giuseppe Cusumano was a pharmacy chemist and Pittsburgh member.
Giuseppe Romano - Cleveland mafia boss murdered in 1936 by relatives of former boss Joe Lonardo for Romano's alleged participation in the muder of Lonardo and, according to Angelo Lonardo, for deliberately killing another Lonardo relative on the operating table.
FNU Brancato - Identified by a CI as a deceased Profaci member who had been a doctor. Joe Brancato's father Angelo was a member but not a doctor, so perhaps another relative.
Vito Guardalabene - His father and grandfather were early bosses of the Milwaukee family. Identified by Augie Maniaci as a member himself who provided medical services for other members. The Guardalabenes were heavily involved in local politics early on.
Philip Noto - NJ Genovese member and head of the Passaic Health Department.
Mario Tagliagambe - Bonanno member, nephew of mafioso Silvio Tagliagambe murdered in 1922.
Martin Bonventre - First cousin of Joe Bonanno whose father was a Bonanno member along with many other relatives. Bill Bonanno's book shows Bonventre seated at a table where every other man is a high-ranking NYC member and implies Bonventre was himself a member. Stefano Magaddino traveled to NYC in 1961 to receive treatment from Bonventre for a heart problem.
Gregory Genovese - Son-in-law of Joe Bonanno and son of a Pittston/Bonanno member. Became a member of the San Francisco family around the same time he graduated from dental school. Was a practicing dentist who worked on other SF members. Attempted to get involved in local politics on behalf of the SF family but the intense LE scrutiny of the 1960s and his father-in-law's notoriety prevented this.

(Dis)honorable Mentions:

Dr. Corradino Mineo - Palermo-based brother of NYC boss Manfredi Mineo and brother-in-law of Palermo boss Antonino Grillo. Listed as Manfredi's departure contact on multiple return trips from Sicily. Never identified as a mafia member, but his close relation to two top bosses raises questions given the Sicilian mafia's tendency to induct doctors.

Dr. Simone Occhipinti - Palermo doctor and grandfather of NJ mafia leaders Sam Rizzo DeCavalcante and Bobby Occhipinti. Early NJ mafia leader and Marquis Francesco Rizzo DeCavalcante married one of Occhipinti's daughters, then when she died he married another of Occhipinti daughters. Like Mineo, never identified as a member but his relation to significant upper-class mafia leaders is interesting.

[nash143]

A couple from Kansas City

- James Di Renna
- Dominick Nigro (suspected member) - I think I remember NIgro having an extremely immoral medical racket

[Villain]

Great stuff B. Wasnt there one doctor from the old Chicago Mafia? (Ill re-check that). Btw, there was also one "Mob doctor" during the 60s in Chicago known as John Vitacco but im not sure if he was made....

[PolackTony]

Great stuff B. Wasnt there one doctor from the old Chicago Mafia? (Ill re-check that). Btw, there was also one "Mob doctor" during the 60s in Chicago known as John Vitacco but im not sure if he was made....

Of course he wasn’t made, but in recent years there’s also the infamous Dr Joe Giacchino, allegedly an Elmwood Park associate and pill mill operator.

[Villain]

Great stuff B. Wasnt there one doctor from the old Chicago Mafia? (Ill re-check that). Btw, there was also one "Mob doctor" during the 60s in Chicago known as John Vitacco but im not sure if he was made....

Of course he wasn’t made, but in recent years there’s also the infamous Dr Joe Giacchino, allegedly an Elmwood Park associate and pill mill operator.

Yeah i remember the guy with the earrings and stuff lol

[B.]

Looks like Nigro was heavily involved in local politics. Says he was from Cosenza, so if he was actually a KC member he would be the only non-Sicilian of all the names so far. Not sure about DiRenna's heritage.

[B.]

Great stuff B. Wasnt there one doctor from the old Chicago Mafia? (Ill re-check that). Btw, there was also one "Mob doctor" during the 60s in Chicago known as John Vitacco but im not sure if he was made....

Seems likely they had one given their heavy involvement in local politics and the number of early members from the Palermo area.

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The thing is, without a made member cooperating or caught on a recording, you can't even guess which professionals might have been members.

Allegra talked about some other doctors he interacted with but I didn't include them unless he specifically say they were "fratelli" (mafia brothers). Given the context I think some of them were mafia members but I wanted to keep this list as conservative as possible and include only doctors who have been specifically identified as members (aside from the mentions of Mineo and Occhipinti, whose deep family connections are of interest).

You'd think doctors would be typically recruited because of their relation to other members, and we can see that happened, but then you have guys like Allegra, recruited as an associate by the boss of Villabate, who referred him to the boss of Pagliarelli where he was made. They said they looked into his background in Trapani, so they apparently did their homework, but he appears to have been an outsider to the people who recruited him.

He makes himself out to be an unwitting pawn who was coerced into joining the mafia, but this is questionable. There are few if any stories of the mafia wasting membership on someone who doesn't see the arrangement as mutually beneficial. Other criminal groups, yes, but not the Sicilian mafia, where we know the families were relatively small and exclusive and intended to give members authority, not the opposite. He used his membership to his professional and political advantage as well as the mafia's. I would guess like many informants/witnesses/pentiti, he became disenchanted and wanted to downplay his responsibility.

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I think it'd be cool if people want to add doctors who were associates of various families, too.

[Antiliar]

Carlo Gambino's older sister Josephine married Giovanni (John) Giammona - the grandson of Uditore boss Antonino Giammona. Their son (I forgot his name) was a physician. I vaguely recall an article saying that he treated Gambino Family members, so it's *possible* that he was made. Could not confirm it, but if he was, that's another one to add to your list.

[B.]

Good info. Maybe a brother or cousin of Eustachio "Leo" Giammona, unless Leo was a doctor and I'm not aware. He was a confirmed Lucchese member.

I suspect a few of the many unknowns in pre-1950s NYC were doctors. It would have been nothing like Sicily, but the Bonannos still had a couple in relatively later years and the Profaci family allegedly had an early one, so the Gambinos and Luccheses were bound to as well. Genovese seem less likely but you never know.

[B.]

Martin Bonventre was not only an internal medicine doctor, but Director of Medicine at Brooklyn Hospital.

[bronx]

leo was not a doctor

[B.]

leo was not a doctor

Thanks, didn't think he was.

Maybe another relative.

[bronx]

vincent ariola was a doctor not made but close to many mob bosses drove vito genovese to meets ect.. there is a document someplace about him..dr sinatra was related to gambino, castelano's

[bronx]

also dr purpura from bklyn was related to ? ill think of who..dr veshi also ,

[B.]

Excellent, thank you.

You know what crossed my mind, too... D'Aquila was visiting his doctor when he was killed. With all these Sicilian mafia and early US examples of doctors who were made members that treated other members and even bosses, it makes me wonder if D'Aquila himself as the capo dei capi and a Sicilian mafioso would have preferred to seek treatment from a member.

His doctor's name was Dr. D.Cascio who lived/worked in Manhattan.

There was a Dr. Domenico Cascio who lived in Brooklyn in 1927. Either not him or he moved by 1928.

No idea where to look beyond that. Be interesting to know if Dr. Cascio had ties to anyone else.