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The Gianolla Gang founded by Tony and Sam Gianolla was the most dominant criminal organization operating in the Detroit area for approximately 4 of the 10 years of it's existance. Centered in Detroit, the Gianolla gang spawned the underworld careers of such notable figures as Salvatore Catalanotte, Chester LeMare, Angelo Meli, Black Bill Tocco, Joe Zerilli, Leo Cellura, Joe Tocco, Angelo Polizzi and a host of others. Tony Gianolla was the acknowledged leader of the gangs operations calling the shots from his families home in Wyandotte Michigan untill his murder at the hands of a rival fuedist gang in January of 1919. Next to call the shots was Tony's loyal younger brother Sam who had made quite a reputation for himself over the years as the gangs enforcer. Sam Gianolla's reign would be short and bloody as he sought to avenge not only the death of his beloved brother but also his brother-in-law while mourning the death of two of his young sons in a tragic house fire in July of 1919. Sam Gianolla's murder on October 3rd of 1919 led to the formation of two factions within the group one led by Giuseppe Manzello a youthful gunman whose youthful recklessness made him an attractive leader for the younger members of the group and the other led by Salvatore Catalanotte who had been a high ranking member of the organization for a number of years. Catalanotte won control of the group with the elimination of Manzello after an August drive by shooting which left Manzello permanently disabled and his companion Angelo Polizzi severely wounded. Catalanotte went on to completely revamp the format of the Detroit underworld chooseing to allow several of his top aides to form their own gangs while continuing to work in tandem with the remnants of the once powerful fuedist grouping. |
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