Early Organized Crime in Detroit: Vice, Corruption and the Rise of the Mafia - Paperback

by James A. Buccellato (Author)

Social scientist and crime writer James A. Buccellato explores Detroit's struggle with gang violence, public corruption and the politics of vice during the tumultuous first half of the twentieth century.

Though detectives denied it, the Italian mafia was operating in Detroit as early as 1900, and the city was forever changed. Bootleggers controlled the Detroit River and created a national distribution network for illegal booze during Prohibition. Gangsters, cops and even celebrities fell victim to the violence. Some politicians and prominent businessmen like Henry Ford's right-hand man, Harry Bennett, collaborated closely with the mafia, while others, such as popular radio host Gerald Buckley, fought back and lost their lives.

Author Biography

James Buccellato, PhD, is senior lecturer of political science at the Irvin D. Reid Honors College at Wayne State University. James researches and writes about the politics of crime and his work appears in peer-reviewed journals, crime anthologies and national news websites. A lifelong Detroiter, James teaches courses about the city and has been fascinated by his family's history in Sicily and Detroit since he was a child.