The Lanzetta Brothers, also known as the Lanzetti Brothers due to an incorrect spelling used by newspapers, was a group of six brothers who ran bootlegging operations in Philadelphia and possibly Atlantic City.[1]
When Prohibition went into effect in January 1920, the Lanzettas organized an "Alky Cooking" supply network by providing a contingent of row house dwellers with home stills and paying them to produce saleable liquor.[11] The brothers then sold the liquor at higher prices. Their most trusted associates included Louis "Fats" Delrossi and Mike Falcone. The brothers' criminal careers were marked by frequent arrests and brutal violence.
At various times, the brothers feuded with several different groups of racketeers in South Philadelphia, as well as Mickey Duffy and some of his partners. Between 1924 and 1939, at least one brother was involved as a suspect or a material witness in no less than fifteen murder cases, including Pius' imprisonment and dismissal during the early stages of the investigation into the murder of Mickey Duffy. The brothers were also rivals of Max Hoff's criminal organization.[12]
Leo was killed on August 22, 1925, as he left a barber shop at 7th and Bainbridge Streets, in retaliation for the murder of Joe Bruno.[2]Sicilian Philadelphia familybossSalvatore Sabella was Leo's suspected killer.[11][13] Pius was killed in a luncheonette on December 31, 1936, at 726 South Eighth Street.[1] Willie was found with his head in a burlap bag and a bullet in his brain on July 2, 1939.[1][11]
Teo was convicted on drug trafficking charges and sent to Leavenworth Prison in 1940.
Lanzetta et al. vs. New Jersey
Along with Delrossi and Falcone, Ignatius was sent to prison in 1936 for breaking New Jersey's "Gangster Law" and released after the Supreme Court overthrew the law in the decision Lanzetta Et Al. v. New Jersey in March 1939.[14] Writing for the majority, Justice Pierce Butler stated that:
"The challenged provision condemns no act or omission; the terms it employs to indicate what it purports to denounce are so vague, indefinite and uncertain that it must be condemned as repugnant to the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment."
When Ignatius was released, he relocated to Detroit, Michigan, with Lucien and their mother.
^"United States Census, 1900". Family Search. Leona Lanzatta in entry for Ignazio Lanzatta, 1900.: Family Search. Retrieved 1 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
