Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, born September 9, 1930, is a former heroin dealer and one of the leading drug lords of the 20th century, who operated in Harlem during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Continue Reading →
Category Archives: gangs
Frank Lucas, The Harlem Drug Lord Who Inspired American Gangster, Dies Aged 88
Frank Lucas, the former Harlem, New York drug kingpin whose life was the subject of the 2007 movie American Gangster
East Harlem’s Frank “The Prime Minister” Costello, 1891 – 1973
Frank “the Prime Minister” Costello, born Francesco Castiglia; January 26, 1891 – February 18, 1973, was an Italian-American Mafia gangster and crime boss. Continue Reading →
Percy “Angel Face” Geary, Husband, Kidnapper, Extortioner Uses Harlem As Hideout
We posted a story last week regarding Daniel J. Wakin’s great book The Man With the Sawed-Off Leg and Other Tales of a New York City Block, where mentions kidnapper, mail extortioner, gangster Percy Geary, who used 334 Riverside Drive in West Harlem, NY as a hideout.
17 East Harlem Arrested For War With Rival Gang
NY Daily News reports that Manhattan prosecutors charged 17 members of an East Harlem gang with engaging a rival crew in a bloody war over for two years, the district attorney said Friday. Continue Reading →
Gang Member Shot To Death Near Harlem Deli (Update)
Bullets erupted outside a Harlem bodega early Friday, killing a reputed gang member and wounding a bystander coming home from work, cops said. Continue Reading →
RIP Ghetto Brother Benjamin “Yellow Benjy” Melendez (Video)
Ghetto Brothers leader Benjamin “Yellow Benjy” Melendez, who famously brokered a gang truce between Bronx and Harlem in 1971, has passed away at the age of 65, according to his wife Wanda Melendez and author Amir Said. Continue Reading →
East Harlem’s Joseph “Tough Joey” Rao
Joseph “Tough Joey” Rao (pronounced “Ray-oh”), also known as Joey Rao and Joseph Cangro March 12, 1901 – May 10, 1962 was a New York mobster who was both a rival and an associate of mobster Dutch Schultz. Continue Reading →