January 18, 1861 - Rosario Borgio
One of the earlier figures to bring structured organized crime to the American Midwest, Borgio built a Black Hand operation in Akron at a time when such networks were still consolidating their methods and reach. His reported offer of $250 per police officer killed marked a deliberate escalation — turning violence against law enforcement into an institutional practice rather than a contingency. The directive illustrates how early mob leadership worked to insulate criminal operations by systematically targeting those positioned to disrupt them.
From Wikipedia
Rosario Borgio (1894 – February 21, 1919) was an early Italian mobster establishing one of the first organized crime operations in the Midwestern United States during the early 20th century. In 1917, as the leader of Akron's Black Hand, he offered gang members $250 for each police officer they killed. He died by electric chair in 1919. Borgio's many aliases included: Russell Berg, Russell Burch, Mike Burga, Joe Filastocco, Joe Philostopo, Pippino Napolitano, Joe Neapolitan, Rosario Borge, Rosario Borgi, and Rosario Borgia.
- Last updated on .