Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode, Gary discusses with Justin Cascio, a mafia genealogist, his book In Our Blood: The Mafia in Corleone, Italy, In Our Blood: The Mafia Families of Corleone. We explore the roots and activities of the Mafia in Western Sicily, debunking many romanticized notions. We also discuss the migration of mafia families to the United States and their influence in various cities. The conversation concludes with insights into the rise of the Mafia as a political force. Listen n to learn more about the history and impact of the Mafia.

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Transcript

Transcript

Introduction to Mafia genealogist Justin Cascio

[0:00] Well, welcome all you wiretappers back here in the studio of Gangland Wire.

You know, I have a guest that we had him before, Justin Cascio.

And if you follow my Facebook group, you’ll see him post a little bit.

And he is a mafia genealogist.

Justin, welcome. I really appreciate you coming back on the show.

[0:19] Thanks for having me on, Gary. Justin, I remember us talking before.

Now, you’ve written a book about your search for the roots the Mafia in Corleone, Italy, or Sicily.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into this work.

Mafia genealogy is kind of interesting. I think you have a personal connection, don’t you?

[0:39] I do. I first heard the name Corleone from my grandmother when I was a little kid.

So way too young to have watched The Godfather. It took me years before I made that connection between the mythical, fictional Don Corleone and the place where my grandfather was from.

Both of his parents were born in Corleone, which is a little mountain town about an hour away from Palermo. If you drive it today, I think it’s about an hour.

Country town, but it’s also a transportation hub, and it was also a center of culture in the mostly rural place that didn’t have a lot of institutions of higher learning, for instance.

It attracted skilled artisans, so it had some wealth.

It was a little more of a destination than any of the other villages that surround it. So Corleone was just a little bit special in Sicily’s history.

Discussion on the roots of the Mafia in Corleone

[1:30] William Sturkey You know, I noticed as I was doing a little research before you came on the show here that, for example, Ciro, the artichoke king Terranova, and Tommy Gagliano, and the Dragna family are all from the little town of Corleone, and I’m sure there’s others from that province right around there between there and Palermo.

That was a hotbed of mafia activity to the roots of the mafia in the United States, correct?

Absolutely. The Mafia started in Western Sicily, just that one little tip of the island.

[1:58] Interesting. Does that go all the way back to when the French soldier supposedly, raped or came on to a Sicilian woman and they had the real night of the Sicilian Vespers, or is that after that, in that area?

The Sicilian Vespers happened in Palermo. The Mafia started a little later, maybe in the 1800s, maybe as early as the late 1700s.

And most people would say that it started in Western Sicily and probably in the countryside, although some theorists say that they think it started in the city.