Retired Intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you the best in mob history with his unique perception of the mafia. In this episode of Gangland Wire, we talk with the niece of the Bootleg Queen of Springfield, MA, Gina Cunningham, and Justin Cascio of Mafia Geneology about the mafia in Springfield, Massachusetts. We explore bootlegging during Prohibition, Pasqualina Albano’s rise to power, rivalries with other mafia groups, and the unique presence of women in the male-dominated subculture. We learn how she married a man from the NYC Genovese family and how this led to the Genovese Family’s continuing presence and influence in Springfield. We discuss Pasqualina’s assassination, the impact of the documentary about her, and the importance of open conversations about family history.

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Transcript

[0:00] Welcome all you wiretappers out there back here in the studio of Gangland Wire.

I really appreciate y’all tuning in every week or maybe twice a week sometimes.

You know, I’ve got a show today about Springfield, Massachusetts.

Now, I’ve gotten several inquiries.

I think it was on my YouTube question and then on the Gangland Wire podcast Facebook page, which you guys ought to get on because we’ve got a huge, we’ve got 50,000 people on that thing with all Sharon Motley information.

But about Springfield and I didn’t know a lot about it and and then I happened to see I think maybe on Justin’s Justin Cascio’s website or he made it into a post or somehow I saw about this new documentary that our other guy other guest had Gina Cunningham who is a great niece of an early.

[0:48] Mob couple if you will a mob power couple in Springfield and so I thought you know let’s go go into this. She has a documentary.

Gina is a great niece of Albano, who was the bootleg queen of Springfield during Prohibition.

And Justin, of course, you guys know, runs the Mafia Genealogy Facebook page and website.

And he has a ton of great Mafia family connections stretching back to Sicily on his website. And he’s a real expert in that.

He has this great, I have to apologize to you on air here, Justin, that guy that stole your picture and wiped out your attribution to it and put it on my Facebook page or group.

So, you know, we took it off and then I posted a link to it and ...