Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger |
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| Author:
| Nicaso, Antonio |
| ISBN: | 978-0-470-83526-5 |
| Publication Date: | Feb 2005 |
| Publisher: | John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
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| Imprint: | Wiley |
| Book Format: | Paperback |
| List Price: | USD $18.95 |
Book Description:
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Rocco Perri came to Canada almost a century ago from Calabria, Italy. Even today his name is well known to historians, police and organized crime_and especially to the people of the city he called home_Hamilton, Ontario. A poor immigrant, Perri along with his common-law wife, Bessie Starkman, built an unequalled crime empire for the time. During the Prohibition years, Perri provided alcohol to a thirsty clientele in Canada and the United States_a business that was very illegal and...
More DescriptionRocco Perri came to Canada almost a century ago from Calabria, Italy. Even today his name is well known to historians, police and organized crime_and especially to the people of the city he called home_Hamilton, Ontario. A poor immigrant, Perri along with his common-law wife, Bessie Starkman, built an unequalled crime empire for the time. During the Prohibition years, Perri provided alcohol to a thirsty clientele in Canada and the United States_a business that was very illegal and highly lucrative. Al Capone and Joseph Kennedy were among Perri's customers. The Perris also ran gambling, loan-sharking, extortion and prostitution rackets. ROCCO PERRI: King of the Bootleggers is more than the biography of a man and his empire; it is a riveting portrait of a time when corruption was rampant, murder a business necessity, and discrimination against newcomers forced many to turn to crime as a means of survival. This book also solves a half-century-long mystery about the fate of Rocco Perri.