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Rocco Perri: The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger
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 highly lucrative. Al Capone and Joseph Kennedy were among Perri's customers. The Perris also ran gambling, loan-sharking, extortion and prostitution rackets.
ROCCO 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.
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 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.
261 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2005
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About the author
Antonio Nicaso
53 books13 followersAntonio Nicaso is an internationally recognized expert on organized crime. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Bloodlines: The Rise and Fall of the Mafia's Royal Family; Global Mafia; and Deadly Silence. Nicaso is a regular consultant and lecturer to universities, governments and law-enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 21, 2011
A great look at a fascinating Canadian gangster. The best line in the book, though, comes from Al Capone, who when asked whether he knows Perri, responded: “I don’t even know what street Canada is on”.
December 28, 2018
When you live in the area around the Great Lakes, a hush-hush part of the local history (that is not so hush-hush anymore) concerns "rum-runners" and "boot-leggers" of the 1920's and 1930's, as well as the rise and growth of organized crime. We read about Al Capone and Bugs Moran of Chicago, the Purple Gang of Detroit, Lucky Luciano of New York City and other outfits (Jewish, Italian, Irish; but usually Italian gangs).
Meet Rocco Perri, his common-law wife Bessie Starkman, and their gang of bootleggers, rum-runners, gamblers, extortionists, etc. of Hamilton. They helped provide Capone, Luciano, the Purples and others with whatever else Southern Ontario distilled, brewed, or crushed from the grape for the discriminating palate. They also provided Southern Ontario with those liquids too, using a rather complicated route around the Ontario Temperance Act.
These were pretty bad boys, and Bessie was their treasurer as well as into prostitution and drugs. Murder and good relations was the way they kept control. The law-abiding Italians and others got very bad press because of them from the "English" press in Canada. Racism and bigotry is always a shame, and Rocco shamed them. Still, he was very much like Capone: a smart dresser, generous with his money to the poor and to his guys who went to jail for him. (Bessie was the tightwad.) I could not help but be fascinated, especially since to me, it's "hometown stuff".
Meet Rocco Perri, his common-law wife Bessie Starkman, and their gang of bootleggers, rum-runners, gamblers, extortionists, etc. of Hamilton. They helped provide Capone, Luciano, the Purples and others with whatever else Southern Ontario distilled, brewed, or crushed from the grape for the discriminating palate. They also provided Southern Ontario with those liquids too, using a rather complicated route around the Ontario Temperance Act.
These were pretty bad boys, and Bessie was their treasurer as well as into prostitution and drugs. Murder and good relations was the way they kept control. The law-abiding Italians and others got very bad press because of them from the "English" press in Canada. Racism and bigotry is always a shame, and Rocco shamed them. Still, he was very much like Capone: a smart dresser, generous with his money to the poor and to his guys who went to jail for him. (Bessie was the tightwad.) I could not help but be fascinated, especially since to me, it's "hometown stuff".
May 16, 2022
Rocco Perre came over from Plati, Calabria, Italia and went from rags to riches while discovering the mob when he got in involved during Prohibition.
Rocco Perri would get more publicity if he went to the US. Hard to believe he had customers like Al Capone and Joe Kennedy. He had a large territory in Canada for all the mob activities during prohibition is where Rocco got rich. Despite being involved in the mob, he did some good to like buying his neighbours groceries. Like Al Capone who opened a soup kitchen during the depression. His common in law wife Bessie got murdered by rival mob members while she was running the narcotics ring.
I never knew all this mob activities was taking place in Southern Ontario, especially Hamilton during prohibition and beyond.
Rocco Perri would get more publicity if he went to the US. Hard to believe he had customers like Al Capone and Joe Kennedy. He had a large territory in Canada for all the mob activities during prohibition is where Rocco got rich. Despite being involved in the mob, he did some good to like buying his neighbours groceries. Like Al Capone who opened a soup kitchen during the depression. His common in law wife Bessie got murdered by rival mob members while she was running the narcotics ring.
I never knew all this mob activities was taking place in Southern Ontario, especially Hamilton during prohibition and beyond.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews