Anna Genovese
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Anna Genovese (formerly Vernotico, née Giovaninna Petillo; 28 October 1905
Early life
Genovese was born Giovaninna "Anna" Petillo,[4] the eldest child of Italian-Catholic immigrants, Aniello Vincenzo Petillo from Risigliano, Naples, and Concetta y Cassini Genovese, a cousin of Vito's. His brother Carmine lived with the Petillos after immigrating in 1910. Her siblings were Nicolas, Peitra, Ferdinand, and Mario Petillo. She has been erroneously listed as a sibling to mobster David Petillo; they were cousins. In the spring of 1924, at age 19, Genovese married her first husband, Gerard "Gerry" Vernotico.[4] According to Kate Harmon, Genovese's great niece, to whom the Mob Queens researchers spoke and have on record at 10:55 in Chapter 1 of their podcast, Anna's marriage "was not looked upon kindly" by her family as Vernotico was considered a man of little means; a census record notes that he was a carpenter, though in reality he was a baker in New York City's Little Italy. In 1927, Genovese and Vernotico had a daughter, Marie, and moved a few blocks north of Anna's West Houston Street home to a tenement apartment next to an elevated train on Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village. In a 1930 census, she is listed as a housewife, and Gerard as a carpenter, though grand-niece Harmon states that Gerard was in fact a baker at a bakery in Little Italy and "had nothing." Court records show that at the same time, Anna had been working evenings in one of the clubs in the Washington Square Park neighborhood, near or in Greenwich Village.
Marriage to Vito Genovese
It is thought that Vito Genovese, a fourth cousin of Anna's,
Two years into their marriage, Vito killed gangster
Standing accused of the Boccia murder and other crimes, such as racketeering, Vito decided to flee the U.S.,[7] leaving the bulk of his business up to Anna. She was left to help formulate a source of revenue for the crime family at a time when most in the nation were struggling severely, as it was mid-Great Depression.[citation needed]
At this vital time, Anna's path intersected with an unexpected set of social phenomena: the repeal of Prohibition, but the institutionalization of "Gay Prohibition," during which it became common practice for law enforcement officers to stalk, harass, entrap, and arrest people in—or suspected to be in—the LGBTQ+ community. It was not uncommon for queer people or those suspected as such to be removed from bars, and, moreover, for bars to be raided when suspected homosexual activity was being condoned.[10][failed verification] Bars could even lose their liquor licenses for serving gay patrons.[11][failed verification] It was all the more risky and rebellious for Anna to create havens for queer people, but she took on the effort, ultimately effectively blocking police efforts to persecute the LGBTQ+ community, her means being the power and influence of the mob.[12][failed verification]
Business ventures
While raising three children (her biological daughter with Gerard, Marie; Nancy, Vito's daughter with the late Donata Ragone; and Phillip, her son with Vito), Anna also ran nightclubs and gay and drag bars in Lower Manhattan,[3] whose profits she siphoned to the crime syndicate and Vito, exiled in Italy, who invested in Benito Mussolinin's fascist party and cocaine for Mussolini's son.
Club Caravan
Anna's first club, Club Caravan, opened in 1939 at 578 West Broadway.[13] Singers and other kinds of performers provided the entertainment, individuals like drag king Malvina Schwartz, also known as Buddy "Bubbles" Kent,[14] whose 1983 Lesbian Herstory Archives oral history chronicles her time spent there.
Anna later testified against her own club when she appeared in Freehold, New Jersey's Superior Court in 1953.[13] She also named Club Savannah and Moroccan Village, run by other mobsters, but the latter as one of her husband's hang-outs.[13]
Club 82
While Vito was in hiding abroad, Anna became hostess of
The venue would later come under investigation with a potential loss of its liquor license, allegedly orchestrated by vindictive Vito to spite Anna.[13] In testifying against her own clubs, Anna stated that the Club 82 was gang-owned.[13] Her testimony ostensibly served to shift the blame from solely herself to her husband Vito's associates who had presided over, and allegedly monitored her activities running the club, while Vito was in exile in Italy.
The State Liquor Authority had previously revoked Club 82's liquor license on account of "disorderly conduct,"[13] which was code at the time for infractions involving things like serving alcohol to gay people, or people suspected of being gay.[29][30]
Anna left the club in the late 1960s in order to focus more on her family, but the venue lasted into the 1970s.
The 181 Club
Anna was a co-owner and proprietor, with gangster Steven Franse,
Separation from Vito Genovese
By 1940, Vito had been in exile from the United States for seven years. Finally, he was extradited back to the States and was placed in custody, standing accused of the 1934 murder of
Anna had walked out on Vito in 1950. She then asked, in court, for $200 per week in maintenance, which meant alimony without the divorce. However, she dropped the divorce suit in 1951.
Testimony in open court
In order to escape the domestic violence she said she was experiencing at the hands of Vito,[38] Anna resumed her efforts to rid herself of him. On March 2, 1953, at the Freehold County Courthouse, Anna testified against Vito in court[39]—open court, an unheard-of move for any mob wife.[3][40] She asked the judge for $350/week[2][38] (approximately $160,000 per year, adjusted for inflation in 2019's money). Vito filed a counter-suit for divorce on the grounds of desertion.[2][38] Both claims were ultimately dismissed in the New Jersey Superior Court appellate division.[38]
Anna had testified that the family had been involved in
Amidst the revelations, it is believed that Anna also had the intention of publicly shaming Vito by insinuating that Frank Costello, his rival, had more power than he did, part of the proof being that she had faith Costello's branch would offer her protection once she left Vito. It is again surmised that Anna had immunity in testifying, as law enforcement and the courts would not have allowed her to walk free after admitting her role in the copious crimes committed.
In counter-testimony, Vito's witnesses attempted to discredit Anna's character. She was characterized as an "untrustworthy, hot-tempered" woman who slept with other women. As it was the height of the Red Scare and Lavender Scare in the United States, the characterization of Anna's behavior would serve to undermine her claims.
Dorothy Kilgallen reportage
Dorothy Kilgallen, the most syndicated newspaper columnist at the time of the trial, began reporting on the case, recording live with "If I were Mrs. Vito Genovese, I'd be awful careful crossing streets." It turned out that Kilgallen was close with gangster Frank Costello, a rival of Vito Genovese. According to Kilgallen's biographer, Mark Shaw, the friendship was marked by Costello gifting Kilgallen with a diamond cross, which Kilgallen's hairdresser corroborated. It is speculated that Costello gifted Kilgallen so she would, as a favor to him, "warn" Anna—through her newspaper column and other outlets she presided over—that she needed to stop spilling mob business publicly—whether in court or otherwise—or face consequences. That, or switch allegiances from the Genovese crime family to the Costello syndicate.
Sexuality
According to drag king Malvina Schwartz's
Death
At the end of her life, Anna worked at the upper-crust
Thirteen years later, in January 1982, Anna had, in the words of Mia in Mob Queens Chapter 12, "a very significant stroke."[47] She was hospitalized at St. Vincent's, where she died surrounded by her lover, Jackie, daughter Marie, and granddaughter, Mia.[48]
Anna was buried next to her ex-husband, Vito, in the
Cultural references
Genovese is the subject of the 12-episode podcast Mob Queens (2019), hosted by writers Jessica Bendinger and Michael Seligman, who had researched her life from 2014 to 2018 after discovering a stash of old letters in 2014.[3]
In 2024, it was announced that HBO would create a limited series based on Anna's life and the Mob Queens podcast that chronicles it. Lena Dunham, Ruth Wilson, and Dennis Lehane will be involved in the project.[49][50]
References
- ^ U.S. Passport Applications, 1795–1925
- ^ a b c d e f "Testimony in Divorce Case Reveals Secrets on Costello Crime Syndicate". The Evening Times. Sayre, Pennsylvania. March 3, 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d Rochlin, Margy (September 16, 2019). "Why a mafia wife's story unearthed in 'Mob Queens' podcast is part of queer history too". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- ^ ISBN 9780195169522. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ ISBN 9780786493432– via Google Books.
- ^ "Anna Genovese". Infamous New York.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Malcolm (November 16, 1950). "Vito Genovese called No 1 Boss of crime, rackets". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 49 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "History of Deep Cut Gardens". Monmouth County Park System. Lincroft, New Jersey: Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ Sudol, Valerie (April 23, 2012). "The Gangster's Garden". NJ.com.
- ^ a b Kane, Michael (May 3, 2014). "How NYC's gay bars thrived because of the mob". New York Post. New York, New York.
- ISBN 9780674036581– via Google Books.
- ^ Rojas, Angel (June 6, 2017). "Queeroes: Vito Genovese and the Mafia". The Queerness.
- ^ a b c d e f Desmond, James (March 19, 1953). "Village Joints Probe Seeks Mrs. Genovese". Daily News. New York, New York. p. 89 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Red Scare's Lesbian Informant". advocate.com. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ Kilgallen, Dorothy (November 12, 1958). "Voice of Broadway". Shamokin News-Dispatch. Shamokin, Pennsylvania. p. 6, clip column 2, 3rd para – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Anderson, Wayne (June 14, 2012). "Hidden History: Tobi Marsh & Club 82". HuffPost.
- ^ "Image: club 82-gay scene.jpg, (679 × 515 px)". queermusicheritage.com. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Kim Christy's Lost World". www.advocate.com. February 12, 2011.
- ^ "Image: club82-1969-19.jpg, (1262 × 1658 px)". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Image: Image10.jpg, (904 × 1240 px)". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Image: Image4.jpg, (904 × 1241 px)". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Image: fmm1970e.jpg, (728 × 938 px)". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Image: 82 club bunny.jpg, (398 × 551 px)". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Image: sincapades1.jpg, (878 × 1186 px)". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Image: 82 club program 1953.jpg, (630 × 974 px)". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "The Unique Club 82 Presents... Fun-Fair For '57 (1957) - Digital Transgender Archive". www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net.
- ^ "Image: 82-ac.jpg, (438 × 319 px)". queermusicheritage.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ a b c FM, Player. "12. Chapter 12: The Godmother Mob Queens podcast". player.fm.
- ^ "Gay Rights". HISTORY.
- ^ Chauncey, George (June 25, 2019). "The Forgotten History of Gay Entrapment". The Atlantic.
- ^ Fried, Ronald K. (June 30, 2019). "How the Mafia Muscled in and Controlled the Stonewall Inn". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 1 October 2019 – via www.thedailybeast.com.
- ^ a b c Ryan, Hugh (October 12, 2016). "The Three Lives of Malvina Schwartz". Hazlitt. Penguin Random House.
- ^ "Announcing the Club 181". Google Arts & Culture.
- ^ New York Supreme Court. p. 234. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ Madeja, Steve (June 6, 2017). "Club 82 at 82 East 4th Street". Secrets of Manhattan - Your Guide to Gotham's Hidden History. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ a b "The Red Scare's Lesbian Informant". www.advocate.com. April 7, 2017.
- ISBN 9780813543994. Accessed January 29, 2020. "The mob leader resumed control of his rackets and settled himself again in New Jersey, this time from a plush homestead in the Shore town of Atlantic Highlands. There, Vito and Anna Genovese dined on gold and platinum plates and enjoyed what was hardly a conventional Mafia marriage."
- ^ a b c d "Higher court upholds ruling on Genovese". Asbury Park Press. Asbury Park, New Jersey. January 28, 1954. p. 17 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "1953-Anna Genovese testifies against husband Vito". February 23, 1969. p. 131 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ ISBN 9781440625824. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ^ "Chapter 5: The Legacy of Discriminatory State Laws, Policies, and Practices, 1945 – Present" (PDF). 29 July 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ "These People Are Frightened to Death". National Archives. August 15, 2016.
- – via academic.oup.com.
- ^ Fred J. Cook (1966). "The secret rulers: criminal syndicates and how they control the U.S. underworld". Duell, Sloan & Pearce.
- ^ "9. Chapter 9: The Queen's Not Dead from Mob Queens". www.stitcher.com.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "6. Chapter 6: Kismet from Mob Queens". www.stitcher.com.[permanent dead link]
- ^ https://themobmuseum.org/blog/anna-genoveses-life-examined-in-mob-queens-podcast-hbo-series/
- ^ recounted by Mia at 26:36, also in Chapter 12.
- ^ https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/lena-dunham-ruth-wilson-dennis-lehane-mob-queens-series-hbo-1235110234/
- ^ https://deadline.com/2021/11/ruth-wilson-mob-queens-hbo-lena-dunham-1234872340/