Carlos Marcello

Not much is known about the personal life of Carlos Marcello. It is only known that he married into the family of Frank Todaro, an underboss in the New Orleans Crime Family. Many are the opinion that Carlos married his daughter. However, others believe that he was married to Todaro's niece Giacomina (Jackie), the daughter of his brother Joseph.

After retiring from organized crime he spent his last days in his two-story mansion made out of white marble in Metairie. There he died on March 2, 1993.

Carlos Marcello was born as Calogero Minacori/ Minacorein French Tunisia on February 6, 1910. In 1911, the family shifted to the Unites States of America and settled down in an old plantation in the suburbs of New Orleans. The names of his parent are not known. He had at least one brother named Joseph.

As Carlos grew up, he began to indulge in petty crimes. He formed a gang of teenage robbers, who carried out armed robberies in nearby towns. In 1929, he was arrested for masterminding and using teenagers for burglaries. The charges were later dropped and he was released.

In 1930, he was again convicted of assault and robbery. This time he was found guilty and sentenced for nine years. After he had served five years of his term in Louisiana State Penitentiary, he was pardoned by the Governor of Louisiana and was released. He went back to his life of crime immediately after his release.

Carlos married into the family of Frank Todaro. Frank was, at that time, the underboss of New Orleans Mafia and an associate of Sylvestro "Silver Dollar Sam" Carolla, the head of the New Orleans Crime Family. The marriage elevated Carlos’ position. He became one of Sylvestro’s lieutenants.

In 1938, Carlos was arrested once again. This time he was charged with selling more than 23 pounds of marijuana and was sentenced with a lengthy prison term and a fine of $76,830. However, Todaro managed to get him out within ten months.

After his release, Carlos became associated with Frank Costello, the leader of the Genovese Crime family of New York. At that time, Costello was transporting slot machines to New Orleans. These machines did not have any legal permit. Hence, he needed help both in transportation and proper placements.

Carlos, at the instruction of Carolla, not only provided the muscle power, but also had them successfully placed in different business houses in New Orleans. This also improved his position in the Family.

In 1947, "Silver Dollar Sam" Carolla was deported to Sicily. Carlos Marcello occupied his spot and became the undisputed leader of New Orleans Crime Family. Very soon, he began to be known as Godfather of crime world.

In 1959, a United States Senate committee was formed to investigate into organized crime. Both Robert F Kennedy and John F Kennedy were its members. Marcello was asked to appear before it on March 24. However, he refused to answer any question and evoked Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution in his defense.

Next year, during presidential election, Marcello donated $500,000 to the Republican campaign of Richard M. Nixon through Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa. However, it did not pay off. Nixon lost to Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy.

Once J. F. Kennedy became the President of United States in January 1961, crackdown on the organized crime became more intense. He made his brother Robert F. Kennedy the Attorney General, who was equally serious about such things. By 1962, his team had top mafia bosses on the run. Many left the country to avoid prosecution.

In 1961, while on a routine visit to the immigration authority in New Orleans, Marcello was arrested and forcibly deported to Guatemala. However, by using his influence he came back to the USA within few months. Further attempt to deport him also failed.

Once he came back to the USA, Marcello realized that along with his other activities he must have some legal business ventures as a front. He then began to invest in legitimate business like transportation, finance, housing, and service industries.