Irish mafia: Encyclopedia II - Irish mafia - Boston

Irish mafia - Boston

While Boston has a long history of Irish organized crime, particularly in the heavily Irish-American neighborhoods like South Boston ("Southie"), Charlestown, and Somerville the earliest Irish gangsters arose during Prohibition as Frank Wallace of the Gustin Gang dominated Boston's underworld until his death in 1931, when he was ambushed by Italian gangsters in the North End. Following his death, numerous gang wars between rival Irish gangs during the early and mid 20th century would contribute to the gradual domination of the Italian mafia within New England by the end of the 1960's following the end of the Winter Hill-Charlestown Mob wars.

The Boston Irish Mob called The Winter Hill Gang was one of the most successful mafias in American history. The Winter Hill Gang is a loose confederation of Boston, Massachusetts area, mostly Irish-American organized crime figures. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have included notorious Boston gangster James J. "Whitey" Bulger and hitman Stephen J. "The Rifleman" Flemmi.

While Winter Hill Gang members are alleged to have been involved with most typical organized crime related activities, they are perhaps most known for fixing horse races in the northeastern United States. Twenty-one members and associates, including Bulger's predecessor Howie Winter, were indicted by federal prosecutors in 1979.

The Winter Hill Gang also played a central role in the Boston Irish Mob Wars of the 1960s between Winter Hill leader James McLean and Bernard McLaughlin's Charlestown Mob.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Boston", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki