User:Kattedlau/Angelo Meli

Article Draft
= Angelo Meli = Angelo Meli ( Italian: [ˈandʒelo ˈmɛːli]; February 10, 1897 – December 1, 1969) was an Italian-American mobster who became a consigliere and then leading Chairman of the Detroit Partnership criminal organization of La Cosa Nostra.

Early Life
Angelo Meli was born on February 10, 1897, in San Cataldo, Sicily, the youngest son of 13 children born to Vincenzo Meli and Maria Antonia Gugaglio. Meli immigrated to the United States at the age of 17, settling in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to work as a coal miner. He worked in a Pittsburgh foundry and moved to Detroit in 1918. In Detroit, Meli worked as a baker and restaurateur. Throughout his time there, he owned a bakery, two restaurants, and the Whip Cafe which he owned with "Black" Leo Cellura, another member of the Detroit Partnership.

His brother Frank and nephew Vincent "Little Vince" Meli were members of the Detroit Partnership.

In 1924, Meli married Jennie Dimercurio, and had two sons, Vincent H. and Salvatore, and two daughters, Maria Antoinette and Angela. In May 1929, Meli became a naturalized citizen at the age of 32 through the US District Court in Brooklyn, New York. Before his death, he had 16 grandchildren.

In 1945, Meli's nephew, Marie Antoinette Meli, married attorney Bill Bufalino, a cousin of Northeast Pennsylvania mob boss Russell Bufalino. In 1950, Meli's son, Vincent, married Pauline Perrone, daughter of Santo Perrone, a Detroit bootlegger. In 1952, his daughter Maria, married Detroit Mafia boss Jack Tocco, son of mob boss William Tocco.

After the establishment of the Partnership
Once the Detroit Partnership was established, Meli became the first and longest serving consigliere. He was considered to be one of the five members of the Ruling Council of the Partnership, along with Joseph Zerilli, Peter Licavoli, Black Bill Tocco, and John Priziola. He was a major figure in illegal weapons smuggling and in settling labor disputes. Smuggling liquor across the border from Canada was also a very lucrative practice for Meli and the Partnership. Meli’s involvement in labor racketeering helped establish Jimmy Hoffa's rise in the Teamsters Union. He suffered only one conviction; on charges of carrying a concealed weapon. Meli had extensive legitimate business holdings in the Michigan area, including a motel, a farm, a trucking company, a gas station, and two different music stores. He also had holdings in a warehouse and a cold storage facility.

Meli's family was very interconnected with the rest of the Detroit mafia community. His son, Vincent H. Meli (not to be confused with his nephew, Vincent A. Meli), married Pauline Perrone, daughter of Detroit mobster Santo Perrone, while his daughter Maria would go on to marry Jack Tocco, the eventual head of the Detroit Partnership. In 1957, the US government unsuccessfully attempted to deport Meli, on the grounds that he had lied about his criminal record on his application for citizenship. Over time, as Meli’s health declined, he began to spend less time working with the Partnership, and spent more time at his residence in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Death
Meli died at his Fort Lauderdale residence on December 1, 1969. On December 6, 1969, he was buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Michigan.