Frank Wallace
Encyclopedia
Frank Wallace was an Irish-American gangster from South Boston, who ran the Gustin Gang
in Boston
during the Prohibition in the United States
.
Wallace was the last Irishman to run the illegal rackets
in Boston until, agreeing to a "sit down" with Italian mobsters Joseph Lombardi and Phillip Bruccola to resolve the recent hijacking of beer shipments by the Gustins, he and lieutenant Bernard "Dodo" Walsh were ambushed and killed as they entered their rivals' headquarters at the C.K. Importing Company on December 22, 1931.
After this, the Italians were in control until the 1960s
, when the Irish gangsters James "Buddy" McLean, Bernard "Bernie" McLaughlin, and the other Irish gang leaders broke away and took over the rackets. For the next 30 years, The Winter Hill Gang would be the top gang of the area.
Gustin Gang
The Gustin Gang was one the earliest Irish-American gangs to emerge during the Prohibition and dominate Boston's underworld during the 1920s. The name "Gustin Gang" came from a street name in South Boston, which is off of Old Colony Ave .Originally formed by Steve Wallace, with his brothers Frank...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
during the Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
.
Wallace was the last Irishman to run the illegal rackets
Racket (crime)
A racket is an illegal business, usually run as part of organized crime. Engaging in a racket is called racketeering.Several forms of racket exist. The best-known is the protection racket, in which criminals demand money from businesses in exchange for the service of "protection" against crimes...
in Boston until, agreeing to a "sit down" with Italian mobsters Joseph Lombardi and Phillip Bruccola to resolve the recent hijacking of beer shipments by the Gustins, he and lieutenant Bernard "Dodo" Walsh were ambushed and killed as they entered their rivals' headquarters at the C.K. Importing Company on December 22, 1931.
After this, the Italians were in control until the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, when the Irish gangsters James "Buddy" McLean, Bernard "Bernie" McLaughlin, and the other Irish gang leaders broke away and took over the rackets. For the next 30 years, The Winter Hill Gang would be the top gang of the area.
Further reading
- English, T.J. Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 0-06-059002-5