Active: 1912–1925

The six Genna brothers were among the first gangsters in the city of Chicago to build an empire that took advantage of the prohibition of alcohol. Once key players in the bootlegging wars, the brothers faded from importance. Three met violent deaths, while the others lived out unremarkable lives.

Rough kids

The Genna brothers—Angelo, Antonio, Jim, Mike, Pete, and Sam—were born in Marsala, Sicily. After immigrating to the United States in 1910, the Genna family settled in Chicago, Illinois. When they were still young boys, their mother died, leaving their father, a railroad worker, to care for them. The Genna boys grew up in a violent and crime-ridden environment. They ran around the neighborhood with little supervision. The area, known as Little Italy, was populated by Sicilian immigrants and plagued by criminals who readily committed bombings and murders.

When...