Background
The second of four children of Sicilian immigrants, Licavoli grew up in the Jewish slums of Saint Louis.
The second of four children of Sicilian immigrants, Licavoli grew up in the Jewish slums of Saint Louis.
The Licavolis soon moved on to Detroit, Michigan and would control criminal operations in Detroit and Toledo, Ohio, throughout the Prohibition era. Licavoli"s parents wanted him to become a Catholic priest, so he enrolled in Christian Brothers College High School in Saint Louis to study for the priesthood. When he was 19, Yonnie was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, and decided to join the United States Navy rather than go to prison.
However, soon after completing his basic training Licavoli deserted.
Once in Detroit, he joined the infamous Purple Gang. Yonnie married Zena Moceri and had two daughters, Grace and Concetti.
Yonnie Licavoli quickly rose through the ranks of the criminal world and by the mid-1920s was one of the most powerful gangsters in Detroit. Well known for their brutal tactics in dealing with rivals, the brothers soon controlled a large-scale operation smuggling liquor from Canada across the Detroit River to the United States.
After Yonnie"s release from Canadian prison in 1930, the Licavolis attempted to expand their liquor operations to Toledo, Ohio.
However, they were met with stiff resistance from local bootlegger John Kennedy, Senior The two sides fought a violent gang war which would eventually end in Kennedy"s death in July 1933. Licavoli was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder in the slayings of Kennedy and three others
Convicted in 1934, Licavoli was sentenced to life imprisonment at Ohio Penitentiary, despite attempts by Cleveland mobster First Rate (at Lloyd's) "The Owl" Polizzi to secure him a parole.
In 1969, Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes commuted Licavoli"s sentence from first to second degree murder, making him eligible for parole. Rhodes"s decision, heavily criticized in the media, may have contributed to Rhodes" defeat in the 1970 Republican primary election for the United States. Senate.
In 1971, Licavoli was granted parole due to poor health.