How a Brooklyn longshoreman became the most feared executioner in American organized crime history

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Albert Anastasia rose from an undocumented immigrant to the head of Murder, Inc., the lethal enforcement arm of the American Mafia. Known for his ruthless efficiency, he helped consolidate power for the Five Families, eventually controlling the New York City waterfront before his violent end in a barber shop chair.

Born Umberto Anastasio in Italy, he arrived in New York City in 1919 after deserting a freighter. He quickly found work as a longshoreman, a role that would define his later criminal career. By the 1920s, he had aligned himself with Giuseppe Masseria, a prominent crime boss. His ascent was marked by extreme violence; in 1931, acting on orders from Lucky Luciano, he participated in the assassination of Masseria, a pivotal moment that reshaped the American underworld.

Following this power shift, Anastasia became a leader of Murder, Inc., a syndicate of contract killers that served the national crime organization. Operating from a Brooklyn candy store, this group was responsible for an estimated thousands of hits. His reputation for brutality earned him nicknames like the Lord High Executioner. During this era, he also solidified his grip on the Brooklyn waterfront, leveraging his influence over labor unions to control shipping and trade.

The structure of the American Mafia, which Anastasia helped formalize, mirrored its Sicilian predecessor. It relied on a strict hierarchy of bosses, underbosses, and lieutenants, all bound by the code of omertà—a vow of silence that forbade cooperation with legal authorities. Despite his immense power, Anastasia’s reign was not permanent. In 1957, he was murdered in a coordinated strike orchestrated by rivals within the organization, including Vito Genovese and Carlo Gambino, the latter of whom took control of the family thereafter.

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