Michele Miranda
Michele Miranda | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 26, 1896 |
| Died | July 16, 1973 (aged 76) Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. |
| Other names | Big Mike |
| Occupation | Gangster |
| Known for | Genovese crime family consigliere; attendee at the Apalachin meeting |
Michele "Big Mike" Miranda (July 26, 1896 – July 16, 1973) was an Italian-American mobster who became a longtime member and later the consigliere of the Genovese crime family.[1][2]
Early life
Miranda was born in San Giuseppe Vesuviano, near Naples, and immigrated to the United States as a child in 1905, settling in New York City.[3] In later years, his reported residence was in Forest Hills, Queens.[4]
Criminal career
Miranda became involved in crime as a teenager and was arrested in 1915 for petty theft and assault.[5] During Prohibition, he was associated with Gaetano Lucchese and had ties to the Reina crime family.[3]
After the Castellammarese War, Miranda aligned closely with Vito Genovese and became a made member of the Luciano/Genovese organization.[2] In the 1940s and 1950s, he was described in organized-crime reference works as a senior figure involved in gambling, loansharking, and labor racketeering, and he rose into the top ranks of the Genovese family.[1][2]
Consigliere and Apalachin
After Genovese consolidated power in 1957, Miranda served as the Genovese family consigliere, alongside underboss Gerardo Catena.[1][2]
On November 14, 1957, Miranda was among the mob leaders detained by law enforcement at the Apalachin meeting in Apalachin, New York.[1][3]
Genovese imprisoned; later arrests
After Genovese was imprisoned on narcotics charges in 1959, Miranda was identified in reference works as part of a ruling panel that helped oversee the Genovese family’s day-to-day operations.[1][2]
In 1965, Miranda was arrested in Queens in what press accounts described as a “Little Apalachin” raid targeting alleged Mafia figures for parole-related violations and associations.[4]
Retirement and death
Miranda retired from active involvement in family affairs in 1972 and died of natural causes in Boca Raton, Florida, on July 16, 1973.[1][2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Sifakis, Carl (2005). The Mafia Encyclopedia. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3.
- ^ a b c d e f Kelly, Robert J. (2000). Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-30653-2.
- ^ a b c Fox, Stephen (1989). Blood and Power: Organized Crime in Twentieth-Century America. William Morrow and Company. ISBN 0-688-04350-X.
- ^ a b "7 Cosa Nostra Figures Arrested In 'Little Apalachin' Raid Here". The New York Times. 1965-10-30. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
- ^ Sifakis, Carl (2001). The Encyclopedia of American Crime. Facts on File. ISBN 0-8160-4040-0.
Sources
- Fox, Stephen (1989). Blood and Power: Organized Crime in Twentieth-Century America. William Morrow and Company. ISBN 0-688-04350-X.
- Kelly, Robert J. (2000). Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-30653-2.
- Sifakis, Carl (2005). The Mafia Encyclopedia. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3.
- Sifakis, Carl (2001). The Encyclopedia of American Crime. Facts on File. ISBN 0-8160-4040-0.
- United States House of Representatives. Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy (Report). House Select Committee on Assassinations. U.S. Government Printing Office.
- United States Senate, Committee on Government Operations (1964). Organized Crime and Illicit Traffic in Narcotics (Report). U.S. Government Printing Office.