Tony Alescio

Organized Crime Figure. Born in Alcamo, Sicily, he was orphaned as a young child and immigrated to Detroit, Michigan in the spring of 1911. Escaping an abusive uncle, mob boss Antonino “Tony” Giannola took him in and treated him as one of his own. He grew to be Giannola’s personal bodyguard, but during tough times he betrayed his benefactor and shot him dead in January 1919, touching off the Giannola-Vitale Gang War. After hiding out with Andrea Licato in Buffalo, New York for six months, he returned to Detroit to take his place as a caporegime in John Vitale’s family. However, his return was short lived, as he was shot dead on Congress Street in Detroit’s Little Italy.