Rocco Perri

Rocco Perri (29 December 1887Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 19 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 - disappeared 23 April 1944Hamilton bootlegger Rocco Perri went for a walk on April 23, 1944 and was never seen again - 5 June 2021 - The Hamilton Spectator - Retrieved 27 September 2024) was an Italian-born organised crime figure in Ontario, Canada. He became referred to in the media as "the King of the Bootleggers",Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 17 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 but was also involved in extortion, arson, and murder.
Perri was born in the impoverished town of Platì, Calabria, to a family of farmers.Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 21 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 In his youth, he was influenced by organised crime figures,Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 22 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 such as Giuseppe Musolino.Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 23 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 He left Italy in 1903,Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 24 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 arriving in Boston,Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 25 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 and then travelling to New York City and the small town of Massena on the Canada–United States border.Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 26 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 He moved to Montreal in 1908, where he failed to find employment in construction,Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 27 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 instead moving to Toronto, where he could find employment in the Ontario mining industry in the summer.Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 29 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 He became involved in organised crime as early as 1912.Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 30 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 He convinced housewife Bessie Starkman to run away with him in 1913, leaving Toronto while Perri worked on the construction of the Welland Canal, until work ceased with the advent of the Great War.Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 33 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 Both lived in poverty,Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 35 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 and eventually moved to Hamilton in 1915.Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 36 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 With the passage of the Ontario Temperance Act in 1916,Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 37 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 Perri and Starkman transitioned into crime, operating a speakeasy and prostitution;Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 40 - Retrieved 27 September 2024 Starkman was discovered by police to be operating a prostitution ring from their home.Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 43 - Retrieved 27 September 2024
In 1918, Prohibition was expanded nationally by the government of Prime Minister Robert Borden after a law passed in 1917.POURQUOI LE CANADA A-T-IL NATIONALISÉ LE COMMMERCE DES ALCOOLS DANS LES ANNÉES 20?: UNE HISTOIRE D’ÉCONOMIE POLITIQUE - Ruth Dupré & Désiré Vencatachellum - HEC Montréal - Published April 2006 - Retrieved 27 September 2024
Perri was outspoken, and believed to have made millions of dollars illicitly.Paul Wilson: Lawyer chases will of Hamilton's biggest mobster - Paul Wilson - 10 October 2012 - CBC News - Retrieved 27 September 2024 According to Joseph Bonanno, they supplied whisky to Joseph Kennedy.Rocco Perri The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger - Antonio Nicaso - John Wiley & Sons - Published 2004 - Page 42 - Retrieved 27 September 2024
==Popular Culture==
=== Appearances===
====Variants ====
The following list is of explicit appearances of Rocco Perri.
Year	Name 	Appearance	Notes
2020	Rocco Perri	
*Murdoch Mysteries, episode "Parker in the Rye"	
*Perri is connected to the death of a whiskey baron and his family. Portrayed by Stefano DiMatteo.Parker in the Rye - IMDBStefano DiMatteo - IMDB
==Links==
*Rocco Perri on Wikipedia
==References==
Category:Real people
Category:Real gangsters
Category:Real Canadian gangsters
Category:Real people who have disappeared
Category:Real people with living information unknown
Category:Real 1887 births
Category:Real 1944 deaths
Category:Real 19th century births
Category:Real 20th century deaths
Category:Real Lost Generation