Giovanni Fretti

**Giovanni "Sniper Joe" Fretti** (1891-1924), was a Neapolitan gangster with the Esposito and Licata gangs in Toronto, Canada.

## Biography

Fretti was born in Naples, Italy, on February 6, 1891. His father was a Neapolitan baker and his mother was a Sicilian singer. He had three siblings: Vincenzo (1890-1968), Olivero (1897-1984) and Britney (1901-1990). His family moved to North America via Ellis Island in 1907 with Salvatore Lucania's family. The children were lifetime friends with Luciano until his death in 1962.

The children all graduated high school in Manhattan as valedictorians of their class.

Vincenzo, Olivero and Giovanni all joined the Five Points Gang in the Five Points district of Manhattan. They were influential members of the gang along with Luciano, Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Al Capone and Johnny Torrio.

Giovanni moved to Toronto in 1910. There, he joined racketeers Michele Esposito and Sebastiano Fortunato as part of their protection racket in an Irish gang's territory. In 1911, while protecting a store on the day that a McGarrigle enforcer usually arrived, the enforcer saw him and began firing at Giovanni and he shot the enforcer six times with a S&W M1917. The enforcer later died in a hospital that day, revealing his boss that it was an Italian. This prompted the Mcgarrigles to declare war on the Espositos.

Giovanni had a Lee-Enfield rifle with a bipod and scope attached to it, imported from England. On orders of Esposito, Giovanni was to kill McGarrigle underboss Joseph Murphy. He rented an apartment across the street from an alley, in which a window pointed directly into the alley. On March 23, Murphy was guarded by five associates who were escorting him into a convoy of two cars. As he opened the door to one of the cars and was about to get in, Giovanni shot him in the side of the head with the sniper.

Fretti enlisted in the French army during World War I and served as a sniper in the s; being the only non-African American and non-Puerto Rican soldier in the unit. He fought bravely with his friends and comrades during the war, earning several medals, including: the Purple Heart, French Croix de Guerre (along with Sgt Henry Johnson) and the Medal of Honor. He had a confirmed 100+ kills. After the war ended in 1918, Giovanni was part of the occupation of the Rhineland until July 1919.

He returned to the United States for a brief time, meeting up with former Five Points members and met Arnold Rothstein, Frankie Yale and Jack Diamond. He returned to Toronto in early-mid August of 1919, becoming a hitman and enforcer for the Esposito gang again.

In 1921, Esposito ordered Giovanni to warn a gangster that was intruding in on his territory and if he did not comply, kill him. Giovanni had a Vickers Mk1, a MG 08, two Beretta M1918s, and two Luger P08s smuggled into Toronto in case he didn't comply and Giovanni wanted to eliminate his associate as well. The Vickers Mk1 was loaded onto the back of a truck along with a gunner, driver a man with the Beretta, same was with the MG 08 and other Beretta but they also had another man with a Luger. When Giovanni went to talk to Anastasia at his distillary and bootlegging operation, Anastasia would not hear Giovanni's threats. Giovanni left and then the machine gun and smg started firing, killing several guards, workers and injuring the gangster. Giovanni and the man with the Beretta entered and eliminated any remaining guards and Giovanni put a bullet into Anastasia's with the Luger before he left. Giovanni called his associate to do the same with his other bootlegging operation at which Anastasia's associate was at.

Later that year, Esposito gave Giovanni an illegal gambling operation to run. Giovanni continued to remain loyal to Esposito up to his death. In the ensuing war, Giovanni sided with Fortunato and the Licata gang . Giovanni killed two high-ranking members of the Ferraro and Nocera gangs in 1923, but in a more public walk-up/execution style rather than careful planning.

On February 15, 1924, Giovanni had his throat slit while using the restroom at a movie theater by rival gangster Charlie Clemente. Giovanni was murdered in retaliation for the murder of his partner Michael Abbatelli earlier that month, perpetrated by Giovanni.