{"product_id":"rocco-perri-the-story-of-canadas-most-notorious-bootlegger-9780470835265","title":"Rocco Perri: The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRocco Perri: The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger\u003c\/strong\u003e by Nicaso, Antonio. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780470835265.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRocco Perri came to Canada almost a century ago from Calabria, Italy. Even today his name is well known to historians, police and organized crime--and especially to the people of the city he called home--Hamilton, Ontario.\n\nA poor immigrant, Perri along with his common-law wife, Bessie Starkman, built an unequalled crime empire for the time. During the Prohibition years, Perri provided alcohol to a thirsty clientele in Canada and the United States--a business that was very illegal and highly lucrative. Al Capone and Joseph Kennedy were among Perris customers. The Perris also ran gambling, loan-sharking, extortion and prostitution rackets.\n\nROCCO PERRI: King of the Bootleggers is more than the biography of a man and his empire; it is a riveting portrait of a time when corruption was rampant, murder a business necessity, and discrimination against newcomers forced many to turn to crime as a means of survival. This book also solves a half-century-long mystery about the fate of Rocco Perri.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Wiley","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44989422436405,"sku":"ByrdShop_0470835265","price":92.38,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780470835265_d97b21c4-d96f-4e45-bfe1-beb38c11f403.jpg?v=1778940435","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/rocco-perri-the-story-of-canadas-most-notorious-bootlegger-9780470835265","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}