Mayfair Mafia: The Lives and Crimes of the Messina Brothers

From the mid-1930s until the early 1950s, the Messina family ran London's vice trade, importing prostitutes from the Continent and acquiring British citizenship through fake marriages. They ruled with a ruthless combination of charm, blackmail, and threats, becoming fabulously wealthy and purchasing expensive properties, cars, and influence. It took a Sunday newspaper exposé to bring them to justice, and they were eventually imprisoned and deported for various crimes.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 01 May 2019
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

From the mid-1930s until the early 1950s, a little-known fact reveals that one immigrant Italian family, the Messina brothers, ran London's thriving vice trade unchecked. The Messina brothers imported prostitutes from the Continent on an industrial scale, acquiring the women British citizenship through phony marriages. They demanded a staggering 80% of earnings, making them incredibly wealthy. With their newfound wealth, they purchased expensive properties, cars, and influence. As this revealing and absorbing account depicts, the brothers ruled with a ruthless combination of charm, blackmail, and credible threats of disfigurement and death. It took a sensational Sunday newspaper exposé to prompt the authorities to take action. A series of dramatic arrests and trials followed, resulting in the imprisonment and deportation of the brothers for various crimes, including immoral earnings, attempted bribery, and firearms offenses.

Despite their fortune, numerous potential beneficiaries came forward, most recently in 2012. The author, a well-published former Metropolitan police officer, has extensively researched the remarkable criminal careers of the five Messina brothers. The result is a riveting and shocking read that sheds light on the darker side of London's underworld during this period.

Weight: 386g
Dimension: 157 x 232 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781526742612