Ignazio Lupo - Early Life

Early Life

Ignazio Lupo was born in Palermo, Sicily to parents Rocco Lupo and Onofrio Saietta. The word lupo means wolf in Italian; thus the moniker "Lupo the Wolf" literally translates to "Wolf the Wolf". Ignazio Lupo has sometimes been referred to by his mother's maiden name as Ignazio Saietta, but his actual surname was Lupo. From age 10 he worked in a dry goods store in Palermo. In October 1898, he shot and killed a business rival named Salvatore Morello, according to Lupo in self-defense after Morello attacked him with a dagger during an argument in Lupo's store. Lupo went into hiding after the killing and on the advice of his parents eventually fled Italy to escape prosecution. After stops in Liverpool, Montreal and Buffalo he arrived in New York in 1898. On March 14, 1899, Lupo was convicted in absentia of 'willful and deliberate murder', reportedly due to the testimony of the clerks who worked in his store. Lupo would never return to Sicily to serve the sentence.

Upon settling in New York City, Lupo opened a store at East 72nd Street in Manhattan with his cousin Saitta, but moved his business to Brooklyn after a disagreement. In 1901 he moved his business back to Manhattan and opened a small import store at 9 Prince Street, while also running a saloon across the street at 8 Prince Street. Lupo's father Rocco joined him in New York City in 1902 and together they opened a retail grocery store on 39th Street between 9th and 10th avenues. Around this time, Lupo began preying on his fellow Italian immigrants, using the extortion tactics of the Black Hand.