The Cortesi Brothers were four siblings of Italian descent who became notorious crime figures in London during the first decades of the 20th century with their primary lieutenant Alexander Tomaso otherwise known as Sandy Rice. The brothers were Augustus ‘Gus’ Cortesi, Enrico ‘Frenchie’ Cortesi, Paolo ‘Paul’ Cortesi and George Cortesi.
The Cortesi Brothers
Sabinis and Cortesis in 1920 (Harry Cortesi in the boater hat)
Originating in Italy, the Cortesi family moved to Paris, France, where all four brothers were born. Their mother, Angele Cortesi, brought the family to England between 1891 and 1901, In 1901, the family is listed at Little Saffron Hill, Clerkenwell.
Gang yearsedit
As the Cortesi brothers reached adulthood, they became involve in protection racketeering of gamblers and bookmakers. They were close to criminals in the Italian Sabini family. However, the two families became rivals because the Cortesi brothers believed they were being denied a fair share of proceeds from West End of London gambling clubs and wrung from bookmakers.
In 1922, the rivalry culminated in a confrontation at the Fratellanza Social Club at 23 Great Bath Street, Clerkenwell. On 20 November 1922, Darby and Harry Sabini arrived at the club, probably to talk peace. Three women occupied one table and the only others present were the four Cortesi brothers and Sandy Rice. Words were exchanged and tempers boiled over – Paul Cortesi threw a cup of hot coffee in the face of Harry Sabini and they started to fight. On this occasion it was the Cortesis who were armed with revolvers. Gus tried to shoot Darby Sabini, but his hand was knocked aside by one of the three women, Louisa Doralli, Darby's goddaughter. The shot went through a window. Darby Sabini was knocked down when Tomaso hit him with a bottle. Louisa then jumped in front of Harry Sabini as Enrico Cortesi went to shoot him. Harry pushed her away, allowing his brother to shoot Harry Sabini in the stomach.
When police officers later attempted to arrest the Cortesi brothers at their homes, a large mob thwarted them. However, the Cortese brothers later surrendered. Gus and Enrico (Frenchie) Cortesi were jailed for three years for attempted murder. George and Paul Cortesi and Tomaso were found not guilty of assault and discharged with the judge comparing the case to the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets.[1]
^Britain's Godfather. True Crime Library. 1993. pp. 78–90. ISBN1-874358-03-6.
January 01, 1970
cortesi, brothers, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, addi. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Cortesi brothers news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2016 Learn how and when to remove this message This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations December 2016 Learn how and when to remove this message Learn how and when to remove this message The Cortesi Brothers were four siblings of Italian descent who became notorious crime figures in London during the first decades of the 20th century with their primary lieutenant Alexander Tomaso otherwise known as Sandy Rice The brothers were Augustus Gus Cortesi Enrico Frenchie Cortesi Paolo Paul Cortesi and George Cortesi The Cortesi BrothersSabinis and Cortesis in 1920 Harry Cortesi in the boater hat BornAugustus George Paul and EnricoParisDiedAugustus 1949 Enrico 1954 Paul 1938 George 1972Other namesFrenchieOccupationGangstersOpponentThe Sabini familyCriminal chargeGus and Enrico attempted murderPenalty3 yearsPartner s Sandy Rice Alexander Tomaso Contents 1 Early life 2 Gang years 3 Death 4 ReferencesEarly life editOriginating in Italy the Cortesi family moved to Paris France where all four brothers were born Their mother Angele Cortesi brought the family to England between 1891 and 1901 In 1901 the family is listed at Little Saffron Hill Clerkenwell Gang years editAs the Cortesi brothers reached adulthood they became involve in protection racketeering of gamblers and bookmakers They were close to criminals in the Italian Sabini family However the two families became rivals because the Cortesi brothers believed they were being denied a fair share of proceeds from West End of London gambling clubs and wrung from bookmakers In 1922 the rivalry culminated in a confrontation at the Fratellanza Social Club at 23 Great Bath Street Clerkenwell On 20 November 1922 Darby and Harry Sabini arrived at the club probably to talk peace Three women occupied one table and the only others present were the four Cortesi brothers and Sandy Rice Words were exchanged and tempers boiled over Paul Cortesi threw a cup of hot coffee in the face of Harry Sabini and they started to fight On this occasion it was the Cortesis who were armed with revolvers Gus tried to shoot Darby Sabini but his hand was knocked aside by one of the three women Louisa Doralli Darby s goddaughter The shot went through a window Darby Sabini was knocked down when Tomaso hit him with a bottle Louisa then jumped in front of Harry Sabini as Enrico Cortesi went to shoot him Harry pushed her away allowing his brother to shoot Harry Sabini in the stomach When police officers later attempted to arrest the Cortesi brothers at their homes a large mob thwarted them However the Cortese brothers later surrendered Gus and Enrico Frenchie Cortesi were jailed for three years for attempted murder George and Paul Cortesi and Tomaso were found not guilty of assault and discharged with the judge comparing the case to the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets 1 Death editAugustus Cortesi 1886 1949 is buried in St Mary s Catholic Cemetery Kensal Green Enrico Frenchie 1884 1954 died in Hackney London Paolo Paul 1891 1938 died in Islington George 1888 1972 died in St Pancras London References edit Britain s Godfather True Crime Library 1993 pp 78 90 ISBN 1 874358 03 6 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cortesi brothers amp oldid 1197477310, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
