An extensive Black Hand network was discovered in Ohio following investigations by the US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). The roundup of the group included Salvatore Arrigo and Saverio Ventola, both of whom had previous convictions for counterfeiting in the US from the mid-1880s.
The USPIS investigations, led by Inspector John Frank Oldfield, discovered the group’s operations extended through many cities, with an estimated $3000 a month in profits being sent back to Italy. The gang employed a unique system to hide the point of origin of its letters: the threatening letters were enclosed in mail sent to associates in other cities, who would then repost them to the intended victims. At trial, it was revealed that Inspector Oldfield had secretly worked with post office branches to furnish the gang with marked stamps that helped track the letters and prove their point of origin.
The United States vs. Salvatore Lima, Antonio Lima, Sebastiano Lima, Giuseppe Ignoffo, Saverio Ventola, Salvatore Rizzo, Salvatore Demma (alias Salvatore Demar), Giuseppe Nuzzo, Agostino Marfisi, Antonio Vicario, Cologero Vicario, Orazio Runfola, Pippino Galbo, Salvatore Arrigo, Francesco Spadara, and Vincenzo Arrigo
