Rocco Perri

Rocco Perri (born 30 December 1887, date of death unknown; last seen alive 23 April 1944) was an organized crime figure in Ontario, Canada in the early 20th century. He was one of the most prominent Calabrian mafiosi bosses in Canadian history, and the spouse of Besha Starkman (also known as Bessie Perri).

Early life and criminal career

Perri was born in Platì, Calabria, in southern Italy. Through the 1920s, he became the leading figure in organized crime in Southern Ontario. He was under constant surveillance by police. He specialized in exporting liquor from old Canadian distilleries, such as Seagram's and Gooderham's to the United States, and helped these companies obtain a large share of the American market — a share they kept after Prohibition ended. Perri diversified into gambling, extortion and prostitution. Starkman remained the business brains of the operation, and it is believed she specialized in laundering profits from their enterprises until her murder on 15 August 1930.