Sabini syndicate
| Founded by | Charles Sabini |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Clerkenwell, London, England |
| Years active | 1900s-1950 |
| Territory | London metropolitan area |
| Ethnicity | Sicilian, Italian, British italian, associates are british |
| Membership (est.) | 300 |
| Criminal activities | Bookmaking, theft, extortion, money laundering, murder, highjacking[disambiguation needed], gambling, racketeering, robbery, corruption |
| Allies | Sicilian Cosa Nostra |
| Rivals | Birmingham Boys, Cortesi family, Yiddishers, White family |
The Sabini gang was a powerful criminal organization founded by Charles Sabini and based in Clerkenwell, London, despite extended throughout the London metropolitan area.
Charles Sabini
Sabini was born in Saffron Hill, an area then known as London's Little Italy and his Clerkenwell-based organization, although rivalled by the Birmingham Boys, the Cortesi family, the Yiddishers and the White family, dominated the local underworld for nearly 20 years during the inter-war period. Sabini's organization, notorious for razor attacks, which had an estimated 300 members including imported Sicilian gunmen in addition to local criminals, was involved in criminal activities including extortion, theft and illegal gambling (specifically horse racing) as well as operating several nightclubs. The core of his income came from racecourse protection rackets operated against bookmakers.
In 1922 he was involved in a gunfight with the Cortesi. In 1926 he was declared bankrupt following an unsuccessful libel action against DC Thompson & Co. That year he moved to Brighton and established a similar racket there using the name Fred Handley (his mother's maidenname). Although regularly charged with assault, his gang's reputation made witnesses naturally reluctant to come forward.
At its peak, Sabini had extensive police and political connections including judges, politicians and police officials. Sabini's power rested on an alliance of Italians and Jewish bookmakers. For this reason, the coming of the Second World War and the rise of Fascism in Italy threatened his powerbase, with antisemitism infecting London's Italian community.
After the outbreak of war, Sabini was arrested at the Greyhound Stadium at Hove in April 1940 and interned as an enemy alien, despite his mixed parentage and inability to speak Italian. He was released the following year, but in 1943 found guilty of receiving stolen goods and sentenced to 3 years in prison. Meanwhile, his only son was killed on active service for the RAF in Egypt. After the war, his empire was taken over by the White family led by Alf White[disambiguation needed] and subsequently by the organizations of Jack Spot and Billy Hill.
With the death of Sabini in 1950, the Organization ceases to exist.
See also
- Messina Brothers (a now extinct gang that operated in the London from 1930s-1950s)
- Charles Sabini