Ralph Daniello

Ralph Daniello
Ralph "The Barber" Daniello
Born	1886 Pagani, Campania
Died	1925 Metuchen, New Jersey

Ralph "The Barber" Daniello (1886–1925) was a New York criminal who belonged to the Brooklyn Navy Street Gang and participated in a major gang slaying. Daniello eventually became an informant and helped destroy the Camorra crime gangs in Brooklyn.

Daniello's real name was Alfonso Pepe. In Italy he was arrested for attacking a woman and on suspicion of involvement in a murder. After his escape from prison in 1906 he made his way to the French port of Le Havre, from which he sailed to New York where he was smuggled in illegally. In New York, Daniello became a low-level criminal who participated in labor racketeering and extortion. He was involved in the 1913 Labor slugger war.

In 1916 he became involved in the Mafia-Camorra War. He was a member of the Navy Street Gang, made up primarily of Italians from Naples, Italy. In November 1916, Daniello participated in the ambush murders of Nicholas Morello and Charles Ubriaco on a New York Street. These killings were part of an ongoing gang war between the Morello crime family, part of the traditional Sicilian mafia, and the Brooklyn Camorra, a Neapolitan crime organization. During this era, a crime organization would usually consist of individuals from the same clan, village, or region in Italy. In later years, the gangs would be based more on individual families and would allow any Italian to become a full member.

After being acquitted on robbery and abduction charges, Daniello decided it wasn't safe to stay in New York. In May 1917, Daniello and his girlfriend fled to Reno, Nevada. In July 1917, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) police issued a warrant for Daniello's arrest for the May 7 murder of Louis DeMarro in Brooklyn. Meanwhile, Daniello and his girlfriend were running low on money in Reno. He wrote the Camorra Gang asking for help, but they ignored his requests. Daniello was eventually arrested in Nevada and extradited back to New York.