Samuzzo Amatuna

Samuel Sammuzzo "Samoots" Amatuna (1899 – November 13, 1925) was a Chicago mobster and member of the Genna Brothers, who served as president of the Unione Siciliane.

Born in Pozzallo, Sicily, in 1899, Amatuna immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century, eventually arriving in Chicago's Little Italy. As a teenager he worked as a messenger for the Genna Brothers, a group of ruthless Sicilian gangsters. On February 21, 1916, at age 17, he earned a full membership in the Genna gang by murdering Frank Lombardi outside a saloon. Lombardi was a supporter of incumbent Chicago alderman John Powers, a bitter enemy of the Genna brothers. The brutal warfare between the Gennas and Powers became known in Chicago as the Aldermen's Wars.

As Prohibition began in 1920, Amatuna had become one of the Gennas' leading members. The brothers continued to battle the Powers faction for political control of the Nineteenth Ward. When the Gennas began bootlegging operations, they became one of the main suppliers of homemade alcohol to the Torrio-Capone gang. Amatuna was the enforcer who oversaw production of the gang's numerous "alky cookers". By the end of 1920 Amatuna had become the personal bodyguard for "Bloody" Angelo Genna.

On September 28 a bomb exploded on the front porch of Powers' home. In spite of great damage, no one inside was hurt. Powers suspected that Amatuna was the bomber on orders from the Gennas. For the rest of 1920 and into 1921, Powers stationed armed guards and private detectives around his house as he campaigned against Anthony D'Andrea. Despite frequent bombings, Powers narrowly won the election. Enraged by his defeat, Angelo Genna blamed Paul Labriola, a municipal court bailiff and a Powers supporter, for convincing Sicilian and other Italian immigrants to support Powers. On March 9, 1921, Angelo, Amatuna and Genna lieutenant Frank "Don Chick" Gambino shot and killed Labriola. Although witnesses identified Genna and Gambino and the two men were charged with murder, the case was eventually dropped due to lack of evidence. Amatuna was later a suspect in the murders of Powers supporters Harry Raimondi and Gaetano Esposito.

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