#13: Ballplayer to Mafia Hitman: The True Story of Maurice "Pro" Lerner

#13: Ballplayer to Mafia Hitman: The True Story of Maurice "Pro" Lerner

In this episode, we tell the story of a man who once had a blossoming career as a professional ballplayer, and how he became a vicious and respected hitman for the Patriarca Crime Family.

Maurice "Pro" Lerner grew up in Massachusetts and at just 18 years old, he signed his first professional baseball contract with the Washington Senators. He would go on to spend 10 years in the minor leagues, compiling a career batting average of .308 while playing for 21 different minor league ball clubs.

Unfortunately, when his baseball career fizzled out, his penchant for getting into trouble and a violent streak led him to become involved in the criminal underworld in New England. He would ultimately become an enforcer and hitman for the Patriarca Crime Family and would be involved in a number of gangland slayings, including his role as the primary shooter in the infamous double homicide of Rudolph "Rudy" Marfeo and Anthony Melei in 1968.

Ultimately, Lerner would stand trial with several confederates including the Don of the underworld in New England, Raymond Patriarca himself. Lerner and the others would be convicted and sentenced to prison, with Lerner receiving two life sentences.

Maurice "Pro" Lerner would serve 18 years of his life sentence, but would be released in 1988 after his conviction was overturned due to a revelation of significant perjury on the part of the main witness in his case along with corruption from the primary FBI agent on the case.

After release, Lerner would live out the rest of his life in Las Vegas, Nevada, passing away in 2013 at the age of 78. Primary source for this story: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/sports/baseball/maurice-lerner-prospect-turned-mob-hitman.html

Jaksot(49)

#48: History of the Pittsburgh Mob (Part Three): Prohibition, Bootlegging, Bullets, and the “Bootleg Kings”

#48: History of the Pittsburgh Mob (Part Three): Prohibition, Bootlegging, Bullets, and the “Bootleg Kings”

This video is Part Three of my History of the Pittsburgh Mob series, focusing on Prohibition and the rise of Pittsburgh’s early bootleg kings—men like Martin M. Burke who transformed decades of politi...

18 Maalis 2h 19min

#47: History of the Pittsburgh Mob (Part Two): The Rise & Fall of Gregorio Conti

#47: History of the Pittsburgh Mob (Part Two): The Rise & Fall of Gregorio Conti

This episode is Part Two of The Gangland History Podcast’s History of the Pittsburgh Mob, focusing on Gregorio Conti, widely regarded as Pittsburgh’s second Mafia boss. Conti matters because he emerge...

28 Tammi 1h 42min

#46: History of the Pittsburgh Mob (Part One): Immigration, the Black Hand, and the Era of Salvatore Catanzaro

#46: History of the Pittsburgh Mob (Part One): Immigration, the Black Hand, and the Era of Salvatore Catanzaro

Long before Prohibition, long before speakeasies and Tommy guns, Pittsburgh’s underworld was already taking shape—quietly, violently, and largely unseen.This episode traces the true origins of organiz...

24 Joulu 20251h 4min

#45: History of the Tampa Mob: A Discussion with Author, Scott Deitche

#45: History of the Tampa Mob: A Discussion with Author, Scott Deitche

In this episode of The Gangland History Podcast, host Jacob Stoops interviews acclaimed author and Mafia historian Scott Deitche, one of the nation’s foremost experts on organized crime in Florida and...

8 Loka 20251h 14min

#44: Frank Costello to Alto Knights | Historical Fiction and the Mob with Author Ron K. Fried

#44: Frank Costello to Alto Knights | Historical Fiction and the Mob with Author Ron K. Fried

In this episode of the podcast, I’m joined by author Ron K. Fried for a deep dive into one of the most compelling figures in organized crime history: Frank Costello, the mob boss who rose to power dur...

27 Elo 20251h 33min

#43: The Gurney's Inn Operation: Roundtable Discussion with Daniel Edward Rosen & Frank DiMatteo

#43: The Gurney's Inn Operation: Roundtable Discussion with Daniel Edward Rosen & Frank DiMatteo

In late August 1979, the FBI's Brooklyn-Queens Metropolitan Resident Agency (the BQ) received a significant tip from a top-echelon informant within the Genovese crime family. This informant, known as ...

25 Kesä 202551min

#42: The State of the Mafia (1967): Part Three

#42: The State of the Mafia (1967): Part Three

In today's episode, we wrap up one of the most detailed and historically rich series we’ve ever done. In Part Three of our special deep dive into the FBI’s 1967 report on La Cosa Nostra, we close the ...

24 Huhti 20252h 31min

#41: Paul "The Waiter" Ricca (Part Two)

#41: Paul "The Waiter" Ricca (Part Two)

In Part Two of our deep-dive biography on Paul "The Waiter" Ricca, we chronicle his ascent to the top of the Chicago Outfit from the late 1940s through the early 1970s — a reign that cemented his lega...

6 Maalis 20252h 25min

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