#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

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Avsnitt(51)

#50: History of the Pittsburgh Mob (Part Five): The Monastero-Pangallo War

#50: History of the Pittsburgh Mob (Part Five): The Monastero-Pangallo War

In this episode, we continue our History of the Pittsburgh Mob series with the Monastero-Pangallo War—a bloody struggle that begins with Stefano and Sam Monastero at the height of their power and ends...

18 Sep 2h 26min

#49: History of the Pittsburgh Mob (Part Four): The Rise of the Monastero's

#49: History of the Pittsburgh Mob (Part Four): The Rise of the Monastero's

In this episode of The Gangland History Podcast’s ongoing History of the Pittsburgh Mob series, we explore the rise of the Monastero brothers—Stefano “Big Steve” Monastero, Salvatore “Sam” Monastero, ...

29 Maj 2h 6min

#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 Mars 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 Jan 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 Dec 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 Okt 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 Aug 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 Juni 202551min

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