Peter Joseph Licavoli (June 7, 1902 – January 11, 1984), (nicknamed "Horseface"[1]) was an American organized crime figure in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to Detroit, Michigan.
Not much is known of Licavoli’s early involvement in gang-life in St. Louis, but as he moved around the country, his list of known associates would bolster well known gangsters throughout the Midwest and even in New York City.
Additionally, a witness placed him at the killing of Henry Tupancy, a man who was shot while sitting in his car, reading the newspaper.
[7] In 1943, Licavoli and 4 other men were indicted by a grand jury after being accused of making false statements to the Alcohol Tax Unit of the Government.
[8] These charges were brought after police tracked 100 barrels of whiskey that eventually were sold to Detroit bars and case buyers.
However, following its failure to operate profitably, the building at 111 Orchestra Place was purchased by John White, Walter Norwood, and Irving Roane in 1943 and renamed the Gotham Hotel.
The Gotham Hotel succeeded in its goal of being a luxury destination to black citizens, in part to its exceptional location, classy decor, and top-of-the-class amenities.
[11] A measure of success and even an aid to business, the visits from African-American celebrities, like Jackie Robinson, Sammy Davis Jr, Billie Holiday, Jesse Owens, and many others, made the Gotham Hotel a well-known destination in the city.
[13] Peter Licavoli’s career with the mafia was not all booze and money--eventually he faced ramifications for his actions as one of the top bosses of the Detroit underworld.
He was questioned and eventually released regarding two other prohibition era killings of rum-running Joe Tallman and St. Lous gunman Milford Jones.
[16] Despite having 38 charges against him, Pete was only convicted for four of them: bribing a Canadian border guard during his rum-running days; income tax evasion in the 1950s; contempt of Congress for refusing to appear before a racket investigation and selling a stolen painting to an undercover agent.
Licavoli entered a plea of no contest in 1958 and was charged with income tax evasion, resulting in a two and a half year sentence and $10,000 fine.
[19] Even with his millions of dollars stored away, Pete couldn’t resist the urge to sell a stolen painting to an undercover FBI agent.
He was tried by a federal judge in Tucson and given an 18 month sentence, a small penalty considering the US government had been trying to put him behind bars without success for over 25 years.
"[20] The subpoena had been signed by Committee Chairman, Senator John L. McClellan, and was served to Licavoli in the Detroit Federal Building on July 28, 1958, while he was on trial in Michigan.
[20] Kennedy's staff also contacted Licavoli's attorney, Joseph Louisell - whom the Detroit Free Press, would later describe as the "defense counsel in most of the sensational criminal cases that came into Detroit courts...[using] spirited if unorthodox courtroom tactics...he brought to each case relentless research, [and] a deep store of knowledge of the law.
"[20] On the day set for his appearance, the committee (including Senators Barry Goldwater, Irving Ives, and Sam Ervin) interrogated Irvin Paul Miller concerning whether racketeers in Detroit were trying to establish a base in the laundry industry similar to what they had done in the restaurant industry which was closely tied to illegal activities, including gambling and narcotics.
[20][22] Miller testified that Licavoli, Frank "The Bomb" Bommarito, Angelo Meli, and Joe Lehr (a partner in the Star Coverall Supply Company) met in a space he rented to them to open a business that would rent and clean coveralls, uniforms, and shop tools to gas stations, tool shops, and similar businesses.
[20][22] Miller went on to testify that he had received two threatening phone calls where an unknown voice told him "Well, when you go to Washington you should be very careful whose name you mention or who you incriminate.
This defense made its way to the District of Columbia's Circuit court in 1961's Peter Licavoli, Appellant, v. United States of America.
"[23] At the time of the ruling Licavoli was already in prison for income-tax evasion and received an additional sentence of six months for contempt of Congress.
[24] In 2024 Licavoli's case was cited as binding precedent by judges in proceedings concerning the refusal to comply with a Congressional subpoena from the January 6th Committee by both Peter Navarro[25] and Steve Bannon.