[7] Along with the brothel, Rosario operated a successful general store, which he used as a front for the criminal options taking place in the two back rooms.
[5][2] He claimed his home was "police proof," as the property was guarded by an extensive security system including alarms on both the front and back stairs; pits built into the stairs which held foot-long steel spikes; a solid steel door; and a large arsenal of weapons including shotguns, rifles, pistols, and submachine guns.
[5][2][8] Before long, Borgio controlled the Akron arm of Black Hand, a criminal organization aimed primarily at Midwestern cities with growing Italian communities.
[8][5] He was involved with illegal gambling, bootlegging, blackmail, drug peddling, and prostitution, and was known to gather at a pool hall on Furnace Street with his men.
[5][9][2] Borgio had extensive political protection, with much of the city's politicians on his payroll;[8] Akron's police force, however, remained considerably immune to his bribery.
[2] In early 1917, Akron police began raiding Borgio's gambling dens and brothels, arresting gang members and clientele indiscriminately.
[2][8] The first victim was Patrolman Guy Norris, who, while patrolling his beat, witnessed a robbery and was shot twice in the back when he confronted the burglar.
[14] Detectives Welch, McDonnell, and Corey arrested an additional suspect, Pasquale Biondo, in a rooming house in Sandusky, Ohio.