The US Military Police closed the doors on the Antonelli Fireworks Co. in Spencerport on June 13, 1943 and wouldn’t let any employees in. The next week 7 managers of the company were arrested by the F.B.I. and put in jail for fraud and sabotage.
After much digging and looking at a lot of old newspaper articles, this is the story of the case. It is always best to start at the beginning…
Amerigo Antonelli was born in Italy about 1890-2. He came to the US in either 1911 or 1913 depending on which record you want to believe. In a US draft registration from June 1917 he is living in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. He first shows in the 1919 Rochester city directory living at 14 Hand Street with his business at the same address. Also in that directory was this ad for his fireworks business. It was the only ad ever for the company.
He was very difficult to find in the 1920 census. The census taker mixed up his name. He was recorded as Antelno America (aged 28). He was a boarder with Joseph and Lucia DeRitis (spelled Ritis by the census taker) and their children at 14 Marietta Street in Rochester.
Amerigo starts moving around Rochester but starting in 1922 living with him is a brother Pinotto who is also working at the fireworks company. Pinotto had a wife named Mary. Pinotto dies in 1928 and is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
In the 1930 census living with Amerigo is his sister-in-law, Mary, and two of her children. Then also living in his home as lodgers was Lucia DeRitis and her 5 teenage children. That census record says that Lucia is married but her husband, Joseph, is nowhere to be found. Instead, in the 1931 Rochester city directory it says that Amerigo has a wife named Lucy (Lucia).
Amerigo takes Lucy’s sons Joseph and John into the fireworks business. When World War II starts, even though the family is still living in Rochester, a plant is opened on Big Ridge Road in Spencerport. They were making incendiary bombs and hand grenades and had 300 employees.
Then suddenly on June 13, 1943 military police were posted at the door and wouldn’t let any of the employees in. Amerigo rushed to Washington, DC to talk to government officials but nothing happened there.
Arrested in their homes by the F.B.I on June 22, 1943 were:
- Amerigo Antonelli, 52, company President, charged with sabotage and fraud.
- John DeRitis, 28, plant superintendent, charged with sabotage and fraud.
- Joseph DeRitis, 30, plant superintendent, charged with sabotage and fraud.
- Domenick Barbollo, 29, who was married to Anna DeRitis, plant foreman, charged with sabotage and fraud.
- Frank Bianchi, 31, foreman, charged with fraud.
- Angelo Costanza, 34, foreman, charged with fraud.
- Bennie Piteo, 31, foreman, charged with fraud.
Amerigo Antonelli
The charges said that both the bombs and grenades were being under-loaded with the required amount of gunpowder. It was also alleged that charges were left out of some of the bombs. The government was saying that these things were done intentionally to make more money. All were given hearings the next day and Judge Burke set some high bails. A conviction on the sabotage charge could have ended up being a maximum of a 30 year sentence.
All but Amerigo were out on bail within a couple of weeks. Amerigo finally was bailed out for $170,000 on July 8th.
Meanwhile the plant in Spencerport had been closed for 55 days. It was then opened as Spencerport Ordnance Co. organized by E. C. Brown Co. of Rochester. (See an ad from Aug. 1943 for this company at bottom of this post.)
Bennie Piteo and Frank Bianchi, pleaded guilty to fraud at Canandaigua on Sept. 14, 1943. I couldn’t find out what their sentences were.
The rest would have to wait until mid May 1944 for their trial. During the trial Angelo Costanza testified that Antonelli issued the underloading orders. Other employees said that was not true. Antonelli testified that none of it was true. He also said that he received many defective bombs that could not be filled at the plant. The prosecution showed off x-rays of 1,000 grenades showing that they didn’t have sufficient amount of gunpowder.
After a trial lasting 6 weeks a jury of 6 men and 6 women only needed a day and a half to find all guilty. Costanza was sentenced to 18 months. Amerigo Antonelli, John & Joseph DeRitis and Domenick Barbollo to 2 years. The Antonelli Fireworks Company would also have to pay a fine of $10,000.
Spencerport Ordnance closed early in 1945.
Because of failed appeals Amerigo entered Lewisburg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania on Nov. 8, 1946. On April 4, 1947 he was transferred to Genesee Hospital because of ill health. John & Joseph DeRitis and Domenick Barbello were released on parole several months before this. Amerigo was paroled on Oct. 5, 1947 and was able to go home.
Amerigo wouldn’t have much time back at home as he died on Armistice Day (Nov. 11), 1948 of a heart attack. He would be buried next to his brother, Pinotto, in Holy Sepulchre.
Lucy (Lucia) would die on July 14, 1952 and she is buried next to Amerigo. She is buried as Lucy DeRitis and it appears that she and Amerigo were never legally married. I went to Holy Sepulchre to take photos of their tombstones and would find that they are buried in unmarked graves.
I know someone will ask if Amerigo was related to the famous baseball player (and later owner of some Firestone Tire stores) Johnny Antonelli. It might be possible that Amerigo is the uncle of Johnny Antonelli but I couldn’t prove that relationship.
