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A True Story of Genealogy, Hidden History, and ORGANIZED CRIME
by Todd Ennis
GHETTOS TO GANGLANd
a Genealogy Journey
A DNA test was supposed to confirm what Todd Ennis already knew about his family. Instead, it shattered everything.
What began as a straightforward search for his great-grandfather’s immigration records unraveled into a multi-generational mystery—one stretching from the bustling chaos of Ellis Island to the hidden backrooms of Prohibition-era Brooklyn. Behind forged papers and altered identities lay buried truths: ties to the Black Hand, Murder Inc., and the roots of American organized crime itself.
As Todd traced an elusive paper trail, long-held family stories fell apart. A seemingly ordinary soda bottle from the early 1900s emerged as a critical clue, revealing a hidden underworld network woven into everyday life. Names had been changed. Identities erased. Cousins publicly known for their scrappy antics as street kids in The Bowery Boys films had unknowingly shared roots with real-life bootleggers, racketeers, and underworld figures who thrived—and often perished—by a fierce code of silence.
Ghettos to Gangland blends true-crime drama with an intimate exploration of the invisible threads binding families across generations. Todd Ennis embarks on a deeply personal quest, confronting hidden legacies and examining how the stories we inherit—openly or secretly—shape who we become.
For anyone drawn to family history, mafia lore, or the unseen forces shaping identity, Ghettos to Gangland is an unforgettable story of legacy, secrets, and the transformative power of uncovering the truth, no matter where it leads.
"INDICT 6 COPS, 97 IN ALCOHOL RING QUIZ," blared the Daily News headline on August 2, 1938, exposing a sprawling bootlegging operation tied to Lucky Luciano.
The 1938 Raid That Rewrote My Family’s Story
In 1938, federal agents stormed a bootlegging warehouse at 91 Mulberry Street—heart of one of New York's most sophisticated alcohol distribution rings. Nearly 100 arrests were made. Six police officers were implicated. Investigators described the operation as a "critical nerve center," quietly humming with Lucky Luciano's influence, even from behind prison walls.
Two names appeared in the arrest list that I never imagined I’d see: Jack and Harry Polotnick—my great-grandfather and his brother.
They weren’t mob kingpins, yet they weren’t innocent bystanders either. They were inside the operation, part of a hidden infrastructure that survived Prohibition’s repeal and continued quietly powering New York’s underworld.
I didn’t discover this story in old family albums or whispered dinner-table tales. I found it in a long-forgotten newspaper—a 1938 exposé that forced me to confront my family’s history, rewriting everything I thought I knew.
About TODD
Todd Ennis is a Long Island-based construction developer, genealogist, and storyteller whose search for family truth led him deep into forgotten archives, DNA revelations, and a web of gangland ties once buried in silence.
His debut book, Ghettos to Gangland, traces a personal reckoning across generations—uncovering lost relatives, erased names, and the hidden infrastructures of identity. With a storyteller’s voice and a researcher’s precision, Todd brings the past to life and invites readers to ask deeper questions about their own legacy.
He lives with his wife and three children, who ground his purpose and inspire his commitment to ensure the stories we inherit are never lost again.
