Two separate Mafia families emerged in New England before prohibition began, one based in Boston, Massachusetts and the other based in Providence, Rhode Island. The "Boston crime family" was founded in 1916 by Gaspare Messina. Frank Morelli formed the "Providence crime family" in 1917, and he eventually controlled bootlegging and gambling operations in Providence, Maine, and Connecticut. In 1924, Gaspare Messina stepped down as Boston's Mafia boss, assuming a businessman's role while working with Frank Cucchiara and Paolo Pagnotta from a grocery store on Prince Street in Boston's North End.