OM Backroads: Ep. 104. Rosario Borgio's dark reign of the black hand society in Akron, Ohio

OM Backroads: Ep. 104. Rosario Borgio's dark reign of the black hand society in Akron, Ohio

From Ohio Mysteries by Evergreen Podcasts

March 23, 2026 · 15 min

About this episode

This episode explores the dark reign of Rosario Borgio and the impact of the Black Hand society in early 20th-century Akron, Ohio.

Hello Ohio Mysteries Backroads listeners. In this episode we step into the shadowy underworld of early 20th-century Akron, where whispers of extortion, secret societies, and coded threats gripped immigrant communities in fear. In this gripping episode, we uncover the story of Rosario Borgio—a name tied to the chilling rise of the Black Hand in Northeast Ohio and spurned the rise of organized crime. Borgio was a ruthless killer and brutal enforcer who sought to wage war against law enforcement. His rise to power left a wave of death and violence in his wake. Borgio even offered a bounty on any policeman that was killed in the line of duty. This episode dives into the broader impact of Black Hand activity across Ohio, examining how fear spread through tight-knit immigrant neighborhoods and how law enforcement struggled to combat a secretive and deeply rooted network. Join us as we peel back the layers of crime, culture, and consequence in a story that feels ripped from the pages of a gangster novel—but is all too real. Check out our Facebook page…

People in this episode

Host: Dan

Topics covered

  • organized crime
  • Black Hand
  • immigrant communities
  • law enforcement
  • Akron history

Keywords

  • extortion
  • secret societies
  • violence
  • gangster novel

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Akron, Ohio, Northeast Ohio

More episodes of Ohio Mysteries

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Ohio Mysteries podcast page.