OM Backroads: Ep. 104. Rosario Borgio's dark reign of the black hand society in 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!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Please check other podcast episodes like this at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dan hosts a Youtube Channel called: Ohio History and Haunts where he explores historical and dark places around Ohio: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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OM Backroads: Ep. 104. Rosario Borgio's dark reign of the black hand society in Akron, Ohio is an episode from Ohio Mysteries by DarKat Network.

This episode is 14:34 long.

This episode was published on Mar 23, 2026.

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