Born in Marsala, Sicily in 1884, Albert Anselmi became involved with the Mafia early in his life. Escaping the relatives of one of his murder victims, he fled to America around 1912 and entered the country illegally through the Gulf Coast, eventually settling on "The Hill", the Italian community of St. Louis. By the beginning of Prohibition, Anselmi had moved on to Chicago, working for the six Genna brothers in Little Italy. Contrary to common belief, it was here that he first met the youthful John Scalise, who would become his crime partner and best friend. Although older, Anselmi was not as quick thinking as his young apprentice, and soon enough the student was leading the teacher.