Joe Gallo
Joe Gallo | |
---|---|
Mobster | |
Spouse(s) | Jeffie Lee Boyd (m. 196?; div. 196?),
(m. 1971; div. 1971)Sina Essary (m. 1972) |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Albert Gallo (brother) Larry Gallo (brother) |
Allegiance | Colombo crime family |
Conviction(s) | Extortion (1961) |
Criminal penalty | Seven to 14 years imprisonment; served 10 years |
Joseph Gallo (April 7, 1929 – April 7, 1972), also known as "Crazy Joe", was an
.In his youth, Gallo was diagnosed with
In 1961, Gallo was convicted of
The Colombo family leadership was convinced that Gallo ordered the murder after his falling out with the family, inciting the Second Colombo War. On April 7, 1972, around 4:30 a.m., Gallo was shot dead at Umbertos Clam House in Manhattan's Little Italy while celebrating his 43rd birthday. Although differing accounts of who the killer or killers were have been reported by various sources over the years, "the case officially remains unsolved".[1]
Early life
Joe Gallo was born in the
Although he would remain deeply entwined with
Shortly thereafter, Gallo sustained head trauma in an automobile accident, resulting in the manifestation of a "nervous tic"; by this juncture, he and lifelong associates Peter "Pete the Greek" Diapoulas and Frank Illiano had begun to contemplate various criminal schemes while frequenting Church Avenue's Ace Pool Room and a candy store on 36th Street and Fourteenth Avenue in the nearby Borough Park section.[6] In 1949, after viewing the film Kiss of Death, Gallo began mimicking Richard Widmark's gangster character "Tommy Udo" and reciting movie dialogue.[2] After a 1950 arrest, he was temporarily confined to Kings County Hospital Center, where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.[7] Albert Seedman, the head of New York City Police Department's Detective Bureau, called Gallo "that little guy with steel balls".[8] Gallo's brothers, Larry and Albert "Kid Blast" Gallo, were also his criminal associates.[9]
Gallo's first wife – whom he married around 1960, divorced in the mid-1960s, and then remarried in July 1971 – was Las Vegas showgirl Jeffie Lee Boyd. Later in 1971, Jeffie divorced Gallo again. The couple had one daughter, Joie.[10][11] In March 1972, three weeks before his death, Gallo married 29-year-old actress Sina Essary. He became the stepfather of Sina's daughter, Lisa Essary-Gallo (born 1962).[12]
Early criminal career
Gallo started as an
In 1957, Profaci allegedly asked Gallo and his crew to murder
The following year, Gallo and his brothers were summoned to
First Colombo War
On February 27, 1961, the Gallo brothers kidnapped four of Profaci's top men: underboss Joseph Magliocco, Frank Profaci (Joe Profaci's brother), caporegime Salvatore Musacchia and soldier John Scimone.[15] Profaci himself eluded capture and flew to sanctuary in Florida.[15] While holding the hostages, Larry and Albert sent Joe to California. The Gallos demanded a more favorable financial scheme for the hostages' release. Joe wanted to kill one hostage and demand $100,000 before negotiations, but his brother Larry overruled him. After a few weeks of negotiation, Profaci and his consigliere, Charles "the Sidge" LoCicero, made a deal with the Gallos and secured the peaceful release of the hostages.[16][17]
However, Profaci had no intention of honoring this peace agreement. On August 20, 1961, he ordered the murders of Larry Gallo and Joseph "Joe Jelly" Gioielli, a member of the Gallo crew. Gunmen allegedly murdered Gioielli after inviting him to go fishing.
In November 1961, Gallo was convicted of
Prison
While serving his sentence, Gallo was incarcerated at three New York state prisons: Green Haven Correctional Facility, Attica Correctional Facility, and Auburn Correctional Facility.
In 1962, while Gallo was serving time in Attica, his brothers Larry and Albert, along with five other members of the Gallo crew, rushed into a burning Brooklyn tenement near their hangout, the Longshore Rest Room, and rescued six children and their mother from a fire. The crew was briefly celebrated in the press.[21][22]
While at Green Haven, Gallo became friends with
At Auburn, Gallo took up
In May 1968, while Gallo was still in prison, his brother Larry died of cancer.[27]
Release from prison and Second Colombo War
While Gallo was serving his sentence, big changes were happening in the Profaci family. On June 7, 1962, after a long illness, Profaci died of cancer.
Later in 1963,
Gallo was released from prison on April 11, 1971.[32] His second wife, Sina, described him shortly after his release, saying he appeared extremely frail and pale.
"He looked like an old man. He was a bag of bones. You could see the remnants of what had been a strikingly handsome man in his youth. He had beautiful features—beautiful nose, beautiful mouth and piercing blue eyes."[12]
Gallo soon became a part of New York high society. His connection started when actor
After his release, Colombo and Joseph Yacovelli invited Gallo to a peace meeting with an offering of $1,000.[33][32] Gallo reportedly told the family representatives that he was not bound by the 1963 peace agreement and demanded $100,000 to settle the dispute, which Colombo refused.[34][32] On June 28, 1971, at the second League rally in Columbus Circle in Manhattan, Colombo was shot three times, once being in the head, by an African-American gunman named Jerome A. Johnson; Johnson was immediately killed by Colombo's bodyguards.[35] Colombo survived the shooting, but was paralyzed[36] until his death in May 1978.[37] Although many in the Colombo family blamed Gallo for the shooting, the police eventually concluded that Johnson was a lone gunman after they had questioned Gallo.[30] The Colombo leadership was convinced that Gallo ordered the murder after his falling out with the family.[38]
Murder
On April 7, 1972, around 4:30 a.m., Gallo and his family entered Umbertos Clam House in Manhattan's Little Italy to celebrate his 43rd birthday with sister Carmella, wife Sina, her daughter Lisa, his bodyguard Peter "Pete the Greek" Diapoulas, and Diapoulas's girlfriend.[39] Earlier that evening, the Gallo party had visited the Copacabana with Jerry Orbach and his wife, Marta, to see a performance by comedian Don Rickles and singer Peter Lemongello.[40] Once at Umbertos, the Gallo party took two tables, with Gallo and Diapoulas facing the wall.[9] Rickles and Lemongello, whom Gallo had invited to join them at Umbertos, managed to find an excuse to get out of the engagement, possibly saving their lives.[41]
Colombo associate Joseph Luparelli claimed he was sitting at the bar, unbeknownst to Gallo. When Luparelli saw Gallo, he claimed he immediately left Umbertos and walked to a Colombo hangout two blocks away. After contacting Yacovelli, Luparelli said he recruited Colombo associate Philip Gambino, Genovese soldier Carmine "Sonny Pinto" DiBiase,[32] and two other men – reputedly members of the Patriarca family – to kill Gallo due to their belief the Colombo family had a contract on Gallo's life. On reaching Umbertos, Luparelli said he stayed in the car and the other four men went inside through the back door.[39] Between seafood courses, Luparelli asserted the four gunmen walked into the dining room and opened fire with .32- and .38 caliber revolvers. Gallo swore and attempted to draw his handgun, but twenty shots were fired at him, and he was hit in the back, elbow and buttock.[9] After overturning a butcher block dining table, Gallo staggered to the front door. Witnesses claimed that he was attempting to draw fire away from his family. Diapoulas was shot once in the hip.[9] The mortally wounded Gallo stumbled into the street and collapsed. He was taken in a police car to Beekman-Downtown Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after, around 5:30 a.m.[9][39]
Luparelli's account earned wide publicity, but was met with skepticism by police. NYPD homicide detective Joe Coffey, who inherited the Gallo case from original investigators, reported that based on eyewitness testimony and crime scene reconstruction police always believed the Gallo shooter was a lone man.[42] Coffey also asserted that police circulated a false story about three shooters to help screen information from supposed witnesses or informers: anyone who reported three gunmen rather than one was immediately deemed unreliable.[42] Author Charles Brandt notes that "[Luparelli's] statement was never corroborated in a single detail" and resulted in no arrests.[42] Brandt further speculates that Luparalli's confession was most likely disinformation ordered by his Colombo family superiors intended to defuse tensions after the Gallo shooting. Umbertos was owned by associates of the Genovese crime family, which would normally imply the Genovese family had given their blessing to a killing on their territory. But Luparelli's account, that the shooting was a spontaneous unplanned act without approval from high-ranking mafiosi, took pressure off the feuding Colombo and Genovese families.[42]
A differing but equally disputed
Aftermath
Gallo's funeral was held under police surveillance; his sister Carmella declared over his open coffin that "the streets are going to run red with blood, Joey!"[49] Looking for revenge, Albert Gallo sent a gunman from Las Vegas to the Neapolitan Noodle restaurant in Manhattan, where Yacovelli, Alphonse Persico, and Gennaro Langella were dining. However, the gunman did not recognize the mobsters and shot four innocent diners instead, killing two of them.[50] After this assassination attempt, Yacovelli fled New York, leaving Persico as the new boss.[51] The Colombo family, led by the imprisoned Persico, was plunged into a second internecine war which lasted for several years, until a 1974 agreement allowed Albert and his remaining crew to join the Genovese family.
An increasingly paranoid Luparelli fled to California, then contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and reached a deal to become a government witness. He then implicated the four gunmen in the Gallo murder. However, the police could not bring charges against them; there was no corroborating evidence and Luparelli was deemed an unreliable witness. No one was ever charged in Gallo's murder.[8]
In October 1975, the
Gallo Crew
- Albert "Kid Blast" Gallo – transferred to Genovese crime family in 1975
- Larry Gallo – died of cancer in 1968
- Frank "Punchy" Illiano – transferred to Genovese crime family in 1975, died in January 2014
- Bobby Boriello – transferred to Gambino crime family in 1972, murdered in 1991 on orders of Anthony Casso
- Nicholas Bianco – transferred to Patriarca crime family in 1963, died of natural causes in 1994
- Vic Amuso – transferred to Lucchese crime family, serving life in prison
- Joseph "Joe Pesh" Luparelli – entered witness protection programin 1972, current location unknown
- Joe Gioelli – murdered in 1961 by Profaci gunmen
- Carmine "the Snake" Persico – Colombo family boss, died in 2019 while serving 139-year sentence in prison[56]
- Michael Rizzitello – transferred to Los Angeles crime family, died while incarcerated due to complications of cancer in 2005
- Peter ("Pete the Greek") Diapoulas
- John Cutrone – led breakaway faction from Gallo crew, murdered in 1976 by unknown gunmen
- Gerry Basciano – seceded from Gallo crew, murdered in 1976 by unknown gunmen
- Steve Cirrilo – murdered in 1974 by Cutrone gunmen
- Joseph Cardiello – defected to Profaci, murdered by Gallo gunmen on December 10, 1963
- Louis Mariani – murdered by Profaci gunmen on August 10, 1963
- Leonard "Big Lenny" Dello – died in 2009
- John Commarato
- Vincent “Chico” Regina
- Alfonso Serantonio
- Joseph Yancone
- Eugene LaGana
- Frank Balzano
- Sergio "SergForce" Gallo
- Dan 'Big Fish' Cantelliani
- Hugh "Apples" McIntosh – died in 1997
In popular culture
Author
After Gallo's murder, producer Dino De Laurentiis produced a more serious, but still fictionalized drama about Gallo titled Crazy Joe, released in 1974. Based on newspaper articles by reporter Nicholas Gage, the movie was directed by Carlo Lizzani and starred Peter Boyle as the title character.
Gallo is the main character in Bob Dylan's biographical, 12-verse ballad "Joey".[57] The song appears in Dylan's 1976 album Desire. Dylan was criticized for overly romanticizing his life in the song.
Gallo was portrayed by Sebastian Maniscalco in the 2019 Martin Scorsese film The Irishman.
Gallo is portrayed in the 2019 film Mob Town by Kyle Stefanski.[58]
In the Paramount+ 2022 TV Series The Offer Gallo is portrayed by Joseph Russo.
See also
- List of unsolved murders
References
- ^ Spencer, Samuel (November 29, 2019). "'The Irishman' on Netflix: The True Story Behind the Crazy Joe Gallo Murder". Newsweek. New York City. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-60286-124-4.
Joe Gallo.
- ^ Organized Crime and Illicit Traffic in Narcotics: Hearings ... Eighty-eighth Congress, First Session Pursuant to Senate Resolution 17, 88th Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1964.
- ^ Pace, Eric (August 17, 1972). "Albert Gallo, the 'Kid Brother,' Picks up Mantle for 'Honor' of Mafia Family". The New York Times.
- ISBN 9781602861039.
- ISBN 9780806541099.
- ^ Maeder, Jay (April 11, 1999). "Crazy Joey Gallo Dead Man Walking". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 0-312-36181-5.
- ^ a b c d e Pace, Eric (April 8, 1972). "Joe Gallo is Shot to Death in a Little Italy Restaurant". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ Hutchinson, Bill (August 9, 1975). "Crazy Joe: What Would You be Saying to Him if You Married Him Twice?". The Evening Independent. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- ^ Goddard, Donald (March 18, 1974). "An Incredible Evening with Joey Gallo". New York. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- ^ a b Christeson, Wayne (May 3, 2007). "Married to the Mob". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- ^ "Anastasia Slain in a Hotel Here. Led Murder, Inc". The New York Times. October 26, 1957.
- ^ a b c Cook, Fred J. (October 23, 1966). "Robin Hoods or Real Tough Boys:Larry Gallo, Crazy Joe, and Kid Blast" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Cage, Nicholas (July 17, 1972) "Part II The Mafia at War" New York pp.27-36
- ISBN 0-8160-5694-3.
- ^ Capeci (2001), p.303
- ^ a b c d Raab (2006), pp.321-324
- ^ "2 More are Sought in Mafia Crackdown" (PDF). The New York Times. August 21, 1965. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ Roth, Jack (December 22, 1961). "Gallo Sentenced to 7 to 14 Years" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
- ^ Bonfante, Jordan (February 9, 1962). "Alright Already, the Mob Is Heroes". Life. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- ^ "'Tough' Reputation Violated ... Underworld Gang Saves Six Children from Fire". Rome News-Tribune. February 1, 1962. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- ^ "DEA History 1975–1980". 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
- ^ "Crazy Joe and Mr. Untouchable – the Unlikely Gangster Alliance". The New Criminologist. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- ^ "Suit by Gallo Charges "Unusual Punishment"" (PDF). The New York Times. August 29, 1964. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- ISBN 1-56025-045-3.
- ^ "Larry Gallo Dies in Sleep at 41" (PDF). The New York Times. May 19, 1968. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
- ^ "Profaci Dies of Cancer; Led Feuding Brooklyn Mob" (PDF). The New York Times. June 8, 1962. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
- ^ Capeci (2001) p.305
- ^ a b Gage, Nicholas (April 8, 1972). "Grudges with Gallo Date to War with Profaci" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ Bruno, Anthony. "The Colombo Family: Trouble and More Trouble". TruTV Crime Library. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Gage, Nicholas (July 7, 1975). "Key Mafia Figure Tells of 'Wars' And Gallo‐Colornbo Peace Talks". The New York Times.
- ^ Fosburgh, Lacy (June 12, 1973). "Mafia Informer Says Aloi Ordered Gallo Killing" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
- ^ Gage, Nicholas (July 5, 1971). "Colombo's Refusal to Buy Off Gallo for $100,000 Cited" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
- ^ "Joseph A. Colombo, Sr,. Paralyzed in Shooting at 1971 Rally, Dies". New York Times. May 24, 1978.
- ^ Farrell, William E. (June 29, 1971). "Colombo Shot, Gunman Slain, at Columbus Circle Rally Site" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-495-59966-1.
Joseph Colombo.
- ^ a b c Gage, Nicholas (May 3, 1972). "Story of Joe Gallo's Murder: 5 in Colombo Gang Implicated". The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
- ^ Hamil, Pete (January 2, 2005). "Bright Lives, Big City". The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
- ^ Paul, Don (June 28, 2017). "From Thugs to Thunderstorms: the Don Paul story". The Buffalo News. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ^ OCLC 54897800.
- ^ a b The Irishman's Joe Gallo Was One of New York's Most Famous Reputed Mobsters, Esquire
- ^ "Interview: Charles Brandt, author 'I Heard You Paint Houses'". amp-clickondetroit-com.cdn.ampproject.org. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ISBN 1592573053
- New York Review of Books. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ Tonelli, Bill (August 7, 2019). "The Lies of "The Irishman"". Slate. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ^ Ex-Mob Boss Rates 13 Mafia Movie Scenes | How Real Is It?, retrieved October 15, 2021
- ^ "Blood in the Streets: Subculture of Violence". Time. February 28, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
- ^ "Tozzi Knew All Three of the Gallo Brothers". LocalNewsOnly.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ Capeci (2001), p.306
- ^ Bird, David (August 10, 1977). "Excavation Studied in Building Collapse". The New York Times.
- ISBN 9781496705488.
- ISBN 9781496705488.
- ^ "Site of Joe Gallo's 1950s Headquarters".
- ^ Raab, Selwyn (March 8, 2019). "Carmine Persico, Colombo Crime Family Boss, Is Dead at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-57859-256-2.
- ^ "Mob Town". December 13, 2019. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019 – via www.imdb.com.
Further reading
- Albanese, S. Jay, Contemporary Issues in Organized Crime, Criminal Justice Press 1995 ISBN 1-881798-04-6
External links
- Joey Gallo's Murder
- New York City Gangland by Arthur Nash, Chapter 6: "The Godfather Game: Gangland Jumps the Shark"
- Gallo article at americanmafia.com
- Joe Gallo Mafia Archives at thechicagosyndicate.com
- Death of Gallo at crimelibrary.com
- Former Umberto's Clam House at Google Maps
- Green-Wood Cemetery Burial Search
- Joey Gallo at Findagrave