Joe Profaci
Joe Profaci | |
---|---|
St. John's Cemetery, Queens | |
Nationality | Italian-American |
Other names | "Olive Oil King Joe" "Old Man Profaci" |
Occupation | Crime boss |
Successor | Joseph Magliocco |
Spouse |
Ninfa Magliocco (m. 1928) |
Children | 6 |
Relatives | Profaci crime family |
Giuseppe "Joe" Profaci (Italian: [dʒuˈzɛppe proˈfaːtʃi]; October 2, 1897 – June 6, 1962) was an Italian-American Cosa Nostra boss who was the founder of what became the Colombo crime family of New York City. Established in 1928, this was the last of the Five Families to be organized. He was the family's boss for over three decades.
Biography
Early life
Giuseppe Profaci was born in Villabate, in the Province of Palermo, Sicily, on October 2, 1897. In 1920, Profaci spent one year in prison in Palermo on theft charges.[1][2]
Family ties
Profaci's sons were Frank Profaci and John Profaci Sr. Frank eventually joined the Profaci crime family while John Sr. followed legitimate pursuits.[3] Two of Profaci's daughters married the sons of Detroit Partnership mobsters William Tocco and Joseph Zerilli.[4]
Profaci's brother was Salvatore Profaci, who served as his
Rosalie Profaci offered the following description of her uncle:
He was a flamboyant man who smoked big cigars, drove big black Cadillacs, and did things like buy tickets to a Broadway play for us cousins. But he didn't buy two or three or even four seats, he bought a whole row.[5]
Released from prison in 1921, Profaci emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City on September 4. Profaci settled in Chicago, where he opened a grocery store and bakery. However, the business was unsuccessful, and in 1925, Profaci relocated to New York, where he entered the olive oil import business.[1] On September 27, 1927, Profaci became a United States citizen.[2] At some point after his move to Brooklyn, Profaci became involved with local gangs.
Rise to family boss
On December 5, 1928, Profaci attended a mob meeting in
Given Profaci's lack of experience in organized crime, it is unclear why the New York gangs gave him power in Brooklyn. Some speculated that Profaci received this position due to his family's status in Sicily, where they may have belonged to the Villabate Mafia. Profaci may have also benefited from contacts made through his olive oil business.[1] Cleveland police eventually raided the meeting and expelled the mobsters from Cleveland, but Profaci's business was accomplished.
By 1930, Profaci was controlling numbers, prostitution,
When Luciano created the
Business and faith
Profaci obtained most of his wealth through traditional illegal enterprises such as protection rackets and extortion. However, to protect himself from federal tax evasion charges, Profaci still maintained his original olive oil business, known as Mamma Mia Importing Company, leading to his nickname as "Olive Oil King".[6] As the demand for olive oil skyrocketed after World War II, his business thrived. Profaci owned 20 other businesses that employed hundreds of workers in New York.[4]
Profaci owned a large house in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, a home in Miami Beach, Florida, and a 328-acre (1.33 km2) estate near Hightstown, New Jersey, which previously belonged to President Theodore Roosevelt. Profaci's estate had its own airstrip and a chapel with an altar that replicated one in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.[5]
Profaci was a devout Catholic who made generous cash donations to Catholic charities. A member of the
In 1949, the Vatican received a petition from a group of New York Catholics to confer a knighthood on Profaci. However, when the Brooklyn District Attorney complained about the move, the Vatican denied the petition.[8]
Legal problems
In 1953, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service sued Profaci for over $1.5 million in unpaid income taxes.[4] The taxes were still unpaid when Profaci died nine years later.[6]
In 1954, the
In 1956, law enforcement recorded a phone conversation between Profaci and
In 1957, Profaci attended the
First Colombo war
In contrast to Profaci's generosity to his relatives and the church, many of his men considered him miserly and mean with money. One reason for their rancor was that Profaci required each family member to pay him a $25 a month tithe, an old Sicilian gang custom. The money, which amounted to approximately $50,000 a month, was meant to support the families of mobsters in prison. However, most of this money stayed with Profaci. In addition, Profaci did not tolerate any dissent from his policies, and people who expressed discontent were murdered.[2]
On February 27, 1961, the Gallos, led by
Mob standoff
By 1962, Profaci's health was failing. In early 1962, Carlo Gambino and Lucchese crime family boss Tommy Lucchese tried to convince Profaci to resign to end the gang war. However, Profaci strongly suspected that the two bosses were secretly supporting the Gallo brothers and wanted to take control of his family. Profaci vehemently refused to resign; furthermore, he warned that any attempt to remove him would spark a wider gang war. Gambino and Lucchese did not pursue their efforts.[17]
Death
On June 6, 1962, Profaci died in South Side Hospital in
After Profaci's death, Magliocco succeeded him as head of the family.[17] In late 1963, the Mafia Commission forced Magliocco out of office and installed Joseph Colombo as family boss.[19] At this point, the Profaci crime family became the Colombo crime family.
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-99030-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4389-1388-9.
- ^ Goldstein, Joseph (December 12, 2010). "Godmother of real estate". New York Post. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-495-59966-1.
profaci taxes.
- ^ ISBN 0-86547-526-1.
- ^ a b c "Profaci Dies of Cancer; Led Feuding Brooklyn Mob" (PDF). New York Times. June 8, 1962. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
- ^ Dunleavy, Steven (July 12, 2004). "MAFIA BANNED MURDER - HALTED HITS UNDER HEAT". New York Post. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ISBN 0-8160-5694-3.
- ^ "United States of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Joe Profaci". VLEX. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ "Covert Money, Power & Policy: Assassination". Archived from the original on 2002-03-29. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- ^ Ranzal, Edward (November 29, 1960). "Civil Rights Cited: Judges Find Evidence Not Sufficient to Prove Crime" (PDF). New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
- ^ a b c d e 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
- ^ 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 Bruno, Anthony. "The Colombo Family: The Olive Oil King". TruTV Crime Library. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
- ^ Guart, Al (July 7, 2001). "RESTING PLACES OF THE DONS". New York Post. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ Bruno, Anthony. "TruTV Crime Library". The Colombo Family: Trouble and More Trouble. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-02-864225-2.