Joseph Zerilli
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Joseph Zerilli | |
---|---|
Born | Giuseppe Zerilli December 10, 1897 |
Died | October 30, 1977 Grosse Pointe, Michigan, U.S. | (aged 79)
Resting place | Mount Olivet Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan |
Occupation | Crime boss |
Children | Anthony Joseph Zerilli |
Allegiance | Detroit Partnership |
Joseph Zerilli (born Giuseppe Zerilli; Italian pronunciation: [dʒuˈzɛppe ddzeˈrilli]; December 10, 1897 – October 30, 1977) was an Italian-born American gangster who rose to power in the crime family known as the Detroit Partnership, leading from the 1930s through much of the 1970s. He immigrated to the United States from Sicily in 1914 at the age of 17.
Early life
Zerilli was born on December 10, 1897, in Terrasini, Sicily, to Anthony and Rosalie Zerilli. He immigrated in 1914 at age 17 to the United States, settling in Detroit along with numerous other Italian immigrants, especially many from Sicily.
While working as a laborer with the Detroit Gas Company, Zerilli joined the
Zerilli began working with mobster
Rise to power
In 1930, following the murder of Milazzo by New York mobsters, the Purple Gang became involved in syndicate gambling operations. The gang suffered much internal dissension and violence. By 1936, Zerilli assumed operational control of Detroit's criminal operations, which were dominated by Italian immigrants from Sicily. They formed what became known as the Detroit Partnership. In the early years, William Tocco was the official boss, and Zerilli succeeded him in 1964.
In 1931,
After a 1956 Commission meeting, the crime families of
Zerilli was later convicted of carrying a concealed weapon.[3]
Later life
After more than 40 years, Zerilli retired from racketeering in 1970. His son,
In 1970 Tony Zerilli became boss of the Partnership. But after he was convicted and imprisoned for conspiring to conceal interests in a
On October 30, 1977, Joseph Zerilli died of natural causes. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit.[4] His nephew Jack Tocco was named to head the Partnership. After Tony Zerilli got out of prison, he became an underboss reporting to Tocco.
In April 2000, Joseph Zerilli's grandson, Nove Tocco, a Detroit syndicate soldier, agreed to testify against his cousin Jack Tocco, still boss of the Detroit crime syndicate. Nove Tocco was the first member of the Detroit crime family to turn state's evidence since the family's founding in 1921.[5]
References
- ^ a b c Capeci, Jerry. The complete idiot's guide to the Mafia "The Mafia's Commission" (pp. 31–46)
- ^ "The Commission's Origins", The New York Times, 29 November 1986
- ISBN 0-8160-1856-1.
- ^ Times, Jo Thomas; Special to The New York (November 4, 1977). "Simple Funeral Marks End of Detroit Crime Boss". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Organized Crime In Detroit: Forgotten But Not Gone". CBSLocal. June 24, 2011.