Richard Boiardo

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Richard Boiardo
Born
Ruggiero Boiardo

(1890-12-08)December 8, 1890
Mobster
AllegianceGenovese crime family
Conviction(s)Conspiracy to violate gambling laws (1969)
Criminal penaltytwo-and-a-half to three years' imprisonment

Ruggiero Boiardo (December 8, 1890 – October 29, 1984), also known as "the Boot", was an Italian-American mobster and powerful Caporegime in the New Jersey faction of the Genovese crime family. He was named Capo after Willie Moretti was promoted to the position of underboss by Frank Costello. Richie the Boot would go on to rule the greater Newark and North Jersey gang territories for over three decades.

Early life

Boiardo was born on December 8, 1890, in Naples, and was raised in the town of Marigliano. He was placed in an orphanage as a child. He later claimed that he was the illegitimate son of an Italian nobleman who was a descendant of Matteo Maria Boiardo. Boiardo later became known as "The Boot", a nickname which he developed in his youth, had been said to have derived from the heavy footed way he disposed of his gangland foes.[1]

Criminal career

In the early 1930s, Boiardo was ambushed and seriously wounded with 12

Luciano crime family established by Lucky Luciano. In 1957, this family became the Genovese family under boss Vito Genovese. With Abe Zwillman's death in 1959, Boiardo became the undisputed mob boss of Newark, who also owned residences in Havana, Cuba
and Florida, where he had major gambling interests.

In April 1969, Richie Boiardo was convicted of conspiracy to violate gambling laws. Accordingly, he was sentenced to two-and-a-half to three years in State Prison and fined $1,000. He was incarcerated on November 18, 1970 at the New Jersey State Prison, Leesburg, New Jersey. The Boiardo family's association with Newark's Mayor Hugh Addonizio led to Addonizio's conviction, in 1969, on racketeering charges.[6] This eliminated Addonizio as a contender to become the next governor of the State of New Jersey. Addonizio was sentenced to ten years and served 5 years and 2 months in a federal prison. The same federal grand jury that returned an indictment against Addonizio, also indicted 14 others including Richie Boiardo's son Anthony Boiardo, also known as "Tony Boy" Boiardo. The younger Boiardo is believed to have been in control of the Newark underworld at the time. During the criminal proceedings Tony Boy suffered a heart attack. He was never found by the courts to be healthy enough to stand trial on his extortion and conspiracy charges.[7]

Death

Boiardo died of

Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, New Jersey.[8]

Boiardo's son, Anthony "Tony Boy" Boiardo (1918–1978), was also involved in organized crime. At the time of Anthony's death, he was awaiting trial on an indictment that had resulted in the conviction of Mayor of Newark,

Hugh Joseph Addonizio.[9]

Popular culture

  • David Chase, the creator of the HBO TV series The Sopranos, said the Soprano family was based on the Boiardo crime family, and their crews.[10] The character Ercole/Eckley “The Boot” DiMeo is mentioned in the original series and portrayed by Chase in The Many Saints of Newark.
  • Richard Linnett's biography of Boiardo, In The Godfather Garden: The Long Life and Times of Richie the Boot Boiardo (2013), is based on archival material, classified and unclassified FBI and police files, interviews with Boiardo's family and friends, and the personal recollections of the Boot's grandson Roger Hanos.[11]

References

  1. JSTOR j.ctt1b349dn
    .
  2. JSTOR j.ctt1b349dn.6
    .
  3. ^ Immerso, Michael & Baglivo, Angelo (Moderator) (September 15, 2008). "Crime Bosses of Newark: A Panel Discussion about "Richie the Boot" Boiardo and Longie Zwillman". The Newark History Society & The Newark Historical Society.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. JSTOR j.ctt1b349dn.7
    .
  5. JSTOR j.ctt1b349dn.8
    .
  6. JSTOR j.ctt1b349dn.7
    .
  7. JSTOR j.ctt1b349dn.7
    .
  8. ^ "Obituary". The Observer. October 29, 2003. p. 3.
  9. ^ Anthony Boiardo Is Dead at 60; Called Key Jersey Crime Figure. New York Times April 23, 1978 [1]
  10. ^ Malanga, Steven (April 8, 2007). "Brutal and Grisly Truth of Garden State's Real 'Sopranos'". New York Post. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
  11. ^ Linnett, Richard (March 2013). In The Godfather Garden: The Long Life and Times of Richie the Boot Boiardo. Rutgers University Press. Retrieved June 11, 2016.

Bibliography

Further reading
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Boiardo&oldid=1210825974"