Vincent Gigante
Vincent Gigante | |
---|---|
Born | Vincent Louis Gigante March 29, 1928 New York City, U.S. |
Died | December 19, 2005 Springfield, Missouri, U.S. | (aged 77)
Other names | "The Chin", "The Oddfather", "The Enigma in the Bathrobe", "The Robe", "The Real Boss of New York" and Vinny Gigante |
Occupation | Crime boss |
Predecessor | Philip Lombardo |
Successor | Liborio Bellomo |
Spouse |
Olympia Grippa (m. 1950) |
Children | 8 |
Parent(s) | Salvatore Gigante Yolonda Gigante |
Relatives | Mario, Louis, Pasquale and Ralph Gigante (brothers) |
Allegiance | Genovese crime family |
Conviction(s) |
|
Criminal penalty |
|
Partner(s) | Olympia Esposito |
Boxing career | |
Nationality | American |
Other names | "The Chin" Gigante |
Statistics | |
Weight(s) | Light heavyweight |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 25 |
Wins | 21 |
Wins by KO | 1 |
Losses | 4 |
Vincent Louis Gigante (
Gigante quickly rose to power during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1981 he became the family's boss, while Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno served as front boss during the first half of the 1980s. He also ordered the failed murder attempt of Gambino crime family boss John Gotti in 1986. With the arrest and conviction of Gotti and various Gambino family members in 1992, Gigante was recognized as the most powerful crime boss in the United States. For about 30 years, Gigante feigned insanity in an effort to throw law enforcement off his trail.
Dubbed "The Oddfather" and "The Enigma in the Bathrobe" by the media, Gigante often wandered the streets of Greenwich Village in his bathrobe and slippers, mumbling incoherently to himself. He was indicted on federal racketeering charges in 1990, but was determined to be mentally unfit to stand trial. In 1997, he was tried and convicted of
Early life and boxing career
Gigante was born in New York City to Italian immigrants from
Gigante was a professional light heavyweight boxer between 1944 and 1947, who was known as "The Chin" Gigante. He fought 25 matches and lost four, boxing 117 rounds. His first professional boxing match was against Vic Chambers on July 18, 1944, in Union City, New Jersey, which he lost. He then fought Chambers a second time at the St. Nicholas Arena on October 6, 1944, and defeated him. He defeated him again on June 29, 1945, at Madison Square Garden. His last match was against Jimmy Slade on May 17, 1947, at Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, which he lost by technical knockout.[4]
Gigante lived in Old Tappan, New Jersey, with his wife Olympia Grippa, whom he married in 1950, and their five children, Andrew, Salvatore, Yolanda, Roseanne, and Rita.[1][5] He had a second family at a townhouse in the Upper East Side, Manhattan with his longtime mistress and common-law wife, Olympia Esposito and their three children, Vincent, Lucia and Carmella.[1][6] He often stayed at his mother's apartment in Greenwich Village.[1]
Criminal career
Costello murder attempt and caporegime
As a teenager, Gigante became the protégé of future Genovese crime family patriarch
In the 1960s, Gigante took to walking around his neighborhood in a bathrobe, pajamas, and slippers while mumbling to himself, which law enforcement agents, prosecutors, and Mafia defectors would later describe as a staged performance intended to allow Gigante to avoid prosecution for his criminal activities.[7] This would come to be known as "The Bathrobe Defense", in which those accused of criminal wrongdoing would feign mental incompetence to avoid the legal consequence of such behavior.[8]
In early 1957, Genovese decided to move on Luciano family boss Frank Costello. Genovese ordered Gigante to murder Costello, and on May 2, 1957, Gigante shot and wounded Costello outside his apartment building.[9] Although the wound was superficial, it persuaded Costello to relinquish power to Genovese and retire. Genovese then controlled what is now called the Genovese crime family. A doorman identified Gigante as the gunman. In 1958, Costello testified that he was unable to recognize his assailant. Gigante was acquitted on charges of attempted murder.[1]
In 1959, Gigante was convicted, with Vito Genovese, of heroin
In 1969, Gigante was indicted in New Jersey for conspiracy to bribe the entire five-member Old Tappan, New Jersey police force to alert him to surveillance operations by law enforcement agencies. The charge was dropped after Gigante's lawyers presented reports from psychiatrists that he was mentally unfit to stand trial.[1]
Since 1969, Gigante had been treated 20 times for psychiatric disorders. Gigante's "primary treating psychiatrist", Eugene D'Adamo, noted:
"Vincent Gigante has been diagnosed since 1969 as suffering from schizophrenia, paranoid type with [periodic] acute exacerbations which result in hospitalization."
— Eugene D'Adamo[10]
Gigante's lawyers and relatives said that Gigante had been mentally disabled since the late 1960s, with a below-normal IQ of 69 to 72.[1]
Genovese crime boss
In 1981, Genovese's successor, Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo, stepped down as boss due to poor health.[1] With Lombardo's support, Gigante became boss of the Genovese family.[1] Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno was made front boss of the Genovese family in order to fool law enforcement.[11]
Gigante built a vast network of bookmaking and loansharking rings and from extortions of garbage, shipping, trucking and construction companies seeking labor peace or contracts from carpenters',
On April 13, 1986, Gambino crime family underboss Frank DeCicco was killed when his car was bombed following a visit to Paul Castellano loyalist James Failla. The bombing was carried out by Victor Amuso and Anthony Casso of the Lucchese crime family, under orders of Gigante and Lucchese boss Anthony Corallo, to avenge Castellano and Thomas Bilotti by killing their successors. John Gotti planned to visit Failla that day, but canceled, and the bomb was detonated after a soldier who rode with DeCicco was mistaken for the boss.[12]
In January 1987, Salerno was sentenced to 100 years in prison for racketeering, along with top members of the other New York families, as part of the Mafia Commission Trial.[13] Salerno had initially been billed as the boss of the Genovese family. However, shortly after the trial, Salerno's longtime right-hand man, Vincent "The Fish" Cafaro, turned informant and told the FBI that Salerno had been a front for the real boss, Gigante. Cafaro revealed that the Genovese family had been keeping up this ruse since 1969.[14][15] FBI bugs had captured a conversation in which Salerno and capo Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello were reviewing a list of prospective candidates to become made members in another family. Frustrated that the nicknames of the potential inductees had not been included, Salerno shrugged and said, "I'll leave this up to the boss."[16]
Gigante was reclusive, and almost impossible to capture on
During Gigante's tenure as boss of the Genovese family, after the imprisonment of
Trials and conviction
From 1978 to 1990, four of the five crime families of New York, including the Genovese family, rigged bids for 75 percent of $191 million, or about $142 million, of the window contracts awarded by the New York City Housing Authority. Installation companies were required to make union payoffs between $1 and $2 for each window installed.[20][21]
In 1988, Gigante had open-heart surgery.[1] On May 30, 1990, Gigante was indicted along with other members of four of the New York crime families for conspiring to rig bids and extort payoffs from contractors on multimillion-dollar contracts with the New York City Housing Authority to install windows.[22] Gigante attended his arraignment in pajamas and bathrobe. Due to his defense stating that he was mentally and physically impaired, legal battles ensued for seven years over his competence to stand trial.[1]
In June 1993, Gigante was under indictment again, charged with sanctioning the murders of six mobsters and conspiring to kill three others, including Gambino boss John Gotti.
In August 1996, senior judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Eugene Nickerson, ruled that Gigante was mentally competent to stand trial. He pleaded not guilty and had been free for years on $1 million bail.[1] Gigante had another cardiac operation in December 1996.[1] On June 25, 1997, Gigante's trial started. Gigante stood trial in a wheelchair.[25] On July 25, 1997, after almost three days of deliberations, the jury convicted Gigante of conspiring in plots to kill other mobsters and of running rackets as head of the Genovese family.[26] Prosecutors stated that the verdict finally established that Gigante was not mentally ill, as his lawyers and relatives had long maintained.[26]
On December 18, 1997, Gigante was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $1.25 million by judge Jack B. Weinstein, a lenient sentence due to Gigante's "age and frailty", who declared that Gigante had been "... finally brought to bay in his declining years after decades of vicious criminal tyranny".[27] While in prison, he maintained his role as boss of the Genovese family, while other mobsters were entrusted to run the day-to-day activities of the family. Gigante relayed orders to the crime family through his son, Andrew, who visited him in prison.[28][29][1]
On January 23, 2002, Gigante was indicted with several other mobsters, including his son Andrew, on racketeering and obstruction of justice charges. Prosecutors accused him of continuing to rule his family from prison, and that he used Andrew to funnel messages to the family. They also wanted him held responsible for causing a seven-year delay in his previous trial by feigning insanity.[30][31] Several days later, Andrew was released on $2.5 million bail.[32] Federal prosecutor Roslynn R. Mauskopf had planned to play tapes showing him "fully coherent, careful and intelligent," running crime operations from prison. Faced with this evidence, Gigante pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice on April 7, 2003, just hours before the trial was to start.[33][34] Judge I. Leo Glasser sentenced him to an additional three years in prison.[1][35] Mauskopf stated, "The jig is up ... Vincent Gigante was a cunning faker, and those of us in law enforcement always knew that this was an act ... The act ran for decades, but today it's over."[33]
On July 25, 2003, Gigante's son Andrew was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $2.5 million for racketeering and extortion.[36] The New York Times organized-crime reporter and mob historian Selwyn Raab described Gigante's plea deal as an "unprecedented capitulation" for a Mafia boss. It was almost unheard of for a boss to even consider pleading guilty. Gigante agreed to the deal to ease the burden on his relatives. For instance, Andrew faced up to 20 years in prison had he gone to trial. Another provision of the plea agreement stipulated that any relatives who helped in his deception, including his wife, mistress and Father Louis, would not be charged with obstruction of justice.[35]
Death
Gigante died on December 19, 2005, at the
Since Gigante's death, his family has continued to live well. According to a 2011 report by Jerry Capeci, Gigante's relatives earn nearly $2 million a year as employees of companies on the New Jersey waterfront.[37]
In popular culture
Films and television
- He is portrayed by Nicholas Kepros in the 1998 TV film Witness to the Mob.
- The Law & Order episode "Faccia e Faccia", first aired February 28, 1998, featured an aging mafia don claiming mental impairment, inspired by Gigante.
- In the 2018 film Gotti, Gigante is portrayed by Sal Rendino.
- Gigante is portrayed in the 2019 film Mob Town by Nick Cordero. This would be Nick Cordero's final movie role before his death on July 5, 2020.
- He is portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio in the 2019 TV series Godfather of Harlem.
- Gigante is portrayed by Tony Amendola in the 2022 TV miniseries Black Bird.
Documentaries
- The story of the FBI investigation into Gigante was depicted in season 1, episode 2 of The FBI Files documentary show, titled "The Crazy Don" (which first aired on December 8, 1998).
- National Geographic aired a six-part documentary series, Inside the American Mob, where Gigante features prominently in episode 5, "The Rise and Fall of Gotti", while actions attributed to him are discussed in episode 3, "New York–Philly War".
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Vincent Gigante, Mob Boss Who Feigned Incompetence to Avoid Jail, Dies at 77 Archived December 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, by Selwyn Raab, The New York Times, December 19, 2005
- ^ Village Voice Archived October 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine January 23, 2007.
- ^ "Why Vincent Gigante Is Known as the Chin". The New York Times. June 1, 1990. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016.
- ^ "Vince Gigante". BoxRec. Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ "Vincent Gigante". The Independent. December 21, 2005. Archived from the original on April 16, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ Bekiempis, Victoria; McShane, Larry (January 10, 2018). "'Chin' Gigante's son among five mobsters cuffed in union extortion racket". nydailynews.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ Raab, Selwyn (December 20, 2005). "Vincent Gigante, Mob Boss Who Feigned Incompetence to Avoid Jail, Dies at 77". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ Ediorial Board (February 8, 2024). "Biden's Doddering Document Defense: Special counsel Robert Hur says a jury might not convict the elderly, forgetful President". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Costello is Shot Entering Home; Gunman Escapes Wound" (PDF). The New York Times. May 3, 1957. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ^ "Family Asks Judge to Find Mafia Boss Mentally Ill – NYTimes.com". The New York Times. May 25, 2015. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015.
- ^ Raab 2005, pp. 556
- ^ Raab 2005, pp. 473–476
- ^ Lubasch, Arnold H. (January 14, 1987). "Judge Sentences 8 Mafia Leaders to Prison Terms". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
- ^ Raab 2005, pp. 556–557
- ^ "MAJOR MAFIA LEADER TURNS INFORMER, SECRETLY RECORDING MEETINGS OF MOB" Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine By ARNOLD H. LUBASCH The New York Times, March 21, 1987
- ^ Raab 2005, pp. 555
- ^ a b c Rashbaum, William K. (December 24, 2005). "Gigante, Mafia Boss, Is Mourned and Buried With Little Fanfare". The New York Times. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- ^ Raab 2005
- ^ Raab, Selwyn (September 3, 1995). "With Gotti Away, the Genoveses Succeed the Leaderless Gambinos". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ Lubasch, Arnold H. (October 19, 1991). "Windows Jury Finds 3 Guilty And Acquits 5". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- ^ "2 Men Sentenced In 'Windows Trial'". The New York Times. March 28, 1993. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- ^ Suspected New York Mob Leaders Are Indicted in Contract Rigging Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (May 31, 1990) The New York Times
- ^ "Mob Inquiry Focuses on Reputed Boss Who Eludes Trial – NYTimes.com". The New York Times. May 26, 2015. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015.
- ^ Raab, Selwyn (November 12, 1991). "U.S. Says Top Gotti Aide Will Testify Against Boss". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
- ^ Fried, Joseph P. (July 26, 1997). "Jurors Find Gigante Guilty Of Racketeering, Not Murder". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ a b "Jurors Find Gigante Guilty Of Racketeering, Not Murder – NYTimes.com". The New York Times. May 27, 2015. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015.
- ^ "Gigante Sentenced to 12 Years And Is Fined $1.25 Million – NYTimes.com". The New York Times. January 27, 2011. Archived from the original on January 27, 2011.
- ^ Claffey, Mike (January 28, 2002). "SNITCH STOLE 3 YEARS OF MOB SECRETS". Daily News. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
- ^ Smith, Greg B. (August 12, 2001). "GENOVESE FAMILY KEEPS ITS CHIN UP Gigante becomes top don as Gotti fades". Daily News. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
- ^ "Gigante Is Sane And Runs Mob, U.S. Charges – NYTimes.com". The New York Times. November 9, 2012. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012.
- ^ Raab 2005, pp. 597–599
- ^ Saulny, Susan (January 27, 2002). "Gigante's Son Released on Bail". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Newman, Andy (April 7, 2003). "Gigante Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Justice". The New York Times.
- ^ Mob boss admits insanity an act, pleads guilty Archived June 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, April 8, 2003
- ^ a b Raab 2005, pp. 598
- ^ Smith, Kati Cornell (July 26, 2003). "MOB SON FOLLOWS 'CHIN' TO PRISON". Archived from the original on February 6, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ "Jerry Capeci: Gigante Family Earns Nearly $2 Million a Year on the Waterfront". Huffingtonpost.com. January 16, 2011. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
- Raab, Selwyn (2005). Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin Press. ISBN 0-312-30094-8.
Further reading
- Capeci, Jerry (2002). The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books. LCCN 2001097247.
- Jacobs, James B., Coleen Friel and Robert Radick. Gotham Unbound: How New York City Was Liberated from the Grip of Organized Crime. New York: NYU Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8147-4247-5
- Maas, Peter (1997). Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. LCCN 97-157286.
External links
- Vincent Gigante Mafia Archive
- Boxing record for Vincent Gigante from BoxRec (registration required)
- nytimes.com
- ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com