Joe Profaci
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe "Joe" Profaci was a New York
La Cosa Nostra
boss who was the founder of what is today known as the Colombo crime family
. Established in 1928, this was the last of the Five Families
to be organized. He was the family's boss for over three decades.
mobsters William Tocco
and Joseph Zerilli
.
Profaci's brother was Salvatore Profaci, who served as his consigliere for years. One of Profaci's brothers-in-law was Joseph Magliocco
, who served as Profaci's underboss. Profaci's niece Rosalie Profaci was married to Salvatore Bonanno
, the son of Bonanno crime family
boss Joseph Bonanno
. Profaci was the uncle of Salvatore Profaci Jr., also a member of the Profaci crime family.
Rosalie Profaci offered the following description of her uncle:
in the province of Palermo
, Sicily
. In 1916, Profaci was arrested in Sicily for attempted rape and theft, but was eventually released. In 1920, Profaci spent one year in prison in Palermo on theft charges.
Released from prison in 1921, Profaci emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City on September 21st. 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 export business. On September 27, 1927, Profaci became a United States citizen. At some point after his move to Brooklyn, Profaci became involved with the Sicilian gangs there.
that would make him an organized crime boss in Brooklyn. In October 1928, Brooklyn boss Salvatore D'Aquila
had been murdered during the Castellammarese War
then raging among the New York gangs. An important part of the Cleveland meeting, attended by mobsters from Tampa, Florida
, Chicago, and Brooklyn, was to appoint Profaci as Aquila's replacement so as to maintain calm among the Brooklyn gangs.
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 the Villabate Mafia. Profaci also may have also benefited from contacts made through his olive oil business. 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, loansharking, and narcotics trafficking in Brooklyn. In 1931, the Castellammarese War
broke out in New York City. Some sources say that Profaci remained neutral, while others say that Profaci was firmly aligned with Castellammaresee boss Salvatore Maranzano
. When the war finally ended in 1931, top mobster Charles "Lucky" Luciano
reorganized the New York gangs into five organized crime families. At this point, the Profaci crime family was born, with Profaci as boss, Magliocco as underboss
, and Salvatore Profaci as consigliere
.
When Luciano created the National Crime Syndicate
, also known as the Mafia Commission
, he gave Profaci a seat on the governing board. Profaci's closest ally on the board was Bonanno, who would cooperate with Profaci over the next 30 years. Profaci was also allied with Stefano Magaddino
, the boss of the Buffalo crime family
.
s and extortion
. However, to protect himself from federal tax evasion
charges, Profaci still maintained his original olive oil business, known as Mama Mia Importing Company, leading to his nickname as "Olive Oil King". 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.
Profaci owned a large house in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
, a home in Miami Beach, Florida
, and an 328 acres (1.33 km²) estate on Long Island
that 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
.
Profaci was a devout Catholic who made generous cash donations to Catholic charities. A member of the Knights of Colombus, Profaci would invite priests to his estate to celebrate Mass
. In May 1952, a thief stole valuable jeweled crowns from the Regina Pacis Votive shrine in Brooklyn. Profaci sent his men to recover the crowns and reportedly kill the thief. However, accounts of the thief being strangled with a rosary
are unfounded.
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.
sued Profaci for over $1.5 million in unpaid income taxes. The taxes were still unpaid when Profaci died nine years later.
In 1954, the US Department of Justice moved to revoke Profaci's citizenship. The government claimed that when Profaci entered the United States in 1921, he lied to immigration officials about having no arrest record in Italy. In 1960, a U.S. Court of Appeals
reversed Profaci's deportation
order, ending the legal action.
In 1956, law enforcement recorded a phone conversation between Profaci and Antonio Cottone
, a Sicilian mafioso, about exporting Sicilian oranges to the United States. In 1959, US Customs agents intercepted one of those orange crates in New York. The crate contained 90 wax oranges containing a total 110 pounds (49.9 kg) of pure heroin. Smugglers in Sicily had filled the hollow oranges with heroin until they weighed as much as real oranges, then packed them in the crate. Profaci was never prosecuted for this crime.
In 1957, Profaci attended the Apalachin Conference, a national mob meeting, at the farm of mobster Joseph Barbara
in Apalachin, New York
. While the conference was in progress, New York State Troopers surrounded the farm and raided it. Profaci was one of 61 mobsters arrested that day. On January 13, 1960, Profaci and 21 others were convicted of conspiracy and he was sentenced to five years in prison. However, on November 28, 1960, a United States Court of Appeals
overturned the verdicts.
At the end of the 1950's, Profaci received the first challenge of his authority. It came from capo Joe Gallo
and his brothers Larry and Albert, perhaps with encouragement from Gambino crime family
boss Carlo Gambino
, Profaci's main rival on the Mafia Commission
. In 1959, Profaci bookmaker Frank Abbatemarco stopped paying tribute to Profaci and owed him $50,000. Profaci allegedly promised Joseph Gallo, who worked with Abbatemarco, his lucrative rackets if Gallo killed him. After the murder Profaci split the bookmaking business, but left nothing for Gallo and his crew.
Infuriated by Profaci's duplicity, the Gallos struck back. In February 1961, the Gallos and their ally Carmine Persico
kidnapped Magliocco, Frank Persico, and capo Joseph Colombo
. Profaci himself barely escaped capture, being forced to flee his New York mansion in his pajamas. Profaci then flew to Florida and took refuge in a hospital there. For the next few weeks, the two sides negotiated a hostage release. In return for financial concessions from Profaci, the Gallos finally released the four hostages. However, while negotiating with the Gallos, Profaci made a secret deal with Persico to switch sides. In August 1961, Persico lured Larry Gallo to a bar in Brooklyn, where he and his men attempted to strangle him to death. However, Gallo averted death when a passing policeman interrupted the hit. The war with the Gallo brothers would continue.
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.
. He is buried at Saint John Cemetery
in the Middle Village section of Queens.
After Profaci's death, Magliocco succeeded him as head of the family. In late 1963, the Mafia Commission forced Magliocco out of office and installed Joseph Colombo
as family boss. At this point, the Profaci crime family became the Colombo crime family.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
La Cosa Nostra
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
boss who was the founder of what is today known as the Colombo crime family
Colombo crime family
The Colombo crime family is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
. Established in 1928, this was the last of the Five Families
Five Families
The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
to be organized. He was the family's boss for over three decades.
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. Two of Profaci's daughters married the sons of Detroit PartnershipDetroit Partnership
The Detroit Partnership, also known as the Detroit crime family, Detroit Combination, Detroit Mafia, Detroit Outfit or Zerilli crime family is an American Mafia crime family based in Detroit, Michigan...
mobsters William Tocco
William Tocco
William "Black Bill" Tocco was an Italian-American mobster from Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan and a founding member of the Detroit Partnership of La Cosa Nostra.-Early years:...
and Joseph Zerilli
Joseph Zerilli
Joseph Zerilli was a Prohibition-era Detroit gangster who led the crime family known as the Detroit Partnership from the 1930s through the 1970s.-Early life:...
.
Profaci's brother was Salvatore Profaci, who served as his consigliere for years. One of Profaci's brothers-in-law was Joseph Magliocco
Joseph Magliocco
Joseph Magliocco, also known as "Joe Malayak" was a New York mobster and the boss of the Profaci crime family from 1962 to 1963...
, who served as Profaci's underboss. Profaci's niece Rosalie Profaci was married to Salvatore Bonanno
Salvatore Bonanno
Salvatore Vincent "Bill" Bonanno was the son of Cosa Nostra boss Joseph Bonanno. Although his father never intended for him to be the underboss of the Bonanno crime family, his appointment to high positions in the syndicate precipitated a "mob war" which led to the Bonanno family's exile to Arizona...
, the son of Bonanno crime family
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
boss Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Bonanno
Joseph Charles Bonanno, Sr. was a Sicilian-born American mafioso who became the boss of the Bonanno crime family. He was nicknamed "Joe Bananas," a name he despised.-Early life:...
. Profaci was the uncle of Salvatore Profaci Jr., also a member of the Profaci crime family.
Rosalie Profaci offered the following description of her uncle:
"He was a flamboyant man who smoked big cigars, drove big black CadillacCadillacCadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
s, and did things like buy tickets to a BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play for us cousins. But he didn't buy two or three or even four seats, he bought a whole row."
Early life
Joseph Profaci was born in VillabateVillabate
Villabate is a comune in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 8 km southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 19,441 and an area of 3.8 km²....
in the province of Palermo
Province of Palermo
The Province of Palermo is a province in the autonomous region of Sicily, a major island in Southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Palermo. The Province of Palermo has 82 comuni , 1,239,272 inhabitants, and is 4,992 km² .-External links:...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. In 1916, Profaci was arrested in Sicily for attempted rape and theft, but was eventually released. In 1920, Profaci spent one year in prison in Palermo on theft charges.
Released from prison in 1921, Profaci emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City on September 21st. Profaci settled in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, 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 export business. On September 27, 1927, Profaci became a United States citizen. At some point after his move to Brooklyn, Profaci became involved with the Sicilian gangs there.
Rise to family boss
On December 5, 1928, Profaci attended a mob meeting in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
that would make him an organized crime boss in Brooklyn. In October 1928, Brooklyn boss Salvatore D'Aquila
Salvatore D'Aquila
Salvatore "Toto" D'Aquila was a New York City mobster from the Mustache Pete-era and the first boss of the Gambino crime family....
had been murdered during the Castellammarese War
Castellammarese War
The Castellammarese War was a bloody power struggle for control of the Italian-American Mafia between partisans of Joe "The Boss" Masseria and those of Salvatore Maranzano. It was so called because Maranzano was based in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily...
then raging among the New York gangs. An important part of the Cleveland meeting, attended by mobsters from Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Chicago, and Brooklyn, was to appoint Profaci as Aquila's replacement so as to maintain calm among the Brooklyn gangs.
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 the Villabate Mafia. Profaci also may have also benefited from contacts made through his olive oil business. 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, loansharking, and narcotics trafficking in Brooklyn. In 1931, the Castellammarese War
Castellammarese War
The Castellammarese War was a bloody power struggle for control of the Italian-American Mafia between partisans of Joe "The Boss" Masseria and those of Salvatore Maranzano. It was so called because Maranzano was based in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily...
broke out in New York City. Some sources say that Profaci remained neutral, while others say that Profaci was firmly aligned with Castellammaresee boss Salvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Cosa Nostra boss in the United States. He instigated the Castellammarese War to seize control of the American Mafia operations, and briefly became the Mafia's "Boss of Bosses"...
. When the war finally ended in 1931, top mobster Charles "Lucky" Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
reorganized the New York gangs into five organized crime families. At this point, the Profaci crime family was born, with Profaci as boss, Magliocco as underboss
Underboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
, and Salvatore Profaci as consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
.
When Luciano created the National Crime Syndicate
National Crime Syndicate
The National Crime Syndicate was the name given by the press to a loosely-organized multi-ethnic organized crime syndicate. Its origins are uncertain....
, also known as the Mafia Commission
Mafia Commission
Mafia Commission may refer to:*Sicilian Mafia Commission*The Commission *Mafia Commission Trial...
, he gave Profaci a seat on the governing board. Profaci's closest ally on the board was Bonanno, who would cooperate with Profaci over the next 30 years. Profaci was also allied with Stefano Magaddino
Stefano Magaddino
Stefano Magaddino was an Sicilian mafioso who became the boss of the Buffalo crime family in western New York. His underworld influence stretched from Ohio and Southern Ontario as far north as Montreal, Quebec...
, the boss of the Buffalo crime family
Buffalo crime family
The Buffalo crime family, also known as the Magaddino crime family and The Arm, is an Italian American criminal organization based in Buffalo, United States. As part of the American Mafia the family operates throughout Western New York and Canada.The Buffalo crime family, gained power during the...
.
Business and faith
Profaci obtained most of his wealth through traditional illegal enterprises such as protection racketProtection racket
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a criminal group or individual coerces a victim to pay money, supposedly for protection services against violence or property damage. Racketeers coerce reticent potential victims into buying "protection" by demonstrating what will happen if they...
s and extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
. However, to protect himself from federal tax evasion
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
charges, Profaci still maintained his original olive oil business, known as Mama Mia Importing Company, leading to his nickname as "Olive Oil King". As the demand for olive oil skyrocketed after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, his business thrived. Profaci owned 20 other businesses that employed hundreds of workers in New York.
Profaci owned a large house in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
Bensonhurst is a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.-Geography:Sometimes erroneously thought to include all or parts of such neighborhoods as Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, and Borough Park, or to be defined by the streets where the concentration of...
, a home in Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, and an 328 acres (1.33 km²) estate on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
that previously belonged to President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. Profaci's estate had its own airstrip and a chapel with an altar that replicated one in St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Profaci was a devout Catholic who made generous cash donations to Catholic charities. A member of the Knights of Colombus, Profaci would invite priests to his estate to celebrate Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
. In May 1952, a thief stole valuable jeweled crowns from the Regina Pacis Votive shrine in Brooklyn. Profaci sent his men to recover the crowns and reportedly kill the thief. However, accounts of the thief being strangled with a rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
are unfounded.
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
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
denied the petition.
Legal problems
In 1953, the U.S. Internal Revenue ServiceInternal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
sued Profaci for over $1.5 million in unpaid income taxes. The taxes were still unpaid when Profaci died nine years later.
In 1954, the US Department of Justice moved to revoke Profaci's citizenship. The government claimed that when Profaci entered the United States in 1921, he lied to immigration officials about having no arrest record in Italy. In 1960, a U.S. Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals
A court of appeals is an appellate court generally.Court of Appeals may refer to:*Military Court of Appeals *Corte d'Assise d'Appello *Philippine Court of Appeals*High Court of Appeals of Turkey*United States courts of appeals...
reversed Profaci's deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
order, ending the legal action.
In 1956, law enforcement recorded a phone conversation between Profaci and Antonio Cottone
Antonio Cottone
Antonio Cottone was a member of the Mafia in his hometown Villabate in the province of Palermo, Sicily. He was known as U Patre Nostru due to his generosity. The Cottone clan was a historical Mafia family...
, a Sicilian mafioso, about exporting Sicilian oranges to the United States. In 1959, US Customs agents intercepted one of those orange crates in New York. The crate contained 90 wax oranges containing a total 110 pounds (49.9 kg) of pure heroin. Smugglers in Sicily had filled the hollow oranges with heroin until they weighed as much as real oranges, then packed them in the crate. Profaci was never prosecuted for this crime.
In 1957, Profaci attended the Apalachin Conference, a national mob meeting, at the farm of mobster Joseph Barbara
Joseph Barbara (mobster)
Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara was a New York state mobster who became the boss of the Bufalino crime family. Barbara is most notable for hosting the abortive Apalachin Conference in 1957...
in Apalachin, New York
Apalachin, New York
Apalachin is a census-designated place within the Town of Owego in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,126 in the 2000 census. It is named after the Apalachin Creek. Apalachin means From where the messenger returned in the Lenape.Apalachin is in the southeast part of the...
. While the conference was in progress, New York State Troopers surrounded the farm and raided it. Profaci was one of 61 mobsters arrested that day. On January 13, 1960, Profaci and 21 others were convicted of conspiracy and he was sentenced to five years in prison. However, on November 28, 1960, a United States Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals
A court of appeals is an appellate court generally.Court of Appeals may refer to:*Military Court of Appeals *Corte d'Assise d'Appello *Philippine Court of Appeals*High Court of Appeals of Turkey*United States courts of appeals...
overturned the verdicts.
First Colombo war
In contrast to Profaci's generosity to his relatives and the church, the Colombo family considered him miserly and mean-spirited. 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 didn't tolerate any dissent to his policies. People who expressed discontent were murdered.At the end of the 1950's, Profaci received the first challenge of his authority. It came from capo Joe Gallo
Joe Gallo
Joseph Gallo , also known as "Crazy Joey" and "Joe the Blond", was a celebrated New York City gangster for the Profaci crime family, later known as the Colombo crime family...
and his brothers Larry and Albert, perhaps with encouragement from Gambino crime family
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
boss Carlo Gambino
Carlo Gambino
"Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
, Profaci's main rival on the Mafia Commission
Mafia Commission
Mafia Commission may refer to:*Sicilian Mafia Commission*The Commission *Mafia Commission Trial...
. In 1959, Profaci bookmaker Frank Abbatemarco stopped paying tribute to Profaci and owed him $50,000. Profaci allegedly promised Joseph Gallo, who worked with Abbatemarco, his lucrative rackets if Gallo killed him. After the murder Profaci split the bookmaking business, but left nothing for Gallo and his crew.
Infuriated by Profaci's duplicity, the Gallos struck back. In February 1961, the Gallos and their ally Carmine Persico
Carmine Persico
Carmine John Persico, Jr. also known as "Junior", "The Snake" and "Immortal", has been the de-facto boss of the Colombo crime family since the early 1970s. Persico has overseen gang wars, murders, and major rackets, most of the time from prison. He has been serving life imprisonment without...
kidnapped Magliocco, Frank Persico, and capo Joseph Colombo
Joseph Colombo
Joseph "Joe" Colombo, Sr. was the boss of the Colombo crime family, one of the "Five Families" of the Cosa Nostra in New York.-Background:...
. Profaci himself barely escaped capture, being forced to flee his New York mansion in his pajamas. Profaci then flew to Florida and took refuge in a hospital there. For the next few weeks, the two sides negotiated a hostage release. In return for financial concessions from Profaci, the Gallos finally released the four hostages. However, while negotiating with the Gallos, Profaci made a secret deal with Persico to switch sides. In August 1961, Persico lured Larry Gallo to a bar in Brooklyn, where he and his men attempted to strangle him to death. However, Gallo averted death when a passing policeman interrupted the hit. The war with the Gallo brothers would continue.
Mob standoff
By 1962, Profaci's health was failing. In early 1962, Carlo GambinoCarlo Gambino
"Don" Carlo Gambino, was a Sicilian mafioso who became Boss of the Gambino crime family, that still bears his name today. After the 1957 Apalachin Convention he unexpectedly seized control of the Commission of the American Mafia. Gambino was known for being low-key and secretive...
and Lucchese crime family
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
boss Tommy Lucchese
Tommy Lucchese
Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese , also known as "Tom Brown" or "Three-Finger Brown", was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City...
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.
Death
On June 6, 1962, Profaci died in South Shore Hospital in Bayshore, New York of liver cancerHepatocellular carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer. Most cases of HCC are secondary to either a viral hepatitide infection or cirrhosis .Compared to other cancers, HCC is quite a rare tumor in the United States...
. He is buried at Saint John Cemetery
Saint John Cemetery
St. John Cemetery or St. John's Cemetery may refer to:* Sait Johns Cemetery * St. John's Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia* St. John's Cemetery, Queens, New York* St. John Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut...
in the Middle Village section of Queens.
After Profaci's death, Magliocco succeeded him as head of the family. In late 1963, the Mafia Commission forced Magliocco out of office and installed Joseph Colombo
Joseph Colombo
Joseph "Joe" Colombo, Sr. was the boss of the Colombo crime family, one of the "Five Families" of the Cosa Nostra in New York.-Background:...
as family boss. At this point, the Profaci crime family became the Colombo crime family.