Joseph Colombo
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joe" Colombo, Sr. (December 14, 1914 – May 22, 1978) was the boss of the Colombo crime family
, one of the "Five Families
" of the Cosa Nostra
in New York.
family. His father, Anthony Colombo, was a Cosa Nostra soldier who in 1938 was found strangled in a car with his mistress. Joe Colombo attended New Utrecht High School
in Brooklyn
for two years, then dropped out to join the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1945, he was diagnosed with neurosis
and discharged from the service. His legitimate jobs included ten years as a longshoreman and six years as a salesman for a meat company. His final job was that of a real estate salesman.
Colombo owned a modest home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
and a five-acre estate in Blooming Grove, New York
. Joseph Colombo's five children include sons Christopher Colombo, Joseph Colombo Jr., and Anthony Colombo.
In 1961, Joe Gallo
and his crew kidnapped Colombo and other members of the Profaci leadership. Gallo was demanding a more equitable split of income from Profaci, who had incensed many family members with his opulent life style and high family taxes. After several weeks of negotiation, Profaci and the Gallo brothers reached a deal. Colombo and the other hostages were released. Later in 1961, Profaci reneged on the deal and the First Colombo War started.
On June 6, 1962, Profaci died and Magliocco succeeded him as boss. Magliocco was soon drawn into a plot with Bonanno crime family
boss Joseph Bonanno
, to murder Lucchese crime family
boss, Tommy Lucchese
, and Gambino crime family
boss, Carlo Gambino
. Magliocco wanted to retaliate against the two bosses for their support of the Gallos, and supported Bonanno's bid to take over Mafia Commission
. Magliocco gave the shooting job to Colombo, who promptly revealed the plot to Lucchese and Gambino. The Commission forced Magliocco to retire and designated Colombo as boss of what was now the Colombo crime family
.
On May 9, 1966, Colombo was sentenced to 30 days in jail for refusing to answer questions from a grand jury
about his financial affair. This would be Colombo's first and last jail sentence.
. On April 23, 1970, Joseph Colombo Jr. was arrested on extortion charges. In response, Joseph Colombo Sr. claimed FBI harassment and sent pickets to the east side offices of the agency. Colombo's actions generated a massive response from many Italian-Americans who felt demeaned by the federal government and the entertainment industry. Colombo then formed the League to serve as their action group. On June 29, 1970, 150,000 people showed up in Columbus Circle
in New York City
for an "Italian-American Unity Day" rally. The participants included five U.S. Congressmen and several prominent entertainers.
Under Colombo's guidance, the League grew quickly and achieved national attention. Unlike other mob leaders who shunned the spotlight, Colombo appeared on television interviews, fundraisers, and speaking engagements for the League. In 1971, Colombo aligned the League with Rabbi
and political activist Meir Kahane
's Jewish Defense League
(JDL), claiming that both groups were being harassed by the federal government. At one point, Colombo posted bail
for 11 jailed JDL members.
started filming "The Godfather
" with the assistance of Colombo and the League. Due to its subject matter, the film originally faced great opposition from Italian-Americans to filming in New York. However, after producer Albert Ruddy
met with Colombo and agreed to excise the terms "Mafia" and "Cosa Nostra" from the film, the League cooperated fully.
issued a new order to kill Gallo..
On March 11, 1971, after being convicted of perjury for lying on his application to become a real estate broker
, Colombo was sentenced to two and half years in state prison.
On June 28, 1971, Colombo was shot and seriously wounded at the second Italian Unity Day rally. As Colombo was approaching the podium to address the crowd. Jerome Johnson, an African American street hustler, approached Colombo. Wearing press credentials from the league and disguised as a photojournalist, Johnson fired three shots from an automatic pistol into Colombo's head. Colombo's son and several others wrestled Johnson to the ground. At that point, a second man stepped out of the crowd and shot Johnson dead. The second assailant then escaped without being identified. The crowd quickly dispersed, although some made a feeble attempt to continue the festival.
in Manhattan, Colombo was moved to his estate at Blooming Grove. In 1975, a court-ordered examination showed that Colombo could move his thumb and forefinger on his right hand. In 1976, there were reports that he could recognize people and utter several words. On May 22, 1978, Colombo died of cardiac arrest
at St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh, New York.
Colombo's funeral was held at St Bernadette's Catholic Church in Bensonhurst and he was was buried in Saint John Cemetery
in the Middle Village section of Queens.
After the Colombo shooting, Joseph Yacovelli became the acting boss. However, Yacovelli was just a front man for Carmine Persico
, who took control of the family. Colombo's shooting would start the Second Colombo war with the Gallo crew.
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 ....
, one 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:...
" of the 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"...
in New York.
Background
Joseph Colombo, Sr. was born into an Italian AmericanItalian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
family. His father, Anthony Colombo, was a Cosa Nostra soldier who in 1938 was found strangled in a car with his mistress. Joe Colombo attended New Utrecht High School
New Utrecht High School
New Utrecht High School is a coeducational public high school in Brooklyn, New York City, serving 3,114 pupils. It is part of New York City Region 7....
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
for two years, then dropped out to join the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1945, he was diagnosed with neurosis
Neurosis
Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving distress but neither delusions nor hallucinations, whereby behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms. It is also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, and thus those suffering from it are said to be neurotic...
and discharged from the service. His legitimate jobs included ten years as a longshoreman and six years as a salesman for a meat company. His final job was that of a real estate salesman.
Colombo owned a modest home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. It is bounded by Sunset Park on the north, Seventh Avenue and Dyker Heights on the east, The Narrows Strait, which partially houses the Belt Parkway, on the west and 86th Street and Fort Hamilton on...
and a five-acre estate in Blooming Grove, New York
Blooming Grove, New York
Blooming Grove is a town in Orange County, New York, USA. The population was 17,351 at the 2000 census.The Town of Blooming Grove is in the central part of the county, located southwest of Newburgh.- History :...
. Joseph Colombo's five children include sons Christopher Colombo, Joseph Colombo Jr., and Anthony Colombo.
First Colombo War
Colombo became a top enforcer in what was originally the Profaci crime family and soon became a capo.In 1961, 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 crew kidnapped Colombo and other members of the Profaci leadership. Gallo was demanding a more equitable split of income from Profaci, who had incensed many family members with his opulent life style and high family taxes. After several weeks of negotiation, Profaci and the Gallo brothers reached a deal. Colombo and the other hostages were released. Later in 1961, Profaci reneged on the deal and the First Colombo War started.
On June 6, 1962, Profaci died and Magliocco succeeded him as boss. Magliocco was soon drawn into a plot with 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:...
, to murder 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...
, and 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...
. Magliocco wanted to retaliate against the two bosses for their support of the Gallos, and supported Bonanno's bid to take over Mafia Commission
The Commission (mafia)
The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia. Formed in 1931, the Commission replaced the "Boss of all Bosses" title, with a ruling committee, consisting of the New York Five Families bosses and the boss of the Chicago Outfit...
. Magliocco gave the shooting job to Colombo, who promptly revealed the plot to Lucchese and Gambino. The Commission forced Magliocco to retire and designated Colombo as boss of what was now 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 ....
.
On May 9, 1966, Colombo was sentenced to 30 days in jail for refusing to answer questions from a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
about his financial affair. This would be Colombo's first and last jail sentence.
Italian-American Civil Rights League
In the spring of 1970, Colombo created the Italian-American Civil Rights LeagueItalian-American Civil Rights League
The Italian-American Civil Rights League was formed as a political group in and around New York City in the early 1970s. Its stated goal was to combat pejorative stereotypes about Italian-Americans....
. On April 23, 1970, Joseph Colombo Jr. was arrested on extortion charges. In response, Joseph Colombo Sr. claimed FBI harassment and sent pickets to the east side offices of the agency. Colombo's actions generated a massive response from many Italian-Americans who felt demeaned by the federal government and the entertainment industry. Colombo then formed the League to serve as their action group. On June 29, 1970, 150,000 people showed up in Columbus Circle
Columbus Circle
Columbus Circle, named for Christopher Columbus, is a major landmark and point of attraction in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South , and Central Park West, at the southwest corner of Central Park. It is the point from...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for an "Italian-American Unity Day" rally. The participants included five U.S. Congressmen and several prominent entertainers.
Under Colombo's guidance, the League grew quickly and achieved national attention. Unlike other mob leaders who shunned the spotlight, Colombo appeared on television interviews, fundraisers, and speaking engagements for the League. In 1971, Colombo aligned the League with Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and political activist Meir Kahane
Meir Kahane
Martin David Kahane , also known as Meir Kahane , was an American-Israeli rabbi and ultra-nationalist writer and political figure. He was an ordained Orthodox rabbi and later served as a member of the Israeli Knesset...
's Jewish Defense League
Jewish Defense League
The Jewish Defense League is a Jewish organization whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary"...
(JDL), claiming that both groups were being harassed by the federal government. At one point, Colombo posted bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
for 11 jailed JDL members.
Godfather movie
In the spring of 1971, Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
started filming "The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
" with the assistance of Colombo and the League. Due to its subject matter, the film originally faced great opposition from Italian-Americans to filming in New York. However, after producer Albert Ruddy
Albert Ruddy
Albert S. Ruddy is a Canadian-born producer. Ruddy was born March 28, 1930 in Montreal and raised in New York City with his mother. Ruddy attended Brooklyn Technical High School before earning a scholarship to allow him to study chemical engineering at City College of New York...
met with Colombo and agreed to excise the terms "Mafia" and "Cosa Nostra" from the film, the League cooperated fully.
Shooting
In early 1971, Joe Gallo was released from prison. As a supposedly conciliatory gesture, Colombo invited Gallo to a peace meeting with an offering of $1,000. Gallo refused the invitation, said he had never agreed to peace between the two factions, and said that he wanted $100,000 to stop the conflict. At that point, acting boss Vincenzo AloiVincenzo Aloi
Vincenzo "Vinny" Aloi is a New York City mobster involved in stock fraud who briefly served as the acting boss of the Colombo crime family.-Made man to acting boss:...
issued a new order to kill Gallo..
On March 11, 1971, after being convicted of perjury for lying on his application to become a real estate broker
Real estate broker
A real estate broker, real estate agent or realtor is a party who acts as an intermediary between sellers and buyers of real estate/real property and attempts to find sellers who wish to sell and buyers who wish to buy...
, Colombo was sentenced to two and half years in state prison.
On June 28, 1971, Colombo was shot and seriously wounded at the second Italian Unity Day rally. As Colombo was approaching the podium to address the crowd. Jerome Johnson, an African American street hustler, approached Colombo. Wearing press credentials from the league and disguised as a photojournalist, Johnson fired three shots from an automatic pistol into Colombo's head. Colombo's son and several others wrestled Johnson to the ground. At that point, a second man stepped out of the crowd and shot Johnson dead. The second assailant then escaped without being identified. The crowd quickly dispersed, although some made a feeble attempt to continue the festival.
Years as invalid and death
Colombo remained paralyzed for the next seven years. On August 28, 1971, after two months at Roosevelt HospitalSt. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, an academic affiliate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, is a 1,076-bed, full-service community and tertiary care hospital serving New York City’s Midtown West, Upper West Side and parts of Harlem....
in Manhattan, Colombo was moved to his estate at Blooming Grove. In 1975, a court-ordered examination showed that Colombo could move his thumb and forefinger on his right hand. In 1976, there were reports that he could recognize people and utter several words. On May 22, 1978, Colombo died of cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
at St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh, New York.
Colombo's funeral was held at St Bernadette's Catholic Church in Bensonhurst and he was was buried in 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.
Aftermath
The New York Police Department (NYPD) eventually concluded that Johnson was a lone gunman. Since Johnson had spent time a few days earlier at a Gambino club, one theory was that Carlo Gambino organized the shooting. Colombo refused to listen to Gambino's complaints about the League, and allegedly spit in Gambino's face during one argument. However, the Colombo family leadership was convinced that Joe Gallo was the prime suspect. Gallo had just recently indicated his willingness to continue the family feud. In addition, since Johnson was African-American, the family assumed that Gallo had recruited Johnson through his African-American friends from prison.After the Colombo shooting, Joseph Yacovelli became the acting boss. However, Yacovelli was just a front man for 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...
, who took control of the family. Colombo's shooting would start the Second Colombo war with the Gallo crew.
Further reading
- Reppetto, Thomas. Bringing Down the Mob. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2006. ISBN 0-8050-7802-9
- Moore, Robin and Barbara Fuca. Mafia Wife. New York: MacMillan, 1977, ISBN 0-02-586180-8