Nicholas Corozzo
Encyclopedia
Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo (born March 17, 1940) is a New York mobster who is the reputed acting boss of the Gambino crime family
.
to first generation emigrants from Morozzo
, Cuneo
, in the Italian
region of Piedmont
. Nicholas is the older brother of reputed Gambino consigliere Joseph "Jo Jo" Corozzo
as well as twin brothers Blaise Corozzo, a Gambino soldier, and Anthony Corozzo, a Gambino associate. Corozzo is the uncle of Joseph Corozzo Jr, a high-profile New York defense attorney. Nicholas' daughter, Bernadette, is married to Gambino associate Vincent Dragonetti. Prior to Corozzo's incarceration, he lived in Bellmore, Long Island. He stands at 5′5" tall and weighs approximately 170 pounds.
. When Gotti became boss in 1985, he declined to promote Corozzo to capo. However, since Corozzo was such a good earner for the family, Gotti did not want to get rid of him. In turn, Corozzo professed loyalty to Gotti. It was only after Gotti went to prison in 1992 that Corozzo was finally promoted to Caporegime
, along with Gambino soldier Leonard "Lenny" DiMaria
. With Gotti in prison, Corozzo, DiMaria, and Nicholas' brother Joseph, now consigliere
, formed a ruling panel that unofficially ran the Gambino family. In the mid 1990s, Corozzo was elevated to acting boss of the family.
In 1996, Corozzo ordered the murder of Lucchese crime family
associate Robert Arena. Arena had allegedly murdered Anthony Placido, a member of Corozzo's crew, and had failed to return some stolen marijuana to a drug dealer. On June 26, 1996, the Gambino gunmen found Arena driving with Thomas Maranga, an Arena associate, in the Mill Basin section of Brooklyn. After forcing Arena to stop the car, the gunmen shot and killed both men.
on 20 racketeering charges that included attempted murder, arson
, and loansharking. Corozzo was accused of running a loansharking business in Deerfield Beach, Florida
that charged 260% yearly interest on loans. Federal agents arrested Corozzo as he emerged from the surf at a beach in Key Biscayne, Florida
. In August 1997, Corozzo pled guilty to racketeering charges in Florida and was sentenced to five to ten years in prison. Later that year, Corrozo again pled guilty in Brooklyn
to racketeering and bribing a jail guard.
While in federal prison, Corozzo shared a cell with Gambino associate Joseph Vollaro, who was serving a drug conviction. After his release, Vollaro started paying tribute to Corozzo's crew on a trucking company he started. However, facing another drug conviction in 2004, Vollaro agreed to become a government informant and record his conversations with Corozzo.
After Corozzo's release from prison on June 10, 2004, Corozzo was again expected to take over Gambino crime family. However, due to increased law enforcement attention, he initially kept a low profile. The Gambinos were reportedly led by John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico
until 2005. Corozzo kept his position as a Caporegime, despite health concerns and tight parole
restrictions. In 2006, a new report stated that Nicholas Corozzo and D'Amico were the new bosses of the Gambino family, with Arnold "Zeke" Squitieri
as underboss and Joseph Corozzo as consigliere.
and the other for the state Operation Touchback. The federal indictment was for the 1996 Arena and Maranga murders and other racketeering charges, with Vollaro as their main witness. The state indictment, constructed and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Benjamin J. Mantell, was for enterprise corruption, specifically for a Queens-based gambling ring that grossed almost $10 million over two years from sports betting
.
Before law enforcement could arrest Corozzo, his daughter Bernadette alerted him that agents were arresting Gambino members. Corozzo immediately went into hiding. The FBI searched intensively for Corozzo and the television program America's Most Wanted
did a feature on him. On May 29, 2008, after four months as a fugitive, Corozzo surrendered to authorities with his lawyer by his side. Authorities said that Corozzo appeared exhausted and unable to handle the media publicity surrounding his disappearance.
Corozzo is serving his two sentences at the United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
, a medium security facility in Leavenworth, Kansas
. His projected release date is March 2, 2020.
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...
.
Biography
Nicholas Corozzo was born in Canarsie, BrooklynCanarsie, Brooklyn
Canarsie is a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City, United States. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18....
to first generation emigrants from Morozzo
Morozzo
Morozzo is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km south of Turin and about 14 km northeast of Cuneo...
, Cuneo
Cuneo
Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area...
, in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region of Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
. Nicholas is the older brother of reputed Gambino consigliere Joseph "Jo Jo" Corozzo
Joseph Corozzo
Joseph "Jo Jo" Corozzo, Sr. , is a New York mobster who is the reputed Consigliere of the Gambino crime family.-Background:...
as well as twin brothers Blaise Corozzo, a Gambino soldier, and Anthony Corozzo, a Gambino associate. Corozzo is the uncle of Joseph Corozzo Jr, a high-profile New York defense attorney. Nicholas' daughter, Bernadette, is married to Gambino associate Vincent Dragonetti. Prior to Corozzo's incarceration, he lived in Bellmore, Long Island. He stands at 5′5" tall and weighs approximately 170 pounds.
Rise to family boss
During the early 1980s, Nicholas Corozzo was a bitter rival of Gambino capo John GottiJohn Gotti
John Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...
. When Gotti became boss in 1985, he declined to promote Corozzo to capo. However, since Corozzo was such a good earner for the family, Gotti did not want to get rid of him. In turn, Corozzo professed loyalty to Gotti. It was only after Gotti went to prison in 1992 that Corozzo was finally promoted to Caporegime
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
, along with Gambino soldier Leonard "Lenny" DiMaria
Leonard DiMaria
Leonard "Lenny" DiMaria , also known as "Fatso" and "the Conductor", is a New York mobster and Caporegime in the Gambino crime family...
. With Gotti in prison, Corozzo, DiMaria, and Nicholas' brother Joseph, now 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...
, formed a ruling panel that unofficially ran the Gambino family. In the mid 1990s, Corozzo was elevated to acting boss of the family.
In 1996, Corozzo ordered the murder of 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...
associate Robert Arena. Arena had allegedly murdered Anthony Placido, a member of Corozzo's crew, and had failed to return some stolen marijuana to a drug dealer. On June 26, 1996, the Gambino gunmen found Arena driving with Thomas Maranga, an Arena associate, in the Mill Basin section of Brooklyn. After forcing Arena to stop the car, the gunmen shot and killed both men.
Florida Arrest
In December, 1996, Corozzo was indicted in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
on 20 racketeering charges that included attempted murder, arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, and loansharking. Corozzo was accused of running a loansharking business in Deerfield Beach, Florida
Deerfield Beach, Florida
Deerfield Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, USA. The city is named for the numerous deer that once roamed the area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 75,018...
that charged 260% yearly interest on loans. Federal agents arrested Corozzo as he emerged from the surf at a beach in Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States on the island of Key Biscayne. The population was 10,507 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,324....
. In August 1997, Corozzo pled guilty to racketeering charges in Florida and was sentenced to five to ten years in prison. Later that year, Corrozo again pled guilty 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...
to racketeering and bribing a jail guard.
While in federal prison, Corozzo shared a cell with Gambino associate Joseph Vollaro, who was serving a drug conviction. After his release, Vollaro started paying tribute to Corozzo's crew on a trucking company he started. However, facing another drug conviction in 2004, Vollaro agreed to become a government informant and record his conversations with Corozzo.
After Corozzo's release from prison on June 10, 2004, Corozzo was again expected to take over Gambino crime family. However, due to increased law enforcement attention, he initially kept a low profile. The Gambinos were reportedly led by John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico
Jackie D'Amico
John "Jackie the Nose" D'Amico is a New York mobster that served as street boss of the Gambino crime family from 2005 to 2011. "Street boss" had been the family's number one position ever since official Boss Peter Gotti started serving a life sentence in prison.-Early life:D'Amico stands 5'11" ...
until 2005. Corozzo kept his position as a Caporegime, despite health concerns and tight parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
restrictions. In 2006, a new report stated that Nicholas Corozzo and D'Amico were the new bosses of the Gambino family, with Arnold "Zeke" Squitieri
Arnold Squitieri
Arnold "Squiggy" Ezekiel Squitieri of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey is a convicted drug dealer and former acting boss and current Underboss of the Gambino crime family. He is also known as "Zeke", "Bozey", and "Squitty".-Murder charge:...
as underboss and Joseph Corozzo as consigliere.
Indictment and flight
In February 2008, Corozzo was indicted twice, one for the federal Operation Old BridgeOperation Old Bridge
Operation Old Bridge is the code name for the February 7, 2008 arrests in Italy and the United States that targeted the Gambino crime family. Among the indicted were the reputed acting bosses Jackie D'Amico, Nicholas Corozzo and Consigliere Joseph Corozzo of the Gambino crime family...
and the other for the state Operation Touchback. The federal indictment was for the 1996 Arena and Maranga murders and other racketeering charges, with Vollaro as their main witness. The state indictment, constructed and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Benjamin J. Mantell, was for enterprise corruption, specifically for a Queens-based gambling ring that grossed almost $10 million over two years from sports betting
Sports betting
Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome.-United States of America:Aside from simple wagers such as betting a friend that one's favorite baseball team will win its division or buying a football "square" for the Super Bowl, sports betting is...
.
Before law enforcement could arrest Corozzo, his daughter Bernadette alerted him that agents were arresting Gambino members. Corozzo immediately went into hiding. The FBI searched intensively for Corozzo and the television program America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
did a feature on him. On May 29, 2008, after four months as a fugitive, Corozzo surrendered to authorities with his lawyer by his side. Authorities said that Corozzo appeared exhausted and unable to handle the media publicity surrounding his disappearance.
Prison
In July 2008, Corozzo pleaded guilty to the state enterprise corruption charges. ADA Ben Mantell handled the plea bargain that Corozzo agreed to on the state level. On April 17, 2009, Corozzo was sentenced to 13½ years in federal prison for 1996 Arena and Maranga murders. On April 28, 2009, Corozzo was sentenced to 4½ to 13½ years on the state sports betting conviction. Corozzo will serve the state sentence at the same time as the federal sentence.Corozzo is serving his two sentences at the United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth
The United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.It is located in Leavenworth, Kansas...
, a medium security facility in Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is on the west bank of the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. His projected release date is March 2, 2020.
Further reading
- Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 0-02-864225-2
- Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin Press, 2005. ISBN 0-312-30094-8
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Organized Crime: 25 Years After Valachi: Hearings Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs. 1988. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC19099088&id=o-4HAAAAIAAJ&q=Nicholas+Corozzo&dq=Nicholas+Corozzo&pgis=1