Dominic Brooklier

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Dominic Brooklier (1914July 18, 1984), also known as Jimmy Regace, was an Italian-American mobster and head of the Los Angeles crime syndicate during the mid-1970s.

Born Domenico Brucceleri in 1914, Brooklier was originally part of Mickey Cohen's syndicate gambling operations in southern California before defecting to rival Los Angeles mobster Jack Dragna's organization (in which Brooklier would fail to assassinate Cohen as he left a restaurant resulting in Cohen and Dragna's organization).

While in the Los Angeles crime family, the organization was forced to rely on support from the Chicago Outfit bringing in mobsters including John Roselli and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. However the Chicago syndicate's primary interest was focused on extorting millions of dollars from Hollywood movie studios), while Brooklier was concentrated on pornography, extortion and burglary.

During this time, Brooklier had developed a working relationship with fellow Los Angeles mobster Jimmy "The Weasel" Fratianno as they both rose within the organization and eventually succeeded Capo Nick Licata in 1974. However, within four years, Brooklier was imprisoned with Fratianno taking Brooklier's position as acting boss. Shortly after his release, Brooklier immediately replaced Fratianno (who he had long suspected of providing information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation) later placing a murder contract on his life.

In response to threats on his life, Fratianno implicated Brooklier's involvement in the February 1977 murder of San Diego mobster Frank "The Bomp" Bompensiero, however, after Brooklier's acquittal of conspiracy charges, Brooklier brought in mobsters from Chicago and Cleveland in an unsuccessful search to eliminate Fratianno (who had by this time entered the Witness Protection Program).

In 1978, Brooklier was finally convicted with several other members of the Los Angeles syndicate of racketeering and extortion charges and sentenced to five years imprisonment in the Tucson Federal Prison where would remain until his death in 1984.

Although Brooklier's children left the state following the death of their father, only one could be traced by the federal authorities[citation needed], a daughter who reportedly resides in the Netherlands with her spouse. In 1983, she gave birth to her son whom she named Michael Regace in honor of her father.

[edit] References

  • Kelly, Robert J. Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000. ISBN 0-313-30653-2

[edit] Further reading

  • Demaris, Ovid. The Last Mafioso. 1981.

[edit] External links