Vincenzo Aloi

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Vincenzo "Vinnie" Aloi (b. September 22, 1923) is a New York City mobster and member of the Colombo crime family. Vinnie Aloi is the son of the former Profaci and Colombo era caporegime, Sebastian "Buster" Aloi and the brother of mobster, Benedetto "Benny" Aloi. Buster Aloi schooled his sons in the traditions of the mafia early on and eventually had both his sons 'made' into the Profaci crime family, now known as the Colombo crime family which is one of 5 crime families that presently makes up New York's mafia. Vincent or Vinnie as he is known to his criminal associates and friends became involved in gambling, loansharking and the garment center trucking business all of which have made him and his immediate family wealthy over the decades they have been involved with the underworld. In June of 1971 Colombo crime family Boss, Joseph Colombo was shot at an Italian Unity Day rally in Columbus circle by a lone gunmen and left in a vegetative state, no longer able to lead his crime family. At the time of Colombo's shooting, Vinnie Aloi was a well respected crime family member and held the position of 'caporegime' or captain and was chosen to take over the temporary leadership of the Colombo crime family until it was determined by the crime family and the Commission who would officially succeed the incapacitated Joe Colombo as Boss. Aloi took the position reluctantly knowing there would be much more added responsibility and that it would bring more law enforcement scrutiny and he would no longer be able to operate in his usual low key manner as he would need to meet with crime family members frequently.

The new Acting Boss, Vinnie Aloi not only had the responsibilities of running the day to day activities of the Colombo crime family, but the recent shooting of Boss, Joe Colombo had re-ignited tensions between the Gallo crew under the leadership of brothers, Joseph "Crazy Joe" Gallo and Albert "Kid Blast" Gallo who had previously rebelled against former Boss, Joseph Profaci in the early 1960's, but Joe Gallo had recently made his ill feelings toward the Colombo regime known and was believed to have played a lead role in the shooting of Colombo. The tensions and animosity on the streets was growing heavy between the Colombo crime family faction led by Aloi and the rebel faction led by Joey Gallo and even with added law enforcement surveillance and the Colombo shooting investigation presently at hand on April 7, 1972 rebel Colombo crime family soldier, Joey Gallo was assassinated inside of Umberto's Clam House located on Mulberry St. in Little Italy while Gallo dined with his family and friends who were celebrating his birthday. Vinnie Aloi's leadership was cut short in 1973 when he and leaders of the Luchese crime family were indicted and subsequently convicted for a stock swindle. Aloi who had never served any significant jail time prior to this conviction was sentenced to 9 years in prison.

Aloi was incarcerated at the Allenwood Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania along side Luchese crime family leaders, Carmine "Mr. Gribbs" Tramunti, John "Johnny Dio" Dioguardi, Paul Vario and also low level associate Henry Hill. Crime writer Nicholas Pileggi wrote a book about Hill's life entitle, "Wiseguy" while legendary Hollywood director, Martin Scorsese immortalized Hill in the movie, "Goodfellas" and in the movie there is a scene where the mafiosi are shown to be housed in a separate, well furnished are then the general population and have all the fine food and drink they want along with many other comforts. Hill stated in the book that Johnny Dio cooked the steaks, while Paul Vario prepared the garlic by slicing it thinly with a razor so it could be added to the spaghetti sauce Vinnie Aloi was preparing at times while the gangsters where serving their time in the prison's famous "Mafia Row" which was known to house high level mobsters. Aloi would be paroled in the early 1980's and would once again see the inside of a prison in the late 1980's which allowed him to be absent for the 'Colombo War' of 1991-93 that pitted the faction loyal to jailed Boss, Carmine "Junior" Persico against those who supported then Acting Boss, Victor "Little Vic" Orena. the war ended in 1993 with Orena and many of his top supporters in jail, with several soldiers on both sides dead and Aloi paroled from prison in May of 1993.

After Aloi's was once again released from prison in 1993 he returned to his former status as a leading member in New York's mafia and was named the Consigliere of the Colombo crime family to show the respect and admiration his crime family members had for him and his family. Vinnie Aloi continued to be a successful businessman throughout the 1990's and kept a very low profile while running his criminal activities, never flashy or extravagant like so many gangsters of the past who were eventually jailed for life due to their high profile lifestyles and image, like former gambino crime family Boss, John Gotti. During the early 1990s, Aloi and then Gambino Capo, Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo became involved in a dispute with the DeCavalcante crime family of New Jersey over the induction of Manhattan residents into La Cosa Nostra as New Jersey crime family members Louis "Louie Eggs" Consalvo and Gregory Raggo who operated a Mott Street social club and held criminal interests in New York and should have been under the jurisdiction of one of the New York crime families. Colombo Consigliere Aloi made his strong feelings known about how he felt when mafia rules are broken and left the New jersey delegates shaken by the tone of the meeting, but the conflict eventually was resolved peacefully when it was ruled the DeCavalcante crime family could no longer 'make' members outside of New jersey and South Philadelphia another area that the New Jersey crime family has traditionally recruited from.[1].

According to news articles and online websites such as Capeci's Gangland which is the leading website on the internet regarding the mafia has listed the now 84 year old mafioso, Vinnie Aloi as semi-retired and living quietly in Florida as of 1999 when he allegedly retired from running the day to day activities of his criminal rackets and his legitimate business interests. Aloi is a legendary mafia figure and is still highly respected throughout the underworld and continuously sought after for advise or council by members of the mafia in his own crime family and others. In the last 2 decades the 5 mafia families of New York have suffered many big prosecutions of crime family leaders and have lost much of the power and influence they once held as compared to 50 years ago, but old timers like Aloi will always be available too help guide the up and coming members of La Cosa Nostra, too keep the Italian tradition alive and too insure the New York crime families will always retain their top spot in America's underworld!

[edit] Further reading

Sifakis, Carl. "The Mafia Encyclopedia:Second Edition", New York, Checkmark Books. 1999.
Capeci, Jerry. "The Complete Idiots Guide to the Mafia", Indianapolis, Alpha, 2002.
Raab, Selwyn. "The 5 Families:The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empire", New York, Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin's Press, 2005.

United States. Congress. House. Appropriations Committee. Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations for the Fiscal Year. 1975. [2]
Civil Liberties, and the Administration of Justice United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Courts. Witness Protection Program: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. 1985. [3]
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. [4]
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Commerce. Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials. Organized Crime on Wall Street: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials. 2000. [5]