James Episcopia

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Giacomo (James) Episcopia a.k.a "Jimmy Legs" was a Italian-American Bonnano crime family mobster from Greenpoint, Brooklyn that served under capo Carmine Galante and later Dominick Napolitano.

[edit] Biography

Giacomo (James) Episcopia was a large man that stood at 6'4 with skinny arms and skinny legs with a large potbelly and a toupee. He was named after James, son of Zebedee who was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ. His parents originally wanted Giacomo to pursue the priesthood but he became involved in the Bonanno crime family and lived the life of a career criminal. Jimmy stayed in Montreal, Canada for a period of time when he worked as a connected associate of the Bonanno crime family serving under Michael Sabella. It is unknown if Giacomo was successful in obtaining a degree, but this did make him more respected and intelligent than his other associates in the Bonanno crime family. He was involved in drug trafficking, extortion, contract killing, armed robbery, larceny and hijacking. His involvement in organized crime dates all the way back to Joseph Bonanno. During the "Bananna Wars" he was a loyal street soldier to rival Bonanno crime family boss Gaspare DiGregorio. James was also one of the suspected gunmen involved in the January 28th, 1966 Troutman Street ambush which started the civil war in the Bonanno crime family. Over the years he was promoted to act as a bodyguard and chauffer for Bonnano crime family capo and acting boss Carmine Galante until his gangland slaying in 1979. It is unknown if Episcopa was involved indirectly with the murder of Galante. During the civil unrest in 1979 with Alphonse Indelicato, Phillip Giaccone and Dominick Trinchera, he at first joined their ranks when Dominick Napolitano transferred Giacomo to serve in the crews of Giaconne and Trinchera. Giacomo, who was a Phillip Rastelli loyalist, survived the Bonnano crime family civil war and re-aligned himself with Dominick Napolitano. While acting as a bodyguard for Carmine Galante, he would travel to Canada with the capo to arrange heroin deals. During these extended business trips to Canada, he enrolled in a Canadian college and took courses on philosophy. He was a close friend of Joseph D. Pistone. James was one of the two suspected contract killers that murdered Bonnano crime family loyalist Samuel Perrone on March 11, 1968. Samuel was gunned down as he went to purchase a carton of cigarettes at a candy store located across from his business, Bingo Warehouse and Trucking Company located on Leonard Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Police surmised that Perrone's gangland slaying was in retaliation for murdering Peter Crociata, the underboss of the Bonanno crime family who served under Gaspare DiGregorio. Peter was fatally shot in the throat on March 4th,1968 as he was parking his car on a Manhattan street. The second gunman other than Episcopia was the nominal Bonnano crime family underboss Frank T. Mari who served under Gaspare DiGregorio. Neither of the men were indicted or convicted for the murder of Perrone. Unlike Dominick Napolitano, Benjamin Ruggiero and Nicholas Forlano who were all murdered (Ruggiero was rescued enroute to execution), Giacomo's life was spared even though he built a friendship with Pistone during his six years undercover in the Bonanno crime family.

[edit] References

Pistone, Joseph D. and Woodley, Richard, Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia Random House 1990 ISBN 5552531299
Devico, Peter J. The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra