Joe "Pegleg" Morgan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Joe Morgan | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 10, 1929 - San Pedro, California |
| Died | November 9, 1993 (aged 64) - California State Prison, Corcoran |
| Alias(es) | Pegleg |
| Occupation | Gang member |
Joe "Pegleg" Morgan (April 10, 1929–November 9, 1993) is most notable for being the co-founder of the Mexican Mafia, he eventually became the Godfather of the Prison Gang[1]. He also had one leg, as at age 18 his other leg had been shot off by the LAPD in East Los Angeles.
Contents |
[edit] Bio
Morgan was born in San Pedro, CA to an American father and a Croatian mother. He was raised by his Croatian Catholic mother and grew up in a mixed Mexican & Croatian neighborhood in Los Angeles. In the late 1930s he joined what was believed to be the first Maravilla street gang.
In 1946, Morgan beat to death the husband of his 32-year-old girlfriend, and buried the body in a shallow grave. While he was awaiting trial, he escaped using the identification papers of a fellow inmate awaiting transfer to a forestry camp. He was recaptured and sentenced to 9 years at San Quentin State Prison.
In 1955 he was called in as a witness in a trial that involved the death of another inmate who was released on parole; instead, he led 11 inmates in a jailbreak from Los Angeles County Jail. He fled to Utah in 1976 and was captured a year later, with charges that included trafficking firearms, which resulted in a five-year sentence; 2 hours later, he was caught in possession of heroin, so the court gave him a sentence of 2 to 10 years behind bars.
Morgan spent his last few living days at Corcoran Prison hospital suffering from liver cancer.
[edit] American Me
In 1992, the film American Me was released, which was based on the Mexican Mafia. Because the film controversially portrayed homosexuality associated with La Eme and prison life, Morgan was enraged and extorted Edward James Olmos (the movie's writer/director/star) under threat of murder. At least two people were killed as a result of this film including former Mexican Mafia members and affiliates who had served as advisers during the making of the movie.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Youth Service California. Gang Prevention (PDF). sundaytelegraph. Retrieved on 2007-07-30. “1972 - Joe Morgan becomes a member of the Mexican Mafia and is considered to be the Godfather of the mafia. He has strong street ties as well as ties with the Italian Mafia and connections with the drug traffickers from Mexico.”
