John DeRoss

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John J. DeRoss (b. July 17, 1937), aka "Jackie" and "Jackie Zambooka", is the former Underboss of the Colombo crime family, under the leadership of Carmine "Junior" Persico and Alphonse "Little Allie Boy" Persico.

Contents

[edit] Rise with Junior Persico

After a 1971 assassination attempt left Boss Joseph "Joe" Colombo in a coma, caporegime Carmine Persico took over the family. After taking power, Persico promoted DeRoss to caporegime. DeRoss would develop and control racketeering, loansharking, money laundering, extortion and narcotics operations throughout the 1970s. During the early 1980s, DeRoss became a union vice president of Local 100. Because of this, the Colombo family could use bribery and extortion to easer their relations to legal businesses, and get huge influence within the unions.

[edit] Prison and Junior's fall

Toward the mid 1980s, US authorities recognized DeRoss as Acting Underboss for Carmine Persico, as many Colombo family members went on trial and were imprisoned. After Carmine Persico was convicted of murder, conspiracy and racketeering in the Mafia Commission Trial in 1986 and received life sentence, DeRoss was convicted as well for racketeering and conspiracy charges, and was sentenced to 12 years.

[edit] Releasement and Underboss

Toward his releasement in the mid 1990s, the Colombo family entered a huge battle for the power of leadership in the family. The current acting boss Vittorio "Vic" Orena demanded complete power over the family from Carmine Persico and the two factions went to war during the early 1990s. The Persico faction would eventually claim victory in 1993, and with half the family on trial, DeRoss would be released in the late 1990s, just as he was arrested and prosecuted again for racketeering and loansharking charges, but was acquitted due to lack of evidence. However, his former union cooperator, Chickie Amodeo, had been banned from all contact with union officials, and imprisoned again in 1994. Upon DeRoss' release, many Colombo members were imprisoned and demoted by Persico, as they chose to support Orena in his failed attempt to overthrow Persico. In 1990, DeRoss was promoted to the rank of Underboss in the Colombo crime family, and chosen as the top aide by Persico's son and then current family acting boss, Alphonse "Little Allie Boy" Persico, in 1999.

[edit] The notorious Allie Boy

After Alphonse Persico became acting boss in 1999, he led an alleged revenge on behalf of his father toward many earlier Orena supporters, including William "Wild Bill" Cutolo, who was summoned to a meeting with Persico and DeRoss, but was never seen again. Cutolo's widow would later testify against both Allie Persico and Jackie DeRoss. Later that same year, both DeRoss and Persico ordered the slaying of Cutolo crew member Joseph "Joe Campy" Campanella, as he was ambushed and shot by Persico's crew members, but managed to survive and become a government informant.

[edit] Indictments on the Colombos

In 2000, both Alphonse Persico and DeRoss were indicted on loansharking and conspiracy charges, but only Persico was convicted. DeRoss' was again acquitted, as he continued to run organized crime activities within the Colombo family, even after Persico was convicted.

[edit] Indictments and NJ exclusion

On December 19, 2001, a 16-count superseding federal indictment charged DeRoss and four co-defendants with racketeering, racketeering-conspiracy, loansharking, money laundering-conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, extortion, embezzlement and mail fraud, holding his bail and eventually on May 22, 2003, DeRoss was excluded from the state of New Jersey as he was recognized as the official Underboss of the Colombo crime family. At the time, DeRoss was operating in Newark, New Jersey, Brooklyn, New York and Queens, New York.

[edit] Trial with Allie Boy Persico

In 2004, DeRoss and Alphonse Persico went on trial for murder and conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder. Their intended victim Joseph "Joe Campy" Campanella and Cutolo's widow testified against them. On December 28, 2007, DeRoss and Persico were convicted of the Cutolo murder. As of April 2008, DeRoss is incarcerated at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) awaiting sentencing.

DeRoss' former rival and the oldest mafioso serving time, John "Sonny" Franzese, took over as the Underboss of the Colombo crime family when DeRoss went on trial in 2004.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links