Joseph Magliocco

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Joseph Magliocco a.k.a. "Joe Malayak" (June 29, 1898 - December 28, 1963) was a New York mobster and the boss of the Profaci crime family (later to become the Colombo crime family) from 1962 to 1963.

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[edit] Early years

Giuseppe Magliocco was born in Castellammare del Golfo in Sicily. Magliocco's nickname "Joe Malayak" came from the word Maluk, which meant "ruler". Despite weighing over 300 pounds, Magliocco was described as very energetic and decisive in his work and physical gestures. Magliocco was also described as someone who exuded danger and confidence. Magliocco bore an uncanny resemblance to Republican U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. Joe was an in-law of Colombo crime family consigliere and underboss Salvatore Mussachio, who was the father-in-law to one of Joseph Magliocco's nephews. Magliocco was also related by marriage to Buffalo crime family boss Stefano Magaddino and was the uncle of Bonanno crime family founder Joseph Bonanno's wife Rosalie. Most importantly, Magliocco was brother-in-law to mob boss Joseph Profaci, founder of the Profaci crime family. He has a son named Ambrose Magliocco who served as a capo during his father's short-lived rule of the Colombo crime family. He was recognized as a member of organized crime in the 1940s and 1950's.

When Profaci formed his crime family in 1931, he named Magliocco as underboss. Magliocco would serve as Profaci's second-in-command for 31 years. Magliocco became involved in illegal gambling and union racketeering. On December 5, 1928. Magliocco was arrested at the National Crime Syndicate summit at the Statler Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio . On November 17, 1957, almost thirty years later, Magliocco was again arrested at the infamous Apalachin Meeting of Cosa Nostra families in Apalachin, New York. Salvatore served the dual roles from the crime family's founding organization under Profaci until his death in 1962 and later made underboss by Joseph Colombo. Lucchese crime family capo Paul Vario's cousin John Oddo served as consigliere to Joe Magliocco until Joe was overthrown by Joe Colombo. Oddo was forced into retirement and resigned, outliving Magliocco and dying of old age in May of 1975. Magliocco ran criminal operations in Staten Island and Brooklyn until his death.

[edit] Gallo-Profaci War

On June 2, 1962, Magliocco took control of the family following Profaci's death from liver cancer. His tenure coincided with the ongoing battles of the "Gallo-Profaci War," an internal conflict between Profaci (and then Magliocco) and Joey Gallo. The war began because Gallo was dissatified with Profaci's leadership. Gallo felt that Profacci had been taking too large a slice of family profits. Gallo was also enraged by Profaci ordering the killing of Frank Abbatemarco, a Gallo associate, for disloyalty. In retaliation, Gallo kidnapped Magliocco and several other Profaci men in February 1961. The two sides finally negotiated a settlement and the men were released.

The animosity with Gallo continued after Magliocco took over the family. Car bombs, drive-by shootings, and other murder attempts were made against Magliocco men such as Carmine Persico and Hugh McIntosh. In 1963, with the jailing of Gallo and several associates, the hostilities ended.

[edit] Plot against National Crime Syndicate

In 1963, Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno, the head of the Bonanno crime family, conspired with Magliocco to kill rival bosses Tommy Lucchese, Carlo Gambino, and Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino. Bonanno's audacious goal was to take over the National Crime Syndicate and make Magliocco his right hand man. Agreeing to the plan, Magliocco turned to Joe Colombo to organize the killings. However, Colombo decided he would do better by double crossing Magliocco and Bonanno, so he revealed the plot to the other family heads.

[edit] Crime and Punishment

The other bosses quickly realized that Magliocco could not have planned this by himself, and deduced that Bonanno was the real mastermind. The Commission, the executive arm of the syndicate, summoned both men to explain themselves. Bonanno didn't show up, leaving Magliocco holding the bag. Badly shaken and in failing health, Magliocco confessed to his role in the scheme. The Commission spared Magliocco's life as his health was failing anyway. However, he was forced to step down as family boss and pay a $50,000 fine.

On December 28, 1963, Joseph Magliocco died of a heart attack related to high blood pressure. He was succeeded as family boss by the wily Joe Colombo.

[edit] Further reading

  • Bernstein, Lee. The Greatest Menace: Organized Crime in Cold War America. Boston: UMass Press, 2002. ISBN 1-55849-345-X
  • Bonanno, Bill. Bound by Honor: A Mafioso's Story. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. ISBN 0-312-97147-8
  • Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 0-02-864225-2
  • Enrique Cirules The Mafia in Havana: A Caribbean Mob Story. Melbourne: Ocean Press, 2004. ISBN 1-876175-42-7
  • Bureau of Narcotics, U.S. Treasury Department, "Mafia: the Government's Secret File on Organized Crime, HarperCollins Publishers 2007 ISBN 0-06-136385-5

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Joseph Profaci		 Colombo crime family
Boss
1962-1963		 Succeeded by
Joseph Colombo