Richard Boiardo (December 8, 1890–1984), also known as "Ruggiero Boiardo" and "Richie the Boot", was a caporegime in the Genovese crime family who ran mob operations in the Newark, New Jersey area.
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Born in Naples, Italy, Boiardo's family immigrated to the Newark area in 1910. His first criminal activity involved bookmaking while he worked as a milkman. Boiardo eventually controlled criminal activities in the First Ward section of Newark. During the Prohibition era, Boiardo fought with Jewish mobster Abner "Longy" Zwillman for control of criminal rackets in Newark. Despite this animosity, the two mobsters were brought together in a sitdown allegedly orchestrated by Lucky Luciano and made peace with each other. Sometime later, Boiardo was ambushed and seriously wounded with 12 buckshot pellet wounds. At the time, the press suspected Zwillman was responsible, but later, evidence pointed to the members of another rival gang led by the Mazzochi brothers, whom the Boot subsequently had murdered. Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag; see the help page He reportedly used the house's furnace and statue garden to quietly dispose of several bodies.
Boiardo also owned a residence in Havana, Cuba, where he had gambling interests. Boiardo was 5'7", weighed approximately 210 pounds, and had a bullet scar on his left cheek. He married Jenny Manfro and was the father of Anthony "Tony Boy" Boiardo and two daughters, Marie and Rose. Boiardo was a part owner of a hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Boiardo was described as flashy, brutal and an incurable womanizer. The nickname "Boot" reportedly derived from the pleasure that Boiardo took in stomping people. Boiardo's arrest record included manslaughter, assault and battery, and carrying concealed weapons.
In 1984, Boiardo died of natural causes at age 95.
The creator of the TV series The Sopranos, David Chase, claimed that the Soprano family was indeed based on Boiardo and his crew.[1]
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