Joseph Todaro Jr.

Joseph "Big Joe" Todaro Jr. (born 1945 or 1946)[1] is a Buffalo, New York businessman and former organized crime figure involved in labor racketeering, loansharking, illegal gambling, narcotics, and murder for hire. Joe Todaro Jr. became a business agent for the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 210. In 1984, Joe Todaro Jr. allegedly became the underboss of the Buffalo crime family after his father became the new head of the crime family, upon the retirement of his predecessor Samuel "Sam the Farmer" Frangiamore. In 1990, Joe Todaro Jr. resigned as business agent following investigations on the local's alleged ties to organized crime. Outside of organized crime, Todaro operates La Nova Pizzeria, a popular pizza restaurant in Buffalo.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in 1995 Joe Todaro Jr. assumed the day-to-day running of the Buffalo family from his father, Joseph Todaro Sr., becoming acting boss of the crime family. However, Joseph Sr., who moved to Florida during the mid-1990s, was still the official head of the crime family as of late 2001 according to law enforcement. Others believe that what is left of the Buffalo is controlled by crime family consigliere Leonard Falzone, who was rumored to have taken over as boss in 2006. Allegedly Joe Todaro Jr. officially stepped down as underboss and caporegime Benjamin "Benny" Nicoletti Jr. was promoted to the position, while Todaro Jr. took his place as Falzone's new consigliere, leaving Todaro Sr. as the crime family's influential elder statesman and councilor. Joseph Nicoletti of Brooklyn was cousin to "Benny" of the Niagara Falls family. Nicoletti was in charge of all loan sharks and reported to the top people.

The success of Todaro's pizzeria, along with a general decline in the crime family's operations, has led federal investigators to believe that Todaro is no longer actively engaged in illegal activities. Todaro, in accordance with the general policy of omertà, has consistently declined to comment on his role in organized crime.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Herbeck, Dan (March 19, 2017). "The Mafia is all but dead in Western New York. So what killed it?". The Buffalo News. Retrieved March 19, 2017.

Further reading

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