Joseph Valachi
| Joe Valachi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 22, 1904 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 3, 1971 (aged 67) El Paso, Texas, USA |
| Other names | "Anthony Sorge", "Charles Charbano", "Joe Cargo" |
| Known for | First Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia Valachi hearings |
Joseph Michael "Joe Cargo" Valachi (September 22, 1904 – April 3, 1971), Italian American, also known as "Charles Charbano" and "Anthony Sorge", was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia.
He is also the person who made Cosa Nostra (meaning "Our Thing") a household name.
Joseph Valachi was born in the East Harlem section of New York City on September 22, 1904. He came from an impoverished Italian immigrant family with a drunken, violent father. Valachi later blamed his background for his turn to organized crime.
Valachi's criminal career began with a small gang known as "The Minutemen," so-called for carrying out smash and grab burglaries and escaping within a minute. Valachi was the driver for this band, and his ability to make a quick getaway earned him a reputation as a rising star in the underworld.
In 1921, Valachi was arrested on grand larceny charges. In 1923, Valachi was arrested in the aftermath of a botched robbery; he subsequently pleaded guilty to attempted burglary and was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment. He was released after nine months and, having been replaced with a new driver, created a new burglary gang.
In the early 1930s, through mob contact Dominick "The Gap" Petrilli, Valachi was introduced to the Cosa Nostra or Mafia, and soon became a soldier in the Reina Family (now known as the Lucchese Family) during the height of the Castellammarese War. Valachi fought on the side of Salvatore Maranzano, which eventually defeated the faction headed by rival Joe Masseria. After Masseria's murder, Valachi became a bodyguard for Maranzano. However, this position was short-lived, as Maranzano himself was murdered in 1931. Valachi then became a soldier in the family headed by Lucky Luciano (eventually known as the Genovese Family), in the crew headed by Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo. Valachi remained in this position until he was convicted of narcotics violations in 1959 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
...
Wikipedia