Jacky Imbert
Encyclopedia
Jacques "Jacky Le Mat" Imbert (Toulouse, France 30 December 1929) is a gang leader who first came to prominence in 1960s Marseille
's underworld, where he is still considered "The Last Godfather".
His nickname "Jacky Le Mat" means "Jacky the madman" in Provençal. He is also known as "Pacha" and "Matou".
On his time in prison, he later declared:
The "tough guy" was Gustave Méla, nicknamed "Gu le Terrible", another criminal that would become notorious in the 1960s. In prison Imbert decided on the nickname "Jacky Le Mat", meaning the Bottom or the Madman in the slang of the time.
In 1948 Imbert enroled in the French Army and spent four years in the 15e régiment de tirailleurs sénégalais in Oran, Algeria. He was discharged for having a "character incompatible with military regulations".
It was while in this gang, mainly composed of Marseille Italians, that Imbert met another future gang leader, Tany Zampa, with whom he would forge a close friendship. Other members were Marius Bertella, Gégène le Manchot (Gégène the one armed) and Gaétan Alboréo. It was with them that the young Imbert learned the strings of the trade, becoming a central element of the team thanks to his self-control and his determination.
Imbert's legitimate work during this period was as a stunt driver, also taking part in races on Marseille's Old Harbour
.
He became known as a womaniser, with two marriages and six mistresses.
In 1961 he was convicted of pimping in a case involving Raymond Infantes, the kingpin of Oran's brothels, and condemned to six months in prison. Infantes had played on his connections to escape a prison sentence while implicating Imbert, who would never forgive him..
Imbert exacted his revenge on Infantes: under cover of the night, he piloted a small Cessna across the Mediterranean to Algeria, kidnapped Infantes and brought him back to Marseille, where he tortured him and demanded a large sum of money as ransom. Fearing for his life, Infantes paid up.
It was this sum of money which permitted Imbert to set up his own gang.
Without Zampa's knowledge Imbert hired twenty men, and while appearing to remain under Zampa's control, he began running his own separate organisation.
On April 14 1963, Imbert hit Parisian boss Jean-Baptiste Andréani point-blank with two shots from a shotgun. Andréani survived. The motive of the shooting is not clear: it might be that Andréani refused to pay the Franc protection money demanded by the Three Ducks, or it may have been a contract taken out by Andréani's rival Marcel Francisci.
The Bande des Trois Canards disbanded around 1965. On 23 June 1967 mob boss Antoine Guérini was assassinated in a drive-by. Imbert is suspected of shooting him on Zampa's orders, who was still his boss. The murder was supported by the Milieu gang, who wanted revenge for the killing of Robert Blémant by the Guérini clan.
In 1968 Imbert was put on the Police organised crime file with the number 909/68.
In 1968, he became a trotting driver with his friend Alain Delon
. In 1973, he was the champion of France.
wrote: "Small matter, he learned to shoot with the left". Imbert's revenge came when eleven of Zampa's associates were gunned down for the failed murder attempt. Imbert was later arrested as he allegedly prepared for another killing. No charges were brought against him, and he was released after six months. When he came out a truce had been declared.
After this period, Imbert seemed to lead a quiet life between the Caribbean, Italy and France. In the 1980s, he was also the PR man for the discothèque "Bus Palladium" in Paris
, owned by his friend Richard Erman, a Russian born businessman. But police would disagree.
In 1993, in an interview with Le Nouvel Observateur
magazine, Imbert said:
"The cops always came to ask me about the jobs I didn't do. For the ones I did do, I never saw anyone".
He was a close friend of Francis "The Belgian" Vanverberghe, another mob boss whose early drug trafficking adventures were described in the movie, "The French Connection
". Vanverberghe was shot dead in a betting club near the Champs Elysées in Paris
, September 2000.
In November 2004, the trial started. The state prosecutor asked for a five-year prison term for Imbert. The highest term asked in the case. Prosecutor Marc Gouton said: "Everyone here has testified that without Imbert's authorisation nothing could be done. He has a very strong character. He is not a man who takes orders. He gives orders and others carry them out" However, prosecution witnesses later retracted their initial testimony to investigators. The only evidence linking Imbert to the alleged scam is the telephone call with Erman, which, as his lawyer pointed out in court, is open to interpretation. "The case against him is so hollow, so inexistent, so empty, that I am reduced to answering a charge based on the intonation of a voice".
In December 2004, the court in Marseille sentenced him to four years in prison for masterminding the operation. It seemed Imbert's long run had run out. However he appealed. On April 8, 2005 at 75 years old, Imbert was cleared of taking part in the scam to manufacture contraband cigarettes. The appeal court found that the telephone tap evidence against him was unconvincing.
In 2005, he was cleared of taking part in a Russian mafia scam to manufacture contraband cigarettes. The link between Russian Mafia and Imbert was Richard Erman.
On 16 June 2006, Imbert was sentenced to four years for extorting money from Paris
businessmen in the early 1990s. Imbert's counsel intends to appeal the verdict.
On 2 January 2008, on appeal, Imbert was sentenced to two years for extorting money from a discothèque owner in Paris.
in the 2010 French film 22 Bullets
.
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
's underworld, where he is still considered "The Last Godfather".
His nickname "Jacky Le Mat" means "Jacky the madman" in Provençal. He is also known as "Pacha" and "Matou".
Early life
Imbert was born on 30 December 1929 in Toulouse, son of an aviation worker with a passion for opera. In 1947 Imbert was sentenced to five years in prison for the assault of his mother-in-law's lover in a Montpellier bar, but served less than two due to good conduct.On his time in prison, he later declared:
The first true damned stupidity of my life, I had hit my mother-in-law's lover a little too hard. I got five years! The prison, this is the place where I met the biggest number of tossers. A pack of pathetic ones, of losers. But I was put in a cell with a true tough guy. I said: "This is it, my path"
The "tough guy" was Gustave Méla, nicknamed "Gu le Terrible", another criminal that would become notorious in the 1960s. In prison Imbert decided on the nickname "Jacky Le Mat", meaning the Bottom or the Madman in the slang of the time.
In 1948 Imbert enroled in the French Army and spent four years in the 15e régiment de tirailleurs sénégalais in Oran, Algeria. He was discharged for having a "character incompatible with military regulations".
Years with les Trois Canards
At the start of the 1950s Imbert joined the Bande des Trois Canards, the "gang of the three ducks", so named after the cabaret club which was their den. The gang specialised in burglaries, hold-ups and racketeering, and was said to have built a cellar in their club in which people who resisted paying protection money would be tortured.It was while in this gang, mainly composed of Marseille Italians, that Imbert met another future gang leader, Tany Zampa, with whom he would forge a close friendship. Other members were Marius Bertella, Gégène le Manchot (Gégène the one armed) and Gaétan Alboréo. It was with them that the young Imbert learned the strings of the trade, becoming a central element of the team thanks to his self-control and his determination.
Imbert's legitimate work during this period was as a stunt driver, also taking part in races on Marseille's Old Harbour
Old Port of Marseille
The Old Port of Marseille is located at the end of the Canebière. It has been the natural harbour of Marseille since antiquity.- History :...
.
He became known as a womaniser, with two marriages and six mistresses.
In 1961 he was convicted of pimping in a case involving Raymond Infantes, the kingpin of Oran's brothels, and condemned to six months in prison. Infantes had played on his connections to escape a prison sentence while implicating Imbert, who would never forgive him..
Imbert exacted his revenge on Infantes: under cover of the night, he piloted a small Cessna across the Mediterranean to Algeria, kidnapped Infantes and brought him back to Marseille, where he tortured him and demanded a large sum of money as ransom. Fearing for his life, Infantes paid up.
It was this sum of money which permitted Imbert to set up his own gang.
Without Zampa's knowledge Imbert hired twenty men, and while appearing to remain under Zampa's control, he began running his own separate organisation.
On April 14 1963, Imbert hit Parisian boss Jean-Baptiste Andréani point-blank with two shots from a shotgun. Andréani survived. The motive of the shooting is not clear: it might be that Andréani refused to pay the Franc protection money demanded by the Three Ducks, or it may have been a contract taken out by Andréani's rival Marcel Francisci.
The Bande des Trois Canards disbanded around 1965. On 23 June 1967 mob boss Antoine Guérini was assassinated in a drive-by. Imbert is suspected of shooting him on Zampa's orders, who was still his boss. The murder was supported by the Milieu gang, who wanted revenge for the killing of Robert Blémant by the Guérini clan.
In 1968 Imbert was put on the Police organised crime file with the number 909/68.
In 1968, he became a trotting driver with his friend Alain Delon
Alain Delon
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon is a French actor. He rose quickly to stardom, and by the age of 23 was already being compared to French actors such as Gérard Philipe and Jean Marais, as well as American actor James Dean. He was even called the male Brigitte Bardot...
. In 1973, he was the champion of France.
Attempted murder by Zampa Gang
On February 1 1977, Imbert survived a murder attempt by Tony Zampa's crew. Legend has it that one of the men said: "a swine like him isn't worth 'le coup de grâce' let him die like a dog". He was shot many times, but doctors removed twenty-two projectiles so seven bullets from his body. His right arm remained paralysed as a result of the attack. About that, the French newspaper Le MondeLe Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
wrote: "Small matter, he learned to shoot with the left". Imbert's revenge came when eleven of Zampa's associates were gunned down for the failed murder attempt. Imbert was later arrested as he allegedly prepared for another killing. No charges were brought against him, and he was released after six months. When he came out a truce had been declared.
After this period, Imbert seemed to lead a quiet life between the Caribbean, Italy and France. In the 1980s, he was also the PR man for the discothèque "Bus Palladium" in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, owned by his friend Richard Erman, a Russian born businessman. But police would disagree.
In 1993, in an interview with Le Nouvel Observateur
Le Nouvel Observateur
Le Nouvel Observateur is a weekly French newsmagazine. Based in Paris, it is the most prominent French general information magazine in terms of audience and circulation ....
magazine, Imbert said:
"The cops always came to ask me about the jobs I didn't do. For the ones I did do, I never saw anyone".
He was a close friend of Francis "The Belgian" Vanverberghe, another mob boss whose early drug trafficking adventures were described in the movie, "The French Connection
The French Connection
The French Connection or French Connection may refer to:* French Connection, an infamous 1960s-70s drug trafficking scheme* The French Connection , a 1969 non-fiction book about the drug trafficking scheme...
". Vanverberghe was shot dead in a betting club near the Champs Elysées in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, September 2000.
Trials
Police were investigating a criminal operation run by the Russian Mafia to build a clandestine cigarette factory in a warehouse in a suburb of Marseille. As a part of that investigating, police tapped à phone conversation between Imbert and Richard Erman. Imbert said: "Look, all these ups and downs, they are beginning to cause me problems, you get it?" Police were convinced this was evidence he was part of the operation run by the Russian mafia. In October 2003, he was arrested in a police raid on his home.In November 2004, the trial started. The state prosecutor asked for a five-year prison term for Imbert. The highest term asked in the case. Prosecutor Marc Gouton said: "Everyone here has testified that without Imbert's authorisation nothing could be done. He has a very strong character. He is not a man who takes orders. He gives orders and others carry them out" However, prosecution witnesses later retracted their initial testimony to investigators. The only evidence linking Imbert to the alleged scam is the telephone call with Erman, which, as his lawyer pointed out in court, is open to interpretation. "The case against him is so hollow, so inexistent, so empty, that I am reduced to answering a charge based on the intonation of a voice".
In December 2004, the court in Marseille sentenced him to four years in prison for masterminding the operation. It seemed Imbert's long run had run out. However he appealed. On April 8, 2005 at 75 years old, Imbert was cleared of taking part in the scam to manufacture contraband cigarettes. The appeal court found that the telephone tap evidence against him was unconvincing.
In 2005, he was cleared of taking part in a Russian mafia scam to manufacture contraband cigarettes. The link between Russian Mafia and Imbert was Richard Erman.
On 16 June 2006, Imbert was sentenced to four years for extorting money from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
businessmen in the early 1990s. Imbert's counsel intends to appeal the verdict.
On 2 January 2008, on appeal, Imbert was sentenced to two years for extorting money from a discothèque owner in Paris.
In popular culture
A fictionalised character based upon Imbert has been portrayed by actor Jean RenoJean Reno
Jean Reno is a French actor. Working in French, English, Spanish and Italian, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible, Ronin and Couples Retreat, but also in European productions such as the...
in the 2010 French film 22 Bullets
22 Bullets
22 Bullets is a French film directed by Richard Berry. It tells a romanticized version of the life story of Jacky Imbert. The filming began in 23 February 2009 in Marseille for six weeks, continuing to Avignon in early April 2009, and continued for 8 weeks in Paris.- Plot :Charly Mattei has turned...
.