Joseph Pinzolo
Encyclopedia
Bonaventura "Joseph/Fat Joe" Pinzolo (1887 – September 5, 1930) was the head of the Lucchese crime family
in New York City
for a brief period during 1930.
Following the February 1930 murder of Tom Reina, mob boss Joe Masseria tried to take control of Reina's gang by backing Pinzolo, a close supporter, as Reina's replacement. Pinzolo may have been responsible for Reina's killing, though the most widely-suspected culprit for that crime remains Vito Genovese.
Pinzolo took charge of Reina's Bronx area ice distribution business Masseria ahead of top Reina gang members Tommy Gagliano
and Tommy Lucchese
. The two men felt Pinzolo had been promoted in order to secure the underworld interests of Masseria and not the former Reina followers. Pinzolo certainly did not help his own cause by being a most disagreeable man - the majority of his subordinates apparently grew to hate him with little time and effort. Charles "Lucky" Luciano once said of Pinzolo:
Bonanno crime family
boss Joe Bonanno later revealed that Gagliano and Lucchese formed a splinter group within the family along with a several other key members, including Dominick "the Gap" Petrilli
, a friend of Joe Valachi
.
Their festering resentment and personal distaste along with the general lawlessness unleashed by the Castellammarese War
ultimately led to Pinzolo's murder. In September 1930, Pinzolo was lured to an office rented by Lucchese on Broadway
in Manhattan
, where Pinzolo was shot five times. The killer is reputed to have been Petrilli, Girolamo "Bobby Doyle" Santucci, or possibly Lucchese himself. Lucchese was indicted for the crime but the charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence. Masseria apparently attributed the killing to rival Castellammarese boss Salvatore Maranzano
.
The Pinzolo murder by the former Reina loyalists supports a long held theory by Mafia historians that the Gagliano-Lucchese faction kept their alliance with the Maranzano forces even after the death of Reina while top crime family members such as Lucchese acted as a spy for the Maranzano faction by faking support for Masseria.
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for a brief period during 1930.
Following the February 1930 murder of Tom Reina, mob boss Joe Masseria tried to take control of Reina's gang by backing Pinzolo, a close supporter, as Reina's replacement. Pinzolo may have been responsible for Reina's killing, though the most widely-suspected culprit for that crime remains Vito Genovese.
Pinzolo took charge of Reina's Bronx area ice distribution business Masseria ahead of top Reina gang members Tommy Gagliano
Tommy Gagliano
Gaetano "Tommy" Gagliano was an American gangster who founded the Lucchese crime family, one of the powerful "Five Families" of New York City, and served as its low-profile Boss for over two decades...
and Tommy Lucchese
Tommy Lucchese
Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese , also known as "Tom Brown" or "Three-Finger Brown", was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City...
. The two men felt Pinzolo had been promoted in order to secure the underworld interests of Masseria and not the former Reina followers. Pinzolo certainly did not help his own cause by being a most disagreeable man - the majority of his subordinates apparently grew to hate him with little time and effort. Charles "Lucky" Luciano once said of Pinzolo:
Bonanno crime family
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
boss Joe Bonanno later revealed that Gagliano and Lucchese formed a splinter group within the family along with a several other key members, including Dominick "the Gap" Petrilli
Dominick Petrilli
Dominick "The Gap" Petrilli was a New York mobster in the Lucchese crime family. He was an early associate of mobster/government witness Joe Valachi....
, a friend of Joe Valachi
Joe Valachi
Joseph "Joe Cargo" Valachi , Italian American, also known as "Charles Chanbano" 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 a household name.-Career:Joseph Valachi was born in East Harlem, New York...
.
Their festering resentment and personal distaste along with the general lawlessness unleashed by the Castellammarese War
Castellammarese War
The Castellammarese War was a bloody power struggle for control of the Italian-American Mafia between partisans of Joe "The Boss" Masseria and those of Salvatore Maranzano. It was so called because Maranzano was based in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily...
ultimately led to Pinzolo's murder. In September 1930, Pinzolo was lured to an office rented by Lucchese on Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, where Pinzolo was shot five times. The killer is reputed to have been Petrilli, Girolamo "Bobby Doyle" Santucci, or possibly Lucchese himself. Lucchese was indicted for the crime but the charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence. Masseria apparently attributed the killing to rival Castellammarese boss Salvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Cosa Nostra boss in the United States. He instigated the Castellammarese War to seize control of the American Mafia operations, and briefly became the Mafia's "Boss of Bosses"...
.
The Pinzolo murder by the former Reina loyalists supports a long held theory by Mafia historians that the Gagliano-Lucchese faction kept their alliance with the Maranzano forces even after the death of Reina while top crime family members such as Lucchese acted as a spy for the Maranzano faction by faking support for Masseria.
Further reading
- Bonanno, Joseph. A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2003. ISBN 0-312-97923-1
- Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 0-02-864225-2
- Peterson, Robert W. Crime & the American Response. New York: Facts on File, 1973. ISBN 0-87196-227-6
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Organized Crime: 25 Years After Valachi: Hearings Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 1988. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC19099088&id=DQeMhDjHx58C&q=Joseph+Pinzolo&dq=Joseph+Pinzolo&ie=ISO-8859-1&pgis=1
- United States. Congress. Senate. Government Operations Committee. Organized Crime and Illicit Traffic in Narcotics. 1964. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC17735988&id=yxJMaa3f3cEC&q=Joseph+Pinzolo&dq=Joseph+Pinzolo&ie=ISO-8859-1&pgis=1
External links
- Bonaventura "Joseph" Pinzolo at Find-A-Grave