Joseph Sica
Encyclopedia
Joseph "JS" Sica was a New Jersey
mobster involved in armed robbery, murder for hire, extortion
, and narcotics distribution. Sica mentored many West Coast
mobsters, including Mike Rizzitello
and Anthony "the Animal" Fiato
. Chistopher "Chris" Petti was Sica's longtime partner in the Los Angeles and San Diego rackets. Sica's brothers Alfred, Angelo, and Frank were also associates of Sica's.
Born in Newark, New Jersey
, Sica was first arrested in 1926 at age 15. In 1950, Sica was indicted with 15 other mobsters for conspiracy to distribute narcotics in California
. However, the case was dismissed after Abraham Davidian, the prosecution's star witness, was shot to death while sleeping at his mother's home in Fresno, California
. During the 1950s, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations
identified Sica as a prominent member of the Los Angeles crime family
and an associate of mobsters Mickey Cohen
, Salvatore Iannone, and Thomas DeMaio.
Sica once refused an order by L.A. Boss Jack Dragna
to kill friend Mickey Cohen. Defying Dragna made Sica a well-respected man amongst Cohen and his bookmakers, but it alienated the L.A. family against him. Cohen's bookies sided with Sica and in an attempt to avoid another gambling war, Sica gave up a piece of his lucrative bookmaking business to Dragna. Sica worked in Los Angeles so long that he eventually became a close associate of the L.A. family.
Joseph Sica died on November 21, 1992.
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
mobster involved in armed robbery, murder for hire, extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, and narcotics distribution. Sica mentored many West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
mobsters, including Mike Rizzitello
Michael Rizzitello
Michael Anthony Rizzitello also known as "Mike Rizzi", was an Italian American mobster in the Los Angeles crime family. Rizzitello's criminal record stretched back to 1947...
and Anthony "the Animal" Fiato
Anthony Fiato
Craig Anthony Fiato, also known as Anthony the Animal and Tony Rome, was an American mobster and hitman for the Los Angeles crime family who later became an undercover informant and government witness...
. Chistopher "Chris" Petti was Sica's longtime partner in the Los Angeles and San Diego rackets. Sica's brothers Alfred, Angelo, and Frank were also associates of Sica's.
Born in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, Sica was first arrested in 1926 at age 15. In 1950, Sica was indicted with 15 other mobsters for conspiracy to distribute narcotics in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. However, the case was dismissed after Abraham Davidian, the prosecution's star witness, was shot to death while sleeping at his mother's home in Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
. During the 1950s, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations
United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has jurisdiction over matters related to the Department of Homeland Security and other homeland security concerns, as well as the functioning of the government itself, including the National Archives, budget and...
identified Sica as a prominent member of the Los Angeles crime family
Los Angeles crime family
The Los Angeles crime family is an Italian American criminal organization based in Los Angeles, as part of the American Mafia . Since its inception in the early 1900s, it has spread throughout Southern California. Like most Mafia families in the United States, the L.A. family gained power...
and an associate of mobsters Mickey Cohen
Mickey Cohen
Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen was a gangster based in Los Angeles and part of the Jewish Mafia, and also had strong ties to the American Mafia from the 1930s through 1960s.-Early life:...
, Salvatore Iannone, and Thomas DeMaio.
Sica once refused an order by L.A. Boss Jack Dragna
Jack Dragna
Jack Ignatius Dragna was an American Mafia member and Black Hander who was active in both Italy and the United States in the 1900s. He was active in bootlegging in California during the Prohibition Era in the United States...
to kill friend Mickey Cohen. Defying Dragna made Sica a well-respected man amongst Cohen and his bookmakers, but it alienated the L.A. family against him. Cohen's bookies sided with Sica and in an attempt to avoid another gambling war, Sica gave up a piece of his lucrative bookmaking business to Dragna. Sica worked in Los Angeles so long that he eventually became a close associate of the L.A. family.
Joseph Sica died on November 21, 1992.
Further reading
- Porrello, Rick. To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia. Novelty, Ohio: Next Hat Press, 2004. ISBN 0-9662508-9-3
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Status of the Department of Justice Organized Crime Strike Forces. 1990. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC21942313&id=VYzsbMg_lq4C&q=%22Joseph+Sica%22&dq=%22Joseph+Sica%22&pgis=1
- United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Profile of Organized Crime: Mid-Atlantic Region Report. 1984. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC11071654&id=60ANo0AEp6UC&q=%22Joseph+Sica%22&dq=%22Joseph+Sica%22&pgis=1
- Justice, Commerce, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations United States. Congress. House. Committee on appropriations. Subcommittee on Departments of State. Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations For The Fiscal Year, 1976. 1976. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02907257&id=SP58MKINUa4C&q=%22Joseph+Sica%22&dq=%22Joseph+Sica%22&pgis=1
- Bureau of Narcotics, U.S. Treasury Department, "Mafia: the Government's Secret File on Organized Crime, HarperCollins Publishers 2007 ISBN 0-06-136385-5