Peter LaTempa was a New York mobster and associate of the Genovese crime family

Genovese crime family

The Genovese 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 Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...

, who later agreed to become a government witness against Vito Genovese

Vito Genovese

Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...

.

A local Brooklyn hoodlum, LaTempa was pressured to support the testimony of hitman Ernest "The Hawk" Rupolo

Ernest Rupolo

Ernest "the Hawk" Rupolo was a low-level New York mobster and hitman for the Genovese crime family. Rupolo would later turn informant and testify against family boss Vito Genovese.-The Boccia murder:...

 in the government's case against Vito Genovese for the 1934 murder of gambler and Luciano crime family soldier, Ferdinand "The Shadow" Boccia

Ferdinand Boccia

Ferdinand "The Shadow" Boccia was a New York mobster and gambling racketeer who was killed by Vito Genovese, who would become a mob boss. Boccia's murder would force Genovese to flee the United States to Italy to avoid prosecution. He is the father-in-law of Andrew Ruggiano Sr...

. Shortly after Genovese's escape to Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

, LaTempa reportedly agreed to cooperate with authorities because he believed Genovese would never be prosecuted.

However, in 1946 U.S. occupation troops in Sicily arrested Genovese when they discovered he was a fugitive. On January 8, 1945, federal authorities announced that Genovese had been repatriated to New York. LaTempa immediately went to the Brooklyn district attorney's office and demanded protective custody. The authorities placed LaTempa in a cell at the Raymond Street Jail

Raymond Street Jail

The Raymond Street Jail was a jail in Brooklyn, New York City. With its cornerstone laid in a ceremony on August 27, 1836, Raymond Street Jail was the chief prison for Brooklyn before the latter was incorporated into New York City, and was closed on July 20, 1963...

. Less than a week after Genovese's return, LaTempa was found dead in his cell after taking medication for his gallstones. A later autopsy revealed enough poison was in his system "..to kill eight horses." LaTempa's murder, specifically how his medication had been tempered with, was never solved. However, underworld rumors said that Luciano crime family boss Frank Costello

Frank Costello

Frank Costello was an Italian New York City gangster who rose to the top of America's underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and enjoyed political influence.Nicknamed the "Prime Minister of the Underworld", he became one of the most powerful and influential Mafia...

arranged for LaTempa to be poisoned using his high level political and law enforcement contacts.

With LaTempa's sudden death, there was no one to corroborate Rupolo's testimony in the Boccia murder case.

The presiding judge stated before the court:

"By devious means, among which were the terrorizing of witnesses, kidnapping them, yes, even murdering those who give evidence against you, you have thwarted justice time and again."

 - and all charges against Genovese were dropped.