Vincent "Little Vince" Meli (January 2, 1921 – January 7, 2008) was a Detroit mobster and acting Underboss

Underboss

Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...

 of the Detroit crime family. The nephew of Angelo Meli

Angelo Meli

Angelo Meli was a Detroit, Michigan mobster who became a consiglieri and then leading Chairman of the Detroit Partnership criminal organization of La Cosa Nostra.-Criminal career:...

, he succeeded longtime crime boss Anthony Zerilli following his imprisonment.

Early years

Born Vincent Angelo Meli to Frank Meli and Grazia Panzica in San Cataldo, Sicily, Meli arrived in the United States with his family during the 1920s. In 1944, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...

 in South Bend, Indiana

South Bend, Indiana

The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...

. Enlisting in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 soon after graduation, Meli saw little action and was discharged three years later.

Music business and labor racketeering

Shortly after his return to Detroit, Meli became involved in organized crime. He was a major crime figure who attempted to gain control of Detroit's coin machine industry. At age 24, with the financial backing of his uncle Angelo, Meli successfully bought the Meltone Music and Jay-Cee Music Co with Peter Tocco, Michael Polizzi, and Rafaelle Quasarano.

A capo by the 1960s, Meli was a major labor racketeer and, through Anthony "Tony Jacks" Giacalone

Anthony Giacalone

Anthony Joseph Giacalone, known as Tony Giacalone and by the nickname Tony Jack was an American organized crime figure in Detroit, serving as a capo in the Detroit Partnership...

, was an associate of Teamsters Union President Jimmy Hoffa

Jimmy Hoffa

James Riddle "Jimmy" Hoffa was an American labor union leader....

. During the 1990s, Meli was tied to labor racketeering. He was named by former Detroit mobster Nove Tocco and retired federal agents as an associate of Michael Bane, president of Pontiac, Michigan

Pontiac, Michigan

Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...

's Teamster Local 614, during federal investigations into labor union corruption.

Further reading

• Burnstein, Scott M. Motor City Mafia: A Century of Organized Crime in Detroit Arcadia Publishing, 2006 ISBN 0738540846