Joseph Profaci
Joseph Profaci was a prominent figure in organized crime, born in Palermo, Italy, in 1897, and immigrating to New York in the 1920s. He quickly rose to power as the boss of the Profaci crime family, establishing strong ties with the Bonanno crime family, which solidified his influence within the Mafia. Profaci gained the nickname "the Olive Oil King" due to his significant involvement in the olive oil import business, while simultaneously profiting from traditional Mafia activities such as extortion and protection rackets. Despite his contributions to charitable causes, he was known for his tyrannical leadership style, demanding dues from his associates that often lined his own pockets.
His reign was marked by internal conflict, notably a violent feud with the Gallo brothers over profits and control, which highlighted the tensions within the crime family. Profaci passed away from cancer in 1962, leaving a legacy of both power and controversy. His death marked a significant transition in the American Mafia, as the Profaci crime family later became known as the Colombo crime family, which continued to wield considerable influence in organized crime activities in New York.
Subject Terms
Joseph Profaci
- Born: October 2, 1897
- Birthplace: Villabate, Palermo, Sicily, italy
- Died: June 7, 1962
- Place of death: New York, New York
Mafia boss
Cause of notoriety: Profaci’s various illegal enterprises included labor rackets, gambling, loan-sharking, extortion, and drug trafficking.
Active: 1920’s-1960’s
Locale: New York
Early Life
Born in Palermo, Italy, in 1897, Joseph Profaci (proh-FAH-chee) was part of a wave of Sicilian Mafiosi who immigrated to New York during the 1920’s. With already-established ties to several criminal organizations and legitimate businesses, Profaci required little mentoring upon his arrival. He quickly moved up the ranks of organized crime in New York and earned a reputation as one of the most hated mob bosses in the history of the American Mafia.
Criminal Career
Throughout his three-decade reign as boss of the Profaci crime family, Profaci maintained a close alliance with fellow mob boss Joseph Bonanno. With the backing of the Bonanno crime family, Profaci’s leadership went unchallenged for a large part of his criminal career. Like other Mafiosi, Profaci made extra income and was able to protect his illegal enterprises by involving himself in legitimate business. For a time, he was one of the United States’ largest importers of olive oil, an honor that earned him the nickname the Olive Oil King. While he was successful in his legitimate business ventures, most of Profaci’s wealth came from traditional Mafia enterprises of extortion and protection rackets.
Despite being a faithful churchgoer and a large contributor to church charities, Profaci gained the reputation of being a tyrant within his own crime family. In keeping with Old World traditions, he demanded monthly dues from all of his men. These dues were supposed to be held in a “slush fund” to take care of legal fees and support the families of Mafia “soldiers” when they were imprisoned. Most of the money, however, ended up in Profaci’s pockets. Profaci also demanded a large share of his soldiers’ illegal profits, which led to a great deal of resentment and hostility within the family.
Legal Action and Outcome
In 1959, Profaci ordered the murder of a numbers operator who had stopped paying tributes. Joseph “Joe Jelly” Gioiello, a member of a Profaci crew headed by the notorious Gallo brothers, carried out the hit. Brothers Larry, Albert, and Joey Gallo expected to receive a large share of the deceased operator’s gambling business, but to their dismay, Profaci distributed most of the business among his friends and family. This event sparked a family war that pitted Profaci and his associates against the Gallo brothers and several other defectors.
Other New York City bosses, with the exception of Profaci’s longtime ally Bonanno, eagerly anticipated the family’s self-destruction. However, the bloody war never did reach a conclusion. In 1961, the Gallo faction suffered a major loss when Joe Gallo was sent to prison for extortion. In 1962, Profaci died of cancer, leaving the family under the control of his brother-in-law Joseph Magliocco. Magliocco died of natural causes in 1963 and was replaced by Joseph Colombo, Sr., who in 1964 arranged a truce with the Gallo faction.
Impact
The Profaci crime family (known today as the Colombo crime family) was one of five Italian American syndicates to emerge from the Castellammarese War, which pitted mob boss Salvatore Maranzano and his Old World followers against Joe Masseria, whose followers included both Sicilian and non-Sicilian Mafiosi. While the Maranzano group would emerge victorious, Salvatore’s Old World style and traditions irritated the more Americanized gangsters who were moving up the ranks of organized crime in New York at this time. Before Maranzano’s assassination in 1931, he appointed Joseph Profaci head of his own family.
During his three-decade reign as boss, Profaci carried on the Old World traditions of the original Sicilian Mafia. While remembered by some as a greedy, iron-fisted dictator, Profaci saw himself as a traditionalist. His death marked the end of an era in the American Mafia. The Profaci/Colombo family would remain one of the most powerful organized crime groups in New York, involved in a wide array of crimes, including narcotics trafficking, gambling, loan-sharking, cigarette smuggling, pornography, and counterfeiting.
Bibliography
Abadinsky, Howard. Organized Crime. 7th ed. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2003. Provides a detailed analysis of organized crime in New York and Chicago and examines several emerging international groups.
Bonanno, Bill. Bound by Honor: A Mafioso’s Story. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999. Bonanno dispels several myths about the American Mafia and provides rare insights into several New York crime families.
Bonanno, Rosalie, and Beverly Donofrio. Mafia Marriage. New York: St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 2003. Rosalie Bonanno’s intimate account of life inside the Mafia offers shocking details about two infamous New York crime families.