Colombo family roots: Profaci to Persico's terror
The Colombo family, a notorious branch of the Italian-American [Internal Link Placeholder], began its ascent in the shadows of [Internal Link Placeholder] City's streets. Founded by Joseph Profaci during the Prohibition era of the 1920s, it wasn't until decades later, under the brutal [Internal Link Placeholder] of Carmine Persico in the 1970s, that the organization truly cemented its reputation as the most ruthless of New York's Five Families. This infamous position was achieved through three [Internal Link Placeholder] internal wars, countless [Internal Link Placeholder], and a remarkable ability to survive even the [Internal Link Placeholder]'s most intense investigations. The family, which has operated under five different names throughout its history, illustrates the evolution of organized crime – from illegal [Internal Link Placeholder] in Brooklyn's Italian enclaves to advanced [Internal Link Placeholder] in the 21st century.
Joseph Profaci: Olive Oil King and Gallo kidnapping
Joseph Profaci, also known as the 'Olive Oil King,' established his criminal base in Brooklyn by combining [Internal Link Placeholder] acumen with raw [Internal Link Placeholder] and [Internal Link Placeholder]. His office on [Internal Link Placeholder] Street served as the nerve center for a network of [Internal Link Placeholder], illegal [Internal Link Placeholder], and [Internal Link Placeholder], generating substantial income for the organization. However, it was Profaci's notorious stinginess that triggered the first serious internal conflict. His demand for a monthly 'membership fee' of $25 from each soldier, ostensibly for a common insurance pool, was derided as the 'Profaci tax' and caused deep resentment. In February 1961, tensions culminated when the infamous Gallo brothers – Joseph 'Crazy Joe,' Larry, and Albert – kidnapped four of Profaci's closest men. During 17 intense days of negotiations in a warehouse at Red Hook harbor in Brooklyn, the Gallos demanded a larger share of the family's income. Profaci seemingly made a deal, but in reality, he was already planning his [Internal Link Placeholder]. On August 20, 1961, Profaci's henchmen lured Joseph 'Joe Jelly' Gioielli on a staged 'fishing trip' to [Internal Link Placeholder] Bay. Gioielli's body was later found, the victim of a brutal [Internal Link Placeholder], shot and tied to a millstone – a macabre reference to his cover as a meat dealer.
Joseph Colombo: Betrayal, media fame, assassination
After Joseph Profaci's death from cancer in 1962, Joseph Magliocco formally took over [Internal Link Placeholder] of the Colombo family. However, real power quickly began to consolidate around the young, charismatic Joseph Colombo. In a cunning power play in 1963, Magliocco formed an alliance with the Bonanno family boss to eliminate rival family leaders. But Joseph Colombo betrayed his own boss by revealing the plot to the Commission, the [Internal Link Placeholder] supreme governing council. This act secured him the position of boss and illustrated the internal [Internal Link Placeholder] and betrayal that characterized [Internal Link Placeholder] underworld. Colombo's leadership style was a radical departure from traditional Mafia practice. In 1970, he founded the Italian-American Civil Rights League, an organization ostensibly intended to combat stereotypes of Italians but which actually served as a front for his own interests and possibly involved [Internal Link Placeholder] to advance the family's agenda. He also organized the largest Mafia-related demonstration ever in Columbus Circle, New York. During one of these demonstrations, on June 28, 1971, Joseph Colombo was the victim of an [Internal Link Placeholder] attempt when activist Jerome A. Johnson fired three shots at him. While the assassin was killed by Colombo's bodyguards, the family leader lay mortally wounded – a dramatic image that marked the end of Colombo's [Internal Link Placeholder] era.
Carmine Persico: Prison power and Third Colombo War
Carmine 'The Snake' Persico, who had himself [Internal Link Placeholder] an [Internal Link Placeholder] attempt in the 1960s, seized control of the Colombo family from his prison cell in 1973. His ability to circumvent RICO laws and run the family from his cell at Martinsburg Federal Correctional Institution during his long imprisonment became legendary; he directed the family's criminal affairs through coded [Internal Link Placeholder], even while serving a 139-year sentence. Carmine Persico's most fateful decision came in 1991 when he appointed his inexperienced son, Alphonse 'Little Allie Boy' Persico, as acting boss. This blatant nepotism [Internal Link Placeholder] triggered the [Internal Link Placeholder] Third Colombo War, in which a faction led by Victor Orena challenged Persico's authority. Over 18 months, this internal [Internal Link Placeholder] war resulted in at least 12 [Internal Link Placeholder], including several innocent victims. One of the most shocking episodes of [Internal Link Placeholder] occurred on December 7, 1991, when Orena loyalists opened fire on Gregory Scarpa's [Internal Link Placeholder] on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn – a barbaric act of violence, carried out knowing that his daughter and grandchild were in the back seat.
After Persico: Cybercrime era and FBI arrests
Following Carmine Persico's death in prison in 2019 and Andrew 'Andy Mush' Russo's brief, turbulent [Internal Link Placeholder], the Colombo family has been forced to adapt to a new, digital reality. According to recent [Internal Link Placeholder] reports, the family has moved into more sophisticated forms of organized crime, including cybersecurity [Internal Link Placeholder] and [Internal Link Placeholder]. They allegedly leverage old connections in the construction industry to extort tech companies and secure lucrative contracts. A source described in 2022 how the family infiltrated a cloud computing startup by forcing contracts through with union-controlled subcontractors. Despite massive legal setbacks – including an extensive FBI arrest wave in 2021 that targeted the family's entire leadership for crimes such as labor racketeering, and the subsequent [Internal Link Placeholder] – the organization continues to operate under the radar through a complex network of front companies. A recent 2023 case revealed how they use [Internal Link Placeholder] mixer services to launder [Internal Link Placeholder] from activities including opioid trafficking, while also maintaining traditional income sources like loansharking and [Internal Link Placeholder] on [Internal Link Placeholder] construction sites.
The Colombo legacy: Survival and fight in New York
The Colombo family's history is a [Internal Link Placeholder] and tumultuous tale of power, betrayal, and survival in [Internal Link Placeholder] criminal underworld. From Joseph Profaci's early [Internal Link Placeholder] empire, built on [Internal Link Placeholder] and big [Internal Link Placeholder] in the 1930s, among other things, to Andrew Russo's failed attempts to navigate the 21st-century challenges of [Internal Link Placeholder], this dynasty has [Internal Link Placeholder]. They have endured through decades with a mix of brutal [Internal Link Placeholder], innovation in organized crime, and an ability to exploit society's cracks. Although the [Internal Link Placeholder]'s persistent efforts and RICO legislation are gradually dismantling the old structures, and many members have faced [Internal Link Placeholder], the question is not if, but when new criminal networks will attempt to take their place in New York's ever-changing criminal landscape, where the fight against the Mafia continues.
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Susanne Sperling
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