born january american member mafia boss crime family boss families new_york_city turn state evidence protégé took control troubled family assassination originally truck secured power arranging gang murders triple murder rebel captains rival prison labor conviction died succeeded release following year set rebuilding family turmoil quarter century dawn new millennium powerful mafia leader nation known don fledged new_york boss time prison july convicted murder indictment based testimony men including brother law facing death penalty convicted separate murder trial held later year agreeing testify associates sentenced life imprisonment testified twice government helping win murder conviction acting boss time served supervised release rest life early years born january new_york_city sons american anthony raised queens admitted juvenile age claimed ran away home florida dropped tenth grade met future wife married couple daughters befriended brother briefly serving army trusted allies athletic youth avid cook grew overweight adulthood weight gained nickname big trial asked fbi agent play film adaptation undercover work joked find fat suffering diabetes high blood pressure turned state evidence claimed murder victim crime family associate named shot dead time 1960s killing gained based remained unaware participation nephew ultimately helped protégé set lunch wagon operator mobile lunch association effective protection paying form membership assured competition operated crime family rise power late 1960s associate led successful truck crew assistance brother law fencing stolen goods running numbers lunch wagon befriended mob future crime family boss increasingly prosperous opened catering company activities mentor expected boss death convicted previous year leaving imprisoned absence convicted drug seized control unofficial acting boss participated murder claimed primarily executed behest crime family hit significant making bones proving loyalty mafia killing behalf putting close man member family arranged murder having borrow behalf later acquitted crime admit participation turning state evidence march arrested scene arrest charged conspiracy receive stolen goods scheduled trial charges dropped successfully argued properly statements gave police trial june inducted family group men ceremony conducted worked soldier crew later worked philip lucky crew remained loyal despite imprisonment fearing wanted dead delivered request commission governing body behalf killed hit approved executed july subsequently took control family rewarded loyalty promoting beginning 1980s ran crew social club property building seized crackdown gambling activities murders following hit began power loyalist men threatened faction seeking boss led red big commission initially tried maintain neutrality got word automatic weapons planning kill loyalists family complete control turned crime family boss boss advice told act immediately born linked montreal crime family arranged meeting brooklyn social club gunmen including affiliated montreal boss hiding closet ambush arrived meet shot death stopping escaping escaped unscathed running door hit improved prestige marred escape discovery body quickly won son vowed revenge assigned associate hoped man kill fact undercover fbi agent named shortly hit ordered assignment ended informed skeptical support deeply disturbed breach security learned agent true identity later testify reason subsequently decided murder later quote situation testimony instead claimed targeted trying august drove house family associate meeting greeted captain thrown stairs house basement shot death body discovered following year helped formally associate targeted arrested route meeting expected murdered february soldier discovered assassinated orders gone hiding exposure ultimately betrayed murdered protégé cousin fugitive murder november based information gained including missing indicted charges conspiracy hit march tipped associated fbi insider indicted went hiding pennsylvania march charged conspiracy murder truck hiding able prosecution strategy better plan defense eventually face trial association later speculated feared retaliation revelation associate turned state evidence visited fellow including secretly deliver cash support released prison ordered murder soldier fugitive summoned hideout gave order time considered boss officially head family heir apparent title according killed giving support hiding called meeting queens picked driven garage route twice head wounded kill shots reached destination task corpse handed promised remains disappear forever remains discovered april warehouse new_jersey stuffed drums hit initiated family conviction associate able meet defense attorney negotiate surrender finally turned july released bail year secured jobs long_island based king exchange protecting indicted twice labor case controlling local conspiracy charge murder added original indictment second indictment charged cases labor trial began april defendants including protested confidence opportunity profit implicated union official october found guilty charges accepting behalf january sentenced years imprisonment prison term convicted poor health trial sentenced time believed family official declining health operating head family nominally acting boss april went trial truck conspiracy commit triple murder defended respectively prosecutor describing rise opening statements characterize mob testified proved unable link murder charges june men convicted charges cleared murder conspiracy charges proven criminal acts took place outside act year statute limitations evidence criminal enterprise active jury returned special verdict clearing charges imprisonment conviction functioned messenger effectively acting boss alongside orders organized murder hit suspected informant boss family meetings prison behalf urged brother law boss fact spent years reign bars felt bring family stability reluctant long alive respectful sponsorship mafia career mafia tradition boss keeps title life spring ordered boss soon died died june days funeral instructed meeting family acclaimed boss release november messenger probation promoted associate convicted probation fbi suspected convicted crime fbi reason suspicious brothers law returned job owner reviewed italian restaurant years old time accession knew potentially long reign ahead mind determined avoid landed mafia bosses prison inspired boss forbade men saying loud fbi surveillance instead touch ears referring gained nickname ear took great number precautions regards security possibility picked closed long standing social clubs family arranged family meetings conducted remote locations united_states cases held meetings foreign countries bring wives passed remembering damaged family decreed prospective men working relationship incumbent member years hopes ensuring new reliable possible unusually bosses era actively encouraged men sons view likely turn informer happened son face certain death minimize damage undercover investigations introduced clandestine cell system crews forbidding contacting avoiding meeting instead create new committee relay orders crews contrast contemporaries particularly publicity friendly conspicuous insanity able operate relatively low public profile mob writer consequently refer old time effect reforms reduction words time release family grown tired authority new structure family lost usual role boss share family profits duties entailed clear factor changes remained loyal helped organize march murder indicated fellow killed feuding fellow accusing cocaine testimony claimed killed killing son body buried instead left discovered street attempt hit look like drug deal mafia ordered hit attend funeral shortly boss announced men longer consider family instead renamed family like angered family namesake tell autobiography man honor regarded violation code told view family new disclosed indicted catch outside mafia relations families boss closest allies backed plot family boss tried seat commission acting boss reportedly infuriated officially promoted consulted later testify believed kill murder conviction consequent life imprisonment angered high public profile later criticized killing predecessor poor relationship backed opposition blocked attempts bring commission family decline better quarter century kicked commission altogether following late 1990s situation reversed family powerful crime family new_york nation small fledged new_york boss streets turned thrown commission actually worked favor family leadership wasn wary surveillance generally avoided meeting members mafia families encouraged crews operate independently january informal commission meeting acting bosses families powerful mafia leader new_york nation position general policies families direction commission qualifications man requiring candidates italian descent previously having italian american father minimum requirement imposed restrictions initiating associates convicted drug charges according murder relations families originally considered merely canadian crew responded taking new_york run prosecution beginning reign boss enjoyed benefit limited fbi attention weakened fbi merged squad family squad squad initially preoccupied internal war dedicated squad established squad chief aware measures taken avoid scrutiny decided rear guard action convinced bosses lend pair forensic normally fraud investigations believing easily conspirators family money schemes believed threat long prison sentences sufficient conspirators turn informer easier trace money flowed meantime fbi targeted members administration sentenced years imprisonment convicted life imprisonment murder assume duties guilty charges december sentenced years imprisonment guilty charges june immediately sentenced placed house arrest interim relatively low maximum sentence eligible lead suspect law enforcement secretly ordered arrested taken demoted killed family modern history war man turn informant government witness point pride rally crime family year convicted fraud facing charges fbi forensic accounting investigation flip followed shortly acting participant murder facing murder charges subsequently turned state evidence knowledge murder left vulnerable charges conviction january arrested indicted alongside comprehensive indictment charges included ordering murder denied bail took acting boss absence hired attorney originally wanted represent trial defense men choose cooperate came trial anticipating shortly indicted went fbi agreed wear wire remained free second custody word receptive family wanted killed learning earlier plans kill brother law prosecutors informed dissatisfied lack support family received arrest day decided flip soon safe formally reached deal prosecutors february followed short order knowing murder longtime associate concerned safety investigator defense team visited find intended flip indictment charging seven additional murders time participation murder conspiracy particular interest hit took place amendment laws allowed death penalty murder aid trial began judge presiding heading prosecution faced counts seven murders prospect prosecutors seeking death penalty murder case severed tried separately arson illegal gambling money time time magazine dubbed don reference status new_york boss serving prison sentence point stuck despite weak start opening witness unable recognize courtroom prosecution establish case link charges indictment unprecedented seven major including turned men stand particular significance spent decades mafia close brother law allowed cover entire criminal history testimony defense rested primarily cross examination prosecution witnesses witness fbi agent challenge reliability defense unusual attempt contest boss instead stressing murders case took place took showed love life murders ceased days jury found guilty counts july sentencing initially scheduled october expected receive sentence life imprisonment possibility parole jury approved prosecutors recommended million proceeds reign boss day verdict turning state evidence immediately july conviction court requested meeting judge offer cooperate facing death penalty found guilty murder final acts attorney general order federal prosecutors seek death penalty stood mafia boss executed crimes mob boss face death penalty executed hopes saving life decided break blood oath turn informer subsequently claimed decided turn informer prospect wife mother having houses government mob authors journalists consider turning men factor assuming decided flip long verdict sitting boss new_york crime family turn state evidence second history philadelphia crime family boss flipped facing drug charges marked second time little year new_york boss reached plea bargain pleaded guilty justice charges prosecutors long insanity advice october fbi revisited queens mob graveyard body found unearthed bodies hoped find body accidentally killed son body reported arrested november kill prosecutor failing test discussion agreed wear wire meeting acting boss jail unable extract confession record freely admit ordering murder associate end january indicted murder identified news sources anonymous fellow secretly recorded confession public disgust family confirmation came february identified source graveyard dropped threat death penalty case hearing june finalized deal guilty ordering murder conviction sentenced consecutive life sentences possible reduction depending service witness day negotiated settlement satisfy claim keeping homes mother rental properties turning assets million hundreds gold bars restaurant replaced boss replaced acting boss reported formally assumed title testimony release absent prosecution witnesses trial prosecution deciding needed expected testify role murder montreal boss accepted plea bargain finally debut witness trial murder april testified trial convicted behalf prosecution unsuccessful attempt impose death penalty testimony noted result cooperation hoping light end tunnel testified trial primarily provide background expert worked closely prosecutors decided use turned witness dropped case ended considered witness murder trial acting boss dropped unable fully remember meeting claimed indicated involvement murder officer june filed request judge reduction sentence prosecutors cited impact unprecedented cooperation failing health reasons reduction sentence granted request july time served supervised release remainder life
Joseph Massino