Joe Profaci (October 2, 1897–June 7, 1962) was a New York Mafia boss who was the founder and head of the Profaci crime family, known today as the Colombo crime family, for over three decades. October 2nd is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... 1897 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki (R) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... // Background The Mafia, also referred to in Italian as La Cosa Nostra (variously translated as This Thing Of Ours or Our Thing), is the name for a secret, criminal organisation which evolved in mid 19th century Sicily, and led to an offshoot on the East-Coast of the United States... The Colombo crime family is one of the Five Families considered the most important in the American Mafia. ...

He was reportedly despised by many of his underlings because he implemented a "slush" fund, whereby members of the Columbo Family had to give him $25 per month that would supposedly go towards supporting mobsters' families should the mobster go to prison. Those who didn't pay were usually murdered, as was anyone who disagreed with Profaci on any other matters. However, Profaci simply added it to the other huge amounts of money obtained through his criminal enterprise. He lived a life of luxury; at the height of his power, Profaci had a home set in a 328 acre (1.3 km²) estate with its own private airport. The United States dollar, or American dollar, is the official currency of the United States. ... An acre is an English unit of area. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ...

Like many mobsters, Profaci had many legitimate businesses, such as importing olive oil, which lead to him being referred to as the "Olive Oil King." However, most of his wealth was through traditional Mafia enterprises of protection rackets and extortion. Most of the Columbo Family's activities were based in Brooklyn. In agriculture, olive oil is an oil extracted from the fruit of the European olive tree , which originated in the Mediterranean area. ... A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a powerful organization coerces individuals or businesses to pay protection money which allegedly serves to purchase the organizations protection services against various external threats, whereas the actual threat comes from the organization itself. ... Extortion is a criminal offense, which occurs when a person obtains money, behaviour, or other goods and/or services from another by wrongfully threatening or inflicting harm to his person, reputation, or property. ... A map highlighting Brooklyn and the rest of New York City. ...

Profaci was a devout Catholic who donated a great deal to Catholic charities. Less admirably, however, he once had two thieves tortured to death for stealing from a local church. Charity is a term in Christian theology (one of the three virtues), meaning loving kindness towards others; it is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both glorify and reflect the nature of God. ... The Iron Maiden of Nuremberg was a famous torture device, though misconceptions about it do exist. ...

The Columbo Family underwent a civil war in 1960 when a trio of siblings from amongst its members—"Crazy" Joe Gallo and his two brothers—attempted to take it over with the help of other mobsters disenchanted with Profaci's rule. However, Profaci was still in power when he died of cancer two years later. 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Joey Gallo (April 7, 1929 - April 7, 1972) better known as Crazy Joe Gallo, was a gangster who was a member of the Profaci crime family (later known as the Colombo crime family). ... When normal cells are damaged or old they undergo apoptosis; cancer cells, however, avoid apoptosis. ...