Joe Valachi
Born	September 22, 1903(1903-09-22) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	April 3, 1971 (aged 67) El Paso, Texas, U.S.

Joseph 'Joe Cargo' Valachi (September 22, 1903 – April 3, 1971) {also aka Charles Chanbano/Anthony Sorge} was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. He is also the person who made Cosa Nostra (meaning "this thing of ours") a household name.^[1] Picture of Joe Valachi taken by the AP (taken from crimelibrary. ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... This article is about the state. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... El Paso redirects here. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... This article is about the criminal society. ... This article is about the criminal society. ... Charles Lucky Luciano, one of the most famous American bosses (La) Cosa Nostra (our thing or this thing of ours in Italian) is a worldwide alliance of criminals, linked through both familial and conspiratorial ties, that is dedicated to pursuing crime and protecting its members. ...

In October 1963, Valachi (a "soldier" in New York City's powerful Genovese crime family, whose primary "job" within the family was that of a driver) had testified before Arkansas Senator John L. McClellan's congressional committee on organized crime that the Mafia did exist.^[2][3] Although the low-ranking Valachi's disclosures never led directly to the prosecution of many Mafia leaders, he was able to provide many details of its history, operations and rituals, aiding in the solution of several uncleared murders, as well as naming many members and the major crime families. His testimony, which was broadcast on radio and television and published in newspapers, was devastating for the mob, still reeling from the November 14, 1957, Apalachin Meeting where state police had accidentally discovered several Mafia bosses from all over the United States meeting at the Apalachin, New York, home of mobster Joseph Barbara. After the Apalachin exposures and Valachi's testimony, the mob was no longer invisible to the public. He is the son-in-law of Gaetano Reina after Valachi married his oldest daughter Mildred, over the objections of her mother, brother and uncles. For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... The Genovese crime family is one of the Five Families that controls organized crime activities in New York City, USA, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... John Little McClellan (25 February 1896 – 28 November 1977) was a member of the US Senate|United States Senate and United States House of Representatives from Arkansas. ... Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ... This article is about the criminal society. ... // Early Period Origins Contrary to popular legend, the Sicilian Mafia actually originated some time during the mid 19th century, at around the same time as the emergence of the new Italian state. ... The Apalachin Meeting was a historic summit of the American mafia held on November 14, 1957 at the home of mobster Joseph Joe the Barber Barbara in Apalachin, New York. ... This article is about the criminal society. ... Apalachin is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in Tioga County, New York. ... This article is about the state. ... Joseph Joe the Barber Barbara (1905-June 1959) was head of the Bufalino crime family and host of the Apalachin Conference. ... Son in Law is a 1993 film starring Pauly Shore, Carla Gugino, Lane Smith, Cindy Pickett and Tiffani Thiessen. ... Tom Reina (1889-February 26, 1930) was an Italian-American mobster and capo to Joe Masseria. ...

Valachi's motivations for becoming an informer have been the subject of some debate. Insanity ran in his family, with four of his brothers and sisters winding up in mental institutions, and two committing suicide.^{[citation needed]} Valachi claimed to be testifying as a public service and a way to expose a powerful criminal organization that he blamed for ruining his life, but it is also possible he was simply hoping for US government protection to avoid the death penalty for a murder he committed on June 22, 1962. This murder, done with a pipe from a nearby construction site, was of a man in prison whom Valachi had mistaken for a Mafia member by the name of Joseph DiPalermo intending to kill him (Valachi and Genovese were both serving a sentence for heroin trafficking).^[4] Genovese had apparently ordered Valachi killed (offering $100,000 to anyone who did so) because the powerful mob boss believed Valachi had betrayed him to the authorities in exchange for a lighter prison sentence, thus violating the strict Mafia oath of Omertà (silence) which traditionally was punishable by death. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Panamanian motor vessel Gatun during the largest cocaine bust in United States Coast Guard history (20 tons), off the coast of Panama. ... Omertà is a popular attitude, common in areas of southern Italy, such as Sicily, Calabria and Campania, where the criminal organizations like the Mafia, Ndrangheta, and Camorra are strong. ...

After the U.S. Department of Justice first encouraged and then blocked publication of Valachi's memoirs, a biography heavily influenced by those memoirs and by interviews with Valachi was written by journalist Peter Maas and published in 1968 as The Valachi Papers,^[5] forming the basis for a later movie of the same title starring Charles Bronson as Valachi. Valachi also reportedly inspired the characters of Willie Cicci and Frank Pentangeli in the hit film The Godfather Part II (1974). The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C. “Justice Department” redirects here. ... As a literary genre, a memoir (from the French: mémoire from the Latin memoria, meaning memory), or a reminiscence, forms a subclass of autobiography, although it is an older form of writing. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Peter Maas (1929 June 27–2001 August 23) is a well-known journalist and biographer of the story of Frank Serpico, an NYPD officer living in a time of great police corruption. ... The Valachi Papers is a 1972 crime movie starring Charles Bronson and directed by Terence Young. ... For other persons named Charles Bronson, see Charles Bronson (disambiguation). ... Willie Cicci (1915-1959) is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzos novel The Godfather. ... Frank Pentangeli (Frankie Five Angels) is a fictional character from the novel and film The Godfather Part II. In the film, he was portrayed by Michael V. Gazzo, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance. ... The Godfather Part II is a 1974 motion picture directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script he co-wrote with Mario Puzo. ...

In 1966, Valachi attempted to hang himself in his prison cell, using an electrical extension cord. He died of a heart attack in 1971 at La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution in Texas, having outlived his nemesis Vito Genovese by two years. The $100,000 bounty placed on Valachi's head by Genovese went uncollected. Hanging is the suspension of a person by a ligature, usually a cord wrapped around the neck, causing death. ... Heart attack redirects here. ... Vito Don Brandon Genovese (November 27, 1897 – February 14, 1969) was a mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. ... A bounty is often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. ...

Timeline of Valachi

• 9/22/1903 Joseph Valachi born
• 3/10/1921 Joseph Valachi, Bronx, Buglary, 46th Pricent-discharged by Magistrate McGee 3/12/1921
• 11/10/1921 alias Anthony Sorge, Jersey City, NJ. revolver-Proabation 10/19/1922
• 06/22/1962 Valachi kills man in prision
• 04/3/1971 Valachi dies in Prision.

References

See also

• Vincent Palermo
• Sammy Gravano
• Tommaso Buscetta
• Joseph Massino
• Phil Leonetti

This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Salvatore Sammy the Bull Gravano (born March 12, 1945) was the Mafia underboss of the Gambino crime family in the 1980s under John Gotti. ... Tommaso Buscetta (Palermo, July 13, 1928- New York, April 4, 2000) was a Sicilian mafioso. ... Joseph C. Big Joey Massino (January 10, 1943) known in the media as The Last Don, was a Queens, New York restaurateur and former head of the Bonanno crime family. ... Phillip Leonetti Date of birth: March 27,1953 Height: 5 ft 7 in Weight: 150 lb. ...

External links

• The Dying of the Light: The Joe Valachi Story at the Crime Library
• Seize The Night: Joseph Valachi
• Joseph Valachi at Find A Grave