Gennaro Joseph "Jerry" Angiulo Sr. (; March 20, 1919 – August 29, 2009) was an American

mobster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level ...

who rose to the position of

underboss Underboss () is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian Mafia, Sicilian and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the Crime boss, boss. The un ...

in the

Patriarca crime family The Patriarca crime family (, ), also known as the New England Mafia, the Boston Mafia, the Providence Mafia, the Boston–Providence Mafia,

of New England under Raymond L. S. Patriarca. He and his brothers oversaw the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

faction of the Patriarca family. Angiulo was convicted of

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercion, coercive, fraud, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. ...

in 1986 and was imprisoned until being released in 2007. According to

Massachusetts State Police The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, responsible for law enforcement and vehicle regulation across the state. As of 2024, it has 2,500 sworn troop ...

colonel Thomas J. Foley, Angiulo was "probably the last very significant Mafia boss in Boston’s history".

Early life

Gennaro J. Angiulo was born in 1919 to Italian immigrants Cesare and Giovannina "Jeannie" (née Fimiani) Angiulo, who owned the "Dog House", a

mom-and-pop Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have a small number of employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being ...

convenience store and luncheonette on Prince Street in the North End of Boston.Angiulo brothers, Whitey Bulger’s family, other mobsters appear in newly released 1950 census records
Emily Sweeney, ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' (April 5, 2022) He grew up with his siblings Nicolo, Donato,

Francesco Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...

Antonio Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top ...

Michele Michele () is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael. Michele (usually pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and iden ...

and James. Even though he was from the North End neighborhood, he graduated from Boston English High School in 1936, where his ambition was to attend Suffolk Law School and become a criminal lawyer. Instead, he enlisted in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

at the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and served four years in the Pacific theater, achieving the rank of Chief Boatswain's Mate.Gennaro Angiulo’s military burial raises eyebrows, ire
O'Ryan Johnson, ''

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American conservative daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarde ...

'' (September 3, 2009) Upon completion of his service, he returned to the North End of Boston.

Criminal career

Gennaro's brothers, who by now were all involved in Boston's criminal underworld, recruited him into their circle. Efforts by local authorities to arrest and prosecute operators of the " Italian lottery" created an opening for them; the Angiulo brothers found local businesses willing to serve as fronts for their bookies and gave them "discounts" on the bets in return, then reinvested their profits into legitimate enterprises such as nightclubs to launder them. The dominant

Patriarca crime family The Patriarca crime family (, ), also known as the New England Mafia, the Boston Mafia, the Providence Mafia, the Boston–Providence Mafia,

co-opted the brothers, inducting them as members of the family and taking a cut of their action. After the

Kefauver hearings Carey Estes Kefauver ( ; July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1939 to 1949 and in the U.S. Senate from 1949 until hi ...

began in 1950, Joseph Lombardi, a senior member of the

Mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

in Boston, ordered all bookmaking operations in the city to cease or to operate without a central layoff bank and without police protection, fearing the publicity from the hearings may expose his rackets. As a result, bookmakers lost the protection of the Mafia but gained freedom to operate independently.The Providence Mob: Succession of Power
Allan May,

Crime Library Crime Library is a website documenting major crimes, criminals, trials, forensics, and criminal profiling from books. It was founded in 1998 and was most recently owned by truTV, a cable TV network that is part of Time Warner's Turner Broadcast ...

Angiulo obtained Lombardi's permission to enter the bookmaking rackets in 1951.The Providence Mob: New England Crime Family
Allan May,

The Mafia's overreaction to the Kefauver hearings, which ultimately had little effect on

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

in Boston, allowed Angiulo to take control of the city's newly independent gambling operations. By the late 1950s, Angiulo was being extorted by the ''mafioso'' Ilario "Larry Baione" Zannino.Whitey World A-Z: Ilario Zannino (1920-1995)
Howie Carr, ''

'' (September 6, 2009) To end the shakedown, Angiulo paid $50,000 to Raymond "the Man" Patriarca, the boss of the

Patriarca crime family The Patriarca crime family (, ), also known as the New England Mafia, the Boston Mafia, the Providence Mafia, the Boston–Providence Mafia,

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, in exchange for being inducted as a " made" member of the family, agreeing to pay an additional $100,000 per year. The payment allowed Angiulo to become a full-fledged member of the Mafia without having to commit a murder, which is typically required for prospective ''mafiosi''. The relationship between Angiulo and Patriarca was strictly financial. Although Angiulo was not popular or well-respected in Providence, he retained the protection of Patriarca due to his high-earning status. In around 1962, one mobster, Vincent "Fat Vinny" Teresa, drew the ire of Angiulo when he beat up an associate of Joseph Paterno, a New Jersey-based ''

caporegime A ''caporegime'' or ''capodecina'', usually shortened to ''capo'' or informally referred to as "captain", "skipper" or "lieutenant", is a leadership position in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia). A ''capo'' is a "made m ...

'' in the

Gambino crime family The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia. ...

. Paterno complained to Angiulo, who never like Teresa and solicited to have him killed over the beating. Only the intervention of Patriarca saved Teresa's life. Teresa became a confidential informant for the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

(FBI) afterwards.Vinnie Teresa cooperated much earlier than he let on
Edmond Valin, ''The American Mafia''

Underboss

The Angiulo brothers were first publicly named as members of the Mafia during the

Valachi hearings The Valachi hearings, also known as the McClellan hearings, investigated organized crime activities across the United States. The hearings were initiated by Arkansas Senator John L. McClellan in 1963. Named after the major government witness again ...

in 1963.U.S. Prosecutors Hope To Expose A 'Mafia' At Coming Boston Trial
Fox Butterfield, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (February 18, 1985) Gennaro's reputation for being a shrewd businessman, along with his successful racketeering, led to Patriarca appointing him

of the Patriarca family. From this perch, Angiulo headed up Boston's underworld from the 1960s to the 1980s. As family underboss, he oversaw all Mafia rackets between Boston and

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

. Angiulo's closest ''capo'' was Zannino, who Angiulo relied on to provide "muscle" to the Boston faction of the family. Gennaro and his brothers ran the criminal organization out of their headquarters, the "Dog House", located at 98 Prince Street in the North End, which was the location of the Angiulo family home and former premises of the luncheonette operated by their parents in the 1940s.Carr: Last link to epic Boston mob family gone
Howie Carr, ''

'' (June 2, 2015) Gennaro and his brothers were popular figures in the Italian enclave.'The Two Dons Are Dead'
David Boeri,

WBUR-FM WBUR-FM (90.9 FM) is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Boston University. Its programming is also known as WBUR News. The station is the largest of three NPR member stations in Boston, along with WGBH and W ...

(September 3, 2009) A period of gang warfare erupted in Boston beginning in September 1961 and involving the rival Irish mob groups, the McLaughlin Gang of Charlestown and Somerville's

Winter Hill Gang The Winter Hill Gang was a loose confederation of American organized crime figures in the Boston, Massachusetts area. It was generally considered an Irish mob organization, with most gang members and the leadership consisting predominantly of ...

.The Boston Irish Gang Wars Terrify a City
New England Historical Society The feud resulted in over 50 murders.Angiulo talks about gang warfare on FBI tapes

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

(September 4, 1985) Many gangsters went into hiding to avoid the bloodshed, resulting in their illicit operations being neglected and Patriarca receiving less money from the Boston rackets. Patriarca threatened to "declare martial law" and ordered the leaders of both gangs to hold peace talks in January 1965, but the negotiations failed. Angiulo and Patriarca sought advice from the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

crime boss

Vito Genovese Vito Genovese (; November 21, 1897 – February 14, 1969) was an Italian-born American ''American Mafia, mafioso'' and the leader of the Genovese crime family in New York City. A childhood friend and criminal associate of Lucky Luciano, Genovese ...

, who advised them to cede some territory to appease the Irish gangs. Determined to end the war, Patriarca decided to back the Winter Hill Gang to eliminate the McLaughlin Gang. Angiulo claimed to have killed twenty Irish mobsters to quell the gang war, saying he and his brothers "buried 20 fucking Irishmen to take this fucking town over". On August 8, 1967, Angiulo was indicted by the Suffolk County Grand Jury on charges of conspiracy to murder Rocco DiSiglio, a Mafia associate and former boxer who was shot five times and left in a sports car in Topsfield in June 1966. Angiulo allegedly incited three others—Richard DeVincent, Marino LePore, and Bernard "Bernie" Zinna, who were each charged with first-degree murder—to kill DiSiglio. The indictments were the result of the Grand Jury testimony of former hit man Joseph "the Animal" Barboza.Angiulo Indictment Gives Boston A Break in Gang-Busting Attempt
''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper at Harvard University, an Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The newspaper was founded in 1873, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduate students. His ...

'' (August 11, 1967) Angiulo utilized two underlings, Stephen "the Rifleman" Flemmi and Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, to ensure he was acquitted by

jury tampering Jury tampering is the crime of unduly attempting to influence the composition or decisions of a jury during the course of a trial. The means by which this crime could be perpetrated can include attempting to discredit potential jurors to ensure ...

.Former mob boss tells of access to FBI
Shelley Murphy, ''

'' (February 13, 2004) In 1968, Anguilo and his co-defendants were found not guilty.Mobster of the Week: Bernard Zinna
Howie Carr, ''

'' (August 12, 2007) Angiulo recruited the Winter Hill Gang for assistance in a war against the Somerville-based Notarangeli crew, headed by Alfred "Indian Al" Notarangeli.Trail of corpses and grief
''

'' (June 2, 2013) Testimony: Rival Gang Leader Killed After Altercation With Patriarca Crime Family

WCVB-TV WCVB-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on TV Place (off Gould Street near the I-95/ MA 128/Highland Avenue in ...

(August 9, 2011) Notarangeli's gang had begun extorting bookmakers who were under the protection of the Patriarca family,James ‘Whitey’ Bulger linked to 11 murders

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

(August 12, 2013) and while on furlough from prison in 1972, Notarangeli murdered one of Angiulo's bookies, Paulie Folino.Joe Notarangeli, 1937-1973
Howie Carr, ''

'' (May 22, 2011) Folino disappeared in September 1972 and his remains were discovered in a shallow grave in Boxford a month later. In March and April 1973, the Winter Hill Gang carried out a series of hits, resulting in the deaths of mobsters Michael Milano, Al Plummer, William O'Brien, James Leary, and Joseph "Indian Joe" Notarangeli.Winter Hill Gang Leader Pleads Guilty

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking a ...

(October 14, 2003) After several failed attempts on his life,A Look At The 19 Murder Victims In Bulger Trial

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

(August 12, 2013) Al Notarangeli was shot in the head and left in the trunk of his car by the Winter Hill Gang on February 22, 1974 at the request of the Patriarca family.Caught In Santa Monica, Mobster Appears Addled
''

Tampa Bay Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute ...

'' (June 24, 2011) Ex-hit man John Martorano ties Whitey Bulger to murder as federal trial continues in Boston
Boston.com (June 17, 2013) Angiulo became a multimillionaire.Mobster keeps truckin’ at 88: Bigmouth set to get out of big house
Howie Carr, ''

'' (July 8, 2007) He lived in a beachfront mansion in the suburb of Nahant and drove a

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

with "Italian Stallion" inscribed on the license plate.Boston indictments give glimpse into mob
Ed Lion,

(September 25, 1983)

Capture

Arrest

In 1981, the

(FBI) placed wiretaps in the headquarters and at a nearby social club, located at 51 North Margin Street, for three months. It was later revealed in a federal court that rival gangsters Whitey Bulger and Stephen Flemmi (the latter of whom was a longtime friend of the Angiulo brothers) drew a diagram for FBI agents telling them where to plant the bugs. During one taped conversation between Angiulo and Zannino, Angiulo said: "I wouldn't be in legitimate business for all the fucking money in the world. We're shylock. We're a fucking bookmaker. We're selling marijuana. We're illegal here, illegal there. Arsonists! We're every fucking thing". On September 19, 1983, following a three-year federal investigation, Angiulo was arrested alongside his brothers Francesco and Michele at Francesco's Restaurant in the North End. Donato Angiulo was arrested nearby.U.S. Investigation of Boston Mob Yields Indictments Against 7 Men
''

'' (September 21, 1983) As Angiulo was being taken in handcuffs from the restaurant, he yelled, "I'll be back before my pork chops get cold." The four, along with a fifth Angiulo brother, Vittore, as well as Ilario Zannino and Samuel Granito were indicted on racketeering charges involving murder, loan sharking, obstruction of justice, obstruction of law enforcement, interstate travel involving racketeering and illegal gambling. The indictment listed six murders, including that of Joseph Barboza.Reputed head of Boston underworld and five deputies arraigned
William Poole,

(September 20, 1983) Angiulo and his associates allegedly made $250,000 per week from the rackets.Authorities hope arrest of Boston 'godfather' will crack mob
Ed Lion,

(September 26, 1983) After the death of Patriarca in July 1984, Angiulo sought the leadership of the family. His closest lieutenant, Zannino, instead lent his support to Patriarca's son, Raymond Patriarca Jr., however, who promoted Zannino to ''

consigliere Consigliere ( , ; plural is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel ''The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a c ...

'' after he was appointed the successor to his father. Following Angiulo's arrest, and amid newspaper reports that revealed his carelessness in allowing the FBI to infiltrate the Boston mob, the Patriarca family formally demoted him to the rank of

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

as a symbolic rebuke. Francesco "Paul" Intiso succeeded Angiulo as underboss.Mob War in Beantown
Allan May, ''American Mafia'' (September 4, 2000)

Trial

At the highly publicized trial, which lasted eight months, jurors heard hours of taped conversations of Angiulo and his associates discussing and planning numerous illegal activities, including murder, gambling, loan sharking and

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded ...

. In one conversation, Angiulo ordered the murder of a bartender employed in one of his clubs after learning that he had agreed to testify to having overheard incriminating details of Angiulo crimes. The FBI thwarted the plot by warning the witness. While sitting in court, the mobster often sarcastically commented on the evidence presented and cracked jokes, prompting

District Court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...

Judge David Nelson to repeatedly reprimand him for contemptible behavior.

Sentence and later life

On February 27, 1986, Angiulo and his co-defendants were convicted of "an avalanche of charges".4 Convicted By U.S. Jury In Boston Rackets Trial
Matthew L. Wald, ''

'' (February 27, 1986) On April 3, 1986, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison on 12 counts of racketeering, gambling, loan sharking, and

obstruction of justice In United States jurisdictions, obstruction of justice refers to a number of offenses that involve unduly influencing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the justice system, especially the legal and procedural tasks of prosecutors, investiga ...

.Reputed Mafia boss Angiulo sentenced
Karin Davies,

(April 3, 1986) As his own lawyer, Angiulo argued numerous times, unsuccessfully, to have his conviction overturned. One argument claimed that he was framed by the FBI, Bulger, and Flemmi. In an

affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or ''deposition (law), deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by la ...

filed in federal court in 2004, he wrote that he was in poor health and his term was "tantamount to an illegal death sentence". Angiulo, who had been incarcerated at the federal prison hospital in Devens, was paroled on September 10, 2007. He had been undergoing dialysis treatment since his release while living at his waterfront home in Nahant. Prior to his death, he was spending time with his wife, Barbara, with whom he had three children. Angiulo died on August 29, 2009, at the

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

from kidney disease.

In popular culture

In the Whitey Bulger biopic ''

Black Mass A Black Mass is a ceremony celebrated by various Satanic groups. It has allegedly existed for centuries in different forms, and the modern form is intentionally a sacrilegious and blasphemous parody of a Catholic Mass. In the 19th century the ...

'' (2015), Angiulo is portrayed by Bill Haims.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Angiulo, Gennaro 1919 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American criminals American gangsters of Italian descent American male criminals American prisoners and detainees Deaths from kidney failure in the United States Gangsters from Boston Military personnel from Boston Patriarca crime family People convicted of racketeering People from North End, Boston Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government United States Navy chiefs United States Navy personnel of World War II