John Joseph Vitale (May 17, 1909 – June 5, 1982) was a Sicilian-American

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, ...

and under-boss of the St. Louis crime family. During his lifetime, Vitale was the

of the St. Louis crime family.

Early life

John J. Vitale was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, in 1909.Auble, John (2002). ''A History of St. Louis Gangsters''. St. Louis, Missouri: The National Criminal Research Society. Pp. 26. Both of Vitale's parents were born in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

; his father in

Trapani Trapani ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') with 54,887 inhabitants, on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the mai ...

Randazzo, Andy T
"Joseph Vitale Genealogy"
Retrieved July 18, 2011. and his mother in

Termini Imerese Termini Imerese (; ) is a town of the Metropolitan City of Palermo on the northern coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is one of the most important towns of the Metropolitan City of Palermo, from which it is 33 km away. The town is easily reachabl ...

. They immigrated to the United States a few years before John was born. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

he worked as an usher at the Ambassador Theater where he met movie actress

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

; the two became lifelong friends. On September 8, 1929, he married Fara Marie Sharamitaro. Together, they had four children. After Fara died in July 1973 John married Mildred Joyce Allen on August 4, 1973, in Las Vegas, Nevada. They moved back to Saint Louis, Missouri to start their family together, Including Mary Michelle Vitale, who was age 13 at the time. Vitale's arrest record began , though he was rarely convicted.Associated Press. "John Vitale, Organized Crime Leader in St. Louis, Dies at 73." ''Chicago Tribune'', June 7, 1982, pp. D13 For example, in 1934, he was a suspect in the death of Mike Palazzolo.Mike Palozzolo, death certificate no. 17922 (1934). Missouri Department of Health, Jefferson City, Missouri. According to St. Louis investigative reporter John Auble, Palazzolo allegedly had an ongoing quarrel with a man named Walter Mushenick. In May 1934, Mushenick assaulted Palazzolo's girlfriend Delphine, slapping her in the face. After Delphine informed Palazzolo of the assault, Palazzolo stated that, "he was going to get even with Mushenick..." Witnesses stated that when Palazzolo left his parents' house to visit a friend, Vitale arrived and waited for him to return. After returning home, Palazzolo left with Vitale in Vitale's car. That was the last time Palazzolo was seen alive. The coroner determined that Palozzolo was shot twice with a .38 caliber, a single shot through the head and neck, and another in the chest. Though a warrant was issued for his arrest, Vitale was exonerated of the murder.

St. Louis crime family

Little is known of Vitale's early years in the syndicate, as he was known for keeping a low profile. His last run in with the law was in 1980 when he was arrested for having US$30,000 in his pocket.

Sonny Liston affair

The St. Louis crime family held financial interests in the career of

Sonny Liston Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( – December 30, 1970), nicknamed "the Big Bear", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1962 after k ...

, a professional boxer. According to both FBI and newspaper reports, Vitale, in addition to other underworld crime figures, "reportedly controlled Liston's contract," by owning approximately twelve percent of the boxer's contract. However, when a congressional committee inquired into the matter, he refused to answer any questions.

Other activities

Vitale was sent to federal prison once on a narcotics charge during the 1950s. In 1958, he was charged with the federal crime of transporting firearms across state lines, which he appealed. In February 1959, he was called to testify regarding mafia-controlled coin machine rackets, but invoked the

Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Fifth Amendment (Amendment V) to the United States Constitution creates several constitutional rights, limiting governmental powers focusing on United States constitutional criminal procedure, criminal procedures. It was ratified, along with ...

against self-incrimination. In 1977, he was charged with assault and sentenced to the St. Louis City workhouse.

Final days

Four sources claim that Vitale later became an FBI informant following the death of boss Anthony "Tony G." Giordano.Machi, Mario, Allan May, and Charlie Molino. (1999
"St. Louis Family"
AmericanMafia.com. Retrieved July 18, 2011. However, no evidence has been provided to substantiate this claim. Further, Vitale remained the

after Giordano's death, dying of natural causes in St. Louis as an elderly man. He died on June 5, 1982 and was buried on June 9, 1982, in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis. He was preceded in death by his wife Fara, who was buried on July 20, 1973, in Calvary Cemetery.Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of St. Loui
"Fara Marie Vitale Burial Record"
. Retrieved July 18, 2011.

References

External links

AmericanMafia.com.

, ''The St. Louis Crime Family''. Crime Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vitale, John (Mobster) 1909 births 1982 deaths American crime bosses People of Sicilian descent Gangsters from St. Louis Burials at Calvary Cemetery (St. Louis)