Joseph "Jo Jo" Corozzo, Sr. (October 1, 1942 – December 4, 2024) 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 was the reputed '' consigliere'' of 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. ...

of New York.

Biography

Background

Corozzo was born in

Brownsville, Brooklyn Brownsville is a residential neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Crown Heights to the northwest; Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bedford–Stuyvesant and the subsection of ...

. His brother Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo was the alleged one time boss of the

. Joseph has two other brothers: Blaise Corozzo, an alleged Gambino

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 ...

, and Anthony Corozzo, an alleged Gambino associate. Joseph Corozzo is the father of New York criminal attorney Joseph Corozzo, Jr.

From capo to consigliere

Joseph Corozzo, Sr. started with the Gambino family as a transport truck hijacker. Corozzo earned the nickname "Miserable" because he allegedly suffers from

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...

. In 1971, Corozzo was jailed for

contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the co ...

for refusing to answer

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

questions about organized crime. In 1992, during the

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was e ...

trial of Gambino family boss John Gotti, 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) as a result of Salvatore Gravano’s testimony – identified Corozzo as an important Gambino ''

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 1992, Corozzo became the Gambino '' consigliere''. He replaced Frank Locascio, who had been sentenced to life in prison that year. On November 24, 1992, Corozzo was indicted in New York on charges of running a hijacking crew, a horse race betting establishment, and a loansharking operation. On May 30, 1994, Corozzo was indicted in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

on racketeering charges involving mob infiltration of the video poker game industry in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. On May 20, 1995, Corozo was acquitted of all charges in the New York trial. On September 8, 1995, Corozzo pleaded guilty to conspiracy counts in New Orleans as part of a plea bargain deal. Corozzo was sentenced in New Orleans to three years in federal prison at the Federal Prison Camp Montgomery, Maxwell AFB, AL. In 2003, "Ruling Panel" member Michael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo testified that Arnold "Zeke" Squitieri was Gambino

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 ...

and that John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico and Nicholas Corozzo ran the day-to-day family operations. Joseph Corozzo was the final decision-maker. DiLeonardo also stated that these men have controlled the Gambino family since the 1990s.

Prison and death

On February 7, 2008, Corozzo was indicted as part of Operation Old Bridge, a massive push against the Gambino family. The charges included numerous drug charges and charges of

extorting 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 t ...

payments from a

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

trucking company owned by businessman Joseph Vollaro. On June 5, 2008, in a

plea bargain A plea bargain, also known as a plea agreement or plea deal, is a legal arrangement in criminal law where the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest to a charge in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor. These concessions can include a ...

deal, the government dropped all drug charges against Corozzo and he pleaded guilty to

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. ...

conspiracy. Joseph received 46 months in federal prison, the low end of the

sentencing guidelines Sentencing guidelines define a recommended sentencing range for a criminal defendant, based upon characteristics of the defendant and of the criminal charge. Depending upon the jurisdiction, sentencing guidelines may be nonbinding, or their applic ...

. On January 1, 2011, five months before his scheduled release date, Joseph was indicted again as part of an FBI operation against over 100 alleged Mafia members and associates. His specific charges included distributing

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

, and ecstasy. On September 19, 2012, Corozzo was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Corozzo was imprisoned at the low security Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix in New Jersey. In October 2015, Corozzo was transferred to a reentry center in Brooklyn. He was released from custody on January 5, 2016. Corozzo died on December 4, 2024, at the age of 82.

References

External links

* http://www.federalcriminaldefenseblog.com/2010/08/articles/miscellaneous/inhouse-counsel-to-the-mob-court-denies-governments-motion-to-disqualify-attorney-joseph-corozzo-jr/
CBSNews.com - Mob Turncoat Breaks Vow Of Silence

by J. R. de Szigethy and Lou Eppolito, Jr. {{DEFAULTSORT:Corozzo, Joseph 1942 births 2024 deaths 20th-century American criminals 21st-century American criminals American gangsters of Italian descent American male criminals American prisoners and detainees Consiglieri Criminals from Brooklyn Gambino crime family Gangsters from New York City People convicted of racketeering People from Brownsville, Brooklyn People with bipolar disorder Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government