Tom Devaney (died July 20, 1976) was a New York mobster and an enforcer to
Mickey Spillane during the 1960s and 70s. As Spillane's chief lieutenant, Devaney played a leading role in the growing animosity between Spillane and the
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family (), also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and Ne ...
as well as the gang war against
James Coonan.
Devaney was an exhibition worker on the West Side who was murdered by Joe "Mad Dog" Sullivan on the orders of Genovese mobster
George Barone because "he was interfering with us", as Barone told prosecutor in court. Sullivan observed Devaney for eight weeks, then disguised himself with an Afro wig and skin dye, followed Devaney into a bar-and-grill in
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...
, and shot him in the head.
Devaney's death marked the beginning of the end for Spillane's operation. Spillane was murdered the following year.
Notes and references
Further reading
*English, T.J. ''Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster''. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.
*English, T.J. ''The Westies: Inside the Hell's Kitchen Irish Mob''. St Martin's Paperbacks, 1991.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devaney, Tom
Year of birth missing
1976 deaths
Murdered American gangsters of Irish descent
Gangsters from New York City
Murdered Westies (New York gang) members
Westies (New York gang)
People murdered in New York City
Deaths by firearm in Manhattan
People murdered by the Genovese crime family
People murdered in 1976