Alphonse "The Peacemaker" Attardi (April 1, 1892 – July 17, 1970) was an American mobster involved in
narcotics who later became a government informant. His front was ownership of an
olive oil importing business.
In the early 1950s, Attardi was arrested for
drug trafficking in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. While in prison, his wife died and the bank foreclosed on his front business. Following his release from prison, Attardi moved to a dilapidated apartment on
Delancey Street
__NOTOC__
Delancey Street is one of the main thoroughfares of New York City's Lower East Side in Manhattan, running from the street's western terminus at the Bowery to its eastern end at FDR Drive, connecting to the Williamsburg Bridge and Broo ...
on New York's
Lower East Side.
In 1952,
U.S. Treasury Agents asked Attardi to become an informant. Fearing for his life, Attardi initially refused their offer. However, six months later Attardi changed his mind and agreed to assist agents in a
sting operation. The sting began when Attardi introduced undercover agent
Joe Tremoglie to several of his associates. Within ten months Tremoglie had become associated with major drug traffickers and organized crime figures such as
Benny Bellanca and
Pietro Beddia. Attardi's efforts let Tremoglie to infiltrate the New York Mafia's drug trade and, assisting in police surveillance, helped ensure the success of the sting operation.
Attardi received $5,000 from the government for his assistance and immediately left the country with his girlfriend. In 1968, Attardi gave an interview to
Parade Magazine about his time in the mafia under the alias "Jim Carra".
Alphonse Attardi died on July 17, 1970.
References
Further reading
*Whitehead, Donald F. ''Border Guard: The Story of the United States Customs Service'', 1963.
External links
Attardi's interview with Parade Magazine(under the alias "Jim Carra").
{{DEFAULTSORT:Attardi, Alphonse
1892 births
1970 deaths
American gangsters of Italian descent
Gangsters from New York City
American drug traffickers
American people convicted of drug offenses
olive oil