Joseph Watts (born 1942) also known as "The German" is an associate of the Gambino crime family. He was a close confidant of former boss John Gotti and participated in the infamous 1985 assassination of Paul "Big Paul" Castellano. Watts was not a

made man In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oa ...

due to being only

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

on his maternal side, while being

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

on his paternal side. After

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

Tommy Bilotti Thomas "Tommy" Bilotti (March 23, 1940 – December 16, 1985) was an American mobster with the Gambino crime family who served as underboss for two weeks. It was this promotion that helped trigger the 1985 assassination of Gambino boss Paul Cast ...

was murdered, Watts was given Bilotti's black book for his

loansharking A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

operation, which made him a millionaire and a good earner for the Gambino family. Watts also insisted that Gotti should put a hit on his brother, Joey Bilotti as well. However, Bilotti accepted the fate of his brother and did not retaliate, therefore killing him was unnecessary. John Gotti appointed Watts as a liaison to the

Westies The Westies were a New York City-based Irish American organized crime gang, responsible for racketeering, drug trafficking, and contract killing. They were partnered with the Italian-American Mafia and operated out of the Hell's Kitchen nei ...

, an

Irish-American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

gang in Hells Kitchen. The Westies were being used as hired guns for the Gambino family under Paul Castellano, and continued under the Gotti regime. Watts was charged and acquitted of the 1987 killing of William Ciccone. According to the testimony of government witness; Dominic "Fat Dom" Borghese, Watts allegedly drove him from Queens to Staten Island in the back of his black Mercedes-Benz. Borghese testified that Watts shot Ciccone in the head five times. In 2011, Watts was convicted for his part in a 1989 murder conspiracy ordered by John Gotti, and sentenced to 13 years in prison. He served his sentence at FCI Cumberland, and was released from prison on January 14, 2022.Federal inmate locator
(Necessary to type inmate name into website)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Joe 1942 births Gambino crime family Date of birth unknown American people convicted of murder American people of Welsh descent American gangsters of Italian descent Living people American people of German descent People acquitted of murder Criminals from Staten Island Gangsters from New York City