Joseph "Jo Jo" Corozzo, Sr. (born 1942 in

Brownsville, Brooklyn Brownsville is a residential neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn in New York City. The neighborhood is generally bordered by Crown Heights to the northwest; Bedford–Stuyvesant and Cypress Hills to the north; East New York to the east; Canarsie ...

) is a New York mobster who was the reputed

consigliere Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel ''The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a c ...

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, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Ame ...

Biography

Background

Joseph Corozzo's brother Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo was the alleged one time boss of the Gambino family. Joseph has two other brothers: Blaise Corozzo, an alleged Gambino soldier, 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, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

. 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 cour ...

for refusing to answer

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—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 pe ...

questions about organized crime. In 1991, 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 en ...

trial of Gambino boss

John Gotti John Joseph Gotti Jr.Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 25–26 (, ; October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002) was an American gangster and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. He ordered and helped to orchestrate the murder of Gambino boss ...

, the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) identified Corozzo as a Gambino

caporegime A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a ''made member'' of an Italian crime family who head ...

. In 1992, Corozzo became the Gambino consigliere. He replaced

Frank Locascio Frank "Frankie Loc" LoCascio (September 24, 1932 – October 1, 2021) was an American mobster in New York who became the Consigliere to the Gambino crime family boss John Gotti. Biography LoCascio was born to Italian immigrants from Baucina, Sic ...

, 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 ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

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

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. 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 ( 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 underbo ...

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

On February 7, 2008, Corozzo was indicted as part of

Operation Old Bridge Operation Old Bridge is the code name for the February 7, 2008 arrests in Italy and the United States that targeted the Gambino crime family; among the indicted were the reputed acting bosses Jackie D'Amico, Nicholas Corozzo and Joseph Corozzo. ...

, a massive push against the Gambino family. The charges included numerous drug charges and charges of

extorting Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, al ...

payments from a

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

trucking company owned by businessman

Joseph Vollaro Joseph Vollaro, also known as "Joey V" and "Joe Andrews" (born 1966), is a Staten Island-based American trucking executive and Gambino crime family associate who is now a government informant and witness. Vollaro did construction work and worked ...

. On June 5, 2008, in a

plea bargain A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or '' nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendan ...

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 coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...

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 (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

, 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 The Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix (FCI Fort Dix) is a low-security United States federal prison for male offenders in New Jersey. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. A satellite prison camp houses minimum-security male in ...

in New Jersey. In October 2015, Corozzo was transferred to a reentry center in Brooklyn. He was released from custody on January 5, 2016.Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator
/ref>

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 American gangsters of Italian descent Gambino crime family Living people American prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government People convicted of racketeering People with bipolar disorder People from Brownsville, Brooklyn Consiglieri