Samuel "Little Sammy" Corsaro (1943 - July 5, 2002) was a mobster who belonged to the

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

faction 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 ...

. His nickname "Little Sammy" came from his height of 5'5".

Murder rap

Born in

Nutley, New Jersey Nutley is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 30,143. What is now Nutley was originally incorporated as Franklin Township by an act of the New Jersey Legisla ...

, Corsaro later moved to

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As ...

. As a youth, he became involved in petty crime. In 1974, during a liquor store robbery in

Morris County, New Jersey Morris County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county's population was enumerated at 509,285,

, Corsaro shot and killed a store clerk. Corsaro was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. In prison, Corsaro organized a program to teach inmates the

upholstery Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English word ...

and

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...

trade in preparation for their release. Using Corsaro's program as proof of his

rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...

, Corsaro's lawyers petitioned the New Jersey governor for a

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

. In 1983, New Jersey Governor Tom Kean pardoned Corsaro for the 1969 murder. After nine years in prison, Corsaro was released.

Back on the streets

After his release, Corsaro soon returned to criminal activity. He became an associate and then a made man, or full member, of the Gambino family under 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 ...

. A 1988 report by the New Jersey State Commission investigating

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

listed Corsaro as being active in loansharking, gambling operations, and drug sales in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

and

Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...

counties in New Jersey. By now, Corsaro was the second ranked member of the New Jersey Gambino faction, just below mobster Robert Bisaccia."Former Gotti Crime Associate Dies"
New York Times July 8, 2002

Prison again

On April 21, 1989, Corsaro and other New Jersey mobsters were indicted on conspiracy and

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 ...

charges. The most serious charge was planning to burglarize and burn down the Fairfield, New Jersey office of the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, which was the base for the Northern New Jersey Organized Crime Task Force."15 Reputed Mob Associates are Indicted in New Jersey"
New York Times April 22, 1989 Other charges included hijacking a truck containing $750,000 worth of cigarettes, conspiring to take over a Bloomfield, New Jersey waste-container concern, and making illegal payoffs in connection with the waste-container business."Six Convicted in Mob Case Despite Fear of Tampering"
New York Times March 7, 1993 In a long and tumultuous trial, there were frequent court outbursts, three defendants required hospitalization at some point, and a juror's car was shot up. In March 1993, Corsaro was convicted of the major racketeering charges. He was later sentenced to 26 years in prison. Corsaro appealed the verdict and in 1999 prosecutors offered him 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 ...

that reduced his sentence down to 8 to 16 years. In 2000, Corsaro was released on

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

. On July 5, 2002 Samuel Corsaro died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in Clifton at age 59.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corsaro, Samuel 1943 births 2002 deaths American gangsters of Italian descent Gambino crime family People from Nutley, New Jersey People from Clifton, New Jersey People convicted of racketeering