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Jackie D'Amico

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For other people named John D'Amico, seeJohn D'Amico (disambiguation).

John"Jackie"D'Amico(July 11, 1936 – December 27, 2023) was an AmericanmobsterandcaporegimeinNew York Citywho served as street boss of theGambino crime familyfrom 2005 to 2011. "Street boss" had been the family's number one position ever since official BossPeter Gottistarted serving a life sentence in prison.

Early life[edit]

His parents were born in the village ofVietri sul Marein theCampaniaregion of Italy. D'Amico is not related toBonanno crime familysoldierJoseph D'Amico.

D'Amico received the nickname "Nose" because of his "Romanesque nose",one mob informant told the courts during his testimony. At the Gotti trial, mobster Michael DiLeonardo said," [D'Amico] had his nose fixed, a (rhinoplasty). He had a big, distorted nose at one time ", D'Amico was said to have been upset with prosecutors for using the nickname. John Gotti loved him because... Jackie was a fellow gambler who placed all his bets for him

D'Amico was an old friend of Irving "Hal" Hershkowitz, the founder and president of the non-alcoholic beverage corporationBig Geyser, Incorporated,[1]He worked in theirMaspeth, Queenswarehouse.[1]He maintained the job until he was brought to trial and convicted of extortion. He started as a delivery truck driver with a base salary of $23,000 but later switched to working as a salesman on commission and his salary was raised to $71,000 a year.[1]At the same warehouse where D'Amico had an office block, he was a co-worker of Lucchese crime family capoMatthew Madonnawho is also listed on the company payroll.[1]Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Burlingame suspected that while ostensibly on the payroll, D'Amico was given a no-show job allowing him to collect health benefits from the company, a Jaguar that was leased by the company, and to claim lawful employment.[1]Herskowitz stated to reporterTom Robbinsthat he had known D'Amico for thirty years and considered him a good, long-time friend. Hershkowitz and D'Amico attended New Utrecht High School together, the same high school thatSammy Gravanoattended before dropping out.[1]

Rise to power[edit]

By the late 1960s, D'Amico was a bookmaker and soldier in the Gambino family, then ruled by bossCarlo Gambino.[2]In the 1970s, D'Amico became an associate ofOzone Park, Queens-based capoJohn Gotti.In 1976, D'Amico began operatingloansharking,illegal gambling,extortionand laborracketeeringactivities in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. After Gambino died in 1976, his brother-in-lawPaul Castellanobecame the new boss. During the late 1970s, D'Amico was promoted tocaporegimein the Brooklyn faction. With income fromloansharking,extortion,andillegal gamblingoperations, D'Amico gained much respect within the family

On December 16, 1985, Castellano and his underbossThomas Bilottiwere gunned down outside theSparks Steak HouseinManhattan.Gotti, who had orchestrated their assassination, now became the Gambino boss. D'Amico became one of Gotti's closest associates. In 1992, Gotti was convicted on racketeering charges and sentenced tolife imprisonment.

When John Gotti went to prison, he created a ruling panel, or "administration", to supervise the family. This panel included D'Amico, Gotti's sonJohn "Junior" Gottias acting boss,Peter Gotti,andJoseph Arcuri.The four men would meet to discuss business at Hawaiian Moonlighters Club, the new Gambino headquarters inLittle Italy.[3]Other accounts state thatNicholas Corozzo,not Arcuri, was on the panel.[4]After federal law enforcement began focusing on Junior Gotti, John Gotti allegedly designated him as the new acting boss.[4]

In 1998, D'Amico was charged with racketeering and loansharking. On January 19, 1999, he pleading guilty to a single count of operating an illegal gambling operation inConnecticutwhose profits went to Junior Gotti.[5]On July 8, 1999, D'Amico was sentenced to 20 months in prison.[6]

Release from prison[edit]

In September 2001, D'Amico was released from prison. According to federal authorities, D'Amico became the Gambino acting boss in 2003. However, with the 2006 release of Nicholas Corozzo, a report stated that both D'Amico and Corozzo were running the family, withArnold "Zeke" Squitierias underboss andJoseph "Jo Jo" Corozzoasconsigliere.

On February 7, 2008, D'Amico was arrested along with more than 60 affiliates of the Gambino family afterOperation Old Bridgepicked up an informant namedJoseph Vollaro.The operation went on to terminate thedrug traffickingbetween the Gambino crime family in New York and their connections inSicily.[7]While D'Amico was placed at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, Corozzo became a fugitive.[8]On March 14, 2008, D'Amico was released on bail from theMetropolitan Detention Center(MDC) in Brooklyn, New York.[9]Following the indictments fromOperation Old Bridge,D'Amico was still on trial regarding multiple counts ofracketeeringcharges. In May, 2008, D'Amico pleaded guilty to extorting a cement company out of $100,000 and was sentenced on August 18, 2008, to two years in prison at theMetropolitan Correctional Center, New York City.[10]

D'Amico had been scheduled for release from prison on November 3, 2009. However, in February 2009, the imprisoned D'Amico was charged with arranging the 1989 Weiss murder[11]and was kept in prison. On August 5, 2010, D'Amico pleaded guilty to conspiring to assault Frederick Weiss with a dangerous weapon. The district attorney agreed to a lenient plea agreement because the case against D'Amico was "very, very weak".[12]D'Amico was incarcerated at theMetropolitan Correctional Center, New York Cityand was released on June 15, 2012.[13]

D'Amico died on December 27, 2023, at the age of 87.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdef"A Slice of Mafia With Your Sparkling Water?",Village Voice, May 27, 2008
  2. ^Gambino Family Turns to Jackie Nose to Lead a TurnaroundArchived2011-10-28 at theWayback MachineJERRY CAPECI New York Sun December 15, 2005
  3. ^"From Prison, Gotti Reportedly Keeps Control of Mafia Group"New York Times November 13, 1993.
  4. ^ab"Mob Bosses Gotti"TruTV Crime Library
  5. ^"In Shift, U.S. Reaches Deal For Plea by 3 In Gotti Case"By SELWYN RAAB New York Times January 12, 1999
  6. ^"Reputed Gotti Loyalist Sentenced to 20 Months for Gambling"New York Times. July 8, 1999
  7. ^"'Mafiosi' held in US and Sicily"BBC News 7 February 2008
  8. ^Marzulli, John (February 8, 2008)."Feds bust Gambino bigs".New York Daily News.Retrieved12 April2012.
  9. ^"Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-12-04.Retrieved2008-04-21.
  10. ^"Reputed mobster Jackie Nose gets 2-year term".New York Daily News.April 18, 2008.Retrieved12 April2012.
  11. ^"Can't Keep Nose Clean"New York Post February 12, 2009
  12. ^Golding, Bruce (August 5, 2010)."Reputed Gambino boss John" Jackie the Nose "cuts three-year plea bargain".New York Post.
  13. ^"Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-01-23.Retrieved2010-10-18.
  14. ^Burnstein, Scott."Death Of A New York Don: Gambino Mob's" Jackie Nose "D'Amico Gone At 87, Helped Groom Gambino Sicilians For Boss Duties".The Gangster Report.Retrieved7 February2024.

Further reading[edit]

American Mafia
Preceded byas acting underboss Gambino crime family
Street boss
2005–2023 		Succeeded by
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