Joe Colombo - Definition

Joseph "Joe" Colombo Sr. (1914 — 1978) was leader of the Colombo crime family, one of the "Five Families" considered the most important in the American Mafia.

Colombo became head of what was then known as the Profaci family in 1963, following the deaths of family founder Joe Profaci and his successor, Joe Magliocco. Colombo inherited a family racked by internal dissention and battles with other crime leaders, most particularly, Carlo Gambino.

In 1970, Colombo responded to increasing FBI scrutiny of his activities by picketing FBI offices in New York, claiming that the FBI was harassing Italian-Americans. These activities lead to the formation of the "Italian-American Civil Rights League." On June 29, 1970, 50,000 people showed up in Columbus Circle in New York City for an "Italian Unity Day" rally. Among the participants were five Congressmen and several prominent entertainers.

Under Colombo’s guidance, the League quickly grew in numbers and developed a national presence. The League drew further publicity when in November of 1970, Frank Sinatra headlined a benefit for the League at Madison Square Garden. Colombo became increasing public in his attempts to portray FBI anti-Mafia activities as merely the FBI "harassment" of Italian-Americans. Unlike other mob leaders at the time who tried to shun the spotlight, Colombo began to appear in television interviews and make other speaking appearances on behalf of the League.

Colombo planned to follow up on the League's early successes by planning a second Italian Unity Day rally in Columbus Circle. Other Mafia leaders, however, were not trilled by Colombo’s public activities. Prior to the rally, Colombo’s position became more difficult with the release from prison of Joey Gallo. Gallo had previously battled for control of the Profaci/Colombo organization during the "Profaci War." Gallo used his time in prison to build alliances with other ethnic criminals (most particularly black criminals in Harlem and the Bed-Stuy region of Brooklyn), and was using these contacts to disrupt Colombo’s activities in Brooklyn.

On the morning of the second Italian Unity Day rally, Colombo was shot by a black man, Jerome Johnson, who approached Colombo and shot him as Colombo was about to address the rally. As Colombo’s son and several others were wrestling Johnson to the ground, another man, never identified, stepped up and shot Johnson dead. The unidentified man then escaped.

Colombo was seriously wounded. He did not die immediately, but never regained consciousness. He lingered on for several years ("vegetabled" in the phrase of Joe Gallo) and died at his New Jersey estate on May 23, 1978.

Colombo’s murder was never solved. Because the assailant was a black man, it has often been assumed that Joe Gallo, with his alliances with black criminals and his hatred of Colombo, ordered the murder.

Carlo Gambino also was considered a suspect. Gambino was angered over the increasing publicity generated by Colombo’s activities with the League, and it was later reported that Colombo responded to a Gambino request to cease his public activities by spitting in Gambino's face. In addition, Johnson, the assassin, was known to have associated with people connected with the Gambinos.

Another theory, not considered credible, is that the US government set up the assassination to destroy the League.

Colombo was replaced as head of the Colombo family by Vincent Aloi, and his assassination touched off a second intra-family war with the Gallo forces.