Joseph Dippolito
Encyclopedia
Joseph Charles Dippolito, also known as "Joe Dip", was an Italian American Mafia
member in the Los Angeles crime family
. The son of fellow Mafioso Salvatore Charles Dippolito (known as "Charlie Dip"), he rose to become Underboss
of the Los Angeles crime family. He was also featured in the book The Last Mafioso
by Ovid Demaris
.
, New York
to Salvatore and Angelina Dippolito. During Prohibition
, he served a one-year prison sentence for illegally transporting liquor. After his release, Dippolito moved to San Bernardino, California
where his parents lived. Eventually Dippolito and his father owned several businesses, including a hotel and a vineyard in Rancho Cucamonga
. The Dippolitos became very prominent and powerful men in the Inland Empire
. They were involved in many real estate deals and produced grapes for winemakers in California.
Dippolito also proved to be a competent killer. He was a big, muscular man who was "built like a heavyweight
wrestler". When Jimmy Fratianno
set up to kill Mickey Cohen
loyalist Frank Niccoli, Dippolito shook his hand and then wrapped him in a reverse bear hug. Fratianno and Sam Bruno then tied a rope around Niccoli's neck and choked him to death. Afterwards, Dippolito took the body and buried it in his vineyard, which was a popular place to bury dead bodies for the Mafia.
In 1952, Dippolito became a made man
in the Los Angeles crime family
under boss Jack Dragna
. The ceremony took place at the Dippolito vineyard. He was now a soldier working in Fratianno’s crew. His father had been inducted into the family five years earlier. When Nick Licata
became boss of the Los Angeles family in 1967, he promoted Dippolito to underboss.
On January 31, 1969, Dippolito was indicted
in a Los Angeles
court on three counts of perjury
for statements he made during a liquor license inquiry on May 16, 1968. He was released on $10,000 bail
and scheduled to be arraigned. On May 17, 1969, he was convicted on two of the three perjury charges. On June 10, 1969, he was sentenced to five years for each charge (10 years total). A $10,000 bond allowed him to remain free pending appeal of his conviction. It was during this time that law enforcement recognized him as the underboss of the Los Angeles family. On April 16, 1971, his sentence was reduced from ten to five years by Judge Warren J. Ferguson
and he started serving his sentence. On December 13, 1971, Dippolito was paroled after only serving eight months. He was released after San Bernardino mayor Al C. Ballard, Police Chief Louis J. Fortuna, and California Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Katz vouched for Dippolito in letters written in 1969 to a probation
officer.
Dippolito died on January 14, 1974 after being stricken by a heart attack at his daughter Josephine's wedding. He was interred at Bellevue Cemetery and Mausoleum in Ontario, California
.
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
member in the Los Angeles crime family
Los Angeles crime family
The Los Angeles crime family is an Italian American criminal organization based in Los Angeles, as part of the American Mafia . Since its inception in the early 1900s, it has spread throughout Southern California. Like most Mafia families in the United States, the L.A. family gained power...
. The son of fellow Mafioso Salvatore Charles Dippolito (known as "Charlie Dip"), he rose to become Underboss
Underboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
of the Los Angeles crime family. He was also featured in the book The Last Mafioso
The Last Mafioso
The Last Mafioso: The Treacherous World of Jimmy Fratianno is a biography novel detailing the life of American Mafia member Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno. It chronicles Fratianno's life from a kid in Cleveland to becoming the acting Boss of the Los Angeles crime family...
by Ovid Demaris
Ovid Demaris
Ovid Demaris was a native of Biddeford, Maine and an author of books and detective stories...
.
Biography
Dippolito was born on December 28, 1914 in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Salvatore and Angelina Dippolito. During Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, he served a one-year prison sentence for illegally transporting liquor. After his release, Dippolito moved to San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
where his parents lived. Eventually Dippolito and his father owned several businesses, including a hotel and a vineyard in Rancho Cucamonga
Rancho Cucamonga
Rancho Cucamonga was a Mexican land grant in present day San Bernardino County, California given in 1839 to dedicated soldier, smuggler and politician, Tiburcio Tapia by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. The grant encompassed present day Rancho Cucamonga...
. The Dippolitos became very prominent and powerful men in the Inland Empire
Inland Empire (California)
The Inland Empire is a region in Southern California. The region sits directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Inland Empire most commonly is used in reference to the U.S. Census Bureau's federally-defined Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, which covers more than...
. They were involved in many real estate deals and produced grapes for winemakers in California.
Dippolito also proved to be a competent killer. He was a big, muscular man who was "built like a heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
wrestler". When Jimmy Fratianno
Jimmy Fratianno
Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno was a Cleveland, Ohio, mobster and later acting head of the Los Angeles crime family before becoming a government witness...
set up to kill Mickey Cohen
Mickey Cohen
Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen was a gangster based in Los Angeles and part of the Jewish Mafia, and also had strong ties to the American Mafia from the 1930s through 1960s.-Early life:...
loyalist Frank Niccoli, Dippolito shook his hand and then wrapped him in a reverse bear hug. Fratianno and Sam Bruno then tied a rope around Niccoli's neck and choked him to death. Afterwards, Dippolito took the body and buried it in his vineyard, which was a popular place to bury dead bodies for the Mafia.
In 1952, Dippolito became a made man
Made man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
in the Los Angeles crime family
Los Angeles crime family
The Los Angeles crime family is an Italian American criminal organization based in Los Angeles, as part of the American Mafia . Since its inception in the early 1900s, it has spread throughout Southern California. Like most Mafia families in the United States, the L.A. family gained power...
under boss Jack Dragna
Jack Dragna
Jack Ignatius Dragna was an American Mafia member and Black Hander who was active in both Italy and the United States in the 1900s. He was active in bootlegging in California during the Prohibition Era in the United States...
. The ceremony took place at the Dippolito vineyard. He was now a soldier working in Fratianno’s crew. His father had been inducted into the family five years earlier. When Nick Licata
Nick Licata (mobster)
Nick "Old Man" Licata was an Italian American mobster who was the Boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1967 until his death in 1974.-Early life:...
became boss of the Los Angeles family in 1967, he promoted Dippolito to underboss.
On January 31, 1969, Dippolito was indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
in a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
court on three counts of perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
for statements he made during a liquor license inquiry on May 16, 1968. He was released on $10,000 bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
and scheduled to be arraigned. On May 17, 1969, he was convicted on two of the three perjury charges. On June 10, 1969, he was sentenced to five years for each charge (10 years total). A $10,000 bond allowed him to remain free pending appeal of his conviction. It was during this time that law enforcement recognized him as the underboss of the Los Angeles family. On April 16, 1971, his sentence was reduced from ten to five years by Judge Warren J. Ferguson
Warren J. Ferguson
Warren John Ferguson was an American jurist who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.-Career:...
and he started serving his sentence. On December 13, 1971, Dippolito was paroled after only serving eight months. He was released after San Bernardino mayor Al C. Ballard, Police Chief Louis J. Fortuna, and California Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Katz vouched for Dippolito in letters written in 1969 to a probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
officer.
Dippolito died on January 14, 1974 after being stricken by a heart attack at his daughter Josephine's wedding. He was interred at Bellevue Cemetery and Mausoleum in Ontario, California
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...
.