Richard Boiardi
Encyclopedia
Richard Boiardo also known as "Ruggiero Boiardo" and "Richie the Boot", was a caporegime
in the Genovese crime family
who ran mob operations in the Newark, New Jersey
area.
, Italy
, Boiardo's family immigrated to the Newark area in 1910. His first criminal activity involved bookmaking while he worked as a milkman
. Boiardo eventually controlled criminal activities in the First Ward
section of Newark. During the Prohibition era
, Boiardo fought with Jewish mobster Abner "Longy" Zwillman
for control of criminal rackets in Newark. Despite this animosity, the two mobsters were brought together in a sitdown allegedly orchestrated by Lucky Luciano and made peace with each other. Sometime later, Boiardo was ambushed and seriously wounded with 12 buckshot pellet wounds. At the time, the press suspected Zwillman was responsible, but later, evidence pointed to the members of another rival gang led by the Mazzochi brothers, whom the Boot subsequently had murdered.
Richard Boiardo (December 8, 1890–1984), also known as "Ruggiero Boiardo" and "Richie the Boot", was a caporegime
in the Genovese crime family
who ran mob operations in the Newark, New Jersey
area.
, Italy
, Boiardo's family immigrated to the Newark area in 1910. His first criminal activity involved bookmaking while he worked as a milkman
. Boiardo eventually controlled criminal activities in the First Ward
section of Newark. During the Prohibition era
, Boiardo fought with Jewish mobster Abner "Longy" Zwillman
for control of criminal rackets in Newark. Despite this animosity, the two mobsters were brought together in a sitdown allegedly orchestrated by Lucky Luciano and made peace with each other. Sometime later, Boiardo was ambushed and seriously wounded with 12 buckshot pellet wounds. At the time, the press suspected Zwillman was responsible, but later, evidence pointed to the members of another rival gang led by the Mazzochi brothers, whom the Boot subsequently had murdered.
Richard Boiardo (December 8, 1890–1984), also known as "Ruggiero Boiardo" and "Richie the Boot", was a caporegime
in the Genovese crime family
who ran mob operations in the Newark, New Jersey
area.
, Italy
, Boiardo's family immigrated to the Newark area in 1910. His first criminal activity involved bookmaking while he worked as a milkman
. Boiardo eventually controlled criminal activities in the First Ward
section of Newark. During the Prohibition era
, Boiardo fought with Jewish mobster Abner "Longy" Zwillman
for control of criminal rackets in Newark. Despite this animosity, the two mobsters were brought together in a sitdown allegedly orchestrated by Lucky Luciano and made peace with each other. Sometime later, Boiardo was ambushed and seriously wounded with 12 buckshot pellet wounds. At the time, the press suspected Zwillman was responsible, but later, evidence pointed to the members of another rival gang led by the Mazzochi brothers, whom the Boot subsequently had murdered. Michael Immerso. Panel discussion "Crime Bosses of Newark." http://www.jerseyhistory.org/calendar_detail.php?month=9&year=2008&recid=945 In the 1930s, Boiardo became a made man
, or full member of the new Luciano crime family established by Charles "Lucky" Luciano. In 1957, this family became the Genovese family under boss Vito Genovese
. With Zwillman's death in 1959, Boiardo became the undisputed mob boss of Newark. He briefly passed on leadership to his son Anthony "Tony Boy Boiardo," but was forced to take back control as a result of dissension among fellow mobsters. Linnett, Richard. http://richardlinnett.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/the-real-sopranos.pdf},"Penthouse
", March 2007. "It was not a smooth transfer, as Tony Boy was unable to command respect like father. 'As soon as Boiardo dies, his son Tony will not have long to live,' an informant told the FBI." Boiardo built a sumptuous residence in Livingston that was called a "Transylvania classic" for its incongruous combination of turrets and statuary.Laurence, Charles. "Savagery, greed and a life of crime - meet the real Sopranos", Daily Mail
, May 7, 2007. Accessed February 24, 2011. "The Boot built a mansion in Livingston, described by one who saw it, as a 'Transylvanian classic', because of its turrets and out-of-place appearance in the New Jersey suburbs." He reportedly used the house's furnace and statue garden to quietly dispose of several bodies.
Boiardo also owned a residence in Havana
, Cuba
, where he had gambling interests. Boiardo was 5'7", weighed approximately 210 pounds, and had a bullet scar on his left cheek. He married Jenny Manfro and was the father of Anthony "Tony Boy" Boiardo and two daughters, Marie and Rose. Boiardo was a part owner of a hotel in Miami Beach, Florida
. Boiardo was described as flashy, brutal and an incurable womanizer. The nickname "Boot" reportedly derived from the pleasure that Boiardo took in stomping people. Boiardo's arrest record included manslaughter
, assault
and battery
, and carrying concealed weapons.
In 1984, Boiardo died of natural causes at age 95.
, David Chase
, claimed that the Soprano family was indeed based on Boiardo and his crew.Malanga, Steven. "BRUTAL AND GRISLY TRUTH OF GARDEN STATE'S REAL 'SOPRANOS'", New York Post
, April 8, 2007. Accessed May 19, 2008.
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
in the Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
who ran mob operations in the Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
area.
History
Born in NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Boiardo's family immigrated to the Newark area in 1910. His first criminal activity involved bookmaking while he worked as a milkman
Milkman
A milkman is a person, traditionally male, who delivers milk in milk bottles or cartons. Milk deliveries frequently occur in the morning and it is not uncommon for milkmen to deliver products other than milk such as eggs, cream, cheese, butter, yogurt or soft drinks...
. Boiardo eventually controlled criminal activities in the First Ward
Seventh Avenue, Newark, New Jersey
Seventh Avenue, formerly known as the First Ward, is a neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey's North Ward. It was famously the heart of the city's large Little Italy....
section of Newark. During the Prohibition era
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, Boiardo fought with Jewish mobster Abner "Longy" Zwillman
Abner Zwillman
Abner "Longie" Zwillman , known as the "Al Capone of New Jersey," was an early Prohibition gangster, founding member of the "Big Seven" Ruling Commission and a member of the National Crime Syndicate, who was also associated with Murder Incorporated.-Biography:According to the Social Security Death...
for control of criminal rackets in Newark. Despite this animosity, the two mobsters were brought together in a sitdown allegedly orchestrated by Lucky Luciano and made peace with each other. Sometime later, Boiardo was ambushed and seriously wounded with 12 buckshot pellet wounds. At the time, the press suspected Zwillman was responsible, but later, evidence pointed to the members of another rival gang led by the Mazzochi brothers, whom the Boot subsequently had murdered.
Richard Boiardo (December 8, 1890–1984), also known as "Ruggiero Boiardo" and "Richie the Boot", was a caporegime
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
in the Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
who ran mob operations in the Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
area.
History
Born in NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Boiardo's family immigrated to the Newark area in 1910. His first criminal activity involved bookmaking while he worked as a milkman
Milkman
A milkman is a person, traditionally male, who delivers milk in milk bottles or cartons. Milk deliveries frequently occur in the morning and it is not uncommon for milkmen to deliver products other than milk such as eggs, cream, cheese, butter, yogurt or soft drinks...
. Boiardo eventually controlled criminal activities in the First Ward
Seventh Avenue, Newark, New Jersey
Seventh Avenue, formerly known as the First Ward, is a neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey's North Ward. It was famously the heart of the city's large Little Italy....
section of Newark. During the Prohibition era
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, Boiardo fought with Jewish mobster Abner "Longy" Zwillman
Abner Zwillman
Abner "Longie" Zwillman , known as the "Al Capone of New Jersey," was an early Prohibition gangster, founding member of the "Big Seven" Ruling Commission and a member of the National Crime Syndicate, who was also associated with Murder Incorporated.-Biography:According to the Social Security Death...
for control of criminal rackets in Newark. Despite this animosity, the two mobsters were brought together in a sitdown allegedly orchestrated by Lucky Luciano and made peace with each other. Sometime later, Boiardo was ambushed and seriously wounded with 12 buckshot pellet wounds. At the time, the press suspected Zwillman was responsible, but later, evidence pointed to the members of another rival gang led by the Mazzochi brothers, whom the Boot subsequently had murdered.
Richard Boiardo (December 8, 1890–1984), also known as "Ruggiero Boiardo" and "Richie the Boot", was a caporegime
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
in the Genovese crime family
Genovese crime family
The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
who ran mob operations in the Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
area.
History
Born in NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Boiardo's family immigrated to the Newark area in 1910. His first criminal activity involved bookmaking while he worked as a milkman
Milkman
A milkman is a person, traditionally male, who delivers milk in milk bottles or cartons. Milk deliveries frequently occur in the morning and it is not uncommon for milkmen to deliver products other than milk such as eggs, cream, cheese, butter, yogurt or soft drinks...
. Boiardo eventually controlled criminal activities in the First Ward
Seventh Avenue, Newark, New Jersey
Seventh Avenue, formerly known as the First Ward, is a neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey's North Ward. It was famously the heart of the city's large Little Italy....
section of Newark. During the Prohibition era
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, Boiardo fought with Jewish mobster Abner "Longy" Zwillman
Abner Zwillman
Abner "Longie" Zwillman , known as the "Al Capone of New Jersey," was an early Prohibition gangster, founding member of the "Big Seven" Ruling Commission and a member of the National Crime Syndicate, who was also associated with Murder Incorporated.-Biography:According to the Social Security Death...
for control of criminal rackets in Newark. Despite this animosity, the two mobsters were brought together in a sitdown allegedly orchestrated by Lucky Luciano and made peace with each other. Sometime later, Boiardo was ambushed and seriously wounded with 12 buckshot pellet wounds. At the time, the press suspected Zwillman was responsible, but later, evidence pointed to the members of another rival gang led by the Mazzochi brothers, whom the Boot subsequently had murdered. Michael Immerso. Panel discussion "Crime Bosses of Newark." http://www.jerseyhistory.org/calendar_detail.php?month=9&year=2008&recid=945 In the 1930s, Boiardo 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...
, or full member of the new Luciano crime family established by Charles "Lucky" Luciano. In 1957, this family became the Genovese family under boss Vito Genovese
Vito Genovese
Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
. With Zwillman's death in 1959, Boiardo became the undisputed mob boss of Newark. He briefly passed on leadership to his son Anthony "Tony Boy Boiardo," but was forced to take back control as a result of dissension among fellow mobsters. Linnett, Richard. http://richardlinnett.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/the-real-sopranos.pdf},"Penthouse
Penthouse
Penthouse may refer to:*Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building*Penthouse , a men's magazine*Penthouse , a 1933 film starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy...
", March 2007. "It was not a smooth transfer, as Tony Boy was unable to command respect like father. 'As soon as Boiardo dies, his son Tony will not have long to live,' an informant told the FBI." Boiardo built a sumptuous residence in Livingston that was called a "Transylvania classic" for its incongruous combination of turrets and statuary.Laurence, Charles. "Savagery, greed and a life of crime - meet the real Sopranos", Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, May 7, 2007. Accessed February 24, 2011. "The Boot built a mansion in Livingston, described by one who saw it, as a 'Transylvanian classic', because of its turrets and out-of-place appearance in the New Jersey suburbs." He reportedly used the house's furnace and statue garden to quietly dispose of several bodies.
Boiardo also owned a residence in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, where he had gambling interests. Boiardo was 5'7", weighed approximately 210 pounds, and had a bullet scar on his left cheek. He married Jenny Manfro and was the father of Anthony "Tony Boy" Boiardo and two daughters, Marie and Rose. Boiardo was a part owner of a hotel in Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
. Boiardo was described as flashy, brutal and an incurable womanizer. The nickname "Boot" reportedly derived from the pleasure that Boiardo took in stomping people. Boiardo's arrest record included manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
, assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
, and carrying concealed weapons.
In 1984, Boiardo died of natural causes at age 95.
Popular culture
The creator of the TV series The SopranosThe Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, David Chase
David Chase
David Chase is an American writer, director, and producer of television series. Chase has worked in television for more than 30 years; he has produced and written for shows as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He has created two original series; the first, Almost Grown,...
, claimed that the Soprano family was indeed based on Boiardo and his crew.Malanga, Steven. "BRUTAL AND GRISLY TRUTH OF GARDEN STATE'S REAL 'SOPRANOS'", New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, April 8, 2007. Accessed May 19, 2008.
Sources
- Bureau of Narcotics, U.S. Treasury Department, "Mafia: the Government's Secret File on Organized Crime, HarperCollins Publishers 2007 ISBN 0-06-136385-5
External links
- American Mafia.com New York Stories Part I by John William Tuohy
- The Independent Revealed: the real Tony Soprano by Rupert Cornwell