Joseph Miranda

Joe "The Old Man" Miranda
Born Joseph Miranda
1925
Nationality Italian American
Occupation Underboss of the DeCavalcante crime family

Joseph "Joe" Miranda (born 1925) is an American mobster and member of the New Jersey-based DeCavalcante crime family. A longtime "soldier" to Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante and later boss Giovanni Riggi, he became acting underboss for Girolamo "Jimmy" Palermo following the imprisonment of many high-ranking members in 2003.

As the crime family's most senior member, earning him the sobriquet "the Old Man", Miranda was the de facto head of the DeCavalcantes for three years until stepping down in favor of Francesco Guarraci in late-2006. He and Guarraci are presently the two top men, as boss and underboss respectively, in the criminal organization.

Biography

Joseph Miranda served as a made man and loan shark under both founder Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante and Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi during the 1960s and mid-1970s. FBI documents indicate that DeCavalcante once prevented Miranda from being killed by speaking up for him at a sit-down meeting after Miranda robbed another mobster while working for DeCavalcante.[1][2]

For decades, Miranda operated from a First Avenue bar in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was recognized as the acting underboss for Girolamo "Jimmy" Palermo after Palermo's incarceration in 2003.[1] According to law enforcement, Miranda is recognized as a senior advisor and still reportedly holds the rank of underboss, while Palermo is incarcerated.[2][3][4] He attempted to rebuild the DeCavalcante family, inducting half a dozen new members into the organization, but turned control over to 51-year-old Sicilian immigrant Francesco Guarraci by the end of 2006.[5] As of December 2007, the octogenarian Miranda was still operating out of the Elizabeth, New Jersey faction. According to US law enforcement, Miranda and Frank Guarraci are in charge as bosses of the family, with Miranda still running the day-to-day operations.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 Haugen, David M. Is the Mafia Still a Force in America?. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006. (pg. 20) ISBN 0-7377-2402-1
  2. 1 2 Capeci, Jerry (May 21, 2005). "What’s Left of the Mob". New York. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  3. State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation (2004). "The Changing Face of ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW JERSEY – A Status Report – DeCavalcante". SCI 2004 Report. MafiaNJ.com. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  4. McDonald, Devin (2006). "Newark, New Jersey". AmericanMafia.com 26 Mafia Cities - New Jersey. AmericanMafia.com. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  5. 1 2 Troncone, Tom (June 23, 2006). "N.J. Mafia Family Gets New Boss". Articles & News. TheChicagoSyndicate.com. Retrieved 1 November 2010.

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, May 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.