Joseph Colombo - Biography - First Colombo War

First Colombo War

Colombo followed his father into the Profaci family. He became one of the family's top enforcers, and soon became a capo.

In 1961, Joe Gallo and his crew kidnapped Colombo and other members of the Profaci leadership. Gallo was demanding a more equitable split of income from Profaci, who had incensed many family members with his opulent life style and high family taxes. After several weeks of negotiation, Profaci and the Gallo brothers reached a deal. Colombo and the other hostages were released. Later in 1961, Profaci reneged on the deal and the First Colombo War started.

On June 6, 1962, Profaci died and Joseph Magliocco succeeded him as boss. Magliocco was soon drawn into a plot with Bonanno crime family boss Joseph Bonanno to murder Lucchese crime family boss Tommy Lucchese and Gambino crime family boss, Carlo Gambino. Magliocco wanted to retaliate against the two bosses for their support of the Gallos, and supported Bonanno's bid to take over Mafia Commission. Magliocco gave the contract to Colombo, who promptly revealed the plot to Lucchese and Gambino. The Commission forced Magliocco to retire and named Colombo as the new boss.

At the age of 41, Colombo was one of the youngest crime bosses in the nation. He was also the first American-born boss of a New York crime family. Unlike his fellow bosses, he wasn't shy about confronting law enforcement. For instance, when he was called in for questioning about the murder of one of his soldiers, Colombo appeared without a lawyer and dressed down the detective who called him in, Albert Seedman (later the NYPD chief of detectives). "I am an American citizen, first class," he snapped. "I don't have a badge that makes me an official good guy like you, but I work just as honest for a living."

On May 9, 1966, Colombo was sentenced to 30 days in jail for refusing to answer questions from a grand jury about his financial affairs. This would be Colombo's first and last jail sentence.