- Joseph Tangorra
Joseph "Joey Flowers" Tangorra (born
1950 ) is a New York mobster who became acaporegime , or captain, in theLucchese crime family active in labor racketeering and murder.Family member
Born in New York, Tangorra grew up in
Little Italy, Manhattan . As a young man, he quickly gravitated to a life of violence and crime. His nickname, "Joey Flowers" reportedly came from him selling drugs out of a floral shop. In 1992, Tangorra was accidentally shot in the back by Lester Ellis while trying to collect a gambling debt. The shooting injury reportedly caused Tangorra to suffer from several chronic ailments. In 1996, Tangorra andEugene Castelle took over theBrooklyn /Bensonhurst faction of the Lucchese family. This faction had previously been operated by close associates of Vittorio "Vic" Amuso andAnthony Casso , who represented theBronx faction of the family. Alongside mafiososSteven Crea andDominic Truscello , Tangorra was a member of the "Lucchese construction group", which was active in laborracketeering andextortion activities in the Carpenters and Laborers Unions. In 1999, one of Tangorra's crew members, Carmine Galante, the godson of the formerBonanno crime family bossCarmine Galante , killed 18-year old Bill Margolis inside aBay Ridge, Brooklyn bar because Margolis was talking to his girlfriend. In May 1999, Tangorra was indicted in Brooklyn onloan sharking charges.Indictment
On November 28, 2000, Tangorra and soldier
Joseph Truncale were indicted for the 1988 murder ofVictor Filocamo . Amuso and Casso had ordered Filocamo killed because they thought he was cooperating with the government. Truncale and George Conte lured Filocamo to Tangorra's social club in Brooklyn. Conte shot Filocamo with a silencer-equippedsubmachine gun , killing him instantly. Truncale and Tangorra loaded the body into the trunk of Filocamo'sBMW , and dropped the car off in a parking lot. After the hit, Tangorra reportedly scrubbed the club's tile floor on his hands and knees, trying to clean off the blood; he eventually replaced the floor. Tangorra was also charged with the 1992 shooting ofHenry Motta over a debt. Tangorra would eventually agree to a plea deal on these charges and receive a 16-year sentence prison sentenceMental illness
Shortly after his indictment, Tangorra's behavior became increasingly erratic; in one reported incident, he was observed a block away from his home in Brooklyn waving a copy of his indictment. By 2001, while in federal custody awaiting trial, Tangorra complained to prison
psychiatrist s and medical staff that he was suffering from depression and severepanic attacks . His lawyers claimed that Tangorra's mental condition was deteriorating and he was in need of a psychiatric evaluation. Moved to the New York Metropolitan Detention Center, Tangorra was continually harassed by inmates who called him a "rat ". For his safety, Tangorra was later put in isolation. Guards observed Tangorra covering himself withfecal matter . It was reported in court that Tangorra had lost 100 pounds, was hearing voices, and had been placed onsuicide watch .Prosecutors claimed in court that Tangorra was faking
mental illness to avoid prosecution. Nevertheless, the judge granted Tangorra additional time to recover. As of April 2008, Tangorra is still incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center inRochester, Minnesota . His projected release date is December 9, 2014.References
*Sifakis, Carl. "The Mafia Encyclopedia". New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
*Sifakis, Carl. "The Encyclopedia of American Crime". New York: Facts on File Inc., 2005. ISBN 0-8160-4040-0External links
* [http://ganglandnews.com/column293.htm Gangland News: Completely Out Of Touch] By Jerry Capeci
*http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=Tangorra&Middle=&FirstName=Joseph+&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=331&y=297
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