New England Mobsters and Criminals Had Memorable Nicknames

I've met many colorful characters during my lengthy tenure in the New England news media. Some wore white hats, while others – ah, not so much.

People come. People go. Some are forgettable. The legendary live on forever in memories, especially if they had memorable nicknames.

Rhode Island's Colorful Characters

Some of the best legendary characters with memorable nicknames I encountered over the years were in Providence, Rhode Island. Start with the longtime mayor of Providence, Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci. Everyone referred to Cianci as Buddy, including his fellow inmates.

The former Rhode Island Attorney General Arlene Violet, affectionately known as "Atilla the Nun," was a member of the Catholic order Sisters of Mercy before exchanging her habit for the chief prosecutor's chair.

Former Burlington, Vermont Mayor Bernard Sanders, like Buddy Cianci, came to be known by his single-word nickname, "Bernie."

Some even more colorful characters that dotted the New England news landscape during my time in the media were family men. Mobsters.

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New England Mobster Nicknames

One of my earliest assignments as a cub news reporter was to cover the arraignment of Raymond "The Fox" Patriarca. My news director told me, "All mobsters have nicknames." He also told me Patriarca was a big shot.

Based on the armed police security that protected Patriarca that day in court, I believed him.

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Here are a few of the more creative mob nicknames that were spun from my typewriter into news copy over the years:

Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio, Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, James "Whitey" Bulger, Gennaro "Jerry" Angiulo, Robert "Bobby the Cigar" DeLuca, and Carmen "The Cheeseman" DeNunzi, who, according to a recent WPRI 12 obituary report, was a "reputed mob boss" with the Patriarca crime family, which is active still in the Northeast.

A New Bedford Mobster's Nickname

New Bedford had its own mobster with a memorable nickname.

Joseph "The Animal" Barboza, Jr. was born on September 20, 1932, in New Bedford and died in a mob hit in San Francisco in February 1976. The son of Portuguese immigrants, Barboza was a "known hitman" for the Patriarca Crime Family.

Barboza, who boxed professionally under the name "The Baron," turned FBI informant in the 1960s. He is buried in South Dartmouth.

The mob had its own nicknames for FBI informants: "rat," "snitch" and "squealer."

New York Mob Boss John Gotti's Abandoned Mansion with Secret Room Discovered!

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

NY mob boss John Gotti's mansion sits abandoned in Old Westbury with many possessions still inside. The Gotti compound boasts a main house, a pool/guest house, a garage, a horse stable with an unfinished in-law apartment, an overgrown basketball court, and a triple-level hot tub/pool/swim-up bar. This was the mansion that Gotti's daughter Victoria called home with her 3 sons John, Carmine, and Frank. They filmed the reality show "Growing Up Gotti" here for 3 seasons in 2004 and 2005. After the feds raided the mansion in 2016, it has laid dormant with a lot of possessions left behind. What trespassers found was something no one expected. A hidden room behind a built-in bookshelf. Check it out!

Gallery Credit: YouTube-Kyle McGran

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