Joe Gallo: The Mobster Behind A Civil War

It turns out that Joe Gallo had an open door into the underworld of the US thanks to his father. That's because he worked as a bootlegger during Prohibition in New York and didn't step in his sons' way of getting into a life of crime themselves. That's where Joe Gallo comes in. After dropping out of school at 16 years old, it wasn't long before Joe went down in history for starting a civil war.

Joe Gallo's time rebelling against the law, going to prison, and ending people's lives is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his life. However, it all culminated when he became the leading force behind a civil war that ultimately cost the mobster his life.

Joe Gallo's criminal career started at a young age

It turns out sparking a civil war didn't come until much later in Joe Gallo's life. Instead, the mobster started by stealing jukeboxes and candy machines before threatening people to make them buy the goods. It wasn't until later that Joe was diagnosed with schizophrenia - and after his work with the mafia - which both earned him the name 'Crazy Joe.' He quickly found work among crime families living in New York and became an enforcer for the Profaci, or Colombo crime, family. It was here that Joe was supposedly asked to end the life of rival boss Albert Anastasia, something he later bragged about doing among the underworld. 

He started a civil war by rebelling against his former crime family

It was just a few years after the supposed ending of Albert Anastasia that things changed for Joe Gallo forever. He decided to rebel against the Profaci family with his two brothers by kidnapping three of the highest-up men in the family in February 1961. Like many other crimes, it was sparked by money, meaning soldier John Scimone and underboss and his brother Joseph Magliocco and Frank Profaco were all captured until a ransom was paid and the tribute amount in the family was lowered. The Profaci family's response? To pay the ransom before ordering a hit on Joe Gallo and two others, with one losing their life.

Joe Gallo was released from prison after ten years

Things took a major turn in the civil war in the underworld when Joe Gallo was attested in 1961 for extortion and conspiracy. He was quickly sentenced to seven to fourteen years in prison and ultimately served ten before he was released. However, a lot happened while Joe was behind bars. For one, he decided to spend his time reading and painting watercolor paintings while working on his speeches. Apparently, Joe would often describe the graphic ways he ended people's lives and worked for the mob to other inmates. 

A second civil war was sparked after Joe Gallo was released

Another aspect that took a real turn while Joe Gallo was behind bars was the end of the initial civil war. The Gallo brothers and the Profaci family reached a truce that saw Joseph Columbo step up as head of the Colombo Crime family. As soon as he was released, two members of the family agreed to meet Joe and offered him $1,000 to agree to the peace treaty they had arranged while he was fone. Sadly, Joe rejected this offer - demanding $100,000 instead - and sparked the Second Colombo War. Joseph Colombo was ultimately shot and paralyzed, forcing him to hand over control of the family. While Joe didn't have anything to do with the crime, he was blamed, and the Colombo crime family vowed to get revenge.

The feud ultimately saw the mobster lose his life

Joe Gallo was celebrating his 43rd birthday on April 7, 1972, when he was shot multiple times, and his life ended. Although he was rushed to the hospital, there was nothing they could do. Even though it was a public crime and there are multiple accounts of what happened, no one is sure who ended Joe's life. Some claim it was a hit ordered by the new Colombo crime family boss, while others state it was another crime family. Whatever the case, the ending of Joe Gallo marked the end of the second civil war he sparked in his life.

While he might not have intended to pay with his life, Joe Gallo eventually became the mobster behind a civil war. It was a moment that shaped New York throughout the '60s and '70s and is a moment that's still brought to life in pop culture to date.