Joseph Masella
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Joseph "Joey O" Masella (d. October 10, 1998) was a soldier in New Jersey's DeCavalcante crime family and a friend of known mobster Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo.
Masella was reputedly a heavy gambler and owed a lot of money to many mobsters, including members of the Gambino crime family. . Authorities have speculated Masella's possible involvement in the failed Brinks bank robbery of $1.6 million from the World Trade Center may have been a possible reason for his killing [1].
In October, 1998, Masella received a call from a man named 'Steve'. Steve reportedly wanted to help Masella with his gambling debts and suggested they meet. When Masella arrived at the designated place, he was told instead go to a golf course parking lot in Brooklyn. When he arrived at the golf course, he was shot several times. Joseph Masella died of his wounds in the hospital soon after that.
At the end of 1999, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the DeCavalcante crime family headquarter. Agents were working off information obtained by wire from Ralph Guarino, a DeCavalcante associate. Had Masella lived, he probably would have been indicted on numerous counts of racketeering. After the FBI raid, a DeCavalcante member was charged in relation to Masella's murder.
[edit] References
- Smith, Greg B. Made Men: The True Rise and Fall Story of a New Jersey Mob Family. Berkley, 2003. ISBN 0425185516
