New book claims mobster Gregory Scarpa Sr. orchestrated Joe Colombo's 1971 shooting
A new book, 'Prime Target: The Assassination of Joe Colombo' by Alan Taglianetti, claims that Colombo crime family captain Gregory Scarpa Sr. masterminded the attempted assassination of Mafia boss Joe Colombo on June 28, 1971, in Manhattan's Columbus Circle. The shooting left Colombo paralyzed and comatose; he died seven years later. Scarpa, a notorious hitman and FBI informant, allegedly confessed to Taglianetti while they were incarcerated together at FCI McKean in Pennsylvania in 1994. Scarpa feared exposure as an informant and wanted to control the narrative. Taglianetti's account, supported by author Peter Lance's analysis in 'Deal With the Devil,' suggests Scarpa manipulated FBI intelligence to frame rival Joseph 'Crazy Joe' Gallo while eliminating Colombo, who had confronted Scarpa about his cooperation with the FBI. Scarpa's motive was to ascend to the top of the crime family, but his plans were halted by an HIV infection from a tainted blood transfusion in 1986. Alternative theories implicate Gallo, the FBI itself, or Mafia Commission head Carlo Gambino. The case remains unsolved over five decades later.
Key facts
- Joe Colombo was shot on June 28, 1971, during the second annual 'Unity Day' rally of the Italian American Civil Rights League in Columbus Circle, Manhattan.
- The gunman, Jerome Johnson, was killed by Colombo's bodyguards immediately after the shooting.
- Colombo died of cardiac arrest in 1978, seven years after being paralyzed by the shooting.
- Gregory Scarpa Sr. was a Colombo crime family captain and an FBI informant who confessed to orchestrating the shooting while in prison.
- Scarpa's confession was made to Alan Taglianetti, a fellow inmate and Mob associate, in 1994 at FCI McKean in Pennsylvania.
- Taglianetti published the confession in his 2025 book 'Prime Target: The Assassination of Joe Colombo'.
- Peter Lance's book 'Deal With the Devil' traces Scarpa's informant history back to 1962 and supports the theory that Scarpa masterminded the shooting.
- Scarpa also worked with the FBI in Mississippi to investigate Ku Klux Klan murders in 1964 and 1966.
Entities
Artists
- Gregory Scarpa Sr.
- Joe Colombo
- Jerome Johnson
- Alan Taglianetti
- Joseph 'Crazy Joe' Gallo
- Carmine 'The Snake' Persico
- Carlo Gambino
- Anthony Colombo Jr.
- J. Edgar Hoover
- Mark Wahlberg
- Peter Lance
- Jerry Capeci
Institutions
- The Mob Museum
- FBI
- Italian American Civil Rights League
- Colombo crime family
- Gambino crime family
- FCI McKean
- Ku Klux Klan
- Mafia Commission
- Gang Land News
Locations
- Manhattan
- Columbus Circle
- New York City
- New York
- United States
- Pennsylvania
- FCI McKean
- Mississippi
- Magnolia State