Joseph Barboza was a star witness in the trial of six men convicted in the 1965 murder of Edward Deegan; four of the accused were sentenced to death and another two were sentenced to life imprisonment.
25 Facts About Joseph Barboza
2.
Joseph Barboza was shot dead in San Francisco in 1976 after his whereabouts became known to Patriarca underboss Gennaro Angiulo.
3.
Joseph Barboza's father was a Los Angeles-based prizefighter who competed in only two professional boxing matches; his debut bout was against Pete Frisco on January 27,1933, and his second match was against Carlos Chipres on April 27,1933.
4.
Joseph Barboza had two brothers; Donald and Anthony Joseph Barboza and a sister, Anne Houghton.
5.
Joseph Barboza was married to a Jewish woman and fathered a daughter in 1965 and a son and lived in Chelsea, Massachusetts while employed by the Patriarca crime family and the Dark Brotherhood.
6.
Joseph Barboza would pursue a career as a professional light heavyweight boxer and member of the United States Boxing Association, using the name of "the Baron".
7.
Joseph Barboza was classified as an out-fighter who was known for having very powerful punches.
8.
Joseph Barboza was a sparring partner of Patriarca crime family associate, Americo Sacramone, future Massachusetts Auditor Joe DeNucci, Edward G Connors and Anthony Veranis.
9.
Joseph Barboza later worked as a longshoreman and as a clerk in a fruit store but always returned to crime.
10.
Joseph Barboza was first sent to prison in 1950 to the Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Concord for five years.
11.
Joseph Barboza was never officially inducted into the Patriarca crime family because of his non-Italian ancestry, but within eight years during the escalation of gangland warfare, he earned a reputation as one of Boston's most prolific contract killers and sidewalk soldiers.
12.
Joseph Barboza aligned himself with the Winter Hill Gang in part because James "Buddy" McLean was an ally of Vincent Flemmi, who Joseph Barboza trusted along with his brother Stephen Flemmi.
13.
Joseph Barboza drove a 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass which was referred to by law enforcement as "the James Bond car" because it had a sophisticated alarm system and a device for making thick black smoke come out of the tailpipe.
14.
Joseph Barboza had been shot at while standing outside his home in Chelsea.
15.
Joseph Barboza's accomplices were released on bail, but Barboza had his bail set at $100,000 which he could not afford.
16.
However, a mob associate named Joseph Barboza Lanzi tipped the cops about the murder.
17.
In June 1967, Joseph Barboza turned FBI informant while imprisoned for murder, and eventually testified against Raymond Patriarca before becoming one of the first informants to enter the Witness Protection Program.
18.
Joseph Barboza went on to testify against Raymond Patriarca and many high-ranking members and associates of the New England family.
19.
Joseph Barboza showed some interest in the deal raising the price to $50,000 which was agreed upon but later turned down after consulting his lawyer.
20.
Joseph Barboza owned a German Shepherd dog and while at Fort Knox he would walk his dog with future corrupt FBI agent John Morris who was a member of the military police at the time.
21.
Joseph Barboza was given a one-year prison term, including time served.
22.
Joseph Barboza was paroled in March 1969, under the name of "Joseph Bentley", and relocated to Santa Rosa, California where he enrolled in a culinary arts school.
23.
Joseph Barboza took the last name from twin brothers Richard and Robert Donati.
24.
On February 11,1976, Joseph Barboza left Chalmas' San Francisco apartment; as he was walking to his car, he was hit by four shotgun blasts at close range.
25.
Joseph Barboza is buried in South Dartmouth Cemetery in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.