Tommy DiBella was the son of Salvatore DiBella, a man whom mob historians and mafiosi alike claim was the original founding father of what later became the Profaci-Colombo Family of Cosa Nostra. Tommy was a classic sleeper in that although well known to the South Brooklyn underworld, he remained a virtual unknown to law enforcement for many decades. It was only with the turmoil following boss Joe Colombo’s attempted assassination in 1971 that DiBella’s name first rose to the surface.
He was appointed the “official boss” by the Colombo membership with the blessing of Carlo Gambino and the New York Commission to help stabilize the borgata.
In his capacity as boss, informants soon started reporting on his ascension to the throne. But by and large, despite this increased exposure, Tommy was a slippery fox of a mafioso. Not much was ever truly revealed about his life and underworld career.
