Notorious Buffalo Boss Joe the Wolf DiCarlo

Giuseppe "Joe the Wolf" DiCarlo was a Buffalo mob powerhouse with a knack for evading the law and a reputation for brutality. From running rackets in Youngstown to soaking up the Miami Beach sun, his life was anything but quiet.

How did this feared mafioso rise to the top, and what made him Public Enemy No. 1 in Buffalo?

Giuseppe (Joe the Wolf) DiCarlo -- aka Jerry the Gyp, Jerry the Wolf, and Joe the Gyp -- was born on November 8, 1899, in Vallelunga, Sicily, to Giuseppe and Florence (nee Palmeri) DiCarlo.

After he immigrated to the United States, DiCarlo soon moved up to Buffalo, NY. He quickly became one of the most notorious -- if not the most notorious -- hoodlum and gangster in that city.

Joe the Wolf DiCarlo

He had a kid brother named Salvatore (Sam) DiCarlo, who also became a mafia member under the Buffalo mob’s flag.

DiCarlo stood 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed a solid 175 pounds. With dark brown eyes and slicked back salt and pepper hair. He would later gain derivative citizenship to the U.S.

FBI #286967, Buffalo-PD #14592, Cleveland-PD #45302, Miami Beach-PD #CR-82

DiCarlo was an extremely “well plugged-in” hood.

Joe married the former Elsie Pieri, who was the sister of another notorious Buffalo hoodlum and narcotics trafficker named Salvatore (Sam) Pieri. They had one daughter they named Vincenza.

DiCarlo’s mother was a Palmeri, a leading mafia family back in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. Once in America, the Palmeris would rise to power in Buffalo’s underworld through future boss Angelo (Buffalo Bill) Palmeri and his brother, Paolo Palmeri.

DiCarlo was also related by marriage to caporegime Cassandro (Tony the Chief) Bonasera of Brooklyn’s Joseph Profaci family.

The Only Kind of Business

His police record dated to 1920 and included 26 arrests for such offenses as felonious assault (6 years in prison, $5000 fine), bootlegging, robbery, vagrancy, coercion (1 year, $500 fine), intimidation of witnesses, perjury, assault (thrice), bench warrant, extortion and conspiracy (1 year, $500 fine), suspicion of murder, violating the Federal Narcotics Laws, criminal investigation, and operating a gambling house.

Joe the Wolf was never known to engage in any legitimate business. Instead, he was a devout street hoodlum through and through.

Known to be a much-feared mafioso, DiCarlo was believed to have been repeatedly utilized as a killer for the Magaddino brothers through the years.

He was eventually declared Public Enemy No. 1 in Buffalo, forcing him to flee the area to avoid the mounting law enforcement scrutiny he received.

DiCarlo first relocated to Youngstown, Ohio . There, he continued his criminal activities, seamlessly integrating himself with the local mafia gentry. After spending several years in the Youngstown area, he eventually moved south to Miami Beach.

Once he settled into sunny Florida, he quickly re-established himself among his Cosa Nostra buddies, setting up a lucrative bookmaking operation that handled extensive horse and sports wagering.

The DiCarlo’s soon bought a home at 530 South Shore Drive in Miami Beach. This home would become their permanent residence.

Newfound Shangri-La

Joe quickly acclimated to life on Miami Beach. He soon became a daily fixture at such mobbed-up hangouts as the Esquire Smoke Shop, Carib Hotel, Tahiti Bar, and the Grand Barber Shop.

All of the above locations were notoriously known to the local Miami Beach Police Department as gambling dens or bookmaking parlors.

Despite his newfound Shangri-La of palm trees and sunshine, Joe the Wolf continued to make periodic trips back to Youngstown, Ohio, and Utica and Rochester, New York , through the years.

Giuseppe DiCarlo

Law enforcement speculated that these sojourns were made to check on other racket activities, but DiCarlo was still believed to operate in those areas.

DiCarlo numbered among his closer criminal associates some of the most iconic names in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls family, including Stefano (The Old Man) and Antonino (Nino) Magaddino, Salvatore (Sam) Pieri, Angelo (Buffalo Bill) Palmeri, brothers Peter and Salvatore (Sam) Rizzo, and Rosario (Roy) Carlisi.

Other known mafia associates included Genovese underboss Anthony (Tony Bender) Strollo, Tony Bonasera, and his partner John (Johnny Bath Beach) Oddo.

From his days back in Ohio, DiCarlo rekindled friendships and associations in Miami Beach with the notorious Joe Massei, John (Peanuts) Tronolone, Al Polizzi, and George and John Angersola, better known in the underworld as “Georgie King” and “Johnny King.”

Years later, DiCarlo was thought to have eventually returned to the Buffalo area to help guide a breakaway faction from the old Magaddino Family after bad blood developed within that borgata. He and Pieri were said to have regained some power again.

Mafioso Giuseppe (Joe the Wolf) DiCarlo passed away on October 11, 1980, at the respectable age of 80 years old.

Until next time...The Other Guy!

Notorious Buffalo Boss Joe the Wolf DiCarlo

You May Also Enjoy

Salvatore (Turiddo) Scaglione

“Soldier” Carlo Barbara: Joe Barbara’s Shadowy Brother

Buffalo “Soldier” and Enforcer: Sam Miano

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password

Are you sure want to unlock this post?

Are you sure want to cancel subscription?

Notorious Buffalo Boss Joe the Wolf DiCarlo

Unlock The Door to the Underworld

Purchase Subscription

You May Also Enjoy

Salvatore (Turiddo) Scaglione

“Soldier” Carlo Barbara: Joe Barbara’s Shadowy Brother

Buffalo “Soldier” and Enforcer: Sam Miano

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password

Are you sure want to unlock this post?

Are you sure want to cancel subscription?