Carmelo Cocchiaro was a soldier in the DeCavalcante Family of New Jersey who gained fame in 1959 for doing something that was a bit ahead of his time – posing for a picture with the loot taken from several supermarket robberies and having it splashed across newspapers around the country.
He was also the brother of notorious DeCavalcante Family capo, Frank Cocchiaro, who might have helped Carmelo hide out in Upstate, New York after that 1959 faux pas.
Eventually, Carmelo relocated down to sunny Florida, but his reputation preceded him — and so did the law.
Continue reading for more on the life and times of Carmelo (Melio) Cocchiaro.
