Vincent (Jimmy the Gent) Rotondo

Vincent Rotondo was a capo in the DeCavalcante Family of New Jersey active in labor racketeering. He was a well-respected mafioso, but in 1988, things turned sour for Jimmy the Gent.

Vincent Joseph (Jimmy the Gent) Rotondo - aka Jimmy Rotondo, Joe Rotondo, and Vinnie Rotondo - was born on September 14, 1930, in Brooklyn to parents Anthony and Carmela (nee Sarubbi) Rotondo. Both of his parents were born in the U.S. He also had a sister named Philomena (Phyllis.) Rotondo married a woman named Susan and had three children, two sons named Anthony and Vincent Jr., and a daughter named Denise.

In the 1950s, the Rotondo family lived at 486 Carroll Street in Kings County. As an adult, Jimmy moved to 148 Bay Street in Brooklyn before later moving to 2356 Royce Street in the Bergen Beach section of Brooklyn. He served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged in 1951.

Standing 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 175 pounds, Rotondo had dark brown hair that receded as he got older, brown eyes, and a dark complexion. The FBI identified Rotondo as a long-time member of the New York faction of the DeCavalcante Family.

Vincent Rotondo

His activities included labor union racketeering, waterfront-related rackets, gambling, shylocking extortion, and pornography.

For 25 years, Rotondo was an “organizer” for the ILA - Local # 1814 International Longshoremen’s Union based in Brooklyn. This Local is a Gambino asset, but in an accommodation, as is custom between borgatas, Rotondo was allowed to hold a position.

He was a very active and influential member who eventually was promoted to the “capodecina” rank. At one point, there was even talk that he had risen to “Underboss.”

2356 Royce Street, Bergen Beach

In June 1984, Rotondo was accused of masterminding a loansharking ring operating out of a Lake Success, L.I. leasing and financing firm called Resource Capital Group Ltd. He had been arrested with 13 others, including Benedetto Aloi of the Colombo Family, Anthony "Tony Nap" Napoli of the Genovese Family as well as several members of the Gambino Family. Rotondo was acquitted in June 1985.

As a side note, two future informants were also arrested in this case: 22-year-old Anthony Capo of the DeCavalcante Family and 33-year-old Michael Franzese of the Colombo Family.

The End of the Line

Jimmy Rotondo was riding high and was a very well-respected mafioso, but as will happen in “the life,” problems or jealousy often prevail.

Whether it was mob politics, a mob plot to stop his possible accession to boss, jealousy, someone he insulted, a violation of mob rules, or a combination of all the above, in the late afternoon of January 4, 1988, while sitting in his 1988 Lincoln Continental, which was parked outside his Bergen Beach home. Jimmy was shot five times in the face at close range. His son-in-law was the one who found Jimmy and called the police. It was a horrible discovery for a close family member to have witnessed.

A bag of squid was on Rotondo's lap, which the newspapers had a field day with, "a sleeps with the fishes" The Godfather movie type of thing, but it wasn’t true. He was just bringing home fish for his family.

Jimmy the Gent

Rotondo had a key associate named Dr. Jesse Hyman, a licensed dentist, who was a larcenous schemer who was instrumental in signing various labor-union locals to “dental plans” for their members. These plans were nothing but varied embezzlement and pilfering scams to drain monies from the union coffers. Hyman had been arrested with Rotondo back in 1984, was convicted, and turned informant. Some people say this was the reason for Jimmy’s killing.

Vincent (Jimmy the Gent) Rotondo was only 58 years old. He was waked at Dahill Funeral Home in Brooklyn (John Gotti reportedly attended the wake.) His funeral mass was held at St. Bernards Roman Catholic Church and he was buried at Greenwood Cemetery, both in Brooklyn.

Postscript: Rotondo's son Anthony would later follow him into the rackets and the DeCavalcante Family. He had risen to captain. Eventually, Anthony became disenchanted with mob life and secretly had, quite naturally, always harbored resentment because of his father’s murder. Upon being subjected to law enforcement pressure, never a tough and hardened mobster, he turned informant, testifying in several key mob trials.

Until next time..."The Other Guy"

Vincent (Jimmy the Gent) Rotondo

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