Virgilio (Virgil) Alessi

Virgilio (Virgil) Alessi carved out his place in the underworld early, running a bookmaking operation for a Colombo capo before becoming a trusted member of the DeCavalcante Family, His criminal career included everything from heroin trafficking to murder conspiracies.

Virgilio (Virgil) Alessi was born in 1932 at 5-34 47th Avenue in Long Island City in Queens County. He would live at this address for most of his life. Alessi later moved to 11 Park Avenue in the New Hyde Park section of Nassau County.

He was identified early on as a mob associate. By the late 1960s, he was named a Lucchese associate, working in tandem with another major Lucchese associate named Vincent Papa (a notorious Astoria Queens hood and major heroin trafficker).

A young Virgil Alessi

By the 1980s, Alessi would be officially identified by the FBI and informants as a formally (inducted) member of the New Jersey-based DeCavalcante Family’s New York City wing.

Virgil was a very active hood from early on. As a kid, he started his mob career as a “phone man” for Jiggs Forlano (a top Profaci/Colombo capo). Virgil ran an Astoria bookmaking “office” for Jiggs.

He also was friendly with other Astoria and Long Island City-based hoodlums such as Tony Carubia, Frank Cocchiaro , and Joe Giacobbe, the last two DeCavalcante members. This may be where he made connections to this Family, having been inducted years later.

His criminal associates included:

Nicholas (Jiggs) Forlano

Anthony (Tony) Carubia

Frank (Frankie Coch) Cocchiaro

Stefano (The Truck Driver) Vitabile

Vincent Papa

Anthony Loria, Sr.;

Frank D’Amato

Anthony Passero

Bartolomeo (Barry) Nicholo

Angelo Paradiso

In 1971, Alessi would be indicted by the Eastern District of NY (with Anthony Loria and four others) for operating a $5,000,000-a-year citywide narcotics network. The DEA alleged that this drug ring supplied extremely pure Turkish heroin to some of the top drug operations throughout the New York metropolitan area.

All defendants would be tried and convicted, with Alessi sentenced to federal prison.

In 1975, he would be one of 14 narcotics peddlers indicted by the Southern District of NY in a massive drug conspiracy - this time in conjunction with heroin kingpin Vincent Papa, among other top drug merchants.

Alessi was described as a “chief aide” to Papa and was a spin-off investigation of the famed “French Connection” case.

In 1977, Alessi was sentenced to 13 years on the narcotics counts and an additional 2 years on related tax evasion counts.

In 1975, Alessi was named as among the 13 biggest heroin traffickers in New York City and the heir to the Papa organization.

An older Virgil Alessi

By the 1990s, Virgil had made parole and ingratiated himself with the DeCavalcante Family. He was inducted shortly thereafter, and with his newfound status, Virgil became even more deeply involved in mob affairs.

Eventually, this led to another indictment for Virgil related to DeCavalcante Family politics and murder conspiracy charges against Alessi, Nicholo, and several other Family members. Boss John Riggi, Sr., also figured into this case. He may have served another prison term related to this highly-publicized case.

Virgil Alessi, finally on the streets and back home again after having served multiple prison stints in his lifetime, suddenly got very sick and died quickly in 1998.

I believe he had contracted cancer at the relatively young age of 66.

Until next time..."The Other Guy!"

Virgilio (Virgil) Alessi

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