Nicholas " Little Nicky" Corozzo (born March 17, 1940) is an American mobster who allegedly serves as a caporegime in the Gambino crime family of New York City.
Criminal career
Nicholas Corozzo was born at 1825 Pitkin Avenue in the Brownsville neighborhood of
Brooklyn. Corozzo's first headquarters was located in a small candy store on the corner of Eastern Parkway & Atlantic Avenue in the
Ocean Hill section of Brooklyn, known as "The Hill" to his crew members. He later opened a social club next to the candy store which became his new headquarters. Corozzo later moved his headquarters to the
Canarsie section of Brooklyn. Nicholas is the older brother of alleged reputed Gambino
consigliere Joseph Corozzo as well as twin brothers Blaise Corozzo, a Gambino
Soldato, and Anthony Corozzo, who was an associate of the Gambino crime family. Anthony Corozzo is a longtime parishioner of Our Lady of Loreto Church located at the corner of Pacific Street & Sackman Street in Brownsville where he regularly attended Sunday mass. Anthony Corozzo along with his lifelong friend and Gambino crime family associate Dominick Mondelli aka Donny Mondelli, were well known for organizing neighborhood reunions and charitable events for the church for decades. Anthony died on April 17, 2020. Nicholas Corozzo is the uncle of Joseph Corozzo Jr, a high-profile New York
defense attorney. Nicholas' daughter, Bernadette, is married to Gambino associate Vincent Dragonetti.
Prior to Corozzo's incarceration, he lived in Bellmore, Long Island. He stands at 5′5" tall and weighs approximately 170 pounds.
Ruling panel
During the early 1980s, Nicholas Corozzo was a bitter rival of Gambino
Caporegime John Gotti. When Gotti became
Crime boss of the family in 1986, he declined to promote Corozzo to captain. However, since Corozzo was such a good earner for the family, Gotti did not want to get rid of him. In turn, Corozzo professed loyalty to Gotti.
[ "Nicholas Corozzo: Gambino Capo Escapes Dragnet" AMV Case Files Fugitives] It was only after Gotti went to prison in 1992 that Corozzo was finally promoted to captain, along with Gambino soldier
Leonard DiMaria. With Gotti in prison, Corozzo, DiMaria, and Nicholas' brother, Joseph, now the alleged
consigliere, formed a ruling panel that unofficially ran the Gambino family. In the mid-1990s, Corozzo was elevated to serve on the ruling panel.
[ "John Gotti - The Last Mafia Icon" Crime Library on truTV.com]
In 1996, Corozzo allegedly ordered the murder of Lucchese crime family associate Robert Arena. Arena had allegedly murdered Anthony Placido, a member of Corozzo's crew, and had failed to return some stolen marijuana to a drug dealer.[ Gambino Capo Nicholas Corozzo Sentenced Friend of Ours April 18, 2009] On June 26, 1996, the Gambino gunmen found Arena driving with Thomas Maranga, an Arena childhood acquaintance with no criminal connections, in the Mill Basin section of Brooklyn. After forcing Arena to stop the car, the gunmen shot and killed both men. However, until this day there is no concrete evidence that Corozzo ordered the murder of Robert Arena.
Florida arrest
In December, 1996, Corozzo was indicted in Miami, Florida on 20 racketeering charges that included attempted murder,
arson, and
loansharking. Corozzo was accused of running a loansharking business in Deerfield Beach, Florida that charged 260% yearly interest on loans.
[ "Attorney for Corozzo Denies his Client has Ties to the Mob" Sarasota Herald-Tribute, December 20, 1996] Federal agents arrested Corozzo as he emerged from the surf at a beach in Key Biscayne, Florida.
[ Reputed New Gambino Boss is Arrested" New York Times December 19, 1996] In August 1997, Corozzo pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in Florida and was sentenced to five to ten years in prison. Later that year, Corrozo again pleaded guilty in
Brooklyn to racketeering and bribing a jail guard.
While in federal prison, Corozzo shared a cell with Gambino associate Joseph Vollaro, who was serving a drug conviction. After his release, Vollaro started paying tribute to Corozzo's crew on a trucking company he started. However, facing another drug conviction in 2004, Vollaro agreed to become a government informant and record his conversations with Corozzo.[ "Accused Gambino Leaders Indicted in Sweep" New York Times February 8, 2008]
After Corozzo's release from prison on June 10, 2004, it was expected he would again take over the Gambino crime family. However, due to increased law enforcement attention, he initially kept a low profile. The Gambinos were reportedly led by Jackie D'Amico until 2005. Corozzo kept his position as a Caporegime, despite health concerns and tight parole restrictions. In 2006, a new report stated that Nicholas Corozzo and D'Amico were the new bosses of the Gambino family, with Arnold Squitieri as underboss and Joseph Corozzo as consigliere.
Indictment and imprisonment
In February 2008, Corozzo was indicted twice, one for the federal Operation Old Bridge and the other for the state Operation Touchback. The federal indictment was for the 1996 Arena and Maranga murders and other racketeering charges, with Vollaro as their main witness. The state indictment, prosecuted by Queens County District Attorney Richard A. Brown, Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau Chief Gerard A. Assistant District Attorney Benjamin J. Mantell, included the top count of enterprise corruption surrounding a Queens-based gambling ring that grossed almost $10 million over two years from
sports betting.
[ "Gambino Captain, Others Busted for Sports Gambling" North Country Gazette, February 7, 2008]
Amid a roundup of 62 mobsters named in an indictment, Corozzo had fled his Long Island home.[
]
In July 2008, Corozzo pleaded guilty to the state enterprise corruption charges.
Corozzo was originally incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth, a medium security facility in Leavenworth, Kansas, but was later moved to the Federal Correctional Complex, Florence, a high security facility in Florence, Colorado. As of March 2015, he was incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution, Loretto, a low security facility in Loretto, Pennsylvania. As of March 2018, Corozzo was imprisoned at the low security Federal Correctional Institution, Allenwood Low in Allenwood, Pennsylvania. His projected release date was March 2, 2020, but he was released early on November 29, 2019.
Further reading
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Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002.
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Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin Press, 2005.
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United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Organized Crime: 25 Years After Valachi: Hearings Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs. 1988. [8]
External links
