Joseph Dippolito

Biography

Joseph Dippolito was born on December 28, 1914 in Brooklyn, New York to Salvatore Charles and Angelina Dippolito. His father was well known as Charlie Dip. During Prohibition, Joseph served a one-year prison sentence for illegally transporting liquor. After his release from prison Joe Dippolito moved to Fontana, near San Bernardino, California, where his parents had moved to. Eventually Joe Dippolito and his father Salvatore Charles (Charlie Dip) owned several businesses, including a liquor store, a hotel, and extensive wine vineyards in Rancho Cucamonga. The Dippolitos became prominent and powerful men in the Inland Empire. The Dippolitos were involved in many real estate land deals, and produced various grapes for winemakers in California.

Later, Joe Dippolito also proved to be a competent Mafia killer. He was a big, muscular man who Jimmy Fratianno said was "built like a heavyweight wrestler". In September, 1949, made man Jimmy Fratianno was ordered by Jack Dragna to set up and kill Mickey Cohen loyalist Frank Niccoli. When first meeting Niccoli inside Fratianno's home, Dippolito shook his hand, and then quickly wrapped him in a reverse bear hug. Fratianno and Sam Bruno then placed a rope around Niccoli's neck and choked him to death. Afterwards, Dippolito took the body and buried it with a sack of lime in his large vineyard, which was a popular place to bury dead bodies for the Los Angeles Mafia. This method of killing was termed by the Mafia the "Italian rope trick," and a few years later this move was repeated on Louis Strauss ("Russian Louie") in April 1953, with Dippolito holding Strauss in a bear hug, while Fratianno and Frank Bompensiero strangled Strauss with a rope.

In 1952, Dippolito became a made man in the Los Angeles crime family under boss Jack Dragna. The swearing in ceremony took place at the Dippolito vineyard in Ontario. He was now a soldier working in Fratianno’s crew. His father had been inducted into the family five years earlier. When Nick Licata became boss of the Los Angeles family in 1967, he promoted Dippolito to underboss.

On January 31, 1969, Joe Dippolito was indicted in a Los Angeles court on three counts of perjury for statements he made during a liquor license inquiry on May 16, 1968. He was released on $10,000 bail and scheduled to be arraigned. On May 17, 1969, he was convicted on two of the three perjury charges. On June 10, 1969, Dippolito was sentenced to five years for each charge (10 years total). A $10,000 bond allowed him to remain free pending appeal of his conviction. It was during this time that law enforcement recognized him as the underboss of the Los Angeles family. On April 16, 1971, his sentence was reduced from ten to five years by Judge Warren J. Ferguson and he started serving his sentence. On December 13, 1971, Dippolito was paroled after only serving eight months. Joe Dip was released after San Bernardino mayor Al C. Ballard, Police Chief Louis J. Fortuna, and California Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Katz vouched for Dippolito in letters written in 1969 to a probation officer.

Dippolito died on January 14, 1974 after being stricken by a heart attack at his daughter Josephine's wedding. He had been in poor health, and had been hospitalized about 3 months earlier because of a heart condition. He was interred at Bellevue Cemetery and Mausoleum in Ontario, California. Survivors included his wife Frances, two sons, Anthony and Charles, both of Upland, two daughters, Mrs. Josephine Gatewood and Miss Angelina Dippolito, both of Upland, and four sisters, Mrs. Joseph Li Mandri of San Diego, Mrs. Victor DiCarlo of Etiwanda, Mrs. Joe Mineo of San Bernardino and Mrs. Bob Mineo of Rialto.