By Sharon Oliver
Contributing Writer
REGION – New England’s long and sordid history of organized crime is well documented and with its most notorious figure arguably being James Joseph “Whitey” Bulger Jr of South Boston. Of course, he was not alone when it came to striking fear in the hearts of the innocent and not so innocent. Mafia hitman Joseph “The Animal” Barboza, with his bloody reign during the 1960s, was another such character.
Enforcer for Mafia
Born in New Bedford in 1932, Barboza was of Portuguese descent but longed to be part of the Italian-leaning La Costa Nostra crime family. Although he was never formally accepted, he proved his mettle for violence which was good enough to become an enforcer for Raymond Patriarca’s Providence, R.I. Mafia family around 1961. In 1970, Barboza admitted to stabbing men in the face, legs, arms and chest. No body part was safe from his wrath and his body count of 26 played a major role in the Patriarca crime family’s ability to dominate gambling and loan sharking during the 1960s mob wars.
After Barboza was arrested in 1966 on gun charges, the relationship between the hitman and Patriarca took a dramatic turn. The mob boss refused to post bail and dared to kill anyone who would do so. The FBI seized upon the chance to turn Barboza against his boss and offered him immunity and a new identity in Santa Rosa, California in exchange for information on Patriarca. Barboza’s testimony led to Patriarca being sentenced to 10 years in prison, along with the incarceration of six mobsters for murders. Even though the FBI soon learned Barboza lied about the six associates, the deal was sealed, and the former boxer and hitman even got a culinary job.
Witness protection program
In 1963, Joe Valachi sort of became the inspiration behind creating a program to protect witnesses after his participation in turning on Mafia criminals in exchange for safety in prison. However, Barboza is widely considered to be the first person in American history to go into the witness protection program (WITSEC). Unfortunately for him, the mob was not willing to forgive or forget despite protective measures and Barboza’s old habits were hard to break.
In 1970, he met a small-time crook named Clayton Rickey Wilson who confided in Barboza about money and other valuables he had stolen during burglaries. According to Paulette Ramos, a 19-year-old friend of Wilson and his wife Dee, Barboza got into an argument with Wilson. He shot and killed Wilson, buried him in a shallow grave, covered it with a tree stump and frightened the two women into keeping their mouths shut.
Much to the dismay of the FBI, their favorite snitch was arrested again. Nevertheless, Barboza was pleased to be back in the spotlight and went so far as to make claims about having information about singer Frank Sinatra’s partnership with the mob at a Massachusetts racetrack. Although Barboza would admit before a congressional crime committee it was just a rumor he had heard, the damage had already been done. Newspapers across the nation ran headlines like “Sinatra Linked to Mafia” and the livid singer demanded to speak to Congress. “I am not a second-class citizen. Let’s make that clear. How do you repair the damage that has been done to my reputation by a second-class punk?” Sinatra raged.
Killed in California
Luck ran out for Barboza in 1976 in San Francisco when two men in a white van fired four shots while he was walking to his car. The Animal was dead. Patriarca, who had been released from prison in 1974 once said his former henchman was, “A nut cake who would lie or say anything to stay out of prison and would even sell his own mother.”
Raymond Patriarca died of natural causes in 1984. Barboza was laid to rest in Dartmouth, not far from his hometown of New Bedford.
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