His name first came to prominence with the assassination of Crazy Joe Gallo at Umberto's Clam House in 1972. But "Joe Yak" had been a well known strong-arm enforcer and "shooter" for years...and here's is his life story


https://thenewyorkmafia.com/2019/12/21/joseph-joe-yak-yacovelli/

The backstory on his bio is the fact that for all his wild exploits, Yacovelli mostly kept to himself for decades. He maintained his little Mulberry Street crew and flew beneath law enforcement's radar. It was only with Gallo's killing, and stool pigeon Greg Scarpa's debriefings that Yak was later exposed for the true power broker he was.

This bio dovetails with our newest podcast of the 1961-1963 Gallo-Profaci War. Thats why I posted it now. Enjoy!

The correct url

https://thenewyorkmafia.com/2020/12/22/joseph-joe-yak-yacovelli/

What's the name of your podcast?

Mob Fireside Chat...here's the link to part one of the Gallo-Profaci War

https://youtu.be/Sbk6T_fztc4

Great article btw! Anybody who hasn't read The Luparelli Tapes and the Sixth Family (pete the greek) should definitely check them out. Don't know how true it is but in Luparelli's book he claims Pinto and Yack were both blasting at Ali Baba but Yack couldn't hit the broadside of a barn and Pinto plugged Ali Baba. Who know though?

When Colombo was shot, did Yac and the rest of the leadership really blame Joey Gallo? Or did they just use the shooting as a convenient pretense to eliminate him?

So Colombo gave him a regime. Thanks so much for bringing this forward. In all my reading it seemed he sort of appeared in the colombo war, and before that never existed.

He never tried to come back or getting involved after Persico were convicted in 86. Must have been content in Florida. They sent Charley moose to Vegas he stayed in the family affairs when they were locked up

Why come back if you don't have to? If he could make money without it it he was better off staying away.