Vincent Palermo

Vincent Palermo
Born (1944-06-04) June 4, 1944 (age 80)
Other names
  • "Vinny Ocean"
  • "James Cabella"
OccupationCrime boss
Children5
RelativesSam DeCavalcante (uncle-in-law)
AllegianceDeCavalcante crime family

Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo (born June 4, 1944) is an Italian-American former mobster who was the de facto boss of the DeCavalcante crime family of North Jersey before becoming a government witness in 1999. Fictional mob boss Tony Soprano, the protagonist of the HBO series The Sopranos, is said to be based upon Palermo.[1] Similar to how Soprano owned the fictional Bada Bing! strip club on the show, Palermo owned a strip-club called Wiggles.[2]

  1. ^ The Sopranos: A Dramatic History documentary
  2. ^ Wild Tales from the Police Blotter, by C. J. Sullivan. 2008.