Joseph Barboza Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Barboza's 1967 mugshot | |
| Born | Joseph Barboza Jr. September 20, 1932 New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | February 11, 1976 (aged 43) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Resting place | South Dartmouth Cemetery, Dartmouth, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Other names | "The Animal" "The Baron" "The Wild Thing" "The Joe Valachi of New England" Joseph Donati Joseph Baroboza Baron Joseph Bentley |
| Occupation | Mobster |
| Children | 3 |
| Allegiance | Patriarca crime family |
| Conviction(s) | Murder (1971) |
| Criminal penalty | 5 years' imprisonment |
| Boxing career | |
| Other names | The Baron |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Light heavyweight |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 11 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Losses | 3 |
Joseph Barboza Jr. (/bɑːrˈboʊzə/;[1] September 20, 1932 – February 11, 1976), nicknamed "the Animal", was an American mobster and notorious mob hitman for the Patriarca crime family of New England during the 1960s. A prominent enforcer and contract killer in Boston's underworld, Barboza became a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant in 1967 and later entered the Witness Protection Program. He was a star witness in the trial of six men convicted in the 1965 murder of Edward Deegan; four of the accused were sentenced to death and another two were sentenced to life imprisonment. It later emerged that Barboza had helped frame the six defendants in a case of wrongful conviction for the Deegan killing, which was allegedly actually committed by Barboza and Vincent Flemmi. He was shot dead in San Francisco in 1976 after his whereabouts became known to Patriarca underboss Gennaro Angiulo.