Vincent Alo
Vincent Alo |
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Vincent "Jimmy Blue Eyes" Alo (May 26, 1904-March 9, 2001) was a New York mobster and member of the Genovese crime family.
A longtime business associate and childhood friend of Meyer Lansky, Alo served as a liaison between politicians and Charles "Lucky" Luciano. According to popular underworld lore, Alo was assigned to Lansky to monitor his activities (a claim reinforced by Vincent Teresa's My Life In the Mafia and The Last Mafioso by Jimmy Fratianno), however, Alo's actual purpose seemed to be protecting the vulnerable Lansky from ransom attempts from renegade mobsters. He and Lansky later ran illegal gambling operations both in Las Vegas and in Havana, Cuba.
Named a Capo by Joe Adonis, Alo oversaw criminal activity in Brooklyn including prostitution, narcotics, and illegal gambling.
In 1970, Alo was convicted of obstructing justice by Robert M. Morgenthau, U.S. District Attourney for the Southern District of New York, stating before the court "Alo is one of the most significant organized crime figures in the United States. He is closely associated with Meyer Lansky of Miami, who is at the apex of organized crime."
At the age of 93, Alo died of natural causes in Florida on March 9, 2001 and later buried in the Bronx's Woodlawn Cemetery.
References
- Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3