Nofio Pecora

Nofia Pecora was an Italian-American mobster who worked as a top lieutenant under Carlos Marcello of the New Orleans crime family.[1]

Biography

Pecora ran a call girl ring between Jefferson Parish, Louisiana and Harrison County, Mississippi.[2] In 1953 the Town and Country Motel was built, which served as a front for Marcello. Nearby a restaurant was set up to serve it, with Pecora being placed in charge.[2] In the latter 1950s he and his wife took over the Tropical Tourist Court and Trailer Camp.[2] He also operated a strip joint on Bourbon Street.[3]

Pecora had strong family connections within the Marcello organization. His brother-in-law was D'Alton Smith, Marcello's closest advisor for a time, and his sister-in-law was the wife of Joseph Poretti, another Marcello associate who managed his real-estate properties. Most significantly his wife Frances was Marcello's secretary.[4] Along with his brother Joe, he was a significant component in the purchase and distribution of narcotics in the New Orleans area.[5] Pecora was a frequent visitor to the Best Sales Company, operated by Gerardo Catena's brother Eugene, of the Genovese crime family.[6]

Pecora's associations extended into politics. In 1964 the Governor of Louisiana John J. McKeithen made his wife Chairman of the Fire Insurance Rating Division of the Louisiana Insurance Rating Commission.[2][7] He had a warm relationship with the local Small Business Administration and was easily able to obtain loans, including one loan of $210,000.[8] Another was Marshall Brown, of the Democratic National Committee. In August 1968 Pecora got in a police chase after they attempted to pull him over for speeding. The car was found to be registered to an insurance agency owned by Brown. In September Pecora speeding charges were dismissed.[9]

He had a son Nofio Pecora Jr. In 1991 Pecora Jr. and his mother Frances were indicted for bribery and money laundering.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Pecoraro Sentenced in La. for Fraud Conspiracy". Insurance Journal. 19 August 2004.
  2. ^ a b c d Barach, Jeffrey A. (1977). The Individual, Business, and Society. Prentice-Hall. p. 291.
  3. ^ "The Kennedy Assassination: 50 Years Later". New Orleans Magazine. 1 October 2013.
  4. ^ Moldea, Dan E. (1992). The Hoffa Wars: The Rise and Fall of Jimmy Hoffa. SPI Books. pp. 155–6.
  5. ^ Mafia: The Government's Secret File on Organized Crime. Collins. 2007. pp. 182–3.
  6. ^ Hearings Before the Committee on Commerce; United States Senates; Ninety-Second Congress; First Session on Effects of Organized Criminal Activity on Inter-State and Foreign Commerce: Part 1. U.S Government Printing Office. 1972. pp. 272–3.
  7. ^ Myers, Kenneth D. (1995). False Security: Greed & Deception in America's Multibillion-dollar Insurance Industry. Prometheus Books. p. 92.
  8. ^ Taub, Mel (28 February 1974). "Mafia Links to U. S. Business Unit Found". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Federal Effort Against Organized Crime: Role of the Private Sector; Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, Ninety-first Congress, Second Session, August 13 and September 15, 1970 · Volumes 74-77. US Government Printing Office. 1970. p. 140.
  10. ^ Simpson, Doug. "Police catch mobster's son in Britain". Wilmington Star News.
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