Joseph Barboza

Joseph Barboza jr
Barboza's 1967 mugshot
Born	Joseph Barboza Jr. (1932-09-20)September 20, 1932 New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	February 11, 1976(1976-02-11) (aged 43) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Gunshot wounds
Resting place	South Dartmouth Cemetery, Dartmouth, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality	American
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
Nationality	American
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.