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Joseph F. Abate (1902 – 1994), also known as "Joey", was a New Jersey mobster involved in extortion, loansharking and illegal gambling as a caporegime for the Lucchese crime family.
According to Abate's daughter, Catherine M. Abate, her father ran a garment factory in Margate, New Jersey that manufactured military uniforms for the U.S. Government. The business prospered until the 1960s, when it ran into financial difficulties.
According to newspaper records, Abate headed Lucchese interests in New Jersey by the 1970s, commanding over 100 mobsters. In June 1976, Abate helped induct Anthony "Tumac" Accetturo into the Lucchese family as part of the New Jersey faction. In 1979, Abate went into semi-retirement and Accetturo succeeded him as caporegime of the New Jersey crew.
In 1992, Catherine was appointed New York City Corrections Commissioner. When reporters confronted her at that time about her father's past, Catherine denied that he was ever involved in organized crime. She said that since her father was suffering from dementia, she could not ask him about his past.
In 1994, Joseph Abate died of natural causes at age 92. In 1998, Catherine admitted that she could no longer dismiss allegations that Abate belonged to the Lucchese family.
References
- Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York: St. Martin Press, 2005. ISBN 0-312-30094-8
External links
- New York Times, series of articles investigating ties to organized crime between Joseph Abate and his daughter New York City Corrections Commissioner Catherine Abate
- New York Times: Candidate Drops Denial That Father Was in Mafia By ADAM NAGOURNEY
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