Longtime gangster lived like retiree in Deerfield Beach until his murder
In the early '80s, James Tortoriello lived like a retired grandfather on a quiet Deerfield Beach street. But cops said he was really the South Florida muscle for the Chicago crime family headed by Sam Giancana. After all, his nickname was "Mugsy."
In 1982, two carloads of gunmen sprayed his house with bullets. A week later, the feds raided the same house, seizing guns and ammo from the convicted felon whose criminal record spanned 52 years. They found a pistol on a shelf under Mugsy's trademark derby.
Two years later, Mugsy, age 73, was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds in a warehouse near the Fort Lauderdale-Holywood International Airport. The murder was never solved.
Two of Mugsy's sons apparently followed in their father's profession. The youngest, Mark Tortoriello, was shot and killed outside a Tamarac home at age 29 during a drug deal. Another, James Tortoriello, also said to be connected to the Chicago mob, was sentenced to three years in federal prison in the early 1980s for theft of paintings that were later found to be forgeries.
Staff researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report
rnolin@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4525
Two years later, Mugsy, age 73, was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds in a warehouse near the Fort Lauderdale-Holywood International Airport. The murder was never solved.
Two of Mugsy's sons apparently followed in their father's profession. The youngest, Mark Tortoriello, was shot and killed outside a Tamarac home at age 29 during a drug deal. Another, James Tortoriello, also said to be connected to the Chicago mob, was sentenced to three years in federal prison in the early 1980s for theft of paintings that were later found to be forgeries.
Staff researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report
rnolin@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4525