Ron Previte

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Ron Previte (center) in an FBI surveillance photo

Ronald "Big Ron" Previte (* 1943 in Philadelphia ; † August 21, 2017 in Galloway Township , South Jersey) was a corrupt police officer from Philadelphia and a member of the Bruno family of the American Cosa Nostra , while he was an FBI informant and later became a key witness .

Life

Early years

Previte was born in West Philadelphia in 1943 to a Sicilian-American father and a Neapolitan-American mother and grew up in Hammonton, New Jersey . His role models were gangsters from the neighborhood and according to his own statements he stole his first car at the age of 14.

Corruption in office

After returning from the Vietnam War and leaving the United States Air Force , Previte joined the Philadelphia police force at the age of 25 and became a corrupt official as most of his work colleagues were also bribed. Previte quickly learned how to blackmail gangsters and earn a golden nose on top of your regular paycheck. At that time he was also active as a bookmaker. After 12 years of his corrupt career in the police force, suspicions about his machinations gradually grew and before his actions could have any consequences he left the police force for Atlantic City, New Jersey .

Atlantic City

From 1981 he worked in Atlantic City as a security guard at the Tropicana Casino & Resort and, according to his own account, with accomplices in its warehouse, stole goods worth millions of dollars over a long period. During this time he also earned money as a bookmaker and also supplied casino customers with drugs and prostitutes.

Soon he came under his criminal machinations in the sights of the Philadelphia Mafia, which had a branch in New Jersey and demanded from him a share of his business in their territory; Previte agreed.

In 1986 he was arrested by the New Jersey State Police . He was offered to ignore the charges if he would act as an informant for the agency in return. Over the next 5 years he provided the police with various names and information about the local crime.

Undercover in the inner circle of the Mafia

Because of his good work as a bookmaker, Bruno Mafia boss named "John" Stanfa Previte wanted to get to know personally and before a meeting took place he was recruited by the FBI as an informant to provide information about Stanfa and his organization. Within a very short time he worked his way into the inner circle of the Mafia family and became an official member of the Mafia in 1993 , despite the fact that, according to his own statements, there had been no admission ritual.

In 1994 Stanfa and 23 other members of Bruno’s family were arrested and charged. Previte successfully negotiated a deal with the FBI to be wired from now on and to testify in the process if he would receive half a million dollars in return.

During the regime of Ralph “Mr. Bigmouth “Natale , the new head of the family, Previte becomes Capo and sells methamphetamine for Natale . Natale is later arrested by Previte's help.

In the summer of 1999, Previte was withdrawn from his job as an informant by the FBI and in 2001 testified in court against the mafiosi against whom he had gathered evidence over many years. Previte himself decided not to participate in the witness protection program and settled in a place not far from Hammonton, where he lived until his death.

Last years

In a documentary published in 2015, Previte claimed that after all this time, it was by no means refined and was still an active bookmaker.

Ronald "Big Ron" Previte died of natural causes in a hospital in Galloway Township of a heart attack on August 21, 2017, at the age of 73.

Films and documentaries

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Press Herald - Philadelphia mob captain, FBI informant 'Fat Rat' Ronald Previte dies at 73
  2. ^ The Inquirer - Ron Previte, wiseguy informant who brought down Philly mob bosses, dead at 73
  3. ↑ CBS News - Former 'Capo': 'I Was Underpaid
  4. ↑ Seattle Times - Ronald Previte, Mafia captain turned informant, dies at 73
  5. ↑ Gangster Report– Big Ron Previte Passes Peacefully Having Never Left New Jersey, Savvy NJ-Philly Mob Figure, Govt. Snitch Defied Odds
  6. ↑ Philly Voice - Ron Previte, the former mobster who brought down three crime bosses, dies at 73
  7. ↑ Courier Post Online - Former Philly mob captain Ronald Previte dies
  8. ↑ Carne Sale Funeral Home - Obituary of Ronald Previte
personal data
SURNAME Previte, Ron
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Previte, Ronald; Big Ron (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American mobster
DATE OF BIRTH 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia
DATE OF DEATH August 21, 2017
Place of death Galloway Township