By the late �50�s, he had earned his "button" and was a made man. A small (5� 6" and 160 lbs) squarely-built muscular man, he had a disposition towards shoulder pads, pinky rings, gold cufflinks and color-coordinated shirt, socks and tie. Those that knew him said he had flair and charisma, and was well spoken, articulate and always adopted a respectful air. Except when he was aroused and angry and then he changed very quickly into a raging bull. As an interesting sideline, Arlyne Weiss, a Jewish call girl who spent over thirty years mixing with the "wise guys" of New York, considered Colombo a philandering cheapjack suitor who dressed in unhemmed boxer shorts and wore his socks to bed when they had sex.
As success came his way, he adopted the trappings of a very successful man. Each year, a new Cadillac. He maintained an apartment on New Utrecht Avenue, which essentially was just a massive clothes closet stocked with suits, shirts, shoes etc. Two/three times a day, he was known to go there and change his entire wardrobe.
He married a beautiful and charming woman called Lucille, nicknamed JoJo, and lived with her and his children - four sons, Anthony the eldest, Joe Jr., Christopher and Vincent and daughter Catherine -- in a split-level house at 83rd Street and 11 Avenue in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, just up from the Dyker Beach Golf Course. He also owned an imposing country estate at Bloomington Grove, not far from Tomahawk Lake, Orange County, New York State. The house was a brick ranch style set on 5 acres of land with tennis and handball courts, stables and a swimming pool. In 1966, it had an assessed value of $86,200. As a legitimate front to the world, he worked as a salesman on an annual salary of $35,000 for Cantalupo Realty located at 1434 86th Street in Bensonhurst. He also had interests in a Brooklyn funeral home called Prospero�s on 86th street in Brooklyn and in a garment-cutting factory.
The appointment of Joe Colombo to head up the Profaci family came as a surprise to other members of the various crime groups around the U.S. Sam DeCavalcante, head of the New Jersey family, was overheard on a wiretap complaining about the selection. "What experience has he got? He was a bust out guy (petty gambler) all his life...What does he know?" In some ways their reaction to Colombo�s appointment was ill founded. Although he was often considered the Mob�s Sammy Glick, someone who got ahead by being slick and an opportunist, Colombo had a reasonable pedigree for the job. An accomplished killer, part of a five-man hit team for Joe Profaci, he and his squad were accredited with at least 15 kills. A tough and fearless street thug, he loved nothing better than mixing it and fighting face to face. In some ways, he was one of the more forward-looking members of the criminal underworld.
Rumor had it that Carlo Gambino wanted Joe in place so he could manipulate him and secure his flank at the same time. Gambino was reputed to have lent Joe $1 million to start up a loan sharking operation and helped him strengthen and solidify his position within the Profaci family.
By the late 1960�s, he had achieved this and was a well-established, successful mob chief. At this time there were three major factions in the family: the Gallos, the Persico crew and Joe�s own personal crew. The Gallos were relatively small, unruly and violent street thugs, who lacked the strength to take Colombo on directly, although they had been a major disruption in their struggle with Joseph Profaci.
Carmine "the snake" Persico�s outfit was the main enforcement arm within the family, staffed by such heavy hitters as Alphonse "Ally Boy" Persico (Carmine�s brother), Gennaro Langella, Anthony Abbattermarco, Joey Brancatto and Hugh "Apples" McIntosh. Although his mother was Italian, because his father was Scottish, "Apples" could never become a made man, indoctrinated into the mob. That did not stop him from becoming a very successful enforcer and ultimately bodyguard to Carmine Persico whom he revered. A combat veteran of some of Brooklyn�s bloodiest wars, he was involved in the murder attempt on Larry Gallo.He was so tough that once, while shot in the groin, drove himself to Coney Island Hospital. A loanshark and master of the shakedown, he wore a size 52-inch suit, carried an ice pick and was not the kind of guy to trade insults with.
Colombo�s own unit was headed up by John "Sonny" Franzese, one of the toughest mobsters ever seen on the streets. Heading up a dangerous and powerful crew of enforcers, shylocks and gamblers on the streets of Queens and on Long Island, by 1968, he was away in prison doing 55 years for bank robbery. To this day, many people agree that this was the ultimate "bum rap" and that he was set up, possibly by Carmine Persico, because his influence over Colombo was too strong and he was obviously waiting in the wings to assume control of the family when the opportunity arrived.
By 1970, Joe Colombo had decided on a plan to to change and improve the public�s perception of Italian-Americans. He understood the importance of image and tried hard to create an atmosphere that would make people think differently about the Italian gangster stereotype. It was to prove an embarrassment to organized crime in general and for Joe, his strategy backfired badly. It killed him.
It all began with an examination that was fudged, a forged signature, and some silver coins. Joe Colombo was registered as a real estate salesman. In order to qualify for that job and obtain a certificate, he had to pass an examination. In addition, he had to testify under oath about his activities and criminal connections. Once it was established that he had lied to New York State, and that someone else had taken the examination, forging Colombo�s signature, he was indicted and found guilty of perjury.
Then on April 30, 1970, an FBI Strike Force arrested his son Joe Jr. and charged him with melting down $500,000 worth of US coins illegally for their silver content.