1966 in organized crime
See also: 1965 in organized crime,
other events of 1966,
1967 in organized crime and the
list of 'years in Organized Crime'.
*Shortly after his release from federal prison, Chicago Outfit leader
Sam Giancana is forced to leave the United States as he is faced with additional federal charges. Coming out of retirement,
Tony Accardo returns to the organization to assume leadership of the crime syndicate.
*
Joseph Notaro, a high ranking lieutenant in the
Bonanno crime family, dies.
*
Frederick P. Ackerman, a lawyer and associate of
Sam DeStefano, agrees to become a government informant and enters the
Witness Protection Program.
*
Charles LeCicero, a member of the
Colombo crime family, is murdered.
*New Jersey loan shark
Harold "Kayo" Konigsburg in sent to prison.
*March -
**In a prelude to the Coonan-Spillane Wars, a local gangster associated with
Mickey Spillane is abducted from a Tenth Avenue bar in
Hell's Kitchen and taken to
Queens where he is murdered in a back alley by a small group led by
Jimmy and
Jackie Coonan.
**
Eddie Sullivan, a veteran gunman now allied with Coonan's faction, is taken by Spillane gunmen and beaten in the back of the White House bar.
**While visiting illegal gambling operations between
11th and
12th Avenue, Mickey Spillane is ambused by Jimmy Coonan who fires a machine gun from a nearby rooftop. Although Spillane and his seven or eight escorts are pinned down, Coonan flees the scene where he runs out of ammunition.
*
April 1 -
Jackie Coonan shoots and kills a local bartender in
Queens, and imprisoned in
Sing Sing Prison.
*
April 4 - During a drunken altercation with two men at an East Side bar, who gangster Eddie Sullivan became convinced were hitmen recently hired by Micky Spillane, were taken to a vacant lot near Cavalry Cemetary in Queen and shot. One of the men who survived the attack, and later testified against Coonan and the others. All four members were indited including Sullivan was given a life sentence and Coonan, accepting a plea bargain, was sentenced to 5-10 years for felonious assault.
*May - Joseph Bonanno unexpectedly returns to New York where he assumes control from his son, who had since been at war with
Gaspar DiGregorio for the leadership of the crime family. With the sudden return of Bonanno, DiGregorio looses both the support of his remaining gunmen and The Commission withdraws its support as the
Banana War slowly comes to an end.
*
May 17 -
Joseph Bonanno, after being in hiding for 19 months, officially surrenders to federal authorities at the U.S. Courthouse in
Foley Square.
*
May 23 - Chicago labor racketeer
Benjamin Stein is arrested and imprisoned for 18 months.
*September - A police raid by the
NYPD at the
Lastella Restaurant in
Queens reveals a meeting between New York and New Orleans including
Carlo Gambino,
Tommy Eboli,
Joe Colombo,
Joey Gallo,
Mike Miranda and
Aniello Dellacroce. The meeting, later known as "Little Apalachin", appeared to be discussing the distribution of the criminal operations of the
Lucchese crime family from
Thomas Lucchese (who had been hospitalized for over a year).
*
Charles LeCicero,
Colombo crime family member
*
Joseph Notaro,
Bonanno crime family lieutenant
