| Birth: | 1912 | | Death: | Mar. 12, 1983 | 
Crime boss. The son of an Italian immigrant, Nick Civella rose from the ranks of North Side thugs to become the boss of "The Outfit," the organized crime element in Kansas City. Throughout his life, Civella denied any connection with the mob, but law enforcement agencies looked upon him as an underworld leader who ruled over what was considered the most tightly controlled crime ring in the country. He dropped out of school, and by the time he was 20 he had been arrested on a variety of charges, including car theft, gambling, and robbery. In the early 1940s, he served as a Democratic precinct worker in Kansas City. After World War II, he worked as a driver and bodyguard for Tony Gizzo, an alleged gambling boss. In 1957, Civella attended a "convention" of underworld leaders in the town of Apalachin in upstate New York. By this time, Gizzo had died of natural causes and Charles Binaggio, nationally recognized as the underworld kingpin in Kansas City, had been murdered. CivellaÕs presence at the Apalachin meeting solidified his position as a mob leader of national stature. Authorities identified him as one of three men who regularly crossed the country as couriers for the "grand council of the Cosa Nostra," and officials in Nevada barred him from gambling in casinos in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and Reno. In 1970, CivellaÕs knack for avoiding the governmentÕs net began to wane when he was indicted on gambling conspiracy charges, convicted, and sentenced to prison. On March 1, 1983, while serving time for a bribery conviction and facing new charges of skimming gambling proceeds from a Las Vegas casino, Civella was granted an emergency medical parole. He died less than two weeks later, on March 12, 1983. (bio by: Bill Walker)
Family links:
Spouse:
Katherine Civella (1911 - 1992)*
*Calculated relationship
| | | Burial:
Mount Saint Marys Cemetery
Kansas City
Jackson County
Missouri, USA
Plot: Section nearest Cleveland street |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Apr 15, 2001
Find A Grave Memorial# 21448 |
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