Joseph Stracci
"Joe Stretch"

Stracci was a longtime friend of Mafia informant Joe Valachi.

According to Valachi, Stracci was present at the assassination of "Joe the Boss" Masseria at a Coney Island restaurant in April 1931. But that's the sort of event that many claim a connection with.

Stracci was apparently a member of the Masseria organization, who remained with that Family under Charlie Luciano. In the mid-1930s, Stracci and Valachi, along with Frank Livorsi and Joseph Rao, combined their efforts in a numbers racket.

© 2007 T.Hunt
The American "Mafia"