Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo

Vincent Palermo was given the nickname Vinny Ocean because he used to work at a fish market. Palermo was associated with the Mafia, more specifically the DeCavalcante Crime Family, while he ran low level scams at the fish market he worked at. It was not until Palermo married the niece of then DeCavalcante boss Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante that others began to take notice.

Palermo was thrust into the life of the Mafia when he executed a suspected informant as a favor to then Gambino family boss, John Gotti. Palermo quickly rose through the ranks of the DeCavalcante crime family and eventually served the organization as its defacto boss in the late 1990s.

At the height of his Mafia success, the federal investigators were closing in and gathering more and more incriminating evidence to throw Palermo in prison for life. Rather than be forced to leave the comfortable lifestyle he had grown accustom to, Palermo cut a deal with prosecutors.

Palermo offered testimony which brought down the DeCavalcante family. Even after he admitted to taking part in several murders and multiple acts of extortion, Palermo served only two years in prison. He received his reduced sentence, plus a new life in the Witness Protection Program paid for by the taxpayers, for his cooperation in bringing down the North Jersey Mafia.

It has been rumored that Palermo was the real life inspiration for Tony Soprano, lead character on HBO's hit drama "The Sopranos". While HBO makes the claim that the story line and biographies of the characters were not intentionally based on any specific people, the coincidences between the fictional Tony Soprano and the real life Vincent Palermo are interesting to examine.

First off, both men became rose to the rank of defacto boss within their families. Both men owned a strip club. Both men frequented a pork store. Both men controlled North Jersey crime. Both men lived comfortably in suburban mini mansions. And both men were wrought with legal pressure from the FBI.

What separates Vincent Palermo from his fictional counterpart Tony Soprano is that Tony Soprano never flipped. He never turned State's witness. He never ratted out his own family. Tony Soprano was true to his "Oath of Omerta", his blood oath not to betray the family. Vincent Palermo, on the other hand, decided that prison just wasn't for him.

Palermo's new life was working well for him up until mid-2009, when his status as a federally protected witness was leaked. Palermo had been living in Texas and running legitimate businesses which included strip clubs, a Mexican restaurant, and a car wash when his true identity became known. Media attention and legal troubles focusing on his role in his strip clubs were to thank for blowing his cover. Palermo's strip clubs were raided by police officers under allegations of prostitution and drugs flowing freely through the establishments.

Sources:

Pete Kotz. Strip Club King Vincent Palermo Resurfaces in Houston. True Crime Report.

Greg B. Smith. Strip Club King and Mob Rat Vincent Palermo Up to His Old Tricks in Houston. New York Daily News.

Greg B. Smith. Secret Lives of Wiseguys. New York Daily News.