How Vincent Palermo Allegedly Served As The Inspiration For Tony Soprano
RedditThe story of New Jersey mob boss Vincent Palermo mirrored that of TV kingpin Tony Soprano so closely that Palermo’s men were once caught on an FBI wiretap discussing The Sopranos.
Many people were first introduced to the inner workings of the Mafia through the television show The Sopranos, which ran on HBO from 1999 until 2007. The show followed the life of Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, a man who lived a double life as a mob boss and a family man in suburban New Jersey. And his character was allegedly based on a real New Jersey mobster: Vincent Palermo.
Born in Brooklyn on June 4, 1944, Palermo is similar to Tony Soprano in a number of ways. Like Soprano, Palermo was the de facto boss of the New Jersey crime family, named DeCavalcante in real life and DiMeo on the show. Palermo and his crew also infamously ran a strip club called Wiggles, just as Soprano and his men operated the Bada Bing! in the TV show.
HBOLike Tony Soprano, Vincent “Vinny Ocean” Palermo started out as acting boss for his imprisoned predecessor and operated out of a strip club.
Drama within Palermo’s crew also mirrored Tony Soprano’s. Just like in the show, many members of Palermo’s crime family agreed to work with the authorities in order to avoid long prison sentences. And just like Tony Soprano, Palermo was comfortable using violence.
The FBI even picked up a recording of Palermo’s men talking about the TV show. According to Screen Rant they said: “Is that supposed to be us? Every show you watch, more and more, you pick up somebody… There’s a pork store. Yeah, in Jersey, right? They got a topless joint over there. Jesus.”
But whereas Tony Soprano’s exact fate is ambiguous, Palermo’s is well-known. Palermo eventually became a government informant himself, entered witness protection, and moved to Houston, where he continued to operate strip clubs until they were shut down, with Palermo now living his life far from the spotlight.
