The following is a profile of gangster, Vincent "Chin" Gigante, Boss of the Genovese Family, also known as Vinny the Chin.
Born: March 29, 1928 in New York City, NY

Dropped out of vocational school.

1946: Began his boxing career of 24 fights/ 23 wins.

1950: Married Olympia Grippa

Children: He had five children with his wife and three with his mistress.

• After he left boxing, he became a soldier for Tony Eboli, a Capo for the Genovese family.

• By 1970 his status had moved up to Capo.
• During the 1980s he became the Consigliore for Tony Salerno who was then the Genovese Family boss.
• During Salerno's absence due to health problems, it is said, that the Family appointed Vincent to act as the boss.
• After Salernos incarceration and eventual death, Vincent Gigante took over as Family boss.
• During the 1970s, Gigante used mental illness to avoid prosecution and continued to do so throughout his criminal career.
• Between 1969 - 1990, to keep the insanity charade going, he booked himself into mental institutions, 22 times.
• When not institutionalized, he would often walk through Greenwich Village in his pajamas talking to himself.
• In 1997, at 69 years old, he was convicted of 41 different racketeering and conspiracy charges, and was sentenced to prison for 12 years.
• Salvatore Gravano, a turncoat gangster whose nickname changed from Sammy the Bull to Sammy the Rat, testified in court, that Gigante faked his insanity and was the boss of the Genovese Crime Family.

• In April 2003, Gigante pleaded guilty to faking his mental illness to obstruct justice and received an additional three years to his sentence.

It has been said that Gigante was the hit man, assigned by Tony Strollo, to kill Frank Costello, who at the time was the Genovese Family Boss. He is also known for botching the job and only grazing Costello in the head with a bullet. Costello didn't die from the gunshot to his head, but decided to step down from his status of family boss. Gigante was never convicted of the crime.

Projected Release Date from Prison: 6/28/2010

Current Status: In the Springfield Usmcfp Prison in Springfield, Mo.