Hitman Joe Barboza
Did federal deals hide a killer's lies?
4.4 (12)
47 mins
Explore how feared East Boston mob enforcer Joseph Barboza turned informant for the FBI to avoid facing a lengthy murder sentence. Discover how corrupt federal agents relied on his flawed testimony to convict four men for the murder of Teddy Deegan, sending innocent individuals to prison. Learn about his placement into an early federal witness protection program in California, where his continued violent criminal behavior led to his assassination.
Ep 1:
The Making of The Animal
From a broken childhood in New Bedford to a brutal loan-sharking empire and a bloody gang war, discover how Joseph Barboza became Boston's most feared enforcer, "The Animal.
Ep 2:
Betrayal, Blood, and a Deal with the Devil
When the mob left Barboza to rot in jail after a betrayal, he struck a deadly bargain with the FBI—turning the courtroom into his personal weapon of vengeance against innocent men.
Ep 3:
New Name, Same Killer, Same Ending
Relocated to California with a new name, Barboza couldn't escape his violent nature or his past—leading to another murder, another trial, and a debt the mob never forgot to collect.
Ep 4:
The Reckoning: Blood Debts and Buried Truths
Long after Barboza's death, his crew self-destructed in violence while a lone lawyer uncovered a thirty-year FBI cover-up that finally exposed the truth behind a devastating miscarriage of justice.
Discussions (5)
Tom
Level 4 · 1 week agoBarboza really did fight at Boston Garden, records confirm it
Benedict
Level 8 · 1 week agoBarboza did fight at Boston Garden, records confirm it
Harper
Level 5 · 1 week agoJoe Salvati got 30 years for a $400 debt he couldn't pay back. Four hundred dollars. And the FBI knew the whole time. That's not a justice system failing. That's a justice system working exactly as intended for the wrong people.
