Joseph Campisi

Last updated

Joseph Campisi
Born(1918-10-11)11 October 1918
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died12 January 1990(1990-01-12) (aged 71)
Dallas, Texas
Other names
  • Joe Campisi
  • "Egyptian Joe"
OccupationsRestaurateur
(The Egyptian Lounge)
Years active1960s—1990
Known for Dallas mafia (reportedly)
SpouseEdith
Children4

Joseph Campisi, also known as "Egyptian Joe", was an American restaurateur who ran The Egyptian Lounge. Campisi was reportedly the head of the Dallas mafia from the 1960s until his death in 1990. [1] [2]

Contents

Biography

Campisi was born on 11 October 1918 in Dallas, Texas.

Campisi was the underboss to then head of the Dallas mafia, Joseph Civello. [3] Campisi and his brother Sam were associated with Carlos Marcello and made trips to New Orleans where they would socialize with members of the Marcello crime family, including Marcello's brothers. [3] Campisi attended the wedding of Michael Marcello. [4] Through Campisi, Vincent LoScalzo attempted to strengthen ties between the Trafficante crime family and Marcello. [5] Other friends included Benny Binion and Henry Wade, the District Attorney of Dallas for 30 years. [4] Campisi had contacts with both judical and law enforcement persons in Dallas. He was reportedly acquainted with state judges and officials in the Dallas County District Attorney's office. When William Decker was set to step down as Dallas Sheriff, Campisi hoped that Clarence Jones would serve as his replacement, as it would have meant that his bookmaking operations could have continued unhindered. [6] Campisi was never convicted of any offence; although he was arrested for murder in 1944, which the grand jury found was self-defense. [7]

The Egyptian Lounge in 2017 Campisi's Egyptian Restaurant, Dallas Texas.jpg
The Egyptian Lounge in 2017

He inherited The Egyptian Lounge when his father Carlo died. [2] Civello was a frequent visitor to the restaurant; [8] as was Jack Ruby, the killer of Lee Harvey Oswald. Ruby was a friend of Campisi's and Campisi was likewise a visitor to Ruby's strip club. [9] Ruby dined at Campisi's restaurant the night before Kennedy was assassinated and Campisi was later Ruby's first visitor in jail. [10] [4] Campisi was interviewed by the FBI on 7 December 1963 but was not called to testify before the Warren Commission. [11] However he did provide a deposition to the House Select Committee on Assassinations on 29 May 1978. [12] [13] In 1979, the House Select Committee reported:

"… it is clear that [Joseph Campisi] was an associate or friend of many Dallas-based organized crime members, particularly Joseph Civello, during the time he was the head of the Dallas organization… " and that they found "… no indication that Campisi had engaged in any specific organized crime-related activities."

—  House Select Committee on Assassinations [11]

Campisi married Edith and they had four children. [6] He died at his restaurant on 12 January 1990 from a heart attack, aged 71. [14] [15] Descendants of Joseph Campisi have built The Egyptian Lounge into a pizzeria chain, called Campisi's Restaurant.

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Lydia (November 21, 2014). "Anniversary of John F Kennedy Assassination: Who Was Jack Ruby, the Forgotten Assassin's Assassin?". International Business Times . Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Smith-Ruehle, Sarah (September 3, 2020). "Did Campisi's have ties to organized crime? Curious Texas looks at the history" . The Dallas Morning News . Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Deitche, Scott M. (2004). Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld. Barricade Books. p. 180.
  4. 1 2 3 Stephenson, Tom (December 1, 1989). "LOW PROFILE: The Godfather of Greenville Avenue". D Magazine .
  5. ↑ Deitche, Scott M. (2004). Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld. Barricade Books. p. 240.
  6. 1 2 Appendix to Hearing Before the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives Ninety-Fifth Congress Second Session: Volume IX. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1979. p. 335.
  7. ↑ Moldea, Dan E. (1989). Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football. William Morrow & Co. p. 105.
  8. ↑ Summers, Anthony (1994). Official and Confidential: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover. Pocket Star Books. p. 381.
  9. ↑ Reppetto, Thomas A. (2007). Bringing Down the Mob: The War Against the American Mafia. Henry Holt. p. 121.
  10. ↑ Fairbank, Katie (February 14, 1999). "A Dallas Restaurant Cashes In on Mob Connection". LA Times.
  11. 1 2 Appendix to Hearing Before the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives Ninety-Fifth Congress Second Session: Volume IX. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1979. p. 337.
  12. ↑ Appendix to Hearing Before the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives Ninety-Fifth Congress Second Session: Volume IX. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1979. p. 417.
  13. ↑ Blakey, G. Robert (November 7, 1993). "Murdered by the Mob". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  14. ↑ "The Campisi Squeeze". D Magazine . March 1, 1990.
  15. ↑ Deitche, Scott M. (2004). Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld. Barricade Books. p. 272.
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