Purple Gang Mobster Shot Dead in Bronx: Brother Killed Up to 70 People
A violent thug involved in the Harlem and Bronx trade during the 70’s and 80’s was found shot execution-style in his head late Friday night.
Mobster Michael Meldish, 62, was discovered in the driver’s seat of his Lincoln LS on Ellsworth Avenue in The Bronx at 10:30 p.m. Along with his brother, Joseph, Michael Meldish ran what was called the Purple Gang. The crew originally had affiliations with the Luchese, Genovese and Bonanno crime families, all of whom have solid roots in gambling, though the Meldish crew specialized mostly in drug running and murder. The Purple Gang, which derived its name from a group of thugs who terrorized Detroit during the days of Prohibition, was so powerful during the 80’s that they nearly became the 6th New York area crime family.
The Bloody Crime Scene
Janet Forbes, 52, was driving by with her daughter when she stumbled upon Meldish’s car. The door was half-open and she spotted the man’s body inside.
“We pulled up, I got out and I saw there was blood coming out of his ears,” Forbes told the New York Times.
His head was back, his mouth was open and his sunglasses were on the floor, with one of the lenses popped out, Forbes said.
Forbes lives in the neighborhood where Meldish’s body was found. Her husband heard what he described as a “pop” from the family home.
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Meldish Brother Responsible for Up to 70 Contract Deaths
Joseph Meldish, 56, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in 2011 for a 1999 slaying.
“They were the lowest of the low ... just ruthless scumbags,” said Joseph Coffey, former commanding officer of the NYPD’s organized crime homicide task force.
“It should have happened a long time ago,” he added. “I call it vermin killing vermin — poetic justice.”
“[Meldish] definitely ruled the neighborhood with a lot of intimidation throughout the years,” said Lt. Sean O’Toole of the Bronx Homicide Task Force, referring primarily to Joseph Meldish.
“He would go into bars and start taking people’s money right off the bar,” O’Toole said in an interview with the New York Post. “If you argued with him, the next thing you know, he would be back with a baseball bat or he would start shooting.”
The Post illustrated Some of Robert’s Exploits:
In 1999, one-time drug dealer Tommy Brown refused to lend Meldish $20 for a deal. Meldish turned around and burglarized Brown’s home.
Brown reported the crime, then decided against pressing charges.
“Nobody wanted any problems with him,” he explained. But Meldish still plotted his revenge.
A crony, David Thiong, drove Meldish and crack-addicted prostitute Kim Hanzlick to Frenchy’s Tavern in Throgs Neck, where Brown hung out.
Hanzlick ducked into the bar and returned to tell Meldish that Brown was sitting with his wife at the second-to-last table on the right.
Meldish then barged in wearing a ski mask and shot the man eight times, killing him.
Too bad it was Tommy Brown’s lookalike brother, Joey.
Murder Investigation Begins
Police are yet to establish the circumstances surrounding the murder of Michael Meldish and no arrests have been made.
During his lifetime, Meldish was arrested for a number of crimes, including assault, weapon possession and forgery though his neighbors often described the 62-year-old as a 'friendly' man who is always willing to help.
- Alejandro Botticelli, Gambling911.com
