Joseph Barboza Jr. (/bɑːrˈboʊzə/;[1] September 20, 1932 – February 11, 1976), nicknamed "the Animal", was an American mobster and notorious mob hitman for the Patriarca crime family of New England during the 1960s.

A prominent enforcer and contract killer in Boston's underworld, Barboza became a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant in 1967 and later entered the Witness Protection Program.

He was married to a Jewish woman and fathered a daughter in 1965 and also a son and lived in Chelsea, Massachusetts, while employed by the Patriarca crime family.

Barboza would pursue a career as a professional light heavyweight boxer and member of the United States Boxing Association, using the name of "the Baron".

[2] His first boxing match on April 18, 1949, against Rocky Lucero in El Paso, Texas, and his last fight on September 23, 1961, against Don Bale in Boston.

He was a sparring partner of Patriarca crime family associate, Americo Sacramone, future Massachusetts Auditor Joe DeNucci, Edward G. Connors and Anthony Veranis.

Joe and six other fellow inmates had guzzled contraband whiskey and pilfered amphetamine tablets, overpowered four prison guards and raced away in two separate cars.

He was never officially inducted into the Patriarca crime family because of his non-Italian ancestry, but within eight years during the escalation of gangland warfare, he earned a reputation as one of Boston's most prolific contract killers and sidewalk soldiers.

[7][8][9] According to Patriarca associate-turned-government witness Vincent Teresa, Barboza "hated Negroes" and killed at least two victims solely due to their race.

It was widely believed[citation needed] in law official circles that Barboza had performed contract killings for Raymond L. S. Patriarca.

For disturbing the peace one night, he slugged a Metropolitan District Commission Police Officer, Joe MacLean, and received a six-month sentence.

Barboza drove a 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass which was referred to by law enforcement as "the James Bond car" because it had a sophisticated alarm system and a device for making thick black smoke come out of the tailpipe.

In October 1966, he came to terms with his falling-out with the organized crime element after he and three local hoodlums were arrested on weapons charges while cruising the Combat Zone in Boston.

After relieving them of their bail money, they stuffed their bodies in the back seat of Bratsos' car and dumped it in South Boston, hoping to throw blame onto the Irish gangs.

Finally in October, six men were charged with the March 1965 murder of Edward "Teddy" Deegan, who had been marked for death for several burglaries which he had committed with Stephen Flemmi, in Chelsea.

He was paroled in March 1969, under the name of "Joseph Bentley", and relocated to Santa Rosa, California[13] where he enrolled in a culinary arts school.

At prison Barboza wrote poems about the American Mafia, "Boston Gang War", "The Mafia Double Crosses", "A Cat's Lives" and "The Gang War" While working for the FBI, Agent H. Paul Rico helped to frame Joseph Salvati, Peter Limone, Louis Greco as well as his former mob superior, Henry Tameleo for the murder of Edward Deegan.

In his plea agreement, he told the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent that Barboza had admitted to lying about the men convicted of killing Teddy Deegan.

In July 2007, U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner in Boston found the bureau helped convict the four men and the U.S. Government was ordered to pay $100 million in damages to the four defendants.

On February 11, 1976, Barboza left Chalmas' San Francisco apartment; as he was walking to his car, he was hit by four shotgun blasts at close range.

[17][18] Barboza's attorney F. Lee Bailey said about his death "With all due respect to my former client, I don't think society has suffered a great loss".