Joseph "Joe Cargo" Valachi (September 22, 1904 -- April 3, 1971), Italian American, also known as "Charles Chanbano" and "Anthony Sorge" was the first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. He is also the person who made Cosa Nostra (meaning "Our Thing") a household name. Joseph Valachi was born in East Harlem, New York City, on September 22, 1904.[2] He came from an impoverished Neapolitan immigrant family with a drunken, violent father, and would come to blame this background for his eventual entry into organized crime.[2][3] Valachi's criminal career began with a small gang known as "The Minutemen," so called for being able to carry out smash and grab burglaries and escape in under a minute. Valachi was the driver for this band, and his ability to make a quick getaway earned him a reputation as a rising star in the underworld.[4] In 1923 Valachi was arrested in the aftermath of a botched robbery; he subsequently pled guilty to attempted burglary and was sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment.[4] He was released after nine months and, having been replaced with a new driver, created a new burglary gang.[5] In the early 1930s, through mob contact Dominick "The Gap" Petrilli, Valachi was introduced to the Cosa Nostra or Mafia, and soon became a soldier in the Reina Family (now known as the Lucchese Family) during the height of the Castellammarese War. Valachi fought on the side of Salvatore Maranzano, who eventually defeated the faction headed ...