On this day in 1957 the New Jersey mobster who worked for the DeCavalcante Crime Family was born. Louis Consalvo is the man we are talking about, and Louie Eggs was recently released from prison in 2012 after serving a 12 year prison sentence for the 1991 LaRosso homicide.
On this day in 1957, Louis Consalvo was born, a New Jersey underworld figure who would go on to carve out a notorious reputation within the ranks of the DeCavalcante Crime Family, the only mob outfit outside of New York City to be recognised as a fully-fledged American Mafia family by the national Commission.
The DeCavalcante Family, based in Elizabeth, New Jersey, has a history stretching back to the early twentieth century and gained particular notoriety when FBI surveillance recordings from the 1960s revealed its members openly discussing the Five Families of New York as peers and rivals. It was within this storied criminal organisation that Consalvo, known on the streets by the colourful nickname "Louie Eggs," would make his bones and build his reputation as a dependable and dangerous operator.
Consalvo's criminal career took a decisive and dark turn in 1991 when he became embroiled in the murder of Louis LaRosso. The killing was a grim illustration of the violence that remained an ever-present undercurrent in organised crime even as federal authorities were tightening their grip on the American Mafia throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. The LaRosso homicide would ultimately prove to be Consalvo's undoing, as investigators were able to build a case against him that resulted in a conviction and a substantial prison sentence.
Consalvo received a 12-year prison sentence for his role in the LaRosso murder, a punishment that kept him behind bars and away from the streets for over a decade. Despite the years spent incarcerated, he remained a figure of interest to law enforcement and mob watchers alike, his case serving as one of many examples of how the relentless prosecutorial pressure of the RICO era dismantled the operations of even mid-tier crime families across the country. He was eventually released from prison in 2012, emerging into a vastly changed underworld that bore little resemblance to the one he had operated in during his prime.
The story of Louis "Louie Eggs" Consalvo is a fitting reminder of the brutal consequences that invariably followed a life lived within the Mafia's rigid and unforgiving code. His journey from the streets of New Jersey to a prison cell reflects the broader decline of the DeCavalcante Family and the American Mafia as a whole during that turbulent era.
More On This Day in Mob History
Further Reading — Mob History
Go deeper into the stories behind the dates. These are the essential books on organised crime history.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
