James McElroy

American mobster

Not to be confused with James McIlroy (disambiguation).

James McElroy

Born|

James Patrick McElroy[1]

1945 (1945)

Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.

Died| May 2011 (aged 65-66)

California, U.S.

Other names| "Jimmy Mac"
Criminal status| Died in prison
Allegiance| The Westies
Conviction| Racketeering (1986)
Criminal penalty| 60 years' imprisonment

James "Jimmy Mac" McElroy (1945–2011) was an Irish American mobster and racketeer from Manhattan, New York, who was an enforcer for the Westies, a criminal organization that operated out of Hell's Kitchen.[2]

## Biography

[edit]

Jimmy McElroy was born in 1945 in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. He played hockey with many future Westies-aligned criminals at Hell's Kitchen Park and boxed at Boys & Girls Clubs of America with Eddie Cummiskey. He eventually started burglarizing commercial buildings in Lower East Side, Manhattan, and cargo from warehouses in West Side, Manhattan. He rose through the ranks of a group known for counterfeiting, extortion and murder during the 1970s and 1980s.[3]

A former boxer turned drug dealer, McElroy was known for being the driver of the infamous "meat wagon" (a large van used by the mob to transport dismembered body parts). Under the control of Jimmy Coonan, he became the third-highest-ranking member of the Westies during that time.[4]

In 1990 he testified against John Gotti to get a reduction in his racketeering charges, stating that he acted on orders from the Gambino boss when assaulting a Carpenter's Union official three blocks down from the Hudson River piers.[5] Gotti was acquitted on all charges, and McElroy spent the rest of his life in prison.[6]

## Death

[edit]

In May 2011, McElroy died in federal custody. His body was transferred to New York, where a funeral procession was held at the Church of the Holy Cross in the renamed Clinton neighborhood.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ The Book Of John Gotti. Lulu.com. pp. 46–. ISBN 978-1-4357-3895-9. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
2. ^ Hayes, Cathy (11 May 2011). "Westies thug 'Jimmy Mac' McElroy dies in prison". IrishCentral.com. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
3. ^ Dwer, Jim (10 May 2011). "Saying Farewell to a Gangster of a Bygone Era". New York Times. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
4. ^ Vanity fair. Condé Nast Publications. January 1992. pp. 38–40. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
5. ^ T. J. English (21 February 2006). Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-059003-1. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
6. ^ New York Media, LLC (3 February 1992). New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. pp. 27–. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved 14 June 2012.

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