July 12, 1963 - New Jersey Teamsters’ Union boss Anthony (Tony Pro) Provenzano (pictured), 46, was sentenced to 7 years in jail and fined $10,000 in Newark Federal Court today for extortion. In addition, Mr. Provenzano, boss of the 14,000-member Teamsters Local 560 of Union City, N.J., received a harsh lecture from the judge. “You have betrayed the interests of the working man and abused the position of trust and confidence you held for your own personal advantage,” Judge Robert Shaw told him. “This tends to bring that union into disrespect. This misconduct is the kind of offense that strikes directly at the heart of our economy. The time has come to serve notice that this kind of conduct will not be tolerated and will be dealt with severely.” Judge Shaw noted that extortion is a particularly vicious type of crime because victims are often reluctant to cooperate with authorities.
