Early Criminal Career (1928–1933)
Pieri’s involvement with the law began in the late 1920s in Buffalo. His early arrests suggest a young man involved in “heavy” street crime:
- 1928–1930: Arrested multiple times for Burglary (3rd Degree) and Grand Larceny. He received indefinite probation for these early offenses.
- 1931–1933: His activities escalated to 1st Degree Robbery across Buffalo and Rochester. During this period, he also faced federal charges for violating the Tariff Act, resulting in a 60-day sentence. Many of his robbery charges during this era were dismissed or “turned over” to other jurisdictions, a common pattern in organized crime records of that time.
Mid-Career and Federal Focus (1940s–1950s)
After a brief lull in the record, Pieri resurfaced in the 1940s and 1950s, shifting toward more sophisticated and lucrative illegal enterprises:
- Weaponry (1942): Arrested for possession of firearms after a felony conviction, leading to a brief stint in the Monroe County Penitentiary.
- Narcotics and the Harrison Act (1954): Pieri was swept up in federal stings involving the Harrison Act (narcotics trafficking). A jury in Cleveland, Ohio, found him guilty on multiple counts. He was sentenced to 10 years in the federal penitentiary.
- Incarceration (1957–1963): He served a significant portion of his sentence at the US Penitentiary in Atlanta, a facility known for housing high-profile organized crime figures.
The “Boss” Era: Racketeering and Jury Tampering (1960s–1970s)
Upon his release, Pieri’s record reflects his rise within a criminal hierarchy, focusing on “management” level crimes like gambling and interfering with the judicial system:
- Bank Robbery Conspiracy (1967): Charged with conspiring to commit bank robbery, though the case was dismissed when the DA failed to present it to a Grand Jury.
- Obstruction of Justice (1970): Pieri faced serious charges for Jury Tampering and Influencing Jurors. He was sentenced to 5 years in federal custody.
- Gambling and Parole Violations (1975–1979): Despite his age, Pieri remained active. He was arrested for Operating an Illegal Gambling Business and racketeering conspiracy. These charges, combined with Parole Violations, saw him returned to federal prison in Atlanta and later to the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden, NY, where he served a 1-year sentence starting in 1979.
Summary of Identifiers
- FBI Number: 182 971
- Primary Locations: Buffalo, NY; Rochester, NY; Cleveland, OH.
- Key Offenses: 1st Degree Robbery, Narcotics Trafficking, Jury Tampering, Illegal Gambling.
- Aliases: Sam Pieri, Samuel Pieri, Salvatore Joseph Pieri, Samuel Johns.
His criminal history includes:
- Arrest for interstate jewel theft.
- Investigation for jury tampering related to his jewel theft case.
- Pleading guilty to conspiracy/civil rights violations for “looking the other way while his officers engaged in police brutality.”
- Conviction for narcotics law violations (heroin conspiracy), where he was a supplier who delivered ten ounces of heroin to others involved in the scheme.
- He was incarcerated in Atlanta Penitentiary on Federal narcotics charges with Vito Genovese, Joseph Valachi, and Anthony Chrisci (aka Tony Chris).
He died on July 24, 1981.
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