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Jacques Imbert
Born	1929 (age 80) Toulouse, France

Jacques "Mad Jacky" Imbert was born in 1929, in Toulouse, France. In the 1960s, he was one of the most feared French mob leaders in the south of France. His operation was localized in Marseille, where he is still considered "The Last Godfather".^[1] His French nickname is "Jacky Le Mat". ^[1]

Contents 1 Rise in the underworld 2 Attempted murder by Zampa Gang 3 Trials 4 References

[edit] Rise in the underworld

The first report by police was in 1963. He was a suspect in the attempted killing of mobster Jean-Baptiste Andréani^[1]. In 1967, he was again the main suspect in the drive-by-killing of Marseille mob boss Antoine Guérini. After this murder both Mad Jacky's and Tany Zampa's crews shared the underworld business of Marseille and its suburbs. Their main activities consisting of prostitution, drugs, protection and racketeering. But his partnership with Zampa did not last long. They had a dispute over protection rights. In 1968, he became à trotting driver with his friend Alain Delon. In 1973, he was the champion of France^[2].

[edit] Attempted murder by Zampa Gang

On 1 February 1977, Mad Jacky survived a murder attempt by Tony Zampa's crew. Legend has it that one of the men said: "a swine like him isn't worth 'le coup de grâce' let him die like a dog". He was shot many times, but doctors removed only seven bullets from his body. His right arm remained paralysed as a result of the attack.^[3]. About that, the French newspaper Le Monde wrote : "Small matters, he learned to shoot with the left". Mad Jacky's revenge came when eleven of Zampa's associates were gunned down for the failed murder attempt. Imbert was later arrested as he allegedly prepared for another killing.^[2]. No charges were brought against him, and he was released after six months. When he came out a truce had been declared.

After this period, Jacques Imbert seemed to lead a quiet life between the Caribbean, Italy and France. In the 1980s, he was also the PR man for a discothèque "Bus Palladium", in Paris, owned by his friend Richard Erman, a Russian born businessman.

In 1993, in an interview with Le Nouvel Observateur magazine, Imbert said: "The cops always came to ask me about the jobs I didn't do. For the ones I did do, I never saw anyone"^[1].

He was a close friend of Francis "The Belgian" Vanverberghe, another mob boss whose early drug trafficking adventures were described in the movie, "The French Connection". Vanverberghe was shot dead in a betting club near the Champs Elysées in Paris, September 2000.^[3].

[edit] Trials

In 2005, he was cleared of taking part in a Russian mafia scam to manufacture contraband cigarettes. The link between Russian Mafia and Imbert was Richard Erman.^[4]

On 16 June 2006, Mad Jacky was sentenced to four years for extorting money from Paris businessmen in the early 1990s. The recent conviction is the first blemish on an otherwise clean criminal record. Imbert's counsel intends to appeal the verdict^[3][5].

On 2 January 2008, in appeal, Imbert is sentenced to two years for extorting money from a discothèque owner, in Paris.

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} News French mobster cleared of cigarette swindle - News from France - Expatica
2. ^ ^{a b} http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article394574.ece
3. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.bloglines.com/blog/TomHunt?id=124
4. ^ http://www.expatica.com/fr/articles/news/french-mobster-cleared-of-cigarette-swindle-18882.html
5. ^ http://www.tobacco.org/news/194567.html