Richard "Richie" Aprile (7 September 1945 - 19 May 2000) was an Italian-American mobster who served as a caporegime in the DiMeo crime family of New Jersey. He was also the older brother of former acting boss Jackie Aprile Sr.
According to rumors, Richie was murdered during a domestic dispute in 2000, although no body has ever been found.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Richie Aprile was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a family of Italian descent. He was the older brother of Jackie Aprile Sr., the acting boss of the DiMeo family in mid 1999. Richie came up in the ranks of the DiMeo organization and became known for his brutality, ego, and complete disregard for authority. He served a 10-year prison sentence for crimes committed as part of the mob.
Return from Prison & Power Struggles[]
Upon his release in August 1999, Richie discovered that his younger brother had died of cancer and that Tony Soprano had replaced him as boss. Displeased and bitter about Tony’s new leadership, Richie began asserting himself in increasingly disruptive ways. He seriously injured Beansie Gaeta by running him over with a car, took over Davey Scatino’s sporting goods store, and rekindled a relationship with Tony’s sister Janice, whom he had dated in high school.
Richie’s resentment toward Tony intensified, and his erratic behavior put him at odds with several members of the family. He despised Christopher Moltisanti and became the inspiration behind an unsanctioned assassination attempt on Christopher by young associates Matthew Bevilacqua and Sean Gismonte. Richie distanced himself from the botched hit and allowed Tony to punish the perpetrators.
Alliance with Junior Soprano & Coup Attempt[]
Encouraged by his wife and driven by personal ambition, Richie approached Corrado “Junior” Soprano in an attempt to stage a coup and take over as boss. Junior initially agreed to support Richie but quickly realized Richie lacked enough backing within the family, particularly when Albert Barrese refused to side with him. Sensing Richie was a liability, Junior informed Tony of the plot.
Death[]
Aprile after being shot
Tony Soprano decided to send his trusted enforcer Silvio Dante to murder Aprile for his betrayal. However, this would prove unnecessary. After returning home one night, Richie and Janice got into an argument over Richie's son, a ballroom dancer, possibly being a homosexual. Janice replied that it would not matter if he was gay, leading to a furious Richie punching her in the face and ordering her to make dinner for him. A distraught Janice retrieved Richie's gun and shot him once in the chest, and once in the face, killing him. Tony Soprano had Christopher Moltisanti and Furio Giunta dismember Aprile's corpse and send Janice off to Seattle to lie low.