Russo was born in east Boston in 1931. He was known for his custom-made, wiseguy-style long collar shirts and hawk-like features. Russo was once wanted for robbery in Cleveland, Ohio and by this time was already an ex-convict out on parole. He made his bid for Mob immortality when he gunned down hitman-turned-FBI-informant Joseph Barboza in San Francisco in 1976, fellow New England Capo Ilario Zannino was once overheard on an FBI wiretap describing Russo as "a genius with a carbine". Russo died while incarcerated on June 1, 1998 of cancer in Springfield, Missouri.