Provenzano became employed by
Teamsters Local 560 in
Union City, New Jersey, as a business agent between 1948 and 1958, as the president between 1958 and May 1966, and as secretary-treasurer between November 24, 1975, and June 1978. In 1959, Provenzano cited the
Fifth Amendment 44 times before a Senate racketeering committee, for which
Robert F. Kennedy was counsel. Hoffa planned to regain the leadership of the union, but was met with opposition from several members of the
Mafia. In 1973 and 1974, Hoffa asked Provenzano for his support to regain his former position, but Provenzano refused and threatened Hoffa by reportedly saying he would pull out his guts and kidnap his grandchildren. At least two of Provenzano's union opponents had been murdered, and others who had spoken out against him had been assaulted. On July 30, 1975, Hoffa was to meet Provenzano and
Anthony Giacalone at 2:00 p.m. at the Machus Red Fox restaurant in
Bloomfield Township, a Detroit suburb; Hoffa was never seen again. Giacalone and Provenzano, who denied having scheduled a meeting with Hoffa, were found not to have been near the restaurant that afternoon. While one account cited by
Time states that Provenzano was seen fraternizing with local union members in
Hoboken, New Jersey, Ten weeks after Hoffa's disappearance, President
Richard Nixon made his first public appearance since his
resignation, during which he golfed with
Frank Fitzsimmons, president of the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and Provenzano. On December 4, 1975, a federal investigator in Detroit said in a court hearing, presided over by
James Paul Churchill, that a witness had identified three New Jersey men who had participated "in the abduction and murder of James R. Hoffa." The three men, close associates of Provenzano, were Salvatore Briguglio, his brother Gabriel Briguglio, and Thomas Andretta. On December 9, 1975, Provenzano was indicted in the Southern District of New York, along with Anthony Bentro and Lawrence Paladino, for conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute for a proposed $2.3 million pension-fund loan from the Utica Teamsters Benefit Fund for the renovation of the Woodstock Hotel; in July 1978, he was convicted of these charges and sentenced to four years in prison. while the conspiracy to commit murder count was dismissed, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in
Kingston, New York, exactly one week later. On February 22, 1979, Provenzano was indicted in the District of New Jersey, along with Gabriel Briguglio, Stephen and Thomas Andretta and Ralph Pellecchia on
RICO charges in the Seatrain Labor Peace Payoffs case. On May 25, 1979, he was convicted of these charges, and, on July 10, 1979, he was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. ==Death==