Nearly 50 years after Jimmy Hoffa vanished without a trace, a former mob insider, an investigative journalist, and a retired prosecutor say they’re ready to expose the truth—and this time, perhaps, they’re naming names.
Nove Tocco, once affiliated with a powerful Detroit crime family, is expected to reveal who killed the former Teamsters president at a live presentation in Michigan later this month. He’ll be joined by crime reporter Scott Burnstein, known for decades of deep reporting on the Detroit underworld, and former federal prosecutor Richard Convertino, who previously handled mob-related cases tied to Hoffa’s disappearance.
The trio is set to deliver a presentation on July 23 at Macomb Community College in Warren, promising never-before-seen FBI case file photos and what they call definitive answers to one of America’s most notorious cold cases. According to the event’s website, the talk will include a full Q&A and a direct statement identifying Hoffa’s alleged killer. When The Detroit News asked why this information hadn’t been sent to the FBI, Burnstein said simply that they “already know.”
Hoffa disappeared on July 30, 1975, under circumstances that have remained shrouded in suspicion and speculation. At the time, Hoffa was attempting a return to power within the Teamsters—a move that reportedly unsettled key figures in organized crime circles, including New Jersey’s infamous Provenzano crew and Detroit’s Giacalone family.
Despite telling friends and family he’d been threatened by members of the Provenzano faction in the months leading up to his disappearance, Hoffa agreed to a sit-down with representatives from both families at a suburban Detroit restaurant, Machus Red Fox. He arrived shortly before 2 p.m., but according to witnesses, the meeting never materialized as planned. Hoffa called his wife from a payphone nearby around 2:30 p.m., frustrated and still waiting. He reportedly said, “I wonder where the hell Tony is.”
Not long after, a witness claimed to see Hoffa enter a maroon car with several other men—none of whom have been publicly identified. Hoffa was never seen again.
The decades-long search for Hoffa’s remains has included digs in New Jersey and New York, investigations into Mafia activity across the Northeast and Midwest, and a steady stream of theories ranging from credible to outlandish. This latest effort, however, comes from individuals with firsthand knowledge of the era’s criminal landscape—and claims that federal authorities have been sitting on the truth.
Whether this will finally put the Jimmy Hoffa mystery to rest remains to be seen. Still, New Jersey’s long-suspected connection through the Provenzano family makes the upcoming reveal especially relevant.
Michael is the Editor-in-Chief of New Jersey Digest and Creative Director at X Factor Media. A Bergen County native, he discovered his passion for storytelling while studying at Montclair State University. In addition to his work in journalism and media, Michael is an avid fiction writer. Outside the office, he enjoys kayaking, a bold glass of Nebbiolo, and the fine art of over-editing.